Knight in Shining Suit (formerly) Knight in Shining Armani (PUBLISHED)

10. ARRHAE

10.

Arrhae:  Wedding coins.  Given by the groom to the bride to signify his trustworthiness, that he is symbolically giving his material possessions or earthly wealth to the care of his bride.

Nicole did refer some of her clients to me.  She said that apparently, they were under budget constraint and the revised professional fees that Fiona has been charging made them lose interest.

They were very happy to meet with me.  More so when I told me that since they were my first clients, I will waive all the professional fees.  They just need to pay for all the expenses in the wedding, which they’ll have a quote and an approval for anyway before we’ll go ahead.  I told them that I’m building up my portfolio and thus, I don’t mind doing this for free.

“Are you sure?”  The bride named Angela asked.

I nodded.  “Positive!”

The groom to be looked a little suspicious.  I smiled at him.

“This is not my first time to do this.  I used to work for Fiona.  In fact, I was one of their pioneers.”

“Really?  Why’d you leave?”

I sighed.  “Long story.  But… well, to cut it short, let’s just say that my own engagement went down the drain and for a while, I was… socially dead.  And now, I’m resurrected and back to how I used to be… better than I was before.  And what can I say?  No heartbreak can make me stay away from making ever afters come true.”

The bride bit her lip and then she smiled at.  “I admire your courage!  My sister-in-law just got dumped too.  Maybe you have an advice for her on how to get better.  Like you… you don’t look broken at all!”

I shook my head.  “I’m not!  Not anymore!”

Her glanced drifted off to my ring and her eyes widened.

“Oh my God!”  She breathed.

“Why?”

“A… are you still wearing your engagement ring?”  She asked.

I looked at my ring and then I laughed.  “No, no.  This wasn’t my engagement ring.  This is…”  I sighed, smiling at the thought of Ryder again.  “This is some sort of a promise ring.  I made some guy a promise and he… gave this to me so I will remember.”

“Sounds like a very expensive promise.”  Jacob, the groom to be, said.

“Oh no.  I don’t think so.”

“We’ve wanted that ring.”  Angela said, still looking at my ring longingly.

“I told you, you could have it.”  Jacob told her.

“No!  Twenty-five grand?  Are you out of your mind?”  She said.  “I’d rather we spend that money on our honeymoon.”  She said smiling at her fiancé.  And then she glanced at my ring again.  “But you must admit, Harry Winston did great on that ring!”

“This… this isn’t… a Harry Winston.”  I said.

Angela laughed.  “Right.”  She rolled her eyes.

“Oh, she stares at that ring in a magazine everyday.  She knows.”  Jacob told me.

“I do not!”  Angela punched him playfully in the arm.

I still do not know what they are on about, but I didn’t want to talk about my ring anymore.  First because they have already mistaken it to be a real Harry Winston and also because I don’t want them to start arguing over an engagement ring that she is never going to have.

“Well, you are right to spend the money on your honeymoon.”  I told them cheerfully.  “Have you already made plans with your travel agent?”

It took me half a day to finish my meeting with Angela and Jacob.  When they left my office, they were much more excited about their wedding than they were before they met me.  I was extremely pleased with myself. 

As I sat on the deck in my office, sipping a glass of pineapple juice, I have a big smile on my face.  I tried imagining where I will be had I married Bryan.

Probably still at Fiona’s company, answering to her every whim, watching her take all the credit and all the money for my brilliant and unique wedding ideas, and getting paid close to minimum wage for all the hard work that I put through.  Then I’d come home, cook and wait for Bryan to come back from work.  We’ll talk about our day, we’ve been good friends from the beginning anyway.  Then he’ll probably be too tired to make love to me, and silly me, thinking I was incapable of thirst and desire anyway, I would probably read a romance novel until I fall asleep.

And then I thought about Ryder.  What would have happened if we continued seeing each other after the wedding.  I’d still be here, cooking a special meal for him probably, hoping to seduce him so he would stay the night with me.  We’d probably have made love in every corner of this office already.

I bit my lip at the thought.  Damn!  How could the mere thought of Ryder arouse… unknown feelings in me?  How could the memory of that night make me want to relive it over and over again?

I stared at my ring again and smiled.  Harry Winston!  Well, it does look like one.  But I know it isn’t.  Though, this ring is a hundred times more beautiful than the ring that I actually got from Bryan.  Ryder has great taste!  I wonder where he found this.  Maybe when I see him again, I can ask him to take me there.

=====  END OF SAMPLE  =======

KNIGHT IN SHINING SUIT available on

www.smashwords.com

and will soon be available as a paperback on

www.amazon.com

Thank you all for your support! 

Xoxo!