The (Blushing) Bridesmaid

The pounding in my head just would not stop.

When I get pissed drunk, I never remember to close the blinds the previous night. So when the bright sun was up, it would hit me like a battering ram the first time I tried to open my eyes. Oh, Universe you are so cruel to me!

The pounding continued, followed by a wheezing sound. Where was that coming from? I didn't want to open my eyes. Maybe my nose bled again. It happened sometimes when I had a bit too much to drink, and I certainly had way too much last night.

I was about to stuff my head under my pillows when a grunt and a groan, which came from my side, stopped me.

It also made me open my eyes, which was a huge mistake when the sunlight assaulted my brain, so I shut them tight. Bright spots danced under my lids. I tried it again, slowly, the second time around.

Blurs started to form into shapes, shapes into objects, familiar objects like my dresser, my lamp, my shirt on the floor, my bra hanging over my sleigh bed, and a hand. That last one wasn't so familiar. It was a large hand resting over the blanket on my right hip.

A man's hand.

Oh. My. Goodness.

I assessed my state under the blanket, and flinched when I saw nothing but skin. I was naked in my bed with a man! But which man? Panic set in.

What had happened last night wasn't too clear. I pinkie-promised myself that I would never touch any type of liquor again. A voice in my head, sounding a little too similar to Chase's, screamed in protest at my promise.

I tested my vertigo as I sat up. Then turned towards this... stranger in my bed. He wasn't facing me; his head was hidden under a pillow. One arm was stretched towards me, keeping a connection between our bodies.

His back-- a very sexy, toned back, I noticed --faced me and the rest was thankfully under the blanket. I hoped that maybe he wasn't naked underneath it. That would be beyond bad. But I knew better. I stared at what was in front of me, trying to find a familiar marker-- a freckle, a scar, a tattoo --that would indicate who this man was.

I had never come home drunk with a stranger before. I had a system. I was too organized for spontaneity. Last night, I was ambushed, lured with the possibility that I would be able to continue working with Jake and Sandrine on their wedding plans.

That's it! I was with Jake and Sandrine. We went to a club after dinner. Had I picked up a man from the club? Chase would have been proud! I groaned at the possibility. Moreover, I wondered if Jake had seen me leave with this man. Oh, the horror.

Pulling up the blanket to my neck, I poked him a couple times on his shoulder. He removed his arm that was reaching for me, with the fingers precariously placed over the front of my right hip once I sat up. But he didn't rouse.

I gave him another poke, this time with two fingers instead of just one. And again. I heard another groan so I continued jabbing my fingers with the grapefruit pink polished nails on said stranger.

He turned his whole body away from me, the blanket falling off his back and revealing the top of his naked tanned butt. My mouth dried up. I held on tightly to my blanket, reached out and poked him again.

"Please don't tell me you're a morning person." He grunted, the pillow muffling the sound of his voice, but it was clear enough.

That voice, rich, low and gruff. I definitely knew that voice.

"Levi?" I jumped off my bed, tried to take the covers with me, but he tugged it and won. So I grabbed some clothing off the floor, and used it as an armor. I could not believe Levi was in my bed... naked! No. No. No!

"What the hell are you doing in my bed?" Yelling was a regrettable thing when your head was close to exploding. I squeezed my temple to ensure it wouldn't.

Levi sat up, the blanket teetering on scandalously revealing more naked parts. And it was morning. It was evident that Levi was like any other man, judging by the tenting of the blanket. I gulped and trained my eyes to look elsewhere.

"Veronica, please don't yell. My head is going to explode."His hands covered his eyes and half his face. "Why is it so bright in here? Don't you believe in curtains?"

I ignored his question. "Just tell me why you're in my bed." I demanded, stomping a foot on my bedroom floor.

He leered at me with tired eyes. Then his amused smile popped up. This could not be good. "You don't remember?"

"Would I ask if I did," I snapped at him.

He looked me over so I held onto the fabric armor tighter. Why didn't I run to the bathroom to grab my robe? My common sense had abandoned me.

