by Jude Ouvrard
Shortly after, he left for work and I jumped into the shower and hurried to get ready. Drying my hair quickly, I opted for a beach style only because it meant less time fixing it, and I jumped in a pink summer dress. It probably looked too casual for work, but matching it with a pair of nude pumps gave me hope that it would good enough. I always stressed about what to wear to work, I wanted to be appropriate. I rolled my eyes, knowing Calvin would never tell me. My pursed waited for me by the door, my phone had been fully charged, thanks to Calvin. I was ready to go. I called a taxi cab when I reached the lobby.
My first day back in the real world since Candice had attempted to kill me. Yes, I was ready for this, even though my whole body tensed up. My man needed my help, and my job claimed me.
Walking the few feet separating the entrance from the cab, I regretted my choice of shoes. I shouldn’t have worn these heels, my legs seemed too unsteady. Nerves took over the control of my body. It was only work for God’s sake, but surprising Calvin and sitting back in my office had me filled with emotional trepidation. My mind hesitated between running or walking. I couldn’t wait to see his face.
Walking past the Whiskey Lounge and the gym, Danielle saw me and came running to me. Her arms were around my shoulders, hugging me in no time. I hadn’t seen or talked to her a lot in the past week. Question after question, she kept interrogating me. Calvin invited her and Justin to the wedding, of course. I wouldn’t want to do it without them by our sides.
“Calvin’s already planning the schedules. We’ll be short staffed, so he has to call everyone. He’s keeping us in Orlando for three nights,” she squealed. “Oh, and he said you would be contacting me and Krys for wedding gown shopping.”
She was making me dizzy. I nodded. “Yes, I will. I mean, I have to hurry. It’s all coming so soon.”
“Less than two weeks. You have to hurry, it should have been done months ago.” Shit! She was right. Why did I agree to this? “Whoa, whoa, chill out, girl. Don’t panic, we’ll figure it out.”
“Tomorrow, we’ve got to do this tomorrow. Are you free?”
Her answer? She hugged me and kissed my cheeks. “I’m so free. You have to call Krys.”
Okay this is becoming nerve-wracking. I had to try and not freak out. “I will. Shit, I have so much to do.”
“I’ll help you.”
I nodded and did everything I could not to start crying. Oh my God, this is for real. “I have to go upstairs. I have to talk to Calvin but… I have to surprise him first.”
“Surprise? Huh?” She bit her lip, insinuating I wanted to surprise him in a sexual kind of way.
I closed my eyes, embarrassed. “No, no… I haven’t been here in a while and he needs my help. He won’t say it, but I know.” She started laughing and it surprised me. Something about her shined brighter. “You look great, Danielle. I mean, happy.”
“I’ve never been this happy. I’ve known Justin for a very long time, but I never expected this. We’re both surprised and thankful at the same time. He’s my best friend.”
This time, I hugged her. She deserved happiness. I’d always thought she had feelings for Calvin. Maybe she did, she cared obviously, and he did too. Her relationship with Justin came on their own terms. They had a friendship first, and slowly things became more. They formed the cutest couple ever.
“I’m very happy for you, Danielle. You deserve it.” I squeezed my arms around her one last time before leaving her to surprise Calvin.
Standing alone, I pressed the button of the elevator and waited patiently for the small ping once I reached destination. My heart drummed against my ribcage. I walked to Calvin’s office with my heels tapping on the floor. Impossible to erase or hide the smile on my face, I couldn’t wait to see his.
I knocked on his door.
“Come in,” he invited me, his voice showing no excitement. He must have been concentrating on work.
“Mr. Banks, what can I do to help you today?” My hand on my hip, my legs crossed, I stood in the middle on the wide doorframe, striking a sexy pose.
“Oh! Babe. Iris, what are you doing here? Did you come here alone?” Before I knew it, he was standing right in front of me, his arms wrapped around me. “I’m so happy to see you.”
“But?” I could feel a but coming.
“What are you doing here? You should be at home.”
