It was the greatest day of my life. I, Brittany Hayes, was interviewing Caleb Sex-on-a-Stick Sinclair! Yes, as far as I’m concerned, that’s his real name. We’ve all got that one show we’ve been obsessed with forever and for me, that show was More than a Memory, the angsty, dramatic, sexy soap opera that my sister, Kat, and I had been watching religiously since I was like twelve. Caleb plays Blaze Pierce, the rebellious bad boy who has been melting panties for over a decade. And I got to interview him!
I’d been a writer for Contemporary Magazine
for three years and this was my first big interview. I had interned at the magazine during college and worked my way up through the ranks, eventually becoming a writer. Typically, I wrote pieces on sex and dating, so I didn’t get to do many interviews, but my friend, Natalie, who was an entertainment writer, knew how much I loved Caleb Sinclair and she managed to get the editor to agree to let me go with her to interview him—a move that bumped her up to bestie status.
Speaking of besties, interviewing Caleb meant I’d be late for my best friend, Autumn’s rehearsal dinner, but I knew she’d understand when I told her why. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I simply couldn’t pass up. I tugged the zipper up on my form-fitting hot pink cocktail dress, that I’d originally packed for the rehearsal dinner, and examined myself in the bathroom mirror at my office. After lunch, Natalie had told me that she’d managed to get me included in the interview, so I hadn’t been prepared to meet my Hollywood crush. I was grateful I’d had that dress on me though, since I’d planned to leave straight from work to the rehearsal dinner. It had been lucky
for me on more than one occasion, if you know what I mean, and I’d hoped to draw Caleb’s attention to my…assets.
After applying a fresh layer of pink lipstick, I made my way back to my cubicle to gather my things. I snatched my phone out of my desk drawer and texted my friend, Hollie, to tell her I was going to be late for the rehearsal. Hollie was also a bridesmaid in Autumn’s wedding and I figured having her break the news to Autumn would be better than reaching out directly. Autumn was pretty chill, so I didn’t think she’d freak on me, but her wedding was a big deal, so I didn’t want to cause her any stress.
Frankly, I wasn’t sure what the purpose of rehearsing a wedding was anyway. It all seemed pretty straightforward, but if Autumn and her fiancée, Dylan, wanted to pay for an extra dinner I wasn’t going to complain.
“Wowzer. Are you wearing that to the interview?” Natalie’s voice came from behind me.
I turned to her. “Too much?”
“Maybe.” She was wearing a sensible grey pencil skirt and a white silk blouse. “But damn, girl. Caleb is gonna lose his shit when he sees you in that.”
I gave her a satisfied grin. “Should we head out then?”
She flicked her mousy brown hair over her shoulder and stepped side. “Ready when you are.”
I tucked my phone into my purse along with a notebook and followed her to the elevators, which we rode up to the roof. We had a rooftop lounge where a lot of our interviews were conducted. Being in the middle of Manhattan, it made for some killer photos. I ran my fingers through my platinum blonde bob, trying not to fidget too much from the nerves.
“Let me do most of the talking,” Natalie instructed.
Happily, I nodded. “Of course.” I was too nervous to even think about talking, let alone conduct a coherent interview.
“I convinced Wendy to let me bring you along because of your background. Given that Caleb has been in the news a lot lately for his…transgressions, she figured you could be helpful in extracting the reasons behind his behavior.”
“Right. Sure,” I replied.
Wendy was our editor and she could be ruthless. If she agreed to let me in on the interview, it was only because she thought I could get Caleb to open up about why it’d been reported that he was dating three different women at the same time. He’d yet to discuss the claim publicly, so our job was to get the first comment.
I sighed. I hated the thought of interrogating my crush, but if that was the only reason I’d been allowed to meet him, then I’d do what I had to do. The elevator doors opened and we walked out into the open-air lounge. I’d only been up there a handful of times for company events. Natalie went to talk with the photographer while I settled in on the pristine white couch. How it managed to stay in like-new condition was beyond me. I imagined they had to bring the furniture inside on a daily basis, but that seemed like an awful lot of work.
