THE GOOD MISTRESS II: The Wedding
Page 23
“Who gives this woman their blessing to marry this man?” the officiant questioned.
“Her mother and I do.” Mr. Ali nodded his chin to his wife, who sat in the very front row with a tissue in hand. He handed Mila over to Blake and took a seat. The two beamed from ear to ear, falling in love with each other all over again in this exact moment. As they turned toward the pastor, Blake leaned in.
“Not yet,” she whispered through her smile.
“Then you pay later,” he growled quietly.
“Oh.” The officiant gave a naughty grin as he spoke into the microphone connected to his ear. “These two love each other passionately. This wedding is something that I will never forget nor will anyone here. It is an honor and a privilege to see two people so in love and committed to each other. Thank you.”
The crowd took their seats at his command. Mila and Blake turned to each other to complete their vows.
“Love is looking in your eyes, Mila. Never wonder my sweet, Mila. I vow to love you in the highest. I value to love you without conditions.” Blake held her hands. His strong voice boomed throughout the jewel box of a room as everyone watched on in awe of his love. “I value to laugh with you and wipe your tears. I vow to be by your side through every twist and turn. In richness—and I swear our love will still be as rich even if we were the poorest people in the world. You are the best part of me. I vow to be there for always, my sweet, Mila.”
When he began to pull her closer to him, Mila took a step back and laughed. A twinkle was in her eyes as she said, “For much of my life, I’ve been on the outside looking in when it comes to love. I never wanted to fall, and I know sometimes it might seem that you forced me to fall.” She cleared her throat as people laughed. “But the moment my eyes landed on yours, there was no turning back. You are my team. I vow to be a strong woman at your side in every venture that you take. I vow to be there loving you always. I promise.”
“Blake and Mila, it is my pleasure to pronounce you, to all those present, husband and wife.”
Blake brought her to him at last. His strong arms wrapped around her the instant his mouth descended on hers.
“This is what it feels like to taste my beautiful wife, wow!” He sighed.
Blake
He’d drunk from the lips of his good, sweet wife. He, now, had a new challenge—getting his new wife out of her dress. The moment Mila crossed his line of vision he was blown away. Blake was rarely impressed by much, but Thao had literally transformed the already magnificent hotel for his lovely wife. Blake was in a moment of shock the entire evening as the surroundings attempted to rival his wife. But no, the moment Mila exited the carriage, the air in his lungs ceased to exist.
He saw his woman dressed in crystals that he wanted to tear off her body, then cherish and feast upon.
Now, everyone but the bridal party was at the reception. Chinese lanterns hung from above like millions of tiny full moons. He’d seen more flowers in one evening than he’d ever seen in his entire life. He sat at the head table with his guys after yet another photo op. He was having a great time but felt like an impatient toddler.
“Look at that face.” Jace pursed his jaw, mocking Blake.
“B, is waiting for one thing. I bet he’d give a billion for Mila to come out.” Isaac laughed at him. “Serves you right for that long ass love letter. She’s probably still reading it. I know I’m not done yet.”
“I’d give my entire fortune for her to come out right now.” Blake picked up his champagne.
“Shit, who are you telling. If she’s preparing to look any better than she did earlier . . .” Ephraim gave a sly grin. “Your fortune might blow mine out of the water, but I will fight for—”
“My fortune might present something of a challenge—” Jace stopped short too.
Blake glanced up. The DJ announced the bridal party’s arrival, and he almost choked on his drink. A golden filigree necklace lay across the rise of Mila’s breast and even more gold jewels were at her ears and wrists. The magenta dress flowed down and around her shape. While looking at the henna designs on her hands, Blake’s mind went pitch black with dirty thoughts of her jacking him off with those adorned hands, and then licking up all his cum. He knew for a fact that each of his groomsmen had hard-ons for his wife. It made him all the prouder and feel drunk on power. It was pure torture as Mila’s dark eyes, shimmering with gold, never left his. Until they began to dance, he hadn’t realized that he would have to wait even longer to touch her.
