Page 76 of D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding

The club’s event planner had done an amazing job. When we walked into the building there was a large sign with mine and D’Vaughn’s names on it, letting patrons know where they could find us if they were there for our event. As D’Vaughn had predicted, we were able to rent out the top three private sections of the club for our entire party. There was more than enough space for all of our guests to chill and have a good time, and the DJ was playing the right kind of music for people to slide down to the dance floor and enjoy themselves.

D’Vaughn and I were grooving in the middle of the dance floor when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“Hey, Kris!”

The voice gave me pause and I turned slowly, hoping I wasn’t about to see who I thought I was about to see. When my eyes connected with the woman I’d last been involved with before I auditioned for the show, my heart plummeted although I smiled easily.

“Mara, hey. What are you doing here, girl?”

I might have gotten too comfortable over the last couple of weeks, because setting eyes on my ex had truly surprised me. After she initially reached out to me on social media, we burned hot and heavy for a few months before sizzling out. Mara had always been no-nonsense from the very beginning; when she wanted me, she didn’t hesitate to let me know, and when she was done with me, she made that clear as well. Her presence was undoubtedly the work of the show, and while I couldn’t imagine that she’d be here under normal circumstances, there was no question in my mind that this appearance was solely for the sake of shining a spotlight on her brand. I’d taught her well.

Mara surged forward, rubbing her hands up and down my back as she hugged me tightly. When she released me, I stepped back and slid an arm around D’Vaughn’s waist. Mara’s bright eyes tracked the movement and she quirked an eyebrow at me.

“Well, I had to hear through the grapevine that you were getting married. I’m sure you can imagine my surprise since we were just together six months ago.”

“We weren’t together anymore. As a matter of fact, you broke things off with me once you started your own page and gained about ten thousand of my followers, so nah, I can’t imagine why you’d be surprised.”

Mara’s smile tightened. “You didn’t tell me you wanted something serious when I first slid into your messages! I said I wanted to fuck and you said you were with it. Nothing more. So what is all of this animosity about?”

D’Vaughn’s brows shot up. “Oh, so it really does go down in the DMs.” I shot her a startled glance but her amused expression was aimed at Mara.

Mara giggled. “Oh, girl you have no idea. Apparently there are quite a few of us who’ve been able to hit that after just a few messages exchanged. Don’t think you’re getting something exclusive. Kris is for the streets.”

Clucking my tongue, I shook my head. “You sound real bitter right now, Mara. It’s not a good look.”

She sneered at me, before turning a sympathetic smile toward D’Vaughn.

“Good luck, girl.”

With that she slunk away, disappearing in the crowd and leaving me to clean up the mess she’d made. I licked my lips as I turned to D’Vaughn and slipped my arms around her waist.

“About that—”

D’Vaughn shook her head. “No need to explain. I think I got the gist of it.”

I eyed her, wondering if her amicable tone was authentic or a front.

“Are you sure? Because I can tell you exactly—”

She interrupted me with a kiss. “I’m sure. And I’m not mad, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

I was less worried about her anger, and more concerned about what she thought of me after hearing that information. She’d already known that I’d dated women I’d met through my page in the past, but Mara tried to make it sound like I was fucking anyone who slid through, which wasn’t too far from D’Vaughn’s earlier thoughts in regard to why I’d come on the show. That was far from the truth, and while I believed D’Vaughn and I had moved past that—that she understood that she alone was who I wanted—I couldn’t deny that this felt like a setback. The urge to defend myself was strong, but if D’Vaughn said she wasn’t bothered by it then I needed to trust her and let it go.

“Okay,” I acquiesced, tightening my arms around her and taking another kiss.

We got back to dancing and I let the moment fall to the back of my mind. The only thing I was concerned about was enjoying the party and making it to the “home” portion of the night. Jada Michael’s “Freak” came on, and I was in the process of grinding on D’Vaughn when I felt another tap on my shoulder. I stiffened, praying it wasn’t another of my exes as I turned around. The moment that I noticed Kevin standing behind me, I started to frown. I already knew what time it was, but I hated to leave when I’d just managed to get us back to having a good time. Kevin had the absolute worst timing.

“Kris, can I get you for a moment?”

Groaning, I ran a hand down my face. “You asked that like I even have a choice, man.”

Both he and D’Vaughn laughed, but I wasn’t feeling particularly amused. I didn’t want leave D’Vaughn yet. She was smiling like everything was fine, but I sensed a change in her demeanor.

“You’ll be right back, I promise.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I mumbled. I planted a quick kiss on D’Vaughn’s lips before following him across the dance floor and through a door that I hadn’t noticed before. It was painted the same color as the walls and blended almost seamlessly.

“Right through here, Kris.”