Married a Stripper

  Yet I was more pissed off about the fact that I didn’t care about it nearly as much as I knew I should’ve.

  When he laid down behind me and smoothed a hand down my hip, I kept my eyes closed, my breathing level. His touch warmed my skin, but couldn’t touch the ice inside me. Even when he kissed my shoulder and softly murmured my name, I didn’t react.

  I was too torn inside and the turmoil of the day kept me from turning to him.

  Because he knew I’d been hurt, he’d be sweet and loving and gentle, but the only answer to the chaos inside me was the opposite. I needed ferocity, passion, something so intense that it drove everything out of my mind, everything but our two bodies moving together...

  A face loomed in my mind.

  Immediately, I blocked it out.

  I can’t stop thinking of you…

  No, I told myself. No.

  Fifteen

  Guilt and frustration chased me through the night, darkening my dreams and even when I woke up, they cast a shadow on me.

  I needed to talk to Edward.

  If he’d already left for work, then I’d just have Paul drive me into see him.

  I hadn’t been angry with him last night, but I didn’t like leaving things so unsettled, and I needed him to understand that I wasn’t comfortable with Stacia. I couldn’t control the people he was friends with, but I had a bad feeling that if he brought her into our home too often, it might damage what we had. I wasn’t going to be one of those women who didn’t like any of her husband’s friends, but Stacia...she didn’t just want to be Edward’s friend. I wasn’t reading into it. I knew that. He needed to know.

  People in relationships had to talk.

  That was what he’d say, so that was what I’d tell him.

  That decided, I climbed out of bed feeling a little clearer. But when I moved to my dresser to dig out some panties and a new bra, I found a note.

  Gabriella,

  I’m going to be out of touch most of the day. We’ve had a problem with a small design line we’ve been buying out and I have to personally oversee the resolution. I may be tied up in meetings for the next day or two, most likely working late. I’m sorry. I’ll call you tonight, sooner if possible.

  I love you.

  Edward

  I read the note twice over and then slumped against my dresser, defeat flooding me.

  “Why didn’t you just talk to him last night?” I asked the question out loud even though there wasn’t anyone there to answer me.

  I moved back to the bed and picked up my phone, hoping there’d be a message from him. Something sweet and personal, something that proved he felt bad about not being around.

  There was a message.

  From Flynn.

  I deleted it without reading it and then sent Edward a text of my own.

  I saw your note. Hope to hear from you soon. I love you too.

  The day didn’t get any better from there.

  Not that I was expecting it to since I was set to spend the day going over music choices and wedding songs with Estelle.

  At least Claire wasn’t there when I arrived. She had some sort of charity function that simply couldn’t be put off, not even for a wedding. She called off and on throughout the day, because clearly, my choices couldn’t be trusted. Not that she said that directly, but there was no doubting the message.

  “You want a father/daughter dance, I’m sure,” Estelle said.

  It was the first thing today that made me smile. “Yes.” I could already see my big, grizzled bear of a father blushing at the idea of it. He’d danced with Suzanne at her wedding despite his obvious embarrassment. When Jennifer, who’d been only ten at the time, had asked why he’d done it, he’d said it was every father’s responsibility. I wanted it even more than I wanted the plums and purples and golds and oranges for my colors. “Dad used to dance with us around the living room at night. I definitely want a father/daughter dance.”

  I glanced up at Estelle at that moment and saw a fleeting smile on her face. It was the first real one I’d seen from her in a while too. Maybe ever.

  “Any idea what song you’d like?”

  I bit my lip. Since Claire wasn’t here, I knew I could voice my opinions without fear of being made fun of or ignored, but I was still hesitant. Estelle was nice enough, but she was still high class. “There are two songs I’ve always liked. One’s called, I Loved Her First and the other one is I’ll Always Be Your Baby. Both seem kind of perfect for a father/daughter dance.”

  Estelle made a note without a word of discouragement, though I did see her eyebrows go up just a fraction.

  We went through the important upcoming dates: cake tasting, meeting with the caterers, going over the menu. I made sure to note every one of them in my phone and then sent them all in a text message to Edward. I didn’t expect a response and didn’t get one, but at least I knew he had the dates now.

  “I hear that all the invitations are addressed and ready to send out?” She gave me a narrow look.

  “Ah, yes.” Knotting my hands in my lap, I waited for her to launch into me like Claire had done.

  She just nodded. “Just make sure they’re mailed. You remember the dates, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Ma’am?” She laughed and then, to my surprise, she laid her planner down and studied me for a moment before asking the last thing I ever expected. “Is this the wedding you want, Gabriella?”

  I opened my mouth, then closed it. I couldn’t tell her the truth. After a moment, I shrugged. “It’s the one I’m planning, isn’t it?”

  It seemed a lame sort of response, but I didn’t have another one. Not when the truth wasn’t an option.

  Less than thirty minutes later, my Claire reprieve ended. She came into the room in her usual sweeping way, announcing it was time to start working on seating charts.

  I could have smashed my head against the table. I’d thought we were done, that I could get out of here, find someplace to grab a slice of pizza and work on one of my projects – most likely the finding a job one – and have some time to think.

