Just as I finish cleaning up breakfast Saturday morning, I get a text message from Amelia to call her.
“What’s up, Amelia?”
“I can’t get a hold of Maggie. Where is she?” she says frantically.
“She’s here and in the shower. Why?”
“I need to talk to her right now. This is time-sensitive. I’ve got the St. Regis on the other line,” she exclaims.
“Hold on. Maggie!” I yell running into the bathroom. “Maggie!”
“What?” she answers.
“Get out of the shower. Amelia needs to talk to you. She has the St. Regis on the other line.”
“What?!” she shouts. “Holy crap!” She jumps out of the shower and grabs the phone from me as I wrap her in a towel. “Hi, Amelia!”
Following Maggie out to the bedroom, I listen and watch. I pace the room with Sadie on my heels waiting for more information. I should have pressed the button for the speakerphone to know what’s being said.
“Okay, hold on. Emma, can you get my phone and call Henry?”
“Why?”
“I need to know if likes the date,” she explains.
“Maggie, you don’t need to talk to Henry. He told you that any date would be fine. You need to trust your gut and make a decision,” I instruct.
Maggie stares at me blankly for a few seconds. “We’ll take it!” Maggie beams the minute the words come out of her mouth.
“So?” I inspect as she hands me my phone.
“So, we’ve got the St. Regis for the Saturday before my birthday!” she squeals with complete elation. Jumping up and down, Maggie continues with more details. “A celebrity just canceled. The hotel didn’t say why, but we’ve got the entire hotel. It’s going to be only us for the whole weekend!”
My heart settles and tension releases from my body that I didn’t know I had. It’s all coming together. Maggie’s going to have her dream wedding.
“Get dressed and call Henry. I’ll call your Mom and Jared. We’ve got a lot of things to do.”
The timeline for the wedding has just been bumped by approximately a whole month. Maggie and Henry were shooting for late August but now the wedding is set for the end of July, just three days before Maggie’s twenty-fifth birthday. I’m grateful that we’ve got Amelia to help as well as the rest of the family. Everyone is going to need to pull together if it’s all going to happen and happen successfully.
Maggie, Mrs. Li, Nǎinai, Mrs. Wú, Amy, and I drive down to the St. Regis in Dana Point, California to meet up with the head manager of the hotel. Amelia arrives at the same time as the rest of us while Jared and Nathan show up about ten minutes later. Formal introductions, arrangements, and instructions on the variety of services the hotel can provide are the priority of this initial meeting. Maggie, Amelia, and I will be back several times with Henry to determine food and wine selection for the rehearsal dinner and wedding reception along with other meetings for table arrangements and other necessary incidentals. We are given a brief tour before we are provided a complimentary lunch for our small group. As my companions finish eating, I’m able to collect the remaining needed information to complete both the save-the-date announcements and the wedding invitations. I order a proof of each of the few designs that Maggie had chosen which should be ready by Monday.
By the time we leave the hotel, everyone has agreed to their assigned tasks to move the wedding planning forward. Jared and Nathan follow Maggie and me back to my place. As I cook dinner, Maggie fills Nathan and Jared in on all of the details they may have missed, on what needs to be done, as well as checking in with Henry.
Jared and Nathan leave around ten, and after getting changed into my pajamas, I find Maggie asleep in my bed. Not wanting to disturb her, I grab a book and head to the living room.
My phone suddenly vibrates, scaring me enough to cause me to jump a little.
“Heard you ladies got good news today,” streams across the screen as a text message from Joe.
“Yes,” I confirm. “Henry tell you?”
“Yes. You ladies celebrating?” he asks.
“No. Did earlier. Maggie is passed out.”
“What are you doing?”
“Reading. You?”
“Was trying to do the same,” he writes.
“Trying?” I text.
The phone buzzes at me. Joe’s calling.
“Hey,” I greet in a hushed tone.
“Hey, beautiful,” he returns.
“Why were you trying to read?”
“I was distracted…kept thinking of you,” he admits.
“Joe,” I huff.
I secretly enjoy hearing his confession.
“It’s the truth,” he says. “Any chance I can see you before Wednesday?”
“No."
“We do have a bachelor-bachelorette party to plan,” he reminds.
“That can wait until after Saturday.”
“You avoiding me?” he teases.
“Maybe.”
“Mmm,” he hums. “You have an interesting way of engaging in foreplay.”
“This is not foreplay."
We’re definitely flirting, but this is not foreplay.
