Rafael Baumann
"This one better not run as long as Nick's did." I warn as I work on my tie for the rehearsal dinner standing between me and Evelyn. I had one thing on my mind walking into that spa and Evelyn's playful banter and confident sex appeal threw all that out the window.
"Hot date?" My older brother Christian teases working on our younger brother Liam's tie.
Kevin sips a cocktail and smirks over his glass. "You've seen Tara. She's both hot to look at and volatile in temper. I'm sure he has a hot date but doesn't want to reach her combustible state."
I roll my eyes. Tara is...was...my girlfriend for the past two years. She has a reputation in my family...and beyond I guess, of being a bit of a drama queen. We've broken up several times due to different things. This latest split was bad, though.
She never liked my family. We're a lot to handle, but I think she never really gave them a chance. She always thought one of my siblings was out to get her. Like with this wedding. Tara went on a tirade and refused to attend because the resort we're at holds bad memories of a prior relationship of hers, something about the guy cheating on her during what was supposed to be their anniversary trip.
I'm an easy-going guy and realize that has to be a sucky memory, so I told her everyone would understand if she didn't come. Well she didn't accept that. First, she tried to convince my sister Marlee and her fiancé to move the wedding. When they told her that was unreasonable, she blew up and told them neither she or I would be attending then. When I told her that I wasn't missing my sister's wedding, she gave me an ultimatum.
Now, maybe some guys would have dumped her right there, but I was invested in Tara. As a friend, she helped support me during my roughest years of schooling. We grew closer after I graduated and could actually start to enjoy life. For as unhinged as she could become, she was usually quite fun to be around. Charismatic and nearly always the life of the party.
So I tried to make the resort more appealing. I told her we could reinvent the place in her memory and make it about us. Hence, the couple's massage at the spa and a few other surprises. I had pulled out all the stops and promised her that it would be worth her while if she came with me.
And she left me hanging. I was brooding about it because I saw it as the end. She gave me an ultimatum. I may have countered, but she didn't accept. In the end, I would never choose to be with someone who thought they could pull rank over my family. We were done.
So why not let myself have fun with the enigmatic beauty from the spa for the weekend? Tara made her choice and I made mine.
"I can't believe she caved. Maybe you should have been a lawyer, Raf. You're a master negotiator!" Marco, another brother, compliments me.
"I don't know how welcome she's going to be at the festivities after the bullshit she pulled, though. Definitely not tonight. She's proven she isn't ready to be a part of this family. You're meeting her after, right?" Christian mindfully inquires.
I nod. It's just easier to let them all assume that Tara is the one I'm meeting up with later. They'd raze the shit out of me if they knew I picked up some random chick in the spa. Liam, Joel, and Dylan are the playboys of this family.
I fend off anymore inquiries and we go have a lavish dinner dedicated to my sister and the love of her life. Marlee makes the fifth of my siblings to go through with marriage, joining my brothers Nick and Jan and my sisters Lyra and Mona. Christian is divorced from his high school sweetheart and the others are still young enough to not feel pressured that they are expected to follow soon. Not that my parents pressure those of us who are in that segment of life when society tells us we should be married soon or there is something wrong with us. My parents seemed grateful when there was some time to save a little in between.
They themselves were high school sweethearts, marrying young and pumping out kids for the next 20 years. They are awesome role models when it comes to relationships. Real gold standards. Some of us heeded their example, others of us were still finding our way, and still others of us never expected to settle down into marriage.
I watch as my dad gives a toast and Marlee gazes lovingly at her fiancé, Dane, who brushes the happy tears from her cheeks. It is one of those perfectly sentimental moments. My youngest sister Wilma leans into me. "Is that going to be you and Terror one of these days?"
I give her an unimpressed look. Some of my siblings have started referring to Tara as Terror because of her tantrums. She pats my shoulder. "Rumor has it she showed. Are you stupid enough to let her back in again?"
Everyone is raising their glasses so I use the opportunity to down my glass of champagne and stand. "Not likely, but I'm not letting the suite I booked go to waste."
She rolls her eyes and calls after me. "She better not show her overly contoured face tomorrow, Raf. Marlee deserves better."
