by Suzy K Quinn
CRACK, CRACK, CRACK.
Marc hits me hard on my backside.
CRACK, CRACK, CRACK.
When he stops I almost can’t see straight. God, it feels so good. So, so good.
I’m about to beg him for more, but before I can, I feel Marc pushing my legs apart and climbing on top of me, his hardness pressing between my thighs.
‘I can only tease you for so long,’ Marc says, sliding himself into place, ready to push inside of me. ‘You’re irresistible to me, do you know that Miss Rose? Absolutely fucking irresistible.’
I hear the tear of a condom packet, and feel myself shaking my head into the duvet.
‘Let’s do it without.’
‘Without?’
‘I want to feel you. All of you. We’re about to get married. I think it’s okay now.’
‘Sophia. I don’t want anything happening to you that you don’t choose. There could be consequences. A baby. Are you ready for that possibility?’
‘I’m ready for whatever happens. Are you?’
‘Very ready.’
With that, he plunges inside me, all the way in – so hard and fast that it takes my breath away.
‘Ooooh,’ I moan, as I tighten around him, feeling him get as deep as he can. My buttocks sting from the pressure of his hips, and my breasts feel hot as they’re pushed into the bed.
It all feels so, so good.
He pushes my legs wider so he can get even deeper, and for a moment I’m not sure I can take it – how deep he’s going. But as he starts to move, I realise I can. That we’re made for each other, and his body is meant to fit with mine, even if it means pushing me to my limits.
Marc moves hard and fast for a few strokes, pushing me back and forth into the bed like a rag doll. Then he flips me over, still keeping himself inside me, but lifting my ankles onto his shoulders again.
I think I might come just from looking up into those intense, burning eyes of his, but I hold myself just on the brink, just on the verge of losing it.
I see Marc is barely holding on too. His eyelids are fluttering and his jaw is held tight.
‘Oh god Sophia,’ he groans, his spiky lips curving even higher. He plunges forwards, letting out a long, low moan.
That does it. I can’t hold on anymore. An orgasm rises up and up, until it’s pushing and pulling, sending waves of warmth and pleasure from between my legs, up over my whole body.
My thighs clench around Marc, pulling him deeper, and I reach out to grab his buttocks, forcing him further inside me.
Marc moans again, and I moan too.
He rubs his hands up and down my legs, creating a gorgeous warm friction that makes my orgasm last even longer. His eyes are closed and he’s lost in me, just like I’m lost in him.
After a long, delicious moment, he slides my legs from his shoulders and pulls my body against his.
‘You still want to be Mrs Blackwell tomorrow?’ he whispers into my hair.
‘I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.’
‘It’s nearly midnight.’
‘Maybe it won’t be bad luck for you to stay, after all,’ I say, desperate to hold on to this moment.
Marc smiles. ‘We’ve had this discussion. You didn’t want to risk it. Remember? I don’t want you doing anything you might regret in the morning.’
‘Then I guess you’d better go,’ I say. ‘Before the clock strikes and you turn into a pumpkin.’
‘I’ll be back for you Cinderella,’ says Marc. ‘See you in the morning.’
The next day, I wake to the most beautiful sunrise. It’s pink and orange and grey and just a whole rainbow of soft pastel colours.
The dark green woodlands of Ivy College look more magnificent today than I’ve ever seen them.
I’ve barely got out of bed and brushed my teeth before there’s a knock on the door.
‘Is there a bride to be in there?’ Jen calls.
Smiling, I head across the room to let her in.
‘Wow,’ says Jen, as I open the door. ‘Amazing room.’
‘I know. Nice, isn’t it?’
For once, Jen isn’t all made up and picture perfect. Her long blonde hair is piled up in a messy bun on her head. She’s wearing a pink tracksuit and sunglasses, and when she whisks off the sunglasses, her eyes are clear of makeup.
I stand back to let her in. ‘Thanks for getting here so early. I know you hate early mornings. And it must have been pretty hard leaving Leo Falkirk in bed …’
‘Anything for my best friend.’ Jen is carrying her huge metal makeup case. ‘Well. Are you ready for me to work my magic?’
