The months after Ethan's proposal were a blur. He threw himself into wedding preparations and freelance gigs while Mia was busy at work. He kept telling himself that after the wedding, things would change. Mia would leave Eden's Edge behind and they would start fresh.
His addiction to watching her on that damned app grew ever stronger. Mia would insist what she did at work wasn't a big deal and he would accept it despite himself. He wondered what the future would actually hold for them.
Every night, the guys would thoroughly use her body to prime themselves for clients. Her magic touch kept Eden's Edge thriving. Pumping her full of cum became routine, earning little more than a half-hearted scolding and a docked tip while she wiped herself clean.
Ethan watched these scenes play out night after night, his hand inevitably found its way to his own aching hard-on as his self-control dwindled with each viewing. Afterward, shame would wash over him like a cold shower, but it never lasted long enough to keep him from returning to the app the next night.
Mia tried to help with wedding plans when time permitted. She flipped through a catalog and asked "What do you think about these centerpieces?", showing him some elaborate flower arrangement.
"Also, we really need to finalize the wedding party," she added. "Jess is going to be my maid of honor."
"Great," Ethan nodded, scrolling through emails on his laptop. He realized she was waiting for his response about groomsmen. "I, uh... I'm still working on my side."
Mia looked concerned. "I figured Dan from your old work would be your best man."
Ethan hadn't really spoken to Dan since leaving Vertex Designs last year to become a freelancer. He never was good about staying in touch with people.
"Turns out he can't make it, he's got a family thing."
"Really? I thought you guys were close. Who else were you thinking of asking?" Mia pressed gently.
Ethan held an awkward pause before responding. "I'm not sure yet. I need to think about it some more."
Mia looked up from a bridal magazine, eyes brightening with a sudden idea. "Hey, what about some of the guys from work? Since Jess is already in the wedding party."
"What guys?" Ethan asked, though he knew exactly who she meant. His stomach twisted at the mere suggestion.
"Jake and Tony could be groomsmen," she said, voice lifting with enthusiasm. "And Rick too. They're always asking about you and the wedding."
Ethan carefully closed his laptop, buying time to control his expression. "You want those... coworkers, in our wedding party?"
"Why not?" she said. "Jess is."
"Mia, don't you think that's a bit... strange?"
"What's strange about it?" she asked, her brow furrowing.
"It's just... they're from your work. Our wedding is supposed to be personal."
"It is personal," she insisted. "They care about us, Ethan. About our relationship. They want us to succeed."
"It's just... I barely know them," Ethan said, dancing around what he really wanted to say.
Mia set down her magazine. "That's the point! This is your chance to get to know them better."
"I just don't understand why they need to be in our wedding," he said finally.
"You don't have groomsmen yet, and it'd be fun, you guys could bond."
He looked at her earnest expression. His resolve was no match for that face. "Fine," he conceded with a sigh. "Jake, Tony and Rick as groomsmen."
She beamed, throwing her arms around him. "Thank you! It'll be perfect, you'll see."
As the wedding drew closer, Ethan's days were taken up with finalizing arrangements. In the evening he found himself getting drawn in deeper to his voyeurism as he watched Mia on the app, unable to stop himself any more than he was able to stop her from getting pulled down that path.
Two weeks before the ceremony, Jake, Tony, and Rick took him out for what they called a "pre-bachelor party." They met at a dimly lit sports bar downtown, the kind of place with sticky floors and screens mounted in every corner. Ethan sat stiffly on a barstool, nursing a beer while the guys downed shots and slapped his back with overly familiar camaraderie.
"So, wedding jitters kicking in yet?" Jake asked, sliding another beer toward Ethan without asking if he wanted it.
Ethan shrugged, forcing a smile. "Not really. Just ready to get it done."
Tony laughed, the sound grating on Ethan's nerves. "That's what they all say before the old ball and chain locks in!"
Rick chimed in, "At least you're marrying Mia. Most guys would kill to have a girl like that."
The conversation continued like this for hours, crude jokes about marriage, thinly veiled comments about Mia that made Ethan's skin crawl, all delivered with the easy confidence of men who knew they had nothing to fear from him. The most surreal part was how normal they acted, as if this was just guys hanging out, as if they weren't the same men who regularly took turns with his fiancée.
Part of him hoped one of them would just come out and say it, mention how much they enjoyed fucking his Mia, how they'd filled every hole she had to offer. Maybe then he'd finally snap, maybe then he'd find the courage to confront the situation. But he knew he had neither the courage nor the physical ability to challenge them. And they never crossed that line, maintaining the bizarre charade of normalcy that made everything so much worse.
"You're a lucky man," Jake said, clapping his shoulder at the end of the night. "Mia's something special."
The words haunted him for days afterward. Yes, Mia was special -- and everyone at Eden's Edge knew exactly how special she was.