“While you’re exhausted, stressed out and in need of help? I don’t think so. What are you working on?” I asked, walking to his desk only to find his screen filled with wedding cakes. “Cakes?” I laughed out loud. “You’re looking at cakes?”
“Don’t laugh. It’s from your sister. She emailed us a couple of designs. She’s meeting the baker tomorrow.”
“Is she our wedding planner?” I joked.
“No, she’s willingly helping us because, trust me, she has it under control. You’ll have to call her this morning.”
“And tomorrow, I’m going gown shopping.”
He nodded. “God, I love you, Iris.” Calvin joined me by his desk and started kissing my neck and moved down to my shoulder. His hold pressed me against him.
“Calvin.” I whispered feeling a deep sensation growing within me. “I don’t think I’ll be able to say no.” I couldn’t. I craved him.
“Oh, sweet baby.” He lift my dress high enough for him to reach skin. The feel of his warm fingers touching my waist sent me a rush of shivers.
I loosened his tie, and pushed down his jacket. Our eyes as are connected, no words necessary. We knew what we wanted. Our bond had grew into something stronger recently. As if it could get any more powerful. The need in his caress became bolder.
“Sweetness, your skin is so soft. You smell so fucking good.” He inhaled, his face lost in my hair. I loved when he did this.
“And you, you’re everything.” I whimpered as his fingers dig under my bra, softly pinching my nipple. It connected directly with my core. My need for him had gotten impatient. “Take me, here, now.”
“Sweetness, you only have to ask me once.” One quick movement and my dress was falling to the floor, leaving me bare with only my underwear. I undid my bra and removed it before working on the belt of his tailored pants. He chuckled at my impatience and tried to slow me down. “We’re in no hurry, Iris. Calm down. Anticipation is key.”
“Anticipation is not what I’m after now. Give me what I want.” When did I became that girl, anyway? So needy.
He laughed, this time and ripped my lace underwear. Damn that hurt, but it was so hot.
“Turn around, hold on to the desk.” Sounds coming from the zipper of his pants and belt. Oh yeah. Give it to me, Calvin. My inside awaited for him.
A single knock on the door. “Hey Calvin. Man, we need to talk.”
“Don’t come in. Don’t.” I didn’t even know what had happened, but Calvin took me into his arms and he turned his back to the door. “Give me a minute, Justin.”
“Oh shit. I didn’t see you guys. No, shit, I saw you two.” He mumbled. “I wish I could unsee this.” He said from the other side of the door.
I grabbed my dress and bra and put them both back on quickly. Calvin had a smile on his face. For some reason, he thought this was funny. “Before we got started, I had a feeling I should have locked the door, but then thought it wasn’t necessary. We got caught.” He chortled. “And it’s kinda hot.”
“But Justin saw me and you…”
“I didn’t see much, Iris. Don’t worry.” Justin answered from the other side of the door. How embarrassing was that?
Calvin fixed his pants and put his jacket back on. I adjusted his tie and he let Justin came in. I could feel the blood in my cheeks. Blushing probably didn’t cover it.
“I just wanted to say Danielle and I worked on the schedule for the gym, and everything’s covered for the wedding.” He had the schedule, printed and he handed it to Calvin. “Cake? Really?”
“Yes, wedding cake,” he confirmed, rubbing his forehead. “That’s it?�
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He nodded. “I’m sorry. I’ll call next time.”
“No worries,” I said not meeting his eyes, I couldn’t.
Calvin walked him out and they talked about few things, but nothing I could relate to. I sat at his desk and looked at the different cakes. We had planned a small wedding; these cakes could feed over a hundred people. We didn’t need that, although one caught my attention. A white round cake with pearls and purple swirls on the side. I wasn’t convinced Calvin would agree with purple, but I liked it.
He came back a few minutes later with that goofy smile on his face. “You have to stop with that face, Cal. I’m so embarrassed right now.”
“Don’t be. It’s okay. He didn’t see much, he told me.”
It didn’t make it better, but I had to get over it. “What do you think about this one?” I showed him the cake.
