A chick that doesn’t believe in love? Unbelievable. But there she is, looking like walking sex in high-heeled leather boots.
I’m not one to wax poetic, but she caught me completely off guard when she practically said love was a figment.
That’s bullshit.
It was as if she sent up a silent plea, begging for me to prove her wrong.
Megan doesn’t know it, but she just became my next mission. And there hasn’t been a mission yet that I haven’t successfully completed. I will not fail with this redheaded sex-kitten.
Gina smacks me playfully on the shoulder, bringing me out of my mental preparations for the emotional and psychological warfare I’m planning to unleash on Megan.
“Why are you shooting daggers at the back of Megan’s head?” she whispers next to me in the back of Megan’s Escalade, as we’re being chauffeured to some fancy bridal boutique in Lafayette.
“Was I?” I ask innocently. “I think I was dreaming of my last supper, seeing as how I don’t know when my next meal will be with the ‘bridal brigade’ holding me hostage.”
“Hey, you said you were a willing captive,” Gina comments with a pretty pout, batting her vivid blue eyes framed by thick black lashes.
“That was eons ago before my stomach started eating itself from the inside out.”
“All right, drama queen. We’ll pull into the next drive-through we see,” Megan concedes after overhearing my complaints.
Fifteen minutes later, we’re pulling out of a burger joint.
I’m in the backseat, shoveling cheeseburgers and fries down my throat, washing them down with a strawberry milkshake.
My instantaneous foodgasm temporarily takes my mind off the excruciatingly slow removal of my manhood that’s been happening today.
Gina’s looking at me from the corner of her eyes as she daintily picks at the salad she ordered.
All the girls ordered some different variations of bird-like food that they could find on the menu. They’re all trying to slim down for the wedding, except maybe Gina—she’s already tall and lean.
I certainly don’t envy them.
Shaking my head at the thought, I drop another handful of salty deliciousness into my mouth, licking my fingers in noisy satisfaction. Catching Megan glowering at me in the rearview mirror, I give her an antagonizing grin.
She practically growls at me in irritation—mission accomplished. These next two weeks are going to be fun.
“You’re really a great brother for doing this.
“I don’t have any siblings, but I can’t imagine that many guys would agree to go looking for wedding venues and shopping for wedding dresses with their sister and her friends,” Gina says.
Gina’s the sweetest and most reserved out of the three women. She’s also rich and absolutely gorgeous to top it all off.
Her olive complexion, bright-blue eyes, and runway-model figure make most men do double and triple takes when she walks into a room.
The kicker is, Gina’s kind and unassuming, which is in complete discord with the way she looks.
But looking into her beautiful blue eyes, with black hair framing her face, I realize that she does absolutely nothing for me.
I like my women with more confidence and just a pinch of attitude.
“I’m sure there are a few guys out there that would do the same thing,” I finally reply.
“All right, enough stroking Trevor’s ego, we’re here. He already prances around like a peacock on steroids, as it is,” Megan scathingly comments.
“Ouch. Somebody’s hangry. You want a french fry?” I tease, waving one at her.
Evie can’t help but laugh, and Gina looks confused.
“Hangry?” she asks.
“A combination of feeling hungry and being angry about it,” Evie explains.
Gina covers her mouth, muffling her giggle. “You’re so right. Megan is ‘hangry,’” Gina whispers conspiratorially, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
“Are you guys getting out, or are you going to stay in there whispering to each other all day,” Megan snaps, causing the three of us to crack up.
“I think I’m going to have to start carrying fun-sized Snickers in my purse before we do any more of these outings,” Evie comments before climbing out of the passenger side of the SUV.
“Oh my gosh, it’s so adorable,” Evie gushes as I get out of the backseat.
Megan’s Escalade is roomy, but I still felt a little uncomfortable with the minimal legroom in the back. It’s a bit chilly outside, but still a beautiful day.
The bridal shop is in a small outdoor shopping center located in a beautiful area. I can see a wedding dress hanging in a large storefront window.
The awning over the front door has the words “Bustle & Lace” in elegant writing.
