“Your father is going to question our relationship,” he dipped her with a cheeky grin. “You are going to confess to him, ‘Oh, Daddy, I love him so... Nigel is the only man for me.” He added the last part in a high-pitched girly tone that made her throw her head back and burst out laughing followed by a loud snort. Every head in the room turned once they realized the seldom heard the sound of laughter was emitting from her. As he unrighted her into his arms once more, he spotted Will and gave him a nod. Will was impressed. He gave Nigel a smile.
He continued his fable by adding, “Then I will ask for your hand in marriage and your father will punch me in the face when I explain that I am marrying you twice.” Her brows went up as he twirled her about the floor and pulled her in close once more. “When I tell him that we are getting married on Monday in Vegas that is most likely the moment he is going to sock me.” Nigel looked at David Sr. He gave the man a cursory nod, but only received a frown, a growl, and what looked like mouthed words of “Get your hands off my Baby.”
Vanity gasped, but Nigel continued, “Therefore, I will never have the opportunity tonight to explain that he will be able to give you away at our formal wedding in April in England.”
Smiling at her, he added, “When I present you with your engagement gift, you are going to look at your father and say Daddy, this is my man, and I’m going to marry him!” He used the high-pitched voice again, which caused an emission of another burst of laughter followed by another snort as he batted his eyelashes at her saying, “Oh Nigel, this is how love feels!”
Her laughter rang out through the large family room. When she was able to finally contain herself, she told him “You are too funny!”
Nigel kissed her on the nose and continued to lead her into the second song after she explained, “My father is not a violent man and I am not a swooning, mushy, featherheaded type of woman.”
“That may be the case, but his mind will assume there is a reason for the rush.”
Vanity stopped moving, “I am wondering that myself, Nigel.”
“The rush is that you and I are perfect for each other, but our challenge will be figuring out how to live together and begin a family.”
Vanity’s body was heating up and she realized that she was under his spell and needed to get away. Each time she tried to pull away, he dipped, spun, or pulled her in a bit closer. She could feel the power of his thighs touching hers and suddenly she started to feel sweaty. The periwinkle taffeta wasn’t helping in the least. The amount of sweat she was starting to produce became noticeable to even him. “Are you okay, my Darling, or is this hideous pound of periwinkle fabric disguised as a frock causing you discomfort?”
She lied and told him it was the dress.
Nigel told her he was in the US for 10 days so they could start their life together. The weekend he planned to win over her parents, and on Monday, he planned for them to do the tourist thing in Vegas after he made her his wife. Then Tuesday, after her special event, they would board his plane and head back to New York. “Those final days in New York, I will get a better understanding of your world and how I can fit into it.”
Her eyes went to his, and the tenderness she saw there made her weak, but she had to be strong. “How will I fit into your world Nigel? Have you also planned for that?”
He smiled at her, “The following week you are due in London, where you will meet my staff and my family and see how I live.”
Her eyes searched his, “You are planning to make room for me in your life and in your world?”
The music had stopped and everyone was staring at them, “No, I am planning to make you the life of every room in my world.”
Her face felt warm, “What makes you think this is going to work, Nigel?”
The music had started again and it was an Argentine Tango. Nigel opened his arms and said, “Let me show you how natural we are together and how beautiful our world can be.”
She reluctantly moved forward as he sandwiched her for the first moves around the floor. Nigel was a surprisingly good dancer as he took her through a Molinete, a sweep, and a single axis turn. Vanity moved with ease and grace with him without any words. He maneuvered her through several colgadas and slowly moved her into a grapevine. Instinct had her raise her leg, but he caught her thigh, shook his head no, and lowered her leg back to the floor and slid into a back ocho. The family had begun to clap at the beauty of their movements. His hands were on her hips as he took a step back, made a side sweep, and she raised her knees, balancing her weight on his hip, and it appeared as if she was running through the air. The family applauded loudly. He slowed his movements, coming to a standstill as she slid down the front of his body, resting her face upon his abdomen while her legs slid into a midway split. His hands went under her arms, raising her torso upwards until their eyes met. He pulled her inappropriately close and she had never felt so alive. She didn’t notice that the music had ended until he stepped back and lowered his head to kiss her left hand.
