Deceived 4 - The Wedding (3 page)

“What? How am I going to do that?”

“Just do it.”

I moved forward with
baby steps, afraid I would stub my toe on the foot of the bed, until I felt the soft fabric of the comforter brush against my knees. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it, blind and bound. I imagined that I must have looked pretty awkward as I moved. And guys think that looks sexy? I didn’t feel sexy. I felt like a buffoon. I could feel his hands holding my arms as he assisted me to get onto the bed. I bent one knee and put it up on the bed and moved forward until I was kneeling on the bed with my back to him, awaiting a new command.

“Good girl. Now bend over. Stay on your knees and put your head down on the bed,” he said
, gently placing his hand on the back of my neck and pushing my head down so my ass was still up in the air. Although I couldn’t see through my blindfold, I had the feeling that he was smiling as he watched me contort into this awkward position. It was a little uncomfortable but the smoothness of the bedspread felt soft against my face as I laid my cheek on it. But I was game and played along and it was kind of exciting.

“
Oooh, baby,” he hissed again. “The view from here looks so fine. You’ve been a good girl so far and I’m going to reward you with pleasure.”

I could
feel the palms of his hands swirling and smoothing over the roundness of my butt cheeks. His touch was warm and firm and it felt good. Then I felt the softness of his lips brush along my skin as he kissed it lightly. In between kisses he dragged his teeth across my skin, opening and closing his mouth.

It kind of tickled but still I said, “Hey, no biting back there.”

He continued and said, “I’m not biting, just kissing your ass, dear.”

“Good that’s the way it should be
, now that we’re getting married.”

“Oh, you naughty little girl
…so sassy, aren’t you? Do you like being naughty?” He ran his fingers around the edges of my opening, rubbing and teasing the outer rim. “Do you like this? You must, you’re so wet for me. What do you want? Tell me?”

I wiggled impatiently, the touch of his finger was ramping up my desire and every sensitive nerv
e endings in my body felt like they were on fire.

“More,” I bu
rst out. “More, touch it, I want more.”

“Here?” He pushed and stroked but still skirted the edges of my hot spot. He
was
going to make me beg for it. He played dirty. I was too easy on him. I should have made
him
beg. I had been outsmarted this time, but there would be a next time.

I groaned, “More, you know where…more where I like it.”

He shifted his position and I could feel that he had risen to his feet. He yanked me towards him, scooting me into position to take me from behind. My clit quivered with excitement, and I let out a gasp when I felt the sudden jerk of my body. His stiff shaft pressed up against my ass as he leaned against me, pushing with his hips, rubbing it against me.

In a low sultry voice he said, “Good things come to go
od girls who wait.” And suddenly I felt the stroke of his fingertips on my wetness. This time when he traced around my opening he finally rewarded me with the kind of touch I wanted and rubbed my aching little nub. Jolts of pleasure shot through my body and he thrust inside of me at the same time. The action of the two together, each complimenting the other, made my eyes roll back into my head with delight. The room faded into oblivion as he stroked my clit and thrust inside of me. My senses were drenched by steamy hot palpitations that sizzled inside of my brain, crackling like static electricity all the way down to my toes like a path of falling dominoes. I was barely aware of Patrick’s pleasurable moans and groans as I lost myself in a sea of lustful sensations. He pushed and stroked, and I cried out his name until we both crashed over the edge into a massive orgasm.

Panting and breathing heavily, he leaned over to remove the blindfold
, which had pretty much worked its way off with all the forward motion of Patrick’s thrusts. When I looked up into his face, he was grinning from ear to ear. He removed the wrist strap and I rolled over onto my back and Patrick flopped down beside me.

“That was some hot sex, baby. I didn’t know you had this in you.”

We rolled together to face each other, and I stroked his face with my hand.

“Chloe, life is going to be so great together with you.”

I looked into his sparkling steel-grey eyes and said, “I feel safe with you. I trust you. I guess that’s why I am able to try this kind of stuff, be free…you know, in the bedroom. With you.” I traced a fingertip across his lips.

