Chapter 7
Nina showered and dressed in quick order to get ready for her final walk-through dinner with her clients. Mary Desmond and Richard Burk were a lovely couple. Both were human and both were in their early thirties. They were thoughtful with every decision they made; unfortunately, they took forever in making each and every decision. She had been working with them for months and, often, just when she thought they had narrowed something down, Mary would have a meltdown and take back whatever decision they had just made.
She made her way to the ornate entrance of the fine dining restaurant. Thank goodness she was wearing her favorite elegant pantsuit with three-inch heels or she would have looked out of place. The maître d’ greeted her.
“Do you have reservations?”
“Yes, I’m meeting with the Desmond-Burk party.”
“Oh, they just arrived a few minutes ago. Follow me and I’ll take you to your table.”
Nina followed the maître d’ through the busy restaurant. She smiled at the couple as they approached the table. Richard stood up, showing his good manners.
“Good evening, Nina,” Richard smiled as he pulled out her chair for her.
“Good evening. Are you both getting excited? It won’t be long now — just a matter of days.”
Mary looked over at Richard and smiled. “I can’t believe it’s finally happening. All the months of planning and in just a few days I will finally be Mrs. Richard Burk.”
“Oh, you decided to take Richard’s last name? I thought you wanted it to be hyphenated,” Nina asked, then paused when the waiter asked what she would like to drink. “I would like a glass of galactic Chardonnay.” It was her go-to drink when with clients. It was the same as a regular Chardonnay except that it was infused with a spice that amplified the flavor. One of her sisters had introduced her to it.
Richard answered her question. “We decided that if she was going to work with me at the firm, that she would be better off taking my full last name without a hyphenated name added to it. It would be confusing for staff.”
“Oh, I see.” Nina took the glass of wine and sipped it immediately to keep from making a comment that may make Richard angry. She had watched as Richard had slowly, little by little, taken over making decisions for Mary. It had surprised her to hear that Mary was giving up her job with the PR company she worked for. She really wanted to ask why but it wasn’t her place.
“Did the band we wanted for the reception get in okay?” Richard asked, drinking his glass of wine.
“Yes, they did. They are practicing tonight and will be ready for rehearsal. I asked them to let me know if they have any issues with the sound system. The only person we’re waiting to check in is—”
Mary interrupted her, sighing. “My father, right?”
“Yes. He missed his flight and had to wait another day to catch the next one.”
“That sorry piece of…” Richard growled angrily.
“Richard, please! He’s my father.”
“He should remember that and stop being selfish. This is our wedding but he has caused one problem after another. He insisted on being the one to walk you down the aisle instead of your stepfather. He refused to pay for the whole wedding insisting that your mother chip in. He didn’t like the food we selected stating that he had an allergy to shellfish, which no one believes Then he made us change our original wedding day because he was going to be on vacation.”
Mary clasped her hands together on the table worriedly. “I’m sorry. I know he can be difficult, but he’s my father. I always dreamed of having my father walk me down the aisle.”
Richard reached out to take one of her hands in his. “I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to take it out on you. I just want this to be perfect for you.”
“It will be perfect no matter what my father or anyone else does. I’m marrying you. Nothing else matters,” Mary said, smiling at him.
Nina felt a little out of place watching such a touching moment. It was clear that the two of them truly loved each other. Despite Nina’s own reservations, she knew this was the reason she had accepted them as clients to begin with. Their love, like that of the other couples whose weddings she helped coordinate, demonstrated how individuals who were different could still fit together in perfect harmony. Watching them also reminded her how lonely she was. She really did need to find a date when her events were all done with. No wonder she found herself constantly thinking about Esan.
Ever since Sersan’s wedding, she had not been able to get the feel of Esan pressed against her in the little alcove out of her head. God, the heat from his body and his scent was intoxicating. If she had a hard time resisting him, the female Reptans will find him just as irresistible. A tiny bit of jealousy spurred inside of her. She had to steel herself, this was a job and nothing more.
“Nina, would you like to order?” Mary asked, getting her attention.
She had been so caught up in her thoughts of Esan that she hadn’t realized the waiter was back and waiting for her to order. “Oh, yes, could I have the grilled chicken with pasta, please?” She reached for her glass of wine and took a sip. “So, everything else is going smoothly. Your flowers have been dyed to perfectly match your bridesmaids’ dresses. The caterers have hired extra staff to make sure that there is enough staff on hand and the lighting expert is inspecting the changes we made.”
