Page 11 of Dark Witch: Entangled Fates

They didn't have any entertainers other than the DJ. "I'll take it into account."

"Awesome." Jasmine clasped her hands, maybe to avoid reaching for his again. "What's the lady's name? The one who will come to assess me?"

"Edna. She will not have time to see you today, though. It will have to wait until tomorrow."

"Oh." Some of Jasmine's exuberance dimmed. "I hoped to attend tonight's wedding. Oh, well, there are two more to go, right?"

"That's right." Amanda hooked her arm through Kian's. "We need to go."

8

PETER

Peter adjusted his bowtie in front of the full-length mirror in the cabin's small foyer. Beside him, Jay did the same.

"I love weddings, but I hate these penguin suits," Jay grumbled, stretching his neck. "How about we suggest a new wedding tradition with no tuxedos, no suits, and no starchy white shirts?"

Peter cast his roommate an amused sidelong glance. "At least we don't have to wear high heels and tight dresses, so stop complaining and man up. Besides, you look dashing." He batted his eyelashes and put a hand over his chest. "Larissa is going to swoon."

Jay looked a lot like the young Beckham, and women went gaga over him.

His roommate snorted. "Instead of commiserating with our female partners, we should liberate them as well. No high heels and no corsets."

Peter frowned. "Do they still wear those? I mean, aside from wedding gowns."

Jay shrugged. "Sure they do. They are just made with better fabrics now. Don't tell me that you've never bedded a girl wearing Spanx."

"If I did, I didn't know what they were."

The brand name, which he assumed Spanx was, evoked memories of women's undies with cutouts for the ass cheeks to make them easily accessible for spanking. Naturally, thinking about it had a predictable effect, and he adjusted himself.

"They are not sexy," Jay said as he noticed what Peter was doing. "They make women's bodies look like sausages, and they are really hard to take off. I hate them."

"Are you okay?" Peter turned to face his friend. "You are usually not this grumpy."

Jay was a ladies' man, so it couldn't be because he was nervous about his date with Larissa. If anyone should feel nervous, it should be the girl.

It would be her first time attending a party as a guest, not a server, and there was also the language barrier. She spoke very little English, and Jay spoke even less Russian.

"I'm fine." Jay collected his phone from the table and put it in his pocket. "I hope Larissa will have a good time. Marina was a nervous wreck when she accompanied you to Vlad and Wendy's wedding, and she's much more confident than Larissa."

"Marina and I will stay close in case you need a translator."

"Thank you." Jay's lips curved up on one side of his mouth. "But I might not need help. I took a crash course in Russian over the past three days. I'm far from fluent, but at least I will understand what she's saying."

Peter hadn't known that. "That's a lot of effort for a girl you are not going to see after the cruise ends."

Jay shrugged. "Knowing another language is an asset. Besides, many of the Kra-ell are still struggling with English, and knowing Russian will help me communicate with them." He opened the door. "I can't wait to see Larissa's face when I greet her in Russian."

"Good luck." Peter followed him out the door.

When they reached the girls' cabin, Jay rang the doorbell, and a moment later, the door swung open to reveal Larissa, looking lovely but a little overwhelmed in a flowing purple dress and a pair of sensible black flats.

"Hello," she said with a bright smile as she stepped out of the tiny cabin.

Jay immediately launched into a string of Russian phrases, his accent passable, if a little overly enthusiastic, and Larissa's eyes widened in surprise and delight.

Craning her neck to look at Jay, she responded in English, "I can talk a little bit, too."

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