“I love you, Chloe. I can’t wait to be husband and wife.
Back when I was single, before I met you, I was caught up in finding myself, but I didn’t even really know I was lost until I found you. I will never hurt you, I promise. Not here in the bedroom, or anywhere, in any way. I’m yours forever. I’ll be your protector.”

I nestled my head
into the crook of his neck and wedged my body as close to his as possible. “I love you too, Patrick.”

I felt like my life was on the threshold of something great. There are only a few times in one’s life that mark the great moments. Getting married is one of
them and I was the happiest I had ever been in my life; I was about to marry the man of my dreams.

I
t was hard to believe, only one more day until the wedding. My parents and Patrick’s parents were about to meet for the first time, at the rehearsal dinner at The Plaza Hotel. I just hoped it would go well. There was a lot of tension between Patrick’s parents. He had said it would be safer to seat his mom and dad as far from each other as possible at the table. Their divorce a few years ago had been pretty ugly and this was the first time they would be in the same room together for more than a year. I had come to know Patrick’s dad pretty well over the last few months; he was a very generous man but it usually came with a price. Like I had seen happen before, I anticipated he would dominate the conversation all evening. One of the reasons Gerald insisted on throwing this extravagant wedding for us was to show his ex-wife how successful he was now.

A couple of days ago, Patrick and I had driven
to the airport to pick up my parents and my brother, Scott. The minute I saw them I could tell my parents were a little overwhelmed by the big city. They had only been to New York City once before, shortly after our engagement, to meet the man who had so boldly stolen their daughter’s heart and asked for her hand in marriage. That meeting had gone well; my family loved Patrick and accepted him with open arms. I couldn’t exactly say the same thing for the reception I received from at least one side of Patrick’s family. His dad had accepted me, but I could tell I would never be his mother’s favorite. I just hoped the night would turn out well, but I feared the tension between Gerald and Elizabeth would be so thick you could cut it with a knife.

I later learned t
hat would be the least of my worries. Little did I know that that evening would turn out to be the worst of my life.

~*~*~

“Chloe, you look worried. Are you okay? I hope you’re not getting cold feet,” Ryan whispered in my ear. “I swear that bachelor party was not my idea.”

I had my two favorite men sitting next to me, Patrick to my right and Ryan to my left.

I looked at Ryan, sitting there with a goofy smile on his face.
“Funny, Ryan. What
did
happen at that bachelor party?” As soon as the words spilled out of my mouth, I regretted asking. “No, wait, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”

Ryan opened his mouth to talk but nothing came out as he contemplated what to say.
He decided that silence was the best approach.

“
It’s okay, seriously, Ryan. I’m fine…really. Just a little nervous about how things are going to unfold tonight.”

“Ah, don’t be. E
verything is going great. So far, no arguments have erupted between Heckle and Jekyll over there.” Ryan winked at me and nodded across the table to where Patrick’s parents sat. He had heard all the stories of the ugly divorce from Patrick, back when it happened, and knew Gerald well from some business affairs.

I gave them a pleasant smile.
The problem with Patrick’s parents was that the two of them were too similar in personality. They could both be brash, cynical and a little antagonistic at times. His father was pleasant enough, but could be openly confrontational, while his mother was more devious, and both had their fair share of rudeness embedded in their souls. To say they annoyed each other was an understatement. I took a deep breath. In a few days, these people would be my in-laws and further down the road, my children’s grandparents.

My brother
, Scott, had been seated between the two adversaries and had the unfortunate assignment of being the buffer. He should have been able to handle them; after all, he was a six foot two college quarterback. But looking at him now, I wasn’t so sure he could control the situation. Keeping two hyperactive kindergarteners in line might have be an easier task than keeping the peace between those two.

“Carol,
how do you like The Plaza?” Gerald asked my mom, who was sitting across from him.

