Vivian woke up by noon, and luckily everyone in the house was engaged in finalizing last minute details for the wedding and the rehearsal dinner. Thus, it escaped notice that both Vivian and Maryanne were inordinately late risers that day. When Maryanne appeared, she took up her assigned tasks without comment from anyone. When Vivian appeared she explained her late appearance by pleading exhaustion from the plane trip, coupled with the bridal shower that started shortly after she had arrived. In any case, there was lots to do, and everyone was busy to ensure the wedding would be a great success.
Later in the afternoon, Vivian was put to work as the sole acknowledged seamstress in the bridal party group. Angela wanted certain alternations in her wedding dress that would make the carrying of her train easier. Needless to say our heroine Vivian was up to the task. Everyone declared that Angela's dress was perfect and showed off her visual attributes to the best advantage. A more radiant bride could not be imagined.
Shortly after six the female bridal group at the Black residence left en masse to the Episcopal Church in Hartford. They were joined there by other members of the wedding party to attend the wedding rehearsal scheduled to start at seven. The rehearsal dinner to follow was booked by Ralph's father upon recommendation of Mrs Black. It was Ruth's Chris in Newington CT, a short drive from the Church.
As befits the status of Angela's family, the senior Bishop of the New England Province of the Church would officiate the wedding ceremony, but did not oversee the rehearsal. The entire party consisted of Angela and her mother, plus the aunt; her two sisters and their husbands. 'Drat!' thought Vivian, 'I guess I'm not going to have a second round with Maryanne tonight.'
Ralph was naturally there along with his mother and father plus his sister, Kellyanne Peterson. Also of his party was Mike Kopatchinskaja, his best man, a fellow student in the math department at UW. Mr. Kopatchinskaja was accompanied by his wife, Patricia. Finally rounding out the party was Jed Baxter, unaccompanied, who was to give the bride away.
The rehearsal went off without any awkward calamities, and soon they were off to the restaurant. As everyone had a natural partner, it left Vivian to be paired off with Jed Baxter, and so they were seated next to each other at the restaurant. Vivian couldn't be any happier, as she was well aware of his prominence. To be in the company of such an important man was definitely a highlight of her young life.
Jed Baxter was in his early to mid-forties, but despite such a relative young age, he was an extremely wealthy business tycoon. He was the CEO and majority stockholder of a vast business conglomerate dba Baxter and Sons. His net worth was in the billions and growing exponentially each year.
As if his wealth was not enough of a favorable attribute for one man to possess, he was extremely handsome as well. He kept himself fit by routinely working out and playing handball, and or racquetball. He had great manners and was very charming especially to the opposite sex. In the latter case, he was totally beguiling even to those women who had no design on securing his affection.
Consequently, he was a target of every decently good looking mercenary woman wanting a piece of him. These predatory females were not deterred by the fact he was married, and in fact was reputed to be happily married. They all had in their minds that they were the one who could successfully steal him away from his wife, and that then their life dreams would be fulfilled thereby.
Vivian had no such avaricious motives in mind, but that did not mean she was oblivious to his sex appeal. She was simply cognizant that he was out of her league socially, but still she was not intimidated. Instead her conversation flowed naturally without any machination that Jed was used to from the women he usually met for the first time. As a result they hit it off right from the get go.
After introductions and after being seated and placing their orders for dinner, Vivian started their conversation in earnest by asking, "I understand from Angela that you are related close enough to her that for the wedding, you were the logical choice to walk her down the aisle, and give her away in place of her deceased father. However, Angela, did not elaborate on the precise relationship. As I'm a curious woman, I wonder Mr Baxter, if you could indulge me and reveal your exact blood ties to our bride?"
Jed chuckled at her unique ice breaker for conversation. He first reacted, "Well we need not be so formal. You can just call me Jed, and I'm hoping I'm not too presumptuous by addressing you as Vivian."
