THE JUNIOR BRIDESMAID (27 page)

            “In
front of Ryan,” I reminded her. There was a purpose to my delivery. She was
still trying to get a rise out of Ryan. So, mission accomplished.

I stared at her
judgmentally, realizing she had yet to apologize for her part in the whole
affair. So far everything was everyone else’s fault but hers. But this time,
with regard to making a play for Mason in front of Ryan, there was no way she
could deny her motives. There was no one else to blame. No excuses she could
employ. She had to accept responsibility for her actions.

“You’re going to
have to deal with Ryan before you start anything with Mason. You do realize
that, right?”

            As
if on cue Julia’s phone started ringing. She reached for the end table where
the phone was in its cradle and looked at the caller ID. Her mouth formed a
straight line before her eyes found mine. “Mason,” she stated.

            “Well,
there you go. He called,” I slapped my own thigh. I gave Julia a knowing look
as she stared at the phone with trepidation. The phone rang two more times
while Julia sat frozen. “Don’t let it go, Jules,” I begged. “Ryan is a dead
end.”

            Julia
pressed the talk button on her portable and said hello. Granted it wasn’t the
most welcoming hello. To be honest it sounded a little abrasive. But it was a
hello none-the-less. I started out of the room when I was hit from behind with
a couch pillow. Julia was silently reprimanding me because I had the audacity
to give her some privacy. I shooed her with a waving hand and left her to her
own devices. Of course, I mouthed the words ‘be nice’ before I disappeared
completely. I didn’t want to take too many chances. But at some point all baby
birds must get shoved from the nest. Today was Julia’s day.

            Moments
later I heard a knock on my bedroom door. Then Julia toe kicked the door open
and stuck out a finger. “I hope you’re happy,” she reprimanded. “Now I have a
date for tonight.”

            My
mouth stayed agape for a beat because I had to digest her words. “Actually,
yes, I am happy.”

            Julia
turned in a huff and stomped to her room bitching how the whole thing was
bullshit. I started chuckling in response to her rant. It looked like Julia was
going on a legitimate date with Mason and I was going to be experiencing phone
sex for the first time with Hugh. Things in general were starting to look up.

Chapter 22

            “Stick
your hand in your underwear.”

            “I’m
not ready.”

            “C’mon
now. Don’t be shy. You said you wanted to do this.”

            “Just
give me one more second.”

            “We
don’t have that much time. Julia will be back soon enough and you know she is
going to want to talk about her date.”

            “Seriously,
could we just slow down?”

“Seriously, Hugh?
If this is how sex is always going to be I may have to reconsider. I am ready.
So hurry up and get ready!”

Once I had called
Hugh I couldn’t wait to get started and he was the one who was hesitating. Go
figure.

I had never had
phone sex before. But if I was going to do it there was no one else I wanted to
do it with. Hugh, as usual, was taking his sweet ass time so I, of course, was
losing my patience. I was alone. Julia was out of the house for the night. I
had dimmed the lights and set the mood. I had even lit a fucking scented
candle. Unfortunately, the only candle Julia had in her entire home smelled
like apple cinnamon. So instead of feeling calm and relaxed I was beginning to
crave a serious helping of apple pie. If Hugh didn’t hurry up instead of
sticking my hand in my panties, I would be sticking it in Julia’s freezer to
polish off the vanilla ice cream that would compliment the delicious visions of
apple pie dancing in my head.

            “Why
are you in such a hurry all the time?” He questioned.

            “Aw,”
I said with mock sympathy. “I’m sorry. I guess you would be happier if I was a
cold fish that needed a vat of KY to get in the mood. I’m sorry that you turn
me on, Hugh, but my cohort who happens to be heating up South of the Border is
singing your name. She’s hard to ignore,” my apology was hardly an apology. It
was more like a verbal spanking.

            I
heard a brief chuckle before Hugh got serious. “Hey, Chatterbox. You’re going
to kill the mood and I’m thinking your
cohort
won’t be all that happy if that happens,” Hugh scolded.