A crowd of women from her family surrounded them and began to clap as they danced around Mila, blocking out the entire sight of what they were doing.
“This is not right,” Ephraim gritted out.
Blake gave him a pointed look, and he grunted. Ephraim added, “Still ain’t right. All of them are claimed.”
Blake finally shook his head and laughed. For Ephraim, any single woman would do the trick.
The night transpired quickly. There was a wealth of food and an abundance of drinks. The moment Blake got his hands on Mila, he kept her at his side, which was easy as they walked around the room greeting their closest friends and family. They had a good chat with Kiyota and Akari. Still, Blake kept his hand on Mila—on her thigh if they were sitting, on her arm if they were standing. He couldn’t stop touching her.
“I can read your thoughts, stop it.” Mila was all smiles as she spoke to him. They sat at a sweetheart table at the head of the room. The area was more of a gilded throne, and she was the gorgeous queen to his brooding, yet powerful king.
The emerald twinkle of Blake’s gaze further heightened. “I’m ready to have sex with my wife.” His baritone whisper glided all over her body as her brother in law, Faaid, gave a speech.
“Well, when Faaid is finished. I’ll at least give you a kiss.” Mila’s shoulder softly kissed his. It was a tease but true. Every time someone gave a speech, it ended in champagne and applause and Blake tasting the sweet celebration from her mouth.
He grunted but perked up as Faaid concluded with “welcome to the family.” That was his go-ahead to really touch his wife.
“You are my bad boy,” she whispered against his lips.
“You are my good girl,” he said after his mouth pressed against hers. Before the microphone could be passed to another guest, Blake stood. The DJ transferred the microphone from the audience to Blake. He picked up the additional microphone, resting on a bed of lilies at the edge of their table. Mila stood next to him. He hardly had a proper greeting out before pressing her mouth to his in another succulent kiss. It was a growing joke about how she’d smile so hard and embarrassed, but their guests were full of laughter.
“As you all can see, my hands aren’t leaving Mila anytime soon. Where was I? Mila, when I met you, I realized the world wasn’t as bad as it had been for a while.” He nodded toward his best friend and Zenobia. “My best man and his kid sister, I’ve known them all of my life. In fact, they were kind enough to let me call their mother mom on occasion. Isaac, you remember the first time I called Serenity ‘mom’?”
Isaac nodded. “We fought.”
Blake clapped as people began to laugh. “Hell, yeah, we fought. Isaac almost got me with a left before I knew what was coming. Mothers are a vital commodity. Isaac wasn’t yet prepared to share her, but by the time Zennie came along, well, we were already blood brothers. I have the scar on my hand to prove it.”
Mila squeezed his arm as she laid her head on his chest.
“Serenity said it. A man who treats his mother like gold, well, he will offer his wife the same amount of love. Look around you ladies and gentlemen, Thao, no disrespect to you, because this is amazing, but it isn’t even a testament to how much I love . . .” Blake paused to kiss her again. “Damn, this is my wife!”
“Blake.” Mila shook her head as people began to clap for him again. He had this aura about him. Though the words he spoke were coming from his heart, people were drawn to him anyway.
“Alright, my
thoughts escaped me for a moment. Mila and I have this promise going on. I’m to shower her with romance every day of our life.”
“Yesterday, you forgot yesterday,” she said, then placed her a hand over her face to chuckle.
“What?” He glanced out over the audience. “I’ve already started the marriage off on the wrong foot? Wait, yesterday I didn’t even see you, not for one second.”
“I’m kidding.” She grinned. “Although, Blake’s gifts have been a bit unorthodox, one ended in my toes being bitten by a swan.”
The room was in an uproar of laughter now. The photographers and videographers were capturing a perfect goofy moment.
Blake held up a hand then he spoke into the microphone. “Swans mate for life. Look, I could gift Mila with jewelry every day. What’s the fun of that? She’d grow tired of it.”