"As I'm aware that you are the richest man in Chicago and one of the richest in the world, and I'm merely a farmer's daughter, I surely would be taken to task should I adopt such a familiarity without prior authorization. So I welcome your permission. It goes without saying that you do not require similar dispensation from me. In fact, you can even address me as 'hey you' should you forget my name."
Jed could not help but laugh out aloud at Vivian's boldness in her witty reply. He was also most impressed by her erudition especially considering her admitted lowly social background. So he responded in kind, "Should I suffer such a deplorable lapse of memory, surely I can do better than 'hey you'. I think I could, off the top of my head, come up with a 'hey babe' or even 'hey good looking' as more appropriate salutations."
"Now Mr Baxter..."
"Jed please!"
"Aside from your wealth, you present a most imposing figure such that I imagine only your intimate friends feel comfortable in calling you Jed."
"I'm already warming up to the idea of us becoming intimate friends."
Vivian gasped inwardly as she wondered if he was sending a signal. She dared not believe it. She was cognizant from Angela's revelations that when straying from his wedding vows, Jed Baxter most certainly had his choice of bedding much more glamorous women than her. Deciding to keep her cool, by continuing to exchange some witty banter, she said, "In any case, if you were attempting to catch my attention by uttering a 'hey babe' or a 'hey good looking' greeting, I would first most assuredly look around to ascertain if there was any other female in the vicinity. I wouldn't want to embarrass myself in assuming that you were actually wanting to converse with me when another more fetching woman may be actually available."
"Do you then discount your own attractiveness that you can't imagine that you can be the target of say some genuine admiring glances?"
"As the familiar cliché goes, I'm comfortable in my own skin. Although, I have to admit that sometimes it does annoy me a little that my sister is far prettier than me. Considering that we are of the same flesh and blood, it does seem unfair that she should hog that department."
Vivian continued, "I suppose I'm appealing enough, but I'm well aware there are legions of females more stunning in good looks than I. Why in this company alone Angela, and both her sisters would be considered more glamorous. Even Ms Patricia Kopatchinskaja would probably edge me out in that category.
"I'm cognizant, though, that were I to stroll down a sidewalk passing a construction site replete with testosterone, I would probably attract a fair amount of wolf whistles accompanied by no doubt some lewd and smutty remarks. Now a woman harboring a low opinion of her beauty might feel flattered by such lascivious attention. But a women holding a high opinion of her good looks would probably take umbrage at such perceived impropriety. I, on the other hand would merely shrug my shoulders and chalk it up as a common, albeit coarse interplay between the sexes during social intercourse."
Jed Baxter could not help but laugh out loud at Vivian's last brazen remark. He was becoming beguiled by her playful manners fostering a desire to get to know her better. It followed that in getting to know her better, the notion to make love to her naturally followed in the train of his thoughts. He was somewhat surprised by his reaction. Usually it was the women who were the ones initiating hints of sexual advances towards him.
He had looked upon this wedding as a family obligation without any prospect of pure enjoyment. Now with this so far delightful conversation with Vivian, he sensed that unexpected pleasure lay in store for him after all. So in this light, he gallantly replied, "I've already witnessed your stroll or should I say strut as you arrived at our table. With your gait featuring a definitely feminine motion of your hips, I've no doubt that you would attract more than your share of wolf whistles while bypassing a construction site or the like. Furthermore, if as you say your sister is far prettier than you, she must be truly a super gorgeous woman indeed."
Vivian blushed at his saucy observation, but keeping her cool she merely replied, "Well I wouldn't go so far as to say that, but she sure attracts male attention like bees to honey."
"Does that mean you are left out in the cold?"
"Oh no! I do get my fair share of male companionship."
"I bet you do. Now obviously I haven't had the opportunity of meeting your sister yet, but notwithstanding your praise of her, I'm hard put to imagine that I'd prefer her over you."
Vivian did not put much stock on Jed's innocuously complementary prattle. However she focused on the word "yet". She wondered in her mind, 'Was this an unguarded inadvertent choice of words? Or does he really contemplate on meeting Erica someday? But the only way he could possibly meet Erica is through me. Does he actually expect that we are going to become friends?'
