****
“Wow baby, you look incredible!” Ramey eyed my black on black Versace suit when she finally came out of the bathroom. “Where’d you get the suit?”
“Sunny gave it to me to wear to the AMAs, remember?”
Of course she doesn’t remember. There is the slight possibility that Ramey has no clue what I wore to the award show because she was so focused on how she looked and what people were saying about her that she hardly paid me any attention.
“Sunny certainly knows clothes...and your body pretty well. That suit fits perfectly.”
I ignored her innuendo.
“Help me with my shoes,” she ordered. I bent over to tie the deep purple satin ribbons that held her four inch stiletto in place. I ran my hand up Ramey’s perfectly tanned and shapely calf. She looks so good, I didn’t want to go to the party...almost.
“You look like a supermodel,” I teased.
“And you look like a superstar.” She pecked me on the lips carefully so she wouldn’t smear her lipstick.
“Is there going to be any press at this party?” Ramey asked.
“I don’t think so,” I answered. “Roxy was very adamant about security tonight. We’ve had a long tour and this is just a moment to have some with the band and crew. It’s not a photo-op.”
Ramey’s face darkened. “Roxy’s going to ruin you. Shutting out the media is not good for your career or our image. We’re a famous couple. People want to see us out together,” she complained. “Besides, aren’t you releasing your next CD pretty soon? You need the exposure.”
I opened the suite door and led Ramey out. I looked up and down the hallway before shutting the door behind me, making sure that there weren’t any photographers lurking near by.
“I don’t need any exposure tonight,” I replied.
Ramey’s love for the camera is what has propelled her to supermodel status. I don’t live in front of the camera. I live in the studio and on stage. My dislike of having my picture taken all of the time tends to be a sore spot in our relationship.
Thankfully, we made it to the party without incident or too many more complaints from Ramey. The private room I’d rented for the night was already full of my tour crew and their dates. I’m glad so many showed up. The party is for them anyway.
The drinks flowed freely, the buffet was massive, the music was on point, and best of all, no one had to do anything except have fun. Even Roxy had the chance to relax and let the party planner do her job.
“This party is amazing!” Delilah yelped in my ear. It took me a full half hour to even spot my little sister. When I did see her, she was on the dance floor with Paulie.
“How did you manage to pull this off?”
“I didn’t do anything except hire a party planner and give her my credit card.”
“Well, everyone is totally impressed,” Delilah said. “No paparazzi, no screaming fans. We need to have a wrap party after every tour. All roads lead to Vegas,” she laughed.”
“I like that idea,” I agreed with her. “I'll keep it in mind for next year.”
“Hey, Chloe showed up,” she said. “Wow, that dress is hot!”
I turned in the direction that Delilah was staring. A petite, olive skinned girl was standing by the bar, wearing a stunning and tight black dress that showed off her curves.
“Who’s Chloe?” I stared at the girl. Her eyes darted nervously around the room.
“She’s your fan club president,” Delilah informed me. “I met her when we got here yesterday. I hope you don’t mind that I invited her. She really wants to meet you.”
“That girl by the bar is my fan club president? She’s fuckin’ gorgeous! Go get her!”
She looked at me and shook her head. “Behave. You know Ramey will have a fit if she even thinks you’re flirting with another girl. I’ll bring Chloe by the table to say hi, but that’s it.”
“I’m not trying to sleep with the girl,” I protested.
“Yeah right,” Delilah said. “I don’t buy it. She’s just your type. Tits and ass everywhere. Just the opposite of your stick figure girlfriend. Leave Chloe alone, please big brother. I’m begging you. Think about what the tabloids...and Roxy...will say if Ramey starts acting crazy in here tonight.”
“Fine,” I laughed. “Bring her over. I promise not to do anything with her. I just want to say hello.”
Ramey must have fan girl radar because as soon as Delilah started walking towards my table with Chloe, Ramey appeared out of nowhere.
“Who’s that?” she asked, nodding her head in Delilah’s direction.
“That’s Delilah,” I laughed.
