by Delia Steele
The sweetest sight of all is the smaller party standing in front of my homies. Sweet Saige looks stunning, decked out in a bright turquoise, disco-short, sparkly flower girl dress; and the white wagon she holds the handle to is decked in pink flowers. Inside the wagon, on a mound of white satin fluff, is the most beautiful, tiny ring bearer in all the world. A chubby-faced, spiked black and copper-haired, miniature Rome Tate. RJ is a spitting image of his daddy, and, dear Lord, the girls are going to fangirl over that child and those huge ass give-me-what-I-want-now eyes. I know I am about to get married, but that doesn’t mean I am blind. Durr! Rome is sinfully delish. Even with age, he is… Damn, where did my panties go?
I step back and let the curtain drop back into place. Taking a deep breath, I get ready to start my life. I am ready to be happy with me and the path I have chosen. I am grateful that path led me to my ever-patient, caring, kind, and dedicated Clay. I step up to the door and smile as I stand alone, glad I was brave enough to tell my dad I didn’t need or want his assistance on this day. Mama forgave him; I tolerate him.
I should wait on the music, but then again, that wouldn’t be me. I shove the door open, being true to myself, and start to catwalk down the aisle. Everyone’s heads pop back to see what the commotion is, and their mouths drop.
That’s right. Look at me. I wore the tux. Oh, did I forget to mention the hooker style fishnets? YEAH, THAT!
I am halfway down the aisle before the bridal march starts and ends just as quickly. When I reach the end, ruffling RJ’s hair as I pass, I stop, and without a word, I pull Clay’s head to mine and kiss him. I break away and say to the preacher, “Let’s get this shit started.” I hear a few gasps and realize—once again—I forgot I am still in the church. No telling how much trouble I will be in when I meet the Big Guy.
I squeeze Clay’s hand and smile as I turn towards the arch of colorful flowers in front of me.
“You look smokin’!” Clay whispers in my ear. He winks as he takes his spot beside me.
“Dearly beloved, we are…”
Now you know me. I am no longer high class—just the right class.
I am Amandolette Rosalie King—Clay’s Fucking Queen.
THE END!
Special Note
The only thing Chico said in this entire book worth reading was that an addiction is an addiction, no matter what it’s to. Crack, cake, meth, Mountain Dew, or alcohol. If you lean on it and have to have it, it’s an addiction. If you crave it and go out of your way to get it, it’s an addiction. If you feel the need for it more when you’re emotionally unstable, it’s an addiction.
Luckily, we live in a world where there is also help for those addictions, no matter what they may be. And this help is available to you even if you don’t want people to know you’re getting it. Because a lot of times, when we admit we are addicted to something, we feel shame. Let me tell you right now… You are NOT alone. Everyone has a weakness. Sadly, not everyone is strong enough to take that first step. If you have something you struggle with and you want to seek help, there are hotlines, websites, &/or friends and family to help you. If you are afraid and need someone to talk to but have no one, you can email me! I’ll help you find the information you need or just be an ear to listen. WE all struggle from time to time.
I think Rory said it best when she wrote to Mando, “There is so much life-changing power in making a choice.” If you’re struggling, make the choice and change your life for the better. I believe in you, and you should believe in you, too.
http://www.freeaddictionhelpline.com/ 1-866-925-7411
https://secure.shatterproof.org/
http://www.smartrecovery.org/
http://drugabuse.com/library/drug-abuse-hotlines/ 1-888-895-2719
Acknowledgements
I appreciate everyone who has helped me with High Class Harlot. My group, S3 (Betas, Bloggers, & Street Team), you ladies (& guys) make it worth doing. Thank you for being there when I need you. To chat, lift me up, or even smack me when needed. Needless to say—but I will—THANK YOU for loving Rory, Rome, Mando, and the others and for promoting the series every chance you get. LOVE YOU ALL!
With that said, I need to say a few special thanks. A few are in S3 but were with me before and while starting the group.
My foundation: JJ Williams, you have the hardest job of them all. Without you, my words would look like a train wreck. You take my story—my heart—and you make it pretty and coherent for the readers. I know wholeheartedly that you know and adore my characters the same as me. You will never know what that, or you, means to me. Thank you for taking the time to read, decipher, and rework my crazy. (And for holding down the fort on the website, author page, & S3-admin)
Shanean Reed with Just One More Romance- Where do I start? You came out of nowhere and lit the torch for the path I follow. Without you, I would have folded and given up. Thank you for taking a chance on me. The tours, the parties, the contests, the posts, the support on crazy takeovers, and mostly—for letting me virtually lick your face when I get excited! The teasers, banners, and forms you do and keep up with amaze me daily! Please know that I appreciate you always and love you for the time you put into me! (Not to mention being Spike the Bouncer and helping hold down S3-admin)
Thank you to all the amazing ladies and their blogs for helping me when no one else had time or wouldn’t because I wasn’t a big name, or whatever reason they had. You ladies stepped up when asked, and you all rock! You go above and beyond.
