Romantic Erotica, Cheating Fiance, March Madness Challenge, Short Story
Bridesmaid walks into a Bar
When her fiance cheats, can she find comfort in an unexpected place…
Tessa wasn’t sure if she was more angry or hurt. One thing she did know, she could not stay in that wedding reception a moment longer with a fake smile hurting her cheeks.
Walking rapidly down the hotel hallway away from the ballroom, one hand flexed in and out of a fist while the other held her small purse in a vise-like grip. If she had been calm enough to think about it, Tessa would have been surprised beads were not popping off the surface from how tightly her fingers curled over the cloth. But then, if she were calm, she would not be taking her anger out on the small bag and its contents.
Stepping out a hotel door onto a side street, she saw a quiet bar across the road. With nowhere else in mind, Tessa headed there. Storming in, she slapped her mangled, beaded bag onto the bar top and climbed onto a stool. The bartender seemed to know enough to serve the requested drink to a woman in a hideous bridesmaid dress and quickly disappear to the far end of the bar.
Halfway through the drink, Tessa’s shoulders relaxed, and she lost her hold on the anger that had driven her, leaving her only the pain and hurt that had been simmering below the surface for the last few weeks. Tessa toed off her stilettos, pushed her unfinished drink away, and slumped back in her chair. The last thing she needed today was to get drunk and give her extended family more reasons to gossip about her.
The bartender kept glancing at her from across the room as if afraid of what she might do. She gave him an apologetic smile to let him know his life was no longer in danger. In a part of her brain not overwhelmed by the emotions of the day, Tessa noticed that his white t-shirt clung to a muscular body that, at another time, she would have found attractive. Suddenly, tired from pretending that everything was fine, Tessa put her head over her folded arms on the bar and closed her eyes.
“Are you all right? Can I get you something?”
Sitting up, she almost told the bartender she was fine, just as she had lied to everyone at the wedding today. But when she looked into his dark brown eyes, she saw concern there and hesitated.
He put a comforting hand on hers. “I’m a good listener if you need to talk.” Waving his free hand at the empty room, he continued, “As you can see, it’s just the two of us here.”
His thumb rubbed lazy circles on the sensitive skin between her thumb and forefinger. Leaning an elbow on the bar so that his face was only a few inches away from hers, he said, “Come on. You can tell old Cary anything.”
“Cary, that’s a nice name. Mine’s Tessa,” she said. And just that easy, the words came tumbling out of her.
“I was just a bridesmaid at what should have been my wedding.” Her voice broke slightly on the last word. Feeling her bottom lip quiver, Tessa bit down on it.
Cary asked, “You mean you wished the guy had proposed to you instead.”
“No. He did propose to me. I planned the whole wedding.”
Lifting a quizzical eyebrow and tilting his head, he asked, “Then shouldn’t you be in a white gown instead of that peach dress?”
Tessa gave a sarcastic snort of a laugh. “Yeah, this peach color looked much better on my cousin Daphne. But when she announced she was having my fiance’s baby, both families felt it was for the best that she and I switch dresses and continue with the wedding as planned. So much less messy socially to just swap out the bride.”
He looked confused and asked, “You went along with that?”
“No,” Tessa shouted in anger. Then the righteous fire deserted her and left her body limp. She said in a defeated voice, “Not at first.”
Looking into his eyes, hoping to see understanding, she explained. “At the beginning, I pointed out that I was the injured party. I would not play a bridesmaid at my own wedding, and that I was going away until it was all over. But social standing and perception are more important to my family than anything. I had been about to marry the jerk because I thought I loved him. My family saw our engagement as a badge of honor for them socially.”
Cary reached out a hand to cup her cheek and said, “They did not want the social stigma of a canceled wedding.”
She nodded, unable to say out loud that they had chosen appearances over her happiness. Cary’s thumb caressed her cheek, and his other hand grazed her bare arm, sending shivers down her spine. His comfort was the first she felt since the whole fiasco started. Tessa’s heart beat faster as she absorbed the sympathy he offered.
Gathering strength from his support, she continued to tell all the gory details. “It was bad enough that I was expected to keep quiet about why we broke up. But my family wanted me to stand up at the wedding as if I was happy about all of it. Everyone kept telling me how selfish I was until I began to doubt myself. But I could not give a happy speech at the reception.”
Tugging on her hand, Cary pulled Tessa off her chair. She padded on bare feet as he led her around to stand in front of him on the back side of the bar. Wrapping comforting arms around her, he pulled her in to rest her head on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead, her ear, her cheek.
Tessa breathed in the scent of Old Spice and beer and felt herself relax against him. Taking a step closer, she pressed her body against his and felt an erection bulge against her stomach while Cary’s hands caressed in ever lower circles down her back. After so many agonizing weeks of feeling unlovable, her mind erupted with joy. Cary found her attractive!
She breathed in his scent again and used her tongue to taste the side of his neck. Cary’s mouth captured hers. His tongue explored the contours of her lips and demanded entrance. Feeling her clit come alive for the first time in ages, Tessa invited him in and wiggled against his manhood in another invitation.
He quickly accepted both suggestions. Scrunching up the satin skirt of her dress until he reached her panties, he tore the delicate lace from her body. His finger played her clit as if it was a violin, and he was a master musician. Tessa danced to the music he played, her body winding tighter, and her breath bursting from her in short pants.
“I need you inside me, please,” Tessa begged as her fingers fumbled with his belt buckle.
Taking over the task that her fingers were shaking too much to finish, Cary dropped his pants, then lifted her, and sat her on the edge of the workstation. He slid in as she wrapped her legs around him.
Tessa had never come so fast or so hard. On the saddest day of her life, Cary had made her feel wanted. For the rest of her life, Tessa would always smile fondly when she smelled beer or Old Spice.
