My Plus One

"Okay, then I'll wait to hear what happens. I hope you enjoy your lunch, while I snack on my naughty cake. Talk to you soon, sis."

After she'd put down her phone and turned the light out again, smiling to herself, Marina decided she'd wear a turtle neck to their next class, if for no other reason than to piss off her meddling sister.

Saturday morning, about to sit down to a plate of scrambled eggs, Marina had to run to get her phone from the bedroom when she heard it chiming. Assuming it was her sister, she automatically said, "Hey, you."

Then she laughed, when Henry said, "Hey you, too. You sound a little breathless. Hope I'm not getting you at a bad time."

She always felt a little breathless around him, but he didn't need to know that. So, she said, "No. I just had to run and get my phone that I forgot in the bedroom."

"Well, I thought I'd let you know that my brother's fiancée Jenn has got the costumes arranged for us. Her friend's a costume designer and he said he'd be happy to fix everyone up. We just have to go down to his studio and decide what we want to wear, whenever you have the time."

Knowing the wedding was only a few days away, she suggested, "Well, I'm free for most of the day, if you are. As long as I get to my nephew's birthday party by around four, I should be okay."

"Yeah, I could pick you up, say around eleven?"

"Sure. I'll see you then." She imagined her sister wasn't going to make it for coffee, if she was out swooning over her hot new guy. So, it sounded like she'd be spending another few hours she wasn't expecting to spend with hunky Henry.

Her doorbell rang just before eleven. When Marina answered, she was surprised to see, that in addition to looking hot as hell in snug black jeans, leather jacket and body-hugging sweater, that he'd also come bearing gifts, at least for the cats. After she'd thanked him for the three bags of cat treats, Patches, Dolly, and Buddy warmed up to him pretty quick, when he crouched down to let them eat out of his hand, while stroking their furry little heads. Chuckling at the sounds of the three of them purring their little hearts out, he looked up at her and explained, "Thought I'd better start off on a good footing, so they'll know they can trust me."

Marina laughed as Buddy her big, black twenty-five-pound monster, stood up on his hind legs and tried to snatch the bag away from Henry, after he'd already eaten most of what he had in his hand. "Well, I'd say you've definitely made a friend with Buddy, who as you can probably tell, really enjoys his food."

"He is a big cat. But I think he's big all over, even his paws." He shook out a few more treats for him, and stroked his back. "I think Buddy's just a big boy, aren't you, big guy?"

Touched that he'd take an interest in them, Marina expression softened as she watched him warming up to her cats, since she knew not everyone liked them. But he seemed pretty happy to be making friends with her furry little roommates.

****

Darius's studio was in a massive second floor loft down by the waterfront. The moment they walked in, Darius's face lit up with a smile when he set his gaze on Marina, pointed a finger at her and announced, "I know just what you'll be wearing, you sweet thing, with all that gorgeous strawberry-blonde hair, and those big, beautiful green eyes."

Then he winked and said, "But I think we'll keep your boyfriend guessing until the day of the wedding." Surprised at first, she laughed when he reached out and cupped her chin in his hand, looked into her eyes and said, "You're such a pretty young thing, I just hope he knows how lucky he is to have a gorgeous woman like you for his lady."

Henry chuckled too, since Darius seemed to be a natural born tease, and obviously not exactly into women. Mincing his way over to a row of men's costumes, he looked back over his shoulder at Henry, narrowed his big brown eyes, and quickly sized him up. "And I think a drop-dead hunk of man like you would make a very dashing James Bond, or perhaps an even more stylish Great Gatsby. What do you think?"

Not really into dressing up, Henry glanced at the rack of costumes, and shrugged. "You're the stylist, so I'll wear whatever you think works best."

Darius smile grew wide, as slowly, he let his gaze slide over Henry from the tips of his black leather boots to the top of his sexy head of thick, dark hair. "Personally, I think you'd look amazing no matter what we dress you in, big guy, even just a sheet," he said throwing back his head and letting out a throaty laugh.

Laughing right along with Darius, Marina agreed. With his looks, Henry didn't need a fancy costume to try and look good. Still, she thought he would look incredibly hot dressed as a very dashing 007.

