What happened in Vegas: Didn't Stay In Vegas!

by R. Lorelei

  We made it, on time! I rewarded Snowball by stroking her bonnet before we left her to go into the store. I had luckily found first class parking right in front of the dress shop.

  The dress shop was so personal. The display window had two dummy’s, a bride in a traditional wedding gown, and a groom in a tuxedo. I stopped to look at the display when I saw the chest move on the groom. I quietly gasped realizing that they were live mannequins. I chuckled and brought it to Aria’s attention, “Look live mannequins!”

  Aria scolded me, “We don’t have time for that!” It dawned on me, was having a wedding only ten weeks away going to turn her into a bridezilla? I was hoping I wouldn’t have to remind her that I was going through a major change in my life too, and I needed time for myself to pack up my loft. I accepted the scolding as nerves and opened the door to the dress shop for Aria following closely behind her.

  A really badly overweight Portuguese woman by the name of Maria greeted us at the door and told us that she was our designated personal shopper for today. Aria took her hand and told Maria, “I’m the bride, and this is Chanel my bridesmaid.”

  Maria shook our hands saying it was a pleasure to meet us. She eyed Aria up and down sizing her up and asked her, “What were you thinking of wearing Aria? What do you like?”

  Aria gazed at her own reflection in the mirror, “I always imagined looking like a princess, you know, like Lady Diana? I want a long dress that has a train of at least four feet, a tight sequined body, a flared skirt but not tacky, and a veil with a princess tiara that would make any toddler envious. I want to look like an absolute princess.”

  Maria rubbed her hands together and disappeared into the back. She returned with a rack full of dresses for Aria to try on. We were going to be here a long time! I felt my phone vibrate so I checked it and found a text from Bradley:

  Bradley: What are you doing?

  Chanel: Dress shopping with Aria.

  Bradley: Meet me for dinner at the Paddock.

  Chanel: Will we be dining with Maggie?

  Bradley: Not funny 6:30

  Chanel: We’ll be there.

  Bradley: Alone!

  Chanel: I can’t just leave Aria after shopping with her all day. It’s rude!

  Bradley: Be rude.

  It wasn’t until the second store and three hours later that we were finished shopping for a dress that Aria loved. She ended up with a three foot train and the tiara of her dreams. I loved it too but I knew the price tag was going to shock Nick.

  He was for a lack of a better word on the frugal side so I’m sure he was going to suffer countless sleepless nights over the extra money he had to spend pleasing Aria. She had no idea what a nickel pincher he could be.

  There was no time to drop Aria off before meeting Bradley, I had to bring her. We walked into the Paddock ten minutes late and Bradley was already seated at a table for two, oops! I tried to explain, “There was no time!” He flashed me a look with his dark eyes; he was so not at all pleased.

  I gave him a look and shrugged my shoulders when Aria wasn’t looking. He was wearing a black suit and grey tie; he stood up to kiss me and then suggested, “Let’s find a larger table.” He looked super-hot tonight.

  He looked at Aria, “Did you find a dress?”

  “I did!” She gushed.

  “I have to run to the ladies bathroom. I’ll be right back,” I announced.

  Aria turned to me, “Again? That’s the third time in two hours!”

  I furrowed my brows, “Whose counting?”

  She took her serviette and shook it loose placing it on her lap, “It’s hard not to notice!”

  When I got back from the ladies room it was all eyes on me. I felt a huge bit self-conscious. Bradley scanned my eyes with his and said, “Aria suspects you’re pregnant.” Taken aback by his off the cuff comment I didn’t react, with my luck and poor timing, I probably was.

  Bradley commented, “So I take it if you two were dress shopping, there was no time to find a new place to live?”

  I focused on Bradley, “On the contrary, Aria found a bungalow close to the hospital for me. My offer was accepted. I’ll be moving in at the end of the month. I thought your brother would have told you,” I mumbled.

  Bradley’s expression was of pure agitation, “Why should I learn that you found a place from him? Shouldn’t that information come from you? Did you even consider our relationship before putting an offer in?”

