"Yes, Dear," Trisha says. "So, how are you liking it here so far?"
She squeezes my shoulder.
"So far, so good," I tell her.
I wonder if she knows exactly how good it’s going. But the look in her eyes tells me that she does. And as if reading my mind, she continues, after only a brief hesitation.
"Well, good. And I want to tell you something.”
She purses her lips as if maybe she shouldn’t tell me, but then nods her head as if she’s decided to.
“In my short time here, I've seen Dr. Monroe with a lot of… patients," she finishes, even though I know she means women. "But I've never seen him look the way he looks when he's near you. So, don't listen to any rumors or gossip you might hear around here. Just concentrate on the fact that he's different with you. I can guarantee you that."
"Thanks, Trisha."
At least I have a friend here. That makes two that I have so far, in total. Diana and Trisha. At nineteen years old, I'm off to a slow, but good, start.
I practically skip down the hall to go see Derek, wondering what's in store for me next.
Chapter 33 – Elizabeth Jane
When it comes time to enter my fake fiancé's office, I suddenly feel very shy. He's been my secret lover but now that it's out in the open, things feel different. Not better, not worse, just different.
"Liz," Derek says, as soon as he sees me. "Thank you."
He comes over to me and picks me up; then he sits me on his desk.
"That was amazing."
"It was very convincing, wasn't it?" I ask him.
"How did you come up with all of that stuff?" he asks. "You even knew about designer wedding dresses."
"When one is locked in her room all day by her mean mother, she has time to do a lot of reading on a lot of different topics."
"So, you don't really have those things planned out for our wedding?" Derek asks.
I laugh, but he looks serious.
What the hell?
I feel uncomfortable for the first time ever with him. He'd better not be messing with me.
It's one thing to tell my mom we're engaged so I won't get in trouble. And to extend that lie a bit further for the purposes of saving himself as well. But he'd better not act like what we're doing is for real, unless he really means it.
Oh, shit.
My heart speeds up.
What if he really means it?
I decide to play it cool. I don't want him to know about all the mental gymnastics happening in my head right now because of him.
"I thought you'd appreciate the date I chose," I tell him, with a grin. "Since it's thirty days after your deal's closing date, you'll be home free, right? We can just say, oops, at the last minute, Elizabeth Jane got cold feet. She's the runaway bride, folks. No harm, no foul."
Derek is staring straight into my eyes, as if he can't believe what I'm saying. I suppose he doesn't even appreciate jokes about being jilted by his fiancé, even though I'm just fake, or stood up for his wedding, even though it's just pretend. So, I decide to switch things up a bit.
"Or, hell, by that time they can't do anything to hurt you so just tell them you've returned to your old ways. You're a player again so you can't possibly tie yourself down to any woman, even the fantastic Elizabeth Jane."
"Liz," he says, pulling me in close to him. "Stop it."
I laugh.
"Come on," I tell him. "It's funny. And I saved your ass."
"You did, and I appreciate it."
He clears his throat. He actually looks nervous.
I decide to stop joking. It appears that to him, this is a very serious matter.
"I called you in here to ask you a question," he says.
"Okay, shoot."
He reaches into his lab coat's pocket and I immediately think: condom. He's going to ask me if he can thank me by fucking me. Or if it's okay to have sex with me now that he's my boss. Or how I think it'll feel to be fucked by someone even richer than he is right now— because, thanks to me, his net worth is about to go up even more, along with something else that happens to be attached to his body.
Instead, he gets down on one knee. He holds up a little blue box.
"What the…?" I start to say.
"Shhhhh."
He puts his finger over my lips.
"It's my turn to talk,” he tells me. “And, like I said, I have a question for you."
"Yes?"
"My question is whether you really want to marry me on June 29th."
"Really?"
I don't know whether to laugh or cry. This seems too good to be true. Just like when I walked into his office for him to confirm my virginity and instead he took it. Except all of this is too good to be true in a very different way.
"I figure since we have a date, and even a place, I should make it official,” he murmurs.
"But… I just now said all of that. Pulled it out of my ass."
"Your sexy ass," he corrects me, and squeezes it. "My sexy ass."
"Okay. I pulled it out of my sexy ass. So where did you get the ring? And the idea to propose marriage to me for a made-up date two months from now?"
"I already had the ring," he says. "I bought it yesterday. I knew that eventually I would want to give it to you, to propose. I just didn't know it would be so soon."
"Oh yeah?" I ask, cocking my head at him. "What made you decide to speed it up?"
He groans. I'm torturing him, purposefully not saying yes or no. I have questions of my own first.
"I had it in my desk drawer, and after I saw what you did for me in the conference room— and how spectacularly you did it— I came into my office to get this ring and give it to you. Because it made me wonder, what am I waiting for? There's no one better than you. I'm so glad to have you as my fake fiancé. And I want you as my real fiancé. Now that we have the date and the place, all I need is a real yes from you."
"But there's a problem," I say. "All of that was just as fake as our engagement. There's no way we could book the Houghton Hotel on June 29th. It's the most popular hotel in town and one of the most coveted wedding dates."
