by M. J. Perry
“Chloe, you’re such a sweetie but you can’t see further than your nose.” Ryder laughed again.
“Hey.” I exclaimed.
“It’s true Chloe; we’ve all seen the way you both look at each other.” Lea added with a grin.
“It wasn’t that obvious.” I said.
“It was baby, but it’s ok. We got there in the end.”
“We haven’t got there yet.” I said still miffed.
David’s lips touched my ear. “Do I need to prove it?” he whispered.
I shivered. “Maybe you do later.”
His tongue flicked my ear, and it felt so erotic. “I’ll do that then but you have to promise to do whatever I ask.”
That alarmed me but it was David. Whatever he wanted would never put me in harm’s way. “You have a deal.” I whispered.
Before he could speak, Ryder groaned. “Come on, I’m going to dissolve any minute.”
“I think I’d like to see that, it would be funny.” Caleb grinned.
“It wouldn’t be, Ryder doesn’t need to lose weight, he is perfect.” Lea pointed out.
I would have agreed, but the waiter came over with the menus and the moment was lost.
“Who’s going to be your maid of honour?” Lea asked without looking at me.
“I’d thought I’d ask my friend, you know the one who is annoying and borrows my clothes, never giving them back.”
I watched her face as she realised I was talking about her. She screamed loudly making everyone wince.
“I’ll take that as a yes shall I?”
“Who’s going to be the Best man? I don’t want to be holding some strangers arm down the aisle.”
Before David could answer, Ryder did. “Alex?”
“Yeah,” David agreed.
“We thought as much, we’ll be brilliant Ushers for you.” Caleb said.
“We will and we won’t even flirt with the bridesmaids.” Ryder laughed.
“Speak for yourself; I’ll be flirting with the prettiest bridesmaid there.” Caleb winked at Lea and she blushed. That was cute.
“And I’ll be marrying the prettiest bride.”
“I’d call you a creep, but that’s my daughter and I agree, she will be the prettiest bride to be seen.”
My mum coughed.
“After you of course Maggie,”
“Now who’s the creep?” David said hiding his smile.
The waiter hovered in the background so the table went silent as we all chose our meal and then gave the orders. I squeezed David’s hand to get his attention. “Should I ask Callie to be a bridesmaid?”
“She would love that but you don’t have to ask her. You haven’t even met her yet.”
“I’m sure I’ll like her, especially as I see how much you like her. Besides, she might have some ideas on how to plan a quick wedding. I’m pretty sure you aren’t going to give me long.”
“Too right I’m not. We’ll be married by Saturday even if I have to spirit you away to Gretna Green.”
“Please tell me you’re joking?” One look at his face told me he wasn’t. “It’s going to be a nightmare to find a dress never mind a venue.”
“Sweetie, we will do it don’t worry.” Lea added obviously ear wagging on our conversation.
I felt like I was going to have a panic attack. “There is no way I can plan a wedding that fast.”
“Don’t worry, that’s where Alex and Callie come in.”
“Huh?”
“They would be here now but their daughter Madeline has a cold, so they didn’t want to leave her.”
“How will they help?”
“Let’s just say Alex is a whizz at having weddings organised. He had his done rather quickly, and it was still Callie’s dream wedding.”
“Why so fast?”
“I’ll let Callie explain that when you guys get to know each other. For now, enjoy your night and I’ll call him tomorrow, ok?”
I looked at Lea and she nodded.
“Fine, but I’m picking my dress.” I almost growled.
“I always thought you would.”
“Good.”
“Now, let’s celebrate, it’s not every day I get to be maid of honour.”
Her excitement made me smile. I pushed my worries from my mind just for tonight I’d be Chloe Wren, fiancée to David Poole not Chloe Wren stressed out bride.
****
The night was a long one and by the time we got home, I was spent. I really wanted to show him my gratitude for my surprise engagement party and I wanted to know how he’d organised it so fast when I’d been with him all the time, but I was so tired I just zonked out.
