For he desired no other woman.
His bride-to-be had gone incognito, not even answering his calls in the past day, ignoring him as if he were some jealous ex-lover that couldn’t catch a hint. She’d already warned him she had a lot to do to prepare for their special day and didn’t want to be distracted. He hated her for it… for he wanted her near him the previous evening, her exposed skin against his own, comforting and soothing, as he lay deep inside of her love. Taryn had made an honest man of him, and for the first time in his adult life, he never wanted an additional woman in the mix. His thoughts were so consumed with her, the thought of another warm body in his bed did nothing for him but leave him cold and unmoved.
Only she will do… No one else can compare.
She’d captured and captivated him and from the moment they caught icy, white flurries on the tips of their tongues in a contest to the frigid death. At that moment, he’d known his heart was gone, taken, stolen. The true thief of the relationship had been revealed. And she wore heels…
She had him. It was a motherfucking trap and a wrap, and he happily stayed behind bars.
Just then, music began to play in the distance—the soft, beautiful harmonies of Michael Bublé, singing ‘Everything’. The guests moseyed on to their seats after enjoying the magnificent panoramic view of the alluring city of New York. Just then, the tangerine-colored sun begun to set in the dusky lavender skies. A soft breeze blew, forcing strands of his hair to block part of his vision, his sight clouded by waving threads of hair. He swiped at them, brushed them back with a curl of his fingers, then stood with his hands crossed over his stomach. He cleared his throat and stood a bit straighter, not completely certain what to do with himself as his patience quickly wore thin. Standing there, he waited…wished. So in love.
The minister approached, tapped his shoulder, then flipped through his worn, dark brown bound Bible and placed his index finger along the lines of scripture.
In deep thought, Nick faced away from him, staring down at the white floor as the waves splashed and sloshed against the boat. His eardrums took in the music of the river beating against the vessel, so crisp and clear, as though it came from a seashell placed to his ear. He tried to stay serious and dignified so as not to make himself a fool among these people, but he couldn’t help grinning and feeling like he’d grown twenty feet tall in spirit.
I remember the first time I looked at you, Taryn, the first time I saw you. I was fresh out of detox, but high all over again, overdosing on your beauty. The way you walk… it’s like your limbs are liquid, and you’re just going with the flow of nature.
Your confidence… you look like you have your shit together even when you’re scared to death—chin always held high, looking regal and elegant, like a black swan with a golden crown…
The way you speak…
You say things succinctly, honestly, yet in a beautiful and abstract manner all at once. At the same time, your words have edge; New York is inside of you, through and through…
The way you sit, move and lie… It’s like you’re dancing with each sway of your extremities…
Your scent… so sweet like freshly bloomed flowers, so feminine and natural. I can’t really describe it, but if I could, the best thing I could say is, you smell fresh, uninhibited, and free…and I can’t get enough of you…
Yes, she was freedom. She was a ticket out. Inside of the rehab center, Taryn had become the thick, smoggy air and the shoreline breeze, the tall, gray buildings clawing at the sky, and the bright yellow taxis stalling bumper to bumper on 5th street. She was all the shit he swore he hated until it was gone, far from his vision, and beyond his desperate reach. All the things he wished he could have, but didn’t muster the courage to imagine… She was everything, and then everything times two…
I won… I got the girl! She’s mine…
His chest rose up and down against the fabric of his jacket while he sucked in air, the coolness tickling his teeth from a smile that refused to be banished. He tried to compose himself as the obsessive thoughts attempted to get cozy within his mind.
I feel like some lovesick chump!
When laughter finally burst free, fresh tears streamed down his face while he looked up and around, avoiding eye contact with anyone looking in his general direction. But it proved too late; his fickle emotions told on him, for he soon felt a tender touch on his back. He looked over his shoulder and took note of the minister, giving him a warm smile and a sliver of comfort as he endured the moment. The sounds of the water grew louder, crashing, matching the tempo of his racing heart. He couldn’t stop it, couldn’t make it go away, for his eyes were soon competing with the waves until his face was soaking wet, just like the roaring waters around him.
Ahhh shit, I’m fallin’ apart here…
The tears started to blur his vision. He swiped at his face, but it was no use. Like a torrential rain, an internal storm, the monster poured out of him, groaning and dying… The damn thing was no longer content to stay within him. The seating had been rearranged and the creature comforts were null and void.
He was too in love; his heart had been made hostile, not fit for any demons to dwell in.
…And then, there she was.
Dressed in a simple eggshell white gown, her head covered with a thick hood, and a teardrop shaped crystal bindi dangling between her brows. Several of her friends surrounded her, dressed in shimmery sky blue gowns, fussing over her as if she were fragile petal presented to him in the manner of a judiciously wrapped gift of distinction.
…And the sight of her did make him feel like a fucking king.
