One Night(2)

I turned to thank my savior, but the words caught in my throat as I stared into the most amazing eyes I had ever seen. They were as blue as the ocean backdrop and unnervingly cool.

“You alright?” their owner asked, his voice smooth and deep. It was only then that I noticed the rest of him, and it was hard to look away. But I had an entire wedding waiting on me to make it down the aisle so I quickly pulled my shit together.

“Yeah. Thanks.” I tossed my hair over my shoulder and lifted my chin, determined to play off my near fatal fall. Lana’s grandmother gave me an encouraging smile. When I got to the end of the aisle, I thought about continuing right into the ocean and swimming away. But I’m a pretty bad swimmer so I planted my feet in the sand and kept my eyes focused on the distance.

None of the other bridesmaids had my carpet issues, and Lana was able to navigate it easily even in her puffy dress. Somewhere during the minister’s opening remarks, I noticed the videographer and realized my incident had been preserved for posterity. Swell.

Needless to say, I was the first person at the open bar during cocktail hour. Lana’s creepy uncle let his eyes roam slowly over my body as he said, “So you don’t have a date either, huh?” I ordered another drink.

I kept a low profile during dinner, snagging as many champagne refills as possible while avoiding eye contact and awkward conversation with the strangers seated at my table. The rest of the bridal party was seated strategically next to the bride and groom, but Lana had explained that my solo status would negatively affect the aesthetic look of the room by creating an odd number at the table. I suppose I should’ve been offended, but the table demotion suited me just fine.

“Do you know if they have opened the bar up again?” I finally broke down and spoke to the man on my left. From the introductions everyone had made when we first sat down for dinner, I knew his name was Harry and he worked with Trevor. From sitting next to him for the last hour, I knew he was a loud breather and he liked to stare at my chest.

“I could check for you,” he offered a little too eagerly. I was pretty sure Lana had deliberately placed us next to one another. One of us was an allegedly desperate single female, and the other one was a male that was attracted to females. It was a perfect match. “I think I saw some people walking by with fresh drinks.”

“Perfect. But I’ll get it myself, thanks. I need to stretch my legs.” I made a big deal about flexing my legs and Harry’s eyes lingered a little too long on them. I could tell he was about to suggest that he accompany me so I skedaddled as fast as my heels would carry me in the direction of the bar. “Whiskey and diet,” I said, smiling politely at the cute bartender. He was probably five years younger than me, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t flirt a little. “Are you having a good night?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he answered as he handed me my drink. I admit it- that stung.

“You just aren’t having a good day.”

I recognized the silky voice and my hand tightened around the glass. “You have a knack for witnessing my finest moments,” I said. I didn’t look up as I took a long drink.

“Do you have a name, or should I just call you ma’am?” He turned to the bartender. “Scotch neat, please.”

“You can call me ma’am, but you’ll be wearing my drink if you do.” I turned to him with a sweet smile on my face. “If you’d prefer to stay dry, you can call me Livy.”

“Connor.”

“Huh,” I said as I took his outstretched hand. The silver watch around his wrist probably cost more than my car.

“Huh?” Connor cocked his attractive head and gave me a taunting smile.

“Sorry. Nothing.” Internally I was thinking how surprising it was that Lana and Valerie had actually been right. Connor was disgustingly attractive, from his smoldering eyes to his come-hither smile. We would certainly have beautiful babies, assuming they were blessed with his genes. “Connor? Just one name? Like Cher or Madonna?”

Connor’s smile tilted higher. “I’m more like Madonna than Cher, I’d say.” As he lifted his scotch to his lips, I tried not to think about what they would feel like against my skin. As if he could read my mind, one eyebrow raised ever so slightly. “Most people call me Connor. You can call me by my first name if you’d like. William.”

“How about Will or Liam? I think I might prefer Willy actually.” As soon as the last one passed my lips I realized the double entendre. I couldn’t stop the flush from spreading across my cheeks.

“Well that’s useful information.”