“I agree on whatever you want, Iris.” He kissed my forehead. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course. What is it?”
I could tell he didn’t want to ask me. He heaved a profound sigh. “I really need your help with work. I have emails to answer and a new athlete showed interest.”
“We’re a team, Calvin. That’s why I’m here.” That moment when my future husband asked me for help, it was refreshing and it made me happy.
He had over twenty emails to reply to, which I cleared within two hours. I helped him prepare the papers for the new athlete and later, I checked the marketing mailbox, which was filled to capacity. I had a bunch of junk, but at least fifteen important emails. Calvin brought us lunch mid-day. It felt so good to be active and have something to do. My brain hadn’t felt so alive in a while. I loved every second of it.
I called Rose and nothing could have me prepared for this.
“Are you going shopping for your gown soon? Do you have any color theme for your wedding? Mom would like to know because she wants to do the flowers arrangements. Also, do you have any preferences for the dinner?”
“Wow, Rose. It’s supposed to be something simple.”
“I’m doing everything I can to keep it simple, but we still have to eat and decorate. Mom is beyond excited at this point. She can barely contain herself. You’ll have to call her.”
“Okay. I like the idea of silver and purple. Maybe like a lavender purple. I’ll email you the cake we picked. I’m going shopping tomorrow for the gown. I realize we have no time to send invites, but I would love to have party favors for all of our guests.” It seemed the list of things to do was endless. So many things to think about with a very short deadline. “You’ll be my maid of honor, by the way. I’m so thankful for you right now. I would have chosen Krys and Danielle as bridesmaids too, but they’re also the only girls coming. Is it strange?”
“I’ll contact Maria for the cake. Calvin already has the presents covered. About the bridesmaids, who cares? You do what you want.”
Right! She had a point. While I was quietly thinking about the bridesmaids, she starts screaming into the phone. “I’m your maid of honor? Really?”
I started laughing. “Who else would voluntary organize a wedding for me? And you’re my twin; I need you by my side.”
“Do I get to choose my dress? I’ll respect the theme colors. I’m so happy now.” By the sound of her voice, I could tell the emotion had gotten the best of her.
“Don’t cry. You should have known I would have picked you. You’re my sister, come on.”
“I love you.”
That phone call exhausted me. We had all the matters on our to do list covered. I was so ready for a nap. I only had to find my gown and Krys and Danielle’s dresses. Tomorrow, we would have all day to figure this out. I yawned, unladylike, but too tired to care.
Calvin came in to my office, ready to go back home. My first day back at work had been challenging, but that’s what I enjoyed about it.
“Come on, let’s go.” He offered me his hand and I took it, entwining my fingers with his. If my life was going to be like this every day, I would die happy.
Calvin had made an appointment at the most prestigious boutique in the city of New York. He drove all three of us before going to work. I hadn’t been able to eat or drink anything. For some reason, it made me anxious to find my dress. Of course, I wanted the perfect dress. One that would hug me in all the right places. I wanted a body fitting dress, but something light because I wanted to be comfortable on my day. Lace, maybe. I had no clue, to be honest.
After trying on multiple dresses, I had two of them on the side. One of them made me teary eyed so I guessed it must have meant something. And the other one, there was something special to it. I tried them both again.
I became emotional when I saw myself in the mirror with the gown I knew was the one. The dress specialist suggested I tried it with a veil and I completely lost it. It looked perfect. Simple yet sexy, comfortable and light. I loved it. A small amount of alterations were needed but nothing major, to my contentment.
It only took three hours, which I thought was a pretty good time.
“This is it, this is the one, girls,” I cried.
I never expected this moment to be like this, but they were only tears of joy. Too much happiness in me, I couldn’t hold it back anymore.
Yesterday, late afternoon, we got at the ranch under pouring rain. I expected my parents to be on the emotional side, since I hadn’t seen them after the near-death attack. As soon as I set foot in the house, Dad held me into his arms in a strong and loving hug. He cried and so did Mom. Calvin, Rose, Danielle, Justin and Krys were all standing quietly looking at us. I felt terrible. I’d put them through hell and they surely didn’t deserve it.
