by Kayla Carson
The dress was beaded intricately, with floral lace cut outs throughout it. The deep v cut on the bodice showed just enough to keep you guessing. It was tasteful, and understated, but mostly it was sexy as hell. Her long blonde hair was curled, cascading around her shoulders. I reached for her hand, holding it in mine as she walked down the stairs.
“Wow.” I said, when we were on level ground. “You look beautiful Sweetheart.”
“You don't look too bad yourself.” She said, pressing her lips to mine. “Is that for me?” She asked, eyeing the corsage in my free hand.
“Oh, right.” I said laughing. Releasing her hand, I opened the package, setting it on the ground beside me. I carefully slid the corsage onto her wrist, and her smile grew wide.
“How did you match the color?”
“A very well informed tailor.”
“Is it weird that I'm nervous?” She asked.
“I think it's cute.” I said, kissing the tip of her nose.
“All right love birds.” Wes said, as he ushered Zoe past us. “Let's get this party started!”
“Wait!” Zoe said, stopping us all in our tracks. “We need pictures!”
We all groaned, and by we, I mean the men. The women however, seemed genuinely excited, so I quickly changed my tune, wanting Harper to have the full experience. “Alright, I'm in.” I said.
“Pussy.” Wes said, earning him a swat to his arm from his wife.
“Come on, we'll go out to the backyard.” She said, and we all followed. Some of us willingly, others not so much.
When we rounded the back of the house, her camera was already set up on the tripod, and Jake couldn't help but laugh. Wes, gave her the side eye, asking when she even had the time to set the damn thing up. She just gave him a sly wink, and got to work setting the timer. We took a few group shots, a shot of the men, then the women, and then came the couples photos.
“I've never really had my picture taken like this before.” Harper said, standing beside me. “How do we pose?”
I stepped slightly behind her, and placed one hand at the small of her back, and the other just at her waist. Looking down into her bright blue eyes, I whispered “If everyone wasn't watching, my hands would be all over you right now.” She smiled, and that's when Zoe snapped the picture.
“Talk about chemistry!” She said. “You two look like your ready to rip each other's clothes off!”
Harper blushed then, hiding her face in the crook of my neck. I couldn't help but laugh, as I pulled her into my embrace, and kissed the top of her head. “See Sweetheart, you're a natural.”
“Now can we leave?” Wes asked, getting impatient.
“You aren't drinking tonight Wes.” Zoe said over her shoulder, as we all followed her back to the limo.
“Why the hell not?” He asked.
“If I can't drink, than neither can you.”
“But, Babydoll-”
“Don't Babydoll me, Weston Granger. You promised.”
“Yea Weston you promised.” I said, taking the seat across from him.
“This is going to be a long fucking night.”
Chapter 16
We arrived at Harper's House half an hour later, after taking a small detour to enjoy the limo ride. It was a beautiful night, and I was grateful that the rain decided to hold off. The last thing we needed was a youth center full of soaking wet teenagers complaining. This night may have been for them, but for me, it was all about Harper. The others could play chaperone for the night, I wasn't interested.
Everyone else had already exited the limo, leaving only Harper, and I. “Did you really have to do that?” She asked, swatting my chest playfully.
“Do what Sweetheart?” I asked, pretending I had no clue what she was accusing me of.
“Do I need to say it out loud?”
Reaching for the door, I pulled it shut. Without saying another word, I tapped on the sliding partition. The driver lowered it, and I whispered. “How much will it take to get you to drive around for half an hour?”
“I get paid by the hour sir.”
“Perfect. Let's go for a little ride.”
“Yes sir.”
When the partition was securely rolled up, and the doors locked, I gave Harper a sly wink. “Lay down.”
“We're going to be late.” She half pouted.
“Would you rather I didn't do what I was whispering in your ear on the ride over?” Her cheeks heated, and she bit her bottom lip. I loved seeing her like this. “Lay. Down.”
“What about my dress?” She asked, as she laid on her back across the seat.
“Let me worry about that.” I said disappearing beneath it's folds.
