Bridesmaid for Hire

by Chance Carter

“I’m not the kind of guy who connects with people easily,” Max began. “I tend to form very surface level attachments, which is something that has vexed my mother to no end in my lifetime, but never really bothered me. I never thought I’d be standing where I am now based purely on the fact that I didn’t think I could be with anyone long term. I didn’t think I had it in me.”

  He smiled, and my belly filled with warmth. His eyes held my gaze while he spoke, and the other people in the room seemed to just fade away.

  “Then you came along, Emma. You intrigued me from the moment I first laid eyes on you, from the moment I first talked to you. You challenged me, challenged everything I thought I knew about myself. But I didn’t adapt fast enough and I nearly lost you. I did lose you, I suppose, even though I knew that it would only be temporary, because I would do anything to be with you. So I started planning.” He gestured around him, at the decorations and the guests. “I brought your dream wedding to life. I knew how much the vision in your head meant to you, and I was more than happy to draw it into real life. This wedding is a gift for you, Emma. The woman I love. The woman I would do anything to protect, and who I will cherish for the rest of my life.” He grinned. “And while yes, this wedding is a gift to you, the honor of getting to call you my wife...” His eyes narrowed on mine. “That’s my gift to me. I love you.”

  The room erupted into applause. I realized my cheeks were wet with tears and I wiped them away, laughing at how ridiculous the whole situation felt.

  “I love you too,” I mouthed over the din. He stared at me, smiling, and handed the microphone back to the officiator. With a flick of his wrist, the band in the corner struck up the Wedding March.

  I put one foot in front of the other, closer with every step to the man of my dreams and the life I could have never dreamed I would have.

  Things were starting to wind down on the dance floor, with only a few couples left swaying, including my husband and me.

  My husband.

  Me, Emma Westfield. My husband, Maximilian Augustus Westfield. Together we were the Westfields. I still wasn’t over it, and might never be. Good thing I had the rest of my life left to adjust to the change.

  “What’s on your mind,” Max murmured into my ear as we swayed across the dance floor. “You’re being very quiet.”

  “I’m just enjoying the moment.” I leaned against his chest, my forehead resting just under his shoulder. I felt so safe in his arms, so secure. Not just physically, either. It was like his scent wrapped me in some unseen barrier that separated me from the rest of the world. When I was with Max, I was free.

  “So, how’d I do?” He leaned back and tipped up my chin with his hands, forcing me to meet his eyes. His lips were turned up ever-so-slightly because he already knew he’d done an amazing job. Jennifer Lopez had nothing on him when it came to wedding planning.

  “It was everything I dreamed it to be, and yet not at all what I pictured,” I replied.

  A troubled frown marred his handsome features. “That’s a good thing, right?”

  I laughed, “Yes. It’s a good thing…a very good thing.”

  He released my chin and folded me back against his chest.

  “Good.”

  We continued to sway, letting the music carry us around the floor. I never wanted the moment to end. Tonight had been perfect, even if I’d had an unanticipated conversation with my parents that I had to get through. It had gone better than I imagined it would, and for the first time in years I began to think that maybe we could have some sort of relationship going forward. The reception dinner was delicious and fun, with both Willow and Jeremy giving speeches that had me in tears. And now, tired but happy, I was ready for whatever the rest of my life wanted to throw at me.

  Max’s chest rumbled and I looked up at him questioningly to find the source of his laughter. His attention was fixed somewhere behind me, and I craned my neck to see what it was.

  “They’re getting very cozy,” Max commented lowly.

  Jeremy and Willow were dancing at the other end of the floor. Her arms wound around his neck while his circled her waist, and the position was so intimate that I began to wonder if the wedding wasn’t the only thing Willow kept from me these past few weeks.

  I turned back to Max and grinned. “When the hell did that happen?”

  He shrugged his burly shoulders and spun me. “I don’t know. Crazier things have happened, I suppose.”

  “Thank you for today, Max. I don’t know if I’ve said that yet. Or enough.”

