by Leanne Tyler
She held her breath, not believing she’d be so lucky as to have him sitting with her on the flight. What were the odds? But the charm warmed against her chest and she closed her eyes grateful if it had anything to do with it. She reached down and put the book back in her bag.
“Well,” he said, sitting in the seat beside her. “How weird is that?”
Brandon leaned over the top of their seats briefly and said, “No funny business.”
Sue laughed. “He just made me feel like I’m in middle school on a field trip.”
Alex moved the middle arm rest out of the way and leaned toward her. “But this is better. There’s no teacher to watch us.”
Brandon punched the back of the seat and Alex stood up. “Don’t make me hurt you because you know I can.”
“Hey lighten up. I was only joking around.”
“Brandon, give it a rest,” Phil interjected.
Alex glared at him a moment more before he sat back down. “Sorry.”
“Why does he have to act so juvenile?”
“Because he still thinks he’s a frat boy. He can’t get it through his thick skull that he left that life behind a long time ago.”
The ‘fasten your seat belt’ sign blinked on and the flight attendant began her safety announcements. Sue fastened her belt. Alex did the same and then reached for her hand, entwining his fingers with hers as the plane finally took off for Vegas.
Chapter Fourteen
An hour after their flight landed and they checked into the hotel, Sue, Kimberly and Audra placed their feet in the water of the massage chairs at the hotel spa for their pedicures.
“I want to know how you managed to sit with Alex on the plane,” Kimberly demanded.
“Yeah,” Audra agreed.
Sitting in the middle of them she felt like a sitting duck at an inquisition. “Luck, I guess. We were both surprised.”
“Well I hope you put those four hours to good use. Did you at least find out what the guys are doing tonight? Tomorrow?”
“No.”
“Come on, Sue. I can’t keep an eye on Phil if I don’t know where they’re going. What did you and Alex do?”
“We talked and listened to music. We shared the ear buds to my MP3.”
“How teenager of you!”
She frowned. “Sorry. But I do know that whatever Brandon had planned for tonight Alex said he botched it.”
Kimberly’s face lit up and she leaned forward to look at Audra. “You call Brandon and do whatever you have to do to find out what you can.”
“Got it.” Audra pulled out her phone and dialed. “Hey Brandon. Wanna have a drink with me in the bar around sixish?”
“That’s how it’s done,” Kimberly whispered.
“Great. See you then.” Audra closed her phone. “Piece of cake.”
Sue rolled her eyes and sat back to enjoy the roaming massage of the chair.
“Who was that?” Phil asked, stowing his clothes in a drawer.
“Audra. She wants to have drinks,” Brandon explained.
Phil frowned. “But I thought the three of us were going out?”
“We are and we will. After I curtail Audra’s little fishing expedition.”
“Huh?” Phil scratched his head.
Alex zipped his suitcase and stowed it in the corner. “He’s saying the girls are trying to find out what we’re doing tonight.”
“Really?”
“Man.” Brandon placed a hand on Phil’s arm. “Kimberly really has you snowed if you don’t know that is why the girls are out here. She’s keeping a close tab on you.”
“Well they.”
Alex grinned.
“It’s been this way since the two of you got engaged and bought that house. You moved in and she owns you now.”
“Owns me?” Phil shook his head. “Brandon, what makes you think that?”
“You sold out.”
Phil sat down on the sofa. “We found a house sooner than expected and it made financial sense to pay a mortgage than rent on two apartments. So we moved in together. She has her room and I have mine until the wedding.”
“That’s just wrong,” Brandon cut him off. “You’re living together without the benefits.”
“Why? It’s my life. If I’m happy with it then why should it matter to you?”
“Forget it.” Brandon stalked from the room and slammed the door behind him.
“What has gotten into him today?”
Alex shrugged and looked at his watch. “The girls should be finished with their mani-pedi at the spa by now. Maybe we should go down and see if we can catch up to them while Brandon meets with Audra.”
“So is that where they were headed as soon as we got here?”
“Yeah.”
Phil grinned. “What else do you know about their plans?”
“More than Brandon knows.”
“Let’s keep it that way.”
Sue woke the next morning feeling foggy. Audra and Kimberly had dragged her from night club to night club up and down one side of the strip. Their plans were to hit the other side tonight. Between the few drinks she’d consumed and the loud music, her head roared.
Kimberly sat up still wearing the tiara and ‘bride to be’ sash Audra had bought her so they’d get special treatment at the bar. “Tell me we don’t have to go anywhere for a while.”
“You have a full body massage at eleven.” Sue reached for her watch and tried to make out the time, but couldn’t remember if she’d adjusted the time when they landed. “It’s either 11 now or only 8.”
“Do you have to talk to loud?” Audra asked, pulling the sheets over her head.
“Sorry,” Kimberly whispered in not so soft tones.
Sue laughed, but that made her head hurt. She slowly crawled out of bed and turned on the television to see what the local station guide might tell them. Heading to the bathroom she grabbed a quick shower. When she returned, Kimberly was on the phone with Phil. She could tell by the pieces of the conversation she overheard as she got dressed.
