by Stacey Pond
She slipped out of her clothes, folding them neatly before she put them away. It felt too weird to leave them laying around like at home. Chelsea examined her face in the mirror. She scowled. Her hair was disheveled from the drive, her makeup was basically nonexistent from all of the snacking they’d done in the car. She slipped into the dress first. It was deep blue, hugged her curves and was backless. It was perfect for the summer heat, but she worried his parents would think it was too racy. Then again, his mom was wearing something similar.
Chelsea retouched her makeup. Just as she was swiping on her lipstick, the door flew open slamming into the wall. Chelsea jumped before sighing. Sangi was standing there in what she guessed was formal clothing, or what Sangi considered formal. The dress she wore was gray bordering on silver. It came down just below her thighs and fanned out. It looked like a prom dress.
“What are you wearing?” Chelsea asked.
“Formal wear. What? This was as formal as I thought things would get. I mean, it’s not like you’ll be going to church with them,” she plopped on the bed, her skirt fanning out around her legs. “Besides, I think I look fucking good.”
Sangi was right about that at least. The silver of the dress and the jewelry she wore laid perfectly against her brown skin. Her hair had been let loose for once and brushed straight. She was even wearing heels.
“You’re right. You look cute. Just, try not to curse in front of Matthew’s family anymore.”
“Why?”
Chelsea shrugged. “I guess they’re really religious or something.”
Chelsea spared herself one last glance in the mirror. She looked a lot better. Her hands ran down the front of her dress, the light in the room reflecting off of her large engagement ring. She smiled down at it while adjusting it. When she turned to Sangi she took a deep breath.
“I’m ready.”
Chelsea walked out of the room with Sangi. Matthew was standing there, waiting for him. He was dressed in a black tux and despite their current situation she really wanted to rip it off of him. She was glad Matthew was so considerate, he wouldn’t leave her to walk out alone. Matthew offered his arm to her. She took it gladly.
Andrew was standing there with Matthew, his suit replaced with a tux as well. As Sangi walked out, he seemed unable to take his eyes off of her. Chelsea couldn’t help but think that perhaps Sangi had a chance after all. He held out his arm. Sangi placed hers on his. Chelsea had to hold back a big, stupid grin that was forming on her face.
They headed back for the door, stepping out into the backyard. Matthew’s family and friends stopped. They stared at her. At first she felt sinking in her stomach, until one after the other they came up congratulating them. Matthew never left her side as he introduced her to people whose names she’d forgotten five seconds after they left them.
“I’m so happy for you Matthew,” one of his aunts were saying. “You found you such a pretty girl. You’ll make a beautiful bride,” she said to Chelsea, smiling.
By the time they’d made the rounds, Chelsea’s feet were throbbing inside of her heels. Matthew seemed to sense her distress. He led her away from the people to a little table set away from the rest. He helped her slip out of her shoes, before he massaged her feet. Chelsea sat with a glass of champagne in her hand.
“You have so much family,” she said absently.
“Oh, this isn’t even half of us. The Rawlins, if you haven’t noticed already, are whores.”
“Well, I knew that about you at least,” she said with a laugh as he tickled her feet. She slapped his hand away absently.
“So, what do you say, babe? Can we stay?”
Chelsea shrugged. “I suppose it’s not that bad.”
Matthew leaned forward. He captured the back of her neck in his hand, bringing her into a deep kiss. She felt herself becoming embarrassed, but he wouldn’t let up. It was just like Matt to say screw the world’s feelings. When they pulled away, someone cleared their throat. Both of them jumped before looking up. Catherine stood, hands on her hips, glaring at them.
“If you two don’t mind, we still have guests here. Please, keep bedroom activities in the bedroom. Once you’re married, of course,” she said before she turned on her heels and walked away.
“I don’t think she likes me,” Chelsea said.
“She’s just repressed, babe. Growing up, I never even saw my parents kiss. Now you know why I’m such a pervert.”
