ROMANCE_A Tempting Bride

by Vanessa Rose

  Taylor made it easier to attend these things, at least. He almost looked forward to them now. She managed to fit right into the crowd without putting on a mask, and though he wasn’t sure how she pulled it off, he admired her for it greatly. He could count on her to navigate them in and out of conversations and to duck out politely when they were both tired of the masquerade.

  As soon as they made their way to an empty table near the exit, Michael’s business partner Arthur Watkins and his wife, Katherine, spotted them and made their way over.

  “Arthur! Kat! So good to see you,” Taylor said, beaming. She intercepted for him before they had a chance to corral him. He appreciated that; Arthur was more like a barnacle than a friend.

  The four of them exchanged pleasantries and then Michael excused himself to retrieve some champagne. This pattern continued for a while, Taylor fielding the social requirements while Michael hung back and occasionally excused himself for one reason or another. Finally, though, they had a moment to themselves.

  “You wanna dance? I haven’t danced in forever.” She ran a hand over his arm and pulled him onto the dance floor before he could protest.

  “I’m afraid I’m not very graceful on my feet,” he said, but they were already in the center of the crowd and Taylor had her arms slung loosely over his shoulders.

  “It’s easy. You’ll be fine.” She grinned.

  He shuffled awkwardly with his hands on her waist, trying his best to follow her lead even if there wasn’t much to the movements. Sweat collected on his brow. Why was he so nervous?

  “You look lovely tonight,” he said to break the silence.

  She shrugged. “I can’t take credit for the dress.”

  “I know plenty of women who could make that dress look like a dishcloth. It’s not just the clothing, my dear. It’s you.”

  Taylor laughed, turning away as she blushed. “I doubt anyone can hear us over the music, Michael. You don’t have to pretend.”

  The plan had been to wait. To wait until she came to him, or at the very least, until he knew their friendship was strong enough to resist a possible rejection from his advances. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel trapped. But somehow, here, unable to tear his eyes away from the delicate way she bit her lip in embarrassment, he couldn’t resist.

  He gently lifted her chin with his fingers. “I’m not pretending.”

  Who moved first, he couldn’t tell. One minute he and Taylor were lost in each other’s eyes and the next, his lips brushed hers. Her hands found the back of his neck as she pulled him nearer, one coming up to stroke his clean-shaven cheek with her thumb. They came to a halt in the middle of the dance floor, forgetting all about the crowd and the music and the dancing, only focused on each other and their kiss.

  When their mouths finally parted, the song had changed. Couples around them boogied to the upbeat tune, laughing and having a good time. No one seemed to notice Michael and Taylor, still frozen in the middle of it all.

  Taylor stared up at him like a deer in headlights. Her big, brown eyes were filled with worry, but more than that, with desire.

  She leaned up and pressed her cheek to his. “Do you want to get outta here?” she whispered.

  In response, he grabbed her hand and led her out of the gallery.

  Chapter 6: Little Surprises

  It took every ounce of Taylor’s self-control not to jump Michael the moment they got into the car. They spent the ride home staring out their windows silently, squeezing each other’s hands like their lives depended on it. For some reason, though everyone on the planet thought they were married and in love, they both felt the urge to keep their affection hidden until they had the chance to explore it fully behind closed doors.

  Luckily, Taylor’s mother had Lucy for the night.

  The second the doors snapped shut on Michael’s private elevator, Taylor’s hands were on him. Her mouth, too. She started with his lips, but quickly grew greedy and trailed down to his jawline, his neck, his collarbone. To finally be able to taste his skin was heavenly. She pried his chest free as he worked off his tuxedo jacket, nearly ripping off that ridiculous bowtie. Meanwhile, his hands got to work exploring her body. He moved up while she moved down, his fingers tracing the straps of her thong through her dress, then dancing up over her stomach to land on her breasts.

  Both of them went straight to business. Good, Taylor thought. They had waited too long for any fooling around.