Audra finally got out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom.
Kimberly ended her phone call and reached for a tissue. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose.
“Are you crying?”
Her sister nodded. “Sorry. I miss my Phil.”
Sue turned away and rolled her eyes. It wasn’t like he was thousands of miles away. The guy was in the same hotel, just on a different floor. “But you were just talking to him.”
“I know, but this is the first morning I haven’t shared breakfast with him since we moved into our house.”
“You need coffee.” Sue went to the coffee maker and put on a pot. “You’ll feel better once you have some.”
“I hope you’re right.” Kimberly sniffed.
“Coffee and a shower should do the trick.” Sue walked over to the sofa where her sister was curled up. “And then we’ll get breakfast before going for our massages. Afterward we’ve got a day of shopping.”
“Phil said Brandon asked us to join them downstairs for a party this evening. I’m game if you and Audra are too.”
Sue thought about it. She didn’t need to visit all the nightclubs on the opposite side of the strip. Last night’s experience had been more than enough. “Sounds like a good idea.”
When Audra came out they filled her in on the change in plans. “I like the idea of staying close to the room tonight.”
“Awesome. I’ll go shower and we’ll get going.” Kimberly hurried to the bathroom.
Five hours later, the girls returned to their room with several shopping bags. Sue dropped her purchases on the bed and kicked off her shoes. “That was fun.”
“I think you should wear your new dress tonight. I can’t wait to see Alex’s reaction.” Kimberly waggled her brows up and down.
“Yeah. If he can’t stop staring at you in street clothes, wait until he sees you in that dress.”
Her cheeks flushed warm at the thought of making Alex s
peechless when he saw her. “Maybe I will.”
“I’ve got the perfect heels for you to wear with it too,” Kimberly said going to her suitcase and pulling out a cute pair of strappy slip-ons.
“And wear the new Vicki undergarments you got today too,” Audra threw in.
Sue laughed. “He won’t be seeing those.”
“True. It’ll just make you feel sexy.”
Her sister nodded in agreement.
With that in mind, she took the pink shopping bag to the bathroom with her to do a quick shower to freshen up before going out. She scrubbed her face clean and reapplied her makeup before slipping the little black dress on. Its sheer flowing fabric hit about five inches above her knees and the double rhinestone accents at the shoulders drew attention to the heart shaped neckline.
When she came out, Kimberly hurried in to do what she needed then Audra took her turn. Sue helped her sister put on the ‘bride to be’ sash and tiara again before they left the room.
Alex and Phil stood outside the hotel bar waiting on the girls to arrive. Brandon had gone on in to secure them a large enough table.
“Don’t look now, but here they come,” Phil said which caused Alex to look.
It took him a moment to spot them because the lobby area was congested with other hotel guests, but when he did he sucked in his breath. “Oh brother.”
“Easy boy,” Phil teased, placing a steady hand on his shoulder.
Alex swallowed the lump in his throat.
Brandon chose that moment to rejoin them. He whistled. “Man oh man, but we’re three lucky guys tonight.”
“Hi fellas,” Kimberly called, stepping to Phil’s side and giving him a kiss.
He wrapped a protective arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Hi, babe.”
“Hi, Brandon,” Audra said, moving to his side. “Thanks for inviting us tonight.”
“I hope this didn’t spoil your plans?” he asked.
“No. We’re flexible,” Sue informed him.
“Shall we go in?” Alex asked, coming toward her and offering his arm. He dipped his head close to her ear. “You look amazing.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, slipping her arm around his.
Brandon and Audra led the way to the table in the back corner. Alex was surprised when he saw the white and silver balloons and metallic streamer centerpiece. He’d found it odd when Brandon announced his plan to invite the girls tonight. It was a total about face from his mood the day before.
“I’ve ordered a few appetizers and a round of drinks for us to get started. They should be out soon,” Brandon said, pulling a chair out for Audra to sit. He reached under the table and brought out a shopping bag, placing two small wrapped gifts on the table in front of where Kimberly and Phil were about to sit.
“Thank you,” Kimberly told him.
“Yeah, thanks,” Phil agreed.
“It’s my pleasure.”
Alex pulled out the chair for Sue to sit before taking his place beside Brandon.
Kimberly and Phil opened the packages and inside one was a crystal salt and in the other a crystal pepper shaker.
Brandon cleared his throat and stood. “I want you both to know that I get why you want to be together. Neither of you feel whole without the other. So to remind you of that I thought these were the perfect symbol. A table is not completely set without salt and pepper. May you always find you are his salt and you are her pepper.”
“That was lovely. Thank you, Brandon.” Kimberly stood and gave him a hug.
Phil hugged him too. “You had me worried yesterday. I don’t know what has changed with your thinking, but I’m glad.”
A few minutes later, the waitress came with their drinks and another showed up with a few sampler platters of appetizers. As they ate and talked, Alex was totally aware of Sue sitting next to him. He couldn’t stop looking her way. She caught him glancing her way a few times, but she didn’t say a word. He wanted more than anything to tell her how he felt, but he didn’t want to blurt it at the wrong time.
