by Valerie Mann
When a lion roared from another hidden speaker near her head, she shrieked and teetered on her necessary shoes, making each little piggy wee wee wee in agony. Chris remained blessedly silent while he shot dagger glances at his brother, who shuffled out of his reach.
A tall woman pushed her way through a beaded curtain hanging in a nearby doorway. Beth admired the gorgeous gold sequin dress and matching heels she wore and wondered if her piggies hurt, too.
“Hello there. I’m Fay. Do you have an appointment?”
The baritone voice matched the five o’clock shadow peeking through the pancake makeup. A platinum blonde wig sat slightly askew over one manly ear and a black curl escaped from beneath it. Beth had plenty of time to stare since Fay was busy sweeping an appreciative gaze over both men.
Face lighting with recognition and delight, Fay approached them, arms outstretched, and boomed, “Oh, Alex! Of course, we’ve been expecting you all! Welcome to The Empire of Love, everybody!”
Chris backed away, avoiding the imminent hug. “Thanks.”
Hearing his teeth grind, Beth hooked a hand around his arm and said, “Is there any paperwork we need to fill out before we get started, Fay?” Because she really wanted to get the ceremony over with before her almost-husband committed a felonious act.
Disappointed, Fay dropped his arms and reached behind the counter, producing a clipboard. “The form is pretty self-explanatory. And I’ll need to make a copy of your license.”
Chris handed over the document and watched Fay leave. As he hunched over the form and completed it with precise block letters, he said, “I swear on our grandmother’s grave, if Fay is the officiator, we’re out of here.”
Beth couldn’t help it. She laughed.
Chris scowled and looked sideways at her before returning to the papers.
“Fay is the witness.” At some point, Alex had shuffled even farther away. “Doug, the owner, will perform the ceremony.”
The beads clacked and a muffled voice asked, “Did I hear my name?”
Chapter Five
Chris looked up and stared. He knew he wore the most dumbfounded, idiotic expression, but frozen with shock, he couldn’t change it. And he wasn’t sure which took priority—getting the hell out of Dodge—beating the holy snot out of his little brother—or swearing on his grandmother’s grave that, in fact, this was worse than Fay officiating. A quick calculation told him he could do all three and the order didn’t matter whatsofuckingever.
An enormous, hairy King Kong stood in the doorway, breathing Darth Vader style inside the hair and rubber costume. He extended a huge palm. “You must be Chris. Alex told us to expect you.”
Chris cleared his throat and watched a giant primate hand swallow his in a bone-crushing grip. “How do you know Alex?”
Not that he cared. And where were all these social niceties coming from when the only thing he wanted to do was leave? Even the Desert Cactus cottage thing on the other side of the parking lot was preferable to this circus. Or jungle.
Hovering behind Kong, Fay said, “Alex installed our security system. We adore him, don’t we, Doug?”
Doug/Kong nodded. “Did a real bang up job. We haven’t been broken into once since the installation.”
Chris sent his brother a pre-asskicking warning. “Alex definitely has a talent for bang up jobs.”
“Well, I know we’re both excited to be here,” Beth said. She pulled on his jacket sleeve. “Right, dear?”
He met her laughing gaze and nodded helplessly. She was being an amazing sport going along with Alex’s asinine plans, and with good humor, no less. She’d been right earlier—as long as the place was legit, it really didn’t matter who—or what—married them. Or where.
She leaned against him, her full breasts rubbing against his bicep. Damn it. The sooner they got through the ceremony, the sooner he’d be getting even more up close and personal with those breasts. Like, bare-naked up close and personal.
“Right, dear.” He all but shoved the clipboard into Doug’s mitts. “Let’s get started.”
Across the reception area, Alex cheered. “Party time!”
