3. Lily
Oh my fucking God.When I heard his voice and ventured into the room to see if my senses were correct, I heard him say that once he fucks them, he leaves them. I laugh because it was me who left him. But it still hurts. Clearly, it didn”t mean anything to him, and it shouldn”t mean anything to me either, but it did. I felt connected to him. I”d even considered going back to Vegas and hanging out in that bar for a weekend to see if I”d see him again. How sad am I?
I pretended I didn”t know him; it was easier that way, and now I”m not looking forward to tomorrow. I love the weddings that I plan. I love watching behind the scenes and how the bride and groom just have to enjoy their day and not worry about any problems or issues that might be going on. That”s my job, and I love doing it.
But now, I have to worry about bumping into Ryan. I didn”t even know his name. I don”t do things like that. I”m a good girl. I don”t have one-night stands with men I don”t know, but there was something about Ryan that resonated with me. I need to forget him, ignore him tomorrow, and just get past what happened in Vegas. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, right? Not in my case, it doesn”t. It”s landed right in front of my face in LA.
“Are you okay, Lily?” Alison says when I drive her home.
“Yeah, I”m just tired, and knowing that I need to avoid Ryan tomorrow isn”t making my life any easier.” I rub my forehead with my hand.
“I can do the front-of-house stuff if you want tomorrow.”
“No, it”s my company, and I won”t shy away just because of a man. I”ll be fine; he won”t do anything anyway. He probably doesn”t want to see me either. We will stay out of each other’s way for sure.”
“If you want, I can go to check on them in the morning rather than you, and you can go straight to Jess”s house. I know you usually like to do both, but I can do that for you.” Alison smiles at me as I pull up to her house.
“Thanks, Alison, that would be perfect. I love you; you know that, right? You have helped me grow my business, and I”m so grateful for that. We have a whole year of weddings booked out, and I can”t believe it. Thank you.”
“You do all the hard work, Lily. I love working with you; we work and get to have fun at the same time. It”s the best job in the world.”
She leans over and kisses me on the cheek. “See you tomorrow, Lily.”
I watch her go in, and she waves before she closes the door. I sit there for a moment and gather myself. I can get through a day ignoring someone; I know I can.
My alarm rings, and it”s 6 o”clock. I moan and roll over, dragging myself out of bed. Normally, I would be awake before the alarm, but I didn”t get much sleep last night.
I shower and get dressed. I know the theme of the wedding, and I dress accordingly. It will help me to disappear without being seen.
Jumping in my car, I drive to Jess”s house with a bottle of champagne and some freshly made croissants so that the champagne doesn”t go to her head. It”s the bubbles, you know.
When I get there, Susie opens the door, and I air kiss her. My hands are full anyway. “Where”s the beautiful bride?”
“She”s upstairs; I think she”s getting nervous.” Susie leads the way.
“Jess, I hope you”re not nervous. Why would you be nervous? You are marrying a man who is besotted with you and loves you unconditionally. We would all love a man like that in our lives. You are one of the lucky ones.”
I walk into her room, and she”s smiling. “I”m just nervous that everyone is going to be watching me.”
I put the champagne and croissants down. “Jess, listen to me. You are beautiful; everyone is going to be watching you all day. They won”t be watching Rory; their eyes will be on you. You deserve this. It”s your day, so enjoy every second of it starting now.” I look over to Susie, “Can you open that for me, please? Alison has gone to the hotel to check on the guys, so I”m just waiting for her text, but I”m sure they will be fine.”
Susie opens the bottle, and we all jump when it goes pop. She pours us all a glass, and we toast. “To the most beautiful bride, Jess, may your day be perfect.” The girls say, and then they clink their glasses and take a sip. These girls are not drink-fueled women; they are more refined, and they want Jess” day to be perfect.
I let the makeup artist and the hairdresser in, and they all get to work on Jess and the rest of the bridal party.
My cell beeps with a message.
ALISON:
Hey, the guys are all up and getting ready. They”ve had breakfast. I”m going to go downstairs and make sure that the area where the ceremony is taking place is set up and ready. How are things on your end?