I retrieved my notebook from my purse along with my favorite pen and crossed my ankles. My heart was beating so loudly, I could barely make out the traffic sounds—which was saying a lot in the middle of the city. I stared hard at the bouquet of hydrangeas on the acrylic coffee table in front of me. Maybe if I focused on them hard enough, I’d forget that I was about to meet Caleb Sex-on-a-Stick Sinclair.
Natalie came up behind me. “His P.A. just texted that they’re in the lobby. They’ll be up here any minute.”
I took a few deep breaths that were apparently louder than I’d planned because Natalie reached out and squeezed my shoulder.
“Relax, Britt. Celebrities are normal people who just so happen to be famous. Most of them are super chill.”
I spun in my seat. “Most?”
“Well, yeah.” She pushed up on the nose of her tortoise shell glasses. “Sometimes they’re arrogant shits, but for the most part they know we’re here to help boost their careers, so they’re on their best behavior.”
The elevator dinged and I sprang to my feet. Out stepped a plain looking woman around my age, wearing a black pantsuit with her ash brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, and behind her was the subject of eighty-five percent of my fantasies. The other fifteen percent went to this guy who had given me the most unbelievable orgasm a few months prior. But I hated that guy now. Long story.
Caleb had on tight black jeans that piqued my curiosity as to what he had hidden beneath them, and a form-fitting heather-grey t-shirt that accentuated his chest and fell at just the right place on his biceps to make me salivate. His dark hair was spiked up with gel and his couture sunglasses hid what I knew were shamrock-green eyes. I clenched my thighs together.
Natalie strolled right up to them, as though she was a long-time friend, and pulled them both in for hugs. To say I was envious would be an understatement. Forcing my feet forward, I made my way over to them.
Natalie rested her hand on my shoulder. “This is Britt Hayes. She’ll be conducting the interview with me this afternoon.”
I reached my hand out and shook his P.A’s hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“I’m Mel. Mr. Sinclair’s personal assistant.”
I released her hand and held mine out for Caleb, hoping he wouldn't be able to feel me shaking.
He scooted his sunglasses down his nose and wasn’t shy about the fact that he was checking me out. He held out his hand. “Caleb.”
“Hi,” I choked out. My face warmed and I prayed that it wasn’t too noticeable. He was even more beautiful in person. The dark, tightly manicured scruff on his face made his cheekbones stand out and was in stark contrast to his ample blush-colored lips.
He smirked and then released my hand, but kept his eyes on me over the rim of his sunglasses.
“Shall we?” Natalie motioned over to the sitting area.
Mel followed Natalie over to the lounge while I stared at Caleb like a fool.
“After you.” He gestured with his hand.
I spun on my heels and tried to walk like a normal person. I couldn’t recall the last time I’d been nervous around a guy. When I walked into a room, I owned it, but Caleb was bringing out all of my school girl butterflies. I glanced cursorily over my shoulder and caught him checking out my ass. I straightened my spine as I took the final steps over to the couch. After I took my place beside Natalie, Caleb settled into the armchair to my left.
A server appeared out of nowhere. Literally. I had no damn clue where she’d come from, and I scanned the rooftop for a hint, but came up empty.
“Can I bring you anything to drink?” She made doe-eyes at Caleb. “We have a full bar.”
We did?
News to me.
“Sparkling water for me, please.”
The server seemed surprised by Caleb’s order. Actually, I was too. Caleb was notorious for his party boy antics.
Mel, who was seated in the chair to the right of Natalie, ordered the same.
The server disappeared just as magically as she had appeared, without bothering to ask Natalie or me if we wanted anything.
Natalie hit the start button on her recorder. “I’m here with Caleb Sinclair who is most well-known for his role as Blaze Pierce on More than a Memory, which is on its twenty-first season. Caleb, what would you say are the similarities and differences between you and Blaze?”
“I’ve been playing Blaze since I was teenager, so you can say that we’ve grown up together. Blaze had rebellious teen years and I didn’t really have that opportunity because we were filming six days a week. In a way, I experienced being a teenager through Blaze.”
The server returned and placed a chilled bottle of Pellegrino on the table along with a glass for Caleb and Mel. She poured the bubbly liquid into the goblets and snuck away.
