by Cee, DW
“I just want it to be perfect for her. She’s so busy with school, and there are so many specific things that I envision for our wedding, I can’t help but get involved.”
“What will you do for Thanksgiving? Are you going back home?”
“No. I convinced Delaney to come out here. Roland and I have a meeting with the German group in Switzerland so I told her to meet me in St. Moritz and we would spend a week skiing out there.”
“Yeah, like you’ll be getting a lot of skiing done that week.” Jake was no fool.
“I’d invite you and the family to come but I think I need this alone time with my fiancée.”
“I don’t think Emi or I want to be anywhere near you two. Have a great time and tell Laney we say hello.”
“Thanks, I will.”
With both conversations done, it was time to do some wedding planning.
First was a three-way phone conversation with my two mothers. “Hi Ma.”
“Donny! How are you doing in London by your lonely self?”
“I’m barely hanging on, but I finally see a light at the end of this long dark tunnel. Ma, can you hang on?” I got Delaney’s mom on the other line. “Hi Mom. You’re on a three-way call with me and Ma.” I explained.
“Hi Jamie.”
“Hi Babs.”
Before this turned into a gabfest I explained my call. “I wanted to make sure everything was going well with wedding plans. Mom, were you able to find all the Christmas decorations we talked about last time, and were the florists amenable to the changes I’d made? I talked to them and sent them an email detailing what I did and did not want. Ma, did you and Pa sample the dinner at the caterer’s? Maybe you should take Nick with you to make sure the food will be good enough. Oh, and did I tell you I found a Cinderella carriage?”
“Donny,” Ma interrupted, “stop bothering us and go sell your company. We are sick of you trying to be our third wedding coordinator. Babs and I have it under control.”
“But I want it to be perfect for my bride.”
“And it will be. The church you and Delaney loved has been booked, the house will be magically transformed into a winter wonderland during the ceremony, and the caterers are ready. Delaney picked out the cake flavors and your mother-in-law and I have more work than days in this last month to pull this together. Stop calling us with added instructions.”
Their annoyance couldn’t stop me. I was a man on a mission. “But what about...”
“Stop!” both Moms yelled. “Good-bye Donovan.” Mom hung up on me, and Ma hung up as well without even a good-bye.
Next on my agenda was a three-way call to Max and Nick. Once connected, I greeted both soon-to-be cousins.
“Please tell me you’re calling to say you’re coming home.”
“Why do you ask, Nick?”
“Because your fiancée is driving me insane. She seems to think I am your substitute and her personal chauffeur.”
“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking care of my fiancée, who also happens to be your cousin. I will return the favor exponentially when you get married.”
“Once again, don’t hold your breath,” Nick snipped. “I assume you called for a reason?”
“Ducati called to say the bikes are ready to be picked-up. Can you both go get them and Max, is it OK to store them at your place?”
“Sure. My garage is going to look good with four bikes. Now only if I can convince Jane to learn to ride a bike. The four of us could go riding together.”
“That’s a great idea. Next time I talk to Jane, I’ll do my best to convince her. Nick, the deal is almost done. I ask you to do my bidding just a little longer.”
“Do I have a choice?” The sarcasm wasn’t as genuine as he spit out.
“We’ve known each other a very long time, and I know you do this by choice and with a happy heart. Thank you.”
“Good one, Donovan.” Max laughed. “Let us know if you need anything else.”
“Will do. Thanks.”
After another successful call to my college buddy who had procured a Cinderella carriage for Delaney to ride to and from the wedding, I went about finishing my work so I could meet my fiancée in Switzerland.
I saw Delaney’s plane touch down, and it was ridiculous how excited I was to see her. It had nothing to do with not having seen her for almost a month. I would’ve been this excited had I just seen her yesterday. This woman had quickly become my world, my everything.
“Donovan!” She ran to me with a smile that told me she reciprocated all my sentiments.
“Hello, Princess!” I kissed her lovingly, passionately, wholeheartedly. “I’ve missed you.” I whispered while still showering her with kisses.
“I’ve missed you too. Where’s this love motel you promised me this week?” she whispered in return.
“Your castle awaits. Let’s go.”
We couldn’t get to our room fast enough. There had been too many sexts and phone conversations concerning the sex. I’d never had so much phone sex as I did these past months, and my once-shy fiancée took to the idea of pleasuring the both of us like the student that she was—intense and overachieving.
“You like?” This sexy woman quickly exposed a heart-stopping dominatrix looking lingerie piece with thigh high black boots under her long coat. A heart attack was truly not far off when I saw what she was wearing.
“Shit. You did not sit through a twelve hour flight with that on, did you?”
“I sure did,” she answered in a sultry voice, “and I read through your last sext thinking about what I’d like to do and have done to me when I got you alone in.”
Damn! I’d created a monster. “Get in the room.” I rushed her in before she pulled anymore crazy stunts like she just did. “What if someone saw you in that get-up?”
“No one saw me in what was supposed to get you up.” I always loved her play on words. She was clever to a fault.
