JENNIE
I sat in the back of the cab, drumming my knee and trying not to look at my watch again. I'd make the rehearsal, but I hated cutting it so close. By the time I'd finished up everything I needed to at work to make sure I could truly take the weekend off, it was only an hour before the rehearsal began and I still hadn't changed. Luckily I'd brought my dress to the office and quickly changed there.
Could I pick up her tux at lunch, ha! I didn't even eat lunch, but no matter. Yeji the wonder intern was nice enough to run the errand, bringing the tux back to the office with a smile. She was the best. Lisa, I'd deal with later.
I made it to the rehearsal with a few moments to spare, and as I made my way in I got a text from Lisa. She was on the way. I cringed when I thought about how exhausted she was going to be after flying halfway around the world. But it wasn't her fault her flight was delayed, and I made a mental note to go easy on her about the tux.
Greeting some of the other bridesmaids and mingling with Jillian's family, I made my way inside the church to where she and Benjamin were chatting with the minister. Damn, that man was stunning.
Dark suit, tanned skin, that little bit of salt starting to edge out the pepper at her temples, and those eyes that were full of fun. This was the guy you wanted your guy to become one day. He winked as he greeted me, knowing full well that when he went full charm we all turned to mush.
"Hi, Benjamin," I said, already on my way to Mushtown.
"Jennie, you're looking lovely tonight." He tucked me into his side with a grin, and I could feel the blood rise to my cheeks. Now I was a blushing mush. "So where is that idiot best man of mine?"
"Here! Idiot is here!" I heard, and in rushed Lisa. Hair still damp from the shower, clad in her own dark suit and tie, she hurried to my side. "Hey, old man, let go of my girl."
Shaking Benjamin's hand, she dropped a kiss on Jillian's cheek, then turned to me, taking me in. She reached out, hands spanning my waist, and pulled me into her. Her gaze met mine, my hands resting on her chest. Her face was sun kissed from the days spent on the ocean, with the tiniest of freckles here and there. Fucking gorgeous. And the best part? The way she looked at me. Like I was the prettiest girl in the room.
"Hey, babe."
The woman was a poet.
"Hey."
I was too.
She leaned down, eyes staying with mine until a second after her lips touched mine. Her kiss was soft, featherlight. Her mouth brushed against mine once, then twice, then by the third time, more than her lips got involved. Her tongue darted out to gently nudge at the seam of my lips, and when they parted for her, it flicked out to taste me.
Were we in a church? I was clueless, because in that moment all I felt, all I knew was Lisa. Her hands restless on my waist, the planes of her strong body anywhere it was pressed against mine, the scent of her shampoo and the ever-loving Downy filling my nostrils, and her mouth bearing down on mine.
I heard coughing, and as she broke our kiss to rest her forehead against mine, I saw Jillian arching her eyebrow at us.
"Lisa," I whispered, within our bubble.
"Yes?"
"I missed you too," I said, giving her one more quick kiss.
Grinning, she spun me so I was next to her, and we turned back to Jillian and Benjamin. And the small crowd that was watching us.
"What? I missed my girl." She tucked me farther into her side and I smiled up at her. "Now, what are we rehearsing?" she asked.
• • •
The rehearsal went well, the dinner even better. Jillian and Benjamin had picked a beautiful restaurant, renting a private room with a rooftop terrace. Wine and champagne flowed, families mixed and mingled; it was a festive mood. Serving heavy appetizers instead of a formal sit-down encouraged everyone to get to know each other as they moved from table to table.
Lisa and I stuck close to each other most of the evening, when I wasn't assisting Jillian with last-minute details. While there were several other bridesmaids and a maid of honor, Jillian trusted me implicitly to be her eyes and ears on All Things Wedding. Which is why I was the one with the sewing kit and the hemorrhoid cream in my purse.
For puffy eyes.
In between meeting second cousins and business partners on both sides, Lisa managed to steal me away for secret kisses and whispered dirty talk in every nook and cranny of that restaurant.
"What's got into you?" I asked, breathless after a fevered kiss on the terrace. I'd come out to get some air when I was cornered against the glass railing by a handsy Wallbanger.
"Into you, now that's sounds like a wonderful idea," she murmured, turning me so I was facing the city. Caging me in with her arms, she pressed her body into mine. I leaned my head back onto her shoulder as she teased me with wet kisses up and down my neck.
I sighed, letting my hands reach back and tangle into her hair. "Behave yourself, missy."