“You have to take care of yourself, hun, okay?” mom kissed each of my cheeks. “We love you so much. It’s already hard to have you living up north; we don’t want to lose you forever.”
“You won’t. I’m alive and strong.” I tried to smile as tears rolled down my cheek. “I’m sorry I had you two worried. I’m so sorry.”
Mom hugged me tight and Calvin joined us, kissing my hair.
“Calvin, thank you for keeping up with us. You’re a good man.” Her small hands squeezed Calvin’s forearm as a sign of appreciation. Of course, I hadn’t been able to talk to them after I was hospitalized. I couldn’t bear thinking about how much stress and hurt they all had been through.
“I didn’t do much.”
“Oh, you sure did.” Unspoken words flew between my mother and Calvin. I guessed there was something I didn’t know, yet.
Letting go of the emotions, my mother offered everyone a round of her welcoming cocktails. My parents’ house seemed a lot smaller with all the guests. We were all going to the hotel later on, but before that, my mom insisted on having us all for an official dinner.
No matter how many weeks or months it had been since my last visit here, my working boots and my skateboard were still sitting by the door as if I still lived here. Some things never changed in this house. It warmed my heart to see that they were still keeping part of me in residence.
“Sweetness, I can’t wait to be in our suite.” Calvin murmured into my ear startling me.
“Stop it, Calvin. You’re such a tease.” I rolled my eyes. Thinking about sex at this time sucked because we had an evening to go through before we could even consider anything.
Krys watched us and laughed. She wasn’t stupid, and so she saw what Calvin was doing. “Stop that Calvin, you aren’t fighting fair. Iris’s trying to be a good girl here.”
“I like her bad,” he retorted, laughing.
Oh my God, here came the blushing. My eyes diverted to my parents, and I was thankful for their obliviousness to this conversation. “Calvin, please.” He looked at me all innocent, like nothing he had said was wrong. Well, it wasn’t, but it reflected our privacy.
“It’s true, I like the tiger in you, the bad girl who can’t get enough,” he added, only to tease me. Thankfully, he only said it for me to hear but still, my face must
have turned cherry red at that point. “I love you, babe.”
“I love you, too. Even when you decide to embarrass me in front of my friends.”
Calvin smiled, his beautiful heartbreaker smile, the one that made me breathless. I kissed him back, and tried to keep it civilized. I had a bedroom in this house, after all. Maybe we could use it again. All the things we could do in there, I wanted to take him now.
“Why are you blushing again and biting you lip as if you had planned the unthinkable.” Damn, how could he notice?
“I just had an idea. You and me, in my bedroom upstairs.” Memories of our first weeks together flooded me. Everything happened so fast. I fell in love with him fast. I had no way of holding back even if I tried. We were months after, not even a year, and already set to marry. It couldn’t get any crazier, but I wouldn’t change anything.
“Oh no, no. There are way too many people in this house.”
Since when did he care about people around us? He didn’t mind the Lounge, the gym or his office, and we were surrounded by a lot more people in those places.
“Are you saying no to me?” I asked in disbelief.
“Unfortunately, yes, but I’m taking a rain check and I plan on using it tonight.”
Oh, baby, I can’t wait.
We both laughed while enjoying a little cuddling. He breathed me in and held me tighter, before pampering me with small kisses.
“We’ll be married tomorrow. Can you believe it?” I couldn’t. Well, I could, but I was so damn excited about it. I had to pinch myself every few hours to make sure I hadn’t been dreaming.
“I hope you, kids, are hungry!” My mom came out of the kitchen, looking hopeful.
“I know I am, and trust me, guys, she can cook.” Calvin loved Mom’s cooking. He’d brought me to some high-class restaurants before, but it never tasted like home. Nothing could equal Mom’s food. She should have been a chef.
We ate dinner. Everyone around the table kept quiet, which made my mom nervous.