We didn’t make it to the ski slopes until the third day when we had run out of towels and needed our bedding changed. Delaney wasn’t as much of a ski bunny as she was a surfer—or so I thought.
“What’s with the intermediate slopes? I didn’t need to worry about you kicking my ass in this sport. You’re not all that good.” She quirked her eyebrows and didn’t say much. “Would you have more fun on the bunny slopes? Would you mind if I skied alone a few runs? I’d like to do the double black diamonds. You’ve held me back all morning,” I teased.
“Not at all,” she answered with not a care. “Can I change out my equipment and do one more run with you? If I’m still holding you back, you can ski by yourself the rest of the afternoon and I’ll stay in the lodge and read.”
“Sure.” I didn’t think her equipment was at fault but I knew I’d hurt her ego just a tad.
It didn’t take her long to change her skis for a snowboard. I didn’t ask. She didn’t tell. We hopped on a lift chair for a double black diamond run and she sat completely silent, kind of scary silent.
Shit. I should’ve known better. My crazy adrenaline-rush junkie of a fiancée practically jumped off the chairlift, got her snowboard boots on, standing up, and left me to eat her snow. She shredded down the hill so fast there were times I thought I might have a heart attack watching her do jumps. I’d never met such a doll-faced thrill-seeker, ever. Though I wasn’t far behind her, when she was done, she waited for me with a bored expression, bordering on giggles.
“You show-off.” I took off my skis and went over to embrace my beautiful bride-to-be. “You’re going to give me a heart attack one day if you continue to be such a thrill-seeker.”
“I was tame on those slopes, Mr. Taylor. All that snow in your face must’ve impaired your vision.” We put our equipment away and headed into the lodge.
“Why didn’t you tell me you preferred to snowboard? I would’ve snowboarded with you.”
“I was told you weren’t too good at snowbo
arding and I didn’t want to hurt your fragile ego,” she mocked.
I picked her up and flung her over my shoulder, caveman-style, and took her in for lunch.
“Housekeeping should be done by now,” I announced during lunch. “What would you like to do the rest of today?” I asked knowing what the answer would be.
“Let’s go into the village and get to a convenience store.” That was not what I was expecting. “You know I’ve been battling this sinus infection and my doctor father is making me take another round of antibiotics. He says it’s a nasty one that’s in my system and is worried that it won’t completely go away.”
“And?”
“And antibiotics have been known to reverse the effect of the birth control pill. I mentioned this the first day I got here?” she reminded me.
“You’ve been on the pill since you were sixteen, what can two rounds of antibiotics do for you?”
“Create little Taylors is what they can do. We need to buy some condoms.”
“Nuh-uh! I’m not putting those suckers on. It feels too damn good to be without them. I refuse to wear them.” I would of course wear them if she insisted, but I hoped she wouldn’t. What could a few days of unprotected sex do to us?
“Donovan!” she sighed. “Let’s go down to the village and see what they have. We can do what’s on your dirty mind later in the day.”
“Anything for you, my princess.” Lucky for me, Delaney never noticed the pharmacy right next to the high-end clothing store. This woman of mine and I had a serious issue with clothes shopping. We spent several hours trying on and purchasing winter clothes we’d have a hard time wearing in LA where there was no real winter.
Our separation from Switzerland was an easy one since we knew we’d see each other again in a week. Jake and the family were headed home and Delaney was coming back to pick up her belongings. In truth, she didn’t need to come, but when Jane suggested we all spend a weekend in Florence looking for wedding locations for her and Max, Delaney decided she was Europe-bound.
“Guess what?” My excited fiancée called to inform me. “Bee and Nick are coming!” she explained before I got a chance to ask her. “I’m thrilled the two of them are together. I think they are perfect for one another.”
“Don’t walk them down the aisle yet, Beautiful. I think those two have a long ways to go before that happens.”
“I know, but I love both Bee and Nick, and I’m happy they’ve found each other. We’ll all be over on the other side very soon.”
“I’ll be at Heathrow with open arms.” Nothing made me happier these days than spending time with the woman I loved. I couldn’t wait until we were married and together every day.
“You don’t have to do that, Donovan. I know you’re busy. We can all find our way back to Belgravia.”
“The rest of our families can find their way to Belgravia. I’m coming to see my bride.”
“It still amazes me that I’m engaged to you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve loved you for so long. I mean, who knows when it went from a crush to love, but for as long as I can remember, you’ve been the only man in my heart. There was so much longing and for so many days I watched you, hoping you’d turn around and take a glance at me.”
“Princess...” I let out a weak complaint. Looking back wasn’t my favorite thing to do. I’d hurt Delaney more times than I liked to remember.
“I’m not trying to make you feel guilty. It’s just incredulous for me when I think how much my love life has changed. It’s like a miracle come to life.”
“You are my dream come to life. I only wish I’d noticed you earlier. You think you would’ve married me while you were in undergrad had we dated sooner?”
“Hell yes! I would’ve married you straight out of high school had you noticed me sooner.”