Caleb continued, “I think Blaze has an unmistakable reputation and I think fans assume I’m the same way.”
He’d opened the window and Natalie pounced through it. “Speaking of reputation. It’s been rumored lately that you have been dating several women at the same time. Care to comment on that?”
“Nope.” He reached for his water and took a sip. His body language was relaxed, so it didn’t appear that Natalie’s question had bothered him.
Before I could think about it, the words flew out of my mouth. “Actresses Ellie May and Alicia Shore, as well as model Remy Moreau have all recently been photographed with you in a manner that suggests some sort of intimacy.”
He placed his drink back down on the table. “Intimacy is a strong word, Mrs. Hayes.”
“It’s Ms. Hayes, but please call me Britt.”
Caleb smiled as he removed his sunglasses and hung them on the neck of his shirt. “Like I said, Britt, intimacy is a strong word.”
Hearing my name come from his lips gave me goosebumps. “It is. But you see, Caleb, my job here at Contemporary
is to study relationships. Intimacy in a relationship suggests that the individuals are connected to one another on more than a surface level.”
He kicked his left leg over his right and rested his ankle on top of his knee. “Does it now?”
I unlocked my phone and pulled up the photos that had been circulating the internet for the past couple of weeks of Caleb with those women. I’d downloaded them prior to the interview, just in case. I opened the photo of Caleb and Ellie first, then turned my body so I was sitting the same direction as he was, that way we could both look at the photo at the same time.
“Let’s take this one of you and Ellie, for example. You’re on a beach in Miami, which was divulged by the paparazzi who snapped the photo, and it suggests two things. One, you’re either close enough to her to want to travel together, or you both happened to be in the same city at the same time and made it a priority to spend time together. Two, she’s holding onto your arm as you walk along the beach. Touch is intimate. It means you’ve allowed someone else into your bubble. And even more so, because she’s in a bikini and you’re in swim trunks so you’re both vulnerable, yet feel emotionally connected enough to have that contact.”
I glanced up at him, noticing his lips were pursed, but he didn’t say anything, so I snuck a look at Natalie hoping for a cue, but she didn’t speak either, so I continued. I swiped over to the photo of Caleb and Alicia. “This one was taken through the window of a restaurant. You’re at a table for four, yet you and Alicia chose to sit in seats right next to each other rather than across. Again, we’re talking about proximity, so you’re clearly comfortable enough with her for that. Her legs are crossed facing your direction, which suggests that she is engaged in the conversation you’re having, and also supports my theory of comfortability. The most telling thing though is how you’re taking a forkful of food from her plate. Sharing food is a strong indicator of intimacy.”
“That so?” he said in that husky voice that made my sex clench.
I didn’t bother to look at his expression. Swiping to the last photo of him and Remy, I said, “This is perhaps the most intimate of them all.” They were in Central Park sitting on a rock. Caleb was perched on the edge, while Remy was sitting cross-legged beside him, but facing him. “Your facial expressions say it all. She’s smiling at you like you hung the moon and you look as natural on that rock as I imagine you would be when sitting on your couch in your living room. There’s no tension to be found in your face—or your body—and your eyes are closed, putting you in a most vulnerable position. That vulnerability is intimacy at its best.”
Caleb uncrossed his legs and slipped my phone out of my hand. I watched him as he studied that last photo. A sliver of a smile formed on his lips before he handed it back to me. “What is it you do here, Britt?”
“I’m a writer.” I placed my phone on the couch beside me and turned back so I was facing him.
“And that makes you an intimacy expert how?”
I folded my fingers on my lap. “I typically write about sex and dating.”
His head bobbed slowly. “Well done. I do have an intimate relationship with each of these women.”
I could feel Natalie’s excitement as she scooted to the edge of the couch cushion.
Holy shit.
I’d gotten Caleb to not just talk about those photos—something he had yet to do publicly—but he’d actually admitted to the accusations. “So, you’re dating all three of them?” I asked to hammer it home for the perfect quote.
He leaned back in the chair and perched his elbows on the armrests. “I never said anything about dating. Would you agree that dating and intimacy don’t have to be synonymous?”
I sucked in my cheeks. He had me there. “One could say that.”