  The elevator hit their floor and they stumbled into the penthouse, bodies still locked together. Clothes practically melted off of them as they made their way toward Michael’s bedroom, until they were standing in the threshold, Michael down to his boxers as Taylor had lost everything but her dress.

  She broke away from him and spun, pressing her front against the doorjamb. “Unzip me,” she breathed.

  Even that brief pause was enough to halt their momentum. “Hold on,” Michael said, panting. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “What? Of course, yes, I’m sure.”

  “I just want to be sure I’m not pressuring—“

  “Michael.” Taylor turned and took his face in her hands. “I want you. More than I think I’ve ever wanted anyone in my life.” She planted a quick kiss on him, just long enough to flicker her tongue over his lips, and spun again. “Now, unzip me.”

  He did as he was told that time.

  The lace peeled off of her easily. Michael slid the fabric off of her arms first, then around her waist, until it dropped to the floor. She stepped out of the blue circle and started for the bed, completely naked, and stretched out on the silk sheets.

  With one finger, she lazily beckoned for him to follow. He did so, stripping off his boxers first, and in moments he was on top of her.

  She wanted so badly to feel his mouth on her, his hot breath between her legs as she tangled her fingers in his hair. She wanted her mouth to be on him, too. The length of him looked too delicious for words and she wanted to please him, wanted to make his eyes do a slow roll back as his knees grew weak.

  But there was no time for that now. Neither of them could resist each other any longer. Her body ached for him, and she could tell by his sweat-slicked skin and shaking hands that he needed her just as much as she needed him. She had to have him.

  Their hips jockeyed for position for just a moment, and then he was inside of her, filling her up. She let out a load moan, never having felt so complete before.

  She felt herself speeding toward climax instantly, the pleasure too great for her body to handle. She hadn’t realized how long this tension had been building inside of her. As Michael pumped away on top of her, she clung to his shoulders, begging for him to give her that sweet release.

  And he did. Oh, he did.

  They came at the same time, their gasps and groans echoing through the bedroom as they swirled together through ecstasy.

  It was minutes before either of them could work up the strength to move. They just lay there, Michael on top of Taylor, panting with their eyes closed, enjoying the moment.

  Finally though, Michael rolled off of her and pulled the blankets over both of them.

  “That was… Wow,” he whispered.

  “Wow indeed.” She smirked, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

  They said no more after that. Talking could wait until morning. For now, they had an unspoken agreement to bask in the afterglow, to take in the essence of each other as they drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

  The weeks that followed were the happiest in Taylor’s life. She fell asleep each night in pure bliss, thinking about how lucky she was that everything had worked out so well. How incredible that what started as a fake green card marriage had now become something real, something pure. If anyone had told her a year ago that she would soon find herself lounging in the silk sheets of her millionaire husband’s king-size bed as the morning sun shone through her penthouse window, she would’ve laughed in their face.

  Michael was already at work
when she woke up. Even before they had gotten close, she always missed his comforting presence in the apartment when he was gone. Maybe she had always loved him, right from the first time they met, but she hadn’t realized it until recently. Funny how love works.

  Taylor pulled herself out of bed and headed to Lucy’s room to check on her. But, as she stepped out of the bedroom, she felt suddenly nauseous. She barely made it to the master bathroom before she felt the urge to vomit.

  She hated being sick. Before Michael, she hated that she would have to miss work and thus lose out on money. Now, being sick meant Michael would worry. He’d make a fuss, just like he had when she rolled her ankle last month, and she hated being fussed over. It felt unnatural to her, to be waited on and taken care of like that.

  She hope it was just a bout of food poisoning and she would be over it by the time Michael got home in the evening. Sure enough, the feeling passed after she spent a little while lying on the cool tile of the bathroom.

  It was later than she would’ve liked by the time she got Lucy up and ready for the day. Taylor still felt a little uneasy on her feet, but she fought it with a cup of coffee and some toast. Lucy was happy enough, at least.