            I
might be feisty but I wasn’t stupid. I shut right up. I could hear a lot of
movement on Hugh’s end. I heard him grunting and sighing trying to get
comfortable in his bed. Then it sounded like he was stretching while he alerted
me of his readiness. “Okay. Light’s out,” he shared.

            “I
don’t know what took you so long,” I murmured having to get the last word in.

            “Delilah,”
Hugh whispered ignoring my remark and I’m pretty sure I heard my girlie part
shush me as well just before she sighed her infatuation. “Slide your hand down
your belly,” Hugh instructed.

            I
threw my body into a reclined position so fast I nearly rebounded to sitting.
My big debut was starting and I planned on following Hugh’s instructions to the
letter. I bit my lip trying to conceal the satisfactory smile knowing I was
about to embark on something a little naughty. “Now what?” I asked quietly.

            “Shimmy
your panties down your legs. Slowly. Very slowly,” he grumbled with that
unbelievably sexy voice of his.

            Fuck
slowly. I slid those suckers down my legs so fast I was pretty sure I gave
myself underwear burn. “Now what?”

            “I
said slowly, Delilah,” he admonished.

            “That
was
slowly.”

            Hugh
chuckled at my response and then forged on. “Now I want you to slide your feet
up and let your knees fall open,” his voice grew husky and thick and it was
turning me on even more.

            “Okay,”
I whispered as I did what he asked. But this time I did it slowly knowing we
were getting to the good part.

            Ding
Dong! Ding Dong! Ding Dong Ding Dong Ding Dong! Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding
Dong!!!!

            Holy
shit. Someone was at the front door. And they meant business if the repetitive
pressing of the doorbell was any indication. It was so loud that Hugh heard it
as well. “Is someone there, Delilah?”

            “It
sure sounds like it,” I sighed heavily.

            “Are
you going to get it?” he questioned.

            “No
way!” I snapped. “Just keep going,” I encouraged.

            “Uh,”
Hugh sounded reluctant. “What if it’s Julia and she’s locked out?”

            “Fuck’er!”
I proclaimed. “She’s been gettin’ hers all along so now I’m going to get mine,”
I continued without thinking.

            “Really,”
he chuckled. “The Front Porch Stalker has been getting horizontal?” Then a long
pause ensued before Hugh began again. “Who is this poor soul who obviously
hasn’t figured out that he’s in deep shit?”

            Speaking
of shit. I was about to lower myself knee deep in it, as I typically had the
innate ability to do. Since my senses were diminished by my heightened sense of
euphoria I was unable to skirt, dodge, quell or dismiss Hugh’s question.
Thereby digging myself into a deeper shit hole. “I promised Julia I wouldn’t
say anything.”

            Well.
I might as well have doused Hugh’s balls with ice water because I could tell
that our first ever phone sex session was officially over. His tone changed and
I could no longer visualize him naked. I knew that was a bad sign.

“So she asked you
to keep a secret and that includes keeping it from me.” he sort of asked.

            “Uhhhhhhhh,”
this response was no better.

            I
heard a loud sigh before Hugh spoke again and when he did he didn’t sound all
that happy. “So you’re okay with that?”

            “Not
exactly,” I answered sitting up so my back was against the pillows. “Just let
me explain.”

            Ding
Dong! Ding Dong! Ding-ity-Dang-gone-it! The bell rang again. I threw the covers
off of me with gusto. “Hugh, first let me go
kill
whoever is at the front door. I’ll call you right back.”

I ended the call
on a grumble and pulled on my robe. I stomped to the door unconcerned with who
was standing behind it since my mind was occupied with how I was going to
explain my choice to keep Julia’s secret from Hugh. I was in a shit position
and consequently a shit mood. By the time I reached the door I was totally
irritated.

            “This
better be important!” I barked as I swung the door wide. My hand flew to my hip
ready for a confrontation.

            The
last person I expected to see on Julia’s front porch was standing right before
my eyes. In that moment I was wishing that I had told Logan to change my
airline ticket to Saturday.

            “Where
is he?” Darcy asked with the attitude she always sported. Then her heavily made
up eyes slowly strolled down my body taking in my scantily dressed appearance.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” she somewhat whispered.