"Noted." I call back. I glance at my watch. It was a gift from siblings when I graduated dental school. I joked that I might need to pawn it to pay my loans. It is ten until nine. I need to say good night and scoot. That is the problem having a family as large as mine though. It is like bumper to bumper traffic during rush hour. Add alcohol and every interaction is an inconvenient fender-bender.
"Thank you so much for being here, Turtle!" Marlee gushes, using my childhood nickname. She's eight years younger than me and started calling me turtle after the comic book character.
I shake hands with Dane and hug Marlee tightly. "Just in case you hear a rumor, Tara isn't here."
"So who are you meeting?" She narrows her eyes at me.
"I still get a plus one, right?" I tease, winking at her.
She scoffs at me as I move on. Christian, Kevin, and Jan are clustered together. I give a wave. "I'm headed out."
"Who is she?" Christian asks.
"I thought it was Tara." Kevin comments.
"Wait, what? Terror...er...Tara is here?" Jan asks in confusion. He always try to be respectful, but no one is immune to Tara's steep mood shifts.
"He wants us to think so." Christian, always observant, is on to me.
"You all assumed." I evade. "Have a good night, boys."
"Taking a page out of Liam and Joel's playbook?" Kevin guesses.
I shrug and keep walking. Lyra and her husband, Brian, look like they're headed out, their five-year old daughter zonked out in her dad's arms. They are taking to Mom and Dad. I walk up and wrap my arm around Mom's waist, kissing her cheek.
"What was that for?" She smiles at me.
"Giving birth to all of us. Raising us into semi-functional adults." I rattle off the things that she should take pride in.
"What do you want, Rafael?" My dad jokes.
Lyra pats Dad's arm. "Good night. Be good, Rafael."
"Never." I retort, sweeping my hand over my niece's hair and leaving a kiss. She stirs momentarily and then starts snoring again.
"Are you headed out, honey?" My mom asks, running her hand through my hair.
"Mom." I grumble, trying to fix my hair.
My dad sighs and gives me a tight smile. "Is Tara here?"
"No. I'm just meeting up for a drink with someone I met earlier." I confide.
"You sly dog!" Dylan, the barely legal baby of the family, slips into our conversation. "Is she hot?"
"Dylan." Mom scolds. I give Mom a look of appreciation.
"Don't stay up too late entertaining, son." Dad claps me on the back.
Dylan tags along as I try to make my escape. I'm now running late. "Where did you meet her? We were at the pool all day and the pickings were kind of slim."
"I thought you were hooking up with that Cammi girl." I try to distract him.
He shrugs. "Yeah, it's not serious though. I'd like a little vacay romp if I can swing it."
"Well good luck with that." I say, waving to a few more people and cruising for the exit.
"Oh shit. Don't look now, but Terror just entered the ballroom." My head jerks upright in the direction Dylan is staring. I don't know how to feel about Tara suddenly making an appearance. Dylan lets out a squeal of laughter and I know immediately that the little shit is messing with me. "Your face!"
"Fuck off!" I growl at him and give him a shove.
He stops off with Marco, Nick, and Nick's wife, Stacy, and begins loudly taking them about pranking me. I shake my head and bolt for the exit, loosening my tie as I walk. My family. A cast of characters.
As I hit the lobby, which is busy for the hour that it is, I start scanning for Evelyn's honey highlights. I don't even know what she looks like clothed. Those robes don't give away secrets and I only briefly caught sight of her figure under the thin sheet on the massage table. I think she's quite curvy, which will be an upgrade from Tara who is athletic in build. She's a runner, proportionate except for her powerful, thick thighs.
I spot Evelyn, and damn was I right. She is wearing a short black dress that hugs her hips. She's leaning on the bar, a half-finished cocktail glass in her hand as a lerpy dude towers over her. He keeps leaning down to whisper in her ear and I can tell she isn't particularly interested in whatever lines he is trying to bait her with.
I decide to stroll up and see how she plays it so I park myself on the other side of the guy and get the bartender's attention. I lean back on the bar and glance casually past the wall of man meat between us. He's leaning in again and I see her roll her eyes. But then we make eye contact. She purses her lips together and I can tell she isn't happy that I'm twenty minutes late and she got saddled with this guy.
