Brash Boss

by Roberts, A. S.

  I allowed my eyes to run over him. The man holding on to me seemed different to any other version I’d seen of him before. He was casually dressed, and after forgoing what I guessed was probably his morning ritual of a shave, he was sporting a thick growth of stubble. His hair wasn’t being held perfectly and he was wearing a short-sleeved linen shirt which was completely unbuttoned, over the top of some smart looking Chino shorts.

  ‘You look different somehow?’

  ‘I am.’

  I smiled up at him, knowing my face was presenting a puzzled expression.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I took in everything you said yesterday and as I’m getting married tomorrow, I thought a more relaxed looking husband-to-be would be more convincing to the natives.’

  ‘You’re talking about Nonna?’

  ‘Yes, I am… but I’m also talking about Pearl and to be honest, Bee, I thought that this version of me might be easier for you to live with.’ I’d heard every word he said, but the one I was hung up on the most was the fact that for the first time he’d called me by my nickname.

  ‘You called me Bee.’

  ‘I did, is that okay? I want us to be friends.’

  ‘It’s fine by me… I’d like to be your friend too, Nico.’

  And so very much more. I closed my eyes to erase the thought in my head.

  The man that was stood on the beach with me in the glow of sunrise was like every woman’s wet dream. The more time I spent with him, the more convoluted he was becoming in my eyes. Nico was so multi-faceted that I was left reeling as once again his persona changed. This, I was convinced, was the version I liked best at the moment. Sure, the suited, brash, arrogant asshole had his time and place, and he was so very easy on the eyes. But this version, the one he’d been showing me since the second he had taken my hand in the plane yesterday, was so far unsurpassed in my eyes. Right now, he was attentive, romantic and gentle and I wanted the absolute entirety of the man.

  His eyes refocussed on my face and his hands stopped their gentle massage on the tops of my arms as his gaze moved down to my lips. The palpable tension that had been slowly building between us since the moment he’d said good morning ramped up ever quicker. My tongue flicked out swiftly over my suddenly very dry lips and the involuntary action from me had him releasing a groan. I watched, unable to tear my eyes away from him, as he fought within himself and his long eyelashes flicked as he slow blinked trying to clear me from his view.

  ‘You know the longer we stand here, the more I want to kiss you?’ His voice sounded the deepest I’d ever heard it.

  His left arm lifted away from my arm and his thumb brushed gently over my lips as if he needed to feel them before he tasted them.

  ‘Then…’

  ‘Shhhh…’ One of his fingers came down gently over the top of my lips. ‘But how would you like me to kiss you, Bee?... Soft and gentle like our meeting here on the beach at sunrise dictates?’

  He stopped speaking and I watched as in slow motion his head dipped down towards mine. I watched until the very last minute, when my eyelids closed heavily like I was drugged and the whole of my body prepared itself to receive his kiss. It was as if my body was systematically closing down all of my other senses as it prepared itself to focus on the feeling of the touch of his flesh on mine. I could feel his breath, his fresh smelling cologne as it entered my nostrils, and my feet began to feel unsteady beneath me. As if he could sense all of this, his hold on my one arm increased.

  But no matter how on edge my body was, no matter how geared up I was to receive the touch of his flesh on mine, it never came.

  Slowly, my body awoke from the trance he had momentarily subdued me into, and my heavy eyes burst open.

  ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘Research,’ he answered as his left eye narrowed on me and I felt every syllable leave his mouth as it caressed the sensitive skin of my lips. ‘I think, Bee, that you would prefer that I kissed you another way.’

  Nico’s left hand moved quickly. He placed it behind me and after putting it around my waist he pulled me quickly into him, making my feet rise up until my only connection with the sand was my toes. As our bodies collided all of the air in my lungs expelled in shock. My eyes found his and I saw a new sort of want captured behind his dark eyes. The camera was the only thing that separated us, trapped between our two bodies. His erection pushing into my stomach caught my attention first and then the movement of his right hand as he slowly and sensually brushed it down the length of my neck.