"Wow, Liz, you really are a wedding planner in your fantasies," Derek says. "You're really getting bogged down in these details.”
I smile, not wanting to let on just how much fun it was for me to make up all those elaborate details.
“I think you know I have pull in this town, and I can probably make a wedding there and on that date happen,” he continues. “It might be a bit unconventional… maybe, a brunch wedding, for example… but it could probably happen. And even if it can't, we can tell them we postponed it because someone in our family is sick, or maybe because you're pregnant."
"Pregnant?" I ask, looking at him in a mixture of astonishment, humor and awe.
He's really putting the cart before the horse. I didn't even say yes to his proposal yet and he's already talking about knocking me up.
"Well, there needs to be a little Derek Junior," he says. "Or a little mini- Liz."
I laugh.
"I love you, Liz," he says. "I know I've never even said it until I'm asking you to marry me for real, but I know you've felt it since nearly the beginning."
"I have," I tell him, gazing into his eyes. " I love you too, Derek. I always have."
"Okay then," he says. "Good. My point is that there are lots of ways to change this if it doesn’t work out, but the date and place aren't the important parts of my question. The most important thing I'm asking you is this. Elizabeth Jane Suttell, will you marry me?"
"Yes," I tell him, laying my head against his muscular chest. My muscular chest. Until death do us part. "Yes, yes, yes."
He stretches out my hand and places the large, sparkling diamond ring on my finger.
"It fits me perfectly," I tell him.
Then I can't help adding, "Just like you."
Epilogue
Elizabeth Jane
It’s my wedding day, and I can’t believe all t
hat has happened since my mom first made me go see Dr. Monroe for a purity exam. I went from being an innocent, sheltered virgin to his dirty little slut, his fake fiancée to save his business, and now— the best part— his actual bride.
Today is also the day on which I’ve been reunited with my father. He and I float in a hot air balloon far above Derek and our wedding guests, who are gathered in the courtyard of the Houghton Hotel. The ceremony has started, and I can see Derek standing in front of the wooden wedding arch.
“Awww, he looks nervous,” I tell my dad.
“And he looks proud,” my dad says, and I agree.
Derek stands tall and strong, looking more handsome in his tuxedo than I have ever seen him. His groomsmen stand beside him.
I watch as Diana walks down the aisle as my maid of honor. She looks gorgeous in her couture bridesmaid’s dress, carrying calla lilies. I’m grateful for her, even though I used to be embarrassed when she talked to me. I’m glad she didn’t let my mom get in the way of our friendship.
Tracy follows her. Even from here, I can see her blushing as she notices another of the doctors at the practice seated as a guest in the aisle. There have been rumors that he has a crush on her and that it’s mutual. Some people even say they’re secretly doing the dirty just as Derek and I have been doing. Talk about workplace romance drama.
Then, pairs of animals walk down the aisle, two by two. First come the promised monkeys, then goats, then pigs.
“This is an interesting assortment of animals,” my dad remarks.
“We picked the friendliest ones,” I inform him with a grin. “You’d be surprised how docile pigs are. I read all about them on the Internet, when I was making my selection of animal wedding party members.”
“Oh, I’m sure they are,” he says. “I’ve heard that pigs are smarter than people.”
“Maybe if those people are three years old,” I tell him, with a snort. “But they’re definitely smarter than dogs. And chimpanzees.”
“Leave it to my daughter to find out everything about pigs while planning her wedding,” my dad says.
I smile, grateful that he can be here with me on my big day. Grateful to Derek for being the reason it came to be.
Finally, two elephants traipse down the wide aisle, and all the guests gasp. The way that Jeff and Niles’ mouths hang open is my favorite part of the day so far.
“You sure put together the wedding of all weddings, in a very short amount of time,” my dad says.
His tone of voice is one of admiration mixed with awe.
“It’s amazing what money can do,” I tell him, still amazed myself.
Derek made a sizeable donation to the zoo, as well as to the Albuquerque Balloon Museum, which lent us the balloon that my dad and I are riding in and in which Derek and I will be whisked away after the wedding, for a tour around the city, private champagne toast, and pictures, while our guests have cocktail hour before we meet up with them for the reception.
The date had obviously already been reserved by another bride, but money convinced her to change it to an afternoon ceremony so that she would have plenty left over for a lavish honeymoon. And Derek contacted the vast network of caterers, decorators, flower arrangers and other vendors that he keeps in touch with when he entertains other doctors for business deals.
Today is everything I could have dreamed of, and more. Except, as I look down at the wedding guests, I notice an empty chair. I’m reminded that not everything can be perfect.
“Even though Mom’s nutso, I sure wish she was here,” I tell my dad, unable to refrain from commenting on the one negative note.
“I know you do, Honey,” he says, putting his arm around me. “I hope one day she’ll come around.”
Mom was so upset when she heard what I’d been up to that she’d refused to come to the wedding, or talk to me at all. She thinks I’m a sinner and that my marriage will be doomed. And she was betrayed by the fact that I invited my father to walk me down the aisle.