  A small amount of guilt washed over me at the realization that I never did involve him in the process but I defended myself, “We’ve been so hot and cold lately, I thought the decision was strictly mine to make.”

  Aria appeared uncomfortable as the tension escalated between us. She started to pull her chair out, “I have to go check on Nick, I’ve been away for quite some time. I’ll catch you guys later.” She grabbed her purse and hustled out of the Paddock like it was on fire. I couldn’t go after her because I knew better than to further offend my burly alpha male.

  The waitress came by to take our order. Not a good time. Bradley’s glare at me was so punishing, she would have been blind not to notice. He always made me feel like a bad little girl. “I’m sorry. What do you want me to do?” I whined.

  He rubbed his stubble, his eyes were dark and pensive, and he said, “Reconsider, retract your offer and live with me in Oakville.”

  “Really? I need to talk to Aria, I don’t know if I can back out of the purchase if I’ve already put an offer in.”

  His eyes began to soften as his tone remained firm, “Don’t take too long, I might revoke the offer!” He was looking mighty handsome to me.

  I started running my fingers up his short sideburns and down the back of his scalp where his hair was the shortest, it seemed to sooth him, “You’re forcing me to be impetuous.”

  He scrutinized me, “Just follow your heart.”

  I was just about to say yes, when I got a vibration in my pocket. I pulled my phone out and it was a text from Nick:

  Nick: Coco, R U fighting with Throb? Aria told me she left the 2 of U.

  Chanel: Can’t text now, busy

  Nick: Answer

  Chanel: No, not now. He’s going to get mad, TTYL.

  Nick: Aria won’t tell me, how much was the dress?

  Chanel: 9K

  Nick: WTF! Why didn’t U stop her?

  Chanel: Not my business, go easy on her.

  Nick: Code RED

  I glanced up at Bradley; he was looking at me impatiently:

  Chanel: Bradley asked me to move in with him.

  Nick: Say No!

  Chanel: Why? You were all 4 us the other day. What’s changed?

  Nick: It’s too early!

  Chanel: You’ve known Aria 4 5min and U asked her to marry U. Why shouldn’t I move in with him?

  Nick: I need to speak to Aria; I can’t worry about U right now. Tell him U will think about it.

  He was waiting, “What was so urgent that couldn’t wait until after dinner?”

  “The text was Nick wanting to know how much the dress cost that Aria bought. He was seeing red.” I was feeling rebellious and impetuous so I went with it, “My heart says yes Bradley. I will move in with you as long as I can retract my offer.”

  He threw some money on the table and he grabbed my wrist the way he always does, and then leaving Snowball in the lurch he dragged me like the cave dweller he was and opened the door to the Hummer almost but not really pushing me inside. He floored it the entire way home, he was lucky as hell there wasn’t a cop to be seen and he made it to his house in record time.

  He let me into his house which was now going to be our house and his lips found mine in the dark. I couldn’t see anything of his face except a shine coming from his black eyes. His lips were wet and demanding, showing their hunger for me. He kissed me while he was backing me into his bedroom. The back of my legs hit his bed and then I was gently lowered down onto it.

  His kisses slowed and I could sense his bodyweight
suspended above mine in the darkness. He bit my bottom lip before ending his kisses completely just long enough to murmur, “I love you.”

  I got the most amazing chill up my spine when he said it. It was heart felt. My insides were doing a happy dance as I melted into his strong protective arms. He lowered his weight on me and I lost my breath. His lips found their way back to mine, and we were kissing again.

  He slid his hand under my shirt and pinched my nipple making me scream. He paused and suddenly sounding very resolute he said, “That shouldn’t have hurt. We need to confirm your pregnancy. The baby could belong to either of us, mine or Nicks.” He sounded so sure, it was horrifying to hear this coming from his lips. What Nick and I did seemed to be haunting me endlessly. This could destroy his relationship with Aria.

  He ordered me to remove my jeans. I did as I was told lost in my own thoughts. The implications of a pregnancy right now could ruin all of our lives.

