Seduction - Chapter 31
Saturday
“Smile!” The cameraman said as he took another picture of Rob and James together, back-to-back with their arms crossed.
It was adorable. And somehow sexy at the same time. I couldn’t wait to get copies.
I heard Kristen sigh.
I’d been trying really hard to ignore her. But I was seconds away from cracking. Luckily Justin chose that moment to pull Matt, Brendan, and Tanner over.
Rob scowled and broke his pose. “Tanner.”
“Robert,” Tanner said.
Rob lowered his eyebrows at him. “So we meet again.”
Tanner laughed. “Thanks for inviting me,” he said and put out his hand for Rob to shake.
Rob didn’t shake it.
For the love of God. Just shake the man’s hand! I didn’t care if I was being a hypocrite. Because if Kristen put her hand out for me right now I’d grab it and make her slap herself.
“I brought a gift,” Tanner said and pulled an envelope out of his front pocket. “I’ve had my private island reserved for you and Daphne for your honeymoon. All expenses paid, including travel. Five-star resort living without any other patrons.” He handed Rob the envelope.
“We already have our honeymoon planned. How utterly thoughtless of you.”
Tanner shrugged. “I promise this’ll be better.”
“Than the honeymoon I planned myself for the woman I know better than anyone else in the world? I doubt that.”
“I was just trying to…”
“Well it didn’t work,” Rob said. “You and I will always be enemies.”
Wow this was going so much worse than I expected. “Should we start taking more pictures?” I whispered to James.
James shook his head. “This is too good not to watch.”
“Enemies?” Tanner laughed. “I have enough of those. Come on, man. I’m trying to clear the air here.”
“Well, all I need for you to do is admit that you wear goblin shoes and a man bun every Tuesday night.”
Tanner frowned. “Yeah…but I don’t. So…”
“Lies! At least admit that I’m Matt’s best friend, not you.”
“Come on, Rob,” Matt said and put his arm around Rob’s shoulder. “Today’s all about you. Let’s get these pictures taken so we can start this epic reception.”
Rob sighed. “Fine. Away with him though.”
“I’ve got it,” Justin said. Justin looped his arm through Tanner’s. And Tanner laughed but casually sidestepped away from Justin. I looked over at Rob and gave him what I hoped was an “I told you Tanner isn’t gay” look.
Rob just glared at me. “Trash gift,” he said and shoved the envelope against James’ chest. “Let’s get these pictures taken.” He pulled Daphne into a hug.
She whispered something to him and Rob’s anger melted away. He leaned down and kissed her.
Hopefully she’d told him to be nice. The gift Tanner had just given them was lovely. They were crazy not to take him up on that offer. I couldn’t imagine what kind of crazy stuff was on an island owned by Tanner Rhodes.
I heard giggling and turned to see Kristen all over James again. For the love of God! She was supposed to be posing in pictures. Not acting like a homewrecker.
I walked over to them and grabbed James’ hand. “Picture time, lover.” Lover? Why had I just said that?
James suppressed a smile. “Of course, lover,” he said back. “Lead the way.”
He managed to not laugh until we were a few feet away from Kristen.
“Lover?” he asked.
“I wanted to make sure Kristen knows I’m pleasing you on a regular basis.”
“I could be pleased right now…” he reached down and squeezed my butt.
I swatted his hand away. “I swear, if they captured a picture of that…”
He silenced me with a searing kiss. “Silence, lover.”
I started laughing, but it died away when he kissed me again.
His hands slid to my ass again as he pulled me closer.
And I didn’t even care that there was most certainly a picture of this now.
I wasn’t sure if this kiss was more for me or more to get Kristen to finally leave him alone. Probably both.
“Think she got the hint?” I asked as I smiled up at James.
“I don’t know. We might have to get caught under the willow tree with your skirt bunched around your hips and me deep inside of you.”
I swallowed hard.
“Pictures first though,” he said, and pulled me toward where Justin was corralling everyone again.
Justin split us up like we were at the altar again. Boys to the right and girls to the left.
“How much do you want to bet that tonight ends with two fist fights?” Bee whispered to me as she struck a sexy pose. “Rob and Tanner. And you and Kristen?”
“I’m not going to punch Kristen.” Even though she definitely deserves it.
I yelped as a bunch of doves were released from behind us.
I put my hand to my chest. Was the goal tonight to give me a heart attack?
If Justin thought that was going to make for a good picture, he was dead wrong.
Because I wasn’t the only one who screamed.
I got that they wanted this wedding to be extravagant.
But some of these surprises were terrifying.
Matt dodged one of the birds pooping just in time for it to not hit his tux.