I try to look sympathetic and I mouth "Sorry, I'm late."
She rolls her eyes at me and gestures to the guy who is still yammering in her ear. Time to be a hero. But just then Evelyn whispers something into the guy's ear and he tenses up. He glances at me over his shoulder and gives me a tight smile before he turns back to her, tells her good evening, and high-tails it out of there.
I slide over, looking at the mischievous twinkle in her eyes. It makes me wonder if they will twinkle like that in the dark as she's underneath me. "What did you say to him?"
"I told him when he came over and offered to buy me a drink that I was waiting for someone. He insisted." She starts to tell me, draining the rest of her drink.
The bartender sets mine down and asks if she'd like another. I lift my eyebrow, not quite sure what she's up for though I have my thoughts. She shakes her head at the bartender. I take a sip of the straight up whiskey that I ordered. "You're leaving me to drink alone?"
"I figured we could share." She dares me, reaching out and taking the glass from my hand and pressing it to her lips for a sip. Damn, that is sexy.
"So go on." I gesture to her to continue her story.
"Well, when I noticed you there, I told him my friend had arrived and that he was just your type. I invited him up for a threesome, but told him that I only like to watch." She shares. I stare at this whiskey-stealing, ball-busting woman in front of me.
"Are you hungry?" I blurt out.
"I could always eat." She retorts. "Which restaurant..."
"I was thinking room service. I have a couple of those spa robes and a private jacuzzi. Are you interested?" I offer.
She tosses her head back and laughs. The sound alone makes my heart beat faster, unsure of whether she's about to reject me or what. I notice how beautiful her smile is and focus on that to calm the anxiety I'm experiencing about her possibly saying no.
"Sure, but you have some explaining to do. Let's go." She agrees and I'm both confused and relieved. What does she want me to explain?
We quickly polish off the whiskey. I let her have more since I've been drinking all night. I paced myself, but still. I don't want to do something stupid. I lead her to the elevator and slide my keycard to access the suite floors.
"Impressive. So did your family block out all the suite floors for wedding guests because that's impressive." She starts asking questions.
"I think my sister and her fiancé each have a suite, but everyone else is in a standard block." I answer.
"Hmm, then either you were planning to pick someone up at the wedding or you planned on someone coming with you? Am I close?" She guesses.
There's no point in lying, but I can still be vague. "I had hoped someone would join me."
"To clarify, from home, right? That's why you booked a couple's massage and have the decked-out room." She saw through it all.
I chuckle nervously and rub the back of my neck. "Uh yeah, what is it you do for a living?"
"Engineer. Very detailed oriented." She smirks. I swallow hard. She leans her body into mine and I love the feel of her tits pressed against my arm. Her fingers come up into the back of my hair. "So Raf, now the question I have is why am I here and she isn't?"
I could lie. I could deny. But something about her asking makes me want to tell her. "She chose not to come. She's a bit of a...terror. That's what my family calls her anyway."
Evelyn laughs at my admission. I take the chance to wind my arm around her waist and tug her further into my body. She studies me, her eyes flickering down to my lips before she makes eye contact when I start talking. "And her loss is your gain, if you're interested."
"Why me? Am I the only one who agreed to come to a stranger's suite? I'm pretty sure this is how modern day slasher stories start. We're not going to end up as the subjects of one of those true crime docuseries, are we?" She prodes me for an answer her mouth moving dangerously close to mine without contact.
"Why you? You feel that electricity between us, don't you?" I flip the script on her.
"Yes." She pants, pressing her body into mine harder. I feel absolutely animalistic at the mounting tension between us.
I grab her ass and swing her around against the elevator wall, pinning her there with my leg between her thighs. She shamelessly rubs against it. I reach up and grip the side of her jaw. Her eyes are molten with desire. The elevator chimes with our arrival. I lean in and whisper next to her ear. "Then you know why you're here."
I pull back and tug her along with me to the door of my suite. Suddenly the tables turn and she has me pressed against my door. Her full chest heaves in her low-cut dress. We're both breathless and we've barely touched each other. "One night."
"Fair." I agree. I deftly get the door to open and the momentum carries us into the room.
Little did I know, one night with Evelyn would never be enough.