  ‘You really are a beautiful woman.’ His words set off a riot of fireflies in my stomach.

  My neck reacted to his touch, wherever his fingers touched me a trail of goose bumps were left behind in their wake. When his large hand spread over the front of my throat and the whole of his grip tightened as his hand held me in place, I initially felt panic rising up inside of me. But when I looked into his eyes, I saw nothing in them to make me afraid; all that shone back was reverence.

  ‘I can see that you’d prefer me to kiss you like this. I already know you well enough, Bee, to know that although you think you prefer the gentle side of me, this is the one that excites you more.’

  ‘I…’ I was about to protest what he’d just said, but it was too late.

  With his arm behind my waist and his hand holding my bare neck as he pushed my head backwards slightly, Nico’s mouth crashed down onto mine. As our mouths connected, my first instinct was to gasp. The moment my lips parted; Nico’s tongue swept in. It teased and caressed every single part of me as we began our dance. I surprised myself as my need for the man took over and I met him back with equal passion. Our teeth clashed together with the sudden and urgent need that took over us both and my hands that had been hanging limp by my sides lifted to hold the sides of his head. I placed one hand either side of his face and hung on for dear life as he kissed me to just within the edge of all reason and all coherent thoughts left my head. His tongue swept over every single nerve ending that had seemingly collected together inside the small space and he teased them over and over again.

  ‘Nico…’ The sound of Nico’s grandmother’s shout drifting out on the breeze broke through the early morning. Having spotted us down on the beach her tone changed. ‘Nico, Barbara… Breakfast is on the table.’

  Then just as quickly as it had started, it was over. Nico’s hold on my waist began to relax as soon as his grandmother’s voice travelled down to us. My feet were slowly placed back down to the ground, his grip on my neck released and he trailed his fingertips slowly down my neck until finally his hand left my skin. My body screamed in protest as his hold over me relaxed until we were two separate beings once again.

  ‘Well, now we’ve been caught at our playacting. Isn’t this getting interesting,’ he stated with a smile on his face.

  Nico turned away from me suddenly, and immediately I felt the pain of rejection as it seeped into me. With my feet still frozen in the position he’d left me, I was too terrified to follow in case everything I was now feeling was true. He must have taken three steps towards the start of the manmade walkway that led up to his home when he realised that I wasn’t right there beside him. He turned his head and offering me an almost shy smile he lifted up his hand.

  ‘Bee.’

  Without any hesitation whatsoever, I took a couple of steps towards him and reaching out with my arm, I shelved my unwanted fears and placed my hand in his.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Bee

  ‘Step back away from the mirror a little, you’ll be able to see all of the dress to its full effect,’ Kendall instructed and like clockwork I did her bidding.

  She was right, just two steps back and I could see all of my off-white gown.

  ‘Are you pleased, Bee?’ Pearl questioned me.

  ‘I’m, well I’m…’

  ‘She’s speechless,’ Kendall offered.

  ‘I am. I honestly couldn’t be happier with the way the dress, my shoes…’ I turned myse
lf to the side to take in as much as I could about my hair. ‘And my hair is spectacular, I’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s a work of art.’

  In the background I heard Nico’s grandmother speak in Greek to the hairdresser she had called in for the day.

  ‘Please tell Maria how pleased I am with what she’s done.’ I smiled over to her and Nonna nodded at me and began talking again.

  My dress which I’d chosen back in Vegas with Pearl and Raul, was absolute perfection. The gown was sleeveless, with a sheer chiffon top and a sweetheart shaped boned bodice underneath, a cinched waist and a voluminous tulle skirt that reached the middle of my calves. The skirt swished around my bare legs every time I moved in front of the mirror and the hand placed pearl beads that covered the entirety of the gown caught the light as I moved. The icing on the cake was my hair and I could not believe just what Maria the magician of a hairdresser had created. My thick hair which normally met the top of my backside, had been coiled into flowers that looked like roses and were held in place with pins that had pearl heads to match my dress. Although my hair was still loose, it now only came down to just below my shoulder blades. My make-up had been done by Kendall. It was very natural and complemented my skin which glowed with a sun kissed effect, even after only a few days by the beach. My lips looked plump and shaped by the lip gloss she had added, which was as near to my natural colour as she could find, and my eyes popped with the pearlized eyeshadow she’d chosen to go with my dress.

