24 - Austin
24
Austin
That evening at the wedding, I was blessed with a clarity of life that man rarely experienced. It came to me while watching the bride walk down the aisle. And when Joanna gave me the blunt truth.
The eight or nine drinks probably helped, too.
Not to mention what I witnessed earlier…
Whatever the reason, my vision was cured. I was seeing clearly now for the first time since I could remember. And what I saw was that Marisa wasn't the woman for me. She and Bradyn were meant to be together, and I had to move on.
Deep down, I think I'd always known it. But there was a difference between knowing something, and knowing something. It was freeing, in a way.
"Hey," I said, approaching the groom while he was chatting with another guest. "Just wanted to say you two are beautiful together. I'm real happy for you."
I actually meant it, too.
"Thanks, man," Bradyn said with a small amount of surprise. "It was great having you play the guitar during the ceremony. You're a good friend to Marisa."
"Yeah, I am."
"And you're a good guy overall."
I shrugged. Sometimes I wished I wasn't.
I managed to return to the bar to order another drink. While there, I did a little people watching. Everyone was on the dance floor having a good time. Especially Joanna.
Seeing her made me chuckle. The balls on that woman. Pretending to be Landon's girlfriend, lying to everyone last night and tonight. And the craziest part: it was working. I'd heard stories about how Danicka Cozart was the most stubborn woman in the world. When she set her mind to something, she was like a dog chasing a tennis ball. She wouldn't let it go until she had it.
But she was leaving Landon alone tonight. Instead, she had turned her attention on Theo. She kept grabbing girls on the dance floor and shoving them at Theo, insisting they should dance together. The handsome Best Man was polite to the girls, but didn't really engage. That wasn't going to stop Danicka, though. As soon as Theo ditched one girl, Danicka found another for him.
I smiled to myself. It was going to be a fun honeymoon if that kept happening.
My eyes swung back to Joanna, who was watching Theo with no small amount of amusement. She was a hot little thing, ten pounds of curves packed into an eight pound dress. And once she tossed her heels aside, the woman could dance. I was transfixed by her on the dance floor, popping and locking and rolling her hips in a way that no straight man could ignore.
It reminded me of what I overheard earlier.
I was good and drunk, feeling sorry for myself about Marisa's wedding. I didn't want anyone to see a grown man crying like a baby, so I left the bar and went outside for some fresh air. The music was still thumping out there, but it was soft. I could actually hear myself think.
But that's not all I heard.
It sounded like a scream. Someone in pain. The patio out here was overlooking the putting green attached to the golf course, and beyond that I could see the flat fairways. The sound hadn't come from that direction.
Behind me was a window into one of the clubhouse rooms. The lights were off inside, but I could see movement. Veiled in darkness, and afraid that I would witness some sort of crime, I carefully peeked in the window.
Oh boy. Let me tell you, two lovebirds getting down and dirty was the last thing I expected to see. They were going at it right on the desk, the guy's pants around his ankles and his ass clenching tight with every secret thrust.
Then the woman tossed her hair, and I got a better look.
Joanna .
I'd watched my fair share of porn. I was only a man, after all, and like all men I occasionally got an itch . But watching Joanna and Theo going at it was hotter than any professional video. The way her lips parted when she moaned, while Theo's fingers dug into her waist possessively. Her eyes going wide as she came, back arching and crying out.
I was frozen in place by the window. I couldn't look away until they had finished the sultry act.
Now I was standing in the reception hall, watching that same woman dance with a different man. And just like before, I couldn't take my eyes off her. It was too bad I wouldn't see her again after tonight. Maybe it was for the best. She certainly didn't need a third man complicating things, no matter how much fun the two of us could have.
I frowned down at my glass. That was a strange intrusive thought, but not too surprising. I was drunk, and Joanna was finer than the spines on a Marfa cactus. Of course I would think about hooking up with her. After all, I was only a man, and I had just watched her being thoroughly rutted in the parlor.
Once the thought was in my head, it wouldn't go away. Maybe I could get her number. She wasn't actually dating Landon, and Theo was just a guy she'd gone on one date with. I could shoot my shot without overstepping myself.
Not tonight, though. Didn't want to ruin the whole fake-girlfriend thing they had going on. Besides, it was awfully fun to watch.
Both the fake-girlfriend situation, and the other trouble she's stirring up with Theo .
Fuck, I couldn't stop thinking about it. If I wasn't drunker than a Tennessee skunk, I might've gone off to a private room and let a little stress off by myself. My dick was thoroughly of the whiskey variety, though. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders could carry me off to a hotel room to have their way with me and I still wouldn't have been able to get it up.
Landon said something funny, and Joanna tilted her head back to laugh richly. It reminded me of the way she tilted her head back when she came.
Why can't I stop thinking about their sex? It wasn't even in a jealous way. I was just so enthralled by the way she and Theo had fucked. They were good at it.
I also felt strangely connected to the woman. She'd seen right through me at the rehearsal dinner, immediately identifying that I was there to ruin Marisa's wedding. Being so seen by a stranger was rare. And the blunt truth she'd given me was exactly what I needed.
I also felt bad for her situation, stuck at a bad job and desperate to get away. I replayed the conversation we'd had earlier in my head. How she wanted to quit that job, even if she didn't score the position at Landon's company.
And then an idea came to me. An idea that would repay Joanna, while also allowing me to see a whole lot more of her over the next week. I told myself it was the former, not the latter, that was guiding my motivations.
I downed the rest of my drink and went looking for the only woman who could make it happen.
Danicka Cozart.