196 - My Queen

196 - My Queen
See how in their veins all becomes spirit; / into each other they mature and grow. / Like axles, their forms tremblingly orbit, / round which it whirls, bewitching and aglow. / Thirsters, and they receive drink, / watchers, and see: they receive sight. / Let them into one another sink / so as to endure each other outright. – The Lovers by Rainer Maria Rilke

Helen had left the meal choices to Victoria because when the event planner and menu coordinator, who even knew that there was such a thing, from Cognac handed the bride the selection list, Helen was overwhelmed. Twenty-two main dishes. Five salads. Seventeen sides. Nine breads. Six desserts in addition to the cakes.

Victoria ended up choosing a lemon chicken breast, vegetarian lasagna and salmon. Everyone got a tossed garden salad, and the tables held small dressing boats with ranch and thousand island dressings. There was the option of tri-color roasted potatoes or rice pilaf along with green beans or asparagus. Pieces of fruits and melons were cut into stars, moons and planets in the fruit cups.

An assortment of rolls sat in a warming just slightly off center of the tables. The rolls and floral bouquets sat on lazy Suzannes in the center of the tables. Star shaped pats of butter were in chilled bowls preventing them from melting.

The children all got chicken nuggets and fried potatoes. All in the shapes of stars, moons and rocket ships. The juice in their clear plastic sippy cups had edible glitter floating in it.

Reese made the drink selection easy and just had the full bar open. All non-alcoholic drinks were free. Guests over the age of twenty-one received two drink tickets for alcoholic drinks. After those two, they had to pay for them on their own.

He thought that was a good compromise and was not even charging full price. Reese sat back with his Old Fashioned as the dinner plates were removed. Watching his three youngest children, he chuckled as they struggled to keep their eyes open. It had been a long and exciting day for them.

Leaning over, he kissed Helen on her cheek. “Shall we take the babies up so that they can go to sleep?”

She rested her cheek against his chest, and he wrapped an arm around her, holding her close. “Are the babysitters here?”

“Yes,” he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

He had contracted with the daycare and offered extra pay for their teachers to come out. Thick plexiglass had been installed in the Gemini and Taurus rooms creating a barrier between the private VIP lounges and the rest of the club. Cribs and cots had been placed in the Gemini VIP lounge while Taurus was filled with toys. He loved the irony of them using the ‘bull’ as a playroom.

She sat up and he cupped the back of her neck to pull her in for a kiss. When the kiss ended, he used his thumb to clean up the smear of her lipstick. Smiling at her, he stood up and offered her his hand.

They moved to the table where the kids sat with Gigi and her friends. Each of the women were cleaning off the messy faces and hands of the triplets. Reese picked up Jaina and Maddison Leigh handed him Janelle as Helen got Jagger.

“Do you guys want some help?”

Reese shook his head at Gigi’s softly asked question. His eyes landed on the large man sitting at the table of lesbians. As if sensing the other man’s gaze on him, he turned away from Candi and smiled at the groom.

Standing up, he fastened his suit coat before extending his hand and laughing. “I guess your hands are a little full.”

“Just a little,” Reese agreed with a smile.

“I’m Harrison, Gigi’s brother.”

Helen’s eyes went wide as recognition hit. Without thinking, she recited his stats as a running back with the Rams. Blushing, she looked away.

Gigi laughed as her brother shook his head and then looked at her. “I’m guessing that’s why you said that I was a wedding present for the bride?”

“Yes,” she grinned up at her younger brother. “You’re going to be impossible to live with, aren’t you?”

“I’m always impossible to live with,” he flicked her nose in the way that brothers did.

Helen looked at the football player and admitted, “You’ve been on my fantasy league team since your rookie year.”

“Always nice to meet a fan.” He held his hand out and she shifted Jagger before shaking it. “Maybe if your groom will allow it, we can have a dance later.”

Reese chuckled as he kissed his wife’s temple. “As long as she comes back to me, she can dance with whoever she wants to.”

Still holding her hand, Harrison lifted it and kissed Helen’s knuckles. “I’ll be waiting for it.”

“Don’t flirt so much that I lose my job,” Gigi teased.

“Yeah,” Candi smiled at her friend’s husband. “I’ve lived with her before. I do not want her on my couch again.”

Crossing her eyes, something that grossed Candi out, Gigi stuck her tongue out at her friend. Candi recoiled and closed her eyes tightly as a shiver of disgust ran through her body. Chuckling, Reese motioned for Helen to lead the way to the elevator.

Before walking away from the handsome running back, she gave him one more dazzling smile. In the Gemini VIP lounge, they found four of the daycare teachers kicked back watching a movie. They all stood up as Helen and Reese walked through the small walkway between the hall and lounge.

“Sit back down,” Reese assured them as Helen went to the attached room to lay Jagger down. “They’re sleeping and are exhausted.”

“It’s getting kind of late,” one of the women said looking at her watch, “do we need to get them up at a certain time? Seven thirty or eight?”

“You can let them sleep or wake them up,” he admitted as Helen came back and got Janelle. “Whatever you think is best for them. You guys are the experts, but I would suggest finishing the movie first.”

After putting the three of them down, they headed back for the elevator as Cooper helped Cheryl and Waylon bring their four kids up to the lounges. Reese pulled Helen into the elevator and pushed the button for the floor with the round. She looked up at him to ask what he was about, but he leaned down and kissed her as the metal box moved up.

The makeup tables and chairs had been removed, and it looked like it was the first time that he had brought her up here. The guards that were walking a patrol up here that night were nowhere to be found. Tonight, it was just them up here.

She turned to smile at him, and he looked down at her. Just like that first night, she felt like prey. Her predator stepped forward and she instinctively moved backwards. When her back hit the glass wall, he caged her in with his arms.

“My Queen,” he whispered before kissing her.