  “Oh, good…you’re still here.” Claire didn’t look thrilled by the idea at all, really, but she still smiled and snapped her fingers at the young woman following along behind her. The woman lifted a heavy bag and placed it on the table, retreating out the door without another word. “Seating charts are tremendously important, you realize.”

  She looked at Estelle. “Are you free?”

  Estelle gave her a gracious smile. “For you? Of course.”

  “You will make sure they’re dressed appropriately for the rehearsal dinner as well as the wedding, won’t you, Gabriella?” Claire’s gaze rested on the bohemian top I’d paired with a short skirt and her lips compressed as though she wasn’t sure I understood what appropriate meant.

  “Of course. My father has already pressed his best overalls.” Those words popped out of my mouth in a bright, cheerful tone and even as I heard myself saying them, I knew I should stop.

  Except…I didn’t really want to. For the past hour – no, from the first moment I’d met her – it had been one jab after another and lately, the insults were getting more and more cutting and I’d reached the end of my patience. I was done.

  So as she gaped at me, I smiled brilliantly at her.

  Over to my left, Estelle made a strange choking sound under her breath. I couldn’t tell if it was a laugh or a sound of disapproval, and I didn’t care. It crossed my mind that I might have been in the middle of a nervous breakdown. I’d have to research that. It could make for an interesting story.

  Egged on by the shocked look on Claire’s face, I leaned closer. I didn’t even have to feign excitement. I almost felt giddy as all the things I’d been thinking and feeling came rushing out in a wonderfully sarcastic diatribe.

  “And Mama has the perfect dress. It was her homecoming dress in high school. She’s still the same size eight she was back then. And after six kids. Do you beli
eve that?” I let my drawl come through. “The dress is orange too, just like my wedding colors. Perfect for fall. Bright orange. The same orange the Volunteers wear.”

  As Claire stared at me blankly, I gave her a look of feigned surprise. “Tennessee. It’s the Volunteer State. You know that, right? Maybe we should put that on the programs.”

  Her pale face flushed with color.

  That did it. I watched as she pushed her chair back from the table, her hands curling over the edge as she stood up.

  I knew I should’ve felt bad, and I knew I still might after this was all over, but a girl could only handle so much.

  Her throat worked. I could almost hear the disgust layering her tone as she opened her mouth to lay into me.

  Before she could, the door flew open, bouncing off the wall with a clanging echo. All of us turned to stare as Cody came running in. His face was white, his eyes huge. He looked like he’d run for miles and the expression on his face had the bottom of my stomach dropping out.

  “Cody.” Claire flicked a dismissive look at him, brushing a hand through the air as if that would wipe away whatever had brought him here. “Whatever it is, it can wait. Please go.”

  I should sit down, I thought, only vaguely aware of anybody else at that point. I could only stare at Cody, waiting for the horrible news. Sit down…

  Except I was already sitting down, clutching at the arms of the chair.

  Estelle moved forward to put a hand on Claire’s arm as Cody took a deep breath.

  I covered my mouth with one hand to stifle the noise I could feel building in my throat. I didn’t want to hear it. I wanted to tell him to stop, to not say it. If he didn’t say it, it wouldn’t be real.

  “It’s Edward,” he said roughly. “Something’s happened.”

  Continues in Vol. 4

  Pure Lust Vol. 4

  One

  Something’s happened.

  Something’s happened.

  Something’s happened...

  I kept hearing Cody’s words echoing in my head. Something. Such a mundane word. Something happened to people every day. We woke up. That was something, right? We went to work, had sex…all something.

  Why this something?

  And why to Edward?

  “Mrs. Bouvier, I’m going to have to insist that you sit down and be quiet before I have you removed from the premises,” a loud, commanding voice said, breaking the monotony of my thoughts.

  Cody groaned. “Why the hell did it have to be Edward who got taken hostage? He’s the only one who can talk her down. She’s going to get everybody killed.”

  I flinched.

  Cody yelped and I jerked my head up just in time to see Flynn lowering his hand.

  I hadn’t even seen him come in. He wasn’t looking at me though. He was staring at Cody with a look I’d never seen before.

  His voice was sharp. “You think that’s what anybody needs to hear right now?”

  “Hell, Flynn.” Cody rubbed the side of his head. Then he sighed. “No, it’s not. You didn’t need to smack me upside the head though.”

  “Why not?” Flynn lowered himself into the vacant seat across from us and folded his arms over his chest. “You’ve had more than enough fun doing it to me. Nice to be on the giving end for once.”

  Cody flipped him off. Then they both turned their gazes to their mother, their bodies radiating with the same tension that was coursing through me. And their mother wasn’t helping matters much.

  Claire Bouvier wasn’t a woman used to being denied and she was in a stand-off with one of the security guards who’d been assigned to watch over the family members who were waiting for news.

  Security guards. My throat knotted up as I tried to swallow. I rubbed my engagement ring.

  Approximately ninety minutes ago, Edward had been about to close on some deal when armed men had rushed into the bank. They’d taken everybody hostage, including Edward.