We sit quietly on the phone for a few moments of relaxed silence. It’s funny how it never feels awkward. I enjoy listening to him breathe on the other end. It makes me think of the second time we shared a bed. The first time was a little stressful, but the second time was thoroughly enjoyable.
“Did you fall asleep on me?” he checks.
“No,” I laugh. I watch Sadie suddenly get up and head to the front door.
“Where are you?” he asks.
“In my apartment…remember?”
“I know that. Where in your apartment?” he whispers.
“Why? Are you trying to have phone sex with me while Maggie’s asleep?”
“No, but we could if you’re up for it,” he chuckles.
It technically wouldn’t be breaking a rule. Why am I even considering the notion?
“I don’t think so.”
Ten seconds later, I hear a strange noise.
“Knock knock,” he whispers.
Sadie starts whimpering.
“What do you mean…” my voice trails as my brain processes the noise and his words. “Where are you?”
“Knock knock,” he repeats.
The noise happens again and Sadie’s whimpering gets louder.
Jumping up, I rush to the door. I look out the peephole to find Joe standing outside. My heart rate increases as a weird mix of emotions run through me.
Instead of opening the door, I question in a loud whisper, “What are you doing here?”
“Wanted to see you…and Sadie.”
Without thinking, I open the door. “Go—”
Joe steps toward me, cups the back of my head, and kisses me. My brain fights to gain control as my arms curl around his neck.
Joe chuckles. “See. I knew you missed me too.”
I bashfully peel myself off of him, but he keeps a firm grip and doesn’t let me go right away. When Joe bends down to pet Sadie, I check to make sure the door is unlocked before I close it behind me.
“What are you doing here?”
“I told you. I wanted to see you.” He sandwiches my body between his and the wall, nuzzling me.
My hands instinctually slide up his arms and I cuddle into him. Joe’s mouth sweeps up my neck towards my ear, shooting exquisite electric shocks throughout my body. Filled with desire, my lips seize his. I reluctantly pull away once I recognize my blatant need and embarrassing actions. He guides my attention back to his face as he gently nudges my cheek with his palm. Before either of us say anything, his mouth is seducing mine. He releases my lips as I try to reconnect, wanting more.
“You can’t be here,” I say.
“No one can see us. No one will know. I promise.” He reassuringly kisses me several times.
“Maggie’s inside."
“She’s asleep,” he reminds. “It’s okay.”
We stay connected and stand in silence for a while as our bodies have their own conversation. Joe caresses my cheek each time our mouths unite.
“What are your rules?” he mumbles.
“Huh? Why?”
“I want to understand them,” he admits.
“Why?”
“You have them for a reason, and I want to understand them. I want to understand you.”
Contention forms in my stomach over telling him. Part of me wants to throw my rules out the window, but at the same time, I need them more than ever. I know that things are changing and that scares me even more.
Considering what to say, I twist his shirt in my fingers. “Umm. It’s complicated. Especially with you. I….”
“Will you tell me?” he requests politely, trying to get me to look at him.
I don’t need to let him know about the internal struggle that I’m having. He just wants me to tell him what they are. It’s not his fault that I’m confused by my wants and desires. I don’t understand them which frightens me.
I suck in a deep breath. “No dates, before or after meeting. Never sleep over at their place after sex. Never let a guy know where I live. Never have a guy back to my place. Always use protection. Never sleep with a guy who I could or do see regularly and always have more than one exit strategy.”
Joe doesn’t say anything for a minute and I start to panic. I can feel my body fidgeting.
“So we’ve broken just a few,” he states matter-of-factly with a hint of consoling.
“You’re not some random guy. You’re a friend of Henry’s. Breaking them was never a consideration with any of Maggie’s ex-boyfriends’ friends,” I blurt.
“Well, at least kissing and snuggling aren’t rules. I’m glad you didn’t add them.”
I can’t believe I told him. What was I thinking?
“I should let you go,” he suggests.
“Okay.”
“See you Wednesday,” he proclaims more than asks.
“Wednesday,” I repeat.
“Goodnight, beautiful,” he says before kissing me.
I kiss him back. “Goodnight, Joe."
Joe walks away backward with a grin on his face until he hits the corner for the elevators. Once he’s out of sight, I sneak back inside without a sound. I grab my vibrator and take care of myself in the office.
