Married a Stripper

by M. S. Parker

  Everything that really mattered had started here. I’d found love. I’d found myself.

  And we were leaving.

  “Will we ever come back?” I dumped my purse on the counter and leaned forward, bracing my upper body on my elbows as I looked around. Flynn came up behind me, his body curving to fit against mine. Caged between his arms and the warmth of his chest against my back, I pressed my cheek to his.

  “I don’t know. Not to here, no. The new tenants are already making noises about trying to buy if the first few years go well.”

  “You’ll miss it.” I wiggled and shifted around until I was facing him. “You did some amazing work here.”

  “I have a chance to do the things I really want to do.” He dipped his head and pressed his mouth to the sensitive skin behind my ear. “And you’re with me. For all I care, I could be snapping shots in J.C. Penney.”

  I laughed and turned my head to kiss his cheek. “You’d never be happy with that.”

  “Wanna bet?” His hair spilled into his eyes as he grinned at me. “Though it would get old after a while. Then again, even those kinds of pictures capture a piece of a person’s life. That’s what I’m good at. Fuck all that shit I did for Bouvier. I hated doing it for longer than you can imagine.”

  I might have said something else, but he chose that moment to slide his hands under the hem of my sweater. A cold, steady rain had started sometime in the night and from the way it looked, fall was about to settle in fast, and his hands were still cold.

  “Your hands are freezing,” I said, instinctively arching away from his hands and back into him.

  “Mmm. You’re nice and warm, Tennessee.” His lips danced down my neck.

  Hmmmm.

  I was more than warm as his teeth scraped against the side of my throat. I turned my head, tilting it so that he could take my mouth. His fingers curled around my neck and I knew he could feel my pulse fluttering wildly there. He did that to me.

  One last time, I thought, as his free hand moved higher to cup my breast through my bra.

  Apparently, he was of the same mind.

  There was no furniture left, but that wasn’t a problem. The counter came up to my waist and provided the leverage we needed. He pushed up one side of my bra even as his other hand moved under my sweater. I moaned into his mouth as his fingers rolled and pulled my nipples until they throbbed.

  His kisses were slow and thorough, spreading heat through me until I felt as if I’d melt against him. As his hands slid down to my hips, I pushed my ass back against him and he broke the kiss to rest his forehead against mine.

  “I love you,” Flynn said, his voice low.

  “I know.”

  He pulled my skirt up around my waist and I made a small sound as the rough fabric of his jeans rubbed against my ass. He nuzzled the spot under my ear as he slid his hand beneath the elastic of my panties. I sucked in a breath as his fingers delved between my folds, quick and sure.

  He groaned. “You’re so wet, Tennessee.”

  “Make me wetter,” I gasped.

  He took the words to heart and proceeded to bring me to a quick, breathless climax as I stood there, clutching at the table and rocking forward to meet his hand as he twisted and curled his fingers inside me.

  I was still panting from the force of it when he entered me, hard and fast. I cried out, arching my back. His hand tangled in my hair, using it to turn my face to his as he drove into me. Our eyes locked and flesh slapped against flesh. The sound of our ragged breathing filled the air. Desire and love twisted and surged inside me. I couldn’t imagine my life without him, and I ached to think of how close I’d come to almost having that exact, bleak, future. I tightened around him, reaching back with one hand to grip his wrist.

  “Mine…” I breathed out, my nails digging into his flesh.

  “Damn right,” he growled.

  He gave me a wicked, wild grin and then he groaned, twisting his hips. It sent the head of his cock passing over my G-spot and I gasped. He repeated the motion again, and the gasp became a half-scream. By the third pass, I was hurtling straight into climax, my body shuddering around his, his name on my lips.

  He followed, his teeth sinking into my earlobe as he emptied himself inside me. I collapsed onto the counter and he curled over me, his weight braced on his elbows while he buried his face against my shoulder.

  “Hell of a going away party,” he said. “Just my style. Nice and private.”

