Once Upon A Half-Time 2(29)

That was a dangerous fantasy. Even more dangerous because I already imagined how the morning sun would strike her naked body, wrapped only in a silken sheet. Mandy was all about contrasts. White sheets, dark skin, passionate lover, sweet friend.

Good girl at home, bad girl for me.

I would seduce Mandy Prescott again, and I’d introduce her to more pleasure than she knew existed. We’d use each other for stress relief until the wedding, no regrets.

I had to convince her it was a good idea.

Easier said than done.

Lindsey reserved the fellowship hall at my dad’s church for the auditions. I hadn’t been there since Easter, and that wasn’t by choice. Mom had called, flustered and sobbing because she lost the pink Easter hat Dad demanded she wear. Had I not been there to hold her hand, Dad would have turned the sermon from the joyful resurrection to something fire, brimstone, and focused on the role of the family—father as head of the church with the rest of us mere mortals subservient to him.

I didn’t bother visiting him. His office door was always open, but only to his parishioners. God forbid his own family had problems that required counseling. That would have meant we were imperfect and reflected badly on him.

I jogged the steps down to the fellowship hall, passing a man tuning his oboe in the stairwell.

Great. Lindsey ordered a symphony.

Mandy had set up a card table with a tablet at her fingers, score cards and listed criteria spread out before her. She snapped a selfie to post to whatever bullshit Instagram or Facebook album Lindsey demanded to chronicle her wedding planning.

I picked a chair from the stack against the wall and plunked it next to Mandy. She flinched, but her expression knotted both relief and apprehension into a wobbly smile.

“I thought you were Lindsey,” she said.

“I’m much worse, apparently.”

She cleared her throat and crossed her legs. Like I’d prop ‘em open and dig in during the auditions.

“You’ll never be worse than Lindsey,” she said.

“I’ll take it as a compliment.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Bryce asked me to help judge the bands.” There was some truth to the statement. “Figured I’d come visit. See if you had it handled.”

Mandy stared straight ahead. “Yep. All good. I’ll be okay on my own.”

“Nah, that’s not fair.” I crossed my arms behind my head, leaning back in my chair. “No sense doing this alone, baby.”

“I’m doing a lot of things alone.”

“No need.” I winked. “I’m at your service tonight.”

“I know what you’re trying to do—”

“I’m trying to take some of the pressure off you. Get these bands all auditioned and cataloged for Queen Lindsey.”

Mandy didn’t believe me, and she had good instincts. It didn’t stop her from gnawing on that perfect, full lip. Her fingers twisted in her skirt.

I loved to watch her squirm.

I was serious the last time I trapped her in my embrace. I wanted her to think of me, dream of me, want me every second of the day. When I first tasted her, I fantasized about being the only man who could pleasure her that well. Fortunately, I had no competition.

But it wasn’t enough. Something about this woman had changed since the last time I slept with her—something that made her absolutely irresistible.

“The first band comes highly recommended,” Mandy said. “Traditional sound. Quartet.”

“So…this is how it’s going to be?”

She knew exactly what I meant. “I have to audition these groups for my sister.”

“We’re not even going to talk about what happened the other day?”

Mandy scribbled on the corner of the paper, accidently poking a hole through the essay section with the pen.

“I thought you said we wouldn’t have to talk about it? My one freebie was supposed to come with no strings.”

“Yeah, but I think you’d feel better if you talked about it.”

Her smile wasn’t kind. “You know, Nate. With your reputation? I expected you to back off once you got what you wanted.”

So did I. “Maybe I want something else.”

“And what’s that?”

“You.”

Mandy hesitated. “Do you know what I need?”

“What?”

“The only thing I’ve ever asked of you.” Her almond eyes met mine briefly, a quick tease of power she didn’t know she possessed. “I want to make it to the wedding without any more complications.”

“How do you know I’d complicate things?”

“You already have.”

She smiled at the musicians timidly waiting at the door. If they thought auditioning for a wedding was strange, they didn’t say anything.