Sex Sessions: After The Cut (Camera Tales #2)

by Charisse Spiers

  I touch the necklace with my fingertips. "Just for the record, I'll never understand how she could let him go, let alone hurt him that way. I can't even fathom someone else. I would put that on my life."

  She turns me around and hugs me tight. "And that's why you're the one that deserves him. I happen to know you scored the jackpot. Make it last."

  She pushes me back. "Now, something borrowed."

  "Your earrings serve two purposes."

  "I actually have something borrowed."

  I turn to Meredith as she rushes to her bag. When she returns to my side, she hands me an antique white handkerchief bordered in lace, daisies marking the cloth in a continuous pattern, all a solid off white color to make it all the same. An L is monogrammed in sunshine yellow. "What is this?"

  "It was my Mom's when she married my dad. It was her new to keep the tears at bay, so it's your borrowed. I had her meet me halfway with it after Ben picked me up from the airport. She's kept it in her glass wedding cabinet untouched all these years, wrapped around her dried out bouquet."

  I try to hand it back to her. "I can't use this, Meredith. I wouldn't want to be responsible for something that sentimental."

  She shakes her head. "No, seriously, she was excited when I asked her if you could use it. You know you've always been Mom's adopted second child. There were times that I actually thought she liked you more than me. It goes with your dress. It was meant to be."

  I jump forward, throwing my arms around her. "I love you so much, Mer."

  She secures her arms around my waist. "Love you too, Kam. Now walk down that aisle, marry the love of your life, and live the smutty happily ever after you deserve; for all of us."

  "Okay," I whisper. "Dirty fairy tales are better anyway," I say, laughing into her ear.

  "The boys are ready."

  We glance at Meg at the same time, standing in the doorway in her red pencil dress and short blonde hair. The diamonds in her ears and the navy heels to accentuate the cute matching belt at her waist make her look every bit of the classy act she puts on the couple of times I've met her.

  From what I've seen so far everyone is in one of those two colors or a combination of the two like her; a nautical feel to match the backdrop of this house that sits walking distance from the water. I've never seen so many lavish homes within such a short radius. The Hamptons remind me of a magazine for the elite. This house, and the ones that surround it are things I've never witnessed. I've seen some beautiful places in LA, but I haven't been to many rich neighborhoods. I guess I just never hung around that type of crowd, Saxton being the first in any degree. Sure, there are beautiful houses back home, but the houses here are the epitome of modern: pools for days, sharp lines at every corner, miles of glass, and the amber glow of lights shining through the translucent walls.

  Everyone that I've met here has been so welcoming: Meg, Tynleigh, and even Saxton's parents stopped by to see me before finding their seats in the few sitting outside in front of the arbor. This is like a dream come true. I've been lost in the rabbit hole since I met him, and I'm in no hurry to leave.

  Tynleigh hands me a short-stemmed, rose bouquet that has a tight-fitted ball of a top made from the many red roses close together. I wrap the handkerchief around the bottom, nod at Meg, and start to walk toward her. Forever here I come . . .

  Saxton

  I stand barefoot in front of the arch covered in Wisteria vines, my hands deep in the pockets of my khaki slacks, my navy blazer buttoned like it's supposed to be. Luckily for me, and the small army dressed like me, it's nice weather, the breeze keeping it from being too hot. My toes wiggle in the sand, the awkwardness setting in that half of me is attending a party while my feet take on a Jimmy Buffett approach to life. It doesn't seem to go, but like Tynleigh said shoes and sand don't really mix.

  I look out at the few white chairs sitting in an organized manner, somewhat creating an aisle down the center, the house in the background. It's a peaceful view. There aren't many seats because of our lack of guests and short list. We wanted it private and that's exactly how it is, still giving her some kind of a wedding like most girls would want. I owe that to my sister.

  Almost everyone has sat down, except for Tynleigh and Ben. Meredith and Ben's seats are on one side with Meg, while Mom and Dad are sitting on the other side behind Bryant and Tynleigh's seats.

  I can't help but to stare at the place the girls exited from as I twirl the small ring around my finger in my pocket, feeling every bit of the anxiety building from standing here alone, front and center, with a man I only met a few minutes ago who apparently will perform the ceremony and sign off on the marriage license on behalf of the state of New York.

  The door opens, making me stand a little taller than I was before. Tynleigh. I breathe and force myself to relax as she makes her way toward us from the house in a navy dress. I let the disappointment settle. I wanted it to be Kambry. I just need to see her. I want to know what look is on her face. I left before she woke this morning to try and keep my sister happy.

  We came to a compromise when she found out Kambry had navigated herself through New York to the strip club to find me after the turn of events. She agreed to cave on us sleeping in separate vicinities if I slept on the couch and promised for one night to withstand the temptation of sex. Kambry's entire room became off limits after I tucked her in, and because I was raised with some fucking morals I agreed.