  I laughed weakly, my body still trembling.

  “We should do a repeat, tonight. At the hotel. Just us,” I suggested with a grin. We’d already shipped off most of our stuff to California and we’d moved out of our apartment a few days ago, staying at a hotel close to the studio while we oversaw the packing of his equipment and I helped Kendra with last minute wedding details. Now that the latter was done, all we had to do was finish the former.

  “Can’t.” He sighed as he straightened.

  I sighed as he slid out of me.

  He continued, “We’re meeting Cody, Edward and Kendra, remember? I’m trying to be a better brother. Otherwise, I’d blow them off.”

  “You’ve never been a bad brother,” I countered as I did my best to straighten my clothes. “You love them and they know that. That’s what matters.”

  As Flynn tugged me close, I closed my eyes and rested my cheek against his chest. It was what mattered…and I had what mattered to me, right here.

  “We’ll go to the dinner,” I said as he rubbed his cheek against my hair. “And then do the going away party after. Who cares if we’re tired on the plane?”

  I certainly didn’t. Laughing, I rose up onto my toes to kiss him yet again. He’d be worth a sleepless a night and more. He was worth everything.

  Flynn was everything.

  And he was mine.

  Epilogue

  Flynn had purposefully asked the gallery to schedule his first show for April so we would be back in the city when Kendra was due. She and Edward had shocked everyone with their mid-summer announcement that she was expecting. With her being Bouvier’s top model, in such high demand that they’d cut their three week honeymoon short, almost everyone had assumed they’d wait a couple more years before having kids.

  I hadn’t been surprised at all. Kendra had always wanted a big family. She enjoyed modeling, but she was suited to the kind of life that Edward wanted for his wife. She would stay home and raise their children and be happy doing it. Claire had, of course, expressed her displeasure that Kendra wasn’t going to hand over the majority of child-rearing to the short list of nannies she’d already approved, but Edward had put his foot down.

  It seemed that, while he did still have his tendency to make peace whenever possible, his protective nature had increased the moment he’d found out he was going to be a father, so much so that he’d told his mother in no uncertain terms that he and Kendra would raise their children the way they saw fit.

  I’d told Kendra that I’d wished she taken pictures of the expression on Claire’s face. She’d agreed that it would have been nice to have a memento.

  Flynn and I's time away from the family had done us both a lot of good. We hadn’t even gone back to the city for the holidays, choosing instead to visit my family in Tennessee. Claire had been livid, even more so when Cody had decided to come down to see us for Thanksgiving instead of staying in New York. I was hoping that she’d calmed a bit since then, or at least that the new baby would distract her.

  I wasn’t anxious though. Claire was still Claire, but I was different than before. I was more me. I liked who I was with Flynn. Paul had been right. We made each other better.

  Flynn had done a whole series of photographs that focused on just that. He took people and let them find themselves in front of his camera. It had taken him almost a full year to put it together, but once he’d shown the work, the response had been overwhelming. We’d started touring the country in February, going to a new gallery every week. New York was the swan
song...of our US tour. He’d gotten the call two days ago from his agent that London wanted him, and there was a good chance Venice and Paris would too.

  I’d sold my screenplay at the first of the year and was waiting for the production company to finish casting. They were hoping to start filming in a couple weeks. While I was overjoyed at getting to see my work on screen, the connections I’d made over the last eighteen months were just as exciting. I had three major writers in LA and two in New York who’d told me to contact them when I was ready to start working on the small screen.

  The past year and a half almost felt like a dream and I knew that coming back to New York would be like waking up. Especially since this would be the first time anyone in either of Flynn or I's families had seen his show. I was pretty sure I was more nervous than he was. I was just glad my family was waiting until tomorrow to fly up. I wasn’t sure how much my nerves could take.

  “Tennessee, we’re here.” Flynn’s voice in my ear drew me out of my thoughts. “You ready for this?”