Chelsea laughed. Matt helped her slip back into her shoes before they headed back out into the people. Chelsea could feel it was late, yet these people were still going strong. As she stood, Matthew handed her a new champagne glass.
“I guess weekends are the stay up late days, huh?”
Matthew laughed. “A lot of these people come from old money. Most of them party all night, sleep all day. I mean, you have a few who have businesses to run, but that’s usually passed out for other people to do. Then, you have my dad. The man never stops working. Look at him now, on that phone as usual. Probably making plans in Japan or something.”
“You really want to be like that? Working all of the time? What about a family?”
“I grew up just fine. I had more nannies than you can count on two hands. I was well taken care of.”
Chelsea kept quiet. She didn’t want to tell him that she didn’t think that was very good for any child. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings however, so she kept quiet about it. Besides, what did she know about nannies and growing up in mansions? She was a complete outsider.
As they walked back to the center of the group of people, Andy tapped a spoon against his champagne glass. The outside crew quiet until Chelsea could hear the sound of crickets chirping. Andrew smiled.
“Thanks everyone, for coming here and meeting my brother’s fiance. I’m so happy for both of you. Congratulations and cheers!”
Everyone echoed the cheers before sipping their champagne. Between shaking hands and saying goodbye, Chelsea was more than ready for bed. She followed Matthew as she went, picking up her dress from the floor. When the door was closed securely, she laid back on the bed. She was completely exhausted.
“So, your brother seems nice. Why didn’t you want to tell me about him again? Is it all just an act, you not liking him?” Chelsea asked.
“I’ll tell you another time. For now, just let me kiss you.”
He climbed on top of Chelsea. As she looked up she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. He moved a piece of her hair from her face, leaned down and kissed her until she forgot the question.
Chapter 4
Sunlight flooded her closed eyes making Chelsea wince. She opened them slowly. Matthew had fallen asleep next to her still dressed in his best. She knew the drinks and long car ride had caused that. Reaching out a hand, she stroked his cheek softly. His skin was warm. Leaning over she kissed his lips.
“Good morning to you too,” he mumbled.
There was a knock on the door. Matthew weakly called out come in. Jackson stepped through the door, looked at both of them and cleared his throat. Chelsea had the sheet pulled up to her shoulders, but the fact that they were bare probably made him think there was more going on than it seemed. Chelsea looked away, embarrassed.
“Your mother has requested you for breakfast. It should be ready in twenty minutes,” he said.
Matthew thanked him then groaned. Slowly, he rolled over, pushing himself off of the bed. Chelsea helped him out of his jacket. He grabbed towels for both of them out of the linen closet before tossing her one.
“I’m going to shower in the bathroom across from my room. Or, you could join me,” he said with a grin.
Chelsea shook her head. “Your mother already doesn’t like me. Let’s keep this as unsexy as possible.”
Matthew chuckled as he headed out of the room after placing a kiss on her nose. She watched him leave, then slipped out of bed herself. Her feet touched the cool wooden floor, not yet warmed by the sun. She sighed. It was going to be a lo
ng day. She grabbed her towel before padding across into the bedroom. She had a slight hangover, but she hoped some food and pain pills would remedy that soon enough.
Stepping out of the shower, she wiped fog from the mirror with her hand. Her hair was all over her head. She laughed. Only Matthew would still find her beautiful when she was a mess. She spent some time combing through her hair before she put it into a ponytail. Rifling through her clothes, she found something she thought would be suitable for breakfast. A pale green top, blue jeans and brown sandals. She examined herself in the mirror, swiped on a little makeup, then headed downstairs for breakfast.
As Chelsea trailed a hand down the banister, she could already smell food filling the house. Her stomach made its hunger known by growling loudly. She placed her hand over it making a shushing sound. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she turned her head first one way, then another. She realized she had no idea where she was going.
“This way, ma’am,” Jackson said making her
“Thanks,” she said sheepishly, “you don’t have to call me ma’am though. I’m Chelsea. Please call me that.”
“Yes, Miss Chelsea.”