I woke up briefly when I felt a gentle hand touch my face but I didn’t open my eyes and when I woke, next it was to my phone ringing on the bedside table. I reached out and grabbed it seeing Lea’s smiling face. I smiled to myself knowing she’d probably been waiting since the crack of dawn to ring me. I pressed the answer button. “Hi Lea,”
“Don’t Hi me. Get your butt out of bed and shower. I’ll be round in fifteen minutes.”
“Wait, what?”
“Just shush and get ready.” She ordered.
“Get ready for what?”
“Dress shopping of course.” She screeched down the phone.
“Ok.”
“You could be more excited.”
“I am excited I just need coffee.”
She sighed heavily. “You better be happier when I get to David’s.”
“How do you know that’s where I am?”
“Why would you be anywhere else now you’re engaged to him?”
“True.” I grinned. Looking down at my ring, I still couldn’t believe it. It felt like a dream. “Stop talking so I can get dressed.”
“I’m so excited.”
I rolled my eyes. “I can tell.”
“See you in a bit.” She said before she hung up.
The door opened as I put my phone down. “Good morning sleepy head.” David grinned.
“Morning, that was Lea, she’s coming over to take me dress shopping.”
“She doesn’t waste time.” He smirked.
“Tell me about it. I need to shower.”
“Want me to scrub your back?”
“If you do it won’t end there. Can you imagine what Lea will be like if I’m not ready?”
“Good call, I’ll get you coffee instead.”
I got out of bed and yawned forgetting I was naked.
“How can you still yawn after all the sleep you’ve had?”
“Women need more sleep than men, but we can function better than they can on less.”
He scoffed. “I happen to know you’re a bear if you don’t get enough sleep.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t say it was true I was just telling you what I believe.”
“Well, honey, I believe, you need to get yourself in the shower before I forget the coffee and drink you up instead.”
I blushed understanding him instantly. “See, you say such shocking things.”
“I’ll do shocking things if you don’t move yourself.”
I looked at the shorts he was wearing seeing them tented made me bite my lip. “We haven’t got time.” I groaned.
“We’ll do it fast.” He growled then he was in front of me. He grabbed my hair tightly, but not painfully and brought my face to his. His tongue shot into my mouth in and out, in and out, showing me what he wanted to do to my body. I gripped his shorts and pushed them down his legs. My hand went to his cock, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled it away. “No touching.” I could see he was barely holding on to his control. I loved that I could do that to him. Cupping his face I waited until our eyes met. “Do it hard.” I ordered. His eyes flickered and then he moved fast. One minute I was standing up the next I was laying on the bed and he was on top of me. He reached between us to position himself and then he thrust hard.
“Fuck.” He cursed. “It gets better every time.” His lips hit mine, an
d I held on for dear life as his body moved quickly, thrusting hard and deep until it felt like he was in my tummy. The pleasure that was building scared me. I whimpered as he pulled out and whipped me over so I lay on my tummy. “Lean up baby.”
I did as he said, getting on my hands and knees. He moved behind me. His hands gripped my hips in a firm hold and he thrust into me slowly until I started moving back into him wanting more. I felt his lips on my back pressing open mouth kisses. “Ready?” he asked then he sped up his pace. He felt good, deeper than before and he was hitting a spot that was making my legs feel weak.
“David.” I whispered.
“Let go Chloe.”
I dropped my head to rest on my arms and my mouth opened on a scream as the pleasure peaked and hit. David kept his pace, and I felt him tense as he came inside me. He collapsed to the side taking me with him.
“Fast and hard is good.”
“It is but I’m pretty sure Lea will be knocking any minute.” He said.
“Holy shit!” I shouted as I jumped off the bed. “I need to shower.”
“Me too,” He grinned.
“Oh no, not with me you’re not.”
“I’ll go and wait for Lea then.”
“You need to get dressed.”
“Obviously.” he got up and pulled on his shorts.
“T-shirt too,” I ordered.
He smirked until he saw I was serious. His eyes softened. “Ok, baby.”
