by Unknown
“Ah, Mademoiselle Esprit!” A very pretty man with dark hair, graying just slightly at the temples, rushed over to kiss Holly on both cheeks.
“And now I'm in a RomCom,” I whispered to my mother and she giggled. “How cliché can they get?”
“It's not Mademoiselle Esprit anymore, Andre,” Holly pushed teasingly at the man's shoulder. “I'm Madam Morningstar now.”
“Andre. Madam,” I mouthed to my mom and her face started to get red from her efforts to contain her laughter.
“Yes, yes,” Andre gave a little shrug, “but you will never look like a Madam.”
“He doesn't know the half of it,” I again murmured to my mother.
“This is my son's fiance,” Holly swept an elegant pale hand back at me and I was instantly enveloped in French gay kisses and a light cloud of French cologne.
“Oh, cherié, you are lovely,” he looked back at Holly with a delighted smile. “Isn't she lovely?”
“Of course she's lovely,” Holly slid her arm through mine. “My son is a hell of a catch, he wouldn't choose an ugly woman.”
“Hell yeah he's a catch,” I said with a chuckle.
“I'm sure he is,” Andre's expression turned a bit naughty as his gaze fell on my belly. “And I see he's been busy.”
“They won't be getting married till after the baby is born,” Holly slapped Andre's arm playfully. “You and I both know how long it can take to find the perfect dress though and we wanted to start now. We have her approximate measurements from before the pregnancy.”
“Very wise,” he nodded. “We'll use those measurements for now and then measure again after the baby comes. When is the wedding going to be?”
“April,” I said immediately.
“Wonderful,” he clapped his hands. “I love Spring weddings. And will you be shopping for your entire trousseau here?”
I just blinked at him.
“Oh yes, she will,” Holly smiled and Andre beamed.
“Champagne!” Andre clapped his hands and started heading back into the shop. An elegant woman sitting behind the reception desk jumped up and ran off.
“Yep, RomCom,” I cast my mother a look and grabbed her hand before Holly and her cliché cohort could whisk me away. “Do you think someone will show up to try and persuade me to marry him instead of Azrael?” I laughed.
“Or maybe all of your fiances will show up,” Mom whispered back. “That would blow Andre's mind.”
We were led to a swirling, wide, curlicue staircase with low, marshmallow-colored walls encasing it so it looked like one of those perfectly curled ribbons on a Christmas present. Honestly, I was happy to leave the main floor, which was too modern for my taste; everything was glass or mirrors and the entire wall behind the reception desk was made up of flat screen monitors playing scenes from fashion shows and images of stunning women in stunning dresses. I felt like a whale among mermaids.
We came out onto the second floor and were led back into a dressing room. Maybe I shouldn't call it a room, it was more like a suite. When I'd said this was a Romantic Comedy, my words had been truer than I'd thought. It turned out that this was the room they used in like every movie with a wedding gown shopping scene. Andre made sure to inform me of this.
There was a wide expanse of pale wood floor with a square gray carpet in the exact center and a square, cream, padded... I don't know what you call it, perhaps a huge ottoman? It was big and puffy and meant to be sat on and it was in the exact center of that carpet. Then, placed directly across from each other, were floor to ceiling mirrors set into simple, wood, box frames. On the wall between the mirrors was a rack devoted entirely to wedding gowns.
“Now,” Andre looked me up and down. “We shall determine what your style is. Madam Morningstar, the measurements if you please.”
Holly instantly produced a small piece of white paper with my previous measurements scribbled across it.
“My style?” I blinked at Andre.
“Yes, style,” he looked me over. “I see that you are not unfamiliar to fashion but it's hard for me to determine what your style is, what mode you prefer. I don't know if this is the sort of dress you wear normally or if it's a pregnancy outfit.”
