The Wedding: Dark Romance

by Sienna Mynx

  And he has a nasty mouth. Says some of the most wicked things in his thick Cajun accent about my pussy and how it smells, tastes, and feels. I smile and shake my head. I abandon my resistance and let him have me. Brick does. And he does it his way.

  We both collapse with weakness. We both drown in sexual bliss.

  She wakes up before me.

  I turn over and wince. My side feels like shit. Every part of me huts but my dick. I grab it out of instinct. Yep, it’s still there. After making love to Coco I have the strange belief that it’ll just dissolve in her honey pot. She feels so good. I could get used to having a woman of my own. I sure as hell had to make the sacrifice.

  My eyes open and I stare at the ceiling. Pops was in a foul mood when I confronted him. The Vietnamese had retaliated and destroyed several high-end cars that he was smuggling through his dealership. The only way they knew about the deals Pops was making meant there was a traitor in their midst. And that spelled trouble for all of us. Pops would snap necks of his sons if he felt betrayed. It was just his way.

  So my tantrum over his meddling with the Larue’s was the last thing he was in the mood for. He knocked me around but I fought back. In the end Pops told me to stay out of his sight, and a truce was called by my uncle Beau. For now the little vendetta Pops and Smoke had with the Larue’s was on hold. Enough time for me to meet her family and plead my case to be her man.

  “Brick!” she called out from the bathroom.

  I sat upright.

  “Brick!” she screamed

  I get up fast and find my boxers. I pull them on. I can hear her squealing and calling my name in terror. If one of my cousins had sneaked in and was terrorizing her I’d kill him. When I reach the bathroom and open the door I find Coco standing on the commode in nothing but her panties.

  “Over there! It’s over there?”

  “What?” I look inside the bathroom and see nothing.

  “Over there!” she squeals.

  A spider. It’s about the size of a dime. But for her it might as well be the size of a tarantula.

  “Get it! Kill it! Now! Now!” she’s squeaking and standing on one foot. I shake my head and catch the thing on its web with my hand. I crush it in my hand. Coco bolts out of the bathroom screaming. I wash my hands and the spider guts and legs go down the drain. When I return to the bedroom she’s pulling on one of my shirts. She shivers. “I can’t stand bugs. I can’t!”

  “It was a baby spider.”

  “You killed it with your hand! Gross. Don’t ever touch me again. Ever!”

  “What?”

  “You heard me!” She tries to leave the room but I catch her and she screams. I throw her over my shoulder and take her to the bed where I bring her down. She’s laughing and kicking. I’m biting her neck and my dick is hard and ready. I go for her panty and she stops me.

  “We can’t.”

  “Why?”

  “Stop, Brick! I’m serious!”

  My head lifts. She gives me a sheepish smile.

  “What is it?”

  “My period. It came on this morning.”

  I jump off her as if she said she had snakes between her legs. She grins. “I’m a woman, Brick. It happens.”

  “Ah, yeah. Okay.”

  “Wait? Period blood creeps you out? But you crush spiders in your hand for fun?”

  “It’s just, you know, it’s ah, you know, whatever… your business. Lady business, whatever.”

  “A spider! But the fact that I got a tampon in me is gross?”

  “Don’t say tampon,” I groan. “And don’t say period blood.”

  She laughs. “Well, I got some other news. It’s my only tampon. You got to go get me some more.”

  “Fuck that!” I’m walking out of the room.

  “Brick! Brick?”

  I plop down on the sofa and pick up the remote. She comes and stands next to me with her hands to her hips. If I turn my head I’ll see her crotch. Her beautiful pussy and I’m all creeped out.

  “I need tampons, a maxipad, whatever. Or I’m bleeding all over your place.”

  “Stop it, Coco.”

  “You have sisters. Someone in that huge house has it. Go get it.”

  “Damn.”

