In My Bed (18+)

Chapter 37

The wedding coordinator was nice enough to keep an eye on the closed bar while I retreated out back for a break. With the stars beginning to emerge overhead and the scent of flowers on the wind, I leaned against the wall, breathing in the night.

The light warmth of the day had faded to a pleasant chill, prickling my exposed skin with goosebumps. I folded my arms over my chest, holding on to my body heat.

In the deepening dusk, I steadied myself.

Tonight was...

The residual tumult in my gut flared again as I went through the evening.

Watching from the sidelines while Jason was in "family-man" mode had been... alienating. Seeing him laughing with people whose names I'd never heard, hugging people whose faces I'd never seen-

-living a life that I knew nothing about.

The realization rang hollow in my chest.

Nothing like being put in your place.

With a grimace on my face, I wondered what I had expected.

It's his daughter's wedding.

It's not like he was going to pull me into a side room and screw my brains out-

I shook my head, trying to make my unseemly thoughts evaporate.

Where is he anyway?

Frowning, I looked down at my hand as I pulled my phone out of my back pocket. No messages or missed calls marred the screen.

"Maybe I..." my thumb hovered over the messenger icon before sense returned and I locked it, shoving it back into my black work pants.

It's his daughter's wedding. He doesn't need me bothering him.

After a quick stop in the bathroom, I headed back for the bar, half-deafened by the booming nineties pop song blaring from the speakers, hoping that the short line of waiting guests wouldn't be too impatient with me.

Unfortunately, I was stopped along the edge of the room by a figure that was becoming unpleasantly familiar.

Amanda's brother, the belligerent bastard that he was, stepped in front of me, smirking and smelling of...

Fireball?

The faint aroma of cinnamon whisky tainted the air between us, improbable but unmistakable.

At least, until he reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a small plastic bottle of it.

My eyes widened, "Sir, you can't have that in here-"

"Nuh-uh," he sneered, "you wouldn't serve it to me, so I got my own. It's a free country, and you can't do anything about it."

"Sir, if the venue management or the cops see that, they will end the reception."

"Bullshit-"

"I'm not kidding - they will shut the entire event down; they were very clear about that with me-"

His eyes rolled dramatically, "Nobody is getting that pissed about a little bit of booze-"

"Anthony."

I froze as Jason's voice resonated behind me.

Over me. Through me...

My nipples tightened within my bra, and I struggled to keep my composure.

Anthony grinned, "Oh, hey!" Subtly gesturing with the bottle, he whispered, "Want some?"

Jason didn't respond, instead stepping closer, bristling with anger that the other man didn't seem to notice.