He shifted his weight to the side of the chair closest to me and leaned over the edge, then placed his hand on my thigh.
I. About. Died. Caleb Sex-on-a-Stick Sinclair was freaking touching me! [Insert girlie squeal here].
His bright green eyes sparkled at me as he whispered, “If someone were to snap a photo of us right now, wouldn’t you agree that it’d be perceived as intimate?”
I willed my heart to slow down. “No. I wouldn’t.”
He narrowed his eyes. “No? But by your definition, I’m in your bubble, which must mean we’re intimately involved, yes?”
“This photograph of us right now would be entirely one-sided. It’s impossible to have one-sided intimacy.” Where I got the guts from for what I did next, I’ll never know, but it’s something I knew I’d never forget. I wrapped my fingers around his hand on my thigh and lifted it as I scooted closer to him. I crossed my right leg over my left so that I was closing our circle of connection and I leaned forward, so that we were as close as we could be while still in our seats. I placed his hand back on my lap, but instead of placing it on my dress where it had previously been, I put it lower, just above my knee—on my bare skin—and covered his hand with mine. Then I smirked at him and whispered, “Now I’d say our photograph would be perceived as intimate.”
He squeezed my leg and whispered, “Well played.” Then he slid his hand out from under mine and sat back. “Ellie and I met years ago. She was on More than a Memory
for four seasons when she was fourteen and I was nineteen. It was her first real gig and I took her under my wing. We’d sit in my trailer and run lines for hours while we waited for our scenes. Ellie taught me how to play backgammon and I’d help her with her homework since she was still in school on set. Basically, she’s my little sister.” He crossed his arms. “That photo was taken when we went to Miami after her douche of a boyfriend dumped her. She needed to get away from New York for a bit and I was happy to go with her. It was either that or get arrested for beating the crap out of Austin Lakes.” Austin was an up and coming actor who had been linked to Ellie for half a year before their very public break up the previous month.
I couldn’t help but smile. I remembered Ellie and Caleb being on the show together, but I hadn’t realized they’d remained close. It was cute to hear him talk about her like a sister. Truthfully, it made me wish I had a big brother. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Kat, and I wouldn’t have survived my childhood without her, but there’s something about having a protective big brother.
Caleb refilled his water goblet. “As for Alicia, you might recall that she and I dated briefly a few years ago, but we quickly realized that we were much better off as friends. The photo of us at that restaurant simply reflected the friendship we’ve built over the years.” He sipped his water and held the glass on his lap.
“Okay, so you’re just friends with Alicia and Ellie, but what about Remy?”
He leaned toward me again. “Are you asking as a journalist or as Britt Hayes?”
I grinned. “We’re one in the same.”
He shook his head. “No. You’re not.”
I squirmed under the intensity of his gaze and cleared my throat. “So, Remy?”
Caleb sighed. “Remy and I met last fall at a party during New York Fashion Week. We’re friends. And that’s all I’ll say on that.”
“Forgive me, but I find it hard to believe that any warm-blooded, straight man could simply be friends with Remy Moreau.” She was arguably one of the most beautiful women on the planet.
He ran his hands over his prickly chin. “She’s not my type.”
“She’s everyone’s type,” I countered. “Hell, I’m into guys, but even I must admit that Remy could probably turn me.”
Caleb laughed. “I never said she wasn’t beautiful. I’m just not into her like that.”
I folded my arms. “Then what is your type?”
Those bright eyes scanned over me and I fought the urge to squirm. He pursed his lips, then said, “Sassy blonde journalists with keen observational skills.”
There was no hiding the heat that rushed to my face. I’d had posters of this guy on my wall growing up and here he was hitting on me. Me!
I thought I was going to faint.
Natalie took over the interview from there and when the time was up, I stood to the side while the photographer snapped some photos of Caleb looking sexy as hell peering into the distance with a backdrop of skyscrapers.
Natalie approached and stood beside me. “I’m impressed.”
“Yeah. The man sure knows how to work a camera.”
She laughed. “Not with him—with you. He has been asked about those photos by tons of reporters, not to mention thousands of people on social media, and you were able to get him to open up like that.” She snapped her fingers. “I think you’re in the wrong department. Clearly, you should be doing interviews more often.”
