“I got a date to the wedding!” Alan announced excitedly as soon as he sat down for lunch, cheeseburger in hand.
“Who?” Jane asked, more than happy that Alan had finally found somebody.
Alan arched a well-maintained eyebrow and licked his lips for emphasis before answering, “His name is Skylar McClains. Tobias was actually the one to introduce us.” At her confused look, he explained, “You see, Skylar also works construction but on a different crew. They used to work on the same one together when they had to do road construction. Anyways, Tobias just gave me Skylar's number about a week ago, and we hit it off.” Alan directed his gaze over to Karen. “Is there still room on that big plane of yours?”
“There's two planes, Alan. We definitely have enough room. The best part is you don't even have to pay! My mother-in-law is actually kind of nice.”
“So...Tobias is coming?” Karen asked her for what felt like the hundredth time that week.
She turned to her friend who had an impish glint to her eyes, just like the rest of her co-workers at the table who were listening intently. “Karen, what have I told you before?”
“He's coming to the wedding. Separate rooms?”
Jane remembered two nights ago when they had slept together, just sleeping as he held her in his caring arms. She honestly hadn't thought it through when she had woken up to Tobias shaking her awake. His eyes had been wide with panic and concern, and she had just about kicked herself for not remembering to take her medication.
Even though the meds didn't keep the nightmares away, they kept her from squirming and flailing around in bed like a crazed woman. The pills made sure that while she was screaming and crying in her head, she wasn't doing anything physically. If only she had just been awake enough to actually remember that, but Tobias's bed and his company had just been so tempting.
“No." She shook her head, smiling to herself as she thought about all the fun activities in bed that were to be had. "Same room. Will that be okay with our lovely bride?”
“Of course.” Karen smiled devilishly.
They continued discussing all of the details of the upcoming wedding. From the one article of pink clothing that was to be worn to how the food will be served, they covered it all. Every, single one of their co-workers was invited, even Sara. Jane didn't have a problem with it, just as long as she didn't have to come in contact with her and Keith trying to find out how far they can jam their tongues down each other's throats. She had seen it one too many times.
After work was finished, Jane walked over to where Karen was typing in the very last of the information to be processed for the week. They weren't going to see each other for two, whole weeks: Alex and Karen were going on a fifteen day honeymoon in Fiji, one of the most reputable honeymoon destinations of all time.
On the way out to the super heated parking lot, they laid out the plans for that night and the morning. The plane would be landing at around four in the morning in Miami, Florida, where they would then take another couple of limos to The Anglers' Boutique Resort, the place where the reception would be and where guests were being paid for to stay.
After Jane got back home, she changed into her favorite pair of jeans and a loose, yellow t-shirt that advertised the fundraiser race she had ran in this past summer. Making sure that she had her bottle of medication, she put the orange bottle into a compartment of her string-drawn bag, – she hated purses with a passion – and packed a few other necessities for such a long flight; such as, earphones for her phone that contained music, a couple of her favorite thriller books, and a pack of spearmint gum.
Tobias rang the doorbell a few minutes later. Hooking her duffel bag and string-drawn bag over her shoulders, she grabbed her house keys and answered the door. He stood there standing there, wearing very faded jeans and a black t-shirt that once again showed his incredible physique.
“You got everything? Here, I'll take your bags," he said a moment later after she finished locking the front door.
“That's alright; I got it. It's a ten hour flight, so I brought along along all of the necessities.”
He opened up the truck door for her, and she gladly hopped in, throwing all of her stuff into the backseat where his large duffel bag was resting. “Necessities?” he asked after getting in, an amused tone in his voice.
“Well yeah. I brought along gum, certain technology, and three books. Obviously.” Jane laughed as she saw he had All Quiet on the Western Front with a bookmark digging into its spine on the dashboard, looking a little worn for wear. “What's that one about?”
“The author actually fought in the Great War in 1916. His teacher and friends persuaded him to join. It's a very good book, just has a lot of pages that I haven't even come close to finishing yet. Let me guess, you brought Stephen King?”
“Definitely, and I brought Peter Straub. Oh,” she interrupted, “turn right on Niman Street.” She pointed to that very street and saw Karen and Alex's home.