“It’s a lovely day anyway,” I tell my dad. “Thank you for coming.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he says. “I’m so proud of you.”
As the balloon lands and Dad and I climb out, I hear our wedding guests gasp again. I realize that it’s my mom’s loss if she doesn’t want to accept me for who I am. At least I’ve finally learned to accept myself. I’m reunited with my dad, and I’m marrying the love of my life.
My mom has been cruel, to me, and if she’s not sorry, then I don’t want her around. I wish for both her sake and mine that she could change, but unless she does, I’ve learned how to be happy without her mistreatment of me.
And it’s not hard to be happy today, as today is the best day ever. As Canon in D begins playing and I walk down the aisle, I see Derek’s mouth drop open in wonder. I also can’t help but notice that Mia Malone’s mouth is gaping almost as much, as she stares at my wedding dress.
Not only am I getting married today, but I’m doing it while wearing a dress that Berta made specifically for me. It’s called the Belle Rosa, and the designer told me he’s secretly christened it “Elizabeth Jane’s Belle Rosa.” The supplier told me the phone has already been ringing off the hook with orders demanding this unique new dress which I had requested be designed. It’s just one more thing that Derek’s money— and now my money— can buy.
As my dad hands me off to Derek, shakes his hand and takes a seat, I see that Derek is looking at me with a mixture of love and admiration. I feel like the luckiest girl in the entire world, to be having the wedding of my dreams with the man I’ve desired for so long. And I know that our life together is just getting started.
Derek
I admit it: I want to fucking cry when I gaze at my bride. I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful, or as happy, as Liz looks right now.
I know she wishes her mom was here, but I also know she’d rather her not be here if she can’t accept us. I still have hope that it will work out one day for them. In the meantime, I’m going to do my best to be her everything. And I’m glad her dad showed up to walk her down the aisle and restore the relationship that her mom robbed them of for so long.
When it comes time to say our vows, I look deep into her sparkling eyes.
“I promise to be your protector, your strength, your inspiration, just as you have been for me.”
At my words, she starts crying, but they’re tears of joy and I wipe them from her eyes and then kiss them away as well.
“I’ll be everything you want and need, and I promise to tell you everything I want and need, so that we can continue to fulfill each other’s every desire.”
We hug, and the officiant says, “Alright, you two impatient love birds, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
I kiss her deeply, passionately, our tongues melding together as one, just as I know our bodies will later. She returns my kiss, with nothing holding us back from showing our affection for each other anymore.
And then, when it’s just her and me in the hot air balloon, I decide to start living out my wedding vows already, by telling her my deepest, darkest desire. Something I’ve never told anyone before— something I’ve never even wanted to do with anyone before.
I lean down and whisper it into her ear, even though no one else is around and the wind would quickly drown out anything I said out loud anyway.
“Really?” she says, looking up at me to make sure I’m not kidding. “Okay.”
From the way she swallows and smiles, I know the idea turns her on too. She squeezes my hand.
“Tonight?”
“No,” I tell her. “Tonight is our wedding night and I’m going to take your wedding night virginity.”
“What’s my wedding night virginity?” she asks, laughing.
“It’s the first time you’ve had sex as someone’s wife,” I tell her, smiling. “As my wife. And here’s what I want you to do for me.”
I whisper into her ear again, just to ma
ke it sexy and mysterious.
“I can definitely do that,” she says, nodding, “in our nice big bed.”
“Which I’m going to defile, by popping your wedding night cherry.”
She looks at me and grins, and I know that tonight is going to be our hottest sex ever.
Elizabeth Jane
It’s late, and our reception was just as much fun as everyone thought it would be. We had a live band, and a flamenco dance performance. We had a poolside party until late into the night. And now we’re at the house that Derek has just bought for us.
It’s our first time staying in it. We wanted to wait until we were husband and wife. Derek carries me through the doorway and says he’s going to make us some drinks in the kitchen. Neither of us had much time to drink much at the wedding because we were so busy making the rounds and socializing with our guests. Plus, we wanted to make sure we were in the right frame of mind to be able to do this.
Taking my hint, I dash upstairs and do as he told me to do when we were on the hot air balloon. I wiggle out of my beautiful wedding dress, and tingles of excitement run down my spine. I get up on our King sized, four poster bed and find the rope that Derek had told me would be here.
I tie one of my feet to the pole at one end of the bottom of the bed, and the other one to the pole on the other side. There’s also a rope tied to the poles at the top end of the bed. I handcuff one of my wrists to the slipknot, as instructed. And then I wait.
It seems like an eternity before Derek enters the room. I have goosebumps all over, and not just because I’m cold. I can’t wait to find out what he’s going to do to me. I know I’ll love it, but it’s also a bit scary, which is part of the excitement.
Finally, he walks in holding two whiskey glasses. His mouth falls open at the sight of me.
“My beautiful bride,” he says, crossing the floor in a hurry to get to me. “I’m going to make you mine forever.”
He sets our drinks on the bedside stand and begins unzipping the pants to his tuxedo. As his huge cock falls out, I realize it might be entering my asshole tonight, and I wonder if I can handle it.
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