0o0o0o0o0o

I woke up not quite realising where I was but realised three things almost immediately. One, my body was sore as though I had been given a thorough going over. Two; I was naked as the day I was born, and three; there was a loud growling noise in my ear. I tried to turn over but the vice like clamp that was draped over my waist prevented me from doing so and turning my head I consciously acknowledged what I had been trying to avoid. Yep, there he was, beautiful even when snoring pretty loudly. His face looked almost childlike; long eyelashes fluttering against pale skin with a hint of redness hinting at the night's previous activities, a shadow growing across his jawline suggesting he must be pretty hairy as it hadn't yet been twenty four hours and yet there was a fledgling beard.

I tried to move again but nope, he wasn't having any of it - if anything, his grip just got tighter. Resolving myself to this I lay back in the warmth of his embrace and tried to go back to sleep. Closing my eyes, I remembered the night before with some embarrassment and yet with secret delight. If I was honest, I was rather proud of myself and Mr over there seemed to have enjoyed himself. I wonder what my reservations had been? I hadn't felt this good since... And then it struck me that the last time I had felt even close to this good was about six months before my life had imploded on me.

I could feel my heart begin to race and not in the warming sexy way it had the night before, but in a constricting, claustrophobic, stifling way. Looking down at his arm holding me, the contrast in our skins so startling that it was the first time I had really noticed it, I felt as though this was too much. I wasn't strong enough for this, my life was balanced and on track now - why upset the apple cart? Let's be honest here, Greg was successful, very successful and lovely and good looking and pretty much perfect, and here I was pretending to all and sundry that I was kind of doing him a favour when really it was the other way around. It was too much, all of this was too much for me and I wasn't enough for him.

**********************

Greg stretched feeling the delicious pull in each of his tendons and grinning to himself. He wondered what Tori would like for breakfast and then wondered if she'd mind him eating her. Opening his eyes and getting ready to greet her with a kiss, he turned to find the rest of his bed empty. He sat up, heart racing and praying with every fibre of his being that she was in the bathroom. Hopping out of the bed, he pulled on his trousers from the night before, and made his way down the hall to check in each room before ending up in the lounge where everything had started the night before.
He entered the large room and looked everywhere but at the sofa because he knew that if the sofa was empty of her dress and handbag, then she really was gone. Gone, leaving no note or not even waking him to let him know she was going. He checked the sofa and sighed. Empty.

Resigning himself to her absence, he sank down on the sofa, pulling a cushion to his chest and staring into space. He rolled his head towards the window to look at the skyline and out of the corner of his eye, noticed a scrap of sheer black material. Realising it was Tori's underwear from the night before, he shouted, "Fuck!" to no one in particular and made his way back to bed, taking the underwear with him.

*************************

This was the problem with being a consultant and putting your address on your business cards; people always knew where to find you. This hadn't happened before and therefore, I was discovering that there was nothing more irritating than having a client watching you do the walk of shame whilst sitting on your doorstep. Even from a distance, her cheeriness was irritating.

"Hello there" Carrie eyed me up and down. "Good night?"

She was my eighth customer so far. My wedding planning business was fledgling but growing wings slowly but surely. The reviews of the past seven brides had all contained remnants of 'She's quite direct but everything went beautifully on the day' and 'You'll want to strangle her and then she'll be right about one tiny thing and then you're sold' and so on. I'm not a people person but give me something to arrange and organise and I'm your girl. Carrie had heard about me from a friend of a colleague who went to her spin class, and was so desperate to have me, she entered into a bidding war with the other potential bride to be to enlist my services. Once her demands had been explained and our contract had been signed, Carrie had decided we were going to be the best of friends and so had made it her mission to 'thaw me'.

And so, there was Carrie, on my doorstep grinning like a Cheshire cat, delighted to find me out of sorts. She pushed her sunglasses up onto the top of her head and appraised me, Damnit, the tables had turned,

"Good night was it?" she asked again,

"Carrie, what are you doing here?"

She pouted, disappointed that I hadn't responded.

"I brought you the swatches of the bridesmaids dresses, I can't decide so thought that you could help me?"

"Carrie, of course I'm happy to help you, that's what I'm here for. But not at my house, on a Saturday, without an appointment. I may not have been back so early and you could have had a wasted journey."

She responded with the wave of her hand,

"Well it's fine because you are here and I didn't wait too long. And I didn't think you'd have that much to do on a Saturday so figured I'd try you here, but look at how wrong I was... Was he good then?"