  She turns and walks back into the bedroom. I toss the remote. I’m not in the mood to go back up to the main house. And I’ve been warned to stay away from Pops until he cools off. I’m also disappointed that she will be on her period the next few days so I can’t get at her like I want too. Already my plans for convincing her to runaway to Paris with me and be mine is falling apart. And then it dawns on me. Coco has never put my dick in her mouth. I’ve never asked. But now I’m thinking about asking. I reach over and pick up my saxophone case. It feels like ages since I’ve played. I pop the locks and bring Jezebel out. I need to give my baby a name. For years I begged Smoke for this horn. It once belonged to Miles Davis. I only got it from him two years ago. Jezebel was the name he gave her. And I feel weird changing it. I bring her to my mouth and wince a bit over the split to my bottom lip. But I blow my horn and it sounds the same.

  Soon Coco returns. She walks in with shorts and a Saints jersey on. She sits in the chair across from me. I play for her. She smiles. She’s my biggest fan. I know Monte and Sheila will be pissed at my playing if their kids still sleep. But I don’t care. I love impressing my lady.

  After my blow is done, Coco is clapping.

  “I swear Brick when you play for me I feel like I’m in heaven.”

  “That’s funny, when I play for you, your smile reminds me of an angel.”

  She chuckles. “Corny, but cute.”

  I set the saxophone down. “Let me get dressed. I’ll find Evangeline and get you something for your lady problems.”

  “Should I fix us food? There’s nothing in there but beer.”

  “Typically everyone goes up to the house to eat. I can bring us something back if you’re not comfortable.” I say to her as I get dressed. She comes into the room and stares at me from the door.

  “I dunno. Maybe I should get dressed and come with you. I mean I’m going to be here for a while. I don’t want to be stuck out here at the cabin.”

  I glance back at her. She smiles for me and I wink. “That might be a better idea. Go ahead. Put on some jeans. I like my jersey on you.”

  She nods and does as I ask. When she leaves the room her phone rings. I walk over to her purse and take it out of it. The caller says: Mom. I hang up on the caller. I turn the phone off and put it back in her purse. Coco comes back inside the room and goes straight to her bag. I sit down and watch her dress. Period or no, she’s still damn tempting to me.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I’m nervous, again. This time for different reasons. Brick and his father had some kind of heated exchange over me. Brick’s face is peppered with bruises. And now it seems like everyone in the Bayou is in the big house. There’s plenty of noise, and small children with no shoes on running around. I hear laughter, cursing, music, honking, just noise from every direction. I hold Brick’s hand to keep my bearings.

  I’m curious about the black woman I met earlier. How did she adapt to life with the Bondurants. Most of them speak a broken kind of French. I know a few words but can’t make out much of it.

  “There’s Evangeline. I’ll tell her you need to talk to her.”

  “Oh, okay,” I say. I see her with two other women bringing food to the table. She goes over to Brick’s father and refreshes his drink. He grabs her by the waist and tries to pull her to him. She kisses him then breaks away and returns to the kitchen.

  Brick goes after her. For the first time I’m alone. But not for long. I feel a tap to my shoulder. I look back and a blonde woman who looks to be my age is standing before me. She has the clearest blue eyes I’ve ever seen.

  “Your name?” she asks.

  “Coco, ah, Colette.” I tell her.

  “I’m Sheila. I’m married to Brick’s cousin. We kind of neighbors.”


  “Oh, yeah, Brick told me you stay next to us.”

  “More like you stay next to us since Brick is never home, and that cabin is always empty. You can come over to my place if you like. Any time.”

  “Thank you,” I say and she smiles and walks off. The other women waiting for her are all staring. She goes over there with them and sits down. They continue to stare at me. I guess they put her up to the little welcome.

  “Sweetheart,” Evangeline says from behind me. I look back and she’s smiling. “Brick says you got an issue. Come with me.”

