I hear someone mention my name?’ Brad said from his seat on the other side of Daniel’s vacant one.
Louise rolled her eyes. ‘Amazing how his ears always prick up every time he hears his name. That’s men for you. Yes, Brad, we were both talking about you and how yummy you look in your tux.’
‘I was thinking the same about you, babe.’
‘What, how good I’d look in your tux?’
Brad laughed. ‘You’re a crack-up, Lou. You really are. Aah, here’s Dan back again. Ready for your speech, mate? We’re on soon.’
‘Ready as I’ll ever be,’ Daniel replied as he sat down. ‘Your dad tells me he’s up first, Charlotte.’
‘What were you talking to him about?’ she asked, her mind still pondering Louise’s assertion that what she felt for Daniel was just lust.
‘Nothing for you to worry about.’
The MC’s announcement that the father of the bride was going to speak had Charlotte falling silent, but her head was still spinning. She supposed Louise was probably right. Louise knew what she was talking about where lust was concerned, whereas Charlotte was a right novice.
But even if it was just lust stirring her, Charlotte still worried that several days spent with Daniel could make her feelings for him deepen. Louise was made of tougher stuff than she was. She didn’t appreciate the risk.
But Charlotte couldn’t see herself resisting the temptation. Not unless tonight was a disaster.
Her father’s tapping the microphone cut into her thoughts, bringing her back to the present. The speeches. It was not a moment she’d been looking forward to.
‘I’m not one for giving speeches, as you probably all know,’ her father began. ‘I’m a farmer and farmers are at their best with their backsides on a tractor and their mouths shut.’
Everyone laughed. Everyone except Charlotte. She was too aware of Daniel sitting next to her, too strung up with nerves.
‘We’re best left in the country, too. But I’m not just a farmer. I’m a father, too. And a father will do anything for a daughter. So here I am in this fancy city hotel, eating fancy food and drinking fancy wine. But I can tell you right now that I’ve never had a happier day in all my life.’
Charlotte jumped in her seat when Daniel suddenly picked up her hand and squeezed it. ‘Do try to look a little happier,’ he whispered. ‘You’re supposed to be wildly in love with me. Smile a bit more.’
Somehow she found another smile, though her mouth was beginning to ache with all the smiling.
‘Yes, that’s it,’ he said, giving her hand another squeeze. ‘Not long to go now. Hang in there.’
‘Of course, we all know that Charlotte has not followed the usual path of a country girl,’ her dad continued. ‘There were moments where I thought I would never see her as she is today. As a bride. And for that I have to thank Gary. I only had to know my future son-in-law for ten seconds before I understood why our Charlotte had fallen head over heels with a man I thought she hardly knew. As for Gary…have you ever seen a man so handsome, or so much in love?’
Everyone clapped and cheered. Charlotte wanted to cry.
‘They say you can tell a man by his actions more than his words. Gary told me to keep this a secret but I want to tell you that just now, my new son-in-law is going to pay for this wedding.’
More clapping and cheering.
Charlotte, however, was speechless.
‘Oh-oh,’ Daniel said out of the corner of his mouth. ‘You don’t look pleased. I thought you’d be happy that your father wouldn’t be out of pocket.’
‘But it wasn’t your place! I would have paid him back after I told him we’d separated. Every single cent.’
‘Hey, hush up, you two,’ Brad said.
They hushed up, leaving Charlotte to simmer in silence. If he’d been her real groom, it would have been an incredibly generous gesture. As it was, she suspected it was more a corrupting gesture, a type of advance payment on services to be rendered.
The thought infuriated her. But it also flattered her. Right from the start, Daniel’s pursuit had been incredibly aggressive. Clearly, he would stop at nothing to have her.
What woman wouldn’t thrill to a man being so taken by her charms? What she had to keep remembering, however, was that it was just a sexual interest. Wealthy playboys like Daniel didn’t want women for anything else. They might pretend to value other things in their partners, but the bottom line was sex. Plus the challenge of the chase. Charlotte suspected that once she’d capitulated and he’d had her a few times, Daniel’s passion would begin to wane.
His own sister had warned her that his girlfriends came and went.
Charlotte tried to stay angry with her logical, if somewhat cynical, thoughts. But it was impossible. She just felt more and more excited. Louise was right. This was just lust on her part. She couldn’t think about anything else.
Her father spoke for another couple of minutes, giving them some advice over the tolerance necessary for a happy marriage then wishing them all the happiness in the world before offering the official toast to the bride and groom.
Charlotte plastered a plastic smile on her face and willed for the reception to be over. She couldn’t wait to be alone with Daniel, and to have him kiss her once more. Not the way he’d kissed her after the ceremony. The way he’d kissed her in the lobby yesterday.
After her father sat down, it was Brad’s turn to speak. Charlotte winced as he stood up. Lord knew what he was going to say. Something embarrassing, that was for sure.
‘My job as best man today,’ he began, ‘is a little awkward. A best man is usually the groom’s best mate, or his big brother. Someone who has known him for yonks. But I only met this good-looking fella a couple of hours ago. The other times I’ve been best man at a wedding, it’s been dead easy to tell some naughty stories about what the groom has been up to over the years. I have those kind of mates,’ he added, grinning. ‘But I can’t do that with Gary here. But you know what? I reckon there are no naughty stories in Gary’s past. Pete said he knew straight away what kind of bloke was marrying his daughter. I felt the same way. This man here,’ he said, resting a hand on Daniel’s shoulder, ‘is one of the good guys. True blue, in our Aussie language. I told him when we were getting dressed that he’d made a fantastic husband for our beautiful bride here and I meant it. By the way, she is beautiful, don’t you agree?’
More clapping and cheering. Charlotte groaned. Talk about torment!
‘But it’s not my job to gush over the bride. That’s Gary’s. My job is to gush over the bridesmaid. Not a hard job to do, considering we’re an item,’ he added with a wink Louise’s way. ‘I might be biased but I’ve never seen a better-looking bridesmaid. And that dress… Wow, babe. You should wear blue more often. Although I’d really like to see you in white.’
More clapping and cheering and shouts of, ‘Hear! hear!’
Louise