When Henry tried on the perfectly fitted jet black suit with a black bow tie, crisp white shirt and polished black shoes, the moment he walked out of the fitting room, Marina and Darius grinned at each other, nodding their approval. As a straight-faced Henry did the classic pose, pointing his arm, pretending he had a gun in his hand, both Darius and Marina laughed and said, "I think you've got your costume."

Then it was Marina's turn. But before he took her back to see the dresses, Darius crooked his finger at Henry, smiled and suggested, "Why don't I get you comfy on my big mauve couch with a cappuccino, and a magazine to leaf through, now that we've got you settled. And I can help your lady find something guaranteed to please you."

Sitting with his coffee, his brow raised, Henry gave Marina a teasing smile as Darius led her away to a room at the back of his studio that looked to be filled with rows of colorful floor-length gowns.

"This," Darius said, pulling a red sparkly dress off the rack with a flourish, "is what I picture you in." Pointing out her features, he said, "With that sweet set of curves, and all that long red hair swept over one shoulder, and those big emerald green eyes made up to show how just lovely they are, no one will be able to tear their eyes off you, you'll look so enticing." He winked. "And I guarantee," he leaned in and whispered in a throaty purr, "that hunk of a man of yours, won't be able to keep his hands off you."

Now that he put it like that, although at first, she'd thought the dress might be just a little too over-the- top. With its thigh-high slit, and cut almost as daringly low in the front as it was in the back, knowing she'd definitely get a rise out of Henry, she decided to try it on.

Holy smokes! Was it ever sexy; probably the most daring thing she'd ever worn. Since she was quite slender, but still fairly curvy, the dress was a little loose, especially in the waist. But wow, with it's built-in bra, did it ever make her 34C's pop, like she'd never seen them pop before.

Shaking his head, smugly grinning at how incredible she looked in the sexy, red sparkler, Darius assured her, "You're such a slender little thing, I can see it's a little big on you. But I could have my seamstress take it in while you wait, and then it'll fit you like a glove."

After having the dress fitted and pinned into place, while waiting for the alterations, Marina looked through a few more dresses. She had to agree with Darius, as she rifled through the racks, though most were quite pretty, there was nothing nearly as eye-catching, or quite as daring, as the flame red dress he'd chosen for her.

Once he'd bagged it up, she and Darius both strolled out grinning at each other like they were sharing a naughty secret. As Henry cocked an eyebrow, while eyeing the bag. "Don't I even get to see it?"

Shaking a finger at him, Darius told him, "You'll see it soon enough, big guy," as he slyly winked at Marina.

Knowing her sister had the perfect pair of hot-pink high-heels, and Darius had been kind enough to include a pair of long, purple gloves to finish the look. She knew all she had to do was go on-line and practice some dramatic makeup to give it the full effect. With her long, reddish-gold hair curling down over her shoulder, Marina was pretty sure she could pull it off. And she just hoped that Henry would like what he saw, once she'd transformed herself into what she hoped would be a very sexy little vixen.

Traffic was slow on the drive back. After he'd stopped to pick up the cake at Marina's place and then dropped her off at her mother's house for her nephew's party, Henry knew he had to hurry, if he was going to get out to the Boom-boom Sha-Boom Room in time for dinner and the show.

As he walked in the door, once he got used to the dim lighting, and the near deafening pulse of the bass pounding from the speakers, he noticed the place was packed. Up on the stage he saw there was already a very well-endowed topless girl, sliding her curvy body up and down along a stripper pole, licking her lips and smiling coyly at the crowd.

He came up behind his brother, seated front row center, and gave his shoulder a squeeze.

Chris turned in his seat and flashed a smile. "Hey, Henry, glad you made it. Dinner's in back, so grab yourself a plate and pull up a seat."

As Henry dished himself up some lasagna and Caesar salad, and a few wings along with some garlic bread, though he was happy to be there for his brother, he just wasn't feeling it. Probably because he could picture Marina from the night before, smiling at him from across the table, and decided he'd much rather be out with her, than sitting watching a bunch of strippers flashing the crowd.

Pulling up a seat beside his brother, Henry was just about to have pull on his beer, when a pretty young Asian lady, with shimmering black hair down to her waist, dropped into his lap and slid her hands through his hair.