LILY:
They”re great; the girls are up and getting makeup and hair done, ready for the day to start. I have a feeling this is going to go well. I will be fine with running the front end today. I had time to think about Ryan last night, and it was a one-night stand, and even though it was awkward last night, today is going to be good. I am a professional, and I won”t let him make me nervous to be at my event.
ALISON:
You go, girl! That”s the Lily I know. Although he is mighty fine, and if he wants another one-night stand, then I”d say go for it.
LILY:
Very funny, that will not happen.
ALISON:
We”ll see; he can be persistent. He asked me for your number earlier.
LILY:
Tell me you didn”t give it to him.
ALISON:
Of course I didn”t, but I think he can be resourceful enough on his own.
LILY:
Shit, I didn”t think of that. Anyway, I need to forget him, just like he fucks his women and walks away; that”s what I did.
ALISON:
Yeah, I never expected that from you. You go, girl.
LILY:
I am going right now. Someone is looking for something. See you later, and let me know that everything is set up right on your end too.
“Lily, can you be a sweetie and get my mother a gin and tonic? She said the bubbles in the champagne will go to her head,” Jess shouts over her head as she is getting her makeup on.
“No problem, leave it to me.” I make sure the girls eat while they are drinking. We don”t want anyone passing out because they are drunk or dehydrated. There”s plenty of water for them too.
Two hours later, the girls are all ready, and they look fabulous. The photographer has been taking photos of them while they relax and get ready. Some of the shots are beautiful, and it makes me think of what my special day is going to be like. Will I ever relax enough to let someone else plan my wedding? Who knows, but it won”t be for a while. I need to find the right man for me first. It would help if I didn”t work so much and had a social life. Who needs one when I get to spend most weekends with couples who are in love and look at me like I am their world?
“Right, who is ready to get married?” I shout into the room, and Jess puts her hand up. “You know the drill, you know where we are going and everything, yeah?”
“Yes, we went through it,” Jess says, shaking a little bit.
“Ladies, if you want to leave now so that Jess can have a moment to herself. She is meeting her Dad by the stairs where he is going to walk her down.”
Her mother kisses her on the cheek and gives her a quick hug. “See you when you”re a married woman.” I can see tears in her eyes, and when she passes me, I give her a couple of tissues. I”m always prepared for anything.
When it”s just me and Jess, I take her hands. “Close your eyes. Think of Rory and how nervous he is going to be, wondering if you are going to turn up. He is stood at the altar waiting for you. Now take a deep breath and breathe out on the count of one, two, three. Perfect.” We do this a couple of times, and then she opens her eyes.
“I”m ready to marry the man of my dreams.” She smiles at me, and I open the door for her. Standing on the other side is the photographer and her dad.
“You look stunning, Jess. So beautiful. Rory is a lucky man. I might just have to remind him when I have to hand you over to him.”
Jess has tears, and I pass her a tissue too.
“Don”t make her cry, her makeup needs to be perfect,” I say as the photographer gets a close up of the two of them. They both laugh, and I know that picture is going to be superb.
Her dad walks her down the stairs, the photographer is clicking away, and her bridesmaid stands waiting for her.
This is the part where I take a back step for a while. Jess is the belle of the ball; she is the one who needs all of the attention. I open the door as the music starts. The bridesmaid walks through first, and then she is followed by Jess and her dad.
My eyes lock with Ryan”s. He”s not looking at Jess; he”s looking directly at me, and my heart stutters slightly. God, he looks handsome today, even more so than last night. He smiles at me, and I”m lost in the feeling of that night we spent together. I watch as Jess walks down the aisle.
Then I hear her dad say, “You”re a lucky man, Rory, and don”t you ever forget it.”
I laugh; he said it.
Closing the door, I lean against it while the ceremony is happening. What the hell was that from Ryan? Do I need to make sure I stay away from him? Or is he just pissed that I walked out on him the next morning? Whatever it is, it can”t go any further.
During the ceremony, I slip away to make sure the drinks are ready for when they walk out of that room as a married couple. When I hear a cheer in the room, myself and Alison open the doors so that everyone can file out. There are a couple of waiters who have silver trays filled with champagne, and they hand them out to the guests.
