Chapter 32
Nikita
Something has shifted between Calvin and I.
This other side of him intrigues me, making me want to be around him and see what else he has to share with me. It doesn’t matter that we are at a pretentious, over-the-top rehearsal dinner. I’m with him and that’s enough for me.
Which terrifies me.
I haven’t sworn off men since Duncan, but I have made the decision not to actively seek anything out. I have yet to figure out what I am doing in my own life and I don’t want to drag someone else into it.
Why are you thinking of Calvin as a real candidate for the role of your boyfriend in the first place?All of this is an act. Everything we are doing is us playing pretend, but I can’t ignore that there has been an emotional shift between us. My heart is now involved and threatens to leap out of my chest whenever he says something I like.
I shake the thought away and fiddle with the diamond pendant attached to my necklace. It’s a fake diamond, obviously, but it’s beautiful and I would often find myself fidgeting with it in some way when I feel anxious. Glancing around the room, I try to spot Calvin who had been whisked away by Paul for some discussion about the bachelor party.
“Were you looking for me?” His velvety voice coming from behind. Calvin returns to the table holding a drink in either hand.
“I was.”
“White wine?” He hands me the glass, bringing himself down on the chair next to me.
“Oh, yes please.” Taking it from him, I’m impressed that he brought me a drink that he knows I would like. “How’d you know I like white wine?”
“Because I pay attention.” He rests his hand over the back of my chair as I turn my body towards him. My chest warms from the way that makes my heart feel and there is no ignoring it.
He brings his glass halfway up to his lips, “When I turn on the boyfriend charm, you’ll see that I’m full of surprises.”
“Calvin Rhodes as a boyfriend?” I lower my voice, keeping the conversation between us. The corners of my lips pull into a smile as I bring my glass up, taking a sip of the wine, soaking in the sweet taste on my tongue, “What a lucky lady I am.”
His eyes narrowed playfully, “Oh, the luckiest.”
I place my glass down on the table, shifting in my seat. My knee brushes up against him, the contact sending a rush through me. I shouldn’t be this affected by him, but if we’re talking about things that shouldn’t be happening then we should talk about the fact that Calvin had absolutely no right to look as good as he does right now.
He embodies that same old-money aesthetic but with a slight rugged charm with his five o’clock shadow and curly hair. He tries to tame it but there is no way anyone is beating the humidity.
I watch as he sips on the amber liquid in his glass. I extend my hand towards him. “Let me taste it.”
He eyes me over the rim of his glass, amusement in his eyes, “Do you drink bourbon?”
“I’ve never tried it, so I don’t know yet.”
“I don’t share.”
I roll my eyes and take the glass from him, bringing it up to my nose and getting a whiff of the strong scent,”Oh, that is strong.”
He takes the glass back from me, “It’s way too strong for your immature palette.”
“I thought you only drink whiskey.”
“Bourbon is whiskey, princess.”
My brows furrow, “It is?”
“All bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon,” he explains with a chuckle, his hand brushing up against my back as I lean back in my chair, “Looks like I’ll have to educate you on the difference.”
“That’s not nearly as riveting as you think it is.”
The sound of tapping comes through the speakers, causing everyone in the room to switch their attention towards the stage.
“Is this on?” A nasal-tone voice comes through the speakers. Our attention snaps to Kendra who now stands on stage. “Alright, quiet down,” she instructs us, the voices drifting off until there is enough silence to make her happy to continue. “On behalf of my sister, the most beautiful bride,” she gushes, sending a big smile her sister’s way. One interaction with the two of them is enough for me to know that this is all a facade. “And the groom,” she adds quickly, but in a more dismissive fashion. “I’d like to welcome you all here tonight for their rehearsal dinner. Practice makes perfect, you know.” She laughs at her own joke, the second-hand embarrassment making me cringe.
I feel Calvin enter my personal space, his lips stopping by my ear, “You might want to control your face.”
My eyes widen slightly, heat on my cheeks. I lean back into him, my back finding his chest. “Whoops.”
He chuckles, the feeling of his breath brushing up against my neck, sending shivers down my body. A moment later a round of applause erupts. I have missed the reason for it but join in anyway when a smartly-dressed, giving off CEO vibes man approaches the podium. When he turns towards us, it doesn’t take me long to conclude that it has to be Britney’s father. The dark-tanned, blonde-haired, blue-eyed features were given to both Britney and Kendra.
“Evening,” Britney’s father speaks into the mic, “For those of you who may not know me - which I’m sure is very few of you - I am Christopher Topher McCormick, Britney’s father.” Arrogant pretentiousness oozes off of him, begging my eyes to roll back, but I fight against my instincts.