  “No, babe, thank you.” He kissed my forehead. “I’m just glad I get to keep you forever.”

  “I mean it.” I caught his gaze. “You didn’t have to invite my parents or make your mom get ready with me or any of that. I appreciate it.”

  His eyes crinkled with warmth. “I’m glad you liked it. I tried to invite Lance, but he didn’t show for some reason.”

  I laughed and punched him in the arm. “You scoundrel.”

  “Your scoundrel,” he corrected.

  And my scoundrel he was and would always be. A scoundrel who wore business suits, but occasionally threw punches, who was completely inappropriate in the workplace, but always seemed to do the right thing.

  A scoundrel who stole my heart with an easy smile and a bucketful of innuendo.

  My scoundrel.

  Chapter 34

  Max

  I was beginning to see the appeal of weddings. I already saw the appeal of marriage, and would never regret the vows I made today. Weddings, on the other hand, had always seemed a concept that was a bit over the top to me. They were expensive and seemed pointless for anything other than overindulging and rubbing one’s wealth in the face of another. But, I’d never been to a wedding quite like my own, so filled with love and happiness. The ones I went to were usually dull affairs with society people I had no interest in, and who had even less interest in each other.

  But this, this was perfection.

  The lights, the atmosphere, the beautiful blushing bride. I wished I could relive it over and over again.

  But if I relived it over and over again, I would never get to the real fun part of the evening, which was where we were headed now.

  “I swear to God, Max, if you drop me on my wedding day I will spend the rest of my life making yours a living hell.”

  I hefted Emma further up into my arms, making a show of nearly losing my hold on her. In truth, she weighed next to nothing, and it would take one hell of a plot twist for me to drop her. I liked teasing her though.

  “I’d like to see you try,” I commented, grinning down at her as we made our way down the hallway.

  She glared back sourly at me. “Don’t test me.”

  “I wouldn’t think of it.”

  I’d insisted on carrying her the entire way up to our hotel suite, even though she’d said it was only necessary for me to carry her over the threshold. But, as far as I was concerned, it was go big or go home.

  We reached the door and I adjusted my grip while I pulled the key card out of my back pocket. She hummed her displeasure at the jostling. I just laughed.

  The door swung open and I stepped through, depositing her safely on the ground once we were inside. She adjusted her dress, smoothing out the creases.

  “I wouldn’t bother with that,” I said, pressing the door closed. “I’m about to rip that off you.”

  “No ripping!” Her eyes widened, “It’s a Pnina Tornai.”

  I stalked toward her, smirking. “I have no idea what that means.”

  “It means you can’t rip it!”

  I grabbed her shoulders and spun her so her back was to me, running my fingers down the line of pearl buttons holding her dress together. She shivered.

  “Cold, baby?”

  Emma shook her head, glancing back over her shoulder at me. I stared deep into her eyes as I undid the first button with care. Then the second. I went down the entire back, going through God only knew how many buttons until the dress gap
ed open to reveal her smooth back.

  The graceful curve of her neck called to me, and I couldn’t resist it any longer. I dove down and sucked on her throat, pulling her back hard against my chest and letting my hands roam along the lacy bodice of the dress.

  “I missed you,” I murmured.

  “I missed you too.”

  I nibbled on her neck as I pulled the shoulders down, easing the dress off until it slid to the floor with a quiet whoosh. She was wearing nothing but a white lace bra and panties underneath, and it was so hot my cock instantly stiffened. I turned her in my arms and held her at a distance while my eyes hungrily devoured the image like a tasty morsel.

  “You’ve never looked more beautiful.”

  Her face lit up. “I would say you’ve never looked more handsome, but I think your look could be improved by the removal of a piece of clothing or two.”

  “Who am I to deny a request from my wife?”

  I slid out of my tuxedo jacket and let it fall to the floor. Emma watched me with interest as I moved down the buttons of my shirt, pulling it out from the waistband of my pants once I reached the bottom, so that it fell loose and open.

