I hate weddings. The whole show of it all, the presents all disgust me.
I hate the assigned seats, the horrible music, the speeches, the stupid bridesmaids, and their stupid matching outfits. I hate how you’re obligated to go and look happy and then when you’re not you feel even worse because that makes you a grinch, a scrooge. I’m supposed to be happy for the newlyweds and each time without fail I find myself bitter and grumpy. This is still true if I’m in a “happy relationship.”
There have been two weddings I’ve enjoyed in my career as a wedding goer but they were very abnormal. Think Burning Man theme in Joshua Tree. Mainly, though, I hate weddings.
And so I found myself here at this Chicago waterfront wedding, the wedding of my husband’s childhood friend.
“Please just act normal at the reception,” Ethan implored. But I’ve never acted normal in my life so I don’t know why he thinks I’d do such a thing. Who me? Normal? Never.
My husband Ethan had chastised me about looking at his brother before and told me to never, under any circumstance at all, try to seduce him.
He’s just so fucking hot, though. I couldn't resist.
Owen had the same dimples and rugged good looks as Ethan but nicer teeth and softer hair. He was a few years younger, and had a bit more heft to him, all muscle. I’m sure he had the same catholic guilt as my husband and the same brokenness due to an early divorce and his mother’s recent passing. Only a truly sick person would take advantage of someone like that.
His girlfriend was beautiful. Girl next door mixed with sorority baddie. Or thinks she’s a baddie. Essentially, basic. Looking at Instagram photos of them together, their tanned skins and dimples almost made me want to throw up if I hadn’t been so into him. They’d been together all through high school and college and he wasn’t the kind to go cheating on her. You could just tell by the way they look at each other that they really were in love.
He was a “good man.” The kind that drank milk from a glass wholesome. He worked at an office in Chicago doing who the hell cares, and, oh god, there he came filling out those dress pants like Ethan never could. Don’t look, no that’s suspicious, look. I look. We locked eyes and I felt all the blood in my body rush to my pussy.
I never got much of a chance to get to know him what with the whole baby thing and my husband’s determination to keep us apart. But then again, Owen was a hunk of man meat and his personality didn’t really matter to me. I just wanted him inside me. And that night, we had a babysitter.
The main factor tipping the scales in my favor was that he was known to get very drunk at occasions like this, and everyone knows people act a little differently when they’re very drunk.
The secondary factor would be my dress. I normally dressed relatively modestly for things like this, but that night was not one of those nights. Skin-tight fabric hugged my body. I wanted to be seen. By him.
We were seated at the same table, his girlfriend next to him on one side, me on his other side, my husband next to me. When his girlfriend left to powder her nose, he addressed me.
“Ethan’s been telling me what a great mom you are. He’s a lucky guy.” Was there more behind his words? Perhaps a tinge of jealousy?
“Well, I’m sure Hailey has her talents,” I replied, feigning innocence.
“Yes. For sure. Are you coming for the after party?”
“We’ll be there,” I said.
I moved my leg slightly to the left so that our knees touched under the table. He flinched slightly at first but then relaxed and kept his leg touching mine. I pushed my luck and touched his hand under the table, ever so slowly so as not to cause suspicion, moving it under my dress between my legs so he could feel my wetness. He breathed in quietly but kept a straight face for the table. He moved his fingers side to side, slowly, so slowly. I breathed and pretended to focus on the conversation, which had shifted to Chicago summers. He then took my hand and moved it closer to him. He held it there over his pants and I could feel that my desire was reciprocated. I tried my hardest not to smile.
When he brought his hand back up to his glass, I could still notice a slight glisten on his fingertips. But I was sure no one suspected any nefarious activity.
My mind flashed to last night.
As it so happened, my husband and I had the hotel room next to Owen and Hailey’s. We wished them a good night and went in to read our respective stories. Mine, a novel, his, some news story on his phone.
Soon we could hear high-pitched moans escalating in frequency. A deeper voice could also be heard, though what he was saying was impossible to tell.
“Is that your brother?” I ask, without lifting my head from the pillow.
“Yeah.”
“Are they…?”
“Yeah, I think so. They need to be quieter. We’re trying to sleep.”