  We sat with the other families in the lounge of the business office half way down and across the street, staring through the sea of spectators. I didn’t know why I kept staring. It wasn’t like I could see anything. This was as close as they were letting us get. And that was probably a good thing. The way Claire was behaving, I could just see her storming out into the street and demanding to see the man in charge of holding her son hostage.

  That would go over well.

  A weird, strangled sound left me. I don’t know if I was near hysterical tears or laughter. Tearing my gaze away from Claire, I focused on the ceiling.

  “He’ll be okay.”

  At Flynn’s low voice, I lowered my lashes and tried to pretend I wasn’t there. I was anywhere but here. Edward and I were back at the lodge in the mountains. We were making love. He slid his hands up over my breasts and kissed me, then slid them back down and kissed me again…

  A hand closed over mine.

  Sparks shot through me and I jumped. Opening my eyes, I found myself staring at Flynn.

  He’d left his seat to kneel in front of me, his face only inches from mine. There was no lust or even a hint of desire there. Only concern.

  “He’s going to be okay,” Flynn said again, his voice gentle. “Edward has the most level head of anybody I’ve ever met. He just might be able to talk his way out of this and convince all those guys over there into giving up their guns and turning their lives around. You’ll see.”

  Convulsively, I nodded. I found myself gripping his hand so tight it hurt.

  I don’t know what I would have said, but Claire’s strident voice cut through the air again and I sucked in a breath. “Can either of you make her stop?” I asked, my voice quiet.

  “No.” Cody shook his head.

  “If I even tried to get her to settle down, she’d get ten times worse. The only voice she’d hear right now is Edward’s.” Flynn’s voice was casual, like he was discussing the lack of rain.

  “Fine.” I let go of his hand and stood up. Cody caught my arm as I stepped past him.

  “What are you doing?” He stared at me.

  “You know what? There are some jobs that it just takes a woman to do.” That said, I gently tugged free of his grip and strode over to where Claire was standing.

  Two cops stood outside the door. Two security guards mirrored their position inside while two more waited further inside. There were two more along the outer exit and yet a fifth guard who was dealing with Claire and while she looked like she was going to blow a gasket, his face was impassive. So far, he hadn’t even raised his voice.

  He needed a medal.

  I stopped behind Claire and made eye contact with the brave security guard.

  The young man went quiet and cocked his head, lifting an eyebrow.

  Claire glanced behind her. Her shoulders went rigid. “Have a seat, Gabriella. I’m dealing with this.”

  “No, you’re not,” I said quietly. I knew I didn’t need to raise my voice. In fact, I needed to stay calm at all costs.

  She turned to face me. “Excuse me?”

  Once her blue eyes were focused on me, I took another step, lowering my voice so that she was the only one who heard. I hated airing dirty laundry in public. My mama had raised me with manners, after all. It didn’t matter how much I disliked her. I was marrying her son and that meant she was family. I protected my family as much as I could.

  “You’re making yourself look like a fool. You’re distracting these men when they’re here to protect us and make sure there aren’t any other dangers. You’re demanding to be taken closer to Edward when anything unplanned will only endanger him.”

  “Oh, do be quiet.” She sniffed and made a fluttering motion with her hand, her perfectly manicured nails too close.

  I batted her hand out of my face, fighting to keep my annoyance under control.

  “You’re being a menace. They’ve already told you that if you persist, you’ll be locked up, and what good will that do?” I hardened my voice. “Now let me tell you something. If you do one t
hing that endangers Edward or anybody else in that building, I will personally kick your ass.”

  She sucked in a breath, the intensity of my voice finally penetrating that thick veil of privilege that was wrapped so securely around her. “You insolent little bitch!”

  “You arrogant cow!” I cut her off, pointing toward the building. My voice was rising and it took almost all of my self-control to keep it level. “Your son, my fiancé and eighteen other people are being held in that building. One of them is a young pregnant woman and she has her two year-old son with her. Did you not hear that part? But all you can think about is the fact a Bouvier is over there and nobody treats the Bouvier family like this! But that’s not what’s important! Now let the cops do their job so they can bring Edward and everybody else out alive!”

  One of the cops came into the room just as Cody and Flynn flanked us. Cody took Claire and Flynn caught my arm.

  “Wow. That’s some pre-marital drama you two have going,” Cody said, forcing a laugh. “I guess those seating arrangements this morning didn’t go well, huh?”

  He guided Claire to one side of the seats while Flynn took me to another. He all but had to push me down into it. I was still drilling holes into Claire and she looked like she wanted to rip holes in me.

  A dozen other people were giving her the same angry look as I was though. As she noticed it, she started to calm. She huffed out a breath and crossed her legs, staring stonily ahead while Cody spoke quietly to her. Whatever he said, didn’t get a response, but she’d at least sat down and shut up, so I wasn’t going to complain.

  Flynn and I didn’t speak. I didn’t know if I could have said anything more at that point anyway. I felt more drained than before.

  My phone chimed. Numb, I pulled it out of my bag and stared at it, confused for a moment. After a moment, I realized I had a message. It was Kendra.

  I got your message. I am so sorry. Have you heard anything? Is he okay? I’m waiting down by the coffee shop at the corner, but they won’t let me come to where you are. It’s family only right now. Please text me back.