As a high-class doctor, Alex made good money, and he invested it in their house. Sand stone brick covered every inch of the two story home. Large, dust free windows were placed everywhere, outlined by white shutters. She knew from the times when they hosted parties that there was a balcony in the back made out of white, glossed wood, where people could jump off its smooth surface and into the cooling depths of the twelve-foot deep pool.
More, clean sandstone brick was the well-manicured walkway that led up to the clean, glass double doors. The garden was well-maintained. It had tulips, lilies, and marigolds that boasted almost all of the different colors of the rainbow. There was even a fountain in the front with water being sprayed out from the bronze elephant's trunk.
“Wow, their house is amazing.” Tobias's eyes were wide as he helped her out of the truck and swung his duffel bag over his broad chest, book in hand.
He made a move to grab her things but not before she jumped in front of him and reached over to grab her bags. Bags placed comfortably over her shoulder, she turned around, immediately being crushed to his hard torso.
“I don't know, Jane. This is the first time I've seen you all day, and I drove here without getting lost. I think I should get at least one kiss in before the flight.”
He cupped her face in his calloused palms, lowering his head down just enough so that she could say no if she wanted to. Why she would ever want to say no to one of his touches, she had no idea. Standing up straighter, she hooked her fingers onto his belt loops, dragging him closer until she was leaning back against the high rise of the truck seats.
Without even breaking the kiss, he untangled his duffel bag from his shoulder until it fell to the street's pavement with a thud. He pushed her back even further until he was leaning over her with his hands pressed against the material of the back seats, right above her shoulders. She still held onto the belt loops, arching her back slightly so that their hips were digging into one another's.
Each rough swipe of his tongue had her head spinning. With one last, tantalizing lick, he broke away, grinning as his grey-blue eyes practically twinkled in the afternoon sun. Unhooking her fingers from the loops, she stood up straighter and touched her lips lightly to make sure that they weren't swollen. She wasn't surprised that they were a little sore, hopefully nobody would be paying any special attention.
After he locked the truck and picked up his duffel bag again, he linked his hand with hers. It was good to see that his limp was almost non-existent, she thought. She noticed that he walked a little slower than she, and she hoped that it wasn't because he was intimidated by meeting Alex. He had no reason to be.
“Hi, Jane.” Alex answered the door, smiling warmly at her. At thirty-one, Alex had made a good name for himself at the Memorial Emergency Room. He had blonde hair and brown eyes that showed his love and affection for Karen whom he had met in college and she had met in high school. He wasn't as tall or as built as Tobias, but he had an air about him that suggested power and and confidence.
Alex looked to Tobias with kind, brown eyes. "And you must be Tobias.”
“Yeah, it's nice to meet you. You're Alex?” Tobias extended a hand out to the man, and Alex looked more than happy to reciprocate the gesture.
“Yes. Come on in. Almost everybody's here, and the limo should be here in less than five minutes.” Their host opened up the door and led them into the living room where Alan was flipping the television channels back and forth, laying on the white, leather couch. By the way Alan was leaning back into the crook of his shoulder, she assumed that the tall, skinny man with blonde hair sitting next to him was Skylar. They look good together, she thought.
The halls were painted a warm glow of honey that went well with the white picture frames hanging all over the room. The main, basic theme to the house was white and sandstone honey. It was simply beautiful and elegant.
Almost all of their fellow co-workers, Ruth, Sara, Sherri, Thomas, Lee, and much more had brought along their dates to go to the wedding. She could hear a lot more people, including Karen's parents, talking in the kitchen. People everywhere were walking up and down the stairs, probably wanting to see the rest of the house. A little more than five-hundred people, upon the request of Mrs. Mastile, had been invited. It was going to be one, large reception.
“Hey, kid.” Skylar looked up at Tobias, playing with Alan's grey shirt absentmindedly.
Tobias chuckled and walking over to the couch, smacked the older man on the shoulder, taunting, “At least I can still do all the roof work. I heard you have to stay on the road 'cause of your arthritis. Besides, I might get promoted to site manager in a few weeks.”
Glad that Tobias was getting in comfortably, she went in search of Karen, only to be stopped by her friend's parents. “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Koten.”
“Jane,” Karen's mother playfully scolded, “my name is Julie, and he,” -Julie pointed to her husband- “is Malachi. Remember?”
