A Wedding Affair (The Wedding Affair) (50 page)

All of Tristan’s words putting do
ubt in my mind, ravenous prick that he is.

Ian and I agree no more sex till the wedding night. Considering the obvious I’m ok with it.

Wonder if he’s still having me followed? I don’t want to know…no… yes I do want to know!

“Are you still having me followe
d?”

“Are you still my Aria?”

“You didn’t answer my question!”

“Neither did you!”

He kisses my forehead “I will fire him tomorrow”

‘Very well”

“Are you still my Aria?”

“Your some piece of work?”

He laughs “touché”

“On that note shall we turn in?”

Ian stands and pulls me up into his arms he holds me and kisses the top of my head, I hug him and notice that he is not aroused in the least. Just making an observation jeez don’t you all get mad at me too?

We head
up to bed, Ian kisses me good night he changes for bed and no sooner as his head hits the pillow he falls asleep immediately, I kiss his temple and cover him and he is gone from this world like that.

Me I have a more difficult time falling asleep
I stare at the ceiling. I still don’t know how I feel about what transpired tonight, I guess I’m glad Ian is settled about it. I also feel like I should be mad at Ian? One thing is for sure, I guess
I’m getting married next Saturday as scheduled
. I thought I left the mergers and acquisitions world for men’s clothing, and here we are talking about our pending marriage as such. Oh and Tristan oh God that man he taunted me with his sexual antics so much when we first met it was all we ever talked about and now after giving into him I can see why women cheat, sex like that is too hard to walk away from, jeez I sound suggestive even to myself. The man came kissing me that is the biggest feather in any girls cap, that I can do that to Tristan and truth be told one more second in his arms I would have come as well. I just know my life with Ian is always going to be shadowed by what I gave up, it’s sad but true. It’s after two am, I can’t sleep and I want sex. I guess delayed gratification is the definition of maturity. Is this what they mean by a nice mature relationship?  No drama, can’t sleep, and sexually frustrated?

Chapter 26

SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR ME

Friday
June 22, 2012

Ian
drives me into work this morning; I left my Cadillac here last night because of my vodka induced conversation last night. I feel like my old self again, Ian’s words do linger maybe because he is a college professor and his tone is authoritative? Or maybe I took good notes? I so want this marriage to work, I said yes for a reason and now I just have to remember what those reasons are...Hmm yes I am always easily distracted my biggest flaw in my character.

Well any who
, to take count of my weeks behavior I have taken a lover, got rid of said lover, I still have a wonderful man who loves and adores me as I look up at him as he weaves in and out of traffic to get me to the store on time.

I also
have the most wonderful bestest friends in the world who are taking me out this evening for one last night on the town as a single girl. I would say life is good.

I gave Oliver the day off today he worked so hard on the
fashion show and all the preparation he put into that was quite a feat on his part, so he can enjoy a three day weekend and hopefully I will see him tonight for a drink with the girls. We pull up to the Ritz

“Thank you Ian see you tonight” I reach over and kiss him goodbye sweet peck on the lips.

“I love you Aria” Lawrence opens my door for me

“I love you too Ian” and I get out of the car.

“Thank you Lawrence” and Ian pulls off

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP

-------<>-------

Work this morning
seems a steady pace… fast as usual, not as chaotic as yesterday but its Friday, men shop just as often and spend just as much as we women do, they are fussy with their shirts, they are finicky with their ties and they drive a hard bargain. My preferred customers are always a pleasure to see, I keep them looking great and they keep coming back, what can I say it’s
Business as Usual.

I check my book and I do have a meeting with the ever challenging Mr. Waterford,
this evening I am not dreading it because I can usually handle any customer, and just to be on the safe side I am dressed very professional in a gray pinstripe pants suit and white blouse, I look like the business professional, all my bits and pieces are covered and buttoned, no perfume and very little makeup it’s always a power trip with successful men, but it comes down to they put their pants on one legs at a time just like everyone else.

Its
five pm and he is punctual and dressed to kill, charcoal gray suit, black shirt and gray tie, he kind of looks  Magnum PI right down to the mustache, as I look at him I wonder if he is single handedly trying to bring back the stache from the 80’s?

I smile at him as he enters my empty store, shit wish I was not alone. I c
ome from around the counter and meet him in the middle of the store with all his contracts and purchase orders in my hand.

“Hell
o there Mr. Waterford” we shake hands my shake is firm and I try to pull away but he holds my hand and is now caressing my elbow…shit, shit, shit.

“
Don’t you look sexy” I let it go, let’s just get through this.

“Did you have any questions about the purchase orders that I faxed to your office?” I walk over to the conference table and he follows me.

“Please have a seat may I get you a drink?”

“Sure I’ll have a scotch neat” Ok I was hoping he would have gone for coffee, but scotch it is. I walk over to
the bar and he follows me. He parks his six foot three hefty built frame on a bar stool and watches me closely.

“Here you go sir.”
I serve him with a smile as I place his drink down on a cocktail napkin.

“Why don’t you join me in a drink?”

“Um I can’t I have dinner plans this evening”

“Oh really where are you going for dinner?”

“Um we are having dinner in your casino tonight actually sir.”

“Really who is that?” He is now interested.

