Page 50 of My Ex-Best Men (Ex Marks the Spot #4)
***Claire***
I had a sex hangover. It was the day of the wedding and I wasn’t the only one who looked a little rough around the edges when we filed into the bridal suite the next morning.
Lizzie and Fiona looked like their hangovers were from liquor but mine was from having wild sex for hours.
I had beard rash in places I couldn’t mention in polite company and muscle aches in spots I didn’t know could ache.
Anthony had even gotten carried away and left a visible bite mark on my neck that I’d silently chastised him for while brushing my teeth that morning.
I was exhausted. I wasn’t sure how much sleep I’d gotten but I knew it wasn’t much.
Every time I thought we were finished, one of the guys would climb over me and it’d all start again.
Not that I was complaining. A dozen orgasms or so a night was nothing I’d stick up my nose about, not in a million years.
I moved towards the refreshment table like a zombie, arms outstretched when I spotted the oversized cans of energy drink. Sophia met me there and we both popped open a can at the same time, each taking a long pull before sighing in unison.
She laughed and then groaned while clutching her head. “Oh, god. I drank way too much last night.”
“Did y’all party for a while after we left?” I held the cold can up to my face and pressed it into my eye bags. “God. I hope these makeup artists are miracle workers.”
“You and me both, girl. These black eyes are no joke.” Lizzie joined us with a giant cup of coffee. “Still worth it, though.”
Sophia nodded and then groaned again. “I need medicine. Or to be taken out back and shot. Someone just put me out of my misery.”
“I’ve got this. Here I go, stepping into my maid of honor duties.” I searched the suite for any sort of pain reliever and then hobbled out of the room and down to the front desk to ask for help.
The woman sitting behind the desk jumped to her feet when she saw me. “How can I help you?”
I read her name tag and forced a smile. “Sara, hi. Please tell me you have pain relievers back there.”
She grinned even as she ducked behind the counter to grab something underneath it. “I saw the bride late last night going back to her room and I had a feeling y’all would be feeling rough this morning.”
I took the packet of meds and blushed when I saw she was staring at my love bite. Groaning, I covered it and tipped my head back. “I promise that I’m normally a lot more put together.”
She waved me off. “I remember you. You were as put together as your uncle was wild. If it’s finally your turn to get a little rowdy, I say go for it.”
I tilted my head and studied her face. It finally clicked. She’d been a couple of years above me in school and had been intensely goth back then. I shook my head and let out a laugh. “Sorry I didn’t recognize you at first. How have you been?”
She looked left, then right, before leaning over the counter. “Great. I’ve got two kids and a husband that I couldn’t get rid of if I left him in the middle of the ocean with a bucket of chum. You’ve been the talk of the town. You and Will, huh?”
I looked down at my feet as I blushed. “Yeah. It’s been a surprise coming home, that’s for sure.”
She looked around again and then leaned even closer.
“I always liked you and Sophia. If I were you, though, I’d watch my back around Madeline.
I hate to sound like a gossip but she’s still the same mean girl she was back in school.
She’s had her sights set on Will for a long time and I got the impression she thought this week was going to be her big chance with him. ”
My stomach dropped even though I pretty much already knew Madeline had the hots for Will. I wasn’t sure what to say back to Sara but she just shook her head and waved me off again.
“Go. Ignore me. I was just giving into the gossip. I’ve seen the way Will has been looking at you this week and no one has a chance with that man.”
I forced a smile and held up the pain reliever. “Thank you for this. And for the heads up.”
When I got back to the suite I gave the medicine to Sophia and then was ushered into a high-backed chair by a makeup artist. I forced the negative thoughts about Madeline out of my head and focused on the importance of the day. Sophia was getting married. That was the most important thing.
“Oh, god, Claire.” Speaking of, Madeline swept into the suite, still clutching her maid of honor clipboard.
Her makeup was already perfectly applied and her hair was swept to the side in an old Hollywood wave that made her delicate features look even classier.
Dressed in a silk robe that draped gracefully all the way down to the floor, she could’ve easily been the bride.
“What is on your neck?! Does no one care about the pictures?!”
Sophia looked over at my neck and chuckled. “As long as it wasn’t from my brother, I say good for you.”
The makeup artist clicked her tongue. “I’ve had to cover way bigger things on wedding days. I’ve got you, babe.”
Madeline mumbled something under her breath that I didn’t catch but it made the artist cringe. I frowned after her and then glanced up at the artist. “I’m sorry.”
She squeezed my shoulders. “Nothing to be sorry for. Not you, anyway. That one… Now that’s another story. Is she a close friend of yours?”
I laughed. “No. Not at all.”
“Thank god. I hate to see women keep shitty best friends close by when there are so many good ones out there. Like you two. Y’all are platonic soulmates, aren’t you?”
Sophia’s eyes filled with tears as she nodded. “Forever.”
I reached out and took her hand. “Forever.”
The sound of gagging from somewhere else in the suite preceded Fiona sprinting towards the bathroom. Lizzie stood up from her own makeup chair and sighed. “Don’t think that our current state of shit show is a reflection of our feelings for you and your big day.”
Sophia laughed before grasping her head again. “Oh, god. No more laughing. If Jake thinks he’s getting any tonight, he’s sorely mistaken. As soon as we get through this thing I’m crawling into a hole and dying for a week straight.”