            I
looked down at my robe and back to Darcy realizing that she was under the
assumption that I was smack dab in the middle of having sex with her husband.
Before I could get a word out of my mouth, Darcy started in. “Are you on a
mission to fuck every man that I have been with, Delilah? If so, I will make it
easier for you and give you a list.”

            “Don’t
be ridiculous, Darcy!”

Truthfully, Darcy
had every right to be annoyed. However, her fight, whether she realized it or
not, was not with me. In my mind it wasn’t with Julia either, though she was
not an innocent party. Darcy should be having this conversation with Ryan. He
was her spouse. He was the one who stood across from her in front of God and
her family and vowed his devotion. But instead of sharing my opinion of how
Darcy should handle her husband’s infidelity, I responded to her immediate
question. “I am not in any way or do I intend to ever in the future be involved
with your husband.”

            I
saw her jaw clench in anger. “Then where is he?” she asked on a threatening
whisper.

            “I
have no idea. But he isn’t here,” I stepped back and closed the door in Darcy’s
face. I had had many a moment fantasizing about what that moment would feel like.
I was sorry to discover that it lacked the satisfaction I had always
envisioned.

            As
I retreated to my room, I was attempting to muster up the courage to call Hugh
back and say what I knew in my heart I had to say. First, I was sorry that I
was keeping a secret from him and second I was sorry but I had to keep keeping
that secret. I gave Julia my word. I was afraid neither revelation would be met
with understanding so I procrastinated on the edge of my bed staring at my
toenails. Boy did I need a pedicure. Then my phone began to sing while the
vibration made it dance on the nightstand. It was Hugh.

            I
picked up the phone and took a moment to admire the picture of him that I had
saved in his profile. Once I got my fill I slid my finger over his bright white
smile. “Hey,” I said solemnly.

            “Hey.
You all right?” he asked with concern.

            “Mmhm.”

            “Who
was at the door?” he asked innocently.

            Well
how in the world did I explain this one? A much-needed enormous sigh escaped
me. There would be absolutely NO reason for Darcy to be at Julia’s door. None
whatsoever. They weren’t friends, neighbors or in any of the same social
circles. The way I saw it there were only two ways to answer Hugh. One was with
a flat out lie, which was not an option at all. The other was to evasively
answer with the truth. The latter didn’t hold all that much appeal either. Mama
had always told me ‘honesty was the best policy.’ Words to live by, really.

“Hugh? Has someone
ever asked you to keep a secret and once they told you the secret you were
sorry they confided in you at all?”

            There
was a good beat of silence. I was starting to think that I was barking up the
wrong tree answering his question with a question. “Delilah. Are you telling me
that you can’t tell me who was at the door because it would compromise the
secret you are already keeping from me?”

            God
he was smart. “Yes!” I overstated my response happy that he understood my
position. I exhaled loudly with relief. “That’s exactly what I’m telling you!”

            Another
long beat of silence ensued. “Baby, can this hurt us in any way…this secret
you’re keeping?” he asked next.

            “Um,”
I wanted to be thorough before I answered him. I was trying to think of even
the most bizarre consequences but I still couldn’t see how Julia fucking around
with Ryan could hurt Hugh and me. “I honestly don’t think so.”

            “This
doesn’t have anything to do with Stacey?” he asked out of the blue.

            “No.
Nothing to do with Stacey,” I confirmed.

            “I
have to be honest. I’m not happy about you keeping secrets from me.”

“I know. I’m
sorry, Hugh.” I somewhat whined.

“Is there anything
else you’re keeping from me?” he asked, again out of the blue.

            Shit.
Now if I said no I would be lying. Hugh didn’t know I was flying back to New
York in the morning. Nor did he know that I had a wonderful surprise planned
for us when I got there. “Hugh!” I exclaimed in frustration.

            “Delilah.
You better come clean right now,” he threatened.

            “I
will. Tomorrow,” I heard Hugh’s lips part with another warning on the tip of
his tongue so I had to jump back in and cut him off at the pass. “Don’t ask me
again, Matthew Rowen, you’re pissing me off now, I mean it!”