Chapter 17 Delivering As Expected
DELIVERING AS EXPECTED
“At least they are moving things faster,” Arik said almost two hours later.
The bride and groom had their dance, dinner was served and cleaned up, the cake was handed out and now the DJ was playing music.
“Overall, it hasn’t been that horrible.”
“Could be worse,” he said. “And it might still get that way. Brandi is pounding the wine and getting loud. Can’t wait to see what she does on the floor with my father.”
He laughed, unbothered and amused, as Natalie’s face twisted in disgust.
“I don’t want to witness it.”
“Neither does anyone else. I have to admit I’m surprised that my aunt and uncle haven’t pulled my father aside to give him crap.”
“Would they?”
“Uncle Justin is more timid than my father. He’s always been that way, but it’s his son’s day and the attention should be on Nick and Courtney.”
“It should be, but as we know, those things don’t always occur.”
“Nope. I expect there to be some kind of a blowup soon. I saw my grandmother pull my father into the house not that long ago.”
His grandmother marched back out full of purpose and frustration, his father’s face covered in a smirk.
If he had thought handing over the money would have changed the outcome of today, he might have considered it, but it’d only be more fuel for his father to continue with his outrageous behavior.
“Sophie looks fine to me. So it couldn’t have been that horrible of a conversation.”
“I’ll find out before we leave. I don’t like that she hasn’t sat much.”
“She’s sitting now. Relax, Arik. She’s mingling more than anything.”
He’d been watching, so he knew that was the truth.
“Introduce us to your girlfriend,” Aunt Beth said when they moved to the table and sat. “I’m sorry I couldn’t come over sooner, but we’ve been busy.”
“Aunt Beth, Uncle Justin, this is Natalie Bond. Natalie, Nick’s parents.”
“It’s so nice to meet you,” she said, shaking their hands. “It’s a lovely wedding.”
“It could be better,” Uncle Justin said, his eyes moving to his brother on the floor with Brandi.
“Could you please talk to your father before he makes a scene?” Aunt Beth asked.
He should have known there was a reason for this visit. They wanted something from him like everyone else had.
His father wasn’t the only one making comments about his wealth today.
He’d gotten a few jabs from cousins. No one outright asking for money, but insinuating how lucky he was, that it must be nice to pick up and leave or do what he wanted any given day, even one person proposing a business idea they had, if they could just gather the seed money.
He’d taken off fast when that came up.
“What do you think I can say that will make a difference?” he asked.
Aunt Beth sighed and looked onto the floor where Brandi was rubbing her ass against his father’s crotch in a fast song, her arms in the air, her tits staying in place with no bra on, nipples pointing at those in front of them.
“He needs to grow up,” Uncle Justin said. “There is a time and place for everything.”
“You invited him,” he said.
“See,” Aunt Beth said. “I told you to keep him off the list.”
“I would have,” Arik said.
“But he would have shown up anyway and caused a bigger commotion,” Uncle Justin said. “If you don’t do it for Nick, then do it for your grandmother. She’s suffered enough embarrassment from his actions.”
His aunt and uncle departed after those words.
“Well now,” Natalie said. “That was rude of them to dump that on your shoulders.”
“It’s not the first.”
“Are you going to do anything about it?”
“Nope,” he said, picking up his beer. His last one. He’d had two and Natalie was reaching for her third glass of wine.
He hadn’t expected that, but she was having a good time, all things considered. One of them needed to keep a level head and it might as well be him.
Then maybe she wouldn’t compare him to the family circus acts around him.
When the music slowed, he held his hand out. “Yes?” she asked.
“May I have this dance?”
She laughed and leaned forward to whisper in his ear. “It wasn’t in the contract that we couldn’t dance, so I supposed I could.”
His cheek rubbed against hers on purpose. Any excuse to touch his skin to hers.
He didn’t miss the tremble that ran through her body, small but unmistakable, betraying every ounce of the control she was trying to hold on to.
Glad to know he wasn’t alone.
He pulled her up and guided her to the dance floor, his large hands claiming her waist, fingers splaying possessively as if he couldn’t touch enough of her.
She didn’t pull away. Not once.
In his perfect world, she never would.
“I hope you’re having fun,” he said.
“You’re delivering as expected.”
They moved to the song, their feet shifting in a circle like two people at a middle school dance.
But unlike a middle school dance, there was no awkwardness. Only a perfect, breathless rhythm. No urge for it to end. No wish for anyone else to interrupt what felt like something unfolding just for them.
It was everything he hoped for while he was in her presence, but nothing he’d thought would come this soon.
“I’m good to my word,” he said, his lips by her ear. A peck, as she’d allowed, but nothing more.
Not even his tongue that was begging to come out and taste any part of her skin that was exposed.
There were more couples on the floor around them. He’d heard her last name being whispered, the island her family lived on. More about Boston, even her wealth and how someone wasn’t surprised he’d find someone on equal ground.
She’d stiffened at those words.
He wanted to shout for everyone to shut the fuck up and leave him alone.
Gossiping within earshot wasn’t careless, it was calculated, the purest form of tastelessness. Something his family excelled at.
At least Natalie would know he wasn’t lying about what to expect.
“Sorry,” he whispered. “I can’t control as much as I want.”
“It’s not your fault.”
The song ended sooner than he wished. He wanted to hold her all night in his arms, but whisk her away from the ugliness he’d been exposed to.
He shouldn’t have attended.
He did it for his grandmother, but she didn’t need him.
She had never needed him as much as he had needed her.
Maybe he wanted to show her he could make it on his own.
She worried about him. Told him all the time.
That he needed to find a woman and settle down.
The fear that he was incapable of committing to anything tore at his gut, a vicious, consuming thing that left him frantic to prove them all wrong. If only to quiet the voice inside that agreed with them.
Women, jobs, locations.
He’d gone through them all.
The women much less, but living on the road was lonely.
He was tired of the solitude.
“It’s my fault for bringing you here,” he said. “For bringing you into my world.”
Her hands left the back of his neck, grasped his cheeks, her stare firm. “It’s not your world. Never think that or let it consume you and knock you down.”
His eyes shifted around her face, her lips lifting to a smile, him matching it.
“And this is why I needed you here.”
This time she leaned in and placed her lips to his, not just a peck this time, but hanging on a fraction longer than her contract allowed.