by K. Marie
“Was I that obvious?” I asked ruefully.
“Well, your hubby certainly noticed. Were we the only two people in there who knew what happened?” Ann quizzed.
“Yes. I like to avoid drama as much as possible, I didn’t want everyone worrying for no reason,” I explained, which was true. Mostly.
“It’s certainly your business to tell as you see fit, nothing wrong in that,” Ann said with a reassuring smile.
I smiled back at her, glad that she’d come. “Thanks so much for coming today, Ann. I know the struggle is real those last few days of waiting, getting around can be exhausting. Did you drive yourself here?” I asked, hoping she hadn’t.
A woman about to go into labor any day now, should definitely not be driving.
“God, no! My nanny, Nicolette, dropped me off. I just hope she doesn’t have a problem getting back into this fortress,” she said humorously.
“By the way, I finally understand what you meant about your hubby being secure in all things; an obvious double meaning. I’m sure you won’t take this the wrong way when I say, wowzers! And I don’t mean any disrespect in saying it.”
“None taken,” I said on a laugh, “I’m a bit partial to him myself.”
“Yeah, I could tell you were partial,” Ann teased “Seriously, though, the two of you look so in love; and that’s the way it should be. So, let the haters hate.”
I gave her a huge grin. Ann was so genuine and down to earth, what you see is what you get with her. She reminded me of Marie.
“Uh, oh…looks like you’re about to be treated to some eye-candy,” I said in a sing-song voice a moment later, watching as Garland and Viktor walked around the bend from where the guesthouse was located. Stack and Kerry followed.
“I thought I’d already been treated to some eye-candy, there’s more?” Ann asked hilariously, turning in her seat to follow where my eyes were focused.
“Holy hell, it’s raining hot men around here—this place is like Candyland!” she declared, making me crack-up laughing. “Subjecting a pregnant woman to this kind of manscape seems cruel and unusual punishment.”
“You are so crazy, Ann! I’ve got to go share what you just said with the girl’s,” I died laughing.
“Who’s the other hottie? Don’t think I’ve seen him before,” asked Ann, eyeing Kerry.
“That’s Kerry—he’s part of security, and you’ve never seen him because he’s never worked as my personal detail before. He typically hangs around here, but sometimes fill-in when one of the regulars are off. He’s filling in for Joe today,” I explained.
“You are living the life, girl, not only do you get to look at the manscape every day; but your hubby is the Lord of the hotties,” Ann said wistfully, eyes lingering on the men.
Yep, I knew there was a reason I liked her.
Fourteen
G A R L A N D
“Turn around, I need to cover your eyes,” I told Camry, pulling a scrap of black satin from my pants pocket.
She twisted her head around in surprise.
We were still in the car, a little less than halfway from our destination, and it was blindfold time. A bit dramatic, but necessary.
“Uh, this seems hardly the time nor the place,” Camry said, eyes shining with humor.
“Get your mind out of the gutter, wife, what kind of man do you take me for?” I asked.
“I take you for the kind of man I like,” she answered with a leer.
“It’s all part of the intrigue, you don’t want to ruin it by not complying, do you?” I said cajolingly.
“You know I hate surprises, they make me anxious,” she said, dead serious.
“Yes, I’m aware of that, but I think you’ll like this surprise,” I told her.
At least, I hoped she’d like it. Never can tell with her.
Camry regarded me for a beat, then lowered her gaze to the scrap of material I was holding. “You’re only going to blindfold me?” she asked, “Will you be restraining my wrists as well? Because I’m down for it.”
I almost groaned over the mental image her statement conjured.
“I’ll remember you said that,” I warned, making a freaky mental to-do-list.
Camry smiled as she twisted in the seat, turning so that her back was facing me. I slipped the satin material over her eyes and secured it, then checked to make sure it was done correctly.
“No peeking, or you’ll ruin all of my hard work,” I warned, kissing just below her right ear.
I heard Camry’s quick intake of breath and smiled. She loved it when I kissed her there.