I take in a deep breath and let it out. ‘Yes. Ready. Let’s get started.’
84
After Jen has fixed my hair and makeup, Rodney arrives with croissants and coffee, ‘courtesy of Marc Blackwell’. And he brings something else with him. Something even better than breakfast.
Tanya.
‘Morning all,’ she says, breezing into the Ambassador room. ‘I’m not late am I?’
‘No,’ I tell her. ‘Right on time.’
It doesn’t take long before Jen starts fixing Tanya’s hair and makeup too, and soon we’re all prettied up and ready for the big day.
I have to fight Jen off a few times when she hovers with the red lipstick, wanting to ‘make the most of those amazing lips’, but in the end we keep my makeup soft and natural, just like I want.
The three of us stand side by side in the full-length mirror, grinning like idiots. We make a lovely picture – not because we’re all beautified, but because our arms are wrapped around each other and we’re all laughing, as Tanya jokes about Tom’s outfit for the wedding.
It took him weeks to decide what to wear, apparently. He’s been scanning the internet every evening, looking for something suitable.
‘He’s like a girl when it comes to clothes,’ says Tanya. ‘But I love him anyway. I think he’s a bit jealous of my bridesmaid’s dress.’
Tanya’s fern green dress is made of loose silk and cut on the bias. She and Jen are wearing exactly the same thing – simple silk gowns, gathered in all the right places. I picked a green that would suit both their colourings.
‘I love mine too,’ says Jen. ‘But not as much as I love your wedding dress, Soph. It’s just so you. You look like some beautiful woodland princess.’
My wedding dress really is amazing.
Marc took me to the most exclusive boutiques and introduced me to some really famous designers. But in the end, I just wanted something simple that felt like me. So I asked Jen’s mum to make my dress. She’s a really good seamstress, and knows me inside and out.
When I told her what I wanted, it was like she could read my mind. And the finished dress is perfect, just perfect.
It’s made of long, flowing white silk, and has a simple v-shaped bust and tiny silver ivy leaves embroidered on the shoulders. It’s so light and loose that it flows around my body when I move, and it makes me feel like a fairy princess.
It’s pretty and natural, but best of all I feel really comfortable in it. I didn’t want anything that wouldn’t let me move freely.
I considered marrying in bare feet, but then Jen found some ivory-satin ballet pumps with silver leaf details over them and gave them to me as my ‘something new’. I knew they were perfect as soon as I saw them. Jen knows me so well.
The dress aside, I’m pretty much done. Jen has left my hair kind of natural. She’s put stuff in it so it doesn’t puff up, and she’s strung pearls on silver thread around my curls, but other than that it’s just shiny and loose, like always.
Oh, and Dad gave me my mum’s blue jasper stone bracelet as my something old and something blue. And Denise has leant me a tiara from her huge costume collection as my something borrowed. It’s a beautiful silver one, with metal work so delicate that it looks like lace.
So I’m ready. I’m ready to get married.
85
The sun glows overhead as Jen and
Tanya lead me across the grass.
I’m holding their hands tightly as we near the woods and I don’t let go, even when we near the woodland path.
Jen is holding up the silk skirt of my dress so it doesn’t trail along the dew sodden ground. It’s still early – 10am – and the sun hasn’t chased away the night-time damp just yet.
Tanya is carrying my bouquet.
A gorgeous yellow sun shines down from a clear blue sky, and I can’t help smiling as we enter the dark woods, even though my stomach is churning with nervous excitement.
‘Deep breaths, deep breaths,’ says Jen, squeezing my hand. ‘Nearly there now.’
We head along the woodland path, where sunlight speckles the soil and a thick canopy of green leaves cools the air.
We walk carefully over the bumpy, baked ground one step at a time. One, two, one, two. Breathe, breathe, breathe.
As we near the clearing, my smile grows even wider as I see Dad up ahead. He’s waiting for me at the entrance of the fairy circle, wearing a brand new tuxedo and beaming with delight as he sees me approach.