“Who’s the girl with her?”
“Oh, that’s Chloe,” I told her. “She’s the president of my fan club.”
Ramey burst out laughing. “Oh my God, how lame! What is she doing here?”
“Delilah invited her,” I frowned. “Don’t insult the girl for being a fan. Would you talk shit about your fan club president?”
“I don’t have a fan club,” Ramey stated.
“Maybe that’s the problem,” I answered and walked away.
I approached Delilah and Chloe and pulled Chloe out on the dance floor with me. Ramey’s cold stare chilled my spine. I don’t know why she’s always so jealous. She’s always the hottest girl in the room and I haven’t given her a reason not to trust me. She’s my girl and I love her. I’m not going to hurt her.
****
“Aiden?” A soft tap on my shoulder made me turn. Ramey stood behind me still wearing her dress from the party. When she disappeared from the party, I assumed she went back to our suite and went to bed. Apparently she had not.
I looked up from my blackjack hand and glanced at her. “What?”
“It’s late. Let’s go back to our room.”
“I’m down five grand,” I told her. “Give me another couple of hands. If I don’t win anything, I’ll walk away from the table.”
I handed her my drink as she sat down in the chair next to me. Everyone except the dealer stared as she crossed her long legs. looked at my cards, jack of clubs and eight of hearts.
“Hit,” Ramey whispered in my ear.
Normally I wouldn’t hit on eighteen, but I’m already down so what the hell.
“Hit me.” I got the two of clubs. Lucky.
The dealer played his hand. Twenty-four! Busted! I glanced over at Ramey who was smiling.
“You won, baby,” she giggled.
I placed another bet and waited for the dealer to deal another hand.
Blackjack!
Ramey squealed and clapped her hands as the dealer slid my winnings across the table. An hour later I was on a hot streak and up almost five grand. Ramey must be my good luck charm. But I am smart enough to know that the house always wins so I gathered up my chips, ready to move on to a new game.
At the roulette table, I won another three grand, with Ramey picking the numbers. We moved on to the craps table. I squeezed Ramey’s waist and puller her closer, incredibly happy that she’s here with me and looking as sexy as ever.
“You are so fucking beautiful,” I whispered in her ear as she leaned over the craps table and threw out the dice.
“Seven!” the dealer yelled and pushed the chips towards Ramey.
“So are you.” She pushed her ass against me and shifted her hips.
I wrapped my arms around her and whispered in her ear, “I love you.”
“Show me,” she purred in my ear.
I gathered all of my winnings and threw them in Ramey’s purse. We raced back to our suite. I slid my hands up her short dress while she fumbled around for the key. Our lips didn’t stop touching each other’s bodies as we shuffled through the door and fell onto the bed.
“Make love to me, Aiden,” she whispered breathlessly in my ear.
I slid her expensive dress over her shoulders and tossed it to the floor. Ramey closed her eyes and waited. After seven months, I should be used to seeing Ramey naked,
but her naked body still fascinates me.
Small perky boobs. Slim waist. Completely smooth tanned skin.
Ramey Hall is every man’s fantasy and she’s mine.
She cooed softly when I kissed her neck. Her legs parted, inviting me to get between them.
After we’d finished, Ramey surprised me by not heading straight to the bathroom. Instead, she rested her head on my chest and slid her legs over mine.
“I love you too, Aiden,” she whispered in the darkness.
“You do?”
“Yes,” Ramey answered. “Did you mean it when you said it downstairs?”
I rubbed my hands along the small of her back, which was damp with sweat. I’ve never been this is happy with a girl or felt this complete after finishing a tour. It finally feels that my life is coming together the way I want it to.
When we get back to Los Angeles, the tech guys are going to start editing and mastering the recordings of the Atlanta shows which will end up being a CD/DVD combo. I’m really excited about this because this marks the end of my time working my ass off for Power Music.
Joey and I have spent the last five months working out the details of our new arrangement. I trust Joey and I know he’s not going to screw me over. Needless to say, I’m excited as hell about the new direction my career is about to take.