"Not a chance." She thrust gently but insistently into my backside. My eyes popped open, as my insides went on instant clench. "I missed you. How long do we need to stay here?"
"Um, I don't think we should leave until Jillian and Benjamin are ready. I think that'd be—wow!" My head dropped back farther as she swept one hand up from my waist to just below my breasts.
"Shouldn't or can't?"
I struggled to think, to stay focused.
"Uh, well, maybe we could, mmm—" I was powerless, her hands getting more sure as they began to nudge my skirt higher on my thighs. "Okay, now I think we should leave. This is crazy."
"Atta girl." She had me saying good-byes in less than a minute, into the elevator in three minutes, and had me in the back of a cab five minutes after that.
And when I say had me, boy, did she try.
• • •
After successfully fending off Lisa's attempts to get under my skirt in the cab, and then under my skirt while walking up our apartment stairs in front of her, I gave up all ownership of what was below my belly button when she bent me over the back of the sofa inside my apartment and removed my panties. With her teeth.
With her mother-loving teeth! I can't even!
I'd read this particular scene in many romance novels; I'd never experienced it in real life. I always wondered how exactly that would happen. Did she take a big bite of the part over your hip? Use one canine to peel it off from the front? Sexy novels only mentioned teeth, so would lips be cheating? And speaking of cheating, if she used her hands to assist, but the teeth were the primary method for panty removal, would that be legal?
Romance novels, schmomance novels, here's how Wallbanger does it.
Hands went inside my skirt from either side as soon as we cleared the front door. As she guided me backward through the darkened apartment, her mouth was on my neck and her hands inside my bra, when the back of my thighs met the sofa.
Which I then had the honor of feeling with my eyeballs when I hit the pillows face-first, after she'd spun me and pushed me over the arm with my bum in the air. Think I even noticed that I had a forehead full of sofa? Hell no, I had a Wallbanger kneeling between my legs.
Wet kisses were smacked along the back of my legs as my skirt was lifted and placed out of her way. I felt her hands nudging my knees apart, felt her warm breath on the inside of my thighs as her fingers dipped inside the lace of my panties. Had I dressed up for my man? Oh hell, yes.
White. Lacey. Sweet. Guaranteed to make her pant. Which she was doing now, heavily. She kissed me through the silk, her tongue pointed and strong even through the barrier. I cried out, having been ready for that mouth ever since she pushed me up against the railing in the restaurant.
With her hands wrapped around my waist, she pressed down on the small of my back, angling me toward her face. Growling—and I swear that's the only way I can describe the guttural noises coming from the back of her throat—he grasped the top of my panties in her teeth and tugged. Down my thighs and toward my knees, and that's as far as they went, because: Lisa. Was. Impatient.
With my ass in the air and my panties at my knees, she groaned.
"Mmm, there's that sweet pussy."
Not all can handle the P-word. And boy, is that a mouthful. Ahem. Some say it all the time, some use it in common conversation. But a good P-word is all about placement: when to say it, where to say, how to say it. Dirty talk is an art. Do it too often, it becomes routine. Never do it, and you're missing something. Lisa did it just right. She was like a perfect bowl of smutty porridge: just right. Let's get back to that mouthful . . .
I was done for even before her lips hit mine. And I meant that exactly how I said it.
There are nights when I need it slow. And there are nights when I need it sweet. And then there are nights when I need it fast and filthy.
Guess which night this was?
I came twice on her mouth. And twice more when she stood, unzipped, and plunged into me with one swift stroke. With one hand flat on my back and the other pulling my hair to angle me exactly how she needed it? Hell, yes.
It was deep and hard and intense. And so very fast and filthy.
Was I still wearing my heels when she finally brought it on home and shouted my name? Good gracious, yes.
• • •
Later on, piled into a pile on the couch with Lisa using my hip as a pillow, I heard my phone ringing. Which was in my purse, barely inside the door. I lifted my head, looking over my shoulder and reaching with my hand. Knowing it was still ten feet away.
"I can't reach my phone."
"You don't need your phone."
"But it's ringing."
"Pretty sure it's not," she insisted, twisting around behind me.
The phone stopped ringing and I sank back against the cushions. Then it promptly starting ringing again.
"I can't reach my phone," I repeated dumbly. Being plowed like that will make you a little thick in the head. "Hey, did you just bite me?"
"You don't need your phone. And yes, I did. I've got two scoops of delicious staring me right in the face."
She had indeed bitten one of the two scoops. I rolled my eyes, and tried to actually go for the phone.
