by Kasey Krane
I kept my legs stretched apart as wide as I could until he was done.
Then he pulled himself out of me while I felt a trickle of his cum on my thighs.
I was panting, completely rendered breathless. Colin straightened up and walked back to the mini fridge.
All I could do was just lie there on the bed and stare at him while he examined the fridge’s contents. Then he turned to me abruptly, catching me staring at him.
“How about we do a little less drinking tonight?” he suggested.
I had to do everything to keep myself from smiling.
He had already decided I was spending the night with him.
We ended up ordering room service. Lobster and chocolate covered strawberries.
I had never eaten this lavishly and I tried not to show it, but I was sure he could tell I was new to this lifestyle.
After I cleaned up, Colin had handed me one of his fluffy hotel robes to wear and I’d stripped down to nothing underneath it.
He was wearing just his underwear. This definitely felt like a honeymoon.
“Enjoying yourself?” he asked as I licked my fingers. I’d forgotten myself for a few moments and blushed under his gaze.
“I am actually.”
“It’s funny that we didn’t even know of each other’s existence until last night,” he added.
I looked up at him quizzically. I didn’t know what he meant by that.
Colin shrugged. “We’re fairly comfortable in each other’s company.”
I felt a nudge in my chest, because he voiced exactly the thoughts in my head. Sometimes I forgot who he was and who I was. What I was really doing here. I got lost in the fun we were having. The ease we had fallen into with each other.
“We’re married now, so I guess we have no choice but to get comfortable,” I joked.
I wasn’t sure why I said that because that comment hurt. It took me back to that dark place in my childhood when my parents didn’t get along. They were far from ever getting along. They hated each other.
Simply being married didn’t automatically equate to being compatible.
Colin ate the strawberry in his hand which smeared some chocolate around his lips. With a smile on his face he reached for me, grabbing me by my ankles and yanked me towards him by dragging me down the bed.
I giggled when he wrapped me in his arms, kissing my face and chin and neck. He smelled of chocolates, even tasted like them and this was beginning to feel a little bit like heaven.
I hadn’t been this happy and carefree in a very long time, and I wished it was real.
“Tell me something about yourself. Anything. I want to know a little bit about the girl I married,” he said, after he was done kissing me to his satisfaction.
I tried not to look guilty. There was so much I was purposely hiding from him. I could barely look him in the eye.
“My last name is Price,” I replied.
“Marley Price.” He said my name aloud, rolling it around his mouth like he could taste it.
I knew telling him my name was treading dangerous territory. It wouldn’t take him any time to find out who I was and what I did for a living if he looked into it using my name.
But I wasn’t going to be able to keep it hidden for very long either way. We had a legal document I had signed with my name already.
All he had to do was look at it.
Fourteen
Colin
Even though we had spent approximately one day together, I woke up the next morning expecting to find Marley beside me in bed. It was like my mind and body both expected her there.
And she was right there, snuggled into me, with her hair strewn all over the pillows and her body supple and warm under the sheets. That same familiar perfume she wore was all around me, filling my senses.
I opened my eyes and realized I was smiling.
The lack of a hangover felt good. I was feeling significantly better today and more like myself. The fogginess of my mind had disappeared and I hoped I’d be able to think more clearly.
Marley moaned in her sleep softly when I pulled away from her. I sat up in bed and stared at the shape of her body. How comfortable she looked lying there in my bed.
Usually, I didn’t have the time or the interest to notice something like this. I rarely woke up with a girl beside me. Not since Tina. But I couldn’t look away from Marley.
We had fun last night. We talked about everything under the sun other than personal stuff. Movies, music, sport, places we had traveled to, food we enjoyed eating. This was the most ‘regular’ conversation I ever had with a girl. She was easy to talk to, easy to connect with.
Or maybe I had just allowed myself to be open and easy with her.
Either way, I woke up in the morning feeling a hundred pounds lighter. Like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders and I was able to finally be myself around someone other than my brothers.
I never had close friends. I didn’t know what it felt like to be honest with someone about your opinions, and have them accept you for it.
I got out of bed and Marley continued to sleep. I didn’t want to wake her.
But who was I kidding? This wasn’t going to last. It was a new day and the end of the weekend. No matter which way I looked at it, it was going to come to an end.
I didn’t expect to grow fond of a girl I accidentally and drunkenly married.
I realized she was my weakness. Liking her, waking up beside her, wanting her—were all failings on my part. This wasn’t me. I didn’t allow myself to get weak in the knees for some chick.
I grabbed the phone on the nightstand and called down to reception for coffee and eggs.
That woke her up. It was exactly what I wanted.
It was time for her to leave so we could move on with our lives.
Marley sat up with a start, rubbing her eyes with the backs of her hands.
