Page 18 of Lightness In My Dark

My thoughts drifted back to the past week, and I smiled at Wren’s affection inadequacies. When she assumed I wasn’t aware of her, she stared at me or eyed my body, but as soon as I caught her or moved close, her body cemented. Her cryptic behavior as to why she remained like steel boggled my mind. I antagonized her, pushed her buttons, until she either conceded to touches or rebuked my efforts.

I made my way to the foyer after putting on my tuxedo while Cole helped with the bow tie; something I still hadn’t tackled. It was closing in on 7:00 pm and the dinner started at 7:30. I yelled up to Wren to hurry. To occupy myself, I went into the kitchen for a glass of water and popped an oxycodone.

I heard Cole in the foyer. “Wren, you look beautiful. Elegant.”

When I walked back, I caught Wren’s blush as she said, “Thank you so much, Cole.”

He hit it spot on. My mouth hung, eyes scanning her from head to toe, smelling her delicate perfume. She smelled like the Mediterranean and all its blended fragrances. Wren stood on the bottom step in a floor length velvet burgundy dress. It had long sleeves, a V-neck plunged low, yet not too low, form fitting cinching on the left side of her waist and flowing out at her thighs into a small train in the back. A silver necklace with a teardrop sank down between her breasts. She observed me, gauging my reaction.

I wasn’t sure if she caught me swallowing an unfamiliar feeling down. “I agree with Cole. You are stunning, Wren.”

She bit her lip, glanced down as the light reflected off the silver beads weaved along the sides of her voluminous, flipped back pixie. It was an altered Wren.

I took her hand and said with surprise, “You got a manicure.” She granted me a glimpse of her dimple, giving her an air of sweetness to the rest of the outfit’s sophistication. A perfect balance.

We proceeded to the hotel where the dinner party took place. Cole drove the limousine and Wren and I sat in the back. My eyes wandered over to Wren. She dusted herself off well, and for a second time, I saw the curves she often covered.

When we pulled up, I got out, buttoning my tuxedo’s single button, helped Wren out of the car, and held her hand as we entered the hotel. My smile matched hers as we rid ourselves of our coats and strolled into the dinner party. I perused the room for Carter and found him getting drinks at the bar. With Wren’s hand wrapped under my arm, holding my bicep, we moved toward Carter.

Since he was out of town on business, I hadn’t seen my little brother in a couple of weeks. His head scanned the room until he located me.

He met us halfway, pulling me into a hug. “Well, well, they’ll let anyone in here. Lookin’ good, big brother.” Carter turned toward Wren and said, “And you must be the beautiful Wren I’ve heard so much about.” Wren slanted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow as she shook his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

I cut in before he could say more. “Wren, this is my little brother Carter.”

She released his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Finn has spoken about you, too.”

He winked and said, “Yeah, and I’m the better looking one.” Carter smacked my shoulder. “I hope whatever this guy said about me was nothing but praise.”

Wren gave a small shrug. “Some. The rest we can always forget with alcohol.” He laughed. I stood speechless.

Did she just make a joke? Her smile and laugh are making my dick twitch. It must be because I haven’t fucked all week.

Lindsey joined us, and I continued with the introductions.

She hugged Wren. “It’s great to meet you.” Lindsey glanced at me and smiled. “You outdid yourself, Finn.” She turned to Wren. “I can tell we’re going to become great friends.”

I punched Carter in the arm for his wife’s comment. We all returned to the table, leaving Lindsey and Wren while Carter and I sidled up to the bar for drinks.

Carter elbowed me. “Hey, she’s adorable and beautiful. A perfect combination.”

My little brother. Always the better man with women. Lindsey also aided in honing his sweetness. Women found him irresistible because of his good nature. It also didn’t hurt he had the looks to go along with his charm. Carter filled me in on his dealings when he was out of town; needy clients looking to get laid. It all went with the territory. If your clients are handing over a ton of money for you to manage, you make sure they’re happy, and sometimes it included wining and dining them. It amazed me how many rich people and those in the financial industry walked the line between professionalism and vulgarity. Infidelity was a side dish to marriage.

We brought the drinks back to the table. Instead of sitting, I excused myself to roam the room, and a couple tables over, one of the advisory board members ambushed me. Lucille was anything but discreet. She probably had been a knockout in her younger days, but those were long gone. Lucille strutted and touted with the air of royalty and uninhibited as a stripper.

Her hand grazed my arm upward and then rested on my chest. “How is it, Finn, that you get better looking every time we meet?” Lucille narrowed the distance between us.

I took a sip of my drink and said, “Not as good as you, Lucille. You have flare and never cease to surprise me. Are you between husbands now?”

Out of the corner of my eye, Wren and the others were glancing over. I’m sure Carter filled them in, especially since Lucille had also assailed him with her gaudy come-ons and vulgar perfume.

She brought her other hand up to my chest, caressing it in circles. “Sure am. I didn’t get this rich by staying married for too long. Speaking of…” She leaned closer, placing a leg on each side of mine. “… I’d love you between mine.”

Letting out an uncomfortable laugh, I took a step back, placed my hands on top of hers to stop them. “My fiancé wouldn’t appreciate it.”

Lucille let her hands drop. Her shifty eyes moved around, looking for Wren. “Oh yes, I saw the announcement. She’s cute, although I think you could do much better.” Her hand slid between my thighs. I caught them before she hit the mark. She took her hand back, flicking the air to dismiss the action. “From what I’ve heard, you’re not a one-woman kind of man.”

I gave a closed lip smile. “Now, Lucille, you know better than to listen to idle gossip.”

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