“Yes, Julie. I do remember. I just haven't seen you in such a long time.” She hugged the man and woman who had always been there for every one of her and Karen's cross country race, basketball and softball game. Her aunt and uncle had usually stayed home because they didn't like being around crowds.
They caught up with each other for a few minutes before the door bell was rung. Karen and Alex ran down the steps a few minutes later, bringing with them a crowd of even more wedding guests.
“Get all your stuff!” Karen shouted, alerting everybody of the departure that was soon to come. “We're leaving!”
Jane found Tobias a few moments later. He was carrying all of her stuff, not even looking winded as he walked with the overstuffed bags. She wound her hand in his, and they waited until all of the stuff was put into the trunks to go in the limo. Sitting in front of Alan and Skylar and behind of some people that they didn't know, they waited quietly.
She had never been in a limo before and took time to look at it. The seats were made of very fine, black leather that she could imagine sitting in for the rest of her life with not even a complaint. Above them was a very technologically advanced air conditioning system in which the vents sprayed out cold air. The sun didn't even invade the space, for the windows were tinted well enough that the passenger could see out, but others were incapable of peering in.
Unlike the limos that had been so often showcased in movies, this one did not have any of those overly done accommodations like built-in hot tubs or a countless number of mini televisions strategically placed everywhere. Instead, there was just long rows of seating that could easily fit three people.
While admiring the unique patterning of the plush leather, she saw Tobias's fingers playing intently with the material as if he had just found the key to the universe. Smiling, she fiddled around with his fingers as he followed the patterns.
The door to the left of Tobias opened up, revealing a red headed man that she didn't know. “Is there any chance that I could sit here?”
“Sure.” Tobias moved over until his thigh was pressed to hers, giving the slight man more than enough room to fit.
“Thank you,” the man said. “I'm Roland Michaels. It's nice to meet you.”
They all introduced themselves to one another before settling into a comfortable silence with soft music that she couldn't identify in the background. Tobias grabbed her hand as he made small talk with Roland. She learned that Roland was one of the nurses for Alex and that he was married to a lovely woman named Megan who had to go sit in the other limo.
Jane watched as the limo passed a countless number of cards, no doubt going way over the speed limit. The long strip of concrete became a grey, dull blur with white and yellow stripes, causing her to become practically entranced until they finally pulled to a stop. The two hour drive had felt like nothing with Tobias's warm body against hers.
She was shocked as she saw the massive jet calmly idling there. With glassy, white paint over it and black tipped wings, it was very sleek and much larger than she thought it was supposed to be. They boarded the plane, and she was struck again by the sheer beauty of what wealth can buy.
Rows upon rows of red seats were in the plane. The seats were paired in twos and were separated by an aisle where another two seats could be found. The windows were larger than the commercial planes she had seen before, and the floors were made of immaculate white carpeting.
Taking their designated seats, she pulled out her Stephen King book, The Gunslinger, and prepared for take off. A few security personnel came in and checked the overhead racks. After they finished, the pilot announced to buckle up their seat belts over the intercom. With a rush, they were up in the air.
The stewardesses came by, offering warmed nuts, different brands of sodas and alcohol, and ice cream. They both wore confused expressions at the mention of warmed nuts. This was a whole, different level of wealth.
The stewardess calmly explained, and then told the rest of the passenger that the meals would be served in an hour. They had the choice of ordering marinated pork steak with green beans, black forest ham and chicken salad with breadsticks, or a venison stew prepared with glazed carrots and buttered bread.
She ordered the salad; it would most likely be the least messy of all the menu items. The movie would be played shortly after the meal was served. She thought she heard that the movie was going to be Forrest Gump, but she wasn't too sure.
After the hostesses served the steaming platters of food, the plane was filled with only the sounds of metal utensils hitting the ceramic materials of their dinner plates. She munched on the juicy, well-seasoned, grilled chicken, watching Forrest Gump on the televisions up above. After finishing the decadent meal that sounded so simple yet was delicious, she handed her platter over to the stewardess who also took Tobias's empty one. He had gotten the pork steak.
“Gum?” She offered him, holding out the package of spearmint.
“That is the one thing that I forgot. Thanks." He took out a piece, popping the thin, green stick into his mouth.