  ‘Thank you, ladies. I truly couldn’t be happier with how I look.’ I watched my reflection as my eyes grew glassy and they filled up with tears. So, it had appeared that in creating a pretend wedding, I had stupidly chosen everything I would have ever wanted for my real one.

  You stupid girl. I shook my head a little in the mirror and hoped that the movement would catch no one else’s eyes.

  Looking deep inside myself, I nodded with relief as an understanding washed over me.

  That’s it. Of course.

  I hadn’t done it deliberately and the thought was reassuring.

  I wasn’t imagining that this wedding was real, instead I realised that no one would ever go wedding dress shopping with the thought that they’d have this dress and shoes for now, and that next time for their “proper” wedding they’d choose the ones they really wanted, would they?

  ‘Now, these are from Nico.’ I was handed a bouquet of blue and cream roses with lots of green foliage. ‘He told me about your extraordinarily coloured eyes, with their blue and green and told me to try to reflect them in your bouquet. And lastly, if you’ll permit me, I have a gift to you from Nico’s mamma.’ I heard Nonna’s heels click over the wooden floor to the bed behind me and I began to twist my head around to follow the sound.

  I felt my eyes widen in panic at what on earth it could be.

  ‘Turn and face the mirror a moment please, Barbara.’

  I did as I was told and watched in the mirror as she placed a dainty, rose gold cross and chain around my neck. I lifted my hand on instinct and gently touched my pearlized manicured fingertips, courtesy of Kendall, to the four-way cross.

  ‘Thank you.’ I spoke to her and caught her eyes with my own in the mirror.

  ‘And now she’s here with us and that makes me very happy.’

  ‘This is from me, Bee. I wore it when Trip and I got married in Australia.’ I looked to the side of me to see Kendall twirling a white garter around her finger.

  ‘So, lift up your dress and I’ll put it up on your thigh for Nico to find later.’

  Laughter filled the room as Kendall bent down in her long, sage green bridesmaid dress that surprisingly I would have chosen had I had any input in it at all, but once again Nonna had come up trumps.

  ‘Something borrowed, tick.’ Kendall stood up and spoke at the same time.

  ‘Something blue are the roses in my bouquet,’ I replied.

  ‘Something new is your dress,’ added Pearl.

  ‘Something old.’ I touched my fingers once again to Nico’s mamma’s necklace.

  ‘Something new isn’t your dress, but it’s also from Nico,’ Nonna interrupted.

  ‘It is?’ I questioned in disbelief.

  ‘Yes, he said to tell you that it will remind you of your first night together here on Crete.’ A few soft “ahhhh’s” left the mouths of the others in the room.

  I watched enthralled as she opened up her hand. In the middle of her palm was a small blue opal, dragonfly pin.

  Tentatively I reached out my hand and took it from her, lifting it up to my face to take a better look. The pin was small, but beautifully made. The choice of opal had to be deliberate, the stone had the same iridescent quality that the real dragonflies we had watched dancing together had.

  ‘Nico had this made for me?’ I whispered into the quiet room.

  ‘Yes, by one of the local jewellers. He visited them personally yesterday and it was delivered early this morning… He checked it earlier, making sure it was exactly as he had ordered. He wanted it to be just right for you.’ I heard her overly pronounce the personally and I knew exactly why. I was just as stunned as she was, Nico had many minions who would jump at his every word. So, for him to take the time to do something like this was unquestionably out of the ordinary.

  ‘That’s so romantic, Bee,’ Kendall gasped next to me, ‘where do you want to put it?’

  ‘Isn’t it though?’ Nonna added, and as I looked at the flush on her cheeks and her smile of happiness it dawned on me exactly why Nico had personally had it made.

