Breach of Honor by Naomi Porter
38 Miranda
THE GODDESS JUNO must’ve been laughing at all the nutty brides getting married in June. It was ridiculous how some brides were unyielding once their heart was set on a date. I got it, but I was booked to the max and didn’t have the time to plan yet another auspicious June wedding.
In the last week, I’d gotten well versed in saying no. Thus far, we were booked four years out for June—insanity. As it was, tomorrow kicked off the first of fourteen weddings for the month. Add in several corporate luncheons and a handful of baby showers, and June just might kill me.
“I need four more tablecloths. Where are they?” I hollered at anyone listening. The color palette for this wedding was gorgeous. I was beyond thrilled when Maize, a sweet Asian woman, had loved my suggestion of a warm buttery yellow, gray, and white for her outdoor wedding.
“They’re over here,” a woman replied. I turned and saw the person with an unfamiliar voice—one of the new hires.
“Bring them to me, please.”
We were fortunate to have the first wedding of the summer be a small, intimate one for only seventy-five guests. With several new staff members, I needed to train them in. Thankfully I didn’t need to teach them how to assemble bows today, but I did need to show them how to set the tables and read my layout plans.
I wasn’t looking forward to next weekend’s glamorous reception in a grand ballroom for five hundred guests. It’d be a nightmare. A wedding of that scale might overwhelm the new hires in the first hour, and they could bolt. Heck, I might bolt too.
“After we finish setting up, do you want to get Thai?” Lily asked, carrying two large floral arrangements.
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. Will had come home every night insistent we have dinner together, dance out on the deck, and make love. Honestly, he was wearing me out.
“It’s okay to say no.” Lily chuckled, placing the flowers on a table.
“I was just thinking it over. Yes, let’s get Thai.”
The smile on her face pleased me. Lily had been withdrawn and not herself since Henry’s phone call. All the progress she’d made trying to get over him after he left had been destroyed in less than ten minutes. I needed to be there for her like she’d always been there for me. Will would understand. I was sure he would.
“Cool.” Lily gave me a thumbs-up and darted away.
I looked up at the gray tent and crystal chandeliers hanging from it. Everything looked just as I’d imagined it in my head last spring when we’d booked the date. Maize would cry for sure.
I grabbed my phone off the table and called Will. He’d be leaving work in an hour, and I wanted to let him know sooner rather than later I wouldn’t be home for dinner. Maybe he could grab himself something to eat on the way to the beach house.
“Hello, my beauty.” His silky voice made me tingle.
“Hi, how’s your day been?”
“Typical. How about yours?”
“Oh, Will, you should see the venue. It’s breathtaking.” I sighed, taking it all in.
“Jesus, baby, you sound like you just orgasmed. That good, huh?”
I giggled, the tease. “Yes, that good. I don’t know if it’s the colors or the intimate setting, but this wedding is one of my favorites.”
“Take lots of pictures. I want to see what makes your heart flutter.”
“You make my heart flutter.”
“You have no idea how happy that makes me.” He quieted and then asked, “Is there a reason you called? I mean, you can call me anytime, but you usually don’t when you’re setting up.”
“Right! I totally lost my mind… You do that to me, you know?”
He chuckled into the phone. I loved the deep timbre of his laugh and how it rumbled down my spine.
“Lily asked me to go out for Thai once we’re finished.”
“Oh.”
Dang it, I had a feeling he might be disappointed. “I won’t be out late, and I can bring you something if you want. I think we need some girl time.”
“Sure, have your girl time. Don’t worry about me. I’ll grab a burger. How about I draw you a bubble bath when you get home?”
“That sounds amazing. Join me?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you, handsome.”
“For what? You’re an independent woman, and you make your own decisions.”
“Oh, you’re good… so damn good!”
He laughed again.
“Well, Mr. Charmer, I need to go but I’ll see you around eight. And I’ll be ready for you to wash me.”
A low growl filled my ears, shooting down into my core. “I can’t wait. Love you.”
“Love you too. Bye.”
“You guys make me sick,” Lily grumbled, startling me. “Wash you?” She stuck her finger in her mouth and made a gagging face.
“Why are you eavesdropping on a private conversation?”
“Private? Do you see where you are? This is not a private area. Two of the new hires blushed seconds ago when they overheard you.”
“What?” I saw the two women gabbing. “Oh, shit!”
“Yup, Miss Always Professional, you failed.” Lily snorted. “Did you get permission to have dinner with your bestie?”
“I don’t need permission. I’m an independent woman. I merely called him as a courtesy.”
“Right, you clearly wear the pants in the relationship. Is Will your sex slave? Will he get whipped and tickled with a feather after he washes you?”
My jaw hit the ground. Speechless, I turned and walked away. A broken heart had made Lily a smartass, more than usual. She’d taken to reading reverse harem romance novels along with a little BDSM. The girl had some serious control issues going on inside her pretty blonde head.
That damn Henry.
