by Laney Terra
A few minutes later, Leslie and Alyssa were calling from Alyssa’s room.
“Hey Londyn,” Alyssa said, “Leslie fell asleep in my room. You can bring Casey up here too. Leslie can stay here for the night. You’ll be off the hook.”
“All right I’ll do that,” I said. “See you in a few.”
I explained the situation to Shauna then gathered Casey and brought her with me to drop her off. On the way back to my room I thought about seeing Hendrix. I pressed my floor on the elevator panel and seconds later pressed his. I had to ask. Denying myself the answers would have caused curiosity to bother me all night. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I thought about returning to him again. Another woman may be in there. Worse than that, his mother.
Embarrassment fears made me knock too lightly on his door at first. I raised my hand knock again and the door opened. I gasped. I wasn’t ready.
“Londyn,” Hendrix said.
“Hi,” I said. “I um came to ask you something.”
“If the question is can you come in, the answer is yes.” He stepped back and widened the doorway. I wandered in, and we sat on the couch that overlooked the strip. “I don’t think you had time to see the view at night. We were too busy with other things.”
“All those lights are beautiful,” I said.
“And so are you. Care for drink?” he said and put his arm along the back of the couch.
“No thanks. I had enough. Which reminds me, first of all I’m really sorry about my friends.”
“Like I said no harm done.” Hendrix chuckled and connected with my eyes. “I had to keep my hands to myself in the elevator back there. It was good practice with restraint. I would have taken you up on the offer if you were the one doing the asking.”
He brushed my cheek with his finger, raising the temperature in the room. “I can take it up now.” He leaned over, positioning himself inches from my face. “What do you think?” I bit my lip and he started nibbling on my neck. I grabbed the back of his head and exhaled.
“I haven’t treated you yet,” he said and lowered his head to my thighs to kiss them, inching up my dress.
“Wait. You barely know me.”
“I know Ms. Londyn. Wanted a few pecs that’s all.”
---
“Londyn,” Hendrix repeated a few times. I didn’t want to open my eyes because I wanted to hear him say my name a few more times. When I raised my eyelids, he was hoovered over me, and I was in that comfy bed of his again.
“What time is it?” I said, narrowing my eyes.
“6:45 a.m.”
I frowned.
“Don’t you want to get back to your room before the questions begin?” Hendrix asked. “I can tell from that group, they’d be all over you if you weren’t there when they woke up. And I don’t want you to have to choose.”
“Choose?” I said.
“Yes. You can have your cake too. I won’t get in your way.” The corners of his lips curled.
“You say that like I can’t go on without you.”
“I have no doubts that you can. The question is do you want to?” Hendrix tasted my lips and withdrew. My neck lengthened, pushing my lips up to him. “I didn’t think so.”
“Last night I came to ask you about the club,” I said, lowering my chin.
“Hmm?” he said.
“That’s why I came this morning. Visited you. Were you there? I thought your family and friends were in town. Wasn’t there a bachelor party?”
“Ah yes, the club. I didn’t plan on being there that night, but I got a call asking about you. One of the bouncers noticed you in the line, and knowing me, he informed the managers who called. I confirmed that you should get VIP treatment. I came by the club to make sure it was really you, so I’d pick up the entire tab, give you the star level. Then I left to rejoin my friends.”
“So if it wasn’t me, they’d have to pay for VIP?” I asked.
“No, I’d take care of it and part of the drinks, but they’d have to cover the rest of the cost. Don’t want to spoil everyone.”
“Thank you for that.”
“It’s always my pleasure Londyn.”
“So what’s your real name?” I asked.
Hendrix wagged his finger at me.
“That’s not fair,” I said. “You know a lot more about me than I do about you.”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
“You own Club Lounge don’t you? I can start there.”
“I don’t own it.”
“You have that kind of pull, and you don’t own the place?”
“The owners and I are friends. I invested.”
“Right. I guess I need to go ahead and get ready. We’re going back to the spa, if we can slip in for an appointment. I doubt it. And we’ll probably go to the pool then out somewhere for tonight.”
“Have fun.” Hendrix rolled onto his side.
“You’re going to let me go that easy?” I said, turning to face him.
“You said you were going to take a shower.”
“Yeah.”
“You want me to hold you up while I bathe you again, or do you want to support yourself?”
I playfully slapped him on the shoulder. “See you around maybe.” I moved to the corner of the bed and threw back the sheets.
“Look at my little risk taker. Thought you wouldn’t ask.”
His hands were warm on my torso as I was pulled back in. “In here or there,” he said. “The tub is over there.”
Chapter 10
Londyn
I opened the door to see that Leslie was lying in bed. Shoot! I didn’t make it back in time. At least she’s still sleep. I crept in and closed the door gently. Then I snuck on my pajamas and got in the bed. I made sure her eyes remained closed and set my alarm to ring in an hour. Rolling away from Leslie, I thought about letting her know so she wouldn’t get curious in front of the others. She’d keep my secret.
When I woke up Leslie was taking a shower. I got out of bed, got dressed, and turned on the TV. It was a beautiful day outside.
