She was mine for the taking

She was mine for the taking

January 28, 2025

Tuesday.

Quite an unusual day for a wedding. Clark’s fiance wanted this day because both her mother and grandmother were married on a Tuesday. Their marriages lasted in excess of 40 years. She did not want to break tradition.

I arrived three hours before the ceremony. I always wear a black wool suit with a starched white shirt, and a burgundy tie. Whether it is a funeral or a wedding, I wear this suit. I go for the classic style.

She arrived soon after me. She was the bride’s maid and the bride introduced her to me as Mina. When I had the chance, I looked up the origin of the name. It meant “azure” or ’crystal like”. Her eyes matched her name perfectly. Points for her parents.

Mina was wearing a t-shirt and jeans upon arrival. Within an hour, she was in a formal gown with impeccable hair and makeup. She reintroduced herself, saying that most people could not recognize her once she cleaned up. With those eyes, I could not forget her if I tried.

She turned to walk back to the bride knowing I could not, or would not take my eyes off of her as she moved. The bride chastised Nina for flirting so obviously on her special day. The groom told me Mina was single. My eyes remained on Nina as he dropped this information. He could not blame me for my lack of attention.

Once the ceremony concluded, the bride threw the bouquet, and it was Mina who caught it. Being the only single woman in attendance does have its advantages. I gave a polite round of applause. Mina gave me a more than polite call for action. She walked over to me and asked me to dance. It was not an open invitation. It was more like an order.

And who am I to refuse such an order?

We danced together. We sat and talked for hours. We had a few drinks, a few more dances, and listened to the newly wedded couple make a few double entendres about our budding relationship. Whispers abound when our next dance began slowly and then proceeded to evolve into something far more risque. Mina began to bump and grind, often pulling me toward some poorly lit area to advance her narrative. When she leaned in to whisper in my ear, she probed it (instead) with her tongue. I heard her message clearly. While her lips never said, “No”, her eyes screamed, “Yes.” Mina was a tiger and I was to be her prey.

I gave a few goodbyes and departed for my hotel room with Mina in tow. In the lobby, she told me that she forgot to say goodbye to the bride. I told her I would wait for her return.

I am still waiting as the police take my statement.

It seems, Mina is as well adept at being a bridesmaid as she is at being a pickpocket. By the time I figured out her deception, she was long gone. My Porsche was long gone. My credit cards suffered the same fate. In all, I lost nearly a quarter million dollars that night.

The bride lost a friend and a coworker.

Those still in attendance checked their accounts only to find each intact.

Mina was mine for the taking, but I was the only one who was taken.