She shook her head. It was a start at least. They walked down a corridor passing room after room as they went. Chelsea wondered what was behind the closed doors. Finally, they stepped into the dining room. A long, oak table stood in the middle. Around the table sat Matthew, his parents and Sangi and Andrew, who seemed to be in deep conversation in hushed tones.
“Crissy, so good of you to join us,” Matthew’s mom said with a tight lipped smile.
“Chelsea. Yes, I couldn’t find it right away. You have a really beautiful home,” she said as she sat down.
Everyone was nicely dress, looking a bit more than casual in light colored slacks and neat button downs. Chelsea wondered if these people even knew what casual was. Even Sangi was wearing a summer dress, red with yellow flowers splashed on it. She was really beginning to feel that she was out of her league.
Matthew took her hand, giving it a squeeze beneath the table. Food was brought out by smartly dressed kitchen staff. All of them wearing simple black pants and white shirts.
“Alright, Lyle. You can say grace now,” Catherine said.
Lyle placed his phone on the table finally, standing up. “For this and all we are about to receive, make us truly grateful, Lord. Through Christ we pray. Amen.”
Amen’s resounded around the table. Matthew poked her in her side making her whisper a hurried amen. As soon as Lyle was seated again, the trays were removed from their food by the staff. In front of Chelsea was the biggest disappointment she had ever seen. There was a modest meal of some kind of quiche, a single pancake and a strip of bacon. It looked like something more suited for the Cooking Network than Chelsea’s raging stomach. She picked up her fork, eating slowly while craving a cheeseburger.
“So, the wedding is just a few months away. I suppose you both have everything squared away? I hope the planner can handle everything with the amount of guests who’ll want to attend,” Catherine said before sipping on her glass of fresh orange juice.
“Chelsea’s actually handling all of the wedding details herself. She wants to plan it without any help,” Matthew said.
Sangi pouted. “Hey, I help.”
“Minimal help,” he corrected.
Sangi shot him a look, but Matthew just continued to grin into his plate. She didn’t know why the two of them liked to take such jabs at each other, but they never seemed to fully get along. Still, they kept it peaceful most of the time, for that Chelsea was grateful. She looked back over to Catherine as she spoke again.
“Nonsense. I’m sure Christa is great at a lot of things, but planning a wedding is a difficult task. We do have a certain standard to uphold,” she said.
Chelsea gritted her teeth. “Chelsea. I’ve been doing okay with it so far. We have a lovely little location picked out. I’ve almost finished the menu with the caterer as well. It’s a lot of work, but I enjoy planning it.”
“Nonsense,” Catherine said again with a dismissive wave of the hand. “I highly doubt a little venue is going to hold five hundred people.”
“Mom, that’s insanity. Why would there be five hundred people at our wedding? We just want to keep it small.”
“So you don’t want to invite your friends? What about your father’s business associates, clients? This is a social event, it should be taken advantage of.”
Chelsea began to squeeze Matthew’s hand so hard, he winced before pulling it away. She was trying her best to keep the soft smile on her face, but she could already feel it faltering. A social event? Take advantage of their wedding? Who did she think she was?
“Mom, I really don’t think-” Andrew began.
“Honey, let them plan their wedding the way they want to,” Lyle added.
Catherine looked at both of them like they were bugs. Her eyes were so narrowed, Chelsea vaguely wondered if she could still see. The woman turned back to her and Matthew.
“I could be of some assistance. I have a wonderful friend who’s a wedding planner. She’s used to planning five star weddings. Really Charity, it’s no trouble to me and I can more than cover expenses.”
Chelsea’s foot tapped away under the table. In her mind, she was telling Catherine to shove it up her ass. She was choking her, finding a nice little spot to bury her body. She could feel Matthew’s eyes on her, saw the worried expression on his face. There was a reason they were so easily matched, one of them being her temper. However, she placed a sweet smile on her face as she laughed.
“Of course, Catherine. That would be lovely. Thank you,” she said.