“Oh,” I looked down at my loose cotton dress and then helplessly at my mother. She just shrugged. My mom was the type of woman who wore fanny packs. I'd finally bought her a Gucci fanny pack because if she was going to wear one, I at least wanted it to be a nice one. I was a woman who adored fashion but I'd never had the time to invest in becoming an expert. So as far as my style was concerned; I wore whatever I thought was pretty. “Well, I think I'd like to go classic but romantic; perhaps Vera Wang or Dior? Or maybe Marchesa, I love Marchesa. Do those ladies make wedding apparel?”
“Oh,” Andre swooned. “Thank heavens, it is only a pregnancy outfit. By simply breathing the word Marchesa, you've made it absolutely clear that you're a woman of taste. I know exactly what to show you.”
“Andre,” Holly said imperiously. “Bring out the Elie Saab, if you please.”
“Oooh!” Andre fanned himself with a limp hand. “Truly?”
“There's no limit today,” Holly nodded. “My son's bride will have only the best.”
“I won't have to try anything on, will I?” I looked down at my belly.
“Oh no, my darling,” he assured me. “We have models to do the actual work. All you have to do is sit here and drink you're champagne... oh no, no, no. How horrid of me.” He turned to holler down the stairs. “Make that sparkling cider, Sherie!”
Chapter Three
Halfway through the fashion show, I excused myself to use the restroom. I knew exactly where it was because that was something you learned to make yourself aware of the further into your pregnancy you got. So I hobbled down the stairs and went straight to the elegant bathroom at the back of the building. It was more like a bathroom you'd find in an expensive home than in a business. There was only one toilet, no stalls, and so the door itself locked.
On my way out, I ran into a solid chest and it pushed me back into the room. The click of the lock sounded and I looked up into Re's gorgeous face. I stumbled away in shock and gaped at him. He looked wonderful, as usual, his dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail so that the dramatic angles of his face were on stark display. His skin was deeply tanned but it looked much lighter due to its golden shimmer. It looked as if he'd dusted himself with real gold powder but it was actually natural, the shimmer was within his skin.
The gold gleam highlighted the curves of his muscular chest, glimpsed through the V neck of a light blue, thin sweater and muscular thighs were hinted at by subtly clinging black trousers. I looked away from his distracting body to his even more distracting face. Thick eyebrows, a shade darker than his hair. A strong jaw with a hint of stubble. High cheekbones like a supermodel. But his regal nose didn't look so noble now, resting as it was below worried, golden eyes.
“Vervain,” he reached for me and I backed further away.
“Re, what are you doing here?” I demanded.
“I needed to see you without all of your men around,” he explained quickly and reached for me again.
“How did you even find me?” I stepped back once more. This time, the wall stopped me.
“I am the Sun God, Re,” he huffed. “I see all.”
“You saw my posting on Facebook, didn't you?” I groaned. I should have known better but it was rare that I had any kind of news I could share with my human friends and family, and I wanted desperately to be able to bask in the joy of my wedding like a normal woman.
“It doesn't matter how I found you,” he said imperiously. “Here we are and we need to talk.”
“Yes, we do,” I sighed. “I should have called you and had this talk awhile ago but I hadn't heard from you and I thought you'd got over me.”
“Got over?” He blinked. “You're the one who keeps visiting me, Vervain.”
What do you mean?” I gaped at him, totally forgetting t
hat I'd gone along with Re's assumption that the memories were just dreams played out between us.
“Are you seriously going to stand there and act like you haven't been coming to see me every night in the Dream Realm?” He shook his head in disbelief.
“I...” I floundered.
“And now you want to shy away from me?” His voice lowered to a husky tenor as he eased forward, placing his hands on the wall to either side of me. “You're driving me mad, Lala,” his whispered into my ear, then lowered his lips to the rapid pulse in my neck. “The dreams are fantastic but I wake disappointed, longing for the feel of your flesh.”
“Um, I need to explain something,” I angled away from him.
“Yes,” he dove lower and I felt his breath sliding between my breasts. “Explain to me how you did that thing with your teeth. It was miraculous.”
