A Beautiful Rock

by Lilliana Anderson

  “Yeah?”

  “We could never be poor.”

  “Babe, we will be if I break this contract.”

  “You’re forgetting who my father is. I have my trust fund. It’s more than enough to last the both of us for a very long time.”

  “So you and I are forever then?”

  “Yes Marcus. You and I are forever,” I tell him, kissing him again.

  “How do you feel about being spontaneous?” he murmurs against my mouth.

  I pull my head back and give him a single raised brow expression. “Seriously? You know who I am right?”

  Chuckling, he grabs my face and kisses me with a flourish. “Then we’re going to Hawaii.”

  “Hawaii? Why?”

  “We’re eloping,” he informs me, his face dead serious as he jumps up from the bed and pulls on a pair of boxer shorts. I reach out and tap him on the arse.

  “Marcus Bailey! Is that a question or a command?”

  He switches on his phone and grins at me. “Right now, it’s a command, but when it’s time to say I do – it will be a question.” He lifts his phone to his ear. “Hello, I’m just after details of your next available flight to Hawaii…How many?” he asks the person on the other end of the line. “One moment.” He looks at me as he places his hand over the receiver. “Are you coming with me?”

  I get out of the bed, wearing nothing but my own skin and walk over to where he’s standing in his boxers, holding the phone and looking at me expectantly.

  Watching as his eyes travel over my body, I pull at my lip with my teeth then press myself up against him, sliding my hand down over his chest and underneath the elastic of his boxers, taking hold of his now firm cock in my hand. “Of course I’ll come,” I whisper in his ear. “I’ll come with you anywhere you want.”

  He swallows hard, and tries to keep his focus as he continues to book our flights and accommodation. I drop to my knees in front of him and slide his boxers down his legs. Looking up at him with a grin just before I take his cock in my mouth.

  “My credit card?” he asks, his voice wavering slightly as he speaks. “Sure, I’ll just… It’s… oh crap. I’ll have to call you back,” he says, disconnecting the call suddenly and throwing the phone on the bed before threading his fingers into my hair, as my head bobs back and forth as I suck and swirl my tongue over his long hard rod.

  He lets out a deep groan and I can taste the saltiness of his arousal. He reaches down, gripping my shoulders and pulling me up so I’m standing. His hand goes to the back of my head and his mouth is on mine, his tongue hungry in my mouth as his hand slides between my legs.

  “Jesus, you’re fucking amazing,” he whispers as he slips his fingers inside me, gliding his fingers in and out, and making sure to pay careful attention to my clit.

  I gasp into his mouth, my legs turning to jelly under his touch as my orgasm builds. As it bursts out of me, I grip his shoulders, crying out as my body shudders erotically against him.

  Taking my weight, he walks us to the bed and pushes me down in front of him. Remaining standing, he grabs my thighs and pulls me up against him, sliding right inside and hitting that delicious sweet spot perfectly.

  Bracing myself on the bed, I arch my back up as he holds most of my weight through my hips and pumps himself inside me. The build up of pressure inside me is so severe that I feel as though this time I might really explode.

  “Holy shit!” I cry out as my hips buck wildly against him.

  He slams himself inside me one last time and groans. “Holy shit is right,” he pants, out of breath and smiling, as we both come down from our high.

  Sliding me back on the bed, he stays inside me as he lays over me and catches his breath. I run my fingers up his back and into his thick hair, massaging his scalp as he hums his pleasure.

  “Book the honeymoon suite,” I tell him.

  Instantly, his head pops up and he’s looking at me with this huge grin on his face. “Seriously?”

  “Absolutely. Let’s elope.”

  ***

  “Are you sure Theo and Naomi are ok looking after Perry for a whole week? Don’t they have work commitments?” I ask, after we’re already on the plane going to Hawaii. It’s a pointless question really as it’s not like we can turn around and go back. I just need to feel sure – after all, Perry is my baby.