“Hey, you’re awake,” Leslie said, coming back into our room. “I have a surprise for everyone at breakfast.”
“A surprise?” I said.
“Can’t wait.”
---
At breakfast we were all eating when Leslie decided to break the news.
“What is it?” Shauna said. “You’ve been humming to yourself, and you haven’t eaten anything yet.”
“You know how this is my bachelorette party vacation?” Leslie said.
“Yes,” we said.
“Well,” Leslie said, “that’s not all. I’m actually getting married in a couple of days!”
“What!” we said in unison.
“Yes, Alyssa is only one who knew about it,” Leslie said. “She and Jackson’s friend, Keene, helped us put everything together.”
“But what about all of the dresses?” Michelle asked. “And your parents, family, friends?”
“They’re all here,” Leslie said. “Well, a small group of them. Not everyone made it, but we are going to have a reception back at home for them.”
“That’s great!” we all said in one way or another.
“Where are you getting married exactly?” I said.
“This hotel has a beautiful wedding chapel,” Leslie said. “Keene has been here for a few days already. Not that he needed to be. He wanted to make sure everything was perfect.”
“And what about Jackson’s mom?” I said. “Is she here?”
“At first she was a little bit upset,” Leslie said. “As you all know she had plans of her own, but she came around. Keene has been distracting her and her group with activities. Today and tomorrow other relatives are arriving, so she should be busy with them now. It’s all working out very nicely.” Leslie grinned from ear to ear.
“And it’s not only Leslie who is happy,” Alyssa said. “Planning things with a lot of extra opinions was getting difficult too.”
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“I almost forgot that you are the wedding planner,” Casey said. “Well, where are the mimosas? We should drink to this.”
“After last night?” Shauna said.
We all laughed.
“So since there is a wedding, there is also the addition of a rehearsal dinner,” Leslie said. “That’s tomorrow evening.”
“When did Jackson get here?” I said.
“He came in yesterday too,” Leslie said. “Even if we weren’t going to get married here, he planned to be here. After I told him about our getaway bachelorette party, he copied the idea and already had tickets to arrive before I got my things together.
“He was the reason why this trip was pushed back a few days. The upside was that gave me the idea to go ahead and get married here. Like Alyssa said, planning was becoming impossible, and we could always have two parties, so here we are.”
“Ah,” Casey said. “So his bachelor party was last night too?”
“He called it his pre-party, but the whole big thing is tonight,” Leslie said. “And that’s the reason we are doing a two day party also. I don’t want to be cooped up, worrying about him. Today we’re shopping or window shopping, coming back for the spa, and then we’ll have dinner and catch a show tonight.”
“And off to the club again,” Alyssa said, rubbing her hands together and bobbing her head.
“Alyssa,” Shauna said, “you’re awfully happy over there. Is this the type of club where I need to bring my disinfectant spray?”
Laughter filled our group’s area.
“Don’t go stuffing a whole bottle in your purse,” Leslie teased.
“I won’t embarrass you like that,” Shauna said, alluding to the fact that there was another way.
“Don’t they have travel sized spray?” Casey said, laughing harder. “She has some napkins in her purse already.”
“I don’t know, but they make portable wipes,” I said. “Could you imagine Shauna breaking out those?”
“That’s right Londyn,” Shauna said, reaching in her purse. “I come prepared.” She pulled out a pack and held it between her fingers. “Bam.”
“No!” Leslie said, laughing.
“One thing is for sure,” I said. “We’ll be free from infection.”
“Now these aren’t for wiping down your skin, so Casey, behave,” Shauna said. “Michelle, you too. You were all over Mr. what’s his name look-a-like last night.”
“All over him,” Casey said.
“Did we not agree to have fun?” Michelle said. “I’m simply following the rules. And don’t act like you weren’t with me Casey. I think that was you.”
“Wait,” Leslie said. “You all saw Keene part two last night?”
“Supposedly,” Michelle said.
“I think he might have a room in our section of the hotel,” Leslie said. “He got here early. Jackson and his friends are in the other tower.”
“Oh wow,” Michelle said. “So I guess I reminded him of me.”
“And I came onto him,” Casey said.
“I’ll let you go this time Casey,” Michelle said. “But if anyone tries to mess with my man, they’re going to have a lot of pain coming their way.”
“Does he know of this?” Alyssa said, laughing.
“He knows,” Michelle said, “or will soon. His mother and I talk from time to time. He’s such an amazing man.”
“He is,” Leslie said. “Keene stepped in and did whatever he did to get us our spa appointment today. He happened to call to see if everything was going well on my end, so add magical to that list.”
“Really,” I said, shifting in my chair. “He has connections like that?” This all has to be a coincidence. Keene can’t equal Hendrix. He can’t. Please don’t.
---
Hendrix aka Keene
I think I might have let the love of my life go. Naw. That’s crazy. I had been with her for three days, mostly nights, only. That was my other personality speaking, the one that gave no thought to anything, just go or no. Procrastination was probably giving its opinion too. I’d rather be with Londyn than make sure everything was right for the bachelor party that night and the wedding the days prior.