“As the father of the bride, I would like to take this moment to welcome all of you here as we prepare to celebrate the marriage of Britney and Kenneth.” It is clear that he is a seasoned speaker and considering he has a history of being a successful businessman, I figure it’s a required skill. “As someone who only had daughters - which, don’t misunderstand me, I am so incredibly thankful for - it brings me immense happiness to welcome a man like Kenneth into our family. Someone capable of continuing the legacy of the McCormick family. Britney, I am proud of you and the man you have chosen.”
I try my hardest to stop my face from expressing what I am really thinking, but something about this speech feels fucking weird. I lean closer to Calvin, tilting my head towards him but keeping my voice low, “Seems like Christopher really loves Kenneth.”
“Christopher loves that a man is taking over his company,” Calvin says, clear disdain in his tone, “The man’s a misogynist.”
“What a piece of shit.”
There is another round of applause for something that Christopher says, but this time I make no point of joining. I missed what he said anyway, but I also don’t care. My eyes land on Britney who is downing her glass of champagne. Ever since my brief conversation with her, I now view this wedding party in a different light. I have absolutely no emotional connection to any of these people, but I’m also aware that there is more than meets the eye with them.
I lean forward to grab my glass and continue to sip on my wine. Since I am not interested in anything else that Christopher has to say, I allow my eyes to wander over the tables that are filled with guests. There are six tables scattered around with ten people seated at each of them. Calvin explains that this isn’t even half of the people who are attending.
Who knows this many people anyway?
My eyes move to the detail on the ceiling of the room. The hotel takes fancy to a whole other level as they continue to reveal all the different rooms they have available for events like this. An exquisite chandelier commands attention from the high ceiling. Delicate crystal prisms dangle from the arms, reflecting an ambient light in the room. The amber hue creates an aura of sophistication and I am reminded that all of this - this group of people, this way of life, the grandeur of everything with this wedding is so far from anything I am used to.
“Are you bored?” Calvin’s voice murmurs in my ear, turning my attention to him, “Cause I am.”
I chuckle softly. “What would you rather we be doing?”
“Together?” His eyebrow raises, a flash of interest in his eyes that sends a rush straight between my legs, “I’m sure we could think of something.”
Calvin’s flirting continues to melt my insides, making it incredibly difficult to focus with his body so close to mine. His scent surrounds me, the smell targeting my pussy that now pulsates.
“A bar tab has been opened,” Christopher’s voice slices through my thoughts, bringing my arousal to a grinding halt. I can’t handle being turned on right now.
“Please, enjoy yourselves. Thank you.” Christopher nods and leaves the stage, the music now returning through the speakers as everyone claps. People jump to their feet, heading straight to the bar, marking the end of those formalities.
I turn back to Calvin, interested to see if he will elaborate on his comment of what we could be doing together. A small part of me tries to keep my thoughts on the straight and narrow, but the other, more dominant part of me is more interested in seeing how far he would take this.
My pulse leaps as his hand rests on my bare thigh. I glance down at it before my eyes jump up to see his already fixed on me. I’m about to ask him what he is doing when Violet’s voice comes from behind me.
His actions make sense.
The fine line between what is real and what isn’t is starting to fuck with my mind.
“Calvin, love, they need us,” Violet says, extending her hand to him as she glances past me,”Nikita, looking lovely, as always.”
My lips form a line, “As do you.”
“Who needs us?” Calvin asks but remains where he is, his hand giving my leg a squeeze. I snap my eyes to his, but he is looking in Violet’s direction.
“They’re doing pictures on the terrace with the wedding party.” Violet gestures behind her and our gazes follow. A photographer is herding people over by Britney and Kenneth. “See, that’s what we’re joining.” Violet rests her hand on my shoulder, “I promise to return him in one piece.”
I eye her hand on my shoulder before looking up at her, my pretense of being civil to her quickly dissipating. This passive-aggressive nature of hers is teaching me patience I haven’t mastered before. I am here for Calvin and he is the one who has to handle his ex with no boundaries.
“I’ll be right back,” Calvin says, standing up, and straightening his white button-up shirt. Leaning over, he catches me by surprise by placing a soft kiss against my forehead, threatening to have the butterflies burst through my stomach.
I smile up at him and nod, not being able to form any words. Forehead kisses are my weakness. There is a different kind of intimacy to those and since I didn’t have any time to prepare for one from him, my heart is beating erratically in my chest. Did he do that for show?
Calvin and Violet head towards the terrace and I turn my attention to my wine, bringing it up to my lips and downing what is left of it.
This isn’t real.
You are not Calvin’s real girlfriend.
I am doing all I can to remind myself of the reality. Apparently, my heart is struggling to tell the difference anymore.
This is bad.
I pull myself to my feet, grabbing my purse on the table and head towards the bar. Christopher said open-bar and I am going to take full advantage of that.