Claimed Harder by Em Brown
Chapter 25
BRIDGET
Past
“It’s okay, you can say it,” I tell Cheryl, who has stopped by the villa to help me dress while Darren, already dressed in his Stefano Ricci tux with satin peak lapels, sits on an armchair outside.
Earlier, Cheryl had booked an appointment in the beauty salon to have my hair and makeup done, and maybe she thought I wouldn’t know how to put on the strapless peplum gown with a sweetheart neckline.
“Darren’s like a ten out of ten, and I’m lucky to hit a seven,” I say. Given what a big deal Darren made of my ugly sweater the first time we met, he hasn’t actually denigrated my clothing choices since then.
That a guy who is as well-groomed and attired as Darren is hanging out with someone like me shows he looks beyond the superficial. But will it last?
“You look beautiful,” Cheryl says as she zips up my gown.
“Thank you. It’s all due to you. You have great taste in clothes. This dress is amazing.”
She smiles and picks up a gauze-like scarf, which she wraps around my upper arms—making it look like the gown comes with off-shoulder sleeves—and ties at my back.
“You’re the one wearing it,” she says.
“Do you have to dress up all his girlfriends?” I joke.
She shakes her head. Probably because they don’t need help in this department like I do. It’s not that I don’t like nice fashion, but I do like my comfort when it comes to clothing. BDSM is another story. I’m surprised I can tolerate it so far, but the more hardcore stuff might be another story.
Cheryl removes a velvet box from a paper bag, saying, “Darren said you wouldn’t accept jewelry, so I’ll let you borrow mine.”
She opens the box and shows me a necklace of black and white diamonds with dangling earrings to match.
My mouth drops. “I can’t wear those! I couldn’t take it if something were to happen to them”
“You have to,” she replies. “Darren said my year-end bonus depends on you looking your best.”
“This is too much,” I murmur, but I take the jewels and put them on.
“Now you’re ready,” Cheryl pronounces.
I look at her with gratitude. “Thank you. I’m sure you went above and beyond your job description as club manager.”
“I do a lot of things for Darren besides managing his club. Now, go show Darren.”
Letting out a breath, I walk out onto the veranda where Darren is sitting. He looks up and doesn’t say anything at first. I worry that maybe one of the earrings fell off or that the lady in the beauty salon overdid the makeup.
Darren rises slowly, still silent.
“Is my lipstick smudged?” I wonder, and open my clutch to find a mirror.
He puts his hand over mine and leans in to say in my ear. “You look stunning.”
I blush. Okay, I get the desire to dress up all the time, especially if one can get this kind of reaction.
“You, too,” I return. “Did you really make Cheryl’s bonus contingent on me wearing her jewelry?”
“No, I didn’t” he says. He looks to Cheryl, who has been standing to the side. “Clever.”
I gawk over at Cheryl. She tricked me?
“We better get going. We don’t want to be late.”
When we arrive where other wedding guests have congregated, waiting to be seated, I can’t help but take some satisfaction in the surprised looks on the faces of Yu-Jin and Moon.
“You make a lovely couple,” says Mr. Liao as he greets me and Darren.
Amy hurries over and tugs me away. “OMG, Bridget! You look gorgeous! You are so lucky that you got a new wardrobe with this trip. Darren must be seriously into you.”
“I wish he hadn’t, to be honest.”
“Why?!”
“It makes me feel, I don’t know, like his plaything, this doll that he dresses up so he doesn’t have to be embarrassed by me.”
“I wouldn’t mind if JD dressed me up.”
“He doesn’t have to. You always look amazing.”
“You think so? I actually wish I had brought a different dress, something a little sexier, like what she’s wearing.”
I look over at a pretty young woman who looks eighteen, smiling and laughing with some other wedding guests.
“She was totally flirting with JD last night at the club,” Amy tells me. “I went to the ladies’ room and when I came back, she and JD were laughing together.”
I can tell Amy is concerned. I want to assure her it was probably nothing, but what if it wasn’t?
“Do you know anything about her?” I ask.
“Just that she goes to Cornell,” Amy says.
“Then she’ll be out of sight soon enough.”
“I guess. Are you sure you don’t want to stay longer than a week?”
I would love to see more of Phuket. Earlier in the day, Darren and I went canoeing and snorkeling. But I don’t want to overstay my welcome. Nor do I want to witness more of Elaine or Yu-Jin hitting on Darren.
“I’d like to,” I reply, “but I already feel guilty taking a week off.”
“Oh, they’re seating the guests now. I’ve got to be up front with JD.”
Amy leaves me. I look for Darren and see that Yu-Jin is talking to him. He manages to disengage himself from her, only to wind up being accosted by Elaine a few steps later. I’m not thrilled to see it, but I manage to shake my head and laugh. The trials and tribulations of being attractive.
“What’s so amusing?” asks Sharon as she stands beside me.
“Your son,” I answer. “He can’t make it ten feet without a woman accosting him.”