I laughed. “I don’t think your parents would’ve been too happy about their eighteen-year-old daughter getting hitched.”
“As long as you loved me and encouraged me to finish my education, my parents would have agreed, eventually. You know they love you, regardless of my dad’s bluster. My parents told me the other day how they schemed to create every opportunity for us to spend time together before we started dating.”
“Your dad told you about sabotaging your date with Mr. Strawberry Shortcake?”
“You’re so mean, Mr. I Can Play Poker.”
“From now on, we’re only playing strip poker,” I challenged.
“Bring it on!” She laughed hard. “Do you remember that time when we ran into you at the sandwich shop?”
“Yeah. That was the day I took you up to the beach house.”
“The day before was the golf tournament and I was on cloud nine because you had brought me coffee in the morning and paid much attention to me and the fact that Nolan was my partner.”
“OK...”
“Then that all went straight to hell when I saw you and Jane laughing and drinking it up at the club. My heart broke whenever I watched your relationship with my cousin because you two always had such an easy-going one. Whereas you and I had never-ceasing arguments and I was constantly tongue-tied around you, Jane was confident and secure in her rapport with you. Well, I went straight home once I saw the two of you together, and Mom found me trying to keep my emotions intact. She told me about her struggles when she first met Dad and she gingerly got me through the night. She told me that the next day when we saw you at lunch, she and Daddy did everything to get you to stay with us.”
“Did you know that when your mom asked to ride in the car with me, she gave me a brief synopsis of her dating days with your father? She also asked me to help you find a man. I thought it was random, but I guess it was all part of a grand plan.”
“I guess so. Those were just some of the days where my parents had to help their sad daughter gain the attention of a popular man.” She was teasing me now.
“Did I ever tell you that you were the impetus for the purchase of our beach house?”
“You did, but I love hearing that story. Tell it again.” She was so damn cute.
“I’d found the beach house right before Hawaii, and when I saw how much you loved the water, I knew I had to buy the house and somehow share it with you. That day when we went kite boarding was one of my favorite days with you, bar none. Your face lights up brighter than Christmas lights when you’re in the water. For days, I couldn’t get the picture of you in your bikini, kite boarding, off my mind.”
“You were just a horn-dog thinking of me in my bikini is probably what it was—you dirty old man!” She accused with a hearty laugh.
“You know me too well. I’ll see you very soon, my love.”
“I adore you, Mr. Taylor!”
After a conversation like that, I couldn’t get my head in the selling game. Luckily, or maybe not so fortunately, we were back at a holding pattern. Both firms vying for ours had reached their last straws and I waited to see who would break first and sign the documents. The purchase price was beyond what I’d expected. When men and their egos got into a bidding war, it was beautiful for the seller. I’d sit back, enjoy Florence with my bride, and wait for someone to cave.
“I think this is the winery I want to get married in. What do you think?” Jane had picked an exquisite vineyard where they’d get married with rows of grapes and the Tuscan sunset as their backyard.
“Babe. I care not where we get married. You just tell me where and when...” Classic Max—it was all about what Jane wanted.
“Maybe we should’ve had a destination wedding.” I suggested to my fiancée, who was walking around the vineyard in a happy daze. “We could’ve gotten married in Hawaii on the sand since you love the beach.” Maybe I was too hasty in picking a church and planning for a tented reception at her parents’.
“I think what we’re doing is perfect. I’ve always loved that church with all the stained-glass windows, and I’ve always dream
ed of having a reception in my backyard. It’s going to be magical! I just wish you’d want to get more involved in the decision-making process, but I guess you men don’t like that kind of stuff.” Little did she know I’d planned most of this wedding. “It’s so romantic here, huh?”
“It’s sure is, my beautiful bride. Let’s go check out the scenery.”
We walked around the vineyard, learned about its history, and sampled some wines. Delaney and I went off into the caverns where they stored their barrels and I found us a secluded corner to have a little fun.
“I love how even in the winter, you wear dresses. They allow for easy access anytime.” I whispered while kissing her neck.
“Maybe I wear dresses to give you that easy access.” She encouraged by placing her hand along my length that was getting longer with each stroke. My hand found its way inside her underwear and my once-innocent turned shy on me. “We can’t do this here. Anyone can walk in on us.”
“We’ll make it fast, and you need to stay quiet.”
Once I was sure no one was nearby, I slipped down her barely-there underwear, undid my zipper, and we engaged immediately. She grabbed onto me as though it was her first time again, and being inside her in public felt insanely erotic. My little jezebel couldn’t keep her moaning to a minimum and I couldn’t understand how even after having spent all last week in bed with her, she still felt this good wrapped around me.
“Shit. Donovan. I’m still on antibiotics.”
“That’s what you’re thinking about when I’m fucking you?”
Her laughter turned into beseeching, which turned into a sob. The sight of her losing all control with her head and body limp and languishing against the wall had me in a tailspin of my own. Whenever we came together, I didn’t know what felt better—my own orgasm, or watching and hearing her uncontrolled response.