***
Doug droned about the importance of marriage for so long, Beth feared he’d run out of oxygen behind the rubber mask. Her piggies squealed incessantly and perspiration trickled between her shoulder blades. Was the air-conditioning broken? She tried to forget about the ambient temperature in The Empire of Love chapel and focus instead on the meaning behind the matrimonial words, since they did impact the rest of her life. She forced her attention upward, away from her fingers entwined so tightly with Chris’s.
Focus pocus. The words may well have come from Charlie Brown’s teacher. Wah wah wah, wah wah wah. More sweat trickled.
Finally, and with a noisy inhale, Doug asked, “Do you have the rings?”
Rings? Oh God, they’d never discussed rings. She’d never even thought about them, and what did that say about her? A psychologist would have a field day ruminating over the deeper meaning behind her lack of attention to such an important detail. As she silently panicked, Chris turned around and took a shiny band out of a white box Alex held. Her guilt magnified.
Unwelcome tears burned and she whispered through numb lips, “Chris, I don’t have a one for you.”
Chris lifted her cold hand, gave it a reassuring squeeze, then slipped the thin platinum band on her finger. It fit perfectly, adding to her bad conscience. “But I have one for you.”
She barely heard him say his vows after that, and like a robot, she repeated her own as instructed. In sickness and health. For richer or poorer. ’Til death do us part.
“You may kiss the bride,” Doug wheezed.
She hadn’t noticed the live parrot sitting on a perch in the corner until it screeched, “Kiss the bride! Kiss the bride!”
Doug coughed and Beth swore he grinned behind the hairy rubber.
Kiss the bride. Oh, God. The world narrowed to that one moment, that one precise spot. Chris let go of her hands. She looked up into his compelling green eyes, before staring at his mouth. He had lovely lips, the lower fuller than the upper. Reflex made her lick her own. Oh yes, kiss the bride, please. He caught the action and smiled. Then, he bent and touched his lips to hers. Her heart thumped and her belly filled with an ache she hadn’t felt in a very long time. In a deep corner of her mind, the only part of her not being ravished by her husband, she wondered how long it would take to wrap things up at The Empire of Love and get back to the hotel. Where he could ravish all of her.
“Get a room! Get a room!” the bird cried.
Chris eased away. His mouth twitched. Then he pulled her back in for another quick kiss before letting her go.
“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Christian Ramos!”
Blood rushed in her ears, muting the cheers and clapping from the ape, the cross-dresser, and her new brother-in-law, Alex, standing nearby.
I’m married.
Chris took her hand. “You okay?”
Beth nodded, still pleasantly dazed from his kiss. She wanted more. Standing on her toes, she whispered, “How soon can we get out of here?”
His eyes flashed with desire he didn’t bother to hide. “As soon as humanly possible.”
***
Chris ushered her into his hotel room then shut the door behind them. The loud click frazzled her nerves more than they already were. Gone was the post-ceremonial euphoria, replaced by outright terror. Beth hoped he hadn’t noticed her tremors on the ride back from The Empire of Love.
She stood in the center of the spacious, luxurious suite and watched him shrug out of his jacket. He draped it over a chair and unfastened his shirt cuffs, every movement so normal and everyday. She stared anyway, grounded like a statue.
“By the way, I asked Jackson to have your things brought up from your room.”
She nodded her thanks.
He gestured toward a fruit tray and bottle of champagne in an ice bucket on a table near the window. “
Leah’s handiwork, I’m guessing.” Frowning, he picked up a pair of rhinestone-studded flip flops, the tags still attached, and dangled them from one finger. “Yours?”
Beth blinked. Ten little piggies squealed oh happy day inside the necessary shoes. She sent a prayer of thanks to her new best friend, Leah, and plucked the sandals from his grasp. Then slipped out of her heels. “Definitely mine.” She wiggled her toes and gave a blissful sigh. “If I never wear these shoes again, I’ll die a happy woman.”
He leaned against the table, his gaze wandering a lazy path from her feet, up her legs until meeting her eyes. “I like them.”
She reached down and rubbed one aching arch, then the other, and sighed again. “That’s the only reason I wore them.”