  God, she was getting so big. Already a year old and some change. She’d be walking and talking before they knew it. Taylor felt like it was only yesterday that she had been pregnant with her.

  She froze. Pregnant.

  A quick trip to the drugstore and one over-the-counter test later, her fear was confirmed. She was pregnant. She hadn’t even realized that she’d been late this month. She slumped down on the toilet, staring at the little plastic stick in her hand. Pregnant.

  She and Michael hadn’t even broached the subject of children yet. Despite being married, they were still in the dating phase as far as she was concerned. Did he even want children? He was so good with Lucy, but only when Taylor specifically asked for his help. He mostly kept his distance otherwise. She’d always chalked that up to him wanting not to cross boundaries, but she had no way of knowing. What if he just hadn’t had the heart to tell her the truth? That he isn’t fond of kids? Another on the way would be a nightmare, then.

  She didn’t know what to do, so she did the one thing that had never failed her in her time of need. She packed a bag for herself and for Lucy, grabbed her daughter, and left.

  Chapter 7: A Bouquet of Roses

  Michael was early coming home that night. He wanted to surprise Taylor, so he had picked up a bouquet of roses and a “Happy Anniversary” card to hide the tickets in. Their anniversary was still months away, but he had come up with the perfect gift for her and couldn’t wait any longer to show her. A week-long cruise through the Caribbean would be a wonderful thing to look forward to.

  But when Michael arrived home, the apartment was empty.

  At first he was only puzzled. He hadn’t come home to a vacant apartment since he and Taylor married. He thought she might’ve left a note of some kind, but he checked the bedroom and the kitchen and even the front door again, but he found nothing. He broke his promise for the first time and entered her private wing just in case, but found that empty as well. He tried her cell. It went straight to voicemail. She was gone without a trace.

  He knew she was probably fine—perhaps she had decided to take advantage of the nice weather and go for a walk—but that didn’t stop him from worrying. He couldn’t help it. In a last ditch attempt to solve the mystery, he buzzed downstairs to the doorman to ask if he had seen her.

  “Mrs. Clarke? Yes sir, I believe she left about two or three hours ago.”

  “Did she have Lucy with her?”

  “Yes, as well as a suitcase. I hope everything—“

  Michael switched off the intercom before the doorman could finish.

  He tried Taylor’s cell again, one, two, three more times, but it always just went straight to voicemail. He left her messages pleading for her to call him back, but somehow he suspected that wouldn’t work. What had happened? Why had she left like this?

  Defeated and unsure of what else to do, he made his way to the bathroom. Maybe a cold shower would help him to calm down. Should he call the police? No, probably not since she had left on her own… But what if she was in trouble? Why else would she have left?

  He was undressing to get into the shower when he noticed something pink hidden in the trash can. It had been buried in wads of tissue, but the tip of it caught his eye. He fished it out.

  A pregnancy test.

  Without the box, he wasn’t sure what the little lines on the test meant, but from Taylor’s sudden disappearance, he had a good guess.

  Forget about the shower, he decided. He had to find her. He’d search the city top to bottom until he found her and brought her home, safe and sound.

  Chapter 8: Lucky

  Taylor’s mother rocked Lucy gently as she waited for the kettle to boil. Taylor watched from the kitchen table, her chin in her hands, and waited for her mother’s response.

  “You know what I’m gonna say, honey,” was all she said.

  “No, I really don’t.”

  Her mother turned, pursing her lips. “You’re overreacting.” The kettle went off and she poured two cups of tea. She added a bit of milk to both mugs. “You know I’ll always welcome you and the little one with open arms, but you’re foolish for running all the way out here.”

  Taylor rolled her eyes. “You don’t know him, Ma. He’s so… reserved. He’ll be furious if he finds out.”