The crowd all laughed and cheered, and Henry played along, smiling as she rubbed her pert little tits across his chest.

"I think she likes you," Chris said, laughing.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Henry just nodded, wishing she'd crawl onto his brother and quit grinding on him, considering that it was his stag.

Even when he was younger, he'd never been into strip joints. It just felt so fake to have a strange woman grinding her pussy in his lap, trying to act like she was enjoying herself, when neither of them was getting anything out of it.

****

At Marina's mother's house, the party in full swing, her nephew smiling from ear to ear with everyone gushing over the beautiful space-ship birthday cake, surprised that she'd actually made it. Though she admitted that she'd done it with a lot of help from her instructor. That had her sister teasingly wiggling her eyebrows at the mere mention of Henry.

With the kids running around playing games, laughing and squealing, as the two of them started cleaning up, Marina leaned in an asked, "So, how was your brunch with Ryan?"

"Oh, I think I'm in love," she said with a little shiver as she giggled. Keeping her voice down, Annika confided, "We talked for hours, and he wants to see me again tomorrow. It just felt like we clicked, and now I can hardly wait to see him again."

Marina nodded as she thought of Henry, and the fun they'd had over dinner as she wondered if he was enjoying his naughty night out with the boys.

When she got home that night, she agonized over it for a bit, till finally she sent him a text:

The cake was a big hit. Nathan loved it! Thanks again.

Though he had a lousy hand, he was glad to be playing poker in the back room without anyone sitting in his lap, when he heard his phone ping with a text. He put down his cards and smiled as he read her message.

He texted back:

Glad to hear it.

His fingers hovering over the keys, he was tempted to say more. He reconsidered, and put his phone away, deciding they'd have plenty of time to talk at the wedding, now that he'd been told that it was a bigger event than he'd thought.

****

It was the day before Halloween and Marina had everything packed, ready for the wedding. Though she could hardly believe that Henry had only just learned that it was a three-day event, and he'd sheepishly called her the night before to tell her. Which meant they'd be sleeping at the inn together, but unfortunately in separate rooms.

At least they'd have a few days together before it all came to an end. Hopefully three fun-filled days, so she'd have something to look back on, when she was back to being on her own again.

Marina took one last look around before locking up, finding it odd that there were no furry little bodies winding around her legs as she reached for her bags, ready to go. Lucky for her, she had a neighbor who treasured every chance she got to watch her cats, after losing her twenty-year old Persian to old age just the year before.

She'd just stepped out of the house when Henry hopped out of his van and strode up to help her with her bags. Flashing her a smile, he held open the van door for her, and told her, "I really appreciate you helping me out like this." Then he surprised her when he pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, before he went to stow her things in the back.

Once they were both buckled in, brow raised, he reached over, squeezed her hand and asked, "Ready?"

She smiled back him. "As I'll ever be."

The drive was absolutely beautiful, the bright afternoon sun shining down on nothing but mile after mile of brilliant orange, red and golds. An absolute riot of fall colors, every hillside and valley looked as pretty as a picture post card as they made their way north along the highway to the old Beaumont Estate.

Henry glanced across the car at her and smiled to himself, deciding she was the perfect combination of sexy and sweet and just so down to earth. Which was a nice change from the type of women he usually dated.

She looked pretty sexy too, in skin-tight deep brown leather pants that really showed off her long, shapely legs with a tiny matching jacket and snug white sweater, that perfectly showcased her perky breasts. He found he was having a hard time keeping his eyes on the road, she was such a distraction.

He reached over and turned on the radio, and tuned in to some soft jazz, so they wouldn't be sitting in awkward silence as they made their way up the highway. While he did his best to keep his gaze focused on the road.

Curious about what he'd told his family, Marina looked across at him. "So, does your family think we're involved, or do they know that we're just friends."

He looked kind of guilty as he fessed up. "I hope you don't mind, but I told my brother that we've been seeing each other for a few months, just to get the heat off me, so they'll stop trying to fix me up."

She smirked. "Guess we'll have to put on a bit of show then, so they'll think we've got something going on."

Chuckling, he wiggled his eyebrows as he smiled back, since he had no problem engaging in a little PDA with someone as delightful as she was. He could already imagine how incredible it would feel to hold her close on the dance floor and maybe even have a taste of those sexy lips, while his hands wandered down her back, till he was cupping her shapely little backside. Of course, just to keep his family off his back, he reminded himself again.

