Venom, Blood & Ink

The Engagement Party

"Do we really have to do this?" Desi asked, fidgeting with the taffeta on her custom made, sleeveless, royal blue Vera Wang gown, thoroughly uncomfortable in such finery.

With a sigh, as he straightened his matching royal blue bowtie, tugged at the black tuxedo jacket lapels and made sure his styled brown hair was perfect in a gilded mirror on the wall, her new fiancee, Tristan replied.

"Yes, Desi, we do. My parents want to put on a good show for these snobby fools and if we want them to pay for the wedding...we do what they want."

"But this is an engagement party, not the fucking Oscars. This isn't me. I don't like all this...this crap." She griped as she flopped down on a nearby couch.

"I wish I didn't have to wear this penguin suit too, but my dad just has to flaunt his new money in front of his brothers. If they hadn't laughed at his video game idea that made him millions we might not be here right now...but....what ya gonna do?"

"Exactly what I'm doing right now. Pouting." She said as she wiggled off one of the Christian Louboutin high heeled shoes, freeing her trapped toes.

Tristan smiled warmly and walked over to his beautiful fiancee. He sat on the ornately decorated couch next to her and gently took her left hand in his. Laying a tender kiss on her smooth skin, next to the gorgeous three carat diamond engagement ring he himself slid onto her delicate finger not two months earlier, he gazed into her deep emerald eyes.

"Come on. It's only for a little while then you can shove those red soled torture devices women call shoes under the bed and forget about tonight."

Desi glared back at him, trying to keep a straight face but his pleading blue eyes made her melt.

"You're lucky I love you so much, Tristan. Fine, but you owe me big time."

Another warm smile crossed his face as he quickly kissed the top of her hand again.
"Then it's a good thing I'll have the rest of my life to pay you back."

"You're such a dork." Desi chuckled.

"Well, you're the one that agreed to marry me...so I can't be all that bad. Now, come on Cinderella, let's put your shoes back on and get ready for our grande entrancee." He added with a mockilngly fake French accent.

Tristan knelt in front of her, sliding the bejeweled high heels back on her pedicured feet, smiling up at her with a goofy expression.

Suddenly, a knock on the door pulled them out of their playful exchange. The gold framed door swung open, widely, ushering in a short, portly older woman. Her hair meticulously dyed and pulled back into a contemporary style as to, perhaps, fool an onlooker of the correct age of it's wearer. No one, though, would ever tell Caroline Campbell, Tristan's mother, that her charade wasn't working.

"Hellooo, my dahlings." She swept into the room with a flourish and a terrible attempt at a haughty British accent. "Are we ready to make our grande entrancee?"

Tristan and Desi both quietly snickered at her, repeating the same words, the same way Tristan had, only this time it was a humorous but serious attempt at sophistication. Oblivious to the inside joke, Caroline set about the room, inspecting the lavish enormous fresh flower arrangements scattered around the extravagantly decorated room. She paused at one, populated almost entirely of crimson roses, taking a sniff at the relatively scentless, hot-house bred beauties.

"These are gorgeous." She commented as she turned to face Desi with a warm smile trying to crawl across her heavily botoxed face. "Just like you my dearest."

Reaching out to her with both hands, Caroline took both of Desi's hands in hers, pulling her up from the couch into her ample, albeit squishy bosom. She hugged her tightly then pushed her back to place two air kisses next to each of the young, uncomfortable woman's cheeks.