"Don't take away my scoops, Jennie, I'm warning you."
"Oh, scoop this," I teased, managing to sneak out from under her and hobble over to my purse, pulling my skirt down as I went. As I dug for my phone, I looked back at Lisa, prone on the couch still with her pants around her ankles.
"You look charming, babe."
"Charm this," she mimicked, gesturing to a very specific part of her body.
With a laugh, I looked at my phone, seeing that it was Rosé. It was after midnight. I frowned and called her back.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Why does there have to be something wrong?" Her voice was low.
"How long have I known you? What's wrong?"
She didn't say anything, but I could hear her. Sniffling.
"Is it the wedding?"
Sniff.
"You don't think you want to go?"
Sniff sniff.
"Because you're gonna see Haein?"
Honk. Kleenex, not car.
"Sweetie, you know you have to go, right?"
Sniff.
"Not just because Jillian's expecting you, but because you have to see him eventually and—"
Angry honk!
"Do you want to come over? I made chocolate chip cookies last night."
Jingle jangle. This was the sound of Lisa's pants being buckled as she blazed a trail into the kitchen.
"No, I'll be okay. God, this just sucks, though!" she finally said, blowing her nose again loudly.
"It totally sucks, sweetie, but you're going to be fine. You're a badass—I'm actually scared of you," I said.
"That's because you know I could kick your ass." She snorted. "Is he bringing someone?"
"Yes."
"Shit. I totally need to go, don't I?"
"You totally do," I responded, biting down on my lip. Did I dare? "Besides, think how disappointed Barry Derry would be."
Silence.
Then peals of laughter broke across the line. In between, she told me she loved me and would see me tomorrow. Then she hung up, still laughing.
I made my way into the kitchen to see Lisa with her hands in the cookie jar. I shook my head, then poured her a glass of milk.
"It's criminal how much I love you right now," she said, her mouth full of cookie and smile.
I stood next to her while she finished her midnight snack, and as soon as she was done, I opened her arms and wrapped them around me. Cuddling me into her chest, she kissed the top of my head as I held on as tightly as I could.
The next day would bring all sorts of excitement, but tonight I had my Wallbanger in my bed. And that was all I needed.
• • •
Text from Jennie to Jisoo:
You gotta watch our girl today—she'll tell you she's fine, but she's not.
Oh boy, what happened?
Just watch her.
Done. How's Jillian?
Radiant.
Naturally.
We're heading over to the church in a few hours.
I'll watch our girl, you go be a bridesmaid.
--
Text from Jisoo to Rosé:
Hey, pretty girl, you still want to ride with us to the wedding?
Yep, just pick us up on your way.
You're still bringing Barry, right?
Yep, just pick us up on your way.
How're you feeling?
Jisoo.
Yes?
Just pick us up on your way.
Ooookaaaaay.
--
Text from Lisa to Haein:
You still down for windsurfing tomorrow?
Dude! It's gonna be freezing, no way.
Pussy.
Dude. It's gonna be freezing.
Pussy. See you at the wedding.
Hey, about that, should I bring my gift there or what?
We have to get them a gift? Hang on . . .
--
Text from Lisa to Jennie:
Did we get them a gift?
Of course we got them a gift. I signed your name.
Are we bringing it to the wedding?
No, it's already been sent. I always send them ahead; last thing a bride needs to worry about is making sure her gifts are wrangled during her wedding.
So if someone didn't send it ahead of time, he shouldn't bring it?
From an etiquette standpoint, it's fine to bring it. People always do; I just like to take care of it ahead of time—wait, why are you asking?
--
Text from Lisa to Haein:
Dude, you're fine, you can bring it with you.
Cool. See you there.
--
Text from Jennie to Lisa:
Hey, missy. Why were you asking me about bringing a gift?
No reason.
Seriously, what's up?
Haein wanted to know if he should bring his gift with him or not, that's all.
Tell him to call me, I'll tell him where his gift can go.
Did I tell you how pretty you look in your bridesmaid dress?
You haven't even seen me yet . . .
Safe to assume.
You're good, Wallbanger.
--
Text from Haein to Rosé:
Hey. Just wanted to say hey. You're going today, right?
Ah. Still not talking to me, I see.
So anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I'll be glad to see you. I think it's time we talked. Still can't believe you hang up every time I call, but I don't want to get into that today. I'll just be glad to see you; I'd like a chance to explain.
Rosé?
Sé?
Eat me.