“Thank you.” I didn’t even know why it bothered me for Lea to see him half-naked but it did. I rushed into the bathroom closing the door behind me. I needed to be fast and have no distractions. Hurriedly, I washed myself, my body still humming with pleasure. Quickly washing my hair, I climbed out and grabbed two towels looping one around me, and the other around my hair. I opened the bathroom door and walked straight into a pouting Lea.
“You’re not ready.” She accused.
I bit back my sarcastic reply and instead I shook my head. “If you move out of the way I’ll get dressed faster.”
Still pouting she stepped to the side. “I’ll go make coffee.”
“Good idea.”
I walked over to the bed suddenly realising I had nothing to wear except for yesterday’s clothes. I turned to go and tell Lea but stopped as David popped his head in the door. “Look in the wardrobe.”
Puzzled, I did as he asked and gasped in surprise. “My clothes... But how?”
“I had a pal bring them all over last night while we were out. Look in there and you’ll see matching bra and knicker sets. Brand new, I ordered them myself.”
I did just that, flicking through the dozens of hangers. All of them were beautiful. “You’re perfect.” I grinned.
“I know. Hurry and get dressed because Lea is bouncing off the walls out here.”
I blinked away my tears. No one had ever done anything so sweet for me before. If this was what I had to look forward to for the rest of my life with David, I was going to be one happy girl. I didn’t mean the money he’d spent, just the fact he’d done something for me. Knowing I would need clothes he got mine, he bought me underwear because he’d known I wouldn’t want a stranger going through mine even if they were just packing it all up. As I said, he was perfect.
“Are you ready yet?” Lea almost screeched, and it got me moving. I didn’t answer her, she’d only get madder. Pulling out my jeans, a long sleeved top and pink underwear, I got dressed. I brushed my hair and pulled it into a ponytail, I definitely didn’t have time to dry it, as I would have liked. I was just putting my mascara on when Lea walked in holding a cup of coffee in a take-out cup.
“Ready to go?” her impatience was clear.
“Yes. I don’t even know where any wedding dress shops are though.”
“I do, I was up most of the night researching the best ones.”
“Well, lead the way.”
I took my coffee from her and lifted it to my lips. Hesitating, I looked at Lea. “I made it.” she told me and I sighed before I took a sip. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Now let’s go.”
I felt like I should salute her or something, but I didn’t want to piss her off any more than I already had. I followed her steps as she went to the front door. “I have to say goodbye to David.”
She turned and glared at me. “Do it fast; we’re going to miss our appointment.”
“David,” I called. “I have to go now.”
He grinned as he got a glimpse of Lea tapping her foot. “Have a nice day.” He kissed my lips softly.
“You too,” I whispered.
Lea opened the door with a pointed stare and I rolled my eyes at David, she was so bossy it was unreal. She was going to be Bridezilla when she got married. I followed her out of the door and closed it behind me. Lea finally smiled. “Let the fun begin.” She laughed.
****
Two hours in, and it wasn’t fun anymore. It didn’t matter how many dresses I saw and tried on I just couldn’t find the one for me. The one that made me go wow, this is it, this is my dress. I’d all but given up. “One week is not long enough to find my dream dress.” I complained to Lea.
“Yes, it is. Look we’ll have a break and go grab some lunch. Then we’ll go to a different shop.”
“Ok.” I felt defeated. I wanted to find the perfect dress, and I felt the pressure of having no time to do it.
“Chloe, do you have an idea of the style and the colour you want?”
“I saw a dress in a magazine once, it was so pretty. The neckline had tiny lace flowers along it and the dress fell like a waterfall ending with a long train. It was perfect.”
“Did you keep the picture?”
“Oh, my I did.” I exclaimed. “I put it in my desk drawer at work, I’m so stupid, why didn’t I think of it.”
“I’m glad I asked the question. Probably should have asked it before we set off into the shops, but I was too excited. We need that picture and then we can see if anyone has it in stock.”