I watch as everyone talks to the bride and groom, and that”s when I slip off, leaving Alison, just in case they need anything. Walking down the plush-carpeted corridor, I don”t hear anyone behind me, but I feel their presence when I step backward to open the door.
My body crashes with what feels like a brick wall, and I slowly look up. I don”t need to see who it is; I can smell him. It”s the same aftershave he had on in Vegas. Ryan.
“Sorry, I”m working and need to check on the dinner details.” I don”t look at him.
He puts his finger under my chin and lifts my face so that I am looking straight into his eyes. They were one of the things that drew me to him in the first place. They are bright blue, and I could lose myself in them. Along with his hair that is slightly unruly, he looks more like a surfer boy than a businessman.
“Look at me, Lily.” His voice is low and gravelly, and I hate the way my sex twitches to the sound.
“What do you want, Ryan? We had a great time, and then I left Vegas. It”s in the past. This is one day, and we can be civil, right?”
He has a smile on his face. “Lily, what a night we had. I haven”t stopped thinking about it. About you. Seeing you last night reignited something inside me, and I need you.” He moves closer to me.
I put my hand on his chest to stop him. “I am a professional and have never or would ever sleep with one of the guests at a wedding that I am being paid to organize. Now if you will excuse me, I have things to do.” I try to push past him but can”t; he”s too strong. “Ryan.” I warn.
He leans down to speak in my ear. “I love how you say my name, especially when you asked me to fuck you harder. Do you remember that, Lily? I do and it makes me hard just thinking about it. I know you are professional and will stand back so that you can do your job, but as soon as you are off the clock, you are mine. I”m not letting you go this time.”
“Ryan, you’re being ridiculous. We had one encounter.”
“I know you regret running out on me and not getting my number. I regret that I didn”t hold you tight all night, so that you didn”t run. Who knows where we would be now, instead of being back at square one.”
Without any warning, he leans in and kisses me on the lips. Not just a peck; he makes love to my lips and it brings back the butterflies and memories of that night. I respond, because how can I resist? Then he pulls away. “That is just a taste of what there is to come later. I won”t pressure you while you are working, but once you are finished, you”re mine and no one else”s.” He leans back into me, his voice hot on my ear. “I can”t wait to hear you beg me to fuck you later. I loved the way you said my name when you came hard on my cock.”
I hitch my breath. My heart is racing, and all I want to do is climb up and let him fuck me against the wall. A noise comes from the room, and I squeeze my thighs together as I cover my lust with my work face. “I am working all night, Ryan.” I push open the door and walk inside.
“I know that”s not true. From 9 o”clock you”re mine. You will no longer be organizing this wedding, and you are free to do what you want.” The door closes in front of him, blocking him from my view. Thankfully. I”m not sure what I would have done if he had kissed me again.
I talk to the serving staff and note that everything is organized. That”s the thing about venues like this: they are perfectly organized, and I hardly have to do anything on the day. I step outside onto the patio at the back of the hotel, enjoying the sun beaming down on my face. I find a seat and sit down. I can hear the hustle and bustle of the guests as they are having their champagne before the photos are going to take place. Then they will be taken in for their meal and then the evening party after a more relaxed drink in between.
Everything has gone to plan. Ryan has stayed out of my way. I”ve caught him looking at me with his gorgeous eyes. I always turn away when he catches me looking; he smiles and winks at me. I just want the ground to open up and swallow me whole. How did this become my life? I should have never had a one-night stand in Vegas of all places. But who knew that the guy would be attending a wedding I organized? At least he”s not the groom, I suppose. I laugh to myself.
Just then, I hear someone clearing their throat. I turn and see Ryan. He”s looking at his watch. “I see it”s clocking-off time. I told you I would find you.” He walks over toward me in the corridor where he trapped me earlier. “I think we”ve met here before.”
He inches closer to me, and I can feel his breath on my face. I can”t move. I”m mesmerized by his eyes, and I want to know what comes next.
His lips barely touch mine as he moves in closer. Is he waiting for me to move? I can”t. There is so much tension between us, and I realize that I want to know what happens next.