I would never admit to her that I’d had no idea what I had been doing during that interview, but I appreciated the compliment, nonetheless. “Thanks.”
“I’m serious. I’m going to talk to Wendy about this. You’ve got a gift, girl.”
Before I could respond, the photographer called Natalie over and she walked away. I’d never considered making the move into entertainment, but I had to admit, it had been fun interviewing Caleb. Granted, it was Caleb Sinclair, which I’m sure had something to do with it, but I imagined it’d be fun to get to interview celebrities all of the time. Don’t get me wrong, writing articles like, “Mind-Blowing Blow Jobs” and “How to Get Him to Swipe Right” was fun, too, in a different way, but it could get monotonous. The last thing I wanted in my life was a relationship, yet I regularly spent a third of my day studying relationships. Go figure.
I’d been so wrapped up in my head, I hadn’t noticed Caleb approaching.
He traced the strap of my dress with the back of his finger. “Do you typically wear dresses like this when you interview people?”
“Only for you.”
He didn’t need to know that he was essentially my first real celebrity interview. He grinned. “What are you doing tonight?”
Caleb Sinclair was asking me out? Me!
I screamed inside. Why of all possible days, did his interview have to coincide with Autumn’s freaking wedding?
“I’m driving up to Hunter Mountain as soon as we finish here. My best friend is getting married this weekend and I’m definitely going to be late for the rehearsal.”
He was standing close enough for me to smell his expensive musky cologne. I took a deep breath.
“I’ve always liked the mountains.” He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out his cell phone, fiddling with it for a moment before handing it to me.
I took it and noticed that the screen displayed a page to add a contact. “Is this your way of asking for my number?”
He nodded.
The teenage girl inside me squealed as I hit each button until my name and number were programmed in.
He took the phone back from me and pressed the screen before putting it to his ear.
My phone vibrated in my purse. “Is that you calling?”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
I retrieved my cell and answered the unknown caller. “Hello?”
“Now you have my number, too.” His voice echoed through the phone.
I hung up and stood there starring like an idiot.
Caleb leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. “Have fun this weekend. Call me if you get lonely.” He winked and then turned.
I watched as he entered the elevator with Mel and he smiled at me as the doors closed. Then, like a dream, he was gone.
What the hell had just happened?
I
pulled the flask out of my pocket and took a swig of the fifteen-year-old bourbon that I’d filled it with before leaving my hotel room. Then, I leaned against the wall by the stone fireplace in the lobby of the slope-side hotel at Hunter Mountain as I waited for the other groomsmen to show up. It was the same hotel where my best friend, Dylan, had proposed to Autumn last year. Why weddings needed rehearsals was a fucking mystery to me. You walk down the aisle, give each other jewelry, say ‘I do,’ make out in front of everyone, then walk back down the aisle. I wasn’t complaining though because my best friend promised me there’d be a nice dinner afterward, and I’d never been known to turn down a free meal.
I screwed the cap back onto the flask that Dylan had given us as wedding party gifts, and slipped it into the back pocket of my dark-grey trousers. The elevator doors dinged and opened up to reveal Dylan’s youngest brother, Ryan, and his girlfriend, Zoe. Even more unbelievable than the fact that my best friend was getting married was that Ryan Hogan was in a serious relationship. Serious enough for his girlfriend to have been invited to be in the wedding party. Ryan and I had partied hard on more than one occasion. It had been bad enough when their brother Jesse settled down with his fiancée, but seeing Ryan cross over to the dark side damn-near sucked.
My hand went up and I waved at them as they stepped out of the elevator, hand-in-hand. Ryan lifted his chin at me and they both came over to where I’d perched myself.
“Hey, man.” Ryan fist-bumped me.
“What’s good?” I said to him and then gave Zoe a hug. Her blonde hair cascaded down her lavender cocktail dress. “You look pretty.”
“Thanks, Jace.”
“Where’s everyone else?” Ryan asked.
I shrugged. “No clue.”
He glanced at his watch. “I guess we’re a little early.”
Zoe let go of Ryan’s hand and said, “I’m going to call Lauren real quick and see if she left my apartment yet.”