And that was how she broke down my defences. Went from client to friend. Because her nosiness was tempered with concern and nothing else, and I was tired of being closed off and distant and because I found myself in a situation where I had no idea what to do about Greg, and so I capitulated,

"Carrie, do you know anything about one night stands?"

Her delight at having garnered a personal response from me was evident via her gasp,

"Honey, I invented them! Let's go in and you can tell Auntie Carrie all about it."

*********************

Of all the people Greg didn't want to run into, there in glorious technicolour was Mike Collins. Unable to sleep and unable to get rid of the erection that seemed to permanently haunt him since having found Tori's underwear, Greg had gone to work in a bid to lose himself in his client's latest disaster. And it had worked, well almost. Disappointed that he hadn't made as much of an impression on Tori as she had made on him, he had only thought about her every three to four minutes rather than every other minute as he had when he'd woken up. Progress. But now his progress was hampered as Mike's friendly face popped around the door,

"Greg, Jesus it's Saturday - what are you doing here?"

Greg shrugged, unsure if he should confide in Mike, but surely Mike was the closest link he had to Tori. He didn't want to pester her by calling and anyway she had his number so she could call him if she wanted to. But if he enquired after her, then maybe Mike could help him out somehow?

Greg gestured to his papers in explanation and shrugged. Mike grimaced in sympathy,

"Oh that's shit isn't it? Well don't stay too long will you? I'm just on my way out with -"

Greg cut him off, "I went out with Tori."

Mike stopped and his eyes widened, "Actually went out? Like on a date?"

Greg nodded,"You gave me her number, remember?"

Mike continued to nod but Greg realised that Mike was astounded by his previous statement, this was compounded by,

"She went out with you? Jesus that's amazing!"

Greg frowned again, a little insulted now. Realising this, Mike scrambled to explain,

"No, you don't understand, Roni gives Vic a phone number a month of an eligible bachelor and every month, Vic looks at the number, makes some smart arse remark and life goes on. She went out with you huh?"

"Actually Mike, and please know that I'm not trying to be indiscreet or anything but I don't know what to do - she came home with me last night. We had a great night, at least I hope she did, but when I woke up this morning she was gone and I don't know what to do from here."

Mike sat heavily in the chair opposite Greg's desk and exhaled heavily,

"She went home with you? Last night? After your date? And then she had sex with you?" Mike was staring at Greg as though he had grown two heads.

"Don't be a prick Mike"

Mike shook his head, "I'm not being a prick. You don't understand. Victoria Grayson has not even looked at another man since her fucker of a fiance didn't show up for their wedding two years ago."

Greg sank back in his chair, exhaling loudly. Poor Tori, poor him.

"Shit!" he exhaled, "So what do I do?"

"About what?" a voice trilled as the door to Greg's office opened and to his horror in walked Tori's big sister Veronica Collins.

Mike jumped up, "Hey baby, this is a private conversation - can you give us a couple of minutes?"

But such is the strength of marriage that Veronica knew when her husband was being shifty, and knew that there was a story there to be heard. Veronica looked from Mike to Greg and back between them again, narrowing her eyes as she put two and two together and made... five,

"Does he not want to go out with Vic? Is he reneging?"

Both men denied this vehemently but Veronica was already on her high horse and preparing to gallop away,

"How dare you! My sister is beautiful and talented and funny and you'd be lucky to have her."

Greg raised his hands to placate her but she kept on going,

"She runs her own business and is amazing with kids and she's kind and loving and - "

"I know!" Greg shouted, stilling the room into silence. Veronica narrowed her eyes at him,

"What do you mean you know? You haven't met my sister - how would you-"

The cogs turned once more and this time she came up with the correct total,

"Have you been out with Victoria?" she whispered ominously.

Not waiting for an answer, she swung back to her husband,

"Did you know about this?"

"Not until about fifteen minutes ago."

She swung back to Greg,

"Well?" Veronica demanded

"Well what?" Greg argued back getting quite annoyed at being shouted at. Mike tried to placate the situation,

"Babe, there's something you should know - he slept with Vic."

Silence ensued in the office for the first time since Mike's arrival and then all hell broke loose,

"That ungrateful fucking bitch - I'm going to flay her when I find her!"

Realising that his wife was about to enter into a tirade, Mike gestured sympathetically to Greg promising to call him while shepherding his exceptionally angry wife out of the door. Greg's shoulders slumped realising he was right back where he started and felt significantly worse knowing he had brought Veronica onto Tori's shoulders. Greg's self pity was interrupted by Mike's head popping around the door once more,

"Hey, I'll try and have a word with Vic - but you have to promise that all intentions are honourable."