Silence filled the room, and the tremors threatened again. His intense stare probed her. He watched. Waiting.
Oh God…this is it. No turning back.
She resumed her statue stance. The silence became unbearable.
“Beth.” He held out a hand, palm up. “Come here.”
Her heartbeat skipped to a halt. “I don’t think I can.” Admitting it made the trembling worse.
He approached her until he’d invaded every inch of her personal space. Which he had every right to do, he was her husband after all, and isn’t that what she’d wanted after that phenomenal kiss at the wedding chapel, she’d even said as much. And the ride to get back to The Castillo took entirely too long, Alex wouldn’t stop talking, that guy was entirely too happy all the time, and—
Cutting off her runaway thoughts, he tipped her chin up and forced her to look at him. “Know what I think?”
She couldn’t breathe. He was so damn close, his thighs touching hers, her breasts brushing his hard chest. The bulge of his cock pressed against her mound.
Oh, God. This really is it.
When she didn’t reply, he said, “We need to get this over with.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “Get what over with?” But she knew.
He dropped his hand and gave her a rueful smile. “We’re married. I want to make love to my wife.” He waited for her to respond again and when she didn’t, he added, “Now.”
Beth blinked. Her heart started beating again. She liked a man who knew what he wanted. Especially when he wanted her. Stretching up, she gave him a light kiss. He clasped her waist with both hands and pulled her against him, fusing his mouth to hers, nothing like he had during their wedding. He invaded her, tasting and exploring with his tongue, forcing her to open for him.
She wound her arms around his neck and gave in, letting the invasion happen. Every fear disappeared and the only trembling happening was from desire. Her breasts swelled, aching to be touched, and her clit pulsed with need. She wanted him. How wonderful he was hers.
Chris eased away but didn’t let go, wearing the same dazed look she must have had after their wedding kiss. He stepped back a few paces, bringing her with him, until he reached the bed.
“Turn around.”
Beth narrowed her eyes but obeyed. The zipper on the back of her dress descended and the silky garment puddled at her feet as he turned her back to face him. His hungry gaze swept over her, and she shivered with anticipation. Leaning in, he kissed the space between her breasts, his face tight with desire. No man had ever looked at her body that way…so appreciative.
Reaching behind her, he unhooked her bra and tossed it on the floor to join the dress. Her nipples stood at attention, swollen and needy. She shivered again.
He tilted his head back. “Am I going too fast?”
She cupped his face and gave him a hard kiss. “Hurry,” she whispered.
With a chuckle, he grasped her hips and tugged her forward until she stood between his spread legs. He licked one nipple before wrapping his lips around it.
She blanked to everything but the feel of his velvet tongue teasing the bud. Desire, hot and instantaneous, slammed into her. She moaned. Fueled by the sound, he moved to the other breast, giving it equal time and attention, sucking it into his mouth. Lust speared through her, inflaming her clit, dampening her panties.
“W-wait.” Beth shuddered and pushed against his shoulders. “Please.” Her breasts had always been the erogenous zone from hell. Or heaven, depending on the situation. One more lick, one more suck, and she’d come. Loudly.
“You told me to hurry.” He laughed. “I’m hurrying.”
“I’m just really sensitive…there….”
He looked up at her, then at her breasts. “So, if I do this,” he nipped one bud, “you’ll come?”
She moaned again and her legs quivered. “That’s not funny.”
He wrapped a hand behind one of her knees and lifted her leg until her foot rested on the bed near his hip. He kissed her knee while working his hand up the inside of her thigh then stopped before his fingers reached her pussy. Just.
“Chris…please, don’t.” Her clit fluttered. Her traitorous breasts ached for more.
“And, if I do this—” He slid the edge of her panties aside with his fingers. “And this—” His thumb found her clitoris and stroked. “What will happen?”
