Page 1 of One Night Bride
1
Esme
“I swear to God, Esme, if you pack a single pant suit in that suitcase, I will start a bonfire and burn every one you own.”
I shook my head, but my little sister, Vee, couldn’t see the movement through the phone. “Take your anger offline, sis.”
Her snort of a reply came through loud and clear. “Seriously, I’m on my way over right now to supervise the packing. If it doesn’t scream slut, don’t bring it.”
Dear God, if our parents could hear this conversation…
I didn’t have time to fight with Vee at the moment, especially when I kind of agreed with her. “Fine, but I’m bringing my laptop.”
She laughed and hung up on me.
My cell phone continued to buzz in my hand, but I ignored the notifications, however foreign that felt. If my genetic strengths had been distributed differently, I would have already surgically attached that thing to my body. I was constantly on it, responding to clients, booking new clients, and texting out marching orders to my three assistants. A fourth was needed at this stage, but I just didn’t have the time to deal with interviewing and training someone new.
Especially tonight.
I had exactly two hours to pack my things, grab something to eat, and make it to the airport in time for my flight to Lake Tahoe for the stupid bachelorette party. I didn’t even want to go, but I knew I had to. Why go to a bachelorette party for someone you didn’t even like? Well, one had to understand the lifelong history I had with Ashley Brenner, starting with the precious Rainbow Brite pencil eraser she’d stolen out of my desk in second grade. Or how about the prom date she stole from me senior year of high school?
To not go to Tahoe would be to admit that she’d somehow won in this unspoken game we played of who was prettier, richer, more successful, and just plain better. She had an ostentatious ring on her finger and wedding plans to rival Princess Diana while I was boyfriend-less. I had to go to Tahoe to show her it didn’t matter to me, when in reality, the fact that I remained single while even my sisters were getting married off was a source of great sadness. I’d entered that age where everyone around me paired off and rode off into the sunset with their one true love.
I hated that being single bothered me. It shouldn’t. In fact, I couldn’t let it get out that it did, or it would ruin my business. I’d built a coaching empire on the message that women didn’t need a man. That wasn’t my original intention, but you know how things spiral out of control when things go viral. One video seen by millions talking about how my business grew without a man at the helm and suddenly I was a man-hater millions of young women looked up to.
No matter how I felt inside, I had to continue this charade of being the happiest woman on earth without a man in sight. The only way I could enjoy a man without forfeiting my empire was to engage in a one-night stand, a situation that also didn’t happen very often here in the small town of Auburn Hill. I’d gone through the eligible pool of men that met my standards the first year.
But Lake Tahoe, the relaxed alternative to Vegas that drew in old family money, was the perfect spot to remedy my dry spell.
A smile grew on my face, picturing a buffet of shirtless men, all there for the picking. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Just choose one and go.
I threw a skimpy lace bra that covered almost nothing into my suitcase, followed by a couple G-string panties I never wore—have you tried to work all day with floss up your crack?—but looked aces on my ass. Vee would be so proud. Next up was a little black dress that leaned heavily on the little. The front dipped low between my barely there boobs and the skirt length flirted with a hoo ha peep show.
My phone dinged, and this time I did read the text, considering it was from the group of girls going to the bachelorette party. Maybe Ashley had come down with food poisoning or some rare disease that left her high-pitched voice quacking like a duck and had to cancel. A girl could always dream.
Ashley: Ladies! I have arrived and our hotel is to die for! Meet me down in the lobby at the bar when you arrive. I have a private room booked for dinner. Kisses!
I grimaced even as I gave the text a heart in response. God, that woman annoyed the crap out of me. Who says kisses at the end of a text, anyway? And of course she had a private room for our first dinner. A simple reservation in the main dining area would be too basic.
“I’m here!” Vee called out from downstairs, the door slamming behind her.
Getting a set of keys made for each of my sisters had been first on my to-do list when I bought this place last year. I may have officially moved out of Mom and Dad’s place, but I wanted them to feel free to visit me whenever. I was usually busy working, but Izzy, my twin, had moved in with me six months ago and she was all too happy to have our sisters around.
Laying out two more dresses on the bed, I contemplated shoes. Should I go with the stilettos or the wedges? Vee came through the door like a hurricane, all bustle and noise.
“Let’s see what you got!” She gave me a quick side hug and then rifled through my suitcase with zero concern about invading my privacy.
Making a stink about it would have only delayed my departure. Pick your battles was the motto our mother lived her life by with five daughters, and I was finding it also helped me run my business.
“Dude, ditch the wedges. You want stilettos, even for breakfast. And definitely not that skirt.” She tossed my favorite pencil skirt on the floor. “This bad boy is perfect.” She held up the leather skirt I’d gotten for a Halloween costume last year. “Put this one on right now.”
I made a face and resisted the urge to glance at the emails on my phone. “No way. You can’t wear a short leather skirt on an airplane. It’s like asking for herpes.”
Vee snorted and put the skirt in the suitcase for later use this weekend. “Fine, but then you have to wear this.” She held up the flirty magenta sundress I’d bought over the summer, thinking I’d have somewhere to wear it on some weekend I wasn’t working. The thing was too dang short for Auburn Hill and I hadn’t even found a time to wear it this summer either.
I wasn’t crazy about it, but this weekend was all about pushing boundaries, anyway. A girl deserved to get laid on vacation, didn’t she? I pep-talked myself and took off the pant suit and white blouse I’d been wearing for my back-to-back coaching sessions earlier in the day.
“Okay, that’s gotta go too,” Vee said, pointing at my beige bra and underwear.