Two of her friends, statuesque women with pleasant smiles, pulled her hood slowly back, revealing her cropped hair and causing the crystal adornment to come into full view. The ladies moved towards the front and stood close to him as her father walked her up the aisle to him. The man nodded towards Nick, offering a pleasant, sincere smile, and a pat on the shoulder. Taryn had made it perfectly clear she did not wish to be ‘given away.’ She told the minister that she was giving herself away to her husband, and that was that. The man retook his seat while the ladies once again surrounded his bride.
Vicki reached in front of her, adjusting Taryn’s gown just so. His woman’s tresses moved him, the black waves lustrous, alluring, sexy, reminding him of the surface of the water they sailed upon. Lust and love merged inside of him, creating the perfect cocktail.
Shit, baby… you’re beautiful! I’m going to fuck the shit outta you after our reception…have you screaming, creaming and clawing at my back all night long…
He smirked at his seedy deliberations while her spirit ascended upon him like the sun after a hard, turbulent rain. He held her hands as they faced one another and he studied her, wishing he could read her damn mind. He needed to touch her, keep her as close as could be. A slight dewiness covered her cheeks, and her succulent lips, lush with a hint of neutral gloss were begging him to kiss her. He swallowed harshly, resisting the urge to do just that, and squeezed her fingers, praying he’d stop shaking. His heart sang song after song as she smiled up at him.
It’s just me and you against the world, baby…
“You look like a walking dream,” he whispered, causing her to chuckle lightly and cast him a wink.
“You don’t look so bad yourself…” she flirted, filling him with joy.
He turned towards the minister, ready to get down to the nitty gritty…
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, in the presence of these witnesses, to join Nicholas Raymundo Vitale and Taryn Bailey Jones in holy matrimony, which is commended to be honorable among all men; and therefore is not by any to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, discreetly, advisedly and solemnly. Into this holy estate these two persons present now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace…”
“I dare you!” Nick looked around the area, his
face twisted up, itching for a fight. The entire audience erupted in laughter. Feeling a bit foolish after the outburst, he had to laugh at himself.
“You are crazy.” Taryn snickered as she tightened her grip on his hands.
“Yeah… crazy about you,” he cooed, causing the woman’s cheek to warm with color.
The minister continued on, until it was time to present their rings to one another.
“Please repeat after me…this ring is a token of my love. I marry you with this ring, with all that I have and all that I am…”
Nick examined her for a second or two, then recited the words, “This ring, Taryn, is a token of my love.” He slid the thick, platinum wedding band on her finger. “I marry you with this ring, with all that I have, and all that I am.”
Taryn took his hand, and repeated the same words, but struggled a bit to get the wedding band down his long digit.
“…Ate a bit too much salt on my eggs this morning,” he joked, causing more laughter. “Ahhh, you got it… there you go.” He whispered around a smile.
The minister cleared his throat and began again. “I will forever wear this ring as a sign of my commitment and the desire of my heart…”
They both followed suit, until all the vows were exchanged.
“Taryn,” he said, getting his nerve up as his heart spun in his chest. “You have no idea how happy you’ve made me today. I promise to be good to you, to be honest, okay?”
She smiled, slipped her hand from his grip and stroked his cheek, then nodded.
“I promise to not do anything stupid to you, at least not on purpose.”
This caused more laughter, including from the two of them.
“And I promise to make time for you… not get so lost in my job that I forget where my heart is, and who loves me in spite of myself. I promise to talk to you, tell you how I am feeling… I still forget sometimes that I’m no longer in this alone, that I don’t have to keep everything bottled inside… that I can talk to you about stuff, let it out. That’s hard for me, you know that.”
She smiled in encouragement, her eyes welling with tears. He paused, swiped them away with the side of his thumb.
“You’re my family now… my wife, my lover, my best friend. You know where I come from, and I won’t apologize for that. I embrace it. It makes me who I am, and you love me all the more for it. I’m a guy who’s lived a lot in a short span of time. I grew up in a way some can’t comprehend… poor in my pockets and in my spirit.” He took a few moments to brace himself, trying desperately to continue without falling apart again, but the plausibility of that seemed fleeting.
“I know everything happens for a reason… and meeting you was one of the reasons I went through so many changes… so when I saw you that first time, I knew a good thing when I saw it, and could appreciate you. I would have never met you if I hadn’t had my problems, and the least I can do now is be a testament to others. If I hadn’t taken the first step to loving myself, I would have missed having you in my life, and I’m thankful to you for taking me by the hand and showing me how to do the rest. You didn’t feed me, you taught me how to fish—that’s part of the reason why I fell in love with you.
“You showed up in my life in the nick of time, Taryn. I was lost… so lost. You knew what you wanted, and I was…” His voice cracked and he stopped, shaking like a leaf. The tears wouldn’t cease to fall. Hooking her fingers under his chin, she sought his gaze and grounded him once more. “I was so happy when you chose me! You’re classy, beautiful, intelligent, funny… and open. You’re a warrior all right.” He caressed her knuckles with his thumbs. “A warrior with a shining spirit and softened by a layer of beautiful petals. You gotta beast in your heart, and it opened the gate and let me in… gave a crazy guy like me a stamp of approval.”
