Last Screw Before I Do by Manda McNay Page A

had a few by that point.
“You'll be the most beautiful bride. Now get going, honey, and
sleep well.”
    I stood and
looked at the faces of all the friends and family who came with us.
Even my grandma, the one who's terrified of flying, had managed to
come all this way to see us get married. I felt overwhelmed for a
moment. “I just want to thank you all. So much. I always wanted a
beach wedding, and because you were all able to join us I get to
have my dream. I love you.”
    I caught Richard's eye by accident when I said I
love you .
    Maybe this was a
mistake.
    Then Matt was
beside me, his arm around my waist. “I'll walk you to your room,
Milady.”
    We left the
family gathered around the banquet table. Knowing my Dad, they'd be
there until the wee hours of the morning. Mom wouldn't sleep, and
my sister would match Dad shot for shot. I tried not to think of
what they'd look like come morning.
    I felt the
first twinges of nervousness.
    “ What am I supposed to do in the room? Watch tv? Everything's
ready to go, and I can't possibly be expected to sit there like
nothing is happening.”
    “ Whoa, relax! Your dad sent you away so you could get some
sleep, and he's right. Tomorrow's your big day, and you need to be
rested enough to enjoy it.”
    “ I thought it was our big
day.”
    “ Of course it is. But let's not kid ourselves: tomorrow it's
all about you. I'm just the lucky guy who gets to take you home
after.” We'd reached my room, and he pulled the key card out of his
pocket. “Now you rest up. You've got a lot of excitement
coming.”
    “ Yeah, yeah. What are you going to do tonight?”
    “ Oh, I have some plans.” He winked, then kissed me on the
forehead. “I love you.”
    “ Love you too.”
    He let me into
the room and handed me the card. “I'll see you later.”
     
    I must have
fallen asleep, because the sound of the door opening startles me.
For a second I forget where I am; this isn't my bedroom. This isn't
my apartment. Then it hits me: this is the hotel. We're in the
tropics. And tomorrow Matt and I will be married.
    This all
cycles through my mind before I snap back to the matter at hand:
Who is this coming uninvited into my room? I freeze atop the hotel
comforter.
    A dark head
appears around the door. It's Matt, and he's grinning that
up-to-no-good grin of his.
    “ You're not supposed to be in here. Dad said.”
    “ Well, what Daddy doesn't know can't hurt him. Can I come
in?”
    I open my arms
wide, my body already waking to the thought of him in this bed with
me. He glances over his shoulder (is he really watching out for my
father?), and he seems to be talking to someone. I'm beginning to
feel silly with my arms held wide. I let them drop to the bed.
    What is going
on, here?
    The door opens
wider and I get it: Richard's with him. They're probably drunk, the
two of them, and came by like boys sneaking around at summer camp.
I sit up against the pillows and wait to see what these geniuses
are up to.
    Richard hands
a bouquet to Matt and he flourishes it clumsily at me. He never was
one for romance. That was more Richard's territory. When we'd
dated, I mean. Speaking of which...
    “ What are you doing here, Rich?”
    Hurt flashes
across his face, and he starts to reply but Matt holds up a
quieting hand.
    “ Honey... this is the last night we'll be single. Technically,
I mean. And I got thinking; maybe it would be good to have one last
crazy adventure.”
    “ You can go to the strip club, if that's what you're asking.
Get it out of your system before you're an old married
man.”
    The two of
them perch on the edge of the bed, and a look passes between them.
They look guilty somehow, and I start to wonder if they've already
done something they shouldn't.
    “ No, it's... not that. It's...” He's looking to Richard for
support, or back up, and I'm starting to get nervous. There's a
tense beat of silence, then Richard clears his throat.
    “ We want to have sex with you. Both of us. A,