My eyes went wide in horror as I simultaneously shivered. What had I done with my teeth? No, don't go there, Vervain.
“Whoa now. Take a look down, Romeo. I'm not in a condition to be romanced,” I said breathlessly. Yes, as in barely breathing. I couldn't help it, the man was sex on a stick; he made me want to lick him like a popsicle.
“You weren't pregnant last night,” he spun me around and draped me over a little side table which held a basket of hand towels.
The towels went flying as my belly took over the tabletop and I leaned into the wall. Re was immediately pressed up tight against me, hands sliding down my sides until he could take the hem of my dress hand. He slid his fingers beneath it and edged them forward, trailing them up the front of my thighs as he pressed his hips up into the curves of my ass.
“Re!” I hissed. “Stop!”
“Oh, so it's alright for you to sexually assault me in my dreams but I can't touch you in real life?” He growled into my ear. “Who do you think you're playing with, little girl? You can't just toy with me every night and then pretend there's nothing between us. You've had me every night,” his voice vibrated across the delicate skin on the back of my neck. “And now I will have you.”
“I never actually had you,” I sighed and leaned my forehead to the wall.
“Haven't you?” His breath was hot on the hollow of my collarbone. Then his lips replaced his breath and the scent of burning frankincense wafted into my nostrils. I breathed deep and groaned.
You might think that a pregnant woman has no sex drive. I mean why would she? Nature has accomplished its goal, you're now well and truly with child. Why would it continue to give you urges to make more babies? Who knows why Nature does what she does? She's one crazy bitch... and she's rather randy too.
Or maybe that was just me.
The feel of Re's hands skimming further up my thighs, leaving hot trails on my skin, sent me reeling with desire. I wanted to do things with him, right there in that bathroom, that shouldn't be done in public. Much less one floor down from my mother and soon to be mother-in-law as they looked over possible wedding gowns for me. That thought snapped me out of my lust haze and I grabbed at Re's questing hands.
“Back away from me, Re,” I said firmly. “Please.”
“Damn it, Vervain,” Re pulled away and ran a hand angrily through his hair, yanking it out of its ponytail. Thick strands fell around his frustrated face. “Why are you doing this to me? I thought we were friends.”
“We are friends and I'm not trying to do anything to you,” I sighed. “Look, I was hoping I wouldn't have to explain this but I'm not visiting you in your dreams.”
“You know damn well that you are,” he narrowed his eyes until they turned into golden slits.
“No, I'm not,” I took a deep breath. “I've recently been to the future.”
“What?” That had thrown him.
“My daughter came back in time, using my Ring of Remembrance,” I held up the ring for him to see, “to warn me that I'd made a terrible mistake. She couldn't tell me what I'd done, she could only take me forward and show me.”
“So you went into the future?” He gaped at me.
“And it was bleak,” I nodded. “I was dead, which was the only reason I could travel forward. But that wasn't the worst of it. I won't go into the details but I found that the turning point was Odin. Odin had been overtaken by the personality of the body I'd put him into and this Griffin persona took over and prompted him to leave me.”
“Odin left you?” Re shook his head and leaned against the counter.
“And I'd let him,” I confirmed. “That's where everything went wrong. So I had to come back and fix my relationship with Odin. I saved him from Griffin and it saved my future.”
“So how does that affect my dreams?” He frowned.
“It doesn't,” I waved away the question. “In that twisted future, I'd lost a lover and needed to find a new one.”
“Me,” he gaped at me. “I was that lover, wasn't I?”
“Yes,” I sighed. “I spent some time with you there and you told me about our life together. Somehow, during that conversation, you shared your memories with me and I was able to experience them.”
“And then you what; brought them back to me?” He cocked his head.
“I think I may have,” I swallowed hard. “I'm sorry I deceived you and let you believe I was coming to you in your sleep. I thought it would be worse if you knew we had something real together in a time that would never happen.”