She gave a mock smirk, taking the microphone. “No, no, no, I’m just a little tipsy. All my family, I’m glad you guys were okay with the sake and champagne being present.” She gave a meek grin as it was not custom for Somali weddings to have alcohol. “But all kidding aside, my family has endured a war in our country. We’ve had to flee. I’ll skim over that bad stuff . . . but just imagine the worst.” Her beautiful face was stricken for a moment, Blake pressed his lips to her forehead. When she placed the microphone back at her lips, she pulled it away and gave an anxious huff.
“Breathe, beautiful,” Blake coached.
“I’m going to look back on these photos and videos and want to kick myself if I cry, so,” Mila’s voice cracked, “I won’t cry. I’ve lived through the good and the bad, very bad. But one thing is constant. Blake’s love for me. I don’t care how much money he has. I think. No. I honestly believe the swan that was three stories high—literally as huge as a house—might’ve been my favorite gift. What I love about Blake is he doesn’t just give me a gift, he puts thought into it.” Mila’s eyes began to narrow somewhat as she looked toward the entrance of the room.
They were surrounded by familiar faces, but there were two men in suits at the back doors.
Blake took the microphone back and waved them over. As they moved through the crowd, handcuffs were attached to a locked briefcase and to both of their wrists.
“Okay, Mila, there’ll no doubt be more attempts at romance from me that will end up in a fiasco. Though, probably not with a sociopathic swan anytime soon. Now, what I was getting around to is the fact that Elizabeth Taylor received royal jewels. I never knew her, but I love you. And I think you're just as beautiful as she was, if not more. So . . .” His eyebrows wriggled with mischief as he placed the microphone back on the table.
She pressed a hand against his chest. Her face astonished. “What? What is it?”
The men uncuffed themselves from the briefcase and sat it on the table. A hush fell over the entire room as the men made their way out of the reception hall. Blake rubbed his hands together and said, “I hope I remember the code.”
“Boy, open it, open it.”
“Oh, I like your excitement. You’ll pay for that tonight,” he said while starting to move the numbered dials of the lock.
“Gladly,” she countered, anxious to see her gift.
The briefcase finally opened, and Mila gasped when her eyes landed on a tiara.
“This was originally a piece from the French imperial court of Napoleon Bonaparte. I purchased it from the Swedish Royal Family.”
Mila gasped. The tiara, set with dark purple amethyst and diamonds, was part of a parure, which included earrings and a necklace.
Mila jumped into his arms, hugging and kissing the man who loved and spoiled her to no end. After he placed the tiara on her head, she took the microphone and spoke.
“There’s no way in hell I’m one-upping my husband’s wedding gift to me. I’ll just give him something else.” She smiled as Blake kissed her temple. “I’m going to give him sleepless nights—”
“I like the sound of that!” Blake’s desire for his wife was written all over his face.
She held up her hand. “Oh, good. Then I’ll get sleep while you change diapers and warm up formula . . .” She stopped, letting the words sink in.
His bottom lip dropped as a gasp spread through the crowd. “Are you serious?”
“No, actually, I think I’ll breastfeed. You’re on diaper duty.”
In an instant, her face was assaulted with tender kisses, then her neck, and finally, Blake clasped her belly in his hands and got to his knees to kiss that too. He’d thought he was the happiest man in the world when Mila stepped off the carriage earlier tonight.
Now, make that the universe.
MILA
No other wedding before or after could outshine Blake and Mila’s big day. The billionaire spoiled his beautiful, sweet wife to no end, rivaling any woman’s daydreams of the perfect husband.
They were a few nights into their three-week private cruise on their yacht with Malaysia and the Maldives as a few other destinations on their way home. Aside from the Captain saying “hello” on occasion and a very discreet maid, it was just the two of them.
Mila bit her bottom lip and pressed a hand against Blake.
“No pouting,” he said, tweaking her nipple.
She slapped away his hand, but he caught her bottom lip between his teeth and bit down hard. Hard enough to send a moan ribboning out of her mouth and pain searing down her body until it exploded with joy between her thighs.
“So far, you’ve fed me like a fatted turkey in October with thoughts of November. You’ve treated me well my husband, but I need clothes. I need my clothes, Blake.” Mila implored for the hundredth time. Each time before, her argument ended with a few slaps against her ass.