I made my way through the layers, and pressed a soft kiss against the lace of her white panties. I felt her slight intake of breath, so I did it again before moving the scrap of material aside revealing her perfect pussy. “Mmm” I said, giving her clit a little flick with the tip of my tongue. “You're already wet for me.”
“Because you kept describing what you were going to do in such vivid detail.” She said, a bit flustered.
“Let me make it better.” I said on a laugh, using my fingers to spread her lips apart to better expose her clit. I licked it then, slowly at first, teasing her with the tip of my tongue. When her moans changed to a more needy sound, I began to suck on the swollen nub. She reached down, intending to tangle her hands in my hair, only managing to grab a hold of her dress instead. She let out a a little “hmph” of frustration, and I couldn't help but laugh against her heat.
“What do you want Sweetheart?” I asked around the flicks of my tongue.
“Cole.” She begged.
“Say it.”
“I want you to.. to make me cum.” She said quietly.
“Louder.” I demanded, sucking her swollen clit roughly back into my mouth.
“Oh! Yes!” She cried out at the sudden tug. “Make me cum!”
I buried my face into her heat then, sucking her clit exactly the way I knew she liked it. She lifted her hips from the seat, greedy for my mouth, which only made me work harder. She was already so close, so without warning, I slipped two fingers deep into her wet core. I found her g spot, and the combination of both sensations had her moaning loudly, until I felt her tighten around my fingers.
She rode her orgasm out on my fingers, and when her body started to relax again, I sucked her clit back into my mouth, knowing the second orgasm would be more intense. She tried to stop me at first, but soon the pressure was building once again, and her moans turned into screams. I only hoped that the driver would ignore the sounds, and keep the partition up.
When I finally emerged from beneath her dress, she fell into a fit of laughter. “Your hair!” She said, laughing uncontrollably.
“You think that's funny?” I asked, swiftly climbing up the length of her body, so she was beneath mine. With a sly grin, I leaned down pressing my lips to hers. I was gentle at first, using my tongue to part her lips, but once I slipped it inside, all bets were off. I kissed her like my life depended on it, and her hands found my hair. She gripped it tightly, as I ground my growing erection against her still tender core.
“Cole.” She breathed out between kisses, catching my attention. I knew I was getting out of control, but I couldn't help it. She made me feel things that no other woman had ever made me feel. It took every ounce of will power to pull away from her.
“I'm sorry.” I said, sliding back into my seat. I reached for her hand then, pulling her up to sit beside me. “You make me crazy Harper Blue.”
“Don't apologize. I wanted to wait until we got home tonight to tell you, I mean I had it all planned and everything.”
“You're rambling Sweetheart.” I said, lifting her hand and placing a kiss on it. “What's going on?”
“I was thinking.” She smiled shyly. “Proms, they're like a right of passage or something. Dance, spike the punch, get a hotel room, lose your virginity....”
“Harper?”
>
“I'm ready Cole. I've been ready. I can't stand sleeping in the same bed with you one more night without making love to you. I trust you completely, and I've waited long enough.”
As if on cue, the limo came to a stop. We were parked outside of Harper's House once again, and this time we actually left the limo. The youth center looked amazing, the girls really pulled off something amazing here. It was obvious that we were at a prom, but it didn't look like your run of the mill high school function. It was better. There wasn't a lame theme, just decorations, food, and even a live band.
Kids were dancing everywhere, but it didn't take me long to spot Wes, and Zoe. Mostly because Zoe's long black dress was so tight, her baby bump was extra prominent. Harper waved at her from across the room, before pulling me out onto the dance floor. A fast song was playing, which wasn't my forte, but I swayed anyway, watching Harper move her hips to the beat of the music.
When the song switched, I gave her a wink, reaching for her. Slow songs, I could handle. I pulled her into my arms placing my hands on her waist. She curled her arms around my neck, closing the distance between us. My eyes were locked onto hers, and the smile she wore was enough to undo me. She looked beautiful tonight, glowing from what took place in the limo, and genuinely happy.
