Luckily, Caleb, the same bartender as last night, is working. "Hello again," he says warmly. "Did you want a glass of your special wine?"
I lean in, keeping my voice low. “Plaid shirt guy."
He glances over. "Yeah, I think someone called him Neil a few minutes ago."
“Does he seem loaded to you?"
Caleb smirks. "I saw how hard he went last night. So like you said, I started cutting his booze right away this morning."
He nods to a row of bottles beside him, each with a gold star sticker. "For some of the guests who’ve had a bit much, I'm telling them it's the premium champagne. Actually, it's one-third regular, two-thirds of your…" his eyebrow raises. "Special stuff."
“Fabulous.” I look back to see Mack’s eyes locked on me with a hunger that sends a shiver through me. Swallowing hard, I turn back to Caleb. “So how much has he had?"
He looks over at the row of glasses on the table in front of Neil. "All in, over the past two hours, probably two glasses of actual wine."
"Really? He seems kind of…" I see-saw my hand back and forth.
"Yeah. I see that a lot. People walk into a bar and barely have two sips of a drink, but start acting drunk because they're around their friends who are loaded."
I grin, giving him a thumbs up. "Thank you. We really appreciate this."
I get back to Mack just as the investment guys are leaving. His arm immediately wraps around me. "Is everything okay, gorgeous?"
"Yes. Neil is acting a bit boisterous, but it's fake drunk."
Mack nods. "I've seen it before. That's perfect, actually. It means people aren’t noticing the fake booze."
“His wife is stealing cookies, though, which is weird."
He laughs. "I've seen that many times as well. Hoarding behavior at hotels, anywhere with free food. Maybe they're on a budget and can't afford the good cookies at home."
I don't mention that it wasn't just the food itself, it was the way she was hiding it from her husband that I found odd.
We chat a bit about the rest of the guests, then leave just before it might look strange that we're the last people in the room. A quick stroll around the hotel lobby and grounds shows nothing out of order.
"If there's no theft, is Ron going to be annoyed that he hired us?" I ask as we get into the elevator.
"Nah." Mack pokes the button, then runs a hand through his thick hair. “He’ll just be relieved that everything went smoothly."
"Good."
As we exit the elevator and walk toward our room, I realize we have more than enough time to get ready for the ceremony. All morning, Mack has been showing me how much he wants me.
Maybe it’s time for me to show him how much I want him.
8
MACK
It’s almost impossible to change for this wedding – partly because I know Layne is half naked on the other side of the bathroom door, but mainly because this massive erection is making things difficult.
Every time I’ve noticed another man looking at Layne this weekend, it’s made me prickle. Made me want to claim her as mine.
It's like I've been split in two. One is my logical, controlled, professional side, the one who has worked hard to grow this business, make connections, and keep things in line.
The other side is becoming obsessed with Layne. The way she smiles at me. The way her sharp eye catches things I never would have. The way she blushes faintly when I touch her, flirt, and treat her like my wife.
There's a frustrated huff from the bathroom. "Mack?" she calls out, cracking the door open. "I can't get this dress unzipped."