  What Nonna wants, Nonna gets. She wanted him happily married and he was “playacting” a very convincing part in the whole very elaborate charade.

  ‘Anywhere,’ I answered Kendall, in a tone that said everything I was suddenly feeling.

  I saw her head snap around as she looked at me in surprise.

  I bet she thinks I’m a right bitch.

  ‘What I meant to say was,’ I offered her a smile and tried to recover the situation, ‘anywhere under my skirts… I think it would be better pinned inside the dress as we don’t want to clash with Nico’s mamma’s cross and chain, do we?’

  Appearing appeased, Kendall took the pin from my hand and bent down once again in front of me, I heard the tulle of the skirt sound as she flicked it up a little and pinned my new gift inside one of the layers.

  ‘I think you should put the cross inside your dress, wear it close to your heart, so she can feel your heartbeat when you marry her son.’ Nonna stepped around me on the opposite side to Kendall and lifting the chain with her fingertips she managed to drop it beneath the round neck of my dress. ‘Now, Pearl do you have the things I gave you earlier?’ she questioned.

  ‘Yes… hold on.’ I turned my head to the side to watch Pearl retrieve whatever it was she was looking for, just as Kendall began to stand up and flicked down my skirt as she righted herself.

  ‘I hope you’ll accept these from me, Bee.’ I looked up from Pearl’s closed hand to her face. She was almost unrecognisable, wearing a smart cream suit, with the roots of her pink hair also having been recently done and some subtle make-up on her face.

  ‘These are a few of the things that according to Greek tradition,’ Pearl slightly nodded at Nonna, who I knew was once again stood behind me, ‘are to be given by the bride’s family to the bride on her wedding day and as we are as close as family, I hope you don’t mind them coming from me?’ I watched her dab at her eyes with the lace handkerchief she was holding in her other hand.

  I could feel pressure building up behind the back of my eyes and not being able to speak momentarily at her emotion and my own, I shook my head at her and offered her a small smile. She stepped forward and I watched her tie a sugar cube into the inside of my bouquet.

  ‘This sugar is given in the hope that you and Nico will have a sweet life together. This small piece of iron is given to ward off all evil spirits from entering your marriage.’

  My eyes rested on her fingers a
s she deftly placed and tied the rust coloured iron once again inside my bouquet.

  Evil spirits are one thing, but mafia is entirely different. I managed to stop myself from blowing air out forcibly through my closed lips at my thoughts.

  Looking back up at the mirror I cast my eyes over myself fleetingly, unable to hold my own gaze for any length of time as the feeling of confusion hung heavily over me. Then I took in each of the three women stood in the large room with me. I had known only Pearl for any length of time and understood the love and commitment she had to making sure my wedding day was truly happy. But, Nonna, as I’d been instructed to call her from the moment we had met a few days ago and Kendall, as the wife of Nico’s best friend, were as equally committed into making this a day we would both remember. The two women loved him, so surely that meant that he couldn’t be all bad, could he?

  I smiled at them all in turn, trying to wordlessly show them my thanks and gratitude. Then after watching Kendall check the time for the umpteenth time, I turned away from the mirror to face the door and my impending future.

  ‘Okay, it’s time to go… the chapel is only a short five-minute walk up the hill, but we’re already late and we don’t want to keep your husband-to-be waiting any longer than necessary, do we?’ Kendall assertively put out into the room and made her way to the door.

  I laughed nervously out loud in response and put my fingers to my lips to silence it.

  ‘Can you both give us a couple of minutes please?’ Nonna asked, looking between Kendall and Pearl.

  ‘Sure,’ Pearl answered and placing a hand on Kendall’s arm they walked out of the door talking in excitement.

  Please don’t say I’ve cocked it up.

  After hearing their shoes click down the wooden staircase, I turned back to face Nonna and prepared myself.

  ‘I never thought this day would come, Barbara. You look so beautiful,’ she started and then when she took another breath, I knew that there was more to come.

  ‘Thank you,’ I replied, having really hoped that was the end of her speech.