Nigel stood a foot away from her. “I traveled the distance to come for you. I brought the perfect engagement gift. I asked over the phone, and I will ask you again in the presence of your family to be my wife. I have kept my word. Will you keep yours?”
She found herself nodding yes, simply because he was right. Vanity Devons deserved some happiness. She wanted some babies. She wanted a husband. She wanted Nigel and he was here. Good, bad, or ugly, she was going to go with it and they would figure out the rest.
“Great!” He handed her his handkerchief from his breast pocket. “Now be a dear and fetch some ice and put it in here for me.” She looked confused but he pushed her towards the bar. “Don’t dawdle Darling. We need the ice right away.”
Vanity didn’t question him as she headed for the bar to fill the handkerchief with ice. She was uncertain if her father was capable of violence, but she was going to be prepared. She tried to work quickly as the cousins closed in and began to pelt her with questions.
“Who is he?”
“How long have you been dating him?”
“Did you two take dance classes?”
The questions stopped once she heard her mother’s scream, looked about, and saw Nigel on the floor, flat on his back in front of her father, his nose spouting blood.
VANITY KICKED OFF HER heels and took off running with the hanky full of ice. She reached Nigel’s side and was happy for the excess fabric from the periwinkle nightmare she wore. She used the tail of it to wipe away the blood from his perfect Patrician nose. A small Asian woman materialized out of nowhere, unwrapping two tampons that she used to shove up the Duke’s nose to stave off the bleeding. The strings were dangling freely about his lips, looking like two strands of uncaught snot.
Her father was furious, yelling at her brothers, yelling at Chuck, yelling at her mother. He asked each of them, “How did this happen?”
Everyone was talking at the same time trying to provide the patriarch an answer to what he thought might have happened and how it may have occurred, but honestly, no one was sure what was happening.
David attempted to explain that Nigel was the fourth Duke of Strathmore and the current Duke of Glastonbury.
David Senior was not phased. “I don’t care if he is the Duke of Earl. How long has this been going on with your sister?”
Vanity had had enough of her father overreacting, “Daddy stop this right now!” She applied the ice to Nigel’s nose as he nestled his head in her lap.
“Nigel is my...” she looked down at him and he stared back waiting for her words, “he’s my fiancé.”
Nigel looked rather foolish with the two wads of feminine care shoved up his nose as he winked at her, the strings falling into his mouth. There were oohs and ahhs from the crowd.
Will seemed suspicious and was the first to ask, “Well, where’s the ring?’
Vanity looked down at Nigel, who was attempting to regain some of his dignity. It was difficult to look distinguished with the whole tampon thi
ng going on, everyone yelling and talking at the same time and Vanity’s bridesmaid dress covered in his blood. Nigel scrambled to his feet, and held the ice to his nose, then he took a knee and removed a small black box from his pocket. Before popping the question, Nigel looked at David Senior, “Sir, if I may have your blessing?”
“You don’t need to ask my blessing, it’s up to her!” David Senior was still fuming and not giving an ounce. Nigel forged ahead.
He opened the box and Vanity’s eyes widened at the contents inside, “Is that....”
Nigel nodded, looking even more ridiculous as he blew out a puff of air to move the tampon strings away from his mouth.
“It’s just like the one in the painting,” she said as he removed the ring from the box to slip on her hand.
It gave him pleasure to tell her, “It is the one in the painting.”
Vanity's eyes fill up with tears as she admired the ring he held in between his fingers. Nigel, still on bended knee, asked, “Wilhelmina, will you be my wife?”