I don't know what made me say what I did next, but I knew it was the right thing. I didn't even hesitate. “I've been thinking too.” I said, bringing her back to our earlier conversation.
“Oh yeah?”
“Our wedding day is only a few days away. I seen the announcement online this morning, and I thought, why don't we get married for real?”
Her eyes grew wide with surprise. “What are you saying? Are you proposing?”
“Would you say yes?”
“Where is this coming from?”
“I realized something by being your fake fiance. I realized that I love you, and that isn't going to change. The day that Wes questioned that, I was furious. I can't imagine being with anyone other than you Harper. Not now. Not ever. So, what do you say? Make an honest man out of me?”
“OK.”
“OK?”
“Well it wasn't the most romantic proposal was it?”
“I'll show you romantic.” I said, scooping her up into a princess hold, and marching us over to the band.
“What are you doing?” She squealed. “Cole? Seriously, what are you doing?”
I set her down when the singer finished his song, and quickly made a mad dash for the microphone in his hand. “Excuse me.” I said, getting everyone's attention. “I'm sorry for the interruption but this will only take a minute.” A round of boos were thrown at me then, mostly from Wes, and Jake, and if the room wasn't filled with kids I would have flipped them both off. “My fiance and I are getting married in a few short days.” I said, and this time I got a few cheers and whistles. “The problem is, she just informed me that my proposal wasn't romantic enough.” Again came the boos.
I put my hands up to calm the crowd, before I continued. “I was hoping I could get a little help from the band here. What do you say fellas?” I asked, turning to face them. When they nodded enthusiastically, I whispered the name of the song into the guitarist's ear, who then told the rest of the band. Taking the mic with me, I got down on one knee in front of my girl. “Harper Blue, you are entirely too good for me. You accept me for who I am, and don't try to change me. You challenge me, and you complete me. You are the only girl for me. Will you please be my wife?”
I stood then, and she smiled big and wide shaking her head yes. The entire room rang out in cheers, as I pulled her into my arms kissing her passionately. A few short seconds later, the band started to play the song I'd requested. Jason Aldean's “you make it easy.” Tears filled Harper's eyes instantly, it was one of her favorite songs. “I love you.” She said, as we danced to the song that I knew would be ours for the rest of our lives.
Chapter 17
The band had a huge array of music, and I was surprised when the singer started rapping to an Eminem song. The kids really seemed to enjoy it, and so did Zoe. She was hilariously rapping every single word, and Wes was laughing so hard it looked like he was about to die. Happy looked good on him, and for the first time in my life I was beginning to understand what the love of a good woman could really do for a man.
“Are you going to watch the pregnant lady rap all night, or are you going to dance with your fiance?” Harper asked, interrupting my thoughts.
“Is somebody missing all of my attention?” I asked reaching for her wrist, and pulling her flush against me.
“Maybe just a little bit.” She admitted, resting her head on my shoulder. “This night has been really wonderful, but I'm more than ready to go home now.”
“They haven't announced the king, and queen yet.”
“What? They're actually doing that? I thought this was just a mock prom for the kids who couldn't afford to go?”
“This is Zoe we're talking about. She probably nominated herself.”
“Cole!” She laughed, swatting at me. “Can you ever be nice?”
“I thought you liked it better when I was naughty.”
Rolling her eyes, she turned away from me, dragging me towards the others. When we reached our friends, Harper whispered something to Zoe, who smiled brightly. The next thing I knew, she was dragging Wes towards the band. This time when the song ended, it was Zoe grabbing the mic. “Can I have everyone's attention please? We are about to announce the king, and queen, of tonight's mock prom!”
Cheers erupted from all around the room, and Wes raised his hands high, signaling silence, allowing his wife to continue. “I hope everyone's had a chance to vote, because the ballots have been counted by our very own Dr. Evie Cruz, and the winners will be announced by this handsome man standing to my right.” Evie handed two ballots to Wes, and Zoe passed him the mic.
