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I feel like I won the lottery. Joe never let on what a dirty mind he has. Although half the things he’s saying to me while making me cum on his fingers in the early morning light are just to shock me.
“You’re all talk,” I huff, sneaking a peek at him over my shoulder to see if he’ll take the bait. Not happening apparently. Instead, his free hand gives my ass a swat, impaling me further on the hand doing wicked things to my pussy. I gurgle with the pleasure that washes over me in waves.
When he withdraws his fingers, I roll over in his arms and hug his neck. “Love you, Joe,” I say, simply dropping a kiss on his nose.
“Sweetness — “ he hesitates, but I place a finger over his lips.
“Joe, my heart doesn’t come with any conditions. It’s yours no matter what. When you’re ready to say it, you will. I’m not worried about it.” I shrug and smile as I climb over him to get out of bed.
Today is all the rehearsal stuff, so I have to dress in black and wear a wireless headset. Mostly that’s part of Selena’s glam image because everyone will be close enough to shout to. I try to eat a breakfast of things that won’t leave crumbs or powdered sugar, which leaves me glum. But I need to be downstairs at six, so there’s no time to lounge around with Joe today.
And naturally, Joe isn’t letting me wander off without him. Which is nice because nobody else ever seems to notice where I am unless they want me to do something.
Andeveryonewants me to do something for them this morning. As soon as I hit the event space, there are ten people talking to me, in person and in my ear. I turn off the headset and focus on the assistants, all of whom have life-critical errands from Selena. How can anyone live in such constant drama?
I confess I don’t turn the mic back on right away. Instead, I head down to the kitchens to make sure Chef has everything he needs for the rehearsal dinner tonight.
“Good, good,” he comments jovially while stirring three pots in rotation. His assistants are calmly chopping things at other prep stations out of the way.
“Stop by the winter pavilion in the morning before the wedding,” he says abruptly, with a wink. “Surprise will be waiting for you.” Then he turns back to his pots with a muttered curse. I know better than to interrupt him for an explanation, so instead I turn that over in my head as I return to the chaos.
By the time Selena is walking down the aisle in her custom-made rehearsal dress because that’s a thing apparently, I’m exhausted. I’m standing at the back, ready to leap into action if necessary, when Joe shoves a chair behind me and gives a glare. I sit with a sigh of relief and he goes back to doing his imitation of a stone statue.
Joe
Only another twenty-four hours, I remind myself, and I can get Nira free of all this shit. Nira hasn’t asked me once how or when we’re getting married. I know from all her years of happy chatter that she thinks the most romantic thing is an elopement in the middle of the night. Which won’t be happening, but it’s at least a relief that I’m not depriving her of long-held dreams of big dresses and old music. Hell, I don’t even have a ring for her, not a real one anyway. And the likelihood that her father will get wind of us and try to stop it is increasing by the minute.
I knew he was having financial problems, but I had no idea they’re as bad as what I just overheard. Or that he’s attempting to use his daughters as bargaining chips. Selena is the big fish in that regard, but apparently he’s been hitting the gambling tables a little too hard in celebration. Which means he’s going to try with Nira soon. And when he finds out I’ve stolen her away, he won’t be gracious about it.
I practically have to carry Nira back to the suite after the rehearsal dinner broke up. Not that she was seated with family like she should have been. No, they expected her to stay and assist with fetching and carrying last minute items up to the very end. I had to bite my tongue not to intervene, but getting through tomorrow morning undetected is critical.
Nira is out when I tuck her into bed. I meant to leave her alone in her room so she could have that much of a bridal experience, but in the end I couldn’t do it. Pulling her close against me, I make silent promises to her to make all of it up to her as soon as I can.
I make them again verbally when I pull her out of bed at four in the morning. She keeps drooping against me as I attempt to dress her in her second black outfit. I frown down at her with her eyes drooping. Even I know this isn’t right for a wedding, but she doesn’t have anything white in her closet. I could wrap her in one of my dress shirts… then it hits me and I steady her on the edge of the bed before reaching into the depths of my suitcase. When I slide the jersey over her head, she blinks and then frowns down at it.
“What’s going on, Joe?”
“We’re getting married this morning, and that’s your wedding dress,” I tell her, simply eyeing the clock, knowing we need to head downstairs soon.
She blinks some more and then grins. “That is so awesome!”
Not the reaction I was expecting, but definitely the one that reassures me we’re doing the right thing here. I herd her out of the suite and into the elevator. She seems to come awake then, almost normal by the time we’re standing in the small study off the lobby with the wedding officiant that I bribed to do a second wedding in advance of the main event. Chef and Mrs. Donnelly are standing to the side as witnesses beaming with excitement.
Someone rolls a couple of suitcases down the hall outside, bumping into the walls and cursing in a drunken feminine voice. I nod to the woman doing the ceremony to get a move on to the critical parts. She rolls her eyes, pretty much the same way she did when she got sight of my jersey on Nira’s small frame. But there was no denying Nira’s happiness that said she’d have picked that out of a lineup of fancy dresses.
When we get to the ring part, I pull out a metallic gold twist tie I stole off of one of the incoming flower arrangements and wrap it around Nira’s finger. She’s grinning with delight. “My dream come true, Joe. Just like this,” she stage whispers. Even the disapproving officiant has to smile at that one.
There’s noise and shouting now in the lobby of the lodge. I give Nira a perfunctory kiss and a head jerk to Mrs. Donnelly, that says ‘get her out of here’ and then head into the fray to figure out what the hell is going on.
9
Nira
The bride has fled the wedding is what’s happening. No, not me, my famous, now infamous half-sister. Apparently having woken up to the realization that she was simply a pawn, she’s off to seek enlightenment in an ashram or something. I learn all this while listening at a crack in the door because no way am I leaving Joe now. He’s not supposed to get involved with anything physical that could lead to a concussion. I doubt he’s aware I know that, but someone has to keep an eye out for him.
Yes, he’d laugh that someone fifteen years younger and a third of his bodyweight could protect him, but that’s the way it’s going to be. My dad comes rushing into the lobby, his face florid and he looks half dressed. Selena’s entourage pipes down a few notches, but not by much.
“What do you mean, she’s gone? She can’t do that. Josef, get her back,” he demands like a petty dictator.