Everyone seemed to either be looking at her in shock or with a look of relief on their face. Chelsea picked up her fork, sliced off a piece of the quiche and smiled as she ate. Once breakfast was over, she excused herself. Matthew followed behind her quickly.
“Did somebody get into my mother’s sedatives? You were awfully calm,” he said.
Chelsea shrugged. “I can see she doesn’t like me. So, I’ll let her do things her way for a while.” She glanced around them. “Why doesn’t your mom like me? What did you say?”
“What? Me? I didn’t say anything,” Matthew said looking offended.
Chelsea searched his face, but he was fidgeting with himself. She let out a huff of air. “Fine. I’ll try to be nice to mommy dearest, for your sake.”
Matthew smiled. He gripped her chin with his fingers, ran a thumb over her smooth skin. As he leaned forward to kiss her lips, they heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Heels. That could only be one person. They pulled apart quickly making Chelsea wonder why they should have to. Everyone was an adult here. Catherine came into the hallway.
“Chelsea, would you like a tour of the house?” She asked brightly.
Chelsea wanted to respond that she’d much rather take a tour of her medicine cabinet because apparently the woman had now taken her pills. How miraculous that her smile looked sincere and she remembered her name. Matthew wrapped an arm around her waist.
“Mom, I’m sure she doesn’t want the grand tour.”
“Actually, I’d like to see your house,” she said. Matthew looked at her in surprise and she shrugged. She couldn’t contain her curiosity at seeing the large estate.
“Wonderful. Follow me, then,” she said as she turned.
Chelsea followed behind her as Sangi joined them with Andrew. Matthew still looked as if she’d been taken over by an alien. They started at the entrance hall before covering every corner of the house. With each room, Chelsea’s mouth seemed to hang open a little more. There were twelve bedrooms in total, six bathrooms, four powder room, a wine cellar, game room and theater. Chelsea couldn’t believe this was the house her soon to be husband had grown up in. Catherine seemed to take great pride in her reaction. Chelsea couldn’t seem to close her mouth no matter how hard she didn’t want to give his mother the satisfaction of impressing her. Sangi’
s look mirrored her own. They shared a look. Fucking rich people.
They finished the tour of the house, ending back up in the entrance near the stairs. Chelsea and Sangi both complimented her on her home. With it out of the way however, a sort of awkward silence filled the space. She could tell Matthew wanted to get her alone, but his mother seemed to be sticking around. Finally, Sangi was the one to break the silence.
“Andrew and I were going to head into town for a little bit. Why don’t you and Matthew go over the wedding plans for a little while?” She suggested.
Catherine checked her watch. “We can all meet back here for brunch. Matthew, when you’re done, could you visit me in my office please?”
Matthew nodded. She seemed to find that satisfactory as she walked away from the small group. Andrew and Sangi said their goodbyes. When they were gone, Matthew grabbed her hand and pulled her up the stairs. Safely inside of her room, they dissolved into a fit of laughter.
“I don’t even know what’s going on anymore, babe. This weekend already feels surreal.”
She nodded. “Thank God for Sangi. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep that smile on,” she said as she rubbed her face. “My cheeks hurt.”
“I have the perfect solution for your cheeks.”
“Oh no you don’t! You stay over there.”
Chelsea yelped as he tackled her onto the bed. He pinned her arms above her head. She tried to fight against him, but he was stronger than she was. He leaned down, kissing her lips softly, nipping at her bottom lip. She sighed as his mouth slipped over hers. When they came up for air, she gazed at the door.
“Aren’t you afraid your mom’s going to hear us?”
He laughed. “Let’s piss her off some more. Who cares?”
Chelsea tried to slide from underneath him, but he still wouldn’t let her go. She squirmed. His hands traveled down her body, fingers running over her skin, making her tingle. She gazed at him.
“We’ll be extra quiet, babe.”
She had lost the will to protest just as his fingers grazed her inner thigh. He raked his nails over her jeans. The scratching of the fabric loud in the silence of the room. He pressed his mouth against her neck, ran his tongue over her sensitive flesh. Chelsea moaned softly.