“Your
apartment?” He raised an eyebrow.
Zoe let out a small laugh. “I mean her
apartment. Sorry I’m still getting used to us living together.”
Ryan kissed her on the head. “Sounds good, babe.”
Zoe stepped away.
“Lauren one of the bridesmaids?” I asked.
Ryan shook his head. “Nah. She’s Zoe’s sister. She took over Zoe’s lease when Zoe moved in with me. Lauren’s coming to the wedding, but had to work today, so we left her Zoe’s car to drive up here when she got off.”
My ears piqued. I’d promised Dylan that I wouldn’t fuck any of the bridesmaids, but he never said anything about one of the guests. “Oh? Is she hot?”
Ryan snickered. “Touch her and I’ll kill you myself.”
I threw my hands up. “What the hell is the point of going to a wedding if a guy can’t even try to get laid? Between you and Dylan, I’ve been sufficiently cock blocked.”
“Dude, that’s because we know better than to fix you up with women we like.”
I covered my chest in mock offense. “That cuts deep, bro. Real deep.”
The elevator dinged again and out stepped Jesse, his fiancé Lana, and her brother Declan. They spotted us right away and joined us by the fireplace.
“Declan, my man.” I bumped his outstretched fist.
“Sup?” he replied. Declan was Lana’s brother, but he had quickly become a part of our crew. He was a firefighter, too. In Brooklyn. After the Hogan’s started coupling up, Declan and I had gotten pretty close.
“Have you been warned off from all of the available tail this weekend, too?” I asked him.
He laughed. “Warned? Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I’ll listen. I’m more of an ask for forgiveness, not permission kinda guy.”
Lana punched her brother in the arm. “Please, for the love of all things holy, do not go for any of the bridesmaids. I’ve got to deal with them all weekend, and I really don’t want to show up at the brunch on Sunday and have to listen to any of them bitch about how you screwed them then left like it meant nothing.”
Declan drew a cross over his heart with his finger. “Not the bridesmaids. Promise.”
“I hear Zoe’s sister is coming and she ain’t a bridesmaid,” I said, to get a rise out of Ryan.
“Oh, yeah?” Declan sounded intrigued.
Ryan balled his fists and glared at Declan. “I don’t care if you’re an MMA fighter, I will hurt you if you touch her.”
Lana added, “I second that.”
Jesse chimed in. “Can’t you guys keep it in your pants for one weekend?”
I shook my head. “Dude, weddings are prime pickings for one-nighters.”
Zoe rejoined our group and greeted everyone with a hug before snapping back to Ryan’s side.
The elevator dinged open and a chorus of laughing women made my head turn. Four chicks–dressed to impress–emerged.
Lana waved to them and two of the women joined our group while I heard the other two say they were headed to the bar. I glanced at my watch wondering if I had enough time to go explore the hotel bar before the rehearsal.
Lana and Zoe both hugged the girls, then Lana introduced them. “Guys, this is Hollie and Joelle. They’re bridesmaids, too.”
Jesse said, “Oh, yeah I think we met last year at that birthday party for Autumn’s friend.”
The blonde one, Hollie, nodded. “That’s right. Good to see you again.”
“Just to clarify,” I butted in. “You two are bridesmaids, but the other two chicks you got off the elevator with, they’re not, right?”
The other woman with the dark tan, Joelle, replied. “Tia and Michelle? No, they’re friends with Autumn, too, but they’re not in the wedding party.”
I grinned.
“Also off limits,” Jesse said before I could get a word out.
“What the fuck, dude?”
He chuckled. “Dylan would kill you.”
On cue, Dylan said from behind me, “What do I have to kill you for now, Palmer?”
I spun around and murmured, “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” Because it seemed I wouldn’t be getting any ass at this wedding.
The women crowded Autumn, who had arrived with Dylan. They all hugged her and fawned, telling her how good she looked. Admittedly, she was stunning. Her long brown hair fell in soft curls over her shoulders and she wore a fitted white cocktail dress. My best friend was a lucky man. He and Autumn were the epitome of a perfect couple. One day, I hoped to find that for myself, but I was in no rush. I was enjoying being young and single. I’d just turned thirty and my mother was adamant about me settling down and giving her grandbabies, but I figured I had at least another two good years in me before I had to get serious.