“What if I still want something real with you?” He whispered.
“I can't, Re,” I sighed. “You're incredible and I'd love to be with you but I can't.”
“Why not?” He looked genuinely confused.
“Because I'm about to give birth to my husband's child,” I ground out. “And after that, I'm going to marry four more men. Do you not see how another man in my life is not an option?”
“No,” he lifted his chin. “Actually, it seems very much like an option.”
“I need five men,” I groaned in frustration. “Five, Re, and that's what I have right now. With five, the Intare magic is satisfied and the magic is the only reason I take multiple lovers. Now I'm about to exchange vows with those lovers and swear that it will only be them for the rest of our lives. I can't add another man to the agreement.”
“Things change,” he eased forward and his palm went to my cheek. “Hearts change. Your men will understand. They have before.”
“It's not about understanding or even my heart,” I shook my head, dislodging his hand even though the feel of it on my cheek seemed natural.
“Tell me then,” Re brushed his lips across mine. “What is this about?”
“It's about boundaries,” I pushed him away gently. “I'm sorry I crossed them with you. I didn't do it on purpose and I hope you'll forgive me.”
“Vervain,” his jaw hardened. “You just told me that these dreams I'm having of you are actually memories. That means that we share them. How could you have experienced what I did and yet stand there so unaffected?”
“I am not unaffected,” I whispered.
“Then-”
“Did you tell Anubis to host a party?” I changed the subject and cut him off.
“What party?” His eyes skittered away.
“That's it, I'm not going,” I huffed.
“Blast it, Vervain,” he growled. “Fine. You want me to leave you alone? I'll leave you alone. You want to deny what's between us? Go ahead, deny it. Take a good look at me and tell me I mean nothing to you. Then go home and lie in bed tonight and say it again to yourself. Say it over and over,” he growled as he came in close once more. I could feel the heat of his skin and smell that fiery frankincense again. I almost missed his next words. “Say it until you believe it and then, when you feel strong enough,” he slid his cheek against mine and whispered in my ear, “think about how I'll be spending the night with another woman.”
I shook a little as he pulled away and he saw it, saw it and smiled.
“The party, Re,” I steadied myself. “Are you behind it?”
“Go t
o Anubis' party, Vervain,” he rolled his eyes. “Since my presence bothers you so much, I promise I won't be there.”
“Really?” I pressed.
“You're good, Godhunter,” he grinned wickedly. “Maybe up in my top five. But you're not that good. I'll be over you as soon as I've got another woman beneath me.”
He left with a smirk.
“Well you didn't have to be so mean about it,” I huffed.
Chapter Four
“Please make her stop,” I groaned to Azrael when he walked in.
We had spent all afternoon in the bridal boutique and it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd thought it was going to be. The Elie Saab, as Holly had called it, was the most amazing gown I'd ever seen. It was haute couture and would have to be made special for me but once I saw it, I didn't care. Holly was right, it was perfect.
Thousands of crystal beads were hand sewn onto snow white silk, radiating up and down from the waist in sparkling lines. The main portion of the beads were champagne gold, with fringed stripes of shimmering silver at the bodice, waist, and near the full hem. The beads covered nearly the entire dress, stopping only about a foot before the hem, to show off the silk tulle beneath. Andre had assured us that it could be created in bone white to accommodate a more traditional taste and that the beads could be done in any colors we wanted. So we ordered the dress. I decided against the bead covered veil, which Andre had said would require a handful of bridesmaids to carry behind me. Instead we chose something more sedate with just a beaded comb to hold it on.
I nearly fainted when he read the total. Let's just say it was more than I'd pay for a really nice car. Holly whipped out a black American Express card and paid not only for the dress but my entire trousseau, which was a package deal that had a whole bunch of extras Andre was just throwing in because Holly was spending so much damn money. My mother just gaped at Holly, as did I.
“I feel bad,” Mom had whispered to me. “I wanted to help pay for something.”