  Bradley was talking me down as he was filling me reassuring me that it was going to be okay, “Aria is probably wrong about you being pregnant and if she isn’t we’ll deal with it then.”

  I closed my eyes shutting everything out but the feeling of him taking me and the back and forth friction of his thick cock filling me. Without warning his pace quickened and he began thrusting into me with more force before filling me with his hot cum. He was so smooth and adept to satisfying my every need. He stayed inside me for quite some time before rolling off.

  His lips found mine kissing me incessantly. When our lips became swollen and numb, he excused himself to shower. He came back into the room naked. He didn’t say anything. I watched him pull clean clothes from his dresser and put them on. He dressed casually and headed out the door with just his keys to the Hummer and his wallet.

  I took a short shower and then helped myself to a pair of his pyjamas from his dresser. He was back in less than thirty minutes. He tossed the test onto the bed, “Do your thing.” I went into the bathroom and read the instructions. I peed on the stick and left it in the bathroom. “How long do we wait? He asked when he saw me return.”

  “Ten minutes, it’s on the bathroom counter. I can’t bear to look.” I croaked.

  I was feeling sick with worry. He left me in the bedroom and went to the kitchen to fix breakfast. When the time was up he trudged into the bathroom to see the result.

  His expression was stone cold. I reluctantly peered at him as he left the bathroom, he didn’t stop, he walked past me and I heard the front door slam. My legs were weak, barely able to hold my weight, I went in to see a result, I already knew, it was without a shadow of a doubt that I was pregnant. Bradley would have been happy if he knew it was his but he didn’t know that.

  He didn’t come back for some time. When he did, he crawled into bed and wrapped his arms around me but he didn’t speak. He couldn’t, he was too upset.

  I reminded him, “It’s what you wanted.”

  “The desperate time passed. It shouldn’t have happened this way.” I knew what he meant, “I can’t be happy now, not until I know the baby is mine.”

  ~44~

  I spent the night at Bradley’s and then I went back to the loft because I needed time to absorb this new tidbit of information. A baby! I was going to have a baby!

  Bradley’s or Nick’s, I loved both of them in their own ways. I realized it needed to be Bradley’s or it could mess up all of our relationships.

  Aria had no idea that Nick and I had ever even been together. I couldn’t imagine how she would feel if she ever found out. It was best for all concerned if this baby was Bradley’s. I was resolute in all my decisions. I whipped my phone out with confidence and texted Bradley.

  Chanel: R U sure U still want me 2 live with U, it’s not 2 late 2 back out.

  Bradley: This is 2 serious for text Godamnit!

  I called him, “Bradley, you’re sure you want me to live with you even now?”

  There was a pause, and I could hear him breath into the phone, “More sure.”

  “I’m keeping this baby, and I don’t want to tell anyone I’m pregnant for a while,” I warned.

  “Our baby,” he corrected.

  I hesitated, “Will you love it even if you know it might not be yours.”

  Without hesitation he answered, “Yes, because it’s yours.”

  I cried when I said this, “So no matter what, this is your baby.”

  Bradley’s voice was warm and somewhat victorious when he repeated back, “No matter what.”

  ~45~

  Nick urged me to meet with him to conspire against Aria about curbing her spending habits towards the wedding. He didn’t even need to call me; I already knew he wanted me to intervene. I was tempted to tell him to suck it up, but I thought I would actively observe his heightened state of panic for amusement purposes.

  Orientation at the new hospital was starting in less than a week and my spare time was being wasted on complete nonsense. I would have been much happier just packing up my loft rather than listening to Nick bitch about how Aria was squandering money he hadn’t even earned yet. This was Nick’s issue, not mine. I had other much more pressing matters on my plate.

  I was very strategic about my meeting with Nick. I picked a time that wasn’t too early so he wouldn’t see me getting any morning sickness. I wore baggy clothing so he wouldn’t notice if my breasts were looking swollen. I made sure to eat many crackers and pee before I went to meet with him. I got to pick the meeting place and I chose Starbucks.