Tearfully, she said, “Yes, yes I will,” as he slipped the ring on her left hand. She threw herself into his arms, knocking the ice pack from his hand and showering his bloodied face with kisses. “Oh Nigel, yes, yes I will.” Vanity looked up at her father. “Daddy, this is my man, and I’m going to marry him!” The new couple both looked at each other and burst into laughter.
As Elena Devonshire wiped away a tear, and David helped his soon to be brother-in-law up from the floor. Will only looked at him and said, “Well, Nigel, when I invited you to my wedding, I really didn’t expect you to come.”
David’s eyebrows went up. “I invited him as well, and I didn’t think he would come either.”
Vanity was surrounded by cousins who were admiring the ring which had belonged to Ann Boleyn. She tried to answer the plethora of questions being hurled at her about her fiancé but she was so happy, she was stuttering over her words. Nigel’s eyes barely left her face as he answered both of her brothers, “It was her invitation that I could not refuse.”
Nigel offered his hand to David Senior, who reluctantly accepted it with a glower. Elena Devonshire watched with amusement as the young man she would soon call son, took her daughter into his arms and wielded her around the dance floor. It took a special kind of man to do what Nigel Strathmore had done, and doing it with two tampons sticking from his nose made him a special breed. He was the right man for her daughter without a doubt and soon the world would also find out as well.
Vanity Devons was officially engaged.
{6} Beginning the Journey...
Vanity awoke feeling tired, excited, and anxious all at one time. Last night had been full of surprises, and for a moment she felt as if she had been dreaming. Her hand slowly crept out from under the covers as she incrementally turned her head to glance at her left hand. As her eyes traveled the room, she took another look at the blood-soaked periwinkle fashion faux pas resting on the chair and confirming it was all real. Nigel is in America and I am engaged. The beautiful ring on her left hand also confirmed she was getting married.
Vanity turned over into a lump that reminded her that she was sharing the bed with her cousin Jaelon. Since Will left last night to begin his honeymoon, Nigel had taken his room, and Finley his pilot had taken Jaelon’s, which meant she and Vanity had to double up. Nigel was very surprised when she offered for Finley to stay at the family vacation home with him. “Do you trust him with your life?” she asked Nigel, who quickly answered yes.
“Well, that makes him family. I am a firm believer in family and family sticks together.” Vanity really didn’t give him an opportunity to reply, but set about getting them both settled for the evening before giving her new fiancé a promising kiss goodnight. That was last night in the midst of a flurry of excitement.
This was a new morning and a new day. She quickly showered, and then gathered her things and headed down to breakfast. She was surprised to find that Nigel was already awake and standing on the veranda having a cup of tea with David.
“There are smoothies already made if you want one,” David told her as she walked forward to greet them both. She stood between the two men in her life uncertain of what she should do, and they both leaned in to kiss her on either cheek.
David informed her, “Finley has gotten together with Chuck and they are both headed to Phoenix to refuel, and later Chuck will bring him over to the house.” Vanity nodded and excused herself to head to the kitchen to fuel up her belly before the trip. Over her shoulder she called to Nigel, “We should be ready to roll out in about 20 minutes.” They were going to be driving Will’s car to her parent’s house for the weekend and store it there until he and Elsie returned from their honeymoon in a week. Initially, Gianni and Jordan were scheduled to drive the car to her parents, but she had decided to drive the car last night after agreeing marry Nigel.
I agreed to marry Nigel! Hot fuzz balls on silk!
The drive to Phoenix would give them ample time to iron out some very critical details.
NIGEL WAS DRESSED IN lightweight wool slacks and a baby blue polo style shirt. He had with him an overnight bag and appeared ready to go. He followed her quietly to the garage where she asked him to wait while she fired up the engine of Will’s Cadillac and drove it out to meet her new fiancé. My fiancé.
Nigel stood transfixed by the sleek black car with the shiny silver rims and silver trimming. “What is this modern piece of American beautiful?” he asked.
“It is a 2013 Cadillac CTS,” she added as he slid into the leather seat on the passenger side, “Her name is Guinevere.”