‘You look beautiful, love. Absolutely beautiful.’ He dabs at his eyes.
Jen lifts my hand and gently links it through my father’s arm.
Tanya gives my other hand a reassuring squeeze and hands me my bouquet.
‘Ready to give me away?’ I ask Dad.
‘Ready,’ says Dad.
Jen and Tanya come to stand behind me, lifting the silk at the back of my dress.
We begin to walk forward, heading into the clearing.
86
From the woven arches of branches overhead, to the dapples of sunlight shining onto our guests, everything is absolutely perfect.
I decided I didn’t want music at the ceremony, just the sounds of the trees and the birds. The stillness that comes from the woods.
At the far side of the clearing is a wooden altar, made by Marc’s friend, Peter.
The altar is carved with ivy leaves and roses, and behind it sits Tom, wearing one of the fanciest suits I’ve ever seen him in – brown with green piping, and paisley swirls on the lapels.
Around the clearing stand our guests, all watching me with huge smiles.
The guest smiling the most has to be Annabel. She’s right near the entrance to the clearing, and she looks like a different person these days.
Dressed in a simple light-green summer dress, white daisies woven into her hair, she holds a beautiful little boy in her arms – Daniel, her son.
Daniel rests his head against her shoulder, sucking his thumb and looking totally and utterly content.
Danny Blackwell. Back with his mother at last. I’ve loved getting to know him over the last few weeks. He’s shy and often seems deep in thought, but he’s always ready to smile too. I’ve taken him to the cottage a few times to play with Sammy and the two of them are becoming great friends.
Before I walk into the clearing, I stop to ruffle Daniel’s hair.
‘Are you liking all the trees, Danny?’ I whisper.
He nods shyly and smiles.
Denise is beside Annabel, holding hands with Sammy.
I smile at Denise and kneel down to Sammy.
‘What about you, short stuff? Do you like trees?’
Sammy nods and leans against Denise’s arm. It hasn’t taken long for Sammy to fall in love with Denise, just like Dad has.
When Genoveva found out that Dad was with someone else, she started calling him. Apparently, her doctor boyfriend went back to his wife and now she has no one.
Dad told her that he didn’t want to get back together, but arranged fortnightly visits so she can see Sammy. Sometimes she remembers to visit, sometimes she doesn’t.
‘Shall you and I climb some trees later?’ I ask Sammy.
‘YES!’ he bellows, a little too loudly.
The crowd laughs.
It’s all so perfect, but of course the most perfect thing is Marc, standing by the wooden altar.
He’s wearing a fitted, jet-black suit – so black it seems to drink in colour – and his hair is thick around his ears. His long, lean body is perfectly still, waiting for me. Although he has his back to me, I sense there’s a smile on his face.
I stand up straight, take a deep breath and link arms with Dad again.
‘Ready?’ Dad whispers.
I nod, and Dad walks me across the clearing towards Marc.
As we crunch over twigs and old leaves, Marc turns and our eyes meet.
It’s the most amazing moment. His eyes are so dark. So intense and stormy. He hasn’t lost his dark side. Not completely. But I definitely see light in him. Lots and lots of light.
His eyes still undo me. For a moment, I lose my footing and Dad has to grip my arm tighter to get me walking straight.
Marc raises an eyebrow, and gives me an ‘are you alright?’ smile.
I return it with a nod and smile of my own, then take the last few steps towards him.
Dad carefully places my hand in Marc’s, and Marc and I stand for a moment, our eyes holding each other.
I have never felt more loved than I do right now, standing beside Marc, among all our friends and family, about to bind my life to his.
Tom clears his throat. ‘Okay you two. It’s clear to everyone that you want to get married. So are you ready to go ahead and do it?’
Gentle laughter fills the clearing.
I nod. ‘Yes.’
‘I’ve never been more ready,’ says Marc.
Our vows are simple.
We pledge to love each other for the rest of our lives.
Then Tom gives us the rings – two silver bands engraved with weaving roses and ivy.