“Get over here, bride.” I held my arms open to Autumn and she grinned as she stepped into them. “You ready to officially be off the market?”
“More than ready.” She seemed so happy she was practically glowing. She stepped back and Dylan swung his arm over her shoulders.
Kyle, Dylan’s older brother, appeared from down the hall. “They’re all set for us, guys.” He waved at our group.
Kyle was the responsible one, so Dylan had put him in charge of coordinating with the wedding planner. While technically, Autumn and Dylan had decided to forego having a best man and maid of honor because they said they couldn’t choose just one, I’d say that Kyle was unofficially filling that role. I was more than cool with it.
We migrated down the hall and out to the patio which was staged for a ceremony. The actual ceremony would take place on top of the mountain, but sine there was a wedding going on there at that moment, the rehearsal was happening on the patio.
Autumn frantically spun her head from left to right. “Wait. Where’s–?”
“Don’t worry, she’ll be here.” Hollie put her hand on Autumn’s shoulder. “She got stuck at work later than expected. Something about an interview with that soap opera guy she’s obsessed with.” Hollie pulled her phone from her purse. “She should be here any minute.”
“Okay.” Autumn turned to me. “You’re walking down the aisle with my best friend, so if she doesn’t make it, can you run the rehearsal through with her later?”
I nodded, suppressing my desire to roll my eyes at the ridiculousness of rehearsing a wedding. “Sure thing.”
When we got outside, the wedding planner wasted no time lining us all up. She was hot and I wondered if she was also on the list of women who were off-limits to me that weekend. Although she seemed a bit too uptight for me in her black pencil skirt and white silk blouse that was buttoned all the way up to the collar. She spoke like she came from money–very proper. Plus, Declan was looking at her in a way that told me he was staking his claim.
We filed our way down the aisle, but I was the only guy without a partner. I wondered what Autumn’s best friend would be like as I stood in line at the alter between Ryan and Declan. Was it still called an alter if it’s not in a church? My mother would castrate me if I tried to get married anywhere but a church.
The officiant said a bunch of stuff that I didn’t pay much attention to and about ten minutes later, we walked back down the aisle. As I’d expected, the whole thing had been pointless. I didn’t do shit other than walk down the aisle and stand there. At least it was time for food.
We all headed upstairs to a banquet hall where the rehearsal dinner was taking place. Since it was a destination wedding, quite a few of the wedding guests had been invited to the dinner as well, so the room was already buzzing with energy. I spotted the raw bar immediately and helped myself to some oysters. Then I noticed those two chicks I had seen get off the elevator earlier, Tia and Michelle, were talking at one of the high-top tables. I figured the least I could do was introduce myself seeing as my friend was marrying their friend. It was the gentlemanly thing to do.
I went to the bar and got a Jack and Coke, then made my way over to the women. “Hey ladies. We didn’t get a chance to meet earlier, but I’m Jace Palmer. Dylan’s my best friend.”
“Hey, I’m Tia.” She reached out her hand to shake mine and I appreciated how soft her ebony skin felt.
I turned my attention to the shorter brunette and extended my hand.
“Michelle.” Her gaze scanned over my body as she shook my hand.
That’s right, baby. Drink me in. I gave her my suave smile–the one that had a ninety-eight percent success rate at getting me laid–and she blushed.
Before I could say another word, there was a tap on my shoulder and I turned to find Autumn standing there with a platinum blonde bombshell in a tight, hot pink dress. I grinned for a brief second before my jaw went slack upon noticing the tiny diamond stud in her nose. Her hair was shorter and a different color, but I’d always remember her face. My stomach flew into my mouth.
“Jace, this is my best friend, Britt.”
Britt. That was one name I’d never forget. Well, not again. Because the last time I had, it had been disastrous.
Her bluebird eyes practically turned into daggers when she realized who I was. I swear I could feel them piercing my skin. I swallowed. Hard.
Britt’s jaw tensed and her nostrils flared. Looked like she hadn’t forgotten me either. Damn. It was going to be one hell of a long weekend.
