Page 3 of Wedding Daddy

“Did it occur to you that I don’t have anyone to drop me off at the airport?”

“How come?” He looked genuinely perplexed. “Don’t you have friends or neighbors who can help you?”

“They’ve all got things to do.”

“I’m sure one of them could make the sacrifice for you. Besides, pretty girls like you probably have a few men ready to do her any favors. These are the types of favors you should be asking from them.”

“Men?!” she exclaimed before bursting into laughter. He had called her pretty but said it with a scowl, making her wonder if he’d meant it as a compliment. “Why would you think I have a few men at my beck and call, ready to do anything I want.”

“Because that was how things worked,” he replied. “I’ve given a few pretty women rides to the airport in my day. Don’t you have someone like that?”

“No,” she replied, too tickled by the look of confusion on his face to remain mad at him. “And you know there are easier ways to ask me if I'm a slut, right?”

“What?!” he spluttered, then began a coughing fit that scared her for a moment before he got a hold of himself. “That was not my intention.”

“Really? Because that is what it sounded like to me. Just so it’s clear, there is a vacancy if you’re applying for the position.”

“Excuse me!” He sounded so outraged, and it took all her strength not to burst into laughter as she watched his face turn red. “I think I'll take my leave now. Good day and good luck.”

Jill chuckled as she watched him walk away with his back straight and his shoulders high. For a moment, she considered following him and teasing him some more. It had been a long time since she’d had this much fun with anyone. The life of a college student working two jobs to put herself through school didn't hold much in the way of entertainment.

Ultimately, she decided to spare him. After all, he’d paid for her ticket, so she could attend her brother’s wedding because of him. Besides, it looked like he was heading into the first-class lounge, and she knew she could not follow him there.

A woman walking across him stopped, clutching her chest as she took a good look at him, and Jill giggled. She understood the feeling very well. He looked good from afar and even more devastatingly so when she got close to him. She was almost certain she would have swooned herself if she had not been so irritated at him for most of their conversation.

Even now, staring at him as he walked away, Jill wished they had met under different circumstances and that she was a few years older so she could... do nothing. There was no point in deceiving herself. Her last relationship ended almost two years ago, and in that time, she’d found herself less and less interested in getting into any entanglements.

She doubted he would be the one to change that. Even if he was handsomer than the devil, sexier than sin, and made her wish they were still arguing.

When it was time to board, she joined the queue and waited to be allowed through the gate. The gentleman who had helped her had already gone ahead of her as part of the priority group, and he’d glanced at her as he walked through the gate with a strange expression. Jill had waved and grinned at him, guessing he was still reacting to her last statement.

He did look very shocked when she asked him if he wanted to know she was a slut, and she chuckled wickedly to herself. It also occurred to her that she didn’t even know his name or seat number. She would have loved to send him a drink or something even though she was sure the drinks he would be served in first class were better than anything she could afford. It was the right thing to do.

Her father always said that when someone does something nice for you, you must do something nice for them back. That way, you are never a burden to anyone or owe them anything. It was a principle he held dear, and he worked all his life to make sure he owed no one anything, even if it meant doing everything himself.

Growing up, he was all she and Terry had after their mother ran off when they were children. Her father worked hard to ensure their mother's absence didn’t affect their lives too much. It didn't always work, but she was grateful to him for all the sacrifices he made for her, and she had promised herself that when she finally finished college and got a job, she would make sure he lacked for nothing.

When he died of a heart attack two years ago, it had been the worst moment of her life, and she’d been devastated. For the first few months after his death, Jill struggled to find a reason to keep fighting to live. It wasn’t until Terry came down to her college and spent a week with her, pulling her out of the pit of despair she’d fallen into, that she finally found a way to get back up. It was another reason she would not have forgiven herself if she’d missed his wedding.

After pulling herself back together, she threw herself into her studies, working so hard that she had no time for anything else. Even though her father was no longer there to reap the fruits of his labor, she still did this for him. All he wanted was to watch her graduate from college, and she would never forget the feeling she got the day she finally walked across the dais to receive her degree from the dean. Even though her father was not there, it felt like he was in spirit.

Now that she was done with college, Jill found herself at a crossroads. Exhausted from years of nonstop study and having to work two jobs to put herself through school, she was burned out and confused about what to do next. She had gotten a few job offers or could continue with her schooling, but neither of those options appealed to her.

It was also not lost on her that she was doing the very same thing her father did that led to his heart attack, working herself to the bone. That was another reason this trip to Italy was important. Jill was not only going for her brother’s wedding. The wedding rehearsal was that night, and she would watch her brother get married the next day.

Then while Terry and his new bride went on their honeymoon, she would spend a few more days in Italy, eating, praying, and loving her way into some much-needed perspective. Hopefully, the loving part involved some actuallovemaking. It had been too long since she had sex last, and Kim had even blamed her lack of motivation on her dry spell.

“What you need is some good dick to clear those cobwebs in your head,” Kim had said late one night as the two of them stayed up painting each other's toenails.

That was easy for Kim to say. She never had a problem hooking up with guys and didn’t share Jill’s aversion to one-night stands. Kim also came from a nice middle-class family, which meant she didn’t have to work two jobs to put herself through college. Jill had to admit that her best friend had a point. She really needed to get laid, and she hoped this vacation would allow her to do that.

She was not looking for something serious. Just some fun experiences with someone... or a few people that she could forget about in a week when she finally returned home to her normal life. The thought alone made her grin. It sounded nothing like her, and it was all the more reason she had to do it.

Looking around at the people waiting to board the plane with her, she knew some were also headed to Italy on vacation. Most of them were traveling in groups, and she checked out some of the men, disappointed when she didn’t see anyone that caught her fancy. She hoped she had better luck at Terry’s wedding. According to Kim, weddings were the best place for hookups and one-night stands. Second only to college. Unfortunately, Jill’s track record in college was terrible. She’d had one terrible relationship that ended badly after she caught her ex cheating on her, and almost no other sexual experience to speak of.

The image of the gentleman who helped her came to mind, and she immediately dismissed it, even laughing at herself as she did. If she had any hopes of getting anything out of this trip, then she had to be very realistic, and there was zero chance he would be interested in her. Besides, she needed someone to “fuck her brains out,” not scold her like she was a child.

When she got to the agent at the gate, she handed him her boarding pass and watched as he checked it out. He did a double take and checked again before raising his head and smiling at her. Jill was stunned when he informed her that she had been upgraded to first class.

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