Light laughter filtered through.
“So, thank you. Thank you for trusting me when most people no longer did. I needed that… I needed it bad.” She grabbed his hands and squeezed them with might as soft, quiet tears saturated her cheeks.
And so she cried with him. Shared every emotion with him.
That’s my Taryn…always and forever.
“Nick, we’re here with our family and friends today. They’ve all come to help us celebrate and for that, I’m thankful,” she began. “There was a time in my life when I didn’t know if I’d make it to the end of the week, let alone live long enough to see my wedding day.” She shook her head, and continued, “I would sometimes get very ill after chemotherapy, and the pain…sometimes the pain was unbearable. Nick, I’m not talking only about the physical kind of pain, but the emotional kind, too. I wasn’t happy long before I’d been diagnosed. I didn’t know why, but I wasn’t. It took a man like you to come into my life, to say the right things at the right time.
“So much so, you gave me courage to dig in real deep and get those designs that only floated in my mind all sketched out. I filled up book after book after book, and without you in my life, I’m not sure that would have happened… We all get scared sometimes, Nick, even beasts and warriors…”
She trailed a hand tenderly along his cheek.
“Things change, people change. I had so much to live for, so I fought… I fought so hard, Nick. I didn’t know I’d meet a wonderful man during my time of adversity. I had no idea that the very thing that tried to destroy me would have a silver lining… and I’d end up in the company of greatness.”
He leaned in, no longer caring, and kissed the top of her head. A light applause echoed behind them.
“I didn’t know that, through my pain, I’d be helping someone else. I had no idea how much I meant to you, until I saw the love in your eyes one day while you stood under the sun, and you looked up into the sky, and then at me… so free. You told me,” she said as fresh tears rolled down her cheek, “that you didn’t know the difference between me and the sun, and that’s why you kept looking up, then over at me, because to you, we looked the same…”
“Oh Jesus! Nick got some serious game!” someone called out, which resulted in a ruckus of laughter.
“You said we were bright stars in a world so lost. I knew then that I had met my best friend. What mattered to me most was that you stayed well, stayed healthy. You were too damn good, Nick, to ever settle for less, even from yourself. You are a rare one! A strong one! My Hero! The guy who would walk through fire to protect me… and just know, I’d jump in the flames to shelter you, too.”
No longer able to contain himself, he grabbed the woman and kissed her with all the passion he could muster, and the guests’ cheers resounded around them.
“You may now kiss the bride…looks like I’m behind the curveball.” The minister chuckled, to everyone’s delight. Nick wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her closer, leaving no room for a wisp of air.
“You’re stuck with me now.” He grinned in her ear.
Her cheek plumped as a smile broke free across her face.
“Stuck with you? No baby, you’re stuck with me! You might regret it! I’m wedged to your ass like a barnacle on this boat!” She chuckled, and he planted another kiss against her lips, and then another. “I love you, Nick. You came into my life right on time. Thank you for loving me, baby…and thank you, for simply being you…”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
…Several months later
She wasn’t certain she wanted to continue to play. Her mind yelled and screamed as her anxiety mounted, but her pulsating pussy told her to shut up, threatened to do her in if she dared give in to fear…
“What are you doing?”
He said nothing…
Daley, ‘Alone Together’ featuring Marsha Ambrosius played.
This is what I get for agreeing to this! I should’ve known better!
All she could hear was the opening and closing of what sounded like the refrigerator door off in the distance. Unpacked boxes littered their new digs, the place with beautiful trey ceilings, new silver and white granite counters, and fl
oor to ceiling windows, located on Thompson Street in Soho.
“Nick?” she called out, her voice weak as she strained against the rich, velvety, purple sheets covering her naked body, yet moving carefully, lest she let them slip and catch a chill. Soon, she heard the shuffling of the man’s bare feet across the wooden floor. A moment or two later, the bed sighed as his weight pressed onto the mattress. He simply sat there, unnerving her all the more. After a few frustrating seconds, she could feel him drawing closer and closer until he hovered over her, his deep breaths audible and the way he blocked the light with the mass of his body intimidating, yet, erotic. The blindfold over her face allowed whispers of light and darkness to reveal themselves, but no further evidence of his tasks were demonstrated, much to her chagrin.
She swallowed as perspiration dampened her body, particularly her upper lip and the Cupid’s bow as she swiped at the salty moisture with the tip of her tongue.
“What are you doing?” She twisted her wrists, causing the fabric that tied her to the bed posts to tighten uncomfortably around her flesh. “Uhhhh! Ohhh….” She bucked when the slippery cold ice slid against her navel, through the sheets. Taking his time, he left her, curious and unsettled, so he could remove the sheets from her body, unwrapping her bit by bit like a favorite chocolate bar to be devoured under the cloud of secrecy. The man knew exactly how to tempt her, but he remained full of surprises, some of which danced on the verge of erotic, erogenous perversions… and that suited her just fine.
In the Nick of Time Page 68