I shook my head. I wasn’t sure I even wanted to see what they had planned for the reception.
“Well…what about Rob and Tanner?” Bee asked. “I could see Rob taking a swing.”
“Who do you think would win that fight?”
“I don’t know…” Bee’s voice trailed off as she looked over at the cocktail reception. “Tanner’s taller. But he didn’t strip for us last night, so I don’t know how ripped he is.”
“He fills that suit out nicely.”
Bee laughed. “You naughty girl.” Her eyes dropped lower as she stared at Tanner.
“I didn’t mean his package. I meant it looks like he has muscles.”
“Oh.” Bee laughed again. “I think he has big both. You should see him do a business deal. I really have a thing for guys who own every conference room they walk into.”
“Like Mason.”
“Mason and Tanner are the only guys I’ve ever seen do it. I bet James can do it too. Or else he couldn’t have sold his first company for so much. They’re all packing, for sure.”
I laughed.
“I wish we had one more single friend to set up with Tanner. Hey, what about Melissa?”
“I think she’s gonna give it another go with Josh.”
“Really? Ah, that’s so exciting!”
“Yeah. They’re amazing together.”
“I’d set my friend Kendra up with him, but as adventurous as she is, she has a no-sex-club-owner rule.” She shrugged.
“About that… Where were we last night?”
“I don’t know. Something new that Tanner’s working on.”
“Someone said it was called The Society?”
Bee shrugged. “I’m honestly not as in the loop with the Club Onyx business as I used to be. Bee Inspired Media Group is growing so fast…it’s hard to keep up with everything else. But Tanner has been amazing. He’s already doubled our profits at the club.”
“That is amazing.”
“He’s a magician with making companies boom. Pretty sure he’s the most successful venture capitalist in the whole country.”
“Impressive.” It kind of felt like she was pitching him to me. “Maybe we should tell Kristen about him.”
Bee laughed. “Tanner is well dressed, but not as well dressed as Tim.” She pointed to someone drinking a martini in a bright blue tuxedo with perfectly coiffed hair.
“That’s Tim? Wow, I was not expecting all that .”
“Mhm.”
“I kind of thought he’d look like James. Or at least less…um…”
“Gay? Yeah. Weird, right? But he’s not gay, surprisingly enough. Because he’s dating…”
“Kristen. I got that. Huh. I really have terrible gaydar.”
“Don’t beat yourself up about it,” Bee said. “I thought the same thing when I first talked to him at the bar. He’s just very metrosexual. It’s good when a guy cares about himself though.” She shrugged.
Yeah. But James cared about how he looked too.
That was why he was always going for runs and lifting weights.
Not styling his hair and waving his hands around like that.
And Tim seemed very cozy with Justin. Tanner had slid out of that conversation and was surrounded by a few blonde girls I didn’t recognize.
“I’m just glad we’re not single,” Bee said. “Dating is getting weird.”
I laughed. “I’m very happy to be hitched.”
“Okay, enough chitchat,” she said. “Time to pose.”
I laughed again. She was the one that had started talking. I shook my head and smiled at the camera.
I swear we stood there for over an hour, moving around in different groups. I looked longingly over to the cocktail hour. My stomach growled. I wanted all those amazing hors d’oeuvres. But they were funneling the people under the big white tents they’d constructed for the reception.
I sighed. Maybe I could sneak off into the kitchen later and eat a bunch of mini crab cakes once the dancing started.
After taking another few pictures, the cameraman finally called it quits and let us go.
“Time for your grand entrances, people,” Justin said. “Get with your partners from earlier. And if you haven’t thought of a dance, I will literally kill you.”
Whoa. Justin! This was the first time I was even hearing of an entrance dance.
I looked over at Matt.
“I got us covered,” Matt said and downed the glass of scotch he was drinking.
“I hope so.” I looped my arm through his as he escorted me to the tent. “Because here I was thinking that no one was going to try to kill anyone tonight.”
Matt laughed.
“So what’s the plan?” I asked.
“Don’t you trust me?”
“Yeah…but…”
“I said I’ve got us covered, Penny.”
That wasn’t exactly a plan. And I was supposed to be dancing too. This didn’t seem like a well thought out plan at all.
But the DJ was already announcing the best man and maid of honor. James and Alina did this hilarious shimmy thing and then pretended to strike poses at the end, like there were paparazzi taking pictures of them.
I laughed.
“Ready?” Matt asked.
No…
He ducked down behind me and put his head under my skirt. Holy shit, what the hell was he doing? Bee’s bet about there being two fights at this wedding was suddenly looking much more likely. James was going to kill Matt before the end of the night.
Matt grabbed my thighs and stood up.