I was the only one who was able to take off a couple of days early to check on the venue, among other things. It was fun figuring out how to get my mom and her best friend to take an impromptu trip to Vegas. Convincing Jackson’s and my dad to come was a cake walk. I told them what was going on.
Setting activities up so they avoided Jackson and Leslie before the wedding was a greater task. But that’s why I was given the assignment. I always came through. They received a luxury spa trip. Leslie did get nervous that Jackson’s mom would hate her forever, so she spoiled the secret, but I was glad she did. It worked out well. Families who wanted to come made it out, and I got more time to myself.
Time I spent sitting there thinking about Londyn. It must be the fact that she’d be gone in a few days, so I wouldn’t have to fabricate an excuse to leave her. My mom was right about that. I had different women for various events, if I had one on my arm at all, so Londyn fit right into my agenda.
That had to be the reason why she stayed on my mind. And she flew in from Houston, not L.A. No possible problems there. I didn’t know her real name until her friends got on the elevator, and she didn’t know mine. I chuckled. She was so cute when she was mortified by her friends’ behavior.
Her friends… I forgot. Well, there went my theories. One of her friends and my best friend were getting married. If Londyn wanted to, she could contact me anytime, but she didn’t know that. She’d find out the next night though. If I was being honest with myself, other than the fact that she was sweet, caring, and sexy, the situation was the reason she was so intriguing.
To keep up the ruse with my family and Michelle, we’d have to hide our get togethers. On top of that she may not want to see me past this week. What will she do?
I had never been in a situation like that before. Usually it was me who left. I didn’t know why I couldn’t let things happen as they would. It was what I wanted, but Londyn wasn’t going to go home and forget about me. I planned to make sure of that.
I caught Jackson, his brothers, and friends over in the other tower. Jackson hit me on the arm. “Thanks man, for all that you’ve done. Leslie texted me. She was too happy that you got her group an appointment at the spa.”
“It was nothing,” I said. “An early wedding present.”
“But how did you know they wanted one?”
“It’s Leslie. You were always carrying her to get a massage, and this hotel is known for the spa.”
“True. But you, something has changed. You’re more upbeat. Has my wedding rubbed off on you? Do you have a future in wedding planning?”
I chuckled. “No, nothing has changed but a break from work.”
“Oh, OK,” Jackson said. “So when am I going to meet this break from work? This mystical woman? Are we having a double wedding?”
---
Londyn
“This bachelorette party is epic Leslie,” I said as Leslie and I settled back into our room early the next morning. “All of these activities…and crazy moments…”
Leslie laughed, “I think all of us knew Casey had it in her, but didn’t think she’d jump up there with that man.”
“I know,” I said and yawned.
“Why are you yawning?” Leslie said. “Don’t think I’m judging you because I’m not. Go see your man.”
“You noticed.”
“I know I was out of it for the most part, but when I came to the room yesterday and you weren’t here…. Go have fun.”
“The only fun I’m having is sleeping.”
“Mhum.”
I couldn’t say I didn’t think about it as I lay in between the soft, white sheets. They reminded me of him.
Chapter 11
Londyn
I couldn’t breathe when I opened the door to the chapel. There Hendrix was, joking w
ith Jackson and the rest of the groomsmen. His best friend’s wedding was my best friend’s wedding. I knew this was going to happen, but seeing him there made it all real. There would be no way I could hide from him. I had to trash any emotion I had for him.
“What’s wrong Londyn?” Leslie said, startling me as she patted me on my back. “You look like you are the one getting cold feet.”
“Uh nothing,” I said.
Leslie put her finger on her chin. “One of those guys—”
“Shhh,” I whispered.
“There was only one here the same time you were,” she muttered.
“Please,” I mouthed.
“Mmm. Well, I’m glad my affair was of service to you, but you know who to hide this from. Unless you don’t want to.”
“Yes.”
“Great. See you up there.”
“Oh,” Jackson’s mother said when she saw Leslie. “The bride is here. We can start.”
The guys broke up their group, and I joined everyone else in the front. From time to time as Alyssa and the chapel planner took turns giving directions, I peeked over at Hendrix. Acting as though nothing was wrong, he made jokes and was cheerful. I inhaled when he looked me dead in the eye and smiled.
He knew. He had to have known, but how did he put it together? Ah. Michelle. It kind of wasn’t fair that he was calm and my ears and cheeks were getting warmer.
At the end of the chat, Alyssa had us introduce ourselves to the group. Hendrix already knew my name, but I learned Keene was his legal one.
“I think I’m walking you down the aisle,” he said to me once we were back into the hall to practice marching down the runway.
“No, that would be me honey,” Michelle said to Hendrix. “She’s a bridesmaid. I’m the maid of honor.”
“That’s right,” he said. “I’m sorry. Londyn, right?”
“Right,” I said.
Michelle gave me one of her fake smiles and lined up with Hendrix. She gave him a real one as she interlaced her fingers with his.