  I looked up at him, my heart swelling at the love in his eyes. I hadn’t thought it was possible to love him more than I had when I’d finally confessed my feelings, but every day, I loved him more, and I knew he felt the same way.

  “With you at my side, I’m ready for anything.” I kissed his cheek. “Now, let’s go see that nephew of yours.”

  Kendra had gone into labor late last night and had forbidden anyone from calling us until late this morning since we’d just gotten in the day before. She’d also apologized for not being able to make the show that night. Leave it to her to feel bad for missing an art show because she’d just shoved a nine and a half pound human being out of her body.

  “Gabs!”

  I was completely engulfed in one of Cody’s massive hugs before I even saw him coming. It had taken his arm nearly a year to regain full use and he still occasionally got headaches, but he’d otherwise recovered from the accident. And better than that...

  “So, where is he?” I asked as Cody turned from me to Flynn.

  Cody grinned and stretched out a hand behind him. “Gabs, Flynn, I’d like you to meet Mason.”

  He was smaller than Cody, but was still over six feet tall and solidly built. High cheekbones, dusky skin, black curls and near-black eyes, he could’ve been one of Bouvier’s models. He wasn’t one though. He’d been Cody’s physical therapist until they’d realized that they’d rather be more than that, and Cody had switched to a cranky Russian therapist for the last few months.

  They’d gone official when Cody had brought Mason to the Bouvier family Christmas party and kissed Mason under the mistletoe in front of all of the high-society elite. Yet another time I’d wished someone had taken a picture of Claire’s face for me.

  “Flynn.”

  He stiffened next to me and I squeezed his hand as we turned to face Claire. Albert stood behind her, as always, but he did manage a half-smile for both Flynn and I.

  “Mother.” He gave her a terse nod.

  “We’ll see you at the show.” She looked over at me. “Gabriella.”

  Her tone wasn’t warm, but when she walked by without insulting me, I counted it as a win. I wasn’t interested in Claire though. I just wanted to see my friends. Without another word to Flynn’s parents, we went into the room first, and I instantly forgot about the family issues.

  All I could think about was how in the world Kendra Facet-Bouvier had gone through six and a half hours of labor just four hours ago and still looked like she should be featured on a billboard.

  “Gabs.” She beamed at me and then returned her attention to the bundle in her arms.

  “Edward.” Flynn walked around to the opposite side of the bed and shocked everyone by giving his brother a hug.

  “Los Angeles agrees with you,” Edward said as Flynn stepped back. He looked over at me and smiled. “And you.”

  It was a nice smile. The kind of smile a man gave a friend. A family member. I liked that smile.

  “And fatherhood agrees with you,” I said. It did too. He looked more relaxed than I’d ever seen him. When he leaned over Kendra to kiss her forehead, his face shone with love and I couldn’t help but smile.

  “Do you want to hold him?” Kendra asked Flynn.

  I wasn’t sure who was more surprised, Edward or me, when Flynn held out his arms. I’d seen how amazing Flynn was with kids, but the foster kids he’d photographed both here and in LA had all been older. I’d never seen him holding a baby, but as he straightened, my heart clenched. It just looked right. We hadn’t really talked about kids.

  “Mom wanted us to name him after my dad,” Edward said. “Or after myself.”

  Flynn and I both looked at him. Kendra and Edward had been so secretive about the name that no one knew what it was going to be. I didn’t blame them. I had no doubt Claire would’ve argued about whatever name they chose that wasn’t what she wanted.

  “We agreed that we wanted to name him after his godparents,” Kendra said. She reached over and took Edward’s hand, then smiled up at me. “Gabriel Flynn.”

  “You named your son...” My voice trailed off.

  “If it hadn’t been for the two of you, Edward and I never would’ve found each other.” Kendra’s free hand slipped into mine.

  “Gabriel Flynn Bouvier,” Flynn said slowly. He had a strange expression on his face. “I never thought I’d hear that last name with mine.”