Sharon follows my line of sight and frowns. “And you’re okay with this?”
“I don’t think it’s my choice. I just gotta trust he’ll do the right thing.”
“And you trust him?”
I think for a moment. “So far, yes. And if I turn out to be wrong, then I’d rather know sooner than later.”
“That’s very practical.”
“If I was going to get jealous over every woman who flirts with your son, I think I’d be exhausted.”
We watch Elaine put a hand on Darren’s arm.
“If she weren’t JD’s aunt…” Sharon murmurs.
“Do you want to rescue him or should I?” I ask.
“You do it. I’ll come in as backup if needed.”
I walk over to Darren and loop my arm around his. Elaine doesn’t look pleased to see me.
“Come on, bae,” I say to Darren, “they’re seating the guests now, and your mom is waiting for us.”
He raises his brow at my use of “bae.” I pull him away from Elaine and over to Sharon, who gives me a quick smile. We find seats in the third row.
The ceremony, held under a canopy of shimmering gauze accented with bouquets of orchids and Siamese tulips, is breathtakingly beautiful. The bride looks stunning in a hip-hugging gown with a mermaid flare. At the end, over a dozen doves are released. I’ve only been to one wedding that I can remember, the marriage of Aunt Coretta’s eldest. It took place at a local Baptist church in Oakland, and the reception was held in a town hall. Although it wasn’t as fancy as the present wedding, it had heart and joy.
A separate reception area lit by torches and open fire pits has been set up on the beach as well. A five-course dinner is followed by dancing and live music. I sit at a table with Mr. Liao, Cheryl, JD, Amy, Sharon, Darren, and, thankfully, no Elaine or Yu-Jin. I get the chance to chat a little more with Sharon, whose polite aloofness seems to have warmed a little toward me.
A live band plays after dinner and takes a break when the wedding cake, a jaw-dropping spectacle of Swarovski crystals and gold dusting, is brought out. Per Chinese tradition, the bride is on her third outfit for the reception, a sexy golden qipao with slits on both sides.
“If I marry JD, I would want a wedding like this,” Amy whispers to me.
JD is busy texting on his phone at the moment. Sharon is on the dance floor with Mr. Liao. As is Cheryl. When JD is done, he grabs Amy to dance. I’m still finishing my slice of wedding cake when Elaine comes over, a drink in hand, and sits down next to me, where Amy sat. She leans over as if I’m not even there to talk to Darren.
“I heard your mother is leaving tomorrow,” Elaine says. “She was barely here.”
“She’s helping to take care of a relative in Singapore,” Darren replies.
“But to fly all the way here and only stay for two days?”
“It’s only two hours to Singapore.”
“Still. You know one of my nieces is getting married in wine country this September. You have any recommendations?”
“On what?”
“Anything. You’re not that far from places like Napa and Healdsburg, right?”
Tired of having Elaine’s perfume underneath my nose, I interject, “You want to switch seats?”
Elaine looks surprised to see that I exist. “Oh, sure.”
Darren frowns at me. “Finish that cake soon.”
I flash him a “good luck” smile and take my plate of cake. As she gets up and tries to scoot in front of me, part of her drink spills onto my dress.
“I thought you were going behind me,” she explains.
I can’t tell if it was an accident or not. Either way, I’m done with Elaine’s company and am glad to have an excuse to leave.
“I’ll go back to the villa and change,” I tell Darren.
“I’ll go with—” Darren starts, but is interrupted by Elaine waving over a young woman.
“Stella! Come over here! You should talk to Darren about your wedding.”
“I won’t be long,” I assure Darren.
I head back to the villa and think through which of my outfits is nice enough for the wedding reception. I guess the sundress will have to do. Just before I open the sliding door, I hear a sound behind me. So Darren managed to extricate himself from Elaine.
But it’s not Darren. It’s Joseph Mok.
His tuxedo is an ocean-blue jacket with black pants. He stands so close to me that I can detect the faint smell of alcohol on him.
“Can I help you?” I ask in a tone that indicates I’m not ecstatic to see him.
“You weren’t very nice to me the other day,” he drawls.
“You were asking a lot of personal questions.”
“Didn’t mean you have to be nasty.”
I hate that the word “nasty” has become en vogue with men who don’t like it when women assert themselves. Of course, the men get away with being obnoxious bullies with much less reproach.
“I’m sorry you felt that way,” I say. “I think we’re just not simpatico.”
He reaches for me. “You can make it up to me.”
I push him away. Alarm shoots up my spine.
He grabs me again, growling, “What does Darren see in you?”
Recalling a move from a self-defense class, I jab the heel of my palm into his chin.
His head recoils, and he lets go. I take the opportunity to run away, back to the reception area.
Seeing me, Darren strides over. “Bridget, what’s wrong?”
I catch my breath first before answering. “I had a run-in with Joseph Mok.”
His features darken and his jaw tenses. “What happened?”
