“Wow, you look so handsome,” I tell him as I come up. He grins and takes my hand, another thrill running through me at his touch.
“And you look beautiful yourself,” he says, delivering a soft kiss to my cheek. My chest gets fuzzy as emotions start running through my body, a mix of panic and arousal and confusion that makes me both smile and want to scream at the same time. He places a hand on my hip, and now desire’s added to the mix. When we first came here, it felt weird being on his arm. But now I wear that badge proudly, excited and happy to be here with him.
“I wish there weren’t so many people . . .” he says quietly, his voice dripping with need. I know he’s not trying to seduce me. He’s just being honest. But he’s making my blood boil, and I bite my lip. I want to melt into him, to find the nearest empty room and ignore the rest of the world. I want to turn the entire universe into a bedroom, a space where Oliver and I can indulge in each other’s bodies and maybe our hearts too. But not here right now. It’s too much, and we both know it.
“Later,” I promise him, hoping there is a later. I hope there’s more than a later, but that’s a foolish hope. “By the way, Mom wants us to sit in the front row during the ceremony.”
“She didn’t want you to walk her down?” Oliver asks, slightly surprised. “Why?”
I shake my head. “I told her to let Rita do it. Grandma was gonna do it but she was scared about falling in front of everyone. I didn’t want her to have to pick between me and Roxy. Besides, Rita and her . . . they’ve always been pretty close.”
“I see,” Oliver says, looking around as we reach the front of the chapel area. “This is pretty nice.”
I nod. “I’m loving it. It’s gonna be clear weather tomorrow too. So it’s going to be a gorgeous day.”
“Well, I know it’s only been a few days, but I’m glad. Mary Jo deserves as perfect a wedding as she can get.”
We sit down, taking in the whole chapel. “I bet this place looks a lot different in daylight.”
Oliver shifts around, pulling his arm around my shoulders as he gets a better view. “I think so. Those windows are going to look out on the ocean, and we’ll get a lot more open light. Not that it isn’t nice now, but tomorrow, it should look fantastic. The sort of place . . .”
Oliver goes quiet, turning back around, and I lean in. “What?”
“Nothing,” he says, giving me a nervous smile. “Just fantasy running away from me.”
Before I can push the issue, Roxy walks up, sliding over to find her seat next to me. “Hey, you two lovebirds, I wanted to know if y’all will come to Trixie's with me tonight? I’m gonna be singing and it will be fun to have a few drinks. Just a little non-wedding fun, ya know?”
“It’s up to Mindy,” Oliver says diplomatically, giving me a look. He wants to, I can tell, although I’m not sure why.
I don’t know. I’d love to hear Roxy sing, but what would being out with Oliver outside the fantasy be like? Going with him to Trixie’s isn’t part of the wedding charade.
“Come on, Mindy, it will be our last night of fun together. What can it hurt?” Roxy asks. “Be a big sis.”
“All right,” I agree, worried.
The bass of the music is bumping as we walk up to the club doors. The line’s long, but as soon as the bouncer sees us with Roxy, he waves us through no problem at all. “Hey, Roxy Rox.”
“Thanks, Enrique,” Roxy says, giving me and Oliver a wink. We go inside, and I have to say, Trixie’s is a nice place. The lights are dim, so I can’t tell too much about the decorations, but there’s lots of mellow blue under-lighting that gives the tiles on the floor a shiny tint. There are flashing lights and lasers, but they’re restricted to the stage area in the back of the room and dance floor. It’s about three-quarters filled right now, a couple of gay couples but mostly pairs of men and women dancing, grinding on each other as the house DJ spins some sexy club tunes. “So what do you all think?”
I nod, looking at Roxy, who’s dressed in a sparkling red halter dress that makes her look cute and sexy. She’s totally ready to perform. Oliver is easily the hottest man in here in his fitted black jeans, gray t-shirt, and blazer. I feel sexy myself, dressed in a tight black dress that Roxy said made me look hot.
A guy with blonde hair and the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen approaches us. He’s a handsome guy, about six feet tall. He’s dressed in some dark pants and a dark vest over top of his skintight white shirt, but he’s clearly not interested in women. Not with the way his eyes crawl over Oliver before he turns his attention to Roxy.
“Hey, Roxy-girl!” he says with a totally put-on lisp, pulling her in for a hug and air-kissing noisily around her face. “You singing tonight?”
“You bet your ass I am. Hey, Brad,” she says, gesturing at us both, “this is my sister, Mindy, and her fiancé, Oliver.”
“Oh, my gawd!” he says, bringing his hands to his lips, his eyes passing over me and going wide as he takes in Oliver again. “Have I met you before?”
Oliver chuckles, shaking his head no. “Not that I know of.”
“Honey, you look like Brad Pitt, with a mix of Chris Pratt and a little bit of Henry Cavill with a side of whip cream and a cherry on top.”
We all three laugh, even Oliver, who looks surprisingly relaxed after just being hit on by a man. He just takes it in stride. “Well, Mindy seems to like me.”
Brad looks at me, nodding in approval. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you . . . I think,” I say with a laugh. “So, how long have you known Roxy?”
Right then, the music changes and Freekaleek comes on, Petey Pablo’s classic earning a cheer throughout the club.
“Oh, hell-o, bitch, this is my song!” Brad yells, bobbing his head and raising his hand while moving his body like an eel. “Sorry. Gotta go!”
He grabs the nearest guy and moves into the crowd and starts twerking. He’s dropping it low to the floor and jumping back up again with surprising quickness for a man his size.
“Yaaas, bitch! You better work it!” Roxy yells. “Shake dat ass, bitch!”
Looking at him, I can't help but laugh. “This place is fun.”
Roxy smiles, turning her attention back to Oliver and me. “See? I told you. You guys needed to get out. You’ve been cooped up with us crazy people for five days. It’s just not healthy. You needed some relaxing fun.”
“Thanks, Roxy,” Oliver says, grinning. “Been a long time since I’ve been in a place like this.”
“Come on, I have a table reserved,” Roxy says. We go over and sit down, and the music cranks up another notch, making it hard to be heard.
“So when do you go on?” Oliver yells, and Roxy checks her watch.
“About thirty minutes!” she yells back. “You gonna dance?” she asks me.
“Dance?” I ask, shocked. “You’ve seen me dance!”
“Yeah, but Oli here hasn’t!” Roxy teases. “He hasn’t seen your Spaz Special yet!”
“I bet she’s a great dancer!” Oliver retorts. “I know she can move!”
“Yeah, well, let me see you two tear up the floor,” Roxy says. She checks her watch again, shaking her head. “Okay, I’ve got to prepare. Y’all have fun.”
She slides out of her chair, gives me a kiss on the cheek, and leaves. My eyes are immediately drawn to Oliver, who’s looking back at me with intensity in his eyes. “Well, let’s get some drinks.”
The music quiets down for a moment, and he calls a waitress over. “Grey Goose martini for me, and Mindy . . .?”
“Stoli and soda,” I order. “Twist of lemon?”
The drinks come quickly, and Freekaleek is still playing when I take my first sip. Off in the crowd, I still see Brad getting his groove on. Filled with excitement, the bass of the music is pumping my blood, and I throw back the rest of my drink quickly, deciding to run with it.
“Can you dance?” I ask Oliver suddenly. “I might be bad, but I’m not as bad as Roxy makes it sound.”
I think he’s gonna tell me no, but then a grin comes on his face. “I might have a few moves.”
“Wanna go?” I ask.