“Hi. What time is it?” she asked, smiling at me.
Her groggy smile was all it took for me to melt into madness. I thought I would have been able to keep a lid on it, but no…all I wanted to do was jump back in bed and take possession of her beautiful body again.
“Time for breakfast,” I remarked and started putting on clothes.
She pulled the sheets up around her to cover herself, and I wished she didn’t, but said nothing about it.
It wasn’t like she was actually my wife. Like I could actually tell her what to do.
“Last night was…” she began to say, and when I turned to her, she smiled. Apparently, she didn’t have the words to describe what the previous night had meant to her.
“Yeah, it was fun.”
She nodded. She still hadn’t made a move to get out of bed or put on her clothes.
“But I have to leave,” I added.
“Oh! Another fun day out with your brothers?” she asked brightly.
I fixed a hard stare on her.
“Not really. Today is the day I leave Las Vegas. The weekend is over.” Even as I said the words, they sat heavy on me.
Why was this so difficult to do? Why did I give a shit?
Marley shifted uncomfortably, choosing to look away from me and stare out the window instead.
“I didn’t realize it was going to be over so quickly.”
“I have some pressing stuff to get back to,” I replied.
I tried to get her to look at me again but she refused. I didn’t know what she was thinking. Was she sad? I didn’t think anyone would care if they saw me again or not.
“Somehow, I’d managed to forget either of us have real lives to lead. Outside this hotel room,” she continued speaking in a hollow voice.
“I’ll get the lawyers working on our case as soon as I get back. You should leave me your number and maybe your address too so they can get in touch, Marley Price,” I said.
She finally looked back at me, but there was a knock on the door just then. It was room service with our breakfast.
I opened the door
and the guy walked in with the food, leaving it all on the coffee table. Once he’d left and I shut the door, I turned to her again. Marley’s eyes were shining like she just had a bright idea.
“Or why don’t I go with you?” she said.
For a few moments I wasn’t sure what she was talking about. Go with me where?
Then she jumped out of bed, pulling the sheets with her.
“Come on! It’ll be fun. We could pretend to be actually married to each other. It doesn’t have to be over just yet, does it?” she said with her big blue eyes.
This felt like madness. Was she for real?
But Marley was excited, pumped full of energy as she poured herself a big cup of coffee from the pot, dragging the sheets with her around the room.
“I think it’ll be just perfect, don’t you?”
“Are you fuckin’ serious?” I growled.
But she didn’t seem bothered by my tone at all. Instead, she turned to me with a smile filling her face.
“Absolutely serious. I don’t have to actually be here. I’m kinda…in between jobs,” she confessed.
“In between jobs?”
She shrugged and rolled her eyes.
“Okay, I’ll admit it. I was let go. The company I was working for dissolved my department, and I was the newest employee so I was fired. Last to come in, first to go out—that sort of thing.”
This didn’t seem to bother her that much, but maybe that was why she seemed so upset when she woke up and found the ring on her finger. Maybe she was feeling lost and defeated and now this new idea sounded like an adventure to her.
“So you want to come to New York with me?”
“Why not? It’s not like I’m doing anything else. And won’t it be easier for your lawyers to take care of this annulment business if I’m right there to physically and quickly sign the papers?”
She had a point. Besides, this plan sounded exciting to me too—as much as I tried denying it. The idea of spending more time with Marley was a good one.
I cleared my throat and ran a hand through my hair.
“I have a big ass family and I’m pretty close to them,” I admitted.
“So you’re afraid of being embarrassed by me? By having to admit what we did?”
I said nothing and she threw her head back and laughed.
“Yeah, don’t worry, I get it. We don’t have to tell them the truth, do we?”
She didn’t know my family. They would eventually figure it out whether I gave them the facts or not. Besides, Aidan knew already.
“I don’t want you to end up feeling like I’m taking advantage of you in some way.”
“Why would I? This is my idea. I love New York.”
“We live in a small town, not actually in New York City.”
Marley shrugged.
“But you work in the city right?”
I didn’t want to have to explain it to her. She had no idea what she was voluntarily getting herself into.
“Look, before you make the decision to come with me, there are a few things you should know about me and my family first,” I said.
Marley clutched the coffee cup hard and sat down in one of the chairs, bringing her knees up. The sheets fell away and I saw her naked again. She didn’t care. She stared at me with interest. She didn’t know what I would say.
I didn’t know what I would say, but I knew I had to give her some kind of warning before she ended up in the middle of the Doherty family.
Fifteen
Marley
My heart started beating a little bit faster when Colin told me he needed to give me the scoop on his family.
I didn’t want to guess how much information he was about to give me, but whatever he said would be more than the rest of my precinct already knew. I couldn’t wait to see the looks on their faces when I walked in there with everything I’d gathered from the Dohertys.