"Veronica, I'm assuming you're naked by how tightly you're grasping that, and I'm..." he peeked under the blanket. I turned my head away. "Well, I'm also very naked. What do you think happened?"

Oh crap!

"I... I don't remember." I said sheepishly. "But please, get dressed." I snuck a glance back through my curtain of hair.

"Funny," he started as he maneuvered his legs slowly over the bed, picking up pants off the floor then putting them on, sans underwear. "I don't seem to remember a lot either. It's a shame really."

When he turned around, his pants were zipped but he wore the most wicked grin. "Maybe..." He sauntered towards me, rounding my queen-size bed. I moved further away from him, still clutching the clothing over my nakedness. "Maybe you should remind me." Levi waggled his eyebrows.

"What?" I asked, astonished.

He pulled whatever fabric I was holding, revealing my naked bits. My hands flew on my body to cover my dignity. He chuckled, the SOB. Turned out the article of clothing I was holding was his white shirt; I noticed as he put his arms through the sleeves. He kept his bedroom eyes on me, so I turned around to pull a long shirt out of my dresser.

Just as I was able to pull it over my body, he grabbed my arm, turned me around, and planted his lips onto mine. They were hard kisses, hungry, fervent, yet he had the softest lips. My intention was to fight him off, but something stirred in me-- a heat brewing, a longing for something visceral-- so I let him kiss me. My hands moved over the smattering of dark hair on his toned chest.

When his roving hands started to move down my behind, I broke the kiss and pushed him away. I should slap him but thought that it was overly dramatic. He chuckled again. I opted to wipe my lips on my sleeve to show disgust.

"What happened?" I demanded. I tried to look mad, not shaken and affected by his kiss. My legs trembled a tad. My thighs pressed together. Under my long shirt, I was very much aware of my nudity.

He shrugged, buttoning his shirt up. "Lots of drinking. You were doing this incredibly sexy dance in the club..." I sadly know what he meant. Chase called it my 'mating dance', only performed while fully intoxicated. "It was kinda cute too. Then you asked me to take you home, we kissed, got naked... then.... you know." Levi winked, puckered his lips and made kissing noises.

Oh, Holy of all holy. I did know. Or I could speculate. What else could it be? I went back under my covers to hide my shame. I could not have had sex with the snakiest of playboys in this city, my ex's best friend and his best man. What was I thinking? I was mentally chiding myself when I felt my bed sag by my feet.

"Veronica," His voice was laced with sweetness. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, you were such a good..."

I groaned, and lifted a finger above the blanket. "Please don't say it. Will you just please go away? Just leave, okay?" I sunk deeper under my covers.

In all, of my twenty-five years I had never been so... irresponsible, and never with someone like Levi. The men I dated (count three) were dignified, responsible, and not man-whóres.

I heard his heavy sigh as he stood, my mattress springing back up. I couldn't see what he was doing but I heard shuffling about, then his footsteps leaving my bedroom. A few moments later, I heard the door of my apartment shut.

There weren't a lot of reasons that would keep me away from work. Earthquake was one, unless if I was already at work then I hid under the desk until Chase would give me the 'all clear'.

Heartbreak was another, until Chase could convince me that she would run the place down to the ground if left to her own devices. But a drinking binge and a possible wild night with Casanova weren't good enough reasons.

After reminding myself that I was human and allowed to make mistakes, I dusted myself off, showered, dressed, ignored the possibility that I might have had unprotected sex with Levi, and went straight to meet with Sandrine for lunch. The effervescent woman seemed quite refreshed after last night-- no saggy bags under her eyes, no blotches from too much drinking on her face, and a tad more cheery. The kind of cheer that only a woman who got something-smething last night, and possibly this morning, could have. Life was so unfair!

"I was so thankful that you came out last night! Did you 'ave fun?" She asked as I ordered a very strong black coffee.

Since nodding still hurt my head, I answered her. "Yup, for the most part."

"Ah, you mean the alco'ol? Ah, oui. It is the devil. But you kept up with the boys. I was impressed. And you danced so well. Did you take lessons when you were little?"

"Yeah, my old man was part Irish and my mother was a dancer so I may have gotten my impressive skills from them." She laughed. My mother would have been appalled. Well, what she didn't know wouldn't kill her.

