Kari
"Actually I'm waiting on some friends, so grab me in a bit and I'll definitely show you how it's done." She waggled her eyebrows, knowing he'd find someone else and she wouldn’t be tempted to have a one-night stand before the big day. No need in dragging guilt down the center aisle of the church.
"I'll hold you to it." He rubbed her back in a small circle and moved out to the floor by himself, the music shifting from fast and grind-line material to sensual and enticing.
"I'd like you to hold me to something else... namely that wall." Kari spoke softly to herself, her eyes following the sharp curves of his shoulders, his large arms, and his butt in his jeans. Was she really getting married the next day? Surely not.
"Oh my. Look at that hot piece of ass. I'm out, ladies. Don't leave without me." Lisa started for the floor before Sicily pulled her back.
"Hell no. This night is about taking care of Kari and making sure she bleeds out her last chance desires. You go out there now looking the way you do and someone will have you in the backseat of a car by the next song."
Kari laughed and took the beer her friend offered, the Corona cold and refreshing. Her eyes moved out to the floor, the handsome male who'd enticed her to dance snuggled up to a small Asian girl, his hips rolling against the small curve of her rear. His eyes stayed on Kari, a heat rising up her neck and covering her cheeks as he watched her and moved with fluidity.
"Is that guy eye-fucking you or me?" Lisa asked, turning to stand in front of Kari.
Kari nodded toward the black room. "He's definitely looking at you. Come on. Let's go to 'the hole' and see if the other girls I invited are in there."
"Who are these girls again? The hole is the only room where you can get super freaky." Sicily moved up beside them, a bit of concern slipping across her gaze.
"They're friends from high school, but the more adventurous ones." Kari smiled at the memory of some of the stupid things they'd all gotten into together, the atmosphere around her finally calming her senses.
She opened the door and walked in, stopping just inside to let her eyes adjust to the faint light that played above the dance floor. People were everywhere, the smell of lust heavy in the air. Her friends didn't seem to be in the sea of faces, but something rather odd caught her attention.
"Oh, my goodness. Look at that." She pointed as Lisa and Sicily moved up beside her. A thin girl sat on someone's lap, the male’s pants around his thighs and the girl’s skirt up over the curve of her butt. His hands held on tight to her, his movements jerky and uncoordinated. Several guys stood around him, egging them on and sporting visible excitement themselves.
"Holy shit. You can screw in here?" Lisa asked, her eyes wide. Kari laughed at seeing her friend shocked at the scene before them. Lisa was used to dishing out shock, not receiving it.
"Hey... I know that guy." Sicily pointed to the tall, good-looking guy to the seated male's left side. Kari squinted and felt her blood go cold.
"I know that guy, too. That's Frank's brother. What the hell is he doing here?" Kari asked, moving a little to see if she could make out any of the other faces. Would Frank really bring his guys to the same club and let one of them have sex with some girl out in the open? They could go to jail if the club wanted to press public indecency charges. Then she'd be standing at the altar alone the next day.
"What a jerk," she muttered and kept moving before Sicily slipped in front of her.
"Oh hell. We need to go," Sicily yelled above the crowd, her skin pasty and eyes filled with some tainted emotion.
"What? Why?" Kari asked.
Lisa grabbed Sicily's arm. "We're going over there. Kari, go get the car."
"What? Why?" Kari asked again, moving back a little as her friend walked aggressively to the other side, Lisa pulling the small woman off the male's lap and throwing her to the floor. Cold fear swept through her, her heart palpitating in her chest as her gaze touched the confused and angry face of her fiancé.
He looked up and locked eyes with her from across the room, his erection on display for all to see. She covered her mouth as her lunch rose up in her throat, as Frank stood and moved toward her before Sicily and Lisa blocked him. Kari didn't wait to see the rest, but walked quickly toward the front of the club, trying to pull it together before reaching the valet.
"Leaving so soon, beautiful?" he asked, taking her ticket and smiling.
"Yeah. Not feeling so well all of a sudden." Kari crossed her arms over her chest, numbness stretching out across her nerve endings. She got in the car and waited for the other two, her friends coming out minutes later, both yelling back and forth before getting into the car and letting silence have its hold.
"You okay, sweetie?" Lisa asked, leaning up and rubbing both sides of Kari's arms. She didn't know how to respond, wasn't sure what to say. Embarrassment and horror kept her lips shut tight. Driving away from her future seemed to be the only reasonable response.