  “If? The hell do you mean ‘if’?” She set Lucy in the highchair and brought the two mugs to the table, sitting down opposite Taylor. “Sweetie, what’s your plan here?”

  Taylor ran a hand through her hair and blew out a sigh. “I don’t know. I just know I can’t tell him. Not yet.”

  A knock at the door made Taylor jump. Her eyes darted to the kitchen window, and sure enough, parked in the driveway was Michael’s Bentley.

  She swore. “How did he find me?”

  Her mother only rose from the table and patted her shoulder. “I’ll get it.”

  Taylor let her go. It was no use trying to avoid him now. He clearly knew she was here, considering the car he let her use was parked out front. She buried her head in her hands and waited for the inevitable.

  Michael looked odd standing in her mother’s dinky kitchen. His tailored suit didn’t match the yellowed linoleum floor, the peeling wallpaper. He sat down at the table opposite her as her mother fixed another round of tea. The aging wood creaked under his weight.

  “Taylor—“ he started, but she cut him off.

  “Look, Michael, I didn’t mean to hurt you by leaving. It’s just that I, uh, I need some time. To figure some stuff out, you know?”

  He reached across the table and took his hands in hers. “I do know. I know that you’re pregnant.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “How…?”

  “I found the test in the bin. When I saw it, I figured you’d want to come here first. When we met, you mentioned you had family in the Bronx… I hope you don’t mind that I did a little snooping.”

  Taylor’s face reddened. “It’s fine. I shouldn’t have run in the first place, I just… I panicked.”

  Michael caressed her cheek, his face knotted in concern. “Why would you panic? This is great news!”

  She looked up at him. “You think so?”

  “Don’t you? Lucy will make a wonderful big sister. Besides, we have that big apartment all to ourselves. We could use some more smiling faces to keep the place lively.”

  Taylor smiled, though tears streamed down her face. She really had been foolish to doubt him, and her mother wasted no time in telling her so.

  “See, honey?” her mother said as she served the tea. “Told you.”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, I was so distracted that I forgot to introduce myself.” Michael stood and extended a hand. “I’m Michael. I apologize that we haven’t met sooner.”

  She ignored the ha
nd and instead wrapped her arms around him in a big hug. “You’re telling me. I kept pestering Taylor about it but, well, she’s good with excuses, that one. I owe you one huge thank-you, though. With that money you’ve been—“

  “Ma!” Taylor exclaimed before she could stop herself.

  Neither Michael nor her mother said another word. Instead, they just looked at her expectantly. She sighed, wiped her face, and took a sip of her tea.

  “Michael, that money you’ve been giving me every month? I’ve been sending it to Ma so she can use it on a down payment. She needs to get out of this neighborhood.”

  Her mother just waved a hand. “It’s not that bad, I keep telling her.”

  “It is, though! I worry about you, holed up here all alone.”

  Michael only smiled and once again held Taylor’s hand. “You didn’t have to do that. You could’ve just told me about the situation.”

  “Yeah, I guess, but I didn’t want to ask you for any more than you’ve already given me.”

  “Well then,” he said, bending down to kiss her on the forehead, “with a new baby on the way, I imagine we’ll need some extra hands around the apartment. We have some vacancies in the building, one right below us in fact.” He looked up at Taylor’s mother. “Would that be agreeable? Of course, I’m more than willing—“

  “That’s perfect!” Taylor and her mother shouted at the same time. Even Lucy giggled happily from her highchair.

  Taylor pulled herself to her feet to wrap Michael in a warm embrace. It was hard for her to believe that only an hour ago, she’d thought her life was falling down around her. But now, it was quite the opposite. Michael had given her everything she ever wanted and more, much more than she ever thought she deserved.

  “You’re going to be a great father,” she whispered, kissing him on the cheek.

  “I’m looking forward to it.” He stroked her hair, holding her close. “I love you.”

  She couldn’t help but grin as she pressed her cheek against his shoulder. “I love you too.”