Page 51 of Bridesmaid for Hire
And most importantly, I forgot how easy it is to get lost, caught up in the moment, and forget that there are two people sitting across from us, clearly witnessing this kiss.
That snaps me out of my haze, and I pull away before I can get too lost and make a scene in front of Haisley and Jude.
But as I pull away and lock eyes with Maggie, I can see it in her expression, the confusion mixed with the lust—the same look I saw the night of Gary’s wedding.
The same look that was burned into my brain for the rest of the night. The one I tried to shake but struggled so much with, even months later. That’s when I decided there was only one way to fix it—bury myself in work.
What a fucking full circle. The work I buried myself in brought me right back to Maggie.
Life can be sick and twisted sometimes.
“Seems like there’s going to be a wedding at that chapel sooner than you thought,” Haisley says with a smirk as she cuddles into Jude.
And that’s where she’s completely wrong. Because the girl snuggled into my side, whose delicious lips I can still taste, will marry a different man in her chapel.
That man will never be me.
Maggie is in the bathroom, doing fuck knows what for her nighttime routine and, because she takes forever, there’s no point trying to fall asleep. She’s only going to keep me awake. So, I grab my phone and I pull up my emails to see if there’s anything important that I need to look over.
When I see Deanna’s name in my inbox, I stifle a groan.
I pull up her email and read it.
Heard you’re in Bora-Bora with Daddy Reggie. It’s smelling a little desperate. Since you’re trying to undercut me, thought I’d send you this note from his assistant that I received today. Happy vacationing.
RE:Wedding Venue/business proposal
Mr. Hopper is quite pleased with the numbers you’ve projected. Could you offer him some notes on costs for renovating some of the spaces and which ones you want to highlight? Add them in the presentation. Between you and me, this is a no-brainer for him.
“Fuck,” I shout as I slam my phone down on the mattress. I push both my hands through my hair just as Maggie makes her entrance. This time she’s wearing a black lace romper. I can see the bottom of her butt cheeks as she walks and since she’s not wearing a bra, her tits are bouncing with every step she takes. Just what I fucking need.
“Everything okay in here?” she asks, eyeing me as she rounds the bed.
“Yeah, fine,” I say as I plug my phone into my charger. No need to look at any other emails, as that will only make it even harder to fall asleep.
“Really? Because it seems like you’re pissed.”
“I’m not,” I lie as she starts taking her vitamins.
“You know, I’m very good at tamping down my feelings, you’ve probably noticed. But if you ever want to talk—”
“Didn’t you just say that I’m the last person you’d want to talk to?” I ask, my voice stern, irritated. “Well, just reverse that. Okay?”
That quiets her, which only makes me feel worse because I don’t mean to be a dick to her, it just seems to happen. But the last thing I want to do is talk to Maggie about my failures. In her eyes, I’m already a downgrade from anyone she’dwantto share a bed with. The last thing I need is for her to see just how much of a downgrade.
Without another word, she finishes up her nighttime routine and then turns off the light. The moon bathes the room in silver light, reflecting off the water just outside.
I stare up at the ceiling, my mind racing with thoughts of the email.Did the assistant really say that, or is Deanna trying to throw me off my game? I wouldn’t put it past Deanna to falsify an email just to get under my skin, because why is she sending him the proposal so early? We aren’t supposed to do anything with it until Hopper gets back from vacation. This is probably something I need to talk to Jaleesa about in the morning.
Maggie turns toward me, pulling me out of my thoughts as she lifts up on her elbow to look at me. “Can we talk about something?”
Not really in the mood, but it seems as though she is and, if I know anything about Maggie, she usually gets her way.
“Don’t you want to sleep?” I ask as I glance toward her. Damn it, she looks so goddamn gorgeous, makeup-free with her hair framing her face.
“I do, but…I think we need to make something clear.”
“What?” I ask. Can’t wait to hear this.