“Your prom king, and queen are...” He paused for dramatic effect, before turning the ballots over in his hands. A look of confusion crossed his face momentarily, but he seemed to shake it off. “Vanessa, and Weston!”
Harper's eyes caught mine, and I instinctively squeezed her hand, letting her know that I was here. What were the odds that there was another Vanessa, and Weston here tonight? The same thought must have crossed Zoe's mind, because she clung to Wes' shoulder as if her life depended on it. Before any of us could contemplate any further, I seen her. Vanessa Blue, in a long navy dress walking through the crowd of kids like she was parting the red sea. Her head was held high, and she strutted confidently towards Wes like she hadn't a worry in the world.
When she finally reached him, she smirked. “It seems as if you owe me a dance, my king.”
Zoe reached for her purse, probably intending to call the police, but Vanessa held her hand up stopping her. “I wouldn't do that princess. I'm not here alone. I suspect you'd like to keep your precious children safe, yes?” When no one responded, she nodded. “Just as I thought. Now, about that dance?”
Harper's hand was trembling in mine, and I tucked her into my side, needing to be strong for her. I felt her relax against me, and knowing that I was able to make her feel safe, was all the courage I needed. “How about you dance with me?” I asked, drawing Vanessa's attention to me. “After all, I was California's king once. It only seems right that I dance with it's former queen.”
“Cole-” Harper started.
“Shh. It's alright Sweetheart.” I whispered in her ear, kissing her softly there.
In an instant, Jake was at my side, taking my place beside Harper, as I walked towards the woman who tried to have me killed. Her smirk changed to a grimace, clearly upset that she'd be settling for me. She still had an ax to grind with Wes, but I didn't want to give her what she wanted. I owed Wes that much.
I reached my hand out to her, and surprisingly she took it. The band started playing a slow ballad, as I pulled her body against mine. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and laid her head on my shoulder. I knew what she wa
s doing. She was trying to get a reaction out of Harper. “What are you doing here Vanessa?” I asked, as we swayed to the music.
“I seen your wedding announcement this morning. Awfully fast isn't it?”
“What's it matter to you?”
She laughed then, lifting her head from my shoulder. She locked her ice blue eyes on mine, and all that I could see behind that gaze was pure menace. “I'm leaving the country tonight, and Harper is coming with me.”
“Over my dead body.” I gritted out.
“I was hoping you'd say that. I so enjoyed almost killing you the first time. If you want something done, you should do it yourself, isn't that what they say?”
Just then, the lights went out. Screams radiated throughout the large room, echoing off the walls. I kept a tight grip on Vanessa's wrist, not wanting to lose her in the chaos, but she twisted, using her leg to break my hold. “Fuck!” I yelled, searching my pants pockets for my cellphone and turning on the flashlight app. “Harper!” I yelled out, scanning the room frantically.
“Cole!” I heard her call back.
“Stay with Jake! Get the fuck out of here, do you hear me?”
“I got her!” Jake shouted back.
As much as I wanted to run outside and be with my girl, I had to find Vanessa. I headed in the direction where I left Wes, and Zoe, hoping like hell that they were alright. It didn't take long before Wes, and I found each other. He said Jake left out the back door with the girls, he instructed him to go straight to the police station. We weren't taking any chances this time. We needed to get these kids out of here, and fast.
The emergency generator kicked on just as a crowd of kids were trying to push each other out of the building. Everyone looked confused, but they had no idea what was really going on. Wes cleared his throat as loud as he could. “I'm sorry everyone, but due to some wiring issues, we're going to cut the prom short. I promise we'll make it up to you all, but right now, I need you all to get home.”
The kids were clearly disappointed, but what choice did he have? I watched carefully, as everyone filed out of the building, hoping to catch a glimpse of Vanessa, but she never passed me. Leaving Wes to manage the exits, I ran upstairs to the library area. I checked every nook, and cranny in the place, but she wasn't here. She was gone. It didn't make any fucking sense. She came here for Harper, she wouldn't just leave without her.