Page 77 of Bridesmaid for Hire
“Better. Surprised you care.”
I see her eyes flash down to the bulge in my shorts and then back up to me. “Well, figured I should know since the Hoppers will probably ask me.”
She moves around to the bathroom where she starts taking down her hair.
“Seems like you’re really getting chummy with them,” I say as I sit on the bed and watch her.
Earlier today when she put on her spandex shorts, I thought they were a little short, but now that she’s worn them all day, they’re practically just underwear, they’ve ridden up so high. She has an amazing ass.
“It was nice to help out today.”
“I’m sure,” I say, studying her and the way she moves. It’s smooth, flawless, like every single thing she does has been perfectly practiced…besides the stiff-arm, obviously.
“If you want to know, they were all pretty concerned. Jude asked if he should check up on you. I told him you were probably sleeping it off. Good thing I didn’t send him over—he could have caught you fondling yourself.”
She washes her face and rinses it in the sink.
“There wasn’t much fondling,” I say.
She winces in the mirror. “Ooh, quick to the trigger? You know, a lot of men suffer from that, happens to the best of them.”
“I’m not quick to the trigger…usually.” I mutter that last word. Today though, just took a little bit of imagination and images of Maggie and I was good to go.
“Are you sure? I remember Gary saying that back in college—”
“I’m going to stop you right there,” I say. “Gary is full of shit if he told you anything about me in regards to sex. I was the one who was giving him lessons.”
“Wait…you and Gary did…things?”
“Fuck, no!” I say. “Christ, I’d never touch Gary, ever.” I swallow hard. “I think I threw up in my mouth a little just thinking about it.”
“Then what do you mean you gave himlessons?” she asks as she starts the twenty-step process of slathering products on her face before bed.
Granted, I don’t know if it’s actually twenty steps, but it feels like it.
“He’d ask questions and I’d answer them for him. He wasn’t as experienced as I was, so I helped him out. Frankly, I believe I’m the sole reason he landed Patricia.”
“Patricia should have you hanged then,” she says. Wow, what a sister. “She’s an angel and her only blemish is the fact that she’s married to my brother.”
I lean back on my hands, proud of myself. “It’s from what I taught him.”
“Ew,” Maggie says as she sprays something on her face. The scent wafts into the room and I memorize it, knowing that smell will always remind me of her. Like lavender or something flowery like that. “I don’t want you insinuating that Gary was able to score Patricia for life because of some sex trick you taught him.”
“Are you saying it’s his personality that did it? Because from where I’m sitting, it seems like you don’t believe that either.”
“I think it’s best if we just get off this topic.”
I watch her dot some cream under her eyes. She really does have beautiful skin—this is probably why.
“Why do you hate Gary so much? I think he’s a great guy.”
“I don’t hate him,” she says. “He’s just…I don’t know. Given our age difference, we didn’t have much to do with each other once he was in high school. He’s my big brother and sure, we get along, but we had two different lives growing up. We never really had a chance to bond and form a decent friendship.”
“It seems like you’re on good terms now,” I say. “He did attend your twenty-first birthday. And you’ve seen each other here and there.”
“Because he thought it would be funny to see me get drunk.” She uncaps her lotion and turns toward me. “He’s just Gary, is all. He’s named after my dad, I’ve heard him shoot snot rockets in the shower, and he’s the guy who thought it was funny to hang underwear from the ceiling fan and watch them fly off. He wasn’t into the things I was into, and that’s fine, because we were just different. He’ll always be my brother, and when he invites me over to his house, I’ll go because I like Patricia, but if I had to say we’re friends, I’d be lying.”
I slowly nod as she goes to her dresser and pulls out another lingerie set. We’ll see what this one entails. I can tell I’m going to like it already because it’s pink…