“I
…I’ve never seen anything like it,” my mom replied. She was right. It wasn’t exactly The Traveler’s Inn in Fairfield, Iowa. Gerald had been so generous as to put my parents up in a suite here at the Plaza. My dad had objected, of course, feeling it was too generous, but Gerald insisted that it was all part of the wedding reception package deal he had arranged with the management. Dad accepted that. He didn’t get that a world class hotel like The Plaza doesn’t really do package deals.

“The Plaza is
quite lovely,” Elizabeth interrupted, “but I’m not so sure it’s right for my son’s wedding.”

Her son’s wedding? Oh, I see, it’s not really “our”
wedding. Obviously she’s not including me in her circle of ice-cold warmth.

She turned and directed her next question at me
. “What do you think, my dear? Do you really like this place?”

Suddenly all eyes were on me, waiting for my answer. I felt the pink heat
of a blush rise to my cheeks. Great, now I have to pick sides. Who am I going to back? Elizabeth or Gerald? Suddenly my throat was dry as a desert. I took a sip of water from my glass to stall for time.

Patrick’s mom
was a beautiful woman, in her early sixties but she looked more like she was in her late forties. Her black hair and dark eyes were a stark contrast to her china white skin. Her face hardly had a wrinkle, thanks to the wonders of modern cosmetic procedures, and a lot of cash to finance it at her disposal, no doubt. She came from a wealthy east coast family and when she and Gerald married, and laid claim to Gerald’s business, she was a rich girl who only became richer. She was strong willed and opinionated, and used to getting her way. Although on the surface she had always been nice to me, I felt I could never really get close to her. She had that kind of closed-off vibe, a barrier she seemed to put between her and other people, which was impossible to break. I didn’t want to go up against this woman but I couldn’t cross Gerald, either. Besides, it was too late to change venue anyway. The wedding was tomorrow, for Christ’s sake.

I daintily set my glass back on the fine linen tablecloth and
squeezed Patrick’s hand. “I think it’s wonderful,” I said. “The Plaza will be a beautiful place for our wedding reception.”

Elizabeth
narrowed her dark, cold eyes at me. Was she sizing me up? I felt like a bug under a microscope. How very manipulative of her. She had thrown out a challenge and was watching to see how I’d react.

I just blinked and gave her a wide-eyed
, innocent look. She broke her stare and turned her attention to smoothing the napkin on her lap. “I suppose you are right. If that’s the kind of wedding reception the two of you want, I guess it will do.”

Sensing that she
was trying to make me squirm, my dad came to the rescue and chimed in, trying to change the subject. “Tell me, Chloe, what kind of music will there be at the reception?”

Elyse
cleared her voice and spoke for the first time. “My boyfriend will be playing with his band.”

“They
’re great. Patrick and I heard them the other day. They’re so good, right, sweetie?” I said and gazed at Patrick.

“
Absolutely, they can play a little of everything. So, Clark, I expect to see you out on the dance floor, doing a little disco dancing.”

My dad set his drink down on the table and shook his head. “Ah,
er, well I’m afraid you won’t be seeing any dancing by me. I have two left feet and disco was after my time anyway, son.” My mom gave him a sympathetic look, like she could vouch for what Dad said. “Oh, but don’t worry, honey, I can manage a father daughter dance with the bride. I’m not that back woods.”

As the conversation died down, a selection of
exquisite French hors d'oeuvres arrived at the table and we all indulged in the culinary expertise of the kitchen of The Plaza Hotel. Salmon and trout tartar, with pressed caviar and tomatoes, was served, followed by tasty Porcini mushroom tartlets. I glanced down the table and saw Scott devouring them like he was bulking up for the next big game.

“Scott,
” I said sharply, as he shoved another hors d’oeuvre in his mouth with his fingers. He gave me a palms-up up shrug and said, “What?” in the middle of a bite, clueless, as if he’d done nothing wrong.

I tried to be more demur
e and wanted to make sure I complimented Patrick’s dad for giving us such a magnificent dinner. I took a small bite and raised my voice slightly so Gerald would be sure to hear. Turning to Patrick I said, “Patrick, this is delicious. You have to try the salmon.” No sooner had the words come out of my mouth when I noticed an attractive woman, wearing a form fitting red dress and heels, walking toward our table. I laid down my fork as the, thirty something year old, blonde stopped right next to our table, clutching a small black designer purse under her arm.