  I’d never thought about it before, Flynn having a different last name. Half-siblings, step-siblings, having different last names than parents or brothers wasn’t that strange. In Flynn’s case, however, the fact that his mother didn’t share his last name had been her choice. She’d kept the Bouvier name even after she’d married Albert McCreary and she’s made it perfectly clear why. It didn’t matter who she’d married. She was a Bouvier. Flynn was not.

  I let go of Kendra’s hand and crossed over to where Flynn stood. I looked down at the baby as I slid my arm around his waist. Like pretty much all newborns, his face was red and scrunched up. A fine layer of golden curls covered his head and I assumed his eyes would be blue like most babies. Between siblings, nieces and nephews, I’d seen a lot, but I’d never been a godmother to any of them.

  “You’ll do it, right?” Kendra asked.

  I looked up. I’d almost forgotten she and Edward were in the room.

  “You’ll be his godparents?”

  “Of course.” I tightened my fingers on Flynn’s side briefly, then went back to Kendra for a hug.

  “Can we come in too?” Cody’s voice came from the doorway. “I think the Nazi nurse left for the day.”

  Laughing, Edward motioned for the pair to join us. As Cody engulfed his brother in a hug, this, I thought, was what family was supposed to be.

  “May I speak with you for a moment?” Edward’s voice was low in my ear.

  Startled, I looked up at him, but his expression was blank. “Is something wrong with Kendra or Gabriel?”

  He shook his head and gestured for me to follow him. I glanced over to where Flynn was discussing one of his photographs with a silver-haired man I dimly recognized as being one of Claire’s acquaintances. He caught my eye and nodded as I smiled.

  As I walked after Edward, my stomach tightened. I knew which photographs were in this part of the gallery. When he stopped in front of one particularly evocative one, my heart thumped painfully in my chest.

  His back was to me, but he must’ve known I was there because he started talking, his voice quiet enough that no one else could hear him.

  “This was one of the pictures he threatened to show me, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.” I stepped up next to him and looked at the photograph. It wasn’t the exact same one that had hung in his bedroom, but it was close. My face was hidden, but my body was bare...except for the paint. It was only one of several of my shots from that day that were now part of Flynn’s show, but it was the most revealing. None of them showed my face, so no one in any of the
galleries we’d been to had recognized me as the model, but it still made me flush when I saw someone looking. I hadn’t even considered that Edward would guess it was me.

  “Does Kendra know?” he asked.

  “She knows,” I said.

  “Good.” He gave me a sideways glance, his eyes sparkling with humor. “It would’ve been awkward to explain to my wife how I was able to recognize the faceless model who posed for my brother nude.”

  I laughed, the tension in my chest easing. A moment of silence fell, and I broke it when I asked the question that had been at the back of my mind for almost two years.

  “What would you have done?”

  Edward turned towards me. “You mean if Flynn had showed me these?”

  I nodded.

  He glanced at the photo, a thoughtful look on his face. “I don’t know,” he finally said. “He took them before we’d met, but it would’ve bothered me.” He looked back at me. “But I don’t think it would’ve been for the reasons you might think. It would’ve bothered me because I’d have seen how alive Flynn made you and I would’ve wondered why you didn’t look that way with me.”

  After a moment, he reached out and gave my arm a brotherly squeeze before walking away. I stayed where I was, studying the photograph. I hadn’t modeled for Flynn since we’d left New York and a part of me missed it. I was happy with who I was as a person, but there was still something freeing about posing for him that spoke to a place deep inside me.

  “She’s one of my favorite models.”

  I smiled as Flynn’s arms slid around my waist. I loved that he didn’t feel the need to put on a cool, collected front for anyone. There were none of those chaste kisses to the top of my head or anything like that. If he wanted to hold my hand, he did. If he felt like standing behind me, holding me, he did.

  “Is she?” I asked as I leaned back against his firm chest.

  “Mmhm.” He bent his head so that his lips were against my ear. “But she doesn’t pose for me anymore.”