  “Okay, thanks,” I follow Evangeline out of the crowded chaos where the dinning table sits about thirty with Pops at the head of the table like a Viking King, cursing, burping, and drinking from a chalice. Evangeline starts up the stairs and stops to pick up a small child that is sitting on a step. The little one has barely any hair on her head but both ears are pierced. She has on a diaper and a pink Minnie-Mouse shirt. The girl rests her head on Evangeline. She can’t be more than two. When we arrive in the hall she keeps walking without a backward glance to see if I’m following. And I am.

  We pass several rooms along the way, and most of them are for kids on this floor. I see a few children gathered in one room with bunk beds. They all stand around a child who is playing a game on an iPad. The children look to be no older than six or seven. Another room has a teenager on her bed reading a magazine. The other room doors are closed but I can hear a television and music from behind the doors.

  “Lots of kids?” I ask.

  Evangeline doesn’t answer. The baby she’s carrying looks at me with round clear blue eyes. She sucks her pacifier. Evangeline turns the corner and enters a huge bedroom. It has an Emperor size bed in the center. A sofa, television, two closets, and a bathroom. I see a man’s muddy boots at the foot of the bed. The rest of the room is immaculate.

  This must be her room.

  “Right there. In the closet on the bottom shelf. You can take what you need. There’s a makeup bag in there too. You can put it all in there.”

  “Thank you,” I say and help myself. There are all kinds of feminine products to be found. I’m curious if Evangeline is younger than I thought and still experiencing her cycle. I can hear her behind me humming to the baby. When I come out of the vanity closet I find her in a rocking chair in the room. It’s like a glider. The baby has her face buried against Evangeline’s breast.

  “She’s adorable. What’s her name?”

  “Moonstar,” Evangeline says. “Her mother thought it was cute. We call her Star for short.”

  “Moonstar?” I repeat.

  “You’re Naeleans’s daughter aren’t you? Naelean Larue?” Evangeline asks.

  “You know my mother?”

  “Yes, I know your mother and your grandmother. You look a little like them both. I’m from Houma too.”

  “Really?”

  Evangeline looks me over. “Why are you here? Pops didn’t say. I didn’t ask. You in trouble?”

  “No. Not really. Brick and I are… friends.”

  Evangeline smiles.

  “How long have you been here?” I ask her. “Living here?”

  “A while,” Is all she says. “Brick’s a good boy. Stubborn about that saxophone but he’s Pops favorite.”

  “Is he?”

  “You surprised?” Evangeline asks.

  “Kind of. Did you see his face? He said his father did it.”

  Evangeline nods. “They are always beating up on each other around here. Pops spoils Brick. He’s the last boy he had with Ms. Maggie. His first wife. That’s why he lets him play that instrument and hang out in the Quarter instead of working with the rest of his kin.”

  “Do you have kids with Pops?” I ask. I want to ask her so many questions. But I don’t want to come across as rude or nosey.

  “I have three daughters, yes, you met them yesterday. I had an older boy but he died of fever as a baby years ago. He was Pops too.” She lowers her gaze and strokes the back of the baby. “And all the children here are mine. I won’t tell anyone I know you here, but I advise you to keep as much about who your people are to yourself. Everyone that smiles and plays friendly with you ain’t a friend. Okay?”

  I nod. Evangeline gets up with the baby in her arms. “The Bondurants are good people. But they don’t take to strangers too well. They’re a very close knit clan out here in the swamps. People call the Cajun swamp people, and say they ruthless. The Bondurants live up to that reputation.”

  “How did you adapt? I don’t mean to be rude but you’re, different too.”

  Evangeline smiles. “Pops chose me a long time ago. I stopped being different a long time ago.” She walks past me and out of the door. I follow her with the makeup bag of sanitary napkins.

  After breakfast she and I came back to our cabin. I’m in no mood to deal with my brothers and Pops. Especially with them all worked up over Pops robbery. I decide to keep her to myself. We’re on the sofa in my cabin watching the game. She’s got the quilt covering us both because I have the air on blast. I brought enough food over from the house to keep us cozy behind doors for three days.

  “My family knows by now, that I’m gone.”

