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There were three pairs of hands who helped her into the dress while she dozed off in her own world. Charlie only recalled it being too tight around her ribs.
She tried shoving the dress down, as it was a strapless piece, but the chest area was stubbornly molded to her breasts. After several tries bending her arms at unnatural angles, she gave up.
Why not? If she’d already bothered him this much, what was one more going to count?
Peeking outside the door, she called him. “Rick?”
She heard his footsteps, and a moment later, he appeared in front of her.
Flashing him an apologetic smile, she asked, “Would you mind helping me out of this dress? I can’t seem to get it off.”
Four
In his history of ‘debauchery’,the fastest Rick had ever gone from meeting the girl to undressing her was about four hours. It was a bachelor party in Vegas, and he and his buddies were at a bar when a group of women wanted to join. The groom welcomed them and had Rick and the other groomsmen entertain the girls.
He recalled little about that night, but he went back to the hotel with one of them, remembered the unzipping of a dress, and that was it. The only thing he could bring to mind was the next morning, in bed alone with his head in a pounding rage—stilldressed. Did he go all the way with that girl? He’ll never know.
But it was nothing like this.
Rick wasn’t expecting ‘undressing the bride’ to be on his Good Samaritan list for the day. It wasn’t the worst task, justunexpected.
Charlie stood facing him with her back. And what a splendid back she had. She’d moved her hair to her front to give him access, and all he saw was creamy skin. Women had more delicate skin, but hers bordered on silk. The curve of her neck to her shoulders sloped perfectly for hands to caress. Her shoulder blades pokedout, and the indent of her spine disappeared down to where her dress covered the rest of her.
He swallowed as he prepared himself to undo the buttons that lined her spine. They looked incredibly intricate, and he didn’t know where to start. Using the basic mechanics, he pinched the knobs and tugged, only to find it firmly secured.
Rick tried again. “These are really tight.”
Charlie tilted her head to the side. “Are there ties around them? Maybe you have to unloop that first.”
“No, it’s just stuck in place. I can’t move it unless I rip it right off. How did you get into this in the first place?” He tried pulling the fabric outside to loosen it up, to no avail.
“I don’t know. There were so many people in the changing room, just to help me into this dress.”
Rick struggled, pulling again and again until Charlie yelped.
“It’s stabbing my ribs,” she whimpered. He saw the edges of the dress chafing her skin and withdrew. Why do they make them like booby traps? Shouldn’t they be easy to takeofffor the wedding night?
“We’d have to cut it or something. I’ll just tear it anyway if I use any more force. And this dress looks expensive.”
She groaned. “I don’t care how much it costs. Just get me out of it. Use scissors, a knife, an axe, whatever!”
“Okay, hold still.” Whatever the bride wanted. Pinching the first button with his fingers, he bluntly plucked it with added strength while anchoring on her back with his other hand. The button popped off, and he went to work with the rest, hearing the tear of threads and fabric with each extraction.
Finally, as the last one came loose, he saw the ribbons wrapped around each grommet. More fastenings?
Slowly, he unlatched them, and as Charlie felt the dress loosen, she spun and helped him push off the dress, dragging it down her body. What she failed to warn him about was the racy undergarment she wore underneath.
He fought from choking. White lace patterned on delicate skin. The front of her dress was off, revealing a corset that barely cupped her spilling cleavage, the material so thin he could see the outlines of her breasts and ribs.
“Ohhhhh, it feels good to breathe again,” she crooned. Noticing his frozen form, she stared down at herself and blushed, then turned back around for cover. But it was just as bad from the back. “Sorry.”
Rick was the sorry one. “You’re good on your own now?”
“Yes, thanks!”
“I’ll be outside.” Without waiting for her response, he hightailed out of the room and gave her privacy. That was a close call, and unlike anything he was prepared for. The entire day was bizarre, and he wasn’t going to add sporting an inappropriate hard on for the nearly naked bride into the mix.
Once out, he checked the time on his phone and saw the many missed calls from Alex. Rick headed for the balcony through the living room, slid the door shut and dialed his brother.