“I hope all of your hard work includes less clothing and more of these tie-up thingy’s,” she murmured, probably so she wouldn’t be overheard.
There was a rat’s chance in hell of that not happening; whispering was not Camry’s strong suit.
“I can certainly add it,” I whispered next to her ear, before kissing below it again.
She groaned.
I tried not to laugh. Viktor and Joe were probably wondering what in the hell was going on in the backseat.
A few minutes later, the Rover made its way up the winding road of the somewhat remote estate. Though it was no more than maybe thirty minutes from where we lived, its vast grounds and the private road made it seem a lot farther—a lot more secluded. The stand of giant palm trees that lined either side of the road served to hide what was nestled beyond for a good quarter mile. But as the vast building finally came into view, I had a sudden sense of being transported to another place and time.
I wasn’t easily impressed by much. When a man had lived the life that I have—had amassed the kind of wealth that I have, there wasn’t much of anything that was out of his reach. Just about anything he wanted was his for the taking. And though the sight before me was made possible by my wealth, its primordial origins and history still made an unexpected impact. It was no wonder my wife was so enchanted with it.
“Have we arrived?” Camry asked as the car started to slow, a hint of childlike anticipation in her voice.
“Yes, we’ve arrived, but you still can’t peek,” I told her.
“Okay, okay, I get it. But, this whole mysterious freaky-blindfold routine is killing me over here.”
“I’m getting the impression you really like that blindfold,” I chuckled.
I’d absolutely be putting that one on the list.
“Your diabolically freaky proclivities are the reason I married you,” Camry said a little too loudly. “Oh shit, you did not hear that!” she followed it up with. The clue must have been when Joe tellingly cleared his throat.
They were definitely getting an earful tonight.
“Sorry about that, guys, but you have got to start turning that radio up louder if you don’t want to hear all about our sex life,” Camry suggested with a grin.
“Come on, wife, let’s get you out of this car before you completely embarrass Viktor and Joe,” I told her.
“Can I take it off now?” she asked hopefully.
“Not yet. Stay put, I’ll help you out of the car,” I told her, just as the Rover came to a stop.
“Good thing I trust you not to let me fall on my face,” she snorted.
“Sweetheart, if ever you should fall, I’ll always be there to catch you,” I told her.
“Aww…that’s so sweet and poetic, thank you,” she said as I moved to get out of the car.
Once I’d made it around to open her door, I took Camry’s hand and guided her from the car. When she was standing on the pavement, I led her about twenty feet away before stopping.
“Okay, beautiful, the wait is over…I hope you like your surprise,” I said, loosening the fabric covering her eyes.
I was greeted with a long beat of silence, before she whispered, “Ho-ly-shit.”
Camry stepped a few feet away; her eyes averted as she walked towards the towering structure. “What is this place—how in the hell did you do this?” she asked, turning her stunned gaze back on me.
>
I just smiled, a sense of satisfaction settling deep in my gut. “Do you like it?” I asked, moving to stand next to her.
“I, um, I’m stunned and baffled, but, I love it, Garland. How in the world did you manage to find something like this?” Camry asked, focusing back on the looming structure that looked almost exactly like the Greek Parthenon. Dilapidated stones and all.
“I didn’t find it; I sort of had it built. There’s more to see, the fun doesn’t stop here,” I told Camry, grabbing her hand and pulling her with me.
“What! You had this built? That must have cost a fortune—it looks like the real thing!” Camry cried as I led her over to the stone stairs.
It had taken a lot of work, talent, and money; but if Camry’s face was any indication, I think I pulled it off.
“Most of it is artifice; it’s erected out of composite materials; it’s not meant to be permanent,” I explained.
The Parthenon structure stood tall and regal, with its giant outer pillars concealing the layer of slightly smaller ones behind it. The edifice was actually built around an existing structure, an old limestone federal style mansion. Camry is a Greek mythology geek; she fell in love with the history and structures when we honeymooned there. I wanted to give her something special and knew that this would be it.