“My girlfriends and I are going out for one last night before my wedding.”

“
Well as you have been very accommodating, please allow me to extend you the same courtesy”

“That will not be necessary but thank you f
or the offer, shall we go over the contracts?

“Miss Macy you are a tough nut to crack” I smile at him and I think he is harmless in his intentions but none the less I keep my distance and grab the contracts and return to the bar he signs, we shake and I am
saved by the bell well five bell’s exactly as the girls all make it through the door.

“
Aria are you ready to kiss your single day’s goodbye? OOPS sorry thought you were alone!”

Mr. Waterford gets a load of the five beautiful ladies that are my friends and
he is elated.

“Mr. Waterford I would like you to meet some of my friends this
is Erika, Sabrina, Cindy, Tiffany, and Autumn.”

“Hello there
, sensational to meet you all, I hear you are having dinner in my casino this evening?”

“
Yes Cindy pipes up immediately as she is interested in any man who is wearing an Omega watch.”

“Well please allow me to extend a hearty welcome
, and be my guest for this evening”

The girls are all for it, me I am a bit apprehensiv
e about all of this, I mean Cindy is giving him the come hither look but he is still eyeing me and I really can’t handle any more advances, looks, glances, from anymore men, jeez this week I have had my fair share of men to last me a lifetime.

“Yes we accept your invitation Mr. Waterford”
Cindy and the girls are like come on lets party like V.I.P’s.

Who am I to argue with five women on a
mission? I grab my bag I lock up the store and Mr. Waterford escorts us to the casino.

“Aria I don’t even want to know what this is all about”

“I don’t know myself” Sabrina winks at me I am all for it girls as long as he leaves me alone.

The casino is literally five minutes from my
store; we walk through the brass and glass doors that use to be our dear Higbee’s Department store where we use to see Santa Clause and Mr. Jingling at Christmas. This is also where I bought my first pair of high heels, and my graduation dresses, and my first Gucci purse. Ah what memories.

As soon as we walk onto the gaming floor we are met by the pit boss,

“Hello Mr. Waterford”, they whisper something and then we are met by the manager of the casino,

“
Hello ladies right this way” we are whisked in an elevator to the V.I.P floor, complete with a raw bar, a hug buffet, an open bar area, a DJ and it is crowded like a club. Tables all around the dance floor and the room is just beautiful photos adorn the walls of our famous Ohio alumni like Halle Barry, and Drew Carey, it’s wonderful how they transformed this old department store into an upscale casino.

“
Ladies they have complete instructions whatever you want is on the casino, enjoy yourselves and have a good time.” Mr. Waterford gestures for the waiter and he is at his side in a nanosecond.

“
Ladies with my compliments” we are all given a glass of champagne.

“
Aria as your last night as a single lady I wish you all the best”

“
Cheers!” we all say I look at my friends and they all look at me but I am looking at Mr. Waterford, he winks at me and I shake my head as I take a sip of my champagne, Ian is not ever going to let me go out again!

Well the food is absolutely fabulous, the raw bar which if you have ever been lucky to be in the present of one is ju
st amazing, it is a tower of seafood that look like a wedding cake packed with ice and adorned with shrimp and crab claws, and lobster tails it is so fresh and simply irresistibly delicious.

The girls are just the best, we dance and drink and have a great time as old friends
, one last time before I am to be a married women.

Eri
ka, Sabrina, Tiffany, Autumn and Cindy all look so happy.

“
Hey Aria, calling Aria?”

“
I’m sorry I just zoned out”

“Ok raise your glass ladies here is to the end of your days
as a single mingle girl”

Sabrina
and Cindy and I have known one another for years they are the ones who put this night together, and as the only one who is not married out of these ladies I have always been the hot topic of conversation, but had nothing to tell until recently.

We order drinks and the bar
tender keeps lining them up.

We danced like we were kids; w
e had the whole bar celebrating my moving out of single-Ville as one girl put it. And a few of the guys at the bar gave their take on marriage; we had them all celebrating my departure from single-ville.

It is midnight and the club is jumping,

“Aria, I see you and your friends are enjoying yourselves.”

“Mr. Waterford, thank you for tonight but you really didn’t have
too”

“Well Aria you didn’t have to make me a tie and give me a great deal but you did”

“Sir that’s just Business as Usual”

“
You’re a very interesting business women I have to say I am impressed and I hope I haven’t come across as too forward?” I look at him, arms crossed as I sip my champagne

“Well at first I thought you were hitting on me and now I have to say you have quite an endearing quality almost like th
e Godfather”

He laughs out loud
and I think he rather enjoyed my comment.

“
Well Aria I believe you were the one who made me the offer I couldn’t refuse!”

I smile as we clink our glasses.

“So tell me what does your fiancé do for living?”

“
Ian is a history professor at CWU”

“
Really now?”

“Yes we have known one another si
nce we were kids in high school”

“I know how that is
, I married my high school sweetheart and lost her three years ago to cancer.”

“Oh I’m so sorry”

“Thank you, she was a fiery pistol just like you Aria, she was the light of my life, after she passed I just started throwing myself into business adventures and investment opportunities and finally after the gaming doors opened here in Ohio I was happy to come back home and put down roots again.”