43 - Austin

43

Austin

It had been a really weird day.

It started with a dream about—who else—Joanna the not-really-girlfriend of Landon's. It wasn't even a sex dream: we were just doing mundane stuff together, like watching TV and going to a hockey game. But it was the kind of dream that left an impression on me when I woke up, like the woman had reached out and left a bunch of fingerprints on my brain.

Then there was the parasailing. When Danicka offered it to me, she neglected to mention I'd be strapped to her son's fake girlfriend. Yet the whole experience was kind of nice. The two of us shared a moment while flying above the perfect blue water. She both thanked me and apologized.

And the way her body felt against mine, even with our life jackets acting as barriers…

After that I had scheduled a massage at the resort spa. The nice young lady spent an hour digging her fingers into my body and banishing all the tension and stress like some sort of full-body séance. And then the real bitch of it all? I'm pretty sure she offered to give me a happy ending. At least, that's what I'm assuming based on the sultry way she asked, "Is there anything else I can do to relieve tension, Mr. Hedges?"

I politely declined, and left her an extra-large tip to make sure there were no hard feelings. But I'll tell you what: after a day of thinking about Joanna, I sure could've used that release.

So when Bradyn suggested we light up a joint on the beach, I was all too happy to help them retrieve the goods from Teddy Bear's room. I wanted to feel nice and mellow tonight, like a massage for my confused mind.

"I'll hook you up from my stash, but I think I'm done for the night," Theo said as the five of us walked down the hall.

"Aw, come on," Bradyn whined. "What else do you have to do tonight?"

"I partied too hard last night," Theo said with a smirk. "I need a breather, man. I'm not in college anymore."

"Exactly! You're not in college anymore! So you need to take advantage of these situations while you can!" Bradyn argued.

Two of the other groomsmen, Peter and Wyatt, voiced their agreement. But I was taking a long look at Theo. An hour ago, when we stormed into the arcade, he'd been in the mood to party tonight. Now he wanted to go to bed early. What had changed?

When he opened the door to his room, I saw the reason.

Joanna was standing at the foot of the bed. She started to say something to Theo, but I didn't hear what it was because my eyes had locked onto the object in her hand:

A sex toy.

Forget smoking a joint on the beach , I thought. This is the party I want to watch tonight .

Joanna made a high-pitched squeak like a mouse, dropping the toy into a suitcase and quickly closing the lid. I was the first person into the room behind Theo; Wyatt, Peter, and Bradyn hadn't seen anything, and were still chatting with each other.

I didn't want Theo to know I had seen, so I quickly pretended like I was looking at my phone.

"Joanna?" Wyatt asked. "What're you doing in here?"

I put my phone away and acted like I had only just now seen her too. Yeah, why are you in here? I thought with a smile.

The poor woman looked like she'd been caught in the middle of a sex act. Hell, if we'd been just a few minutes later, maybe that would've been the case. Joanna stood there, frozen in place with eyes as big as a doe's, swaying like she was drunk. Which she probably was.

"Uhh… I'm looking for some of Teddy's weed?"

"That's why we're here!" Bradyn said with a laugh. "When in Jamaica, am I right?"

"Wait a minute," Wyatt said. "How did you get into his room?"

How indeed , I thought.

"I gave her a key earlier so she could grab what she needed without bothering me," Theo said.

"Yes!" Joanna said. "But you didn't tell me where it is. I was searching in your suitcase, but can't find it."

"My bad," Theo said while striding into the room. "I put it in the safe in the closet, just in case the maids came."

"Smart," Peter said. "Looks like they visited while we were gaming. Check out this sick-ass towel swan!" He picked up the towel and made a bunch of honking noises while chasing Bradyn.

Joanna gave Theo a grateful look, then she glanced at me. I only smiled. This was the kind of fun I was envisioning when I tricked her into coming on the honeymoon this week.

Although now that she and I had gotten to know each other a little better, I did feel bad about it. Just a little.

"You've got a sweet balcony," Wyatt said. "Why don't we smoke here?"

" Yes, " Bradyn agreed. "Marisa's paranoid about us getting caught smoking on the beach. Your balcony is a much better spot."

"You wanna smoke with us?" Peter asked Joanna. "Since you're here, and all."

I could see that she was conflicted. Retrieving some weed was just her excuse; she didn't really want to do it. Pressuring someone into drug-related shenanigans wasn't what I was all about. That wasn't fun, even if it was hilarious watching Joanna try to keep her stories straight.

"You don't have to stick around with us," I told her. "We're pretty lame."

"For sure," Theo agreed, seeing the out I was giving her. "If you'd rather go hang out with the girls…"

For some reason, that made her dig in her heels. "I'd love to stay with you guys. I need to relax after learning I'm not getting that job at Defense Technologies."

"All right!" Bradyn said, clapping his hands. "Party on the balcony!"

As they all went outside, Theo lingered until it was just the two of us. "You going to be cool," he asked, "or blow our cover?"

I held out my palms. "I'm cooler than a cucumber on ice, amigo."

Theo clapped me on the shoulder. "Good answer. Now let's have some fun."

I smiled back at him. Oh, I intend to.