it easy. I barely sipped at my drink and planned to just nibble on the safest foods. Nothing was going to ruin what I was already thinking of as the first real night of my honeymoon. I pulled Claire close and gave her a kiss.
“Erm, mind if we join you?”
I looked up to see Trent’s smiling visage, and standing next to him was the Millionaire’s daughter. Claire seemed shocked to see him, or perhaps it was seeing him with her. He caught her glance.
“Claire, meet Annabelle. Annabelle, this is Claire and Jack.”
“John,” I corrected, though I was pretty sure he’d botched my name on purpose. I gestured toward the chairs across from us and they sat down.
Annabelle gave me a wan smile, then looked over my shoulder to see if there was anyone more interesting in sight. She sighed when she realized she was now stuck with us.
“How do you know each other?” Claire asked, her voice tight.
Annabelle pointed at her beverage. Trent added the details. “We’re old drinking buddies. We met at the bar this afternoon. I had an extra ticket to his dinner, and Annabelle graciously agreed to join me.”
Or more accurately, she took the first excuse to allow her to duck out on dinner with dad and stepmommy.
I could tell Claire wasn’t happy about it. I’m pretty sure she would have been pleased as punch had it just been Trent. Her quirky sense of humor wouldn’t have been able to resist teasing me further, but she was regarding Annabelle with the expression of someone watching a worm crawl out from under a rock.
Annabelle had cleaned up nicely. She was wearing tight little white shorts and a fitted tee that showed off her enhanced chest to perfection. She had on light makeup and had her hair brushed out, marking the first time I’d seen her without a ponytail. I could definitely see his attraction to her. He was about old enough to be her father, which may have helped explain her attraction to him. Maybe this wasn’t just a date of convenience.
I let out a small sigh of relief. I was happy that Trent had another woman, one other than my wife, on whom to focus his considerable charm and good looks.
The buffet opened first. We settled back down with plates of food.
Annabelle was picking over her plate, a disdainful look on her face, rolling her eyes. Already apparently on edge, her attitude seemed to set Claire off.
“I guess you don’t get out much?” Claire snipped.
“You talking to me? I’m a regular at Nobu’s. Where do you go?” Annabelle responded.
“They make you a special peanut butter and jelly sushi?
“Yeah, and then they shove it up your –“
“Ladies, ladies, it’s a beautiful evening,” Trent interjected, looking curiously at Claire.
“She started it,” snapped Annabelle, petulantly.
Claire started to reply, but I reached out and squeezed her thigh. “Let it go,” I mouthed silently.
She shoved my hand away and stared at the blonde, arms crossed, clearly not letting it go despite her silence.
Thankfully the show began before any real fireworks could erupt. The emcee came off like a failed standup comedian, cracking jokes that probably wouldn’t have worked even in the 1960s. That was followed by a ukulele number. Then some girls dancing in grass skirts. The high point was definitely the fire dancing. There were spinning, flaming torches, buff dudes jumping through flaming hoops and a fire eater. Cool stuff.
At one point, a guy took a swig of whatever it is they drink to breathe fire. He leapt through a flaming hoop, did a forward flip, landed on his feet and blew out a fifteen foot stream of flame. I looked over at Claire to see her reaction, but she wasn’t paying attention. Instead, she was shooting daggers at Trent and Annabelle who were giggling and whispering in each other’s ears.
She turned toward me in a snit, “What do you think he sees in her?”
Young, blonde, and loose seemed like a perfectly fine set of quality in a vacation fling. I decided not to give
“Erm, mind if we join you?”
I looked up to see Trent’s smiling visage, and standing next to him was the Millionaire’s daughter. Claire seemed shocked to see him, or perhaps it was seeing him with her. He caught her glance.
“Claire, meet Annabelle. Annabelle, this is Claire and Jack.”
“John,” I corrected, though I was pretty sure he’d botched my name on purpose. I gestured toward the chairs across from us and they sat down.
Annabelle gave me a wan smile, then looked over my shoulder to see if there was anyone more interesting in sight. She sighed when she realized she was now stuck with us.
“How do you know each other?” Claire asked, her voice tight.
Annabelle pointed at her beverage. Trent added the details. “We’re old drinking buddies. We met at the bar this afternoon. I had an extra ticket to his dinner, and Annabelle graciously agreed to join me.”
Or more accurately, she took the first excuse to allow her to duck out on dinner with dad and stepmommy.
I could tell Claire wasn’t happy about it. I’m pretty sure she would have been pleased as punch had it just been Trent. Her quirky sense of humor wouldn’t have been able to resist teasing me further, but she was regarding Annabelle with the expression of someone watching a worm crawl out from under a rock.
Annabelle had cleaned up nicely. She was wearing tight little white shorts and a fitted tee that showed off her enhanced chest to perfection. She had on light makeup and had her hair brushed out, marking the first time I’d seen her without a ponytail. I could definitely see his attraction to her. He was about old enough to be her father, which may have helped explain her attraction to him. Maybe this wasn’t just a date of convenience.
I let out a small sigh of relief. I was happy that Trent had another woman, one other than my wife, on whom to focus his considerable charm and good looks.
The buffet opened first. We settled back down with plates of food.
Annabelle was picking over her plate, a disdainful look on her face, rolling her eyes. Already apparently on edge, her attitude seemed to set Claire off.
“I guess you don’t get out much?” Claire snipped.
“You talking to me? I’m a regular at Nobu’s. Where do you go?” Annabelle responded.
“They make you a special peanut butter and jelly sushi?
“Yeah, and then they shove it up your –“
“Ladies, ladies, it’s a beautiful evening,” Trent interjected, looking curiously at Claire.
“She started it,” snapped Annabelle, petulantly.
Claire started to reply, but I reached out and squeezed her thigh. “Let it go,” I mouthed silently.
She shoved my hand away and stared at the blonde, arms crossed, clearly not letting it go despite her silence.
Thankfully the show began before any real fireworks could erupt. The emcee came off like a failed standup comedian, cracking jokes that probably wouldn’t have worked even in the 1960s. That was followed by a ukulele number. Then some girls dancing in grass skirts. The high point was definitely the fire dancing. There were spinning, flaming torches, buff dudes jumping through flaming hoops and a fire eater. Cool stuff.
At one point, a guy took a swig of whatever it is they drink to breathe fire. He leapt through a flaming hoop, did a forward flip, landed on his feet and blew out a fifteen foot stream of flame. I looked over at Claire to see her reaction, but she wasn’t paying attention. Instead, she was shooting daggers at Trent and Annabelle who were giggling and whispering in each other’s ears.
She turned toward me in a snit, “What do you think he sees in her?”
Young, blonde, and loose seemed like a perfectly fine set of quality in a vacation fling. I decided not to give
Similar Books