Greg nodded vigorously and then stopped mid-nod. Speaking of honour; Fuck, they hadn't used any protection the night before. Following Greg's line of thinking, Mike winced but promised yet again to speak to Victoria and left once more. Greg buried his head in his hands - how could he have been so stupid?

*************************

Carrie had walked into my flat and her first words had been,

"No wonder you don't have clients here, I wouldn't have employed you if I had seen this."

Ignoring her and questioning my judgement, I slid off my decadent shoes which in the light of day looked rather slutty and padded barefoot into the kitchen. I could hear the clip clop of Carrie's shoes following me. She plopped herself at the kitchen table and watched me in silence. Contrary to my thoughts, Carrie's silence actually managed to unnerve me. I had been planning her wedding for close to six months now and in that time we had never had a silence - comfortable or otherwise. I looked at her over my shoulder to find something akin to pity on her face.

"What?" I demanded

"What?" she countered

Bitch, I muttered under my breath but not quite meaning it.

In a very brisk tone Carrie boomed, "Right, now that we have gotten that out of the way, do you want to tell me about your evening?"

I shook my head and her shoulders sank,

"I'll tell you another story though."

And so I made coffee for Carrie and I told the story for the first time. Told her about Luke and meeting him in the nightclub which I would never have normally gone to if I hadn't been pushed into it by my sister. I told her about how as soon as I set my eyes on him, I just wanted him, and how I had never felt that way before and it had scared me. I told her about how he came to me and talked to me and seemed to understand my fear - almost as though he had felt it as well. And how we had the best time together.

I told Carrie about the way he became my best friend and the way I excluded everyone from my life because there was only room for him. I told her about my mother's concerns and her gentle efforts for me to effect a little distance so that I could reclaim myself before I was completely lost, but how my sister shouted her down because Luke was rich and good looking and successful and how I should appreciate what I had. I told Carrie about us buying the flat and the plans we had to decorate it and his proposal which had come out of nowhere and my delighted acceptance.

I told her about his wanting to keep the ceremony as small as possible and only inviting immediate family and thereby alienating what friends I had left by agreeing to this. And then I told her about the morning of my wedding; getting ready and standing in front of the mirror. My mum asking me if I was sure that this was what I wanted to do and me shouting at her telling her that she resented my happiness.

And then I told her about the phone ringing and the life draining out of my sister's eyes eyes as Mike relayed the message. That Luke was in his hotel room packing, getting ready to leave. That he wasn't going through with this. I told Carrie about running up the stairs to his room, tripping over and ripping my dress more than once and banging on the door - the tears already starting. And him opening the door, and looking at me as though I was a stranger. He wouldn't let me into the room, wouldn't discuss it, wouldn't explain. He simply said, "I can't marry you, you just don't do it for me," And slammed the door in my face.

Once I had finished talking, and crying, I looked up to see Carrie crying also and was surprised to feel her hand in mine. I didn't want this, her pity. I felt sorry enough for myself as it was, I didn't want to lose her respect also. Trying to compose myself, I smiled through my tears,

"Right then, shall we have a look at those swatches?"

I got up from the table and made my way into the lounge, rifling through her bag to find them. As I turned, she was standing there ready to give me a hug. Now I have to explain, I am not a hugging kind of a person, I never have been, but I figured the least I could give her was a hug back for listening to my sorry story. As she hugged me, she whispered in my ear,

"You didn't deserve that, and you are a wonderful person and whilst I don't normally like this word, your ex fiance is a cunt."

That made me laugh. The angelic, blonde, corkscrew curled, tiny dancer in front of me using the worst swear word known to man. I hugged her, this time of my own volition and we laughed together.

The buzzing of my apartment bell startled us and I made my way to the intercom,

"Code 10 Vic, your sister is about two minutes away from me and she's on the warpath - she knows about Greg and is spitting that she had to hear it from someone that wasn't you. Just a warning - she'll be here any minute, we just got lucky there was a Jimmy Choo store around the corner, she got distracted."

My heart stilled. After everything that had happened the night before, and now my unburdening of my soul to Carrie, I had forgotten that Roni would need to be dealt with and boy was I going to get it now. Jesus, Saturdays were never this eventful. The intercom buzzed again,

"Oh, and Greg thinks he might have knocked you up and is worried that you left without speaking to him. I'm assuming that you liked him as you shagged him so give him a call and put him out of his - Hi baby, yep, I think she's just about to let us up."

Taking a deep breath and pressing the buzzer to let them up, I turned to Carrie, "Hey, you ever met a screaming banshee?

She raised her eyebrow at me quizzically

"No? Well, you're about to meet one."