Alien in the Family

most important man in the world.
    “How’d you know?” I asked quietly, as the guards hustled Oliver off.
    He shrugged. “Some things are a given. A so-called photojournalist like Mister Joel Oliver always has more than one trick. Besides, I saw the flash when we were walking by.”
    “How did you make out a camera flash from all the other flashing going on?”
    He grinned. “Advanced training techniques to enhance the observational skills I already had.”
    “Will you ever teach those to me?”
    “Sure. Your mother taught me most of them.” Always the way. Mom trained everyone but me, it sometimes seemed. Chuckie laughed at my expression. “But after your honeymoon.”
    We left the Sports Book and went to THEhotel and up to the top floor. Chuckie headed us toward his side of the floor. “Um, I’m in the other gigantic room.”
    “Yes, but Reader and your bridesmaids are not. So if you want to go cheat on Martini with me, your room is the right spot. If you want to hook up with the others and get the dresses straightened out, you have to go to my room. I’m sure you know my vote.”
    “Oh, fine. Your room.”
    “Step one of my master plan is achieved. She foolishly believed me.” He opened the door and I saw—what looked like an entire wedding boutique.
    “Um, Chuckie?”
    He led me inside. “Have I mentioned that I’m really rich, the Martini family is really rich, and you’re all still, technically, C.I.A. operatives? I mean, the aliens are still here, and until they safely leave or sign the ‘we love the Earth’ oath, you all, by Martini’s agreement and the original ‘we A-Cs love the Earth’ agreement, still work for me.”
    I looked up at him. He was grinning. “You really are a great guy.”
    “Yeah. That and three bucks will get me a small latte I get to drink alone.” He kissed my forehead. “I console myself with the fact that I get to watch the modeling session, seeing as I am representing the groom’s interests and allowed final say.”
    “Wow. Money really does change everything.”

CHAPTER 60

    “KITTY!” MY NAME WAS SHRIEKED by seven women in unison. This unison thing was getting out of hand.
    Maybe it was wedding related.
    I looked around. They were all giggling and laughing. Each one of them was in a different formal dress, and they seemed to be having a great time. “You guys aren’t drinking, are you?”
    “Well, duh,” Lorraine said. “Serene, Claudia, and I can’t.”
    Queen Renata smiled. “The rest of us decided to err on the side of safety. But Charles ordered delicious sparkling apple cider.”
    “Oh, good.”
    “Cheapest party I’ve ever thrown,” Chuckie said with a grin, as he filled up everyone’s glasses and gave me one. Crystal champagne glasses. I felt like a real grown up teenybopper.
    Reader came out from the bedroom. “Okay, the gals are in a variety of bridesmaid dresses. You can’t really choose theirs until we have yours.”
    “Hi, James, good to see you.”
    “Yeah, on a schedule here. Chop-chop.” He grabbed me and pulled me into the bedroom. I expected some questions about Chuckie. I saw a long, mobile clothing rack with a lot of white dresses hanging on it. “I have an assortment here. I want to see you in all of them, even if you fall in love with one immediately. Got it?”
    “Um . . .”
    “Don’t worry about shoes or lingerie. Just go commando while trying them on; we’ll get appropriate lingerie once we’ve picked the dress and, of course, same with shoes. No worries about fitting, your breasts are perky enough that you can get away with no bra in at least half of these dresses, and you’ll be good enough to test in the rest.”
    “Um . . .”
    “Oh, same with veil. I’m not sure I want you in one in the first place, but it’ll depend on the dress.”
    “Um . . .”
    He took my glass out of my hand. “Right. This is a no-no around these dresses. You can have some in between changes.”
    “Um . . .”
    “Call me if you need to be zipped up. The girls are a little giddy, and I don’t want any rips or tears. The rejects have to go back.”
    “Um . . .”
    “What?”
    “Where did these come from?”
    He grinned. “I still have contacts, babe. Designers are really cutthroat and competitive. Just told them I had a friend marrying into a lot of money who needed to look beyond beautiful and who might, you know, have some paparazzi at her wedding. Amazing what showed up as options.”
    “We’re having