She
stuck her chin out and cleared her voice. “Hello, everybody, so sorry to interrupt. I just need to speak with Patrick for a moment.”

Patrick stared at the woman
, baffled, and then his eyes narrowed and turned cold steel gray. He looked up at her, his gaze blazing holes in her and he lowered his voice. “Stephanie…what are you doing here? It’s been…years.” I turned my head and stared at him in disbelief. The chill in his voice was so cold icicles could have formed on every word.

“It’s Steph,
as you ought to remember. Can I just speak with you privately for a moment? I don’t think you want everyone to hear what I have to say.” She threw an equally cold glance back at Patrick.

I
leaned over to Ryan and whispered, “Who is she? If she knows Patrick, why haven’t I seen her before? I thought I’d met all his friends.”

Ryan hesitated and
shot a glance toward the woman and then Patrick. My mouth fell open and my heart sank. That glance was his way of checking with Patrick if he should tell me or back up Patrick.
Damn him
.
Damn them both.
It was so unfair. I was going to be his wife. There shouldn’t be any secrets. I pursed my lips together hard.

Finally,
Ryan whispered back, “They sort of…dated, back in high school. Prom king and queen. You know, typical high school stuff…and from what I know, Patrick hasn’t seen her for years. For a good reason too…that woman is one crazy bitch.”

I furrowed my brow and bit my lip
. This was not what I wanted to hear on the night of my rehearsal dinner. And why on Earth would an ex-girlfriend of Patrick’s show up here, at The Plaza Hotel?

Patrick took his napkin from his lap and tossed it on the table
as if he were about to get up, then he decided to stay put. “We have nothing to talk about…Steph.” He enunciated her name as if the word left a bitter taste in his mouth. “I’d appreciate it if you would just leave,” he said with a wave of his hand.

She pouted
. The bright red color of her lipstick protruded into the room. “Is that so? Well then, I’ll just say this out loud. I read in the newspaper that you’re getting married. I’m afraid that if you do that, you will be breaking the law.”

There was a soft gasp in the room as Patrick rose to his feet.
His jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. “What the hell are you talking about, Steph? I think you should just go now, before you say something to embarrass yourself any further.”

“Oh Patrick, Patrick, Patrick.
You must have forgotten completely,” she chuckled, a dry and cynical sound, before pointing a manicured nail at me. “You can’t marry this woman. You see, you are already married to me.”

This time a loud gas
p echoed through the room and my stomach turned. My mind refused to register the significance of her words. I swiveled my body toward Patrick, gripping the arms of my chair with white knuckles. My heart was pounding, trying to drum its way out of my chest. “What is this about?” I felt the screams of frustration at the back of my throat but I stilled my nerves and in a calm voice asked, “Patrick…why does this woman claim that you’re her husband?”

Confusion and irritation
washed over his face and for the first time I heard Patrick stutter, as he ripped out the words impatiently. “Just…g-give me a second, hon, and I’ll straighten this out.”

He
shoved his chair back, grabbed the woman roughly by her arm and escorted her out of the room.

The room was in complete silence as I
spun the other direction, toward Ryan, the unfortunate victim of circumstances and the receptor of my current wrath. My stomach was still clenched and my heart was still pounding. “Is this some kind of sick bachelor party joke? Because if it is, it’s not funny,” I spat.

Ryan threw
his hands up in protest. “Chloe, I swear. I have absolutely nothing to do with this and I have no idea what’s going on. It’s probably some desperate attempt on her part to cause trouble for Patrick. I told you…she’s one crazy bitch.”

I slumped down in my chair and put my face in my hands
, just waiting for the onslaught of questions from my parents, and Patrick’s parents, and everybody in the whole damn room. Although I couldn’t see through my fingers, I heard Elizabeth mutter under her breath, “It probably wasn’t meant to be. These things happen for a reason…”