“That’s wonderful!” Mary smiled widely.
Their meal continued with pleasant conversation that focused on the upcoming wedding nuptials. An hour and a half later she parted ways with the happy couple as they headed out to go dancing, and she headed to her suite ... alone. She really needed to get a social life.
Entering her suite her cell phone started ringing. Her caller ID stated it was one of her younger sisters, Maisy. She answered immediately. “Hello, little sister.”
“Nina! How are things going with the new job?”
“Fine, Maisy. I have one wedding down, two to go, and a Reptan gathering I have to plan for in the next few weeks.”
“What? You have to be kidding. A Reptan gathering? For who?”
“A fighter named Esan. his sister Sersan was the one I just finished a wedding for.”
“Esan the Deadly?”
“I guess that’s him.” The name did fit him perfectly.
“He seems so ... dangerous, and hot, from what I’ve seen on TV. What’s he like in real life?”
“Dangerous ... and hot,” she admitted.
“Ohhhh…sounds like someone’s interest has been piqued.”
“Please, Maisy, we’re not even the same species. Besides, did you miss the part about my planning his gathering?”
“What is that anyway?”
“It’s a Reptan type of meet-and-greet for potential mates. He’s going to bring full Reptan females here to the GCFA ship to see if he can find a match.”
“So, basically he’s taken, or will be soon.”
“Exactly.”
“That’s too bad. You could use a little excitement and danger in your life to wake you up.”
Nina snorted. “I am fully awake.”
“Really? When was your last date?”
“Brad…right before I came here.”
“You mean the Brad who dumped you because you took the job with the GCFA and demanded that you quit altogether. That Brad?”
Nina cringed at her sister’s irate tone. “Yes.”
“That was a few months ago. You haven’t dated anyone while you’ve been on board the GCFA ship?”
“I’ve been a little busy with my new job. I went through orientation, had to meet with lawyers for the GCFA, then meet new clients. I haven’t had time to date.”
“You need to make time, sis. I’ll never be an aunt at this rate.”
“Hey, I’m not the only sister you’ve got. Shouldn’t the older two be responsible for propagating?”
“Deanna is newly married and says she is waiting another year before they start a family. Jocelyn and Ted have been engaged forever. I don’t know if they will ever get married and have children. Me, Lynette and Stephy are too young to think of getting serious right now. So it all boils down to you.”
“I need a boyfriend before I can get to the propagating.”
“Then get busy finding one.”
Sighing, Nina plopped down on her couch and kicked off her shoes. “I will have more time to date after I have completed these next three events.”
“You always say that. You went two years without dating anyone before you started up with that loser Brad. Are you going to go another two years?”
“Hey, if you’re so desperate to have a baby in your arms, maybe you should be the one settling down.”
“Please, I’m having too much fun playing the field right now to settle for anything. Oh, maybe I can come visit you on the ship and help you find a date.”
“No, no way and hell to the no! We do not have the same taste in men at all.”
Maisy laughed. “Don’t I know it. I like men with tattoos, piercings and an edge to them. You always end up dating guys who look like accountants.”
“That’s not…”
“Don’t even deny it. If I’m not mistaken Brad was an accountant.”
Damn, she was right. “I can’t help if I prefer men who have stable reliable jobs.”
“Stable jobs do not guarantee you that they are right for you.”
Maisy was surprisingly right about a lot of things. “What do you think I should do?”
“Look for someone who is different from what you normally go for. I think that’s why you’ve failed at relationships thus far. It’s because you want them to be like you. You need excitement. Someone who will get you out of your comfort zone but won’t try to change you. Differences with mutual respect is the key.”
“You’re younger than me. How do you know so much?”
“I have three older sisters and parents that still act like teenagers in love. I watch and learn.”
“How are mom and dad?”
Maisy groaned. “They’re planning to renew their vows for their next anniversary.”
“They have done that three other times already.”
“They say that each time they renew their vows, it’s like getting married all over again and the best part for them is the ‘hot horny sex on their honeymoon’.”
“Maisy!”
“Hey, those were their words not mine.”
“Ugh, they’re too old to be acting like that,” Nina complained, but she couldn’t stop the smile that came across her face. Her parents had always been loving, just like her grandparents and greatparents. She had good role models when it came to relationships, so why was she still single?