  Nick was there before me and his chest was still broad even though he was laid up in hospital for a few weeks. The top of his shirt was left unbuttoned and he wore jeans that hung low on his waist. He didn’t have a hair out of place and his cologne was getting every molecule in my body reacting. It was the best he’s ever looked.

  He stood up when I reached the table and hugged me longer than a friend is supposed to hug. It was the first time we were alone since Las Vegas, and I was unusually excited about this. He kissed me and I didn’t pull away. I wanted it to last. I noticed he wasn’t rushing the kiss either. When we sat down I glanced around making sure nobody was looking. It would have been too late anyway if some had looked. I guess it was just a reflex.

  There were two cups on our table. He nodded down to them and said, “I got you a chai latte.”

  “Thanks Dickwad.” I took the lid off the cup so it would cool sooner. “I miss spending time with you.”

  He took a sip of his coffee, “Me too Coco.” We just sat together for quite some time people watching and not really speaking. We could sit together for ages in silence but we had so many issues to discuss, “Tell me you aren’t moving in with Throb?” he asked.

  I couldn’t figure out why he cared so much so I just came right out with it and asked, “Why does it bother you?”

  He ran his fingers through his perfect hair and his tone was distressed, “It’s just wrong. You guys are off more than you are on. I would be doing our friendship an injustice if I didn’t share my misgivings with you about your relationship with him.”

  I looked at Nick calmly and held his hand weaving my fingers through his, “When you told me not to, I did the opposite. I reflected back on why I was so defiant with you and I think it’s because I resent how you rushed things with Aria. I don’t feel you should have a voice anymore on what I do with my life. If you are going to marry her than we have to free ourselves from each other, break the ties so to speak.”

  “That’s never going to happen Coco,” he said while he picked up his nugget from around his neck and put it in his mouth pulling the chain away from his neck.

  “We didn’t just come here to talk about me and Bradley did we?” I asked.

  Nick looked at me with dead serious eyes, “You would tell me if you were pregnant wouldn’t you?”

  The question was earth shattering, I could only convince myself that I wasn’t lying to his face by answering, “Yes,” and thinking that he didn’t specify WHEN I would have t
o tell him. Nick couldn’t find out about my pregnancy until his wedding papers were signed.

  I regretted choosing such a public place to meet Nick. There was so much I wanted to tell him, and I just let it spill out, “I was so scared when you were in the hospital Nick. I don’t know what I ever would have done if Bradley hadn’t saved you.” I started to cry in the middle of Starbucks, the humility of it all!

  His hand touched my chin and his lips swept mine with the lightness of a feather. It seemed like he was going to stop at that but he couldn’t, he didn’t. Rather than let go of me his fingers brought me in for a second kiss with a passion and urgency that only a near death experience could cause.

  His kiss carried me to a heaven filled with serenity. Cool air surrounded me and I was lost to the clouds. It was evident now that nothing could touch us. One kiss managed to shake up my personally sculpted reality.

  The words came from my lips but I wasn’t saying them. My heart and brain were two different entities. The depths of my soul was watching Nick as my brain broke the news that we couldn’t kiss like this anymore, my heart was still recovering from the shock that got my blood warm and pumping through my veins. His kisses had the power to breathe life into my body that before was merely just existing.

  I think he felt the same because he pulled away like he was shocked, electrocuted. I got up swiftly and started to leave, he grabbed my hand and for a second it felt like Bradley’s. Guilt came crashing down on me like ocean waves. Blinded by tears I grabbed my purse and went stumbling out of Starbucks bumping into a few people on the way out. This was harder than I had ever imagined.

  If there was any doubt before there sure wasn’t now. I knew I was with the wrong man, and there was nothing I could do about it but bury it in my subconscious.

  Nick followed me out of Starbucks and called out “Coco, wait!” I got to Snowball’s door and frantically tried digging my keys out of my pockets but I must have put them in my purse. It gave Nick enough time to catch up to me.