Once we’d climbed to the top of the stairs, Camry looked around in wonderment; tilting her head back to look up at the sky that was visible through the non-existent roof. The sun had started to set, which cast the sky in shades of orange, pink and purple, lending an earthy majestic feel to the ancient looking building.
“I can’t believe you had this built for me—this is unbelievable, Garland. I don’t know how you managed it, but it’s simply magnificent…” she whispered in reverence, mesmerized.
“Well, I didn’t intend for us to spend all of our time outside looking at pillars, sweetheart, there’s more inside,” I said teasingly, kissing her upturned mouth.
Camry smiled, eyes alighting with excitement. “Really? There’s an inside?” she asked.
“Yes, there’s an inside, right beyond those pillars is a door,” I said, pointing in that direction.
She clasped my hand and pulled me with her, her excitement palpable and contagious. Camry paused when we arrived at the behemoth double doors that were made of a dark walnut—and had handles that looked to be two feet in length. They were well suited for the hands of a giant.
I glanced down at Camry before opening the doors. “Happy birthday, wife, welcome to Ancient Greece,” I told her, finally revealing what lay beyond.
C A M R Y
Get the hell out of here! It was all I could think as I stood on the threshold, dumbfounded. It felt as if I’d stepped back in time, into ancient times.
The grand foyer of the mansion resembled that of an Ancient Greek Palace. It had a beautifully painted ceiling, gleaming marble floors with Greek symbols etched into it, and winged, mythical-looking animals and Greek God depictions covering all the walls. At the center of the space stood four ginormous Corinthian columns encasing a circular fountain. In the center of that fountain, was a giant golden statue of Athena. Visible above Athena, was a second-floor gallery that overlooked it; its railings were made of small gold leaf columns that matched the larger ones supporting them. Everything shimmered and gleamed.
“This is…absolutely amazing…” I breathed, taking everything in.
I believed myself to be literally in shock; stupefied, as I tried assimilating everything I saw. I was trying to digest the fact that my husband had had it built. For me. For my birthday. For my pleasure.
He’s so ridiculous.
“The amazement doesn’t stop here,” Garland said, laughter in his voice.
I turned to look at him; to see his green eyes shining back at me. There was amusement there in their depths, but also love. I wondered how long he’d been planning this. It was…I really had no words.
“Lead the way,” I said lovingly, trying to hold my shit together and not to be an emotional crybaby.
Even though I am. With surprises, especially.
Garland led me to an arched corridor off to the right, where life-sized marble statues of historical Greek figures were interspersed in between stone pillars about every ten feet. There were tall palm plants in large beautifully painted Grecian pots along the way—and instead of marble flooring, there was now glossy tiles in vibrant, earthy colors and intricately artful patterns. The beautiful ancient artwork continued on the walls here too, but flying high above us; were Greek God’s painted onto the cathedral ceiling. Though I knew everything I saw to be an illusion, I still couldn’t shake the ethereal, otherworldly feeling that had settled over me. It felt like I was genuinely walking through an ancient dwelling.
About halfway down the long corridor, we came to a stop in front of a set of imposing cherry lacquered doors. My heartbeat sped up in anticipation of what I’d find on the other side of them.
“Do I dare open these doors?” I asked, glancing a star-struck look at Garland. I couldn’t even imagine what other Ancient Greek awesomeness might be awaiting me.
I’m a total Ancient Greek groupie.
“I’ve made it my life’s mission to wow you, so…prepare to be wowed,” he said with a flourishing wave towards the doors and mysterious smile.
My blood spiked suddenly with excitement as I turned to look back at the doors. Taking a nervous breath, I reached for the brass handle and pulled one of the surprisingly heavy doors towards me…and almost peed my frigging pants.
Fifteen
C A M R Y
“SURPRISE!!”
My heart stuttered in my chest as I stood frozen, stupidly gawking at all the people assembled in front of me. It was as if there was a delayed reaction—that it took my brain precious moments to finally catch-up with my eyes. I took everything in, the room that looked as if I’d eerily stepped onto Mount Olympus, and all the people dressed overwhelmingly in Grecian whites and golds.