  “That’s a bit better,” she teased, strutting toward me like a fantasy come to life.

  Her fingers slipped under my shirt and guided it down my arms until it joined the jacket on the floor. My skin prickled from her touch, and I found myself unable to move. I watched her as she traced each of my muscles with her fingertips, loving how the gold band on her left hand winked in the light.

  I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold back before I devoured her. Those sumptuous breasts spilled over the cups of her bra, beckoning me. There was something so virginal, yet sexy about the white lace lingerie.

  Emma leaned forward and pressed her hot lips to my nipple, nibbling on the sensitive flesh. I groaned, shaking, and gripped her by the hips to draw her close. She kissed up my chest, to my collarbone, which was as far as she could reach unaided, and looked up at me with wide, innocent eyes.

  A growl rippled from my throat. I’d reached my breaking point.

  I fisted her hair in my hand and tipped her head back, covering her mouth with mine and taking her in a dominant, bruising kiss. She moaned and curved against me, pressing those delicious mounds flat against my chest.

  Her mouth was sweet with wine. I plunged my tongue inside and explored, holding her head in place. She wouldn’t have struggled anyway, but I wanted to know that if I held her here, I could keep he here forever—pressed up against me with her lips desperately mashing against my own.

  Planning this wedding had been stressful. The whole time I kept wondering if it was all in vain, if I’d get everything in place only for her to reject me at the last minute. I wouldn’t have blamed her either, considering that most weddings were preceded by an engagement, not a kidnapping. The relief that surged through me when I got the call from Willow letting me know that everything was on was nothing compared to the relief I felt at having her in my arms again and knowing I wasn’t going to lose her this time. We were on the same page. So deliciously on the same page.

  “I love you,” I said against her lips. “Fuck, I love you.”

  “I love you too.” She nibbled my lower lip, sucking it into her mouth. “More and more with every second.”

  I chuckled, moving one hand to her plump rear and squeezing. “Let’s keep that momentum going.”

  The honeymoon suite was a gigantic suite of rooms overlooking the Hudson. It was elegantly furnished, with the centerpiece being a California king size bed laid covered in white Egyptian cotton sheets with an impossibly high thread count. I began to push Emma back in this direction, never letting our mouths separate for even a second.

  We reached the bed and I pushed her gently down onto it while I undid my pants and slipped out of them. My cock throbbed with need, and I took great pleasure in knowing that I’d get to have her a multitude of ways before the night was through.

  Emma looked so perfect, lying against white bedspread, her pale skin faintly flushed around her breasts and cheeks. The whole wedding would’ve been worth it just for this moment.

  I pulled off my boxers and released my hard length, which Emma’s eyes immediately swung to. She bit her lip as I groaned.

  “Go further up the bed,” I commanded. “I want lots of space.”

  She grinned at my request and scooted up the bedspread, anxiously awaiting my next command. She was always so compliant, so willing. It was enough to drive a man insane with lust.

  I climbed across the sheets, parting her thighs and settling between them to grind my cock against her mound as I kissed her. Her panties were deliciously damp, and I parted her folds with my fingers to test her wetness.

  “Fuck, baby,” I moaned, nibbling on her neck. “I don’t know if I’ll last. You feel so fucking good.”

  “We’ve got all night,” she said, mirroring my thoughts. Goddamn I loved this woman.

  I reached under her back with my free hand and unclipped her bra, tossing it to the side. Her tits jiggled enticingly and I bent my head to feast on them while I probed her heat, stroking her clit with a circular motion that sent her hips bucking off the bed. I drew one taut nipple into my mouth, rolling it between my teeth, then released it to move onto the next. Emma’s breaths were coming heavy now, and I could tell from the way her nails clawed into my back that she was in ecstasy. Fuck, I was in ecstasy too. Her pussy was my heaven.

  “God, I’m like a firework about to go off,” she groaned. “I haven’t masturbated or anything since we broke up.”