Add in the fact that I’ve finally gotten over Sunny and have the most beautiful woman in the world sharing my bed every night...hell yeah, I’m happy.
“Yeah, I meant it,” I answered Ramey. “I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it.”
“You’ve been drinking,” Ramey replied. “You say a lot of things when you’ve been drinking.”
“I’m not that drunk,” I told her. “I love you. I mean it.”
Ramey was quiet. I heard my cell phone vibrating in my jeans on the floor but I didn’t want to move. It’s probably just the guys, wondering where I am at ten o’clock at night in Vegas.
“Aiden,” Ramey spoke softly. “Let’s get married.”
“What?” I laughed. “That’s crazy.”
Ramey sat up in a huff.
“Why is that crazy? We’ve been together for almost eight months. If we love each other, why wait?”
“Ramey, we can’t get married.”
She folded her arms across her bare chest and pouted.
“Aiden, listen to me, baby. We’re here in Vegas. We can go back to L.A as newlyweds. You are becoming a star and what better way to increase your profitability by marrying the woman that you love, who just so happens to be a supermodel? Your popularity is going to skyrocket.”
“Baby, I’m not gonna marry you to sell CDs. I’m not that guy.”
“I’m just saying, Aiden. I’ve been thinking about this for a few weeks. Let’s do it. We’re here, we’re happy, and we love each other.”
She does have a point. I do love her and we already live together. Things can’t possibly change that much if we get married.
“Okay,” I grinned at her. “Let’s do it. Tonight. Let’s get married tonight.”
Ramey squealed and hopped off the bed. She tossed me my clothes and wiggled into her dress. Her face was flushed with excitement and her eyes sparkled. I’d never seen her so happy before.
Thirty minutes later our cab pulled up in front of the Little White Wedding Chapel. For some strange reason, I don’t feel nervous or anything. I’ve made some dumb decisions but this is right. I love Ramey. She loves me. What could be wrong about this?
Ramey practically skipped into the chapel ahead of me. I lagged behind to warn the Indian cab driver that if he even considered calling the paparazzi, I’d personally cut off his balls and hang them from the rearview mirror. The media can give us this one night. They can pounce when we get back home.
“Can I help you?” a middle aged woman greeted us.
“We want to get married.” Ramey answered excitedly. “Like right now.”
The woman smiled warmly, but she doesn’t look impressed. She probably sees people like us all of the time. She handed us a pamphlet that outlined their wedding packages. Ramey chose the simplest and least expensive package. Totally out of character for her. I bet she’ll want to have a huge star studded wedding when we get home.
Another twenty minutes went by and then Ramey and I stood before an ordained minister and said our vows, committing our lives to one another.
I held Ramey’s hand tightly as we left the chapel. She snuggled against me in the cab. She kept looking down at the plain gold band on her ring finger. We definitely have to get new rings as soon as we get home. Mrs. Aiden Tyler needs a huge diamond that sparkles like her eyes.
“We’re actually married,” Ramey sighed. “I’m Mrs. Ramey Hall-Tyler now,” she giggled.
“That you are, babe.” I kissed the top of her head.
“When do you want to tell everyone?” she asked.
I considered the conversations that would need to take place, sooner rather than later. Roxy, Tracy, Kat, Sunny, Joey, Delilah and Sara...my parents.
“We can tell most of them tomorrow,” I said. “We don’t have to tell anyone tonight. I can think of a million other things I’d rather do on my wedding night.”
****
Ramey was in the bathroom when my eyes popped open and immediately went to my left hand. I grinned at the gold band wrapped around my finger.
“Aiden, are you up?” Ramey called.
“Yeah.”
“Good. Delilah called and said everyone’s meeting lobby restaurant for breakfast. Get dressed.”
My head ached a little. Champagne always gives me a headache but Ramey insisted on celebrating our marriage before we came back to our suite last night.
I slipped into the bathroom and wrapped my arms around Ramey’s waist. I brushed her hair away to the side and kissed her neck.
“Good morning, Mrs. Tyler.”