His cock was growing as he softly flicked his tongue over her bottom lip. “You don’t need clothing or luggage. I’ll keep you warm, and you’ve got that pregnancy stamina. I just endeavor to keep up with you.”
“Oh, buddy. I knew I was in for it when I married you. The insanity.” Mila giggled now kissing him back. It was true her sex drive was bonkers, but he had to be crazier. “The insanity is real. You want me to go outside,” she pointed to the sliding glass door, “into a crisp, cold night.”
He shrugged. “In order for me to screw you under the stars. Yes. It was inevitable. I’ll keep you warm. You have my child in your belly.”
She nodded. He did more than keep her warm. “Okay. then I want my fuzzy socks.”
“Alright, your favorite fuzzy socks.” He rose from the bed, taking her hand and pulling her up with him. He placed a hand on her head. “You stay here.”
“Oh, lord. You gave me a tiara, but literally, there is an imaginary crown on your head. Bossing me around? I want to know where you’ve hidden my luggage.”
Blake had declared they weren’t putting on clothing until they docked. He had been sneaky enough to have their luxurious bathroom fully stocked with her favorite beauty care regime. But he’d sworn that he’d forgotten everything but her fuzzy socks.
“Alright, follow me,” he said, leading the way out of their room and down the hall. They headed to the dining area, and Mila’s eyebrows furrowed. They’d had dinner in here once, though, much of the time they were bound to the bedroom—or rather she was bound to the bed.
Behind the wet bar, Blake picked up her canvas bag. “You don’t normally drink, and now, you can’t drink. It was the perfect place.”
She smirked at his response. Mila began to open the bag as he said, “I’m going to make you some tea. Anything else you’d like before we fuck underneath the stars?”
“Nope.” She opened the inner compartment and dug around. Not feeling the plush socks, she then unzipped the outer compartment. Along with her bottles of vitamins and minerals, she felt a piece of paper and pulled it out.
Mila’s eyebrows furrowed. In the center of the folded piece of paper was a sticky note with the symbol from the hotel she just spent the last week at for her wedding. The writing on it was Yasmin’s.
r /> “Lido forced me to give this to you the night of your fight. Open when ready (or never)—Yas.”
Mila huffed. She and Blake had a policy—no cellphones on the honeymoon—so she couldn’t call Yasmin and argue with her about pulling this stunt.
Besides, another honeymoon rule was no arguing. The playful banter she had with Blake didn’t count. It was always caused by his selfish love for her anyway. Hence, the reason she was naked for the last seventy-two hours with literally cold toes.
She considered ripping to shreds whatever Lido had written her and calling it a day. Yasmin had said she was strong for even enduring Lido’s company. Mila always saw herself as weak. What good did keeping the peace lead to? she asked herself. Me snapping like those people on the ID Channel documentaries.
Mila sniggered to herself, determining not to be angry. What did she have to lose? If Lido pissed her off, she’d already won. She could use those emotions for role-playing with Blake and fuck his brains out under the stars.
With no expectations, Mila opened the note. It was written in her native tongue. She read the words verbatim:
“My beautiful little sister, I’m used to making everything about me when in reality this is the time every single detail should be about you. But really, I need to explain myself. Today, I literally realized how much I hate myself and just who I truly am. Mila, I’ve been seen by top shrinks, and they all diagnosed me with histrionic personality disorder. I never gave a damn about that. Never thought to care about how I hurt people until what I just made you do. You of all people. You are good. I’m going to stop bothering you for a while, but please don’t stop being the beautiful, strong—”
Mila paused to snort. She would be embarrassed about her actions for a long time coming. Just not on her honeymoon.
“—I think it happened the day we fled from home. The stuff we saw. You didn’t let it change you. I was the queen at not giving a fuck when really, I just hate myself. Alright, I’ll leave you alone for now. Have a blessed wedding, and I hope to be a good person when you have children. I always told myself I’d make a good auntie. But Yas didn’t have any daughters. (Wink) Love L.”