Once they'd made their way up the winding road that led to the estate, as they passed through the tall, wrought iron gates, Marina eyes went wide as she looked around trying to take it all in.

The Beaumont Estate itself was absolutely beautiful; a large stately two-story stone and glass, slate roofed mansion, fully restored to its former glory. But the surrounding grounds were just bursting with color, the jewel-toned fall leaves shimmering on the trees in the light breeze, and the lush green lawn scattered with groupings of autumn-hued mums adding even more color to the well-tended gardens, were what really caught her eye.

As her gaze settled on a pair of majestic white swans floating side by side in the pond centred in the middle of the grounds, surrounded with even more colorful flowers, she murmured, "This is just so beautiful, I can see why they chose a setting like this for their wedding, even if it is supposed to be haunted."

Once he'd parked the van in the lot beside the estate, leaning over to look out her window, Henry nodded as he followed her gaze. "It really is something, isn't it? And I'll bet the wedding pictures will be amazing in a setting like this."

They noticed the inn where they'd be staying was conveniently located at the back of the estate with a walkway connecting the two buildings. As they walked in, Marina was so busy admiring the Halloween décor, with hay bales, pumpkins, gourds and colorful mums in pretty groupings around the lobby that she didn't notice the shocked look on Henry's face. She finally looked over when she noticed he'd stopped dead in his tracks muttering, "I can't believe my father's here."

His father, a tall, good looking man with salt and pepper hair, looked over and noticed his son just then, and gave him a hesitant smile. As they watched him making his way over to join them, Henry muttered to himself, "I just hope he hasn't been drinking."

"Good to see you son," his father said, awkwardly extending his hand, looking uncomfortable as he waited for Henry to accept it.

When it finally dawned on him what he was doing, Henry quickly put down their bags and reached for his father's hand, gave it a firm shake, and patted his shoulder. "Good to see you, too, Dad." Then he glanced around and quietly asked, "Does mom know you're here?"

After taking a cautious look around, his dad shook his head. "Not yet, I don't think. I only decided last night, after talking to your brother, that I have as much right to be here as your mother does. Chris said he wanted both his parents here for his big day. So, your mother's just going to have to accept the fact that I'm part of the family, whether she likes it or not."

Not sure how to introduce them, Henry looked at her and shrugged. "Marina this is my dad, Hank Wilde. And Dad, this is uh...my girlfriend, Marina Jansson."

Trying to hide her smirk, Marina gave him the side-eye over the 'girlfriend' comment, but still smiled at his dad, and shook his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wilde."

"Oh, you can call me Hank. My father was Mr. Wilde, but I'm just plain old Hank."

While his father worked his charm on Marina, Henry took a moment to look him over, glad to see he was clean shaven for a change, and that his clothes were clean and there were no stains on his shirt or his navy-blue sport coat. What really struck him though, was that he couldn't smell any booze on his breath, when he normally reeked of cheap whisky. Seeing as he'd managed to clean himself up, he just hoped he could stay sober long enough to get through the wedding without embarrassing himself or his family, especially his brother, who'd been brave enough to invite him.

Hank nodded at their suitcases sitting on the floor. "Well, guess I'd better let you two get settled in, while I get a drink... of soda water," he said with a pointed look at his son. "Just so you know, I haven't had a drop to drink in over six months. So, you don't have to worry about me tripping up and ruining your brother's big day."

"Glad to hear it, Dad. Then I guess we'll catch up with you a little later."

"Sure thing," he said with a wistful smile as he turned and headed, thankfully towards the restaurant, instead of the bar.

They were in line checking in, when Henry spotted his tall, sandy-haired brother Chris, waving and smiling from across the lobby as he made his way over to them.

"Hey, glad to see you're here early," he said as he joined them in the line up.

When Chris smiled at Marina, waiting for an introduction, Henry looked at her, gave her another awkward smile, and said, "Marina, this is my brother Chris, the soon to be groom. And Chris, this is my girlfriend Marina." Marina noticed he didn't trip over calling her his girlfriend this time, or his brother might have picked up on it.