“It was so long ago, they probably don’t even make it any more.”
“You let me worry about that. Come on.” She grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the shop and towards her car.
“It’s Sunday, the office is closed.”
“Are you saying you don’t have a key card?”
“No, but David might worry if he sees us going in there.”
“It’ll be fine, he won’t mind. You run in and I’ll wait in the car like a getaway driver.” She giggled.
I smiled. “Ok, I’m pretty sure I put it in the drawer. God, I hope I did. What if I didn’t?” I asked her worriedly.
“I’ll have to draw it for you, if you can’t find the picture. Go and look.”
I nodded. I was sure I’d put it in there as David had come through the office and I hadn’t wanted him to see it in my hand.
“The dress sounds perfect Chloe.”
“The more I think about it the more I know it is. I just can’t believe I forgot about it.”
“Well, I can’t blame you. David has you in a whirlwind. He must really love you if he wants to marry you so fast. Unless he’s got you pregnant?” she smirked.
I blushed. “No, I’m not pregnant. I love him too.”
“I’ve never doubted that. I’ve always known.”
“You and everyone else, it seems I’m not very good at hiding my feelings.”
“No you’re not but that’s why we all love you.”
“Thanks, I love you too Lea.” I blew a kiss at her making her laugh.
“We’re here.” She pointed out the obvious as we parked in front of the office.
“I’ll only be a minute.” I climbed out with the key card in my hand and left my handbag. It felt weird going in on my own knowing it was empty. I swept my card into the holder and entered the code. The door opened, and I slipped inside waving to Lea before letting the door close behind me. The alarm beeped reminding me to switch it off. I put the code in and made my way to the offi
ce. I had to shuffle through a ton of stuff I’d forgot I’d even put in my desk, but I found my picture. Folding it up, I put it in my pocket. I was about to head to the door when I heard voices I didn’t recognise them. I listened for a second longer and one of them said my name. My body froze. I had to force myself to move towards David’s office, luckily, the door was open. I crawled under his desk curling my body in as tightly as I could. I didn’t even have my phone, I prayed that Lea had seen them enter and she had called David, otherwise I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. How did they even get in?
Chapter Eleven
David
“Lea, calm down, I can’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Chloe went to the office and two men went in after her.”
“Are they still there?”
“No one has come out yet.”
“Ring Caleb and tell him.” I ordered then I hung up. I ran to my car grabbing the car keys on the way. Fuck, Chloe was in danger and I was five minutes out. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I prayed Caleb would get there faster than I would. I didn’t know what the men wanted but as we’ve been digging into the child abduction case, I was sure it had something to do with that. If Chloe got hurt, fuck, it didn’t bear thinking about. I put my foot down and drove as safety as possible at a speed I would be arrested for if I were caught, but I didn’t care, Chloe’s life might depend on it. My building finally came into sight. Lea stood next to her car, her face in her hands. The office door was wide open. I parked my car, jumped out grabbing a gun from my glove compartment, and made my way to the door. “Stay there.” I shouted at Lea who looked like she was going to follow. “Is Caleb in there?” I asked, and she shook her head.
“Shit.” I cursed; I had no idea what I was walking into. I had to clear my head and forget that it was Chloe in there, otherwise I’d make a stupid mistake and put us both in danger. As I stepped quietly through the door, I could hear muffled voices coming from the stairs. Heading towards them, I stopped as the voices got louder. “Where is she?” someone shouted and I relaxed slightly. Chloe must have hidden herself well. I had to take the men out, two was no problem but I had to do it fast before they found her. Moving forward on silent feet I stopped again as I heard footsteps, an arm came into view then a face. Randy Tom, well that was what his friends called him. I threw a punch and knocked him into the wall. It wasn’t quiet, his friend would have heard that, I punched him again this time under the chin and it knocked him out cold. His friend came through the door, he looked at me then at Randy, and he held his hands up in surrender. “David Poole.” He said quietly. “I’m Detective Ashen, I’m undercover.”