I must have looked like a greedy little puppy as I stared up at him. Colin shrugged.
“We lead a bit of an alternative lifestyle,” he said.
My throat was dry. The adrenaline rushing through my veins nearly made me dizzy.
That was an interesting way to put it—but he wasn’t lying.
“Alternative lifestyle?” I said with a smile.
Colin brushed a hand through his hair and I sensed he was trying to choose his words carefully.
“I’m not sure how to explain it to you.”
“Why don’t you try?” I suggested, sitting back in the chair.
For my part—I had all the time in the world.
He dug his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“Why don’t you start by telling me what you do. Or did rather.”
I had to come up with something fast. I really wasn’t trained for this and I hoped it didn’t show.
“Just computer tech. Data entry sort of thing. Nothing exciting, unlike you,” I replied. I pressed my lips together in panic when I realized what I said.
“What makes you think I do something exciting?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.
“It’s just an impression I have. Why else would you describe it as an alternative lifestyle? Can I guess? You’re a family of trapeze artists,” I said with a laugh. I just hoped it sounded natural.
I waited a few beats for his reaction, and when he smiled—I knew I got away with it.
He didn’t suspect me, at least not for now.
“Wouldn’t that be cool. No, I’m sorry to disappoint you, Marley, but I’m not a trapeze artist. In fact, nobody in my family is known for impeccable balance.”
Why did he have to be so darn cute? I blushed and tried to hide it.
This was going to be more difficult than I hoped because I actually liked spending time with him, but I’d have to constantly remind myself I was on a mission in reality.
“I can’t get into the details of what kind of business we run, for confidentiality sake, but I just want you to know that it isn’t going to be what you expect,” he continued.
I nodded, trying to appear casual even though I was disappointed he wasn’t telling me more.
“Don’t worry, I have no expectations. I’m open to anything. I just want to get out of Atlantic City for a while and forget about my shit life here,” I replied.
It wasn’t too far from the truth.
Colin said he was going to pack up his stuff and I told him I was going to take a shower. I hoped he would join me there like he did the previous day, but he didn’t.
Maybe he was in a rush and wanted to get moving. Either way, being in the shower by myself finally gave me some time to think.
I came to his hotel room the previous night with the intention of getting closer to him and spending more time together. I wanted information. Any information. I definitely didn’t expect to go to New York with him. That idea took birth in the moment, and I wasn’t so sure if it was a good one any more.
This whole thing could go south any moment. In fact, I hadn’t even brought my weapon with me. And wouldn’t it have been wise to have my weapon? Some kind of protection?
The truth was that Colin and his family were dangerous people. If they even got a whiff of who I really was and that I’d infiltrated their world, they wouldn’t hesitate to make me disappear.
It wouldn’t matter how much fun Colin and I had together. He’d forget about our romps in bed in a matter of seconds. It wasn’t like he actually gave a damn about me. This wasn’t fun. This was stupid.
And I was putting my life directly in the line of danger.
More importantly, nobody else would know where I was. I didn’t have friends to share this information with, and I wasn’t going to tell anyone at the precinct either.
The last thing I needed from them were jabs and jokes about how idiotic my plan was.
So if Colin wanted to, he could easily make me disappear and nobody would have the first clue where to start looking for me.
I stepped out of the shower feeling cold.
What had I gotten myself into?
It wasn’t too late to stop this now. I could just tell him I’d changed my mind and I didn’t want to go to New York with him. That I bought my own plane ticket back home. It didn’t seem like he’d force me or kidnap me. He may have been a part of the mafia but he wasn’t a brute.
I wrapped the towel tightly around me while I shivered.
Maybe this was a huge mistake. Maybe I just needed to walk away from this and return to my normal life.
But the bathroom door opened just then and Colin walked in, looking so big and strong that I just wanted to melt into his arms.
I couldn’t decide how I felt about him.
In his physical presence, the only thing I felt was excitement and happiness
That wasn’t how I was supposed to feel about a man whose family I was infiltrating so I could help build a case against them.
“Ready to go?” he asked with a handsome smile.
I breathed in deeply and tipped my head to the side.
“Just because we’re married doesn’t mean you get to nag me,” I said, and he started laughing.
His bags were packed and I had none.
“Maybe I should stop by my apartment first and pick up some stuff,” I suggested.
The truth was, I was having second thoughts. I wasn’t so sure if I could actually do this anymore. I was too attracted to Colin and he was proving to be a distraction.
I didn’t know much about going undercover, but the one thing I could logically surmise was that wanting to sleep with my subject could prove to be very dangerous.
And tripping up wasn’t an option here. It could lead to fatal consequences.
“We’re going to New York, Marley. You can get anything you need or want there,” he said.
“I need clothes and my comb, my phone charger and stuff.”
