Page 26 of Tiger on the Prowl

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The wedding ceremony had been beautiful, and Olivia, as well as her mother, had shed a few tears of joy. Even though Olivia had helped her sister with the guest list and handled the RSVPs, she was overwhelmed by the number of guests, and the fact that she barely recognized any faces among them. She knew all six bridesmaids, and a couple of her sister’s male friends and colleagues, but everybody else was from the groom’s side.

The ceremony had taken place mid-afternoon, and after drinks and light hors d’oeuvres, during which the happy couple disappeared with the photographer, Olivia had snuck back into her hotel room. The exclusive five-star hotel was brand-new and located in Northeast Washington D.C. with extensive gardens and world-class amenities, including multiple pools, a spa, and several ballrooms perfect for weddings and other large events.

Thanks to the groom’s connections to the son of the hotel manager, Olivia and the other guests who wanted to stay the night, had received discounted rates. Olivia’s room was almost as big as her entire cottage, and she’d never stayed anywhere more luxurious. But that wasn’t the reason she snuck back into her room, where she’d changed into her dress earlier in the day. No, she just couldn’t keep smiling for so long, when inside she wanted to cry.

She knew it was stupid to still be upset about Jay’s betrayal. He certainly didn’t deserve her tears. Still, she was disappointed in herself. She’d always thought of herself as a good judge of character, but apparently that was only the case when it concerned fictional characters. When it came to real people, she was lousy at recognizing jerks.

But taking refuge in her hotel room was only temporary. When her mother texted her that dinner was about to be served, she had to return to the reception and play the happy sister and maid of honor. Neither her father nor her mother knew what she was going through, and she had no intention of telling them about it. They were here for only a few days, and she didn’t want to sour the happy occasion by burdening them with her problems.

So she put on a brave face again and joined the wedding party. The seating order had been meticulously planned, and Olivia remembered that she, Grace, and Timothy had sat together many evenings to figure out what would be best to avoid any strife between certain guests. Since Timothy’s parents were divorced, and certain factions of his family were not speaking to other parts of his family, this wasn’t an easy task. Olivia swore to herself that if she ever got married, it would be an intimate affair.

Olivia ended up sitting with two other bridesmaids, and Ella, a distant female cousin of Timothy, as well as four college buddies of the groom. One of the bridesmaids had already had way too many glasses of champagne in the afternoon and was so tipsy that she laughed at everything anybody at the table said. When two of Timothy’s college friends exchanged conspiratorial looks, Olivia could already guess what they were thinking. One of them, or both, would try to get the girl into bed before the night was over.

Normally, Olivia would have kept an eye on her fellow bridesmaid so that this wouldn’t happen. But she’d overheard the girl earlier, telling one of the other bridesmaids that tonight she would get her hands on a hunky young man and get laid. But since she was shy, she needed a few drinks to accomplish the task. And who was Olivia to stand in the way of the age-old tradition of bridesmaids having sex with groomsmen?

Maybe she should do the same, sleep with one of the handsome guys present. And there were plenty to choose from. At her own table, one of them started flirting with her. But for some reason she just couldn’t get into the mood to flirt back, no matter how hard she tried. She gave up on it, and instead struck up a conversation with Timothy’s cousin Ella from Wisconsin. She appeared shy, and none of the guys seemed to take any notice of her.

Olivia was glad, when the dessert course finally arrived. It meant it was time for the speeches, and she didn’t have to make conversation for a while. Like everybody else, she turned to look at Timothy, who talked first, recounting how he and Grace had met, and how they’d fallen in love. Speeches by the best man, then by her father, and finally by Grace herself followed, though Olivia barely listened.

When she heard clapping, she joined in, before turning back to her dessert. She hadn’t touched it. She wasn’t hungry. It was a wonder that she’d managed to eat some of the main course.

“Are you not having your dessert?” Ella asked.

“No, do you want it?”

“If you’re not eating it. It’s delicious,” Ella said.

Olivia handed it to her, glad that it didn’t go to waste. “Enjoy. I’m already so full today.”

The waiters started to clear the tables, and Olivia folded her napkin and placed it on the table. “Excuse me. I’ll go freshen up a little.”

She made her way past the tables, dodging guests who also took this opportunity to stretch their legs, go outside to smoke, or head for the restroom. Or those who wanted to simply escape the next part of the reception: the dancing. Had she merely been a guest, not the maid of honor and the bride’s sister, she would have left the wedding reception at this point, and nobody would even have noticed it. But she couldn’t do that. Her parents would notice, and so would Grace. And then Grace would wonder if anything was wrong with her. And no bride should have to worry about anything on her wedding day.

There was a line outside the ladies’ room, so Olivia decided to use the one in the other wing of the hotel. It would be quieter there. She was right. She was the only person in the elegant ladies’ room. It smelled of expensive soap, and soft music played inside, making her feel like she was in a spa. At least, she could take a few breaths here and collect her strength before she had to rejoin the wedding party to play her part as best she could.

To think that she’d asked Jay to attend as her date seemed so unreal now. What had she been thinking? Just because the sex was so good? And by God, the sex had been amazing. Never before had a man made her feel like that. She shook off the thoughts. There was no use crying over spilled milk. There would be other men. Honest men. She hoped.

Determined not to waste another thought on Jay, she left the ladies’ room. She walked only a few steps, when she passed by an alcove with a telephone. The alcove wasn’t empty. Inside, the tipsy bridesmaid from her table was kissing one of Timothy’s friends, and by the sounds they made, it was clear that they would soon find a more private place, or they would risk being thrown out of the hotel.

Olivia almost wanted to chuckle. If a tipsy bridesmaid could land a hunky guy just by batting her eyelashes at him and laughing at everything the guy said, then why couldn’t she do that? After all, she was the bride’s sister, the maid of honor, and she wasn’t bad looking. There had to be at least one guy among the guests, whose bucket list contained fucking a bridesmaid. How hard could it be?

Is that what you really want? Screw just any guy?

She hated it when her conscience got in the way of her having fun. Why was she so uptight? Couldn’t she let loose for once and just go with the flow, and do something reckless?

“Oh!” The gasp came from the tipsy bridesmaid.

Only now, Olivia realized that she was still standing there, staring into the alcove. They both stared at her as if she was a voyeur taking pleasure in watching other people be intimate. She felt herself blush.

“Oh, sorry,” she said quickly, searching for an excuse. “Damn sandals.” She crouched down and pretended to adjust the straps.

“Let’s… uh…” the guy said, and took the bridesmaid’s hand to lead her away.

When Olivia stood up again, she saw them head for the elevators. Well, at least somebody was getting what they wanted. Maybe one day, she would be as bold as the tipsy bridesmaid and just do what she wanted and not give a damn about what anybody thought.