Lancelot's Lady (50 page)

"
Maybe she went to a pub for a few more drinks,
"
Myrtle said, her voice hardening.

"
She wouldn
'
t do that.
"
Her sister stared up at her.
"
Why do you always have to be so mean? Stephanie
'
s never done anything to you.
"

Myrtle clamped her lips tight. No, nothing except take my place as your maid of honor.

"
Look, Eliza, I have no idea why your
best friend
would go traipsing off somewhere when she knows you
'
re getting married.
"
Myrtle glanced at her watch,
"
You
'
re already twenty minutes late.
"

"
I can
'
t get married without Stephanie!
"

"
Of course you can. Rick
'
s waiting for you.
"
And you wouldn
'
t want to keep him waiting.

"
You
'
re right,
"
her sister said between her tears. She turned back to the mirror.
"
Now help me fix my makeup. I want to be perfect for Rickie.
"

"
Rickie?
"
Good God.

In the mirror, Eliza
'
s eyes widened.
"
Shh, don
'
t tell him I told you. I
'
m the only one who calls him that.
"

"
Maybe because he
'
s a grown man.
"

"
No, silly. It
'
s his
special
name.
"
Eliza lowered her voice to a whisper.
"
You know, for when we do it.
"

Suddenly, Myrtle was slammed with a terrible image, an image of Eliza wrapped in Rick
'
s strong arms as they made love. The acid reflux that had boiled earlier rose to the back of her throat. She grabbed her throat, coaxing it back down, but not before contemplating spewing fiery black acid all over her sister
'
s pure white dress.

"
I know,
"
Eliza said with a giggle.
"
Too much information.
"

In reply, Myrtle cinched in the ties at the back of Eliza
'
s dress.

"
That
'
s a little tight, sis. I can barely breathe.
"

Don
'
t tempt me, dear sister.

Their mother waltzed into the room.
"
It
'
s time!
"
She gave Myrtle a quick peck on the cheek, then wrapped her arms around Eliza.
"
My baby
'
s getting married.
"

Eliza smiled brightly.
"
Oh, Mom. I
'
m not a baby anymore.
"

The three of them bustled out of the room, Myrtle taking up the rear, while Eliza and their mother held hands and giggled like school kids. Myrtle scowled and took an extra long stride, stepping on the train of Eliza
'
s dress.

"
Be careful, Myrtle!
"
their mother scolded.
"
You don
'
t want to ruin Eliza
'
s beautiful dress.
"

Maybe I do, Mother.

The pastor hurried toward them.
"
Are you all set?
"

Eliza took a deep breath.
"
My maid of honor isn
'
t here yet.
"

"
That
'
s a shame,
"
the pastor said.
"
We
'
re just going to have to start without her.
"
He smiled, oblivious to Eliza
'
s distress.
"
At least the bride and groom are here.
"

"
Can
'
t we wait another half hour?
"
Eliza begged.

The pastor gave her an apologetic smile.
"
We
'
re already late, my dear. I have an appointment in another hour.
"
He glanced at Myrtle.
"
I
'
m sure your sister wouldn
'
t mind standing in as your maid of honor.
"

His comment made Myrtle grin.
"
Of course I can stand in for Stephanie,
"
she said, as if it hadn
'
t crossed her mind.
"
Come on, Eliza. It
'
s time for you to get married.
"

* * *

The wedding ceremony went smoothly. Myrtle had stood beside her sister, held the bride
'
s lush bouquet, and whispered the vows while smiling into the eyes of the groom.

The bastard never even noticed her.

That
'
s when Myrtle came up with another plan.

Once the reception at the Holiday Inn was underway and everyone was feeling the effects of too much champagne, she slipped a note in Rick
'
s tuxedo pocket. Fifteen minutes later, she saw him pull it out, read it, then smirk with glee.

He gave his bride a wink, then headed toward the bar.

Rushing towards her sister, Myrtle said,
"
I think I saw Stephanie
'
s car in the parking lot.
"

Eliza
'
s eyes lit up.
"
Really?
"

Myrtle nodded.
"
I
'
m pretty sure it
'
s hers.
"

Eliza bunched up the sides of her dress and hurried from the reception hall. Across the room, Rick grinned.