  Maybe it was her version of sorry that things turned out the way they did and I'll leave it at that. Tynleigh is never going to admit to total defeat. She's too stubborn, and truthfully, what happened wasn't her fault. If anyone is to blame it's me. The Tumblr account was my idea. I should have known better having experience in the public eye, especially when it comes to sex. I should have taken the time to discuss the things we should or shouldn't post within the info of the photos. I saw the photo she posted from the limo with the club of choice used as a hashtag, but I didn't think anything of it. For normal people it wouldn't have mattered, but for us life will always be little different.

  Thinking of everything this week has held, at least Tynleigh cared enough to make this special for either of us. It's more than I can say for a lot of people, and she deserves so much more than a damn thank you. It'll take years to truly show her my appreciation, but to start I sacrificed a night of hot sex at her wish. Yes, sacrifice is the appropriate word, because last night was a night that will replay in my mind for a long time to come.

  It wasn't the strippers or that she was drunk. It wasn't even that I ended up getting my way and spending the night with her instead of apart; nor was it the fact that I was getting a lap dance by a total stranger and my fiancé was completely okay with it. That alone is what most men would consider an answered prayer. It was the fact that the two of us can be totally mesmerized by each other no matter what the circumstances are or the situation in which we are in.

  Now, I'm not going to sit back and pretend that watching your girl get a lap dance from another beautiful woman isn't every man's fantasy. It is. There is something hot about two beautiful women sharing sexuality to any degree. I watched my girl touch and grope another woman's breasts last night. I watched her shove one hundred dollar bills beneath panties. I watched her legs spread on reflex as a bare ass rubbed against her lap. For the first time since I met her, I witnessed her turned on from something outside of most people's normal, and something that she most likely would have been condemned for back home, yet instead of her hating herself for wanting or liking it, she gave in to her desire and let herself enjoy it.

  The hard dick secured and stowed beneath my jeans being ridden by a blonde other than my fiancé was only at attention following the moment I saw her enjoying herself with someone else. She was relaxed and really lost in the moment as if no one else was in the room; yet I still knew nothing would fucking enter her. She's claimed territory. And she wants to be. There is no greater knowledge than knowing your partner wants only you. When she looked at
me, already looking at her, a pivotal moment occurred in our relationship as our eyes locked: mutual trust was earned. What I already knew in my heart was confirmed with the female grinding my lap; what most would classify as sex with clothing. My focus was only on the one across the room. I even grabbed her ass without consent, knowing Kambry wanted some sign that I wasn't angry, so I gave her one, and the result: nothing. Not a damn feeling, want, or need occurred.

  I will never physically or mentally want anyone else but her. She will always be the best fit for me out of the billions of women in the world. She's my other half.

  I wake up for her.

  I live for her.

  I breathe for her.

  I'll work my ass off from sunup to sundown to support her.

  I get hard for her.

  I'll never go to bed without her.

  She's the one that makes my life worth a damn. She's the one that fixed my broken heart, leaving it in a state better than before, and she's about to be my wife.

  Wife. A four-letter word that will change my life forever, and I'm so fucking ready. Tynleigh winks at me as she takes her seat in front of Mom. Instrumental music begins. It's soft, as if it's playing from a distance, but still I can hear it clearly.

  My fists clench within my pockets as the door opens once again. My heart is racing, waiting for her to exit. Ben goes first, but then I see her, making her way out the door in a clumsy fashion, as only Kambry would do. Her—the love of my life; the quirky girl that piqued my curiosity, kept me interested, stole my fucking heart straight from my chest, and made me believe in love again.

  I can finally see all of her as she begins closing the distance between us, her arm wrapped around her brother's as he walks her down the makeshift aisle. The closer she gets, the better the view. "Damn."

  Her body is covered in all the right places and showing in the best spots. She's not sexy right now; she's stunning. I can't take my eyes off of her. If there was ever a woman more beautiful than her, it wasn't in my lifetime.

  My hands leave my pockets and one crosses the other in front of me. Suddenly my cheeks begin hurting, and it doesn't dawn on me that I'm smiling until she smiles back at me, our eyes locked together. At the exact moment she's a footstep from the last chair, everyone stands and faces the aisle made of white sand.

  My vision becomes a little blurry, but I work to blink them clear. The wet spot underneath my eye confirms I failed. They stop a few feet in front of where I stand. "Who gives this woman to this man?"

  "I do, sir," Ben says, and for a single moment in my life I love another man other than my dad. My emotions are crashing down on me like the tide against boulders. I'm forced to stand here in this sand and endure it; even though I feel like I'm drowning with each one that hits. I guess that's what happens when you've barred up a part of yourself with stone, but slowly she's chipped away at it until there is nothing left but raw feelings.

  He kisses her cheek and gives me her hand, taking her bouquet, and then walks away to take his seat by Meredith. It takes everything in me not to jerk her toward me. Instead, I watch her as she takes a few steps forward until we're standing just under the arch in front of the stranger we'll never forget. The man at my right begins speaking, addressing our guests, but my eyes are locked on hers. I'm forcing the tears back, feeling less like a man, and only allowing the few that slip through the crack the option to break the barrier that would be my tear ducts.

  God, her eyes are so blue today. I can almost see my reflection in them. Maybe it's the purple in the Wisteria just behind her or maybe it's the overflow of her happiness. I'm hoping for the latter. They scan mine, and then her lips quiver as her own tears fall in a steady trail down her cheek. I love you, she mouths.

