“Oh my gosh!” Her instant excitement fell dead at my feet, replaced with a confused expression. “Oh … you mean you’re getting married on Christmas. Right?” Her eyes narrowed as her head cocked to the side.
“Got married. On Christmas. Two months ago. I didn’t want to spoil your wedding or take the spotlight. And we didn’t want a wedding. We just wanted to be married. So we did it. We had a minister marry us right outside of my house with my grandma, parents, and Ronin’s parents. Afterwards, we had a holiday brunch with them. They left. And we spent the rest of the day in bed—Mr. and Mrs. Alexander.” I gave her a toothy smile.
Lila? Well, she didn’t even blink.
I deflated and grimaced. “Please don’t be mad. I wasn’t going to tell you until all this wedding stuff was over and just a distant memory. Then you suggested we elope, and I’ve been dying to tell you because the day was so bittersweet without my best friend there, and—”
Lila took two steps and pulled me in for a really tight hug. “I hate you and love you. I’m proud of you and pissed off at you. But …” She held me back at arm’s length. “Our friendship will survive this betrayal. And you’re the only one I trust to help me piss tonight, so I can’t unfriend you yet.”
I bit back my grin, giving her the moment she needed to act upset with me. “And we’re secret lesbian lovers. Without me in your life, you’ll never have a quality threesome again.” I shrugged.
After several blinks from her stoic expression, she turned toward the mirror and checked her makeup. “You know … I never bring that up. In fact, it was my idea to never bring that up again. Yet, you seem to slip it into certain conversations which makes me think you liked it more than you’d ever admit. Were you…” she looked up at my reflection in the mirror and smirked “…close to orgasming that night? Did my mouth on your breasts … my tongue ring flicking your nipples feel good, Evie?”
Delivering my own smug smile, I let her have her moment. After all, it was her day. “No woman has ever made me feel the way you did, snookum.”
“Is that sarcasm?”
“You have guests waiting for you.” I opened the door. “Oh!” I jumped, not expecting Graham to be right there on the other side of it.
“Evelyn.” He smiled like the Devil himself. I’m not sure I had ever seen such a deviant expression on his face. “I need a minute with my wife.”
That made me smile. Wife. I liked hearing him refer to her as his wife. “I suppose you’ve earned it. By the way … I’m married.”
I waited for his eyebrows to shoot up his forehead.
“I know.” He glanced over my head at Lila, and his smile doubled.
He knew?
What!
Ronin couldn’t keep the secret. Traitor.
“Of course, you did,” I grumbled. “Don’t be long. Your mom will have a coronary if things don’t stay on schedule.” I made my way toward the reception, texting Ronin.
Me: I can’t believe you told Graham we got married!?
Ronin: Why would you say that?
Me: Because when I told him, he said he already knew.
Ronin: I didn’t tell him. But clearly you did. He simply played you. He’s good at that.
I grumbled, shaking my head. How was I supposed to respond to that?
“Evelyn, dear. Have you seen the bride and groom?” Graham’s mom, Helene, asked as I reached the bottom of the stairs to the foyer.
“Yes. I just helped her in the ladies’ room, and Graham showed up as I was leaving.”
“Be a dear and tell them we’re ready to have them seated for the first toast.”
I nodded, trying to be a dear. She hated me. Never understood why Graham kept me as such a close friend—me and my sick, broke parents.
“Thank you.” She spun on her high heels and mounted her high horse to ride off and rule her rich little world.
The door to the lounge slash bedroom suite was still cracked open like I left it minutes earlier. I eased it open a few more inches. Then I froze, my mouth agape nearly as wide as the door.
“I own you now,” Graham murmured next to Lila’s ear as he fucked her from behind with her leaned over the back of a winged-back chair. Clearly, he wasn’t lying about that. Her dress was bunched at her waist, his pants pooled at his ankles. What looked like remnants or shredded pieces of her panties littered the floor a few feet from them.
“Say it, baby.” He bit her ear as his hands cupped her breasts, pulled free from her strapless gown.
She arched her back, releasing tiny grunts. I couldn’t read the expression on her face, the clenched teeth and cringe. Painful pleasure? Just pain? “You own me.”