Page 5 of Too Good to be True

Chapter 3

Aminibus waits atthe airport for our small group. I don't know how Sam and Francesca pulled this off, but so far, the travel arrangements for those of us flying are going smoothly.

"Wow! This place is stunning!" Francesca says when the bus pulls up to the hotel.

She's not kidding. It's gorgeous. Worlds nicer than any hotel I’ve ever stayed in. Once inside, I look around open-mouthed and awed. The lobby boasts a marble floor with matching pillars, along with plush, cushioned seats and crystal chandeliers.

I expect to wait in line at the front desk to check in, but to my surprise, our group is ushered to the other side of the lobby. We get our own personal, private check-in.

A hotel employee sits at a large table, ready to check us all in, while bellhops wait, ready to follow us to our rooms. We're encouraged to sit and relax as two men hand the dozen of us tall-stemmed glasses filled with champagne. I recognize some people from our flight, but not everyone.

The bride and groom are waited on first. They're placed in separate rooms for now, with the understanding that they will be moved into a large terrace suite after the wedding and reception.

At first, I didn't like the idea of a destination wedding. I wondered how it could be pulled off. Especially with a control freak like Francesca living in another state. My friend likes to cross the t's and dot the i's even when we have an impromptu lunch. Here, she left all the decision-making, well, almost all of it, to her wedding planner.

"For once in my life, I want to be treated like a princess. I want to be waited on hand and foot and enjoy the most special day of my life,"Francesca confessed over a bottle of wine six months ago when she told me about Sam’s proposal.

"Of course, I get to pick the location, the budget, and the type of wedding we want. Plus the planner will spend an entire day with me getting to know my tastes. We'll flip through bridal magazines, visit florists and bridal stores. I can't wait to see the end result."

To my surprise, Francesca didn't freak out. She didn't get crazy over not doing everything herself. The only thing Francesca seemed stressed about was the flight over. She wanted us all together, from the start to the end, but she couldn't control if people were able to get the time off from work. Or the fact that we don’t all live in the same state.

In addition to the champagne, our handlers offer us mini quiches while we wait for our room information, itinerary, and key. After the bride and groom are helped, they leave the area.

I pop a quiche in my mouth as I wait my turn and wash it down with sweet, bubbly champagne. It’s the best champagne I've ever had, maybe too good. I can't help myself; I finish it off and place the plastic flute on the table next to me. Before I know it, the glass is refilled. I could get used to treatment like this.

"What do you say we head to the pool for a drink after we're settled in?" the guy sitting next to me offers. I don't respond at first because I think he must be talking to someone else. I haven't spoken to any of the other guests here for the wedding. No one but Francesca and Sam since I got on the plane.

I chance a glance at him to see who he's talking to, and the mystery man is looking right at me.

"Sorry," I say, taking a long pull of my bubbly drink. "I thought you were talking to someone else."

"And here I thought I forgot to shower or something," he jokes, leaning toward his armpit and giving it a sniff.

I giggle.

"So, does that mean you'll have a drink with me?"

I shake my head. "Why don't we just hang back here and go last? No one's paying attention. We could just keep getting our glasses refilled."

"I like how you think." He reaches over, places his hand on my knee, and gives it a squeeze.

I freeze, and my body stiffens under his touch. His hand moves above my knee to my lower thigh. Back and forth. Up and down. Higher and higher. I jump up as if I just realized I'm sitting next to Jack the Ripper.

"Everything okay?" He asks, standing next to me and placing his hand on the small of my back.

“I thought I saw a mouse," I lie and sit back down.

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