  “Babe, I’m positive. They have a big back yard and they are both more than happy to have a dog to walk around for a while.”

  “And they have no idea why we’re going away?”

  “No, they think we’re just taking a break together.”

  “Ok. Do you think they’ll hate us for doing this?”

  “It isn’t anyone’s business but ours. We can do it all again for show so all of them can see, but the first time – the real time – I want it to be you, me and the celebrant – that’s it.”

  “Can I offer you something to drink Mr Bailey?” the flight attendant interrupts, in this ridiculously throaty voice as she leans over, way further than is absolutely necessary. I swear, every time she comes near us she’s undone another button of her blouse.

  “I can see your bra,” I tell her as sweetly as I can. “Perhaps one of your buttons has popped. It’s nice though,” I smile sweetly, keeping my eyes on her until she fixes her buttons and excuses herself.

  Marcus grins and shakes his head. “And you worry about me. I didn’t even notice that.”

  “I’m surprised. She was practically offering you a motorboat.”

  Leaning his head against the seat, he chuckles as he looks over at me, takes my hand and kisses it. “I only have eyes for you,” he promises.

  Sighing, I lean back with him. “I know,” I say quietly. “It wasn’t about you.”

  “Not having second thoughts are you?” he asks, and I can see a tiny bit of worry in his eyes.

  “No. I just wish we could catch a plane with fake names. A bit hard to deny who you are when your name’s on the flight list.”

  “Well, we have ten hours on this flight. How about we try and get some sleep so we have plenty of energy for the hotel room?” he suggests with a half grin.

  “You think of everything,” I tease, pressing my lips against his before laying my head on his shoulder. After barely sleeping of late, I drift off much faster than I anticipated.

  ***

  “Lisa,” Marcus’s soft voice calls to me, coaxing me from my sleep. “We’re landing soon.”

  I sit up and roll my shoulders, working out the kinks in my neck. “I slept the whole time?”

  “Yeah, you were beat.”

  “Did you sleep much?” I ask, noticing his iPhone in his hand and figuring he’s been occupying himself on that while I’ve been sleeping.

  “A bit. I was listening to music mostly.”

  “Oh yeah? What kind of music does the great Marcus Bailey like to listen to?” I ask with a smile as I reach over and take his phone, holding it in front of me as I scroll through his playlist. “Ah, I see you’ve been listening to a lot of the greats,” I note with smile as I scroll pasts names like Janis Joplin, Cat Stevens and Bob Marley. There’s a decent mix of modern and classic rock on here. “Did I tell you that I bought your first album?” I ask as I continue scrolling through his list.

  “Wow, and?”

  I grin at him. “And, I could handle it if you were singing in the shower or something. I won’t throw a shoe at you and tell you to shut up.”

  “That’s good to hear. At least I know I might have a bit of potential,” he jokes.

  Suddenly, I stop scrolling and just stare at the screen disbelieving what my own eyes are showing me. “You heard it,” I whisper.

  “Heard what?”

  I swallow the lump in my throat and show him the screen. “’Together we are one’”

  “Yeah, you’ve heard this one too? It’s the first song of some indie who no one’s heard of. But she’s great. It’s a lot slower than my usual stuff, but… I don’t know, the lyrics so
rt of reminded me of us…” he explains, looking at me intently.

  Pressing my hand to my chest, I close my eyes and nod my head. I know that the song has been successful, but just knowing that it reached him means the world to me. It’s like the universe proving to me that we’re connected.

  “You felt the same when you heard it?”

  “I felt the same because I wrote it. That’s my song.”

  Marcus

  I’ve never experienced whiplash before, but I think I just about gave it to myself after the surprise that Lisa just dropped in my lap. “What? You are ‘Ana Gordon’? You wrote and sung ‘Together we are one’ and it’s about us?”