Sunday meets Maggie and me with reviewing the proofs for the save-the-date cards. The gold embossed cards with an adorable photo of Maggie and Henry are ordered and expected to be ready by Wednesday morning. We have a lunch meeting with Amelia, which lasts several hours, to choose which of the services the St. Regis offers that Maggie and Henry will be using. As Maggie and Amelia speak with Henry on the phone regarding other arrangements, I check in with Nathan about Jared’s party that is happening in a couple of days. Nathan’s excited to hear that Jared still doesn’t know about the party and that Joe confirmed Jared’s present will be arriving Tuesday.
Early evening and dinner find Maggie, Jared, and me using my iPad to select more items for the wedding gift registry while Henry is on speakerphone. Henry sweetly delegates all decisions to Maggie, but he happily offers his opinion and desires. I keep to myself and only direct them back to the task at hand when their chatting gets too far off-topic. Maggie and Henry talk into the evening as Jared, Sadie, and I curl up on the couch.
In the morning, we wake and take care of business needs right away. After lunch, we then journey with Sadie out to our next round of wedding appointments with Amelia.
Maggie successfully chooses a harpist for the ceremony and decides on a band for the reception. Jared parts ways with us to help Nathan at Nathaniel’s. With Jared gone, Maggie and I stop at the Mondrian Hotel where we’re hosting Jared’s private birthday party up in their famous Skybar. I check in with the management team on any last-minute details that need to be addressed that Nathan couldn’t take care of over the phone. Maggie and I then proceed to the private airport to pick up Henry and make our way to the Li family house in Chinatown for dinner.
Finally alone, I jump on the phone with Nathan making sure that everything is lined up for Jared’s birthday party tomorrow. “As far as I can tell, Jared doesn’t know.”
“Good. I hate to keep Maggie in the dark about the added surprise, but I know she’d slip,” Nathan says.
“I know."
We don’t like keeping secrets from Maggie, but with all of her wedding planning, she can easily get distracted and say something by mistake to Jared.
“Joe’s been a big help,” Nathan says. “Thanks again for footing most of the bill, Kitten.”
“I’m happy to since you’ve been handling most of the arrangements for me on top of being so busy with Nathaniel’s. There’s no way I’d be able to plan it with the wedding and Maggie’s and your birthdays coming up.”
“Did Joe say if Jimmy and Allen are going to make it?”
“They were ninety percent sure last time I talked to Joe, but I’ll double-check since I’ve got to call him anyway about the gift. I’ll text you.”
“Great. I’ve got to go. I need to finish a few things before Jared gets here,” he says.
“Sure. See you tomorrow, babe.”
“Love you,” Nathan declares.
“Love you too.”
Not wanting to call or text Joe right away, and avoid any chance of him trying to come over, I wait to contact him. Twenty minutes into my relaxing bath, my phone chirps.
“Hey, beautiful,” Joe writes.
I dry off my hands and pick up the phone to respond. “Hey.”
“Jimmy and Allen just arrived.”
“Awesome.”
“What are you up to?”
With a grin, I admit the truth, “In the tub.”
There’s no way he’s coming over if Jimmy and Allen are with him and a girl can have a little fun.
“Mm,” he texts. “I’d be there in less than five minutes if my brother wasn’t here.”
“What makes you think I’d open the door?”
“Don’t know. But, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t beg to be let in,” he writes. “How did your day go?”
“Good. Got a lot more filming done. Maggie and Henry have a photographer and videographer. How was your day?”
“Long, but good. Would have been better if you were around. Who’d they get?”
“Hired my film crew. How’s the birthday gift?”
“Good. You sure Jared’s going to like it?”
“If not, he’ll hate me for a while,” I text.
“I don’t think he’ll hate you.”
“Thanks.”
“Want to sneak over to cuddle?”
Laughing, I write back, “No.”
“Please,” he begs.
“Use your pillow.”
“I am. It’s not the same, especially when it doesn’t smell or feel like you,” he writes. “When can I see you again?”
“You’re going to see me tomorrow,” I remind.
“Not like that,” he texts.
“Like how?”
“Just you and me. Alone. Snuggling.”
“Not sure,” I answer.
I want to see him sooner than later, but I’m getting nervous. I’m not sure where things are going with him. I like the flirting. It’s fun. However, I do know that I’m tempted to break more of my rules.
“Why?” he asks.
“Because.”
“Because?”
I don’t write back.
“Tomorrow, then,” he writes.
“Tomorrow.”
“I’ll pick you up at three.”
“Sounds good.”
“Goodnight, beautiful.”
“Goodnight, Joe.”