The waitress came by with another round of drinks before they finished their second and Brandon ordered a sampler of desserts. As soon as they finished their drinks, he offered his hand to Audra and they went to dance.
Kimberly tried to coax Phil onto the dance floor, but he persuaded her to stay and eat the desserts that arrived.
When another waitress came by with jello shots, Kimberly stopped her. “Oh. I’ve always wanted to try these.” She took two and handed one to Sue. “Do it with me.”
Sue shook her head.
“Come on. You’re my maid of honor. It’s your job to try new things with me.”
“I think you are pushing it with how far my duties go.”
“Come on. Do it because you’re my sister then.”
Sue looked at the glass in her hand and then back at her sister. “All right. Just one.”
“Yeah!” Kimberly bounced in her seat. When she settled down she said, “On the count of three. One. Two. Three.”
Simultaneously they poured the shot into their mouths and swallowed.
“Mango.” They said in unison, sitting the empty glasses on the table.
“Wow. That was potent.” Sue turned toward Alex.
“You wanna dance?”
“Sure.”
They left Phil and Kimberly and went to the dance floor. Sue wrapped her arms around Alex’s neck as he pulled her snug against his hard body. She sucked in her breath staring into his eyes as they swayed to the music, letting the sultry rhythm dictate their movements. Her heart beat madly within her chest. A result from being in his arms or was it an effect of the jello shot she’d downed at Kimberly’s insistence? No matter what the cause, she was certain she never wanted to leave his side.
He leaned his forehead against hers and she inhaled the alcohol on his breath. She found it intoxicating and she closed her eyes, enjoying the way his hand slowly moved down her back to rest on her hip. He hummed along with the instrumental music and when the vocals began again, he softly sung the words to her.
“Me and Mrs. Jones.”
She smiled. The song had become one of her favorites since meeting him. She couldn’t recall how many nights she’d dreamed about slow dancing with him to it. Once she’d even dreamed she was wearing a wedding gown and they were dancing at their reception. That had startled her at first, but now, she longed for it to become a reality.
The song ended and another began, but they still swayed even though the tempo had changed.
“Alex, are you drunk?” she whispered.
“No. Are you?”
“No. But I’m finding it a little warm in here.”
“Do you want to go get some fresh air? Maybe take a walk down the strip and see everything lit up at night?”
She nodded and they left the dance floor, going back to the table.
Brandon and Audra were still MIA, but Kimberly who had lost her ‘bride to be tiara’ was giggling and snuggling up to Phil when they approached. She looked up and reached out her hand to Sue. “She’s my best friend and my sister. How lucky can a girl be?”
“I know, sweetheart.” Phil nodded. “You’ve told me.”
“I have?”
“Yes. I think it’s time to call it a night.” Phil stood and pulled her to her feet. She swayed and giggled, slumping against him.
“Actually we were going to go for a walk,” Alex explained.
“Do you think you can see her back to our room?” Sue asked. “Or do you need help?”
“I can handle it. She had another shooter while you were gone.”
Kimberly grabbed hold of Sue’s hand. “Don’t stay out too late. We have an early flight and if you see Audra, remind her.”
“I won’t and I’ll remind her.”
“Good.” Kimberly smiled and hiccupped, which caused her to giggle once more.
Phil shook his head. “And she was worried about me getting drunk.” He waved and led her out of the
bar of the hotel.
Sue picked up her evening clutch she’d left on the table and turned to leave with Alex when a waitress came to the table with another round of jello shots.
“Sorry it took so long, this is the third bachelorette party we have going on here tonight,” the waitress explained. “Will the bride be back?”
“No. She’s had her limit.”
“Do you want them? They’re already paid for.”
Sue looked at Alex and he shrugged. So she took two and he took the other two.
He raised his. “To Vegas.”
“To Vegas.”
As soon as she swallowed the jello shots she felt the wham of the alcohol. It was much stronger than the shooter she’d had earlier, but maybe it was because this was her second shot that she felt the bam of it so strong. Sitting the glasses down, she took Alex’s hand and they left.
There was a buzz in the sultry night air as they walked among the crowds of people strolling to their destinations. It didn’t seem to matter that it was nearly two in the morning. The strip in Vegas never slept. She’d been warm inside the bar, but the tequila zoomed through her veins, and her body felt on fire and her head dizzy.
They slowed to a stop in front of a lighted water fountain and watched as the water shot into the air and the colored lights arced off it. Alex pulled her to him and kissed her while a misty spray drifted over them. He tasted like mango from the jello.
When he pulled away he cupped her cheek in his hand and tilted her head up until she was looking at him. “I love you.”
“Alex—”
“I know. We hardly know each other, but I know I love you.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her again.
Heat pooled within her and she knew this wasn’t the alcohol but her own feelings for him. She loved him too. She’d known it for a while now, but she hadn’t wanted to believe it was possible. When he pulled away, she blurted, “Alex, I love you too.”