  “Seriously?” I grinned up at her, swirling my thumb faster. She squirmed.

  “I just wasn’t in the mood,” she panted.

  “And how in the mood are you feeling right now?” I blew cold air over her nipples. The points hardened even further.

  “Please get your cock in me! Holy hell does that feel good.”

  As much as I loved finishing her off with my fingers, I was desperate to get inside of her myself. I’d been jacking off to the thought of her almost every night, but then again, I knew that I’d be getting her back if it was the last thing I did.

  Now I had the real thing writhing beneath me, begging me to take her. I wouldn’t disappoint her.

  I hastily removed her panties and lined my cock up with her entrance, slowly sinking in. I hissed through my teeth at the pure pleasure of it all. She welcomed me back like an old friend, gripping me tight and urging me deeper. Our hips met and I took a moment to appreciate the feel of her, kissing her hard and deep. Then I began rhythmically thrusting, driving forward with enough force to send her inching up the bed with each thrust.

  Our kiss turned sloppy with need. We were wild in our passion for each other, frantically coming together and apart on a rollercoaster of orgasmic bliss. Emma’s eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she screwed them shut as her pleasure steadily built.

  “Look at me,” I commanded.

  I wanted to see the moment when her ecstasy peaked. I wanted to see exactly what I did to her.

  Her hazel eyes fixed on me and there was desperation in their depths. I groaned and thrust harder, eliciting a shriek from the beautiful woman beneath me.

  “I’m so close, Max. God, I’m so close.”

  Her words were music to my ears. I pulled out and buried my shaft inside of her again with enough force to knock the air from her lungs. Over and over again, watching the delight surge in her eyes.

  Her brows furrowed and her mouth dropped open as a keening wail burst from her throat. I silenced her moan with my kiss as I buried my cock in her, lost into the ecstasy of her walls squeezing me. One more thrust and I rolled over my own edge, keeping our hips flush as I emptied into her.

  It felt like I was letting go of every worry and fear I’d ever had, like her womb was a vessel for my pain. Every time we made love it felt a bit like that, but this was different. For the first time ever, we were completely and wholly in sync with
each other. No anxieties, no missed communication, nothing. Just love.

  Emma wrapped her arms around me, still quaking. “I never want to let you go,” she whispered.

  I pressed my lips into the base of her neck, eyes closed. “You never have to.”

  Epilogue

  6 Months Later ...

  The azure sky stretched endlessly above me, pale sunlight warming my upturned face. I breathed in the damp air of early spring, smiling to myself like an idiot. But hell, I had a lot to smile about.

  First, it was Friday. I had a whole weekend to work on assignments and relax with my doting husband.

  Second, I’d just gotten back my marks on a project for my pop culture painting class, and I’d improved markedly from my first assignment of the year.

  I discovered a third reason when I opened my eyes and saw a handsome, well-dressed man standing at the bottom of the building steps. Max grinned up at me, one hand shoved casually in his pocket like he’d just walked off the cover of GQ.

  “Hey!” I bounded down and threw my arms around him. “What are you doing here?”

  He kissed the top of my head and squeezed me in his arms. “I’m taking you away for the weekend. Surprise!”

  I chuckled. “The surprises just don’t end with you, do they?”

  “Gotta keep you on your toes somehow.” He patted my rear and pulled back from the hug, winking down at me. “Who knows what a woman like you will do if she gets bored.”

  He was just teasing, but I set my jaw in righteous indignation anyway.

  “A woman like me? Why I oughta...”

  His car was waiting just out front, a sleek black Mercedes that we often took around on the weekends if we felt like getting out of the city for a drive. I tossed my bag in the back and slid in, noting that he’d packed a bag for me and everything.

  “Where are we going?” I asked. “Or is that a surprise too?”

  “I think picking you up from school is enough surprise for one day.” He lowered himself into the driver’s seat and buckled up. “We’re going out to the Hamptons. Mother just bought a property out there and she says it’s the most divine escape this side of Aruba.”