It shocked her that just about twenty-four hours ago, she had been writhing in pleasure under his touch and now they were acting so normal. He was reading his war book, while she was reading her horror piece. If they were alone, she was sure that things would have gotten steamy very quickly. He just had a way that had her laughing one moment and then wanting him with a fierce desire the next.
“Jane,” Tobias whispered in her ear, pressing a button on her seat, “watch this.”
In the next instant, she was down at his level where he was leaning back in a very comfortable position. He put back the armrest and scooted closer to her until her head was comfortably positioned on his chest, her arm draping over his waist. His chin was resting against the top of her head, and he wrapped himself around her side so that his hand could be placed at her waist.
“Isn't this awesome!” he practically squealed, his tone resembling that of a little kid at a candy store. It simply amazed her how excited he got over the smallest things.
“Yes! And there's so much room! Ah,” she yawned into his chest, inhaling his unique scent. "What time is it?”
He checked his phone. “Quarter after ten. Are you cold?”
“Kind of," she replied and then reached down into her bag quickly while he was digging around in the overhead compartments, looking for her medication so she wouldn't disturb him. Popping the circular, white pill in her mouth, she swallowed it easily and waited for Tobias to come back down. His shoulder made the best pillow.
A few moments later, he had a large, red blanket the same shade as the seats in his hand. He leaned back again, placing the blanket over them until they were both comfortably settled. They were in their own, little world. Most of everybody else had already fallen asleep, for the lights had been dimmed awhile ago.
With another yawn, she closed her eyes, letting sleep over take her.
***
She woke up sometime later, still feeling tired. The nightmare had not been as intense this time. She had seen that same, haunting image again, but she hadn't woken up all clammy with sweat. She was surprised that the stop to Sioux Falls hadn't woken her. Looking over she saw that Tobias's cheek was pressed against hers, and he was snoring quietly; his breath fresh from the spearmint gum that still must have been in his mouth.
In sleep, his face didn't look nearly as rough as it usually did. Not that she didn't love the roughness of him, because she did. But now, he looked almost fragile. She simply couldn't believe that this big, strong man she had been spending so much time with could even look close to being fragile.
Tracing his smooth lips with the tip of her finger, she marveled in their softness and his sheer male beauty. Those lips. Sometimes she couldn't believe what came out of them, but most times, she admired what he said, for it was almost always something full of knowledge and good humor. Next, she touched his chin, interested in the little scars she found there.
That reminded her of his tattoo she had seen last night. It was written in bold, black ink in all capital letters. There wasn't anything fancy about that tattoo. It was done in blocky letters, instead of in fancy cursive. It was just like Thrane's, except Thrane's tattoo covered his entire left arm.
Moving back lightly, she noticed a large scar that left an indent just at the beginning of his hairline. She didn't know she hadn't noticed it before, for it was there in stark contrast against his dark, brown hair. From what she could see of it so far, it must have been very deep.
A large, tan hand grasped hers a second later. “What are you doing?” Tobias whispered, his warm breath once again assailing her senses until her mind was spinning.
“Looking at you,” she replied simply and tugged his exposed ear lobe for emphasis.
He moved the pads of his fingertips over her cheekbones. “Well, you look like you have some questions. Ask away. We have some time.”
“Okay,” she breathed, touching the scar located on his hairline. "Where is this one from?”
He reached up, touching that exact same spot and then answered, “I think I was eight at the time. I'm not sure. I had to go nail a shoe back on my horse, Trigger. My dad had told me to wait for him in the barn, but I didn't. Like I said, I was like eight. Usually Titus just did it for me, but I thought I could do it by myself. Trigger freaked the hell out, and a rough spot on his bare hoof caught me.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah, I thought that was the day I died. I didn't know that head wounds bled worse, so I was screaming and crying and saying that I was going to die. The doctors stapled my head and told me I was going to be alright.” He pulled down the collar of her shirt just enough to reveal her collarbone. “What about this one right here?”
She knew what was there, a pink scar right on her bone from an incident that had happened when she was six, back when her parents had still been alive. “Oh,” she started off, relieved that her voice didn't reveal any of the emotion waiting within her, “it was my first time trying to ride my bike without training wheels. I remember strapping on my Cinderella helmet and hopping onto my Cinderella bike. My parents were gone. They had been practicing with me that day, and I thought I could do it all by myself. The babysitter was in the house, talking on the phone. I hopped on. It went good for about three seconds before I crashed into a telephone pole. I broke my collarbone, and the bone pierced through my skin.”