Within seconds, Myrtle was running to the elevator, a room key card in hand. She
'
d taken it from her sister
'
s purse earlier in the evening.

Inside room 403, she briefly took in the honeymoon suite with its heart-shaped bed, chilled champagne, red roses and chocolate covered strawberries.

Then she stripped naked. Hanging her dress up in the closet, she turned off all the lights and slid between the silky sheets.

Anticipation teased her body until she was ready to explode.

Finally, she heard a card slide in the door. It opened, silhouetting Rick
'
s tall frame for a second. He quickly shut the door.

"
Lizzie, you
'
re a wicked girl,
"
Rick
'
s shadow said in the dark.
"
When I got your note telling me you would be waiting for me here in the dark, I thought,
'
What would your mother think?
'
He chuckled.
"
Then I realized I didn
'
t care. I want to make love to you until you scream, my lovely wife.
"

Sounds of clothes being tossed on the chair were followed by movement on the bed. In a flash, hot hands slid over Myrtle
'
s body. She bit her lip to keep from moaning.

"
Lizzie…
"

Rick
'
s tongue slid into her mouth. She ravenously kissed him back. It had been a long time since she
'
d had sex. Over a year. He
'
d been the last one…her
only
one.

"
Rickie,
"
she whispered against his mouth.

His fingers danced down her body, sending shivers of excitement through her veins. Then his lips trailed butterfly kisses down her neck to her breasts.

Would he notice she was smaller than her sister?

No, poor Rickie didn
'
t notice a thing.

Not even later when she cried out in ecstasy.

Afterward, Rick dressed in the dark, just as she
'
d instructed him in her note. He kissed her lips.
"
I
'
ll see you downstairs, my love.
"

As soon as the door closed behind him, Myrtle let out a heavy breath. Good God, the man could screw. She could
'
ve gone another round.

Stretching like a cat, she giggled.
"
Happy wedding night, Rick.
"

She dressed slowly, as if in a dream, then left the honeymoon suite, feeling more bride-like than she could ever imagine. Plucking a chocolate strawberry from the platter, she bit into it and moaned with pleasure. It was almost as delicious as the orgasm Rick had given her.

Almost.

The elevator took her down to the lobby level. She entered the reception hall just in time to see Rick crossing the room. A sea of wedding guests parted and there was Lizzie in all her bridal glory stepping inside through the exit door to the parking lot.

Rick lurched to a stop. He glanced around the room, a look of horror plastered on his face. Myrtle could almost hear his thoughts.
What was Lizzie doing outside? Wait! She couldn
'
t have made it downstairs before me. I left first.
His horrified expression turned sickly.
Oh my God. What have I done? Who was that upstairs?

Myrtle took a step forward, then paused when Rick
'
s gaze found hers. The smile she gave him started slowly, two tugs on the corners of her mouth. It then grew into a wide, knowing smile.

Thanks, Rick.

His face now paler than a corpse, he approached her, every expression churning in his dark eyes. Regret, sorrow, anger, fear.

It was the latter that made Myrtle laugh out loud.

Rick reached her.
"
What have you done?
"

She batted her eyes at him.
"
I have no idea what you
'
re talking about.
"
With that, she whirled away, heading toward her sister.

"
Myrtle, can you believe it?
"
Eliza said, flashing her rings.
"
I
'
m married.
"

"
Let
'
s hope you can stay married,
"
Myrtle muttered.

"
How can you say that?
"

"
You know men. They
'
re fickle to the core.
"

Almost as fickle as my sister.

"
Not Rick,
"
Eliza argued.
"
He
'
s loyal to the core. He
'
d never cheat on me.
"

Myrtle glanced over her shoulder. Rick was a few steps away, but by the look on his face, he
'
d caught Eliza
'
s declaration.

"
Never, Eliza?
"
she said, grinning.
"
You know what they say. Never say never.
"

"
Where have you been?
"
Eliza asked her new husband.

"
I, uh…
"
Rick glared at Myrtle.
"
I have to go ask your mother something. I
'
ll be right back.
"

"
We
'
re going to talk about this,
"
Rick whispered as he passed by.