  She bites her lip and nods her head. “Yes. I couldn’t stop thinking about you and I wrote down all my feelings. Before I knew it, they had become a song and well… I released it. I guess I thought that if you found it, it would connect us even when we weren’t together.”

  “Oh baby,” I breathe, reaching out and placing my hands on either side of her face before kissing her. This woman just gets more and more amazing with every moment I spend with her. “That is the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me.”

  I am just floored right now. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that was her. She has a gorgeous singing voice, and her lyrics… well, they were perfect – they spoke to me, just like they were supposed to.

  The captain’s voice comes over the PA system and announces that it’s time for us to put our seatbelts on as we prepare for out decent.

  I’ve had everything set up so that when we arrive at the hotel, Lisa and I can get ready and be taken straight to a private little alcove where we’ll be married. I know it seems like we’re rushing into things, but when you find your soul mate – you know it’s right. And if there was ever a doubt in my mind, after discovering that Lisa is the artist behind the song I had on repeat that resonated so deeply within me – it helped me through some of my darkest times – well, there’s no question at all now.

  This woman is undoubtedly my soul mate.

  Chapter 19

  Lisa

  Our suite is enormous. It’s been such a long time since I’ve been privy to such opulence, but it’s gorgeous and I feel like a princess the moment I step through the door.

  “Go and look in the bedroom,” Marcus whispers in my ear. “You have one hour, and then a car is coming to collect us.”

  “Ok.” I lean up and give him one last kiss before entering the bedroom and seeing a rack with various beach wedding dress styles hanging on it.

  They are all so beautiful, but as I flick though the garments, there is one that stands out most to me - it’s a cream silk one with spaghetti straps that hangs loosely down to my ankles. It’s shaped a lot like a slip really, but its fabric is much more decadent and feels like it’s caressing my skin as I move in it.

  I choose a pair of sandals to go with it. They have a simple Y strap that is decorated with small pearls.

  My hair is simple to do. I spritz it with a little wax spray and scrunch it up before putting a pearl and diamond clip in one side.

  I apply a small amount of makeup - it’s basically mascara and pink lipstick. Everything is simple. Everything is perfect. It’s exactly what I’ve always wanted.

  “Are you ready?” he asks at the door. I turn to him smiling. “You look stunning.”

  “You look breathtaking,” I comment, taking in his crisp linen pants and pale blue shirt. It’s a perfect match for his eyes causing them to stand out even more than they normally do. He’s even managed to do something with his unruly hair. He’s styled it so it’s supposed to look messy. But really, he’d look delicious no matter what he did.

  “Then we make a good pair,” he grins.

  The journey to the alcove is short and when we get there everything is set and ready to go. There are flowers for me and everything.

  Our ceremony is simple and traditional, in front of two witnesses and the celebrant. He reads from an open folder in front of him as Marcus and I hold hands and beam at each other.

  When it’s time for the vows, we’re asked if we’d like to say our own or have him read something for us.

  Marcus jumps in. “I’d like to say my own,” he smiles, rubbing his thumbs soothingly over the backs of my hands. “I didn’t even know I had a heart capable of love until you came into my life and set it beating again. Before you, I was a stone, cold and unfeeling. I need you Lisa. You are the very epicentre of my being. I want you – for your mind, your ability to see me for me and your willingness to fight for what you think is right. I love you, Lisa and I want you to be by my side always.”

  I lift his hands and kiss them as happy tears fall from my eyes. “Marcus, in a room full of people, it was your eyes I found. They drew me in and captivated me from the get go and I should have trusted in that feeling instead of fighting it. I have a lot of regrets surrounding our early days Marcus, but you need to know that every moment I shared with you fuelled my happiness until the next time we’d cross paths. You are also the epicentre of my being. When we’re apart, I swear that my soul cries. I promise to stand by you, to love you and to support you until the end of my days.”

  By now, I’m crying quite convincingly and one of the island girls who is standing in as witness hands me a tissue which Marcus takes and wipes away my tears.