~Shanean Reed with Just One More Romance, Maria DelaCruz with M&D's Have You Read Book Blog, Kerri McLaughlin & Kristy Davidson with Six Chicks and Their Love of Books, Wendi Galbreath and Jordan Bault with Nerd Alert Book Love, Kitty Via with D&S Book Blog, Kelly O’connor with Kelly's Kindle Konfessions, Abby Bearden with Firefly Book Blog, Erin Thompson with Confessions of a One-Click Addict & Give Me Books Blog, Melissa Law with Diaries of a Book Vixen, Lindsey Melia with Read Books and Ramble, Raquel Antonia Lozano with For the Love of Books, Lisa Seich with A Risque Affair Book Blog, Alisa and Candi with Eskimo Princess Book Reviews, Tammie Harms & Lindsey LaRoche with For The Love Of Books(14), and Victoria Stolte with All About Books Divas~
Thanks to Tammie for holding down the brothel while I do takeovers, Shanean for the milkmen, and Jessica and Lindsey for having the chocolate cake and caramel at the ready. Thank you for always promoting my silly ways—and me—and for always being so involved with things. Thanks to Kelly for allowing me to post reviews to your blog when I get to read and it happens to devour me, Erin for being my unlimited supply of “Keep me out of FB jail,” and Lindsey for swooping in and finding me via Devon. We connected immediately. You women all rock hard, and I love you for it all! Thank you so much!
There are so many that help make up S3 that it’s hard to mention then all, but it seems wrong not to: Rachael, Rachiel, Alyssa, Daniel, Andrea, anyone in the group I am missing… Thank you all so much for everything!
I’d like to thank another S3 member, Casey Harvell (also an author—check her out), who did a wonderful job on the formatting for TPP & HCH. If you run across Casey, be sure to ask her about the Trailer Park chains. Serious business, I promise!
Mandolyn, the beautiful (not) Harlot on the cover! She is an amazing friend, a great mother, and wonderful wife, but allowed me to use her for this mess of #mandomania. Thank you for that! Only you could have done her justice!
Kari with Cover Designs- WOW! That cover… I know Mandolyn gave you so much to work with it, but you outdid yourself!
I must thank my family for supporting me—even when they don’t care for the topic of the story—because they know it’s my story to tell.
Rob, without you doing everything you do for me and our family, I wouldn’t have time to write. Thank you for being my rock, my favorite, and for dealing with me. You keep me healthy and making sure I have clean clothes! Thank you for believing in me and pushing me forward. You don’t always read my books, but you know each character as though you
wrote them yourself.
READERS- Without you, my writing would be pointless. Without you, my fictional world would not exist. You are the ones I owe the most thanks to! Thank you so much for reading my story and continuing it, and if you are reading this, it means you stuck by Mando and finished her story. A special reader shout-out to Autumn Oertel, a random reader who believes in me and has shouted it at the moon. Thank you for always popping up in my newsfeed with encouragement!
SPECIAL THANKS TO THREE AUTHORS!
Kendall Grey, for allowing me the use of Rax from Killer Buzz Float. He is mentioned throughout the book as Mando’s rockstar crush. If you want to get to know more about him, read Strings by Kendall Grey. Heed the warning, but take the plunge. It’s sooooo worth it!
J. Sterling, for allowing me to use Jack F’n Carter as Mando’s college crush. He is an amazing baseball player from California, where Mando attended a fashion institute. To read more about this playboy with a heart, check out The Perfect Game by J. Sterling. Buy it. Read it. Love it. I DID!
Devon Hartford, for simply being fabulous and plugging my new book Broken in your own book! My favorite book boyfriend, Cristos Manos, can be found in Fearless by Devon Hartford. Check it out! But don’t go stealing him from me!
All of these books were reviewed by me as 5-STAR reads.
About The Author
Delia lives in Mississippi, better known as “The Sip”, where she was born and raised, aside from the short time she spent wandering the beaches of Destin, Florida. She has two amazing kids who are the light in her life, and she is married to a very patient and loving man. She works a fulltime job Monday–Friday. Yes, she’s so domesticated! Delia is Mexican-American, or in her words, “brown!” In her spare time, she enjoys singing extremely loud, dancing around for hours, and watching her kids just be kids. Delia is eclectic and obsessive. She is always happy. She believes we should all have fun sometimes, and when we do something stupid, we should write about it, dude! If she could be anything when she grows up—because she is currently refusing to—she wants to be a fulltime superhero. You know, wear awesome boots; have long, full, flowing hair; wear her panties on the outside of her clothes (and have it be OK); ride on a magical horse with wings; and save the world. Who wouldn’t want to do that? Happy Reading!
You can find Delia on facebook www.facebook.com/write.about.it.dude
Twitter/ instagram/ snapchat @tacosparkle
Goodreads & Amazon : Delia Steele
www.deliasteele.weebly.com