He’s gorgeous dressed in his tux. It fits him in a way that makes him look debonair, relaxed, and powerfully seductive. More than ever, he looks like the devil in a tuxedo. My heart is doing back flips. He is so damn handsome. He sees me and blinks for a moment before giving me a smile and a nod.
“You’d better be careful,” Roxy jokes, nudging me again. “I think John’s niece is eyeing Oli.”
I look around, and Roxy’s right. She’s practically ogling him.
Bitch better stay away from my man, I say to myself.
Is he my man?
“Wow, you look so handsome,” I tell him as I come up. He grins and takes my hand, another thrill running through me at his touch.
“And you look beautiful yourself,” he says, delivering a soft kiss to my cheek. My chest gets fuzzy as emotions start running through my body, a mix of panic and arousal and confusion that makes me both smile and want to scream at the same time. He places a hand on my hip, and now desire’s added to the mix. When we first came here, it felt weird being on his arm. But now I wear that badge proudly, excited and happy to be here with him.
“I wish there weren’t so many people . . .” he says quietly, his voice dripping with need. I know he’s not trying to seduce me. He’s just being honest. But he’s making my blood boil, and I bite my lip. I want to melt into him, to find the nearest empty room and ignore the rest of the world. I want to turn the entire universe into a bedroom, a space where Oliver and I can indulge in each other’s bodies and maybe our hearts too. But not here right now. It’s too much, and we both know it.
“Later,” I promise him, hoping there is a later. I hope there’s more than a later, but that’s a foolish hope. “By the way, Mom wants us to sit in the front row during the ceremony.”
“She didn’t want you to walk her down?” Oliver asks, slightly surprised. “Why?”
I shake my head. “I told her to let Rita do it. Grandma was gonna do it but she was scared about falling in front of everyone. I didn’t want her to have to pick between me and Roxy. Besides, Rita and her . . . they’ve always been pretty close.”
“I see,” Oliver says, looking around as we reach the front of the chapel area. “This is pretty nice.”
I nod. “I’m loving it. It’s gonna be clear weather tomorrow too. So it’s going to be a gorgeous day.”
“Well, I know it’s only been a few days, but I’m glad. Mary Jo deserves as perfect a wedding as she can get.”
We sit down, taking in the whole chapel. “I bet this place looks a lot different in daylight.”
Oliver shifts around, pulling his arm around my shoulders as he gets a better view. “I think so. Those windows are going to look out on the ocean, and we’ll get a lot more open light. Not that it isn’t nice now, but tomorrow, it should look fantastic. The sort of place . . .”
Oliver goes quiet, turning back around, and I lean in. “What?”
“Nothing,” he says, giving me a nervous smile. “Just fantasy running away from me.”
Before I can push the issue, Roxy walks up, sliding over to find her seat next to me. “Hey, you two lovebirds, I wanted to know if y’all will come to Trixie's with me tonight? I’m gonna be singing and it will be fun to have a few drinks. Just a little non-wedding fun, ya know?”
“It’s up to Mindy,” Oliver says diplomatically, giving me a look. He wants to, I can tell, although I’m not sure why.
I don’t know. I’d love to hear Roxy sing, but what would being out with Oliver outside the fantasy be like? Going with him to Trixie’s isn’t part of the wedding charade.
“Come on, Mindy, it will be our last night of fun together. What can it hurt?” Roxy asks. “Be a big sis.”
“All right,” I agree, worried.
The bass of the music is bumping as we walk up to the club doors. The line’s long, but as soon as the bouncer sees us with Roxy, he waves us through no problem at all. “Hey, Roxy Rox.”
“Thanks, Enrique,” Roxy says, giving me and Oliver a wink. We go inside, and I have to say, Trixie’s is a nice place. The lights are dim, so I can’t tell too much about the decorations, but there’s lots of mellow blue under-lighting that gives the tiles on the floor a shiny tint. There are flashing lights and lasers, but they’re restricted to the stage area in the back of the room and dance floor. It’s about three-quarters filled right now, a couple of gay couples but mostly pairs of men and women dancing, grinding on each other as the house DJ spins some sexy club tunes. “So what do you all think?”