  I love you too. Always.

  Everyone else disappears. For a moment time stands still. The memory reels are set to record. It becomes just her and I standing here on this beach, hand in hand. One after the other we agree to the promises he recites before God and he with a simple I do, and then I slip the diamond band on her left ring finger as I repeat my vows to her line by line after him.

  Without a second's lapse, she does the same, staring into my eyes, tears running from hers. She's more beautiful when she's like this than in the most makeup. The best way to see someone is when they're the most susceptible to emotional breakdown. It tells you they're one hundred percent real. If someone had offered me a million dollars to do this a few months ago I would have laughed and told them to fuck themselves, but now, God knows I wish I had just saved so much time by meeting her years ago.

  My one. I found her, stumbling around that damn nightclub like she didn't belong. Her flirting was nonexistent. She was extremely awkward in conversation and didn't know the very beauty she holds within her tiny little body. Her personality was lost somewhere inside.

  But now. Fucking now. God . . . Damn. She's the richest woman in every quality aforementioned. She found her home. It's with me. Her personality is bigger than the person that houses it. The mere fact that I was an inch away from cancelling that damn meeting scares the hell out of me now. It just goes to show that every damn move in our life is constructed and played like a board game. We are the pieces, and if it's played right you win by a mile even if realistically it's only an inch.

  I almost missed my chance at revival. I'd call it luck, but luck only goes so far and then there's God. Even when we are at our worst he's still there, plotting and planning and moving the pieces in the direction they're supposed to go.

  "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

  With the change of my face her cheeks flush. I never take my eyes off of her. "I've been waiting for this all damn day," I say, and then grab her face in my hands and take the plunge into forever, starting with a kiss.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Kambry

  He grabs my hand and pulls me out onto the makeshift dance floor when the music begins; the large square patio that looks out at the pool. The sun is almost completely down, leaving only streaks of pink and orange sketched across the darkened navy sky. It's weird that it looks blue instead of black, but maybe it's the mixture of all the colors swirling into one beautiful backdrop. It's really striking.

  We make our way beneath the large Edison-style string lights in white strung overhead in a crisscross fashion, creating a large X out of the bulbs with us at the crossway. He ditched his navy jacket after the ceremony not long ago and added a pair of brown leather flip-flops once we came off the sand. He looks good like this: white button-down and khaki pants. I love that he kept his stubble for the ceremony. Since he found out how much I like it he pretty much just trims it to the skin with an electric trimmer instead of shaving.

  "Dance with me, Mrs. Cambridge."

  I smile as he turns me toward him, placing my arms instantly around his neck. "I'll always dance with you, husband. All you have to do is say the word."

  One hand comes around my waist and the other reaches for a hand that is settled around his neck, before pulling me close to him. The song changes as if it was planned and I immediately recognize the tune of the guitar before the words begin. It's one of our songs. Stuck on you by Lionel Richie. I look into his eyes as he starts to sway. "Did you do this?"

  "The words are every bit appropriate to the way I feel. I've been stuck on you since the beginning, I'll be with you till the end, and I'm mighty glad you stayed."

  The tears fall against my will and I let them, because the man he's becoming with each and every day is far too beautiful for what I ever felt I deserved. "I've got this feeling down deep in my soul that I just can't lose. Guess I'm on my way . . . " I sing to him the lyrics along with the song for the first time in our relationship, kind of like he did that night at the club on the bar to me. It's taking a huge step outside of my comfort zone for me. No one ever hears me sing without the music of the song being loud enough to drown me out. It's something I do in private.

  We dance beneath the
se lights, turning in a slow circle, the small lanterns lit up and hanging from the surrounding trees. "Why didn't you tell me you could sing like that? I know you said you love music and want to learn to play for the lyrics that you write, but never did I know you could sing like that."

  "Music is a part of me I've always kept to myself. It's just hard to free it all at once I guess. It's been smothered back for a long time."

  "I'll always let you be anything you want to be, but I think you know what you're meant to do, baby. I'll use all of my resources to help you if that's what you want."

  "Maybe. Right now I just want to dance with you at our wedding."

  "We really did it, didn't we? Somehow I got you and I'm never letting you go. You chose a man like me and all of my flaws when you could have had so much better."

  "That's where you're wrong, Sax. You're the best. I mean it. One thing I've loved about us since the beginning is that we love each other for the way we are, flaws and all. I'll never forget the way you looked today. You let me see you cry, and you have no idea how that makes a girl feel. For a brief period of time you let me see you at your weakest emotional moment, and I'll cherish that forever, because that says something about us and about this crazy love that we share. Nineteen or ninety-nine, I'll still want you as mine."

  He lifts me off the ground and twirls me around with the best smile on his face: cheeks tight, dimples out, teeth gleaming smile that could send away even the darkest day. "I love you, Kambry Cambridge."

  I laugh at my new permanent name. "Only because I love you will I endure that for the rest of my life. This and you are making me feel like Lane and Kelly in Eight Seconds."

  "I'll make you feel whatever way you want as long as you stay with me."