The flood of emotion I had been trying to hold at bay suddenly overwhelmed me. I turned to look back at Garland, then leaned into him and buried my face into his white shirt.
Dammit! This is why I hated surprises. I was always awkward and didn’t know how to react to them.
I heard claps, cheers, and whistles as I cried into Garlands shirt, probably making a mess of it. He merely held onto me, his hand caressing my back as I cried it out.
“I told you this was going to turn into a crying-fest,” I heard Marie say from behind me.
She should know. Everyone who knew me was aware of my knee-jerk response to this level of surprise. I was notorious for it. My family had learned over the years to temper my surprises.
Once I’d sufficiently made a spectacle of myself, I finally lifted my head to look up at Garland and gave him a watery smile. “I can’t believe you gave me a Greek-themed party; you’re so over-the-top and ridiculous, but, thank you.”
“I aim to please, Mrs. Vidov, which means I might just have more tricks in my hat,” he said with an indulgent smile.
Oh, God.
Turning back to face the room, I gave everyone an apologetic smile. “Sorry about the drama, ya’ll, I needed a moment,” I told them, brushing away the tears. I had likely just ruined my eye makeup.
“It’s your party, sweet pea, you get to have as many moments as you need,” dad said, walking over to hug me. “I told your husband to bring a box of tissues with him, but he didn’t listen,” he added, fishing his old faithful hankie out of his pocket and handing it to me.
Yes, my father always carried an old-school handkerchief in his pants pocket.
“What do I need with a box of tissues when I can simply use my shirt?” Garland asked drolly.
I laughed as I blotted my tears, careful to try and salvage any remaining make-up.
After handing dad back his hankie, I walked further into the room to greet everyone. I couldn’t believe Garland had planned all of this, or that a lot o
f the people here had conspired with him to make it happen. I looked around at all the familiar faces—and some not so familiar. All of my family was here, of course, but there was also the addition of my aunt, Olivia, Anna and Marie’s mother. Lauren’s best friend, Lake, was in the crowd as well—as was the very pregnant, Ann. I spotted Garland’s best friend, Greg, standing next to Marcel; and even his assistant, Sharon, was present.
“Happy birthday, Camry, you almost had me in tears too. Your husband did well, didn’t he?” Sharon asked like a proud mom.
“He did exceedingly well, I don’t know how he’s ever going to top this,” I told her.
“Oh, I’m certain he’ll find a way,” she said with certainty, a knowing look in her eyes.
I walked over to my aunt, Olivia, next—whom I hadn’t seen since last Thanksgiving. “I can’t believe you came all this way for my birthday.” I suddenly wanted to cry all over again.
My aunt Olivia was my mother’s younger sister and my favorite aunt. She’d become somewhat of a second mother to Lauren and me when my mom passed away. She was unable to come to the wedding because she hated flying and it was so far away, but she’d managed to make it here. And low-key at that.
“I prayed the entire two and a half hours and kissed the ground when the plane finally landed, but I was determined to be here. Plus, I’m dying to see my grand-niece and nephew,” Olivia told me.
I continued making the rounds around the room; not wanting to appear rude or ungrateful that everyone had come. However, I had to eventually wander over to the sight that had held me captive since entering. Abandoning proper etiquette, my feet followed my eyes as I moved closer; I could literally feel my eyes growing larger as I took it all in.
It seemed improbable. But situated at the rear of the room was an absolute masterpiece. Mt. Olympus itself.
Behind tall golden arched gates, was a short set of stairs that led to a semi-circled platform. On that platform were all twelve Greek Gods and Goddesses in all their magnificent marble glory. Each of them stood next to gold Corinthian columns that were maybe four feet taller than their at least eight feet heights. Except for Zeus. He sat on his golden throne directly in the center, bisecting the others. Behind the platform was a huge painted mural of a golden palace that sat high atop a hulking mountain in the clouds, the perfect backdrop for the glorious tableau beneath it. It was perfection. The Greeks were famous for their love of columns, gold, and marble, and whoever had decorated the room and created this scene, captured the majesty perfectly.