“She is so lovely and she has a name?”
“Yeah, it’s Will’s thing. He names all of his vehicles.” She said no more and she tooted the horn at David and the rest of the family as they drove down Devonshire Lane and headed towards Highway 95. She had meant to leave earlier to avoid the heat of the day, but her mind was racing. They were finally alone and there was much to say, much to discuss and so many things to work out. She and Nigel would have nearly three hours to talk about a great many things. It was still cool enough to let down the windows and Nigel seemed to relax in the seat.
“Wilhelmina, how long is the drive to your parents’ home?” He wanted to know as he looked through compartments for music.
“What are you looking for?” she asked, trying to figure out why he was going through her brother’s car.
“Music, to commemorate the beginning of our journey...” as he turned and looked at the backseat.
“What is your preference for our journey, classical, techno, eighties?”
He only smiled as he replied, “I actually prefer smooth jazz.”
“Smooth jazz, coming up,” she vocalized a few commands and the dashboard lit up: “Sirius, Watercolors, volume 5. And we should arrive to our home in about 3 hours.” The music began to play and she opened up the engine to about 70 miles per hour, headed towards the Williams Wildlife Refuge, onto LaPaz and then to I-10 into Phoenix.
Nigel was impressed with how she handled the vehicle and fifteen minutes passed with nothing more than silence between them, but he was not going to open the conversation. He would allow her to decide which issues she wanted to address or tackle first. And there were many. However, his priority for making the relationship work was probably not at the top of her list and vice versa.
She looked at him.
He looked at her.
He stared out the window and waited.
“We need to talk about sex,” she blurted out. Her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as she approached a very uncomfortable subject. In the back of her mind, it was an area that had to be handled up front so there were no misunderstandings. In truth, they didn’t really know each other. Yes, the two of them were engaged. Yes, their wedding was on Monday, but she was not ready to jump in bed with him. That is so weird but it makes so much sense.
“I have our entire lives to make love to you; there is no rush,” he added c
almly while he hummed along with a Norman Brown version of a Luther Vandross song.
“Well, I don’t like it!” She stated defiantly.
He turned in the seat to give her his full attention. “You don’t like what... having to wait?”
Her knuckles were turning white as she gripped the wheel harder, “No, I don’t like sex. I am lousy at it.” It was out. I said it out loud. Nigel is going to dump me before we even get down the road.
Nigel was quiet. She waited for his response. A few minutes passed by and he asked her to explain why.
“Men automatically assume that since I make lingerie, I am some amped up sex toy,” her eyes were wide when she glanced over at him, “I’m not promiscuous!”
Vanity continued, “I have only been with one man.” This brought a wide smile to Nigel’s face. Vanity wanted to know, “What’s with that grin?”
“It means I don’t have to contend with the ghosts of boyfriends past,” he pried her fingers from the steering wheel and slipped her hand into his. There were questions he wanted to ask, but he felt they had time. He wanted to get to know her and wanted her to get to know him. If that meant that sex went to the back burner, so be it. “Wilhelmina, sex is a viable part of a relationship and definitely a part of marriage, but it is not what will define us, or our relationship.”
Her hand relaxed a bit. “So, you are not that into sex either?”
Nigel’s lips were pursed together, shaking his head no, “I thoroughly enjoy sex. I mean we could pull over right now if you were ready,” he licked his bottom lip and gave her a look that made her blush, “but I want a life with you, which means, I wait until you,” he paused, giving her hand a squeeze. “or rather, we, are ready.”
The words all sounded full of flowers and promise. In the dark with a raging hard on, a man could care less about your feelings. Her two years with Stephen had taught her to put it off as long as she could, then just close her eyes and wait until he was done. The sweat was starting to form on her brow. “Nigel, what if I am truly lousy at pleasing you and you don’t like how I am in bed?” Her question was posed in almost a whisper.
Vanity's Pleasure Page 3