Rushing forward, I grab the shop’s door and hold it open for the ladies.
An older Hispanic woman with graying brown hair and warm brown eyes greets us with a friendly smile as we walk into the shop.
“Welcome to Bustle & Lace, I’m Luna, and my daughter, Veronica, will be out in a moment to assist you.
“Would you like anything while you wait? We have champagne, water, tea, cupcakes, and cookies.”
“Wow. No wonder women love this sort of thing. They get to combine their two favorite things. Shopping and eating,” I remark.
Evie socks me in the arm. “What? It’s the equivalent of a sports bar for men.”
“You’re right,” Luna chuckles, coming to my defense. “But we don’t like to admit it. Why don’t you relax and have a seat.”
Luna ushers me to an off-white sofa against the wall as the girls start looking at the dresses hanging on the cloth-covered hangers around the room.
Settling into the comfortable sofa, I mentally resign myself to a few more tedious hours of wedding preparation musts. After all, this is what I took leave to do—aside from visiting my family for the holidays.
A younger woman walks out from the back of the shop, and the first thing I notice about her is her eyes. She has the biggest brown eyes, even larger than Evie’s, with long, thick lashes.
Her smile is like an ad for toothpaste: with perfectly straight, ultra-white teeth. She heads straight for me, smiling and reaching out her hand.
“Hello, I’m Veronica Martinez. You must be the groom,” she says.
Standing up to greet her, I chuckle as I shake her soft hand.
“Not even close. I’m the bride’s older brother,” I explain, watching as a slow blush creeps up her bronze cheeks.
“Veronica? Veronica Martinez?” Evie asks in amazement, walking up behind the woman.
Veronica turns around and a look of recognition lights up her face. The two women laugh and embrace.
“It’s been forever since I last saw you, Evelynn. You’re looking beautiful,” Veronica compliments her.
“Hey Megan, Gina, come meet an old friend of mine from high school,” Evie calls out to the girls, waving them over to her.
Sighing and tuning out their inane chatter, I resign myself back to my position on the couch. Looking beside me at the ornate end table, I notice a stack of men’s magazines.
Lucky me. I guess I’m not the only sap who’s been roped into dress shopping. I pick up one magazine about health and begin thumbing through it.
“Oh my…” Veronica breathes, pulling my attention away from an article on erectile dysfunction.
Oh shit! Things just got interesting again.
Gina and Megan are standing on a raised platform, wearing identical lavender dresses with spaghetti straps. My eyes gloss over Gina and seem to be magnetized to Megan.
Gina looks sweet and innocent in the satin dress. Megan looks like someone poured her into the dress, or maybe even painted the damn thing on her.
I place the magazine on my lap, using it to disguise my lack of ED. “Sweet Jesus,” I mutter under my breath.
“It’s amazing how the same dress can look so different on another woman, right?” Veronica asks rhetorically.
I hadn’t even realized she was standing so close to me. She looks at me, giving me a knowing smile.
Evie steps out of the dressing room next to Megan in a gorgeous off-white strapless wedding gown and all eyes are on her.
The top of the dress is form-fitting, showing off her curves, and the bottom flows out to a skirt with a small train.
She looks absolutely stunning.
Gina and Megan are staring at Evie with their mouths wide open, but Evie’s attention is on Megan.
“Um, yeah. No,” Evie says, pointing at Megan’s dress.
“No? Too sexy?” Megan asks, laughing a little. She knows damn well she looks too hot in that dress. “But you, definitely a yes.”
Evie looks down at her dress and then at Gina, who nods her head emphatically in agreement. Next, she turns her big brown eyes to me in question.
“You look amazing, sis. Hunter won’t know what hit him,” I replied with an encouraging smile.
Evie’s face lights up as she smooths her hand over the dress.
“Okay. I’ll put this one to the side. But I still need to try on more dresses,” she tells Veronica.
Damn it! What’s wrong with women? They find the perfect dress on their very first try. But are they satisfied? No. They still need to try on every other dress in the freakin’ store.
I fall back on the couch in despair. Veronica laughs, handing me another glass of champagne.
Somebody, please shoot me.