  “I hope these are happy tears,” he whispers, kissing each of my cheeks.

  “Very happy tears,” I whisper.

  “The rings?” the celebrant asks.

  Marcus pulls them from his pocket and hands the one for him to me with a wink. I can’t help but smile. These are the perks of being a rock star. If you can throw enough money at something, you can have the perfect wedding organised in a very short amount of time.

  As Marcus repeats the words of the ring ceremony, he holds his hand so I can’t quite see the ring but when he pushes it onto my finger and removes his hand, he reveals the most beautiful diamond solitaire I’ve ever seen.

  “Wow, that’s a beautiful rock,” I comment, watching it sparkle in the fading sunlight.

  He grins, holding his hand out so I can go through the same for him. “Look at the engraving first,” he tells me.

  I hold the platinum band between my fingers and look inside ‘Together we are one’ it says.

  “How did you…?” I ask.

  He responds with a wink and a knowing look. “It’s inside yours too. I told you, the song spoke to me.”

  I struggle to keep my voice level as I repeat the ring ceremony, feeling so glad when we get to the point where we both say ‘I do’.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the celebrant announces.

  Wrapping my arms around Marcus neck, we seal our union with a soul searing, head-spinning kiss. He picks me up and twirls me around before setting me on the ground and kissing me again.

  “I love you Mrs Bailey, my wife, my life.”

  “I love you too, Marcus. We’re married,” I grin, not quite believing this is really happening.

  “Yes we are, and no one is going to get in our way.”

  Chapter 20

  twelve months later…

  Marcus

  After spending our first week as a married couple, blissfully away from the Australian media, it was a bit of a rude shock to arrive back home and have the media swarming again.

  While we searched for the perfect location for our seaside retreat, we stayed in my apartment. For two weeks, the picketers and the media hung around, waiting for either Lisa or I to do something newsworthy. We didn’t, and the world gets very tired of a happy couple very quickly.

  Eventually, my fans started to come around to the idea of Lisa and I together. We released the news that ‘Together we are one’ is actually her song about her time away from me. We did a few interviews – one of them being with Sandra Haegan of course, who was very annoyed with Lisa for brushing her off, but after finally getting the full story, she was more than happy to fo
rgive her friend.

  The only people who continued to be annoyed with me were my parents. Naomi and Theo understood why we went and eloped – they wished they had been there, but they understood that we wanted one day of complete privacy to keep it special. My parents however, didn’t see it that way and have made Naomi and Theo promise them that they’re going to do the ‘right thing’ and have a family wedding.

  My mother wore black for the first three months of my marriage. But when a pipe burst in their roof, they came to stay with us for a couple of weeks and got to see how happy Lisa makes me. So she’s finally wearing colour again and my father is speaking to me in longer sentences and grunts less these days. It’s a slow process though.

  My record company didn’t take any action against me for refusing to tour as long as I agreed not to sue over the stunt Craig and Karen pulled. In the end, the competition was voided and nobody won. Lisa came to me all on her own.

  I finally got the chance to talk to Karen about her reasons behind supporting Craig for the competition, and when she explained that she was just trying to find Lisa for me before Craig took over and things spiralled out of her control, I understood and kept her on as a personal assistant even after I left the label.

  And after everything, I’ve never been happier. We’ve found this amazing house right on the ocean and we’ve had our own recording studio built in. Together, we’re making some pretty amazing music and we’re in control of all of our own stuff.

  We’ve even done some really amazing songs together, our first single being ‘If Only’. Lisa’s family background in the music industry means that she really knows her stuff and I love spending time with her, working together.

  We play small gigs around the country and occasionally overseas, but we only do what we absolutely want to. Everything is now by choice.

  A few years ago, I was angry and selfish and I’d closed my heart off to the possibility of anything like love. I know now, that I just hadn’t met the right woman yet – I guess she was too busy driving cars through people’s front windows…