Kari"That stupid asshole. I cannot believe he would be so dumb to go to a club and get it on with some skank when he’s getting married tomorrow!" Lisa ranted, her hair a mess from running her fingers through it over and over."Was getting married," Kari murmured as she slid the small glass of water between her hands on the kitchen table before her."Exactly. Was getting married. It's going to be okay, honey. Thank God you found out tonight instead of years from now. Creepy bastard." Sicily sat beside her, her voice soft and comforting.Kari didn't dare turn to look at her friend, the gaze of sorrow that most likely sat on Sicily's face would be her undoing. She didn't want anyone to feel sorry for her or to worry over her. She'd lived most of her life on her own and she would get through this too. The urge to tell them to just go home washed over her, but Kari pushed it back, knowing that they wouldn't budge from her side no matter what."I'm going to kill him. Sorry piece of shit,"
KariKari’s phone buzzed again and she left it ignored for the moment, sliding down against the door until her butt touched the cold tile. She let her legs extend out and concentrated on her breathing, the overwhelming sense of lost self-worth swimming precariously around in her thoughts.If she was good enough this wouldn't have happened. If she was worth the wait.Was it her fault?She knew how sexually active Frank wanted to be and yet she'd asked that they take a break, purify themselves for the wedding night so that it would be something truly special, a gift of sorts instead of business as usual.How long had he been sleeping around? How many people had he slept with?A sob left her lips and she let her guard down, her tears rushing to wipe away the pain of loss and devastation. She let herself cry for as long as it took to release the pent-up portion of what she'd been through, her phone buzzing over and over again.Suddenly anger birthed from the wound in the center of her che
KariThe rest of the weekend was a blur, her mother and Lisa helping her to cancel everything related to the wedding with the thought of calling the various vendors to see about partial refunds being on the back burner. Her kitchen table looked like a file cabinet exploded all over it, her mother and Lisa moving papers around to find this and that.Kari sat at the bar top, looking into the kitchen on her mother as she worked to grill everyone a cheese sandwich, her long dark hair, full hips, and sleek figure very much Kari's older version. Her mom glanced over her shoulder, almost as if she could hear Kari's thoughts and smiled."You sure are beautiful, baby.""Thanks, mom." Kari took another sip of her coffee and set the mug down. "I wish I could wake up from this and it be a lie.""Me too, but it's better to know now than waste twenty years of your life." Her mother gave her a silly look and yet the sadness still lingered under her cheerful disposition."I couldn't agree more. That
KariKari closed the door behind her, turning to look over her shoulder at Lisa and Marc as they stood flirting in her kitchen. She locked the door and walked back to the living room, taking her position once more of cleaning up and clearing out. The soft snorts of laughter coming from both her brother and Lisa warmed her heart and stabbed her soul all in the same moment.Things would never be the same between her and men. She would always question where he, whoever the hell he was, or where he'd been or where he was going. The sense of inadequacy kept reappearing and she beat it back as best as she could, but the common denominator in the situation was her, right?It was she who hadn’t pleased Frank enough for him to wait.It was she who hadn’t been the right size or shape for him to be satisfied.It was her relationship with him that wasn't as strong as she thought or hoped.It was her.She sat back on her heels and closed her eyes, her fingers rubbing at her temples as she tried to
KariSteve sat back in his chair, Kari waiting for the explosion. Her boss had taken her under his wing for the last two years and had tried to start grooming her for larger responsibilities at the newspaper. She was happy just taking photos here and there wherever he needed her, but Steve wanted to eventually get her in front of a camera. She was quiet and introverted by nature, her willingness to stay in the background suiting her perfectly as a photographer, but he wouldn't have it."Where the hell is Bar Harbor? Is it even big enough to be on a map?" he grumbled, turning toward his computer, his thinning black hair combed over as best he could manage. He reached up and smoothed it down as if her thoughts were being read.She crossed her arms across her chest and leaned back in her chair, so grateful that he hadn't thought to scream at her just yet. The meeting wasn't over, but he seemed to be taking it better than she thought he would. He was highly emotional and belonged on a Bro
KariTheir goodbye had been quick, a stiff hug between them, but their parting words had given her comfort and renewed her sense of adventure. Life had thrown such a curveball her way, and yet because of it she was moving away from home, learning a new place and willing to eventually meet new people. The prayer was that she would meet someone who would love her the way she wanted to be loved - the way she loved.Her phone buzzed in her purse and she checked it, her brother, Marc making sure they were still meeting for an early dinner in Times Square. She confirmed and got into her car, resting her head on the headrest before bringing the car to life. More than anyone in the world, she would miss her little brother. He was her very best friend, her closest companion, the one quick to jump each time she needed him to, to defend her and to love her with silly openness.He was a jerk to most, a whore to many, and yet he was a perfect gentleman, a prince to her. She adjusted the rearview m
KariDinner with Marc had been exactly what she needed, the time with her brother had renewed her sense of self-confidence and given her a fresh outlook on things. He was silly and childish, but it was his unwillingness to fully accept all of the pressure that the world pushed on him that gave her permission for reprieve. He was riding a full scholarship for basketball, the team at NYU a total joke, but her brother was the glue that held them together, the fuel that forced the other players to strive to be better. He was immature, but when focused on a task, there was nothing that could stand in his way.Marc walked her to the car, his hands rubbing his belly as if waiting to feel the subtle kicking of an infant from deep within. He looked over at her and grinned before holding the door to the elevator for her."I'm so stupid full," he groaned and slumped against the wall of the elevator as she reached to press her floor."You ate your lunch, half of mine, and your chicken parm. Why d
Kari"Hey, sleepy, get up."Kari yawned and stretched, the sound of Lisa's voice pulling her from her peaceful dreams. The large truck was parked crooked across the driveway, Sicily cursing her bad parking skills and Lisa trying to calm her. Kari got out of the back and walked toward the house, her need for a shower driving her to reach the door first."I call shower first," she muttered, lifting her hand in the air."Oh, hell no," Lisa and Sicily joined in unison. Kari just laughed and shrugged."This is why no one wants to live with me."Lisa moved in front and unlocked the door to the small townhouse. "You lived with us some in college and you were extremely considerate. One year by yourself and you've turned into a turd?""Yep!" Kari jogged past Lisa, pulling her clothes off as she did. She reached the top of the stairs and slipped into Lisa's room, the wall hangings and curtains all put away. The room looking bare and unattractive, the once wine-colored walls now painted white as