I slip the band onto Marc’s finger, my hand shaking a little. Finally, the ring slides into place and I hold out my own hand for Marc.
When Marc places the wedding band onto my finger, I look up into his deep blue eyes.
‘I love you,’ I murmur.
‘I love you too, Sophia Blackwell,’ says Marc. ‘Forever and always.’
87
After the ceremony in the woods, Marc and I are driven by limousine to the registry office to sign our marriage papers. I’m shaking for the whole journey, a crazy, sobbing, smiling quivering mess in Marc’s arms.
I can’t believe it. Marc Blackwell has just made me his wife. To have and to hold. Always.
‘I’m praying those are tears of joy, Mrs Blackwell,’ Marc whispers. ‘Because there’s no backing out now. You’re mine. Forever.’
‘I know,’ I manage to sob, trying to get my voice steady. ‘I’m so happy.’
Marc lifts my chin, tilting my face so I look up into those strong, burning blue eyes.
‘I’m never letting you go again,’ he says. ‘Ever. I will love you and take care of you for the rest of my life.’
*****
When Marc and I return to Ivy College, we find our guests sitting in a circle around a huge picnic blanket on the lawn. They’re drinking champagne and fresh orange juice served by hovering waiters.
A round of applause breaks out as we approach, and I feel strangely shy to be the centre of attention among all these people that I love.
I know I’m an actress, but in real life I’m used to looking after people. It feels strange to be the one everyone is focusing on.
‘It’s so amazing to see you all,’ I manage to say, as Dad and Jen move apart to let Marc and I sit down. ‘Thank you so much for being here.’
Marc and I are handed champagne, and we drink and talk and laugh under the sunshine until lunch is served from wicker picnic baskets.
Jen made sure we got the very best food for the picnic, of course – a hand-picked delicatessen lunch from Harrods, delivered with real silver cutlery and china plates.
The hampers are full of delicious pies, sandwiches, scotch eggs, salads, smoked salmon, fresh strawberries and clotted cream.
As the day moves on, I notice that Jen and Leo are talking and laughing away. They’re s
itting so close that their heads are practically touching.
I smile. Leo is perfect for Jen. And it looks like Leo knows just how perfect Jen is for him, too.
It really is the most amazing, glorious, loving, happy day. To be surrounded by love from my friends and family, but most of all from Marc, well ... I’ve never felt anything like it.
I didn’t organise speeches or anything like that, but as the sun begins to set, Jen raises her glass and says, ‘A toast to Mr and Mrs Blackwell.’
Everyone cheers, raising their glasses.
‘Oh, wait,’ I say, getting to my feet. ‘There’s something I forgot to do.’ I pick up the bouquet of ivy and roses. ‘I need to throw this,’ I announce, turning my back on the crowd.
I hear murmurs and laughter as female guests get to their feet.
‘Ready?’ I call. ‘One, two, three!’
I throw the bouquet high into the air, and turn to see it land between Jen and Tanya, who both catch the ivy and roses with one hand. They turn to each other, laughing with disbelief.
‘We both caught it,’ laughs Jen.
‘Looks like we’ll have to have a double wedding,’ says Tanya.
‘I’m up for it if you are.’
88
When I sit back on the grass, a waiter comes to top up my champagne glass.
‘Oh, no thank you,’ I say, holding my fingers over it. ‘I think I’d better stick to orange juice from now on.’
I feel Marc’s arm tighten around my waist. ‘Are you okay? Do you need me to take you for a walk? To clear your head?’
‘No. I’ve only had one glass of champagne so far. It’s just ... I have a feeling about something.’
‘A feeling?’
‘Yes. After last night. It was the first time we ever ... I mean without protection.’
Suddenly, I feel like we’re the only two people in the whole world.
‘Sophia, it’s far too soon to know anything like that.’
‘But where my body is concerned, my feelings aren’t usually wrong. And I feel this pretty strongly.’
‘Do you feel ill? Do you need a doctor?’
I shake my head. ‘No, it’s nothing like that. Nothing physical. It’s just ... a feeling.’