  “You thinking of calling them?” I ask her and pray she says no.

  “I’m not ready to talk to them. In a few days possibly.”

  “And then what?”

  “I dunno,” she says and rests her head against my chest. “Evangeline knows my mom. She knows my grand too.”

  “She’s from Houma. Didn’t you say your folks were too?” I ask and take another swig of my beer. She glances up at me and smiles. “What?” I ask. “You think I would forget?”

  “No. I just like the fact that you remember details about my life, its sweet to me.”

  “Sweet? I’ll accept that.”

  “What’s her story? Evangeline? She’s like the Queen of this place. I can’t help it, but it seems weird. Everyone here is so close and stuff.”

  “Evangeline’s been around for a long time.”

  “How long?”

  “Since I was a baby, maybe even before I was born.” I answer.

  “Wait? What? She was around when your mother was alive?”

  I look over at her. Those round eyes of hers are stretched wide with shock.

  “Fuck it. I might as well tell the story. Help you understand a little about my… family. Why I don’t come around them as much.”

  “Why?”

  “Pops has had a lot of women, before and after he married my mom. Hell more than half the people in this clan is a bastard child of his. But he only officially recognize my mom kids, and Evangeline’s. The rest we call cousin.”

  “There are like thirty to forty people living here,” she says.

  “Yeah, well it only takes one sperm. A man ejaculates millions of them fuckers after busting a nut.” I answer. She hits me playfully. I drop my head back and close my eyes. “I don’t know how Pops met Evangeline. I only know that when she was pregnant with their son Pops moved her here. Gave her a cabin not far from this one. I was three. It broke my mothers heart.”

  “Evangeline said her son died?”

  “Yeah, he died. I don’t think he got past two years old. Conditions out here can be hard on a babe. He died and Evangeline went crazy. That’s what they say. Pops had her locked up out in that cabin with men and guns on her to keep her there. Somehow with all of that too keep her here, she found a way to escape and ran off from Pops.”

  “She did?”

  “That’s what I hear. I don’t know when he found her. For a long time I think she had found a way to hide from him.”

  “Why hide? Was it her grief?”

  “Maybe. Evangeline practices Hoodoo. She’s some kind of priestess. She felt that someone poisoned her baby. Accused my mom of doing it. Attacked her.”

  “Did your Pops get rid of her? Force her to leave?”

  I drink more beer and shake my head no. “Evangeline was you
ng, beautiful, and dangerous. Just what my Pops likes. She said she would kill all the Bondurants. Scared the hell out of everyone here but Pops. He just laughed it off. My brothers say everyone stayed away from her cabin. But Pops would get drunk and go down to her cabin. They’d hear Evangeline scream her madness but Pops always had a way of controlling her. I don’t know if’ it’s true. What I think happen is someone helped her escape Pops. I think it was my mom.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  “Over the years, the respect Evangeline has for my mother. The way she speaks to me about my mother. How she regrets my mother’s suffering and tried to heal her when she did return and my mom was sick. Sounds like she’s grateful for something. I dunno.”

  “So why did Evangeline come back? If she was free?”

  “When my mom took sick four years before she actually died I started hearing rumors down in the Quarters that Pops was back with Evangeline. Everyone thinks her herbs and amulets cure people. She started appearing in my Mom’s room. At first I tried to force her out of the house. But Pops wouldn’t have it. Evangeline became her nurse. Some say it’s why mom lived for three years with the cancer. I don’t know if I believe it. My mom wasn’t even in the ground cold before Pops walked Evangeline back inside those doors as his new wife. And she was pregnant. Apparently had already had two daughters before then from Pops. Not sure where he kept her and his second family. Not sure what Pops said to make Evangeline his. But she came back here and has been with the family ever since.”

  “He loves her?”

  “I suppose. She has a little more power with Pops than my mom had. But not much. He’s still sleeping around the bayou with different women, he just makes sure Evangeline never hears or sees evidence of it.”

  “Strange love story. Belongs in a book.”