“Christ, that must have hurt." Smiling, he rolled up his right shirt sleeve to reveal a long, angry mark that she had noticed before but had forgotten to ask about. “You've got nothing on this one...”
For the next hour or so, they exchanged childhood stories until the pilot announced that the plane was about to land. It was exactly 3:55 AM; the sun not even risen yet. Moving the seats back into their original angles, they calmly awaited as the jet slowly descended onto the runway. There wasn't even a lurch as the captain announced that they had fully stopped, only decreasing so smoothly it was almost as if they had been stopped the entire time.
As they boarded off the plane, four white limos came around the corner. The limo drivers got out quickly and held open all of the doors for them all. The interior was the exact same as the first limo they had been driven around in, and she once again reveled in the beauty of it all.
She had no idea who the people behind and in front of her were, only knowing that they were not from Colorado; their accents were completely different. They all introduced themselves, but none of the names really stuck with her. It was four in the morning, so let herself off a little easily.
Miami was beautiful, she thought. The sun was rising, highlighting all of the palm trees that lined the busy road they were traveling on. Some of the bridges that they crossed were still lit up, making her marvel at how colors so bright could be captured as simply as that. The sidewalks were empty, spare for a few people just milling about.
She still couldn't get over all of the skyscrapers that were standing over them. They all made her feel like a tiny ant in comparison. Eventually, they reached The Angler's Boutique Resort. It was really just a large square with exquisite embellishings placed upon it. Clean white just like Karen and Alex's house, it boasted no stains, only cleanliness that spoke of a certain wealth.
Already, there were a few workers dressed in all white who were transporting dining tables and chairs to a private area outside. She guessed that was where the wedding was going to take place, and she was glad. The sky was free of clouds and spoke of no ill weather to come. If everything went as planned, the ceremony would be held outside at five o'clock and the reception at seven.
Right in front of the Resort, the limo stopped. After opening all of the doors for everyone, the driver began removing all of their bags from the trunk, waiting for them to take their things. They both hooked their duffel bags over their backs and waited to be escorted to their room. The hotel manager gave them a sheet with their name on it.
They were in room 216 on the second floor. It didn't give any specific details of the room, but she was so excited to see what room they would get to stay in. After finding Skylar, Alan, and some of the other people they knew, they entered the Resort.
Even the receptionist's desk was beautiful, she thought. Stepping on the freshly waxed, marble floors felt like a sin as they progressed to the stairs. The walls were even made of marble and had gold accented metals everywhere. Couches made of fine, striped materials were placed everywhere, so that you could sit down at literally any time you wished. The place even smelled of elegance.
The stairs had gold leaf painted hand railings, and their walls had windows strategically placed alongside for a better view of the beach, Miami Beach, which was equally as incredible. The sand was white and pure, the water so blue that you could practically see all the way to its murky depths. This really was paradise, she thought for what felt like the hundredth time.
“This is it,” Tobias interrupted her daydreaming and slid the key card into the slot. “Would you do me the honor of walking in first?”
“Sure." She rushed into the room and immediately jumped into the king-sized bed. “This is amazing," she practically groaned into the luxurious, gold satin quilt.
He landed on top of her with a grunt and captured her in his arms, rolling over so that she was laying on top of his chest. She felt him stroke the top of her head soothingly as his heart beat thudded reassuringly against her ear. She couldn't help but yawn against him and was about to close her eyes when he lifted them both up suddenly.
“Let's not sleep in jeans," Tobias stated and quickly shucked off his shirt and jeans, leaving him in his gray boxers that revealed his semi-arousal. “Here, I'll help you." He crawled onto the bed next to her and began removing article after article of clothing until she was left in only her black camisole and red, cotton panties that rode low on her hips.
“That's better,” he murmured against her ear and then pulled back the surprisingly light weight blanket, so they could be enveloped in softness.
She thanked him and, even though all she wanted to do was make love with this sweet man, she closed her eyes and went back to sleep. She didn't even get to take in the rest of their room.