His expression makes me nervous, so I try to downplay the incident till Darren’s settled down. “Just being a jerk.”
Darren doesn’t buy it or doesn’t care. “Where is he?”
We both scan the reception but don’t see him. Seeing a woman approach from outside the area, Darren walks up to her. “You seen Joseph Mok?”
“I saw him go into the men’s room,” she answers. “The one behind the restaurant.”
Darren starts in that direction. I scurry to keep up.
“What are you going to do?” I ask.
Darren doesn’t answer.
I grab his arm, but he keeps going.
“I’m okay,” I say. “Nothing really happened.”
I have a pit in my stomach. Of course, I want to see Joseph get a reckoning, but I don’t want Darren to end up in jail.
We reach the restrooms. I grab Darren again. “You didn’t let me finish—”
Joseph steps out of the men’s room.
Darren slams him up against the wall. “Don’t come near her ever again.”
“Chill, man,” Joseph replies. “Trust me, I won’t.”
I try to wrestle his hold off Joseph. “Darren! Leave it! It’s not worth it.”
Darren’s lips are pressed into a grim line, but he releases Joseph and allows me to pull him away.
Joseph straightens his bowtie and mutters, “Who’d want your nasty ho anyway?”
Turning around, Darren lands a right hook to the side of Joseph’s head.
A trio of women who have just emerged from the ladies’ room scream.
“Go get help!” I tell one of them as Joseph rushes Darren.
The men fall to the sand. Joseph returns the punch. Running over, I yank on his collar to try to pull him off. It doesn’t work, so I take off one of my shoes and start hitting him over the head with it. Darren rolls away and gets back onto his feet. At first, Joseph tries to protect his head, but when I pause, he elbows me across the mouth. I stumble back. My whole head rings. I taste blood.
A woman screams again.
Darren lands a jab at Joseph’s face. Blood spews from his nose. Two waiters from the restaurant arrive. One of them puts himself, arms spread, between Darren and Joseph.
“Stop or we’ll call the police,” the other one says.
More people arrive, including two men from security and the restaurant manager. Seeing that I’m bleeding, he calls for the medical staff and orders one of the waiters to get a napkin.
Darren is at my side, holding up my face to the moonlight. “Let me see.”
I don’t think I’ve lost any teeth. The blood is coming from my lip.
More guests from the wedding arrive, including Sharon and Cheryl. The waiter hands me a cloth napkin, which I hold against my lip. I panic for a second about the jewelry but the necklace and earrings are still on me.
A nurse arrives and exams me and Joseph, while one of the security guards interviews bystanders about what happened.
“The son of a bitch broke my nose!” Joseph barks at the nurse, then glares over at Darren.
Darren balls his hand into a fist. “I’m not done with you.”
“Yes, you are,” says Sharon.
“You’ll need to go to the local urgent care clinic to get a few stitches,” the nurse says to me after assessing my lip.
After the nurse gives me and Joseph ice packs for our wounds, the security guards ask questions of the three of us. I reveal what happened between me and Joseph and can see Darren’s color rising again. I’m asked if I want to press charges.
“If he doesn’t press charges against Darren, then no,” I answer.
The resort staff looks relieved.
“What do you mean you’re not pressing charges?” Darren demands.
“I don’t want anyone sitting in jail,” I respond. “I’m sure that’s not how Andrea and Preston want to end their wedding night.”
Darren doesn’t look satisfied.
“I agree,” Sharon says. “Let it go. Let’s just get Bridget to the clinic.”
Darren grudgingly relents.
I look around for my shoe. Darren finds it and hands it to me. “Not a bad weapon.”
The heel is broken, so Cheryl offers to fetch a new pair of shoes from our room. Sharon accompanies me and Darren to the clinic, where I get sewn up. I overhear Darren talking to JD on the phone.
“You know what’ll happen if I see him again,” Darren says.
“Don’t worry. We got him set up at a different resort,” JD replies.
“I have to apologize to the bride and groom,” I say later as we head back to the resort.
“Why?” Darren asks, disgruntled. “Mok started it.”
“It’s still the polite thing to do. I hope they don’t feel like we ruined their wedding reception.”
Darren doesn’t say anything. I get the feeling he’s still brewing over what else he wants to do to Joseph.
“What matters is that you’re okay right now,” Sharon says.
Back at the villa, I change into one of the bathrobes and try to wash the stain from Elaine’s drink out of the dress. After hanging it up, I examine my stitches in the mirror, running my finger over the unevenness of my lip.
“Don’t pick at it,” Darren says from the doorway.
“I wasn’t,” I object. “I’ve just never had stitches before. Broke my arm trying to skateboard, but no stitches.”
Darren walks over, cups my jaw and looks over my stitches. “Guess this means I don’t get to kiss you for a while.”
I smile. “That’s okay. There’s plenty of other things you can do instead.”
His eyes glimmer. “You got that right.”
