It Should Happen to You: The Bachelorette Pact Miniseries (Temptation Series #971) by Kathleen O'Reilly

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It Should Happen To You

Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.

Chapter One

It's not every day that you're videotaped having sex.

She allowed herself one quick shudder. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. And that from a woman who was decidedly not religious.

She looked across the church's small dressing room where Jessica, in blissful ignorance, was adjusting her veil. Jessica, who'd never been videotaped having sex in her entire life.

Mickey spent all of two minutes debating whether to dump on her best friend on her wedding day. Eventually, guilt prevailed and she realized that not even Mickey the Idiot was that stupid.

"Anything wrong?" Beth asked, coming up beside her. "You look a little pale." Beth, sweet, innocent Beth, blinked her huge baby blues.

Mickey pulled off her glasses and wiped the lenses, as if that was the problem. "It's the dress. The color is a little off for me."

"I think it looks great on you."

Mickey's mouth twisted into a pale imitation of a smile. "Yeah, I do, too."

This stupid dress was more than half of the problem. They had Jessica's bachelorette party right after the last fitting. Oh, Mickey, you should wear it out. You look fab!

Mickey didn't wear dresses that showed more than the requisite one-third of her breasts. And she didn't normally drink more than four beers in one night. And she didn't normally have one-night stands with horny college interns who threaten blackmail.

The panic attack started all over again.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Beth asked.

"I think I just need to sit down." Mickey managed to choke the words out, and then collapsed onto a nearby folding chair.

"Want some water?"

"Yeah, that'll help. Thanks."

Beth came back with a paper cup and handed it over.

"I know this has been hard for you."

Mickey stared in confusion. How did she know? "What?"

Beth tilted her head in Jessica's direction. "Jessica. Adam. The wedding. You know, you're not losing a best friend. You're gaining a whole new conduit to eligible bachelors."

The sad thing was, Beth was completely serious. "I hadn't thought of it that way," Mickey said, completely honest.

"I know we kinda made this bachelorette pact promise, but we were kidding, right?" Beth blinked hopefully.

The Bachelorette Pact. Almost twelve months ago the four college friends had made a promise to revel in their single status. Free of men, free to do whatever they wanted. Oh, yeah, paradise. Right now the free-of-men part sounded great, because today her priorities were getting the tape, of a night she didn't even remember - much. Then she could concentrate on the galaxy density differentiation presentation for Dr. Heidelman. Her ticket to fame and fortune in the scientific community. Well, not really fortune, but definitely fame among the Astrophysical Journal set. And maybe even respect in the eyes of one Dr. Andrew Coleman, MD, the man otherwise known as Dad. If Dad ever heard about that tape, or anyone at Astrophysical Sciences Research Center for that matter, she'd be pretty much astrophysical toast.

The day after the Bachelorette Party, John Monihan had approached her with vague references about their evening before. Apparently he was one of those video aficionados, just her luck. Now he had the tape of their night, and he wanted payback. Actually, he merely wanted more sex, which was very frustrating, because Mickey just didn't remember it being that great.

Beth pulled up a chair next to her. "You know, we can do stuff together, too. I mean, if you want to."

This time Mickey's smile was legit. Beth, at her most earnest, couldn't be denied. "Sure, Beth. Maybe we can go out after the reception."

"Brick's for a beer?"

Beer? Not in a million years. Still, there were always the uncharted waters of new territories, like, say, martinis. "Sure."

The music cranked up from the chapel, and the wedding planner rushed them out into the foyer. Mickey walked over to where Jessica was standing in front of the mirror, twisting around to see her back. When Jessica spied her, she gave Mickey one last hug.

"Break a leg," Mickey whispered.

"You'll be next," was all Jessica had to say.

Oh yeah, right. Slimeball antimatter was definitely prime husband material. Mickey held her tongue.

The ceremony was beautiful, she had to say that. White lilies, classical music and barely controlled tears that hung stubbornly at the corners of her eyes. When Adam kissed Jessica, Mickey nearly lost it.

Jessica smiled at her from under her veil, a tremulous smile completely ruined by the steely glint in her eyes that said, "You're catching the bouquet." That was Jessica. Always the woman in denial.

The exit music started, true love conquering all, a journey to a new life, yada, yada, yada.

Mickey sighed, grabbed the arm of the best man and followed the happy couple down the aisle and out the door. The best man smiled at her, a harmless, unpretentious smile, and Mickey just nodded curtly.

He was one of the enemy. He was a man, and right now she had little patience for human beings with an extra appendage. She'd been shot down by those fly-boys one too many times.

"I bet you have a video camera," she whispered under her breath, a reminder that harmless, unpretentious smiles could hide the nefarious heart of a debauchee.

"As a matter of fact, I do," he said. "It's in the car. Should I bring it in?"

Mickey didn't answer, just gave him the patented Coleman growl, guaranteed to intimidate any man, woman or Department of Energy inspector. So was this a testosterone-laden man or merely an invertebrate munchkin? The age-old question reared its head.

He shot her one frightened look and that was the end of the conversation.

Mickey buffed her nails on the shoulder of the polished-silk dress. The man was nothing more than Milquetoast in a tux.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from It Should Happen To You by Kathleen O'Reilly Copyright © 2004 by Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.. Excerpted by permission.
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