"What time did you get home?" I needed some more insight of the previous night. Maybe I could recall the rest with her.

"I wasn't so sure. I drank so much champagne, non?" Apparently not as much as I did.

When my coffee arrived, she let me sip a few. I refused any food as even a tiny smell could turn my stomach. I heaved mercilessly over my porcelain after Levi left, and any food substance came right back up.

"I have something to say." Her hand was over mine.

Uh oh. This was the time she'd tell me that I was fired because I slept with her best man. Not to mention the feelings I still had for her fiancé. Well. Geez, they shouldn't have let me drink a ton.

"Go on." I kept the coffee cup close to my mouth, running excuses through my aching head to counter her with.

"Veronique, I 'ave two friends. Shalom and Natalie. They are both docteurs like me but they're... how do you say..." She made gestures with her hands. "Quarantined." I nodded, encouraging her to continue.

Maybe she would ask me to postpone the wedding until they came back. Maybe this time, the Universe was on my side.

"And my other friends, they don't talk to me anymore." She pouted her rouge lips. "Jacob said they chose sides. I had to ask Isobel to be my maid of 'onor since she's Jacob's little sister." So it wasn't her idea after all. "And I was wondering..."

"Uh huh?" I said over the coffee, my brows knitted.

"Since you have practically every knowledge of the wedding... will you be my bridesmaid?" Hope gleamed in her eyes.

My hand shook, spilling some coffee on the table. I piled napkins over it but the waiter was so attentive that he had it cleaned up in seconds. I checked to make sure that Sandrine was fine, and she was. I, on the other hand, had a blot of black coffee over the crotch of my new white linen suit.

As I tried to dab at the spot, I remembered what Sandrine asked of me. "You want me to be your bridesmaid? Sandrine, I'm already your wedding planner. I can't be your bridesmaid too."

It was like chiding an orphaned child. I didn't know how she did it. She looked crushed and it made me feel horrible.

"Oh, I know and I 'ate to ask you but I felt I had no other choice. You've been so good to me, to us, and have been so involved, but I didn't want to ask Landon and Trent's girlfriends from last night. They were so uncouth and lacked class." She explained. Everything was clear to her. No wonder she was so freaking cheerful.

"And I did?" I snapped at her, briefly recalling the earlier mention of my dancing skills, which was clearly a way to butter me up. Mating dance equaled zero class.

"You had more than those two girls combined. I will double your fees. All you need to do is stand during the ceremony for a bit then you're free to do whatever wedding planners do." Her back was straigh. Her chin held high. She believed that her idea was divine.

I shook my head until it felt it was going to come off. "I cannot be in two places at once. What if something wrong happens during the ceremony? Who will attend to that if I am standing next to you?"

"Well maybe you can ask your partner to be there too? I will pay 'er as well. I will cover your whole staff's fees. Jacob wants his cousins as his groomsmen and he said I needed a bridesmaid. I do anything, Veronique. Just please, please be my bridesmaid?" Her dainty surgeon fingers clasped under her chin. She'd give cute puppies a run for their money.

Fudge my life.

That day I realized that not only could I not say no to Jake, somewhere along the way, I also lost that ability with Sandrine. She clapped her hands with glee, then hugged me so tight when I gave in and nodded. "Perfect! We will fly to Paris in two days for dress fittings."

"Whoa! What?" Did she just say Paris?

"Oui, my mother's friend is a famous designer and he insisted he makes all the dresses for the wedding party. We will only spend three days there, don't you worry. It will be fantastique!"

I stayed silent after that, letting her tell me about Paris and the French designer, and his plans for her haute couture wedding gown. My spotted crotch forgotten, my unplanned romp with the best man became secondary.

Every girl has a dream. I was lost in dreamland when she mentioned Paris. I was still in awe when I returned to the office. Chase was ready to hear my stories. Naturally, she was shocked with the news of me being Sandrine's bridesmaid. And the sudden trip to the city on top of my Bucket List. I might have ignored the need to tell her about Levi. I wasn't sure if I was ready to admit it yet.