“That is probably best,” he replied. “To be honest with you, I’m enjoying holding you close like this. You should see all the envious looks I’m getting from the single guys.”
“There are single guys here?” I asked him jokingly.
“Yes,” Damon sighed, “and they’re all ogling at you right now. All hoping that now that your bridesmaid’s duties are drawing to the end they can finally try to win your attention.”
“Did we suddenly step back into the eighteenth century?” I asked him. “I don’t think anyone’s used the phrase ‘win your attention’ since then.”
“Huh,” Damon leaned back a bit and grinned down at me. “Well, I said that because tonight I’m still your wedding escort and I take my duties very seriously.” He raised an eyebrow for dramatic effect. “Any suitor vying for your attention will be fully scrutinized by me.”
“Where did you get your tux from?” I asked Damon, “Was it some weird store in a back street alley that you were drawn to by a ball of light?”
“Is that what that ball of light was doing?” Damon laughed. “I was wondering why there’d be such a fancy tailor shop in that area.”
“I hope they will take the magic tux back that has transformed you into a gentleman from past times,” I looked thoughtful for a moment before giving him a seductive smile, enjoying our banter. “Or maybe keep it. I kind of like this gallant Damon.”
“I like this elegantly sexy Carla,” Damon’s voice got a little hoarse as our eyes met and held.
“I think you can leave the dance floor now,” Drew whispered to us as he and Hayley whirled past, bringing us back to the real world.
“Don’t look now,” Damon told me, ignoring Drew. “But you’re dancing.”
I looked around and realized that we were actually slowly circling the dance floor. I was not even standing on his feet.
“Now that you told me that,” I winced up at him, “maybe we should stop now as I can feel my feet wanting to do their own thing.”
“Yeah,” Damon laughed. “I think that’s a good idea.” We walked off the dance floor.
Damon was about to say something to me, but as soon as we stepped off the floor, Todd who was catering the reception called me to help him with something.
I felt cheated as I wanted to hear what Damon was going to say. If truth be told, I had enjoyed spending our time cuffed together. We’d actually talked and really got to know each other after moving in the same social circles and sharing best friends nearly our entire lives.
I sighed as I watched Damon get enticed onto the dance floor by Todd’s beautiful new wife. I looked up at Todd who said nothing. The passionate morning embrace with Damon still made my entire body tingle with desire.
“Are you okay?” I immediately asked Todd. “Do you want me to go and break them up?”
“No,” Todd shook his head. “Damon and I are good. We had a long talk at the bachelor party and he explained everything to me.” He gave me a hug. “Thank you for caring. Sophia is nothing like Celeste.”
“I hear that Celeste’s father ordered her to stay away from all of us as a condition of Hayley and Drew not pressing charges for her maliciousness.” I shook my head. I still couldn’t believe Celeste was responsible for a lot of the sabotage of the wedding events, my dress being mixed up, Damon’s tux, and the flowers.
Celeste was so jealous of Hayley’s relationship with Drew and Damon; she was driven by spite to try and ruin this wedding. She was also trying to make Damon and I dislike each other more by making each of us believe the other had sabotaged some of the events. Okay, so I had done my fair share of sabotaging and so had Damon. But we were competing with each other to make our parties better than each other but not destroy them.
I followed Todd into the kitchen to go help him sort out a dish that had been mixed up. I took one last look at Damon and Sophia gliding around the dance floor like Fred and Ginger. My heart dropped to my feet for some reason as I thought to myself that’s the type of woman that should be gracing Damon’s arm.
***
Todd walked me into the kitchen and to a station he’d set up as his temporary office. He picked up his tablet and started to fiddle on it.
“Carla, what did I tell you I was going to do for Hayley’s wedding cake?” Todd asked me.
Uh-oh! I thought. I knew where this was going. I wondered if I could slowly step back and then run out the kitchen while Todd looked for something on his tablet.
“You were making her a backup cake, like you did for all your customers?” I said innocently.