The orgasm started low in her abdomen, coiling hard. She clutched his shoulders and tipped her hips into his touch. When he tongued a nipple again, she exploded, the release tearing the breath from her lungs. She arched against his hand and mouth, lost in the sensations roaring through her. Bowing over him, she buried her face in his shoulder, bucking shamelessly. He continued to work her body, wrenching every last bit of energy from her. When she collapsed, he wrapped his arms around her.
“I told you not to do that,” she mumbled against his neck.
He pushed her until she stood on rubber legs in front of him again. “Why?”
She shrugged. Of all the places on her body that her new husband zeroed in on to sample first, it had to be her hyper-sensitive boobs. That was like hitting the bull’s-eye without even trying. She crossed her arms over them. “That was…just so….” Embarrassing.
“Amazing.” He uncrossed her arms. “And I’m going to do it again.”
He may have found two new toys, but she wanted to play, too. “That’s really not funny.”
He fell back on the mattress and propped himself up on his elbows. A prominent erection tented his pants. “Who’s laughing?”
She slipped out of her panties, climbed up, and straddled him. Her earlier orgasm emboldened her, and she cupped his cock, giving it a light squeeze. “Next time I come, I want you inside of me.”
The amusement in his eyes vanished and his face hardened. “Get off me.”
She froze. Maybe he didn’t like bold women. Maybe he liked all the control in the bedroom—
He rolled and pinned her under him before she had a chance to finish the thought. He kissed her then, bruising and demanding, before trailing nips over her jaw and down her neck. Gone was the man who’d been so considerate and deferential to her fears. Not that she had any fear even then—this new side of her husband really was sexy as hell.
He ground his cock against her core, inflaming her all over again. “Remember when I said I wanted to make love to my wife?”
She nodded, her breath hitching when she met his eyes. Their vivid green replaced with dark lust and leashed restraint.
“I lied. Right now, I want to fuck my wife.”
Not even her first husband had uttered those words to her. They were crass, unromantic, mood-killing words. She froze.
He lifted his head, his gaze demanding a response.
There was only one.
“Hurry.”
Surging off of her, he sat back on his knees, working on the buttons of his shirt. She crab walked backward, up to the head of the bed and pulled the covers down. By the time she’d slid under the sheet, he’d peeled his pants and briefs down. With zero finesse, he kicked them away and yanked off his socks.
She couldn’t take her eyes off the magnificent erection he revealed. Heat skittered across flesh, leaving goos
e bumps in its wake. Her pussy throbbed in time with the hammering of her heart. She wished he’d hurry even more, though he was doing an admirable job following directions so far.
Finally, gloriously nude, he lay down next to her. “Beth, I know Madame Eve made us provide a heath questionnaire….” He cleared his throat. “But if you’re more comfortable using a condom, I understand.”
“I’m not worried. Are you?” The idea that she might have anything contagious was laughable. That meant she’d been having sex at some point since her divorce. Which she hadn’t. A sad status she hoped he would change soon though.
“I’d rather not suit up. But I will if you want me to.”
Shaking her head, she ran a palm down his solid chest. She wanted to feel all of him, with no barriers. His skin was even darker in the early evening light filtering through the sheers on the window, and she traced a fingernail around one hard nipple until he clamped a hand on hers.
“I’d prefer not to use anything.” She blushed, a ridiculous reaction given the circumstances, when she added, “And I’m on birth control.”
“For now.” He rolled over her, pushed her legs apart with one knee, and grasped her hands. Pulling them above her head, he laced his fingers with hers. Then sank into her.
They moaned together at the heavenly joining.
He dropped his head, burying his face in the crook of her neck. “Whatever you do, don’t ask me to hurry.”
Wrapping her legs around his ass, she murmured, “Take your time.”
And he did, with long, slow strokes, stretching and filling her, the base of his cock rubbing against her clit with each easy slide while he kissed her, teasing her mouth as thoroughly as her pussy. The slick push and retreat reignited the sexuality she’d buried for so long and she had to touch him.