“Quit it,” she giggled.. “We have to get dressed.”
“I have to piss and shower,” I told her. “Hurry up.”
She went back to applying something that she doesn’t need to her face.
“When we get back to L.A, we definitely need to start looking for a bigger place. I mean, your house is nice and all, but I have a lot of stuff.”
“And,” she continued, “Do you think you could live without Delilah around? Isn’t about time she get her own place?”
“That’s up to her,” I shrugged. “If she wants to move, she can leave whenever she wants. If she wants to stay, she stays.”
I turned on the shower. The scalding hot water turned my skin red. Ramey started complaining about the steam making her hair frizzy so I soaped up real fast and got out. We’re definitely going to need a bigger place. Ramey and I cannot share a bathroom.
Roxy, Delilah, Sunny, Erica, and Paulie were already having breakfast when Ramey and I walked into the restaurant and slipped into the two empty seats at their table.
“Hey guys,” I said when I sat down. “How was everyone’s night?”
“Me and Erica won five hundred bucks on the slots at Caesar’s,” Delilah answered happily. “Today, we’re going to get tattoos.”
Roxy nodded. “I had to convince Dumb and Dumber to sleep on that idea. They were way too drunk after the party to even think about getting tattoos.”
Both Erica and Delilah laughed like they were still a bit tipsy.
“Sunny, I thought you were leaving first thing this morning. What happened?” I asked.
“I have to stay a couple more days,” she answered. “Vibe is doing a photo shoot and I’m doing wardrobe. I called you after the party when I got the word, but you didn’t answer.”
“He was busy,” Ramey answered possessively.
“Really?” Delilah said. “Did you win big at the blackjack table?”
Before I could answer, Ramey answered for me.
“That wasn’t it,” she said.
“What were you doing?” Delilah asked.
Everyone at
the table looked at me anxiously. Ramey sat her hand on the table so her ring was clearly visible. My hands were under the table. Erica was the first to notice. She let out a very loud gasp.
“No...you...didn’t!”
“Yes, we did,” Ramey said proudly. “We got married last night.”
A chorus of “Oh my God!” and “Are you crazy?” followed by “Have you lost your damn mind?” rang out like the backup singers at my shows.
“Were you drunk?” Paulie asked.
“Not that drunk,” I said. “I knew what I was doing.”
“Geez, Aiden,” Delilah moaned. “Why’d you do that? We were so close to being done with her. Her apartment is finished and everything. Now she’s never gonna leave.”
“I cannot believe this.” Roxy lowered her face into her hands. “This is a disaster. Tracy is going to kill you. She’s literally going to murder you.”
This is exactly the reaction that I was expecting. I knew that Ramey and I would be the only ones happy about our marriage. Judging by the anguished expression on her face, Ramey hadn’t expected the backlash. She never does.
“What is the problem?” she screeched. “What is so wrong with us getting married? I love him and he loves me.”
“Ha,” Sunny snorted. “He doesn’t love you.”
“No, honey,” Ramey snapped. “He doesn’t love you. That’s why you’re pissed.”
The entire table went silent. If I had one wish at that very moment, it would have been for a nice sized piece of duct tape to cover Ramey’s mouth.
“Everyone knows that you’ve been pining for Aiden since the day you met,” Ramey continued. “But he chose me. He loves me. You are barely a part of his life now. Deal with it.”
We all braced ourselves for Sunny’s response. Whatever she say isn’t going to be nice, but Ramey deserves it. Her relationship with Sunny is volatile, at best. Only an idiot would bring up Sunny’s feelings for me; feelings that she doesn’t even have anymore.
“First of all,” Sunny said through clenched teeth. To say her voice seethed with venom would be an understatement.
“Don’t get your little situation with Aiden twisted, sweetheart. You call it love; the rest of us call it a fucking photo-op. He didn’t marry you because he loves you, believe me. He married you because he was drunker than he’s admitting and it’s going to do wonders for his career. Believe me, honey, Aiden doesn’t do shit out of love. Everything he does is only for his career.”
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