by Peyton Banks
“Welcome! Charles and Nina have brought us together here for an occasion of great joy and a cause for great celebration. They have chosen each one of you to be here with them to witness their wedding vows as they join as husband and wife.”
The officiant begins the service, and I marvel at the couple, taking notice of the wrinkles by their eyes and around their lips as they smile lovingly at one another. My gaze drifts off to Lucas and he glances up and catches me in my gaze daze. The words being spoken become distant while the memories of the past week flood my mind. The good, the bad, and the unanswered. I can’t see him the same any longer. The dynamic has certainly changed, and now things are becoming even more awkward with the marriage taking place right before us.
“The time has come to exchange the rings, and the couple will recite their vows together,” the officiant says.
We both pass the rings to our parents, and they turn towards each other and speak the following:
“God and the universe have given us a second chance at happiness. I come today to give you my love, to give you my heart and my hope for our future together. I promise to bring you joy, to be at home with your spirit and to learn to love you more each day, through all the days of our lives. My love for you is endless and eternal,” they both recite.
“Charles and Nina, you have come here today of your own free will, and in the presence of family and friends, have declared your love and commitment to each other. You have given and received a ring as a symbol of your promises. By the power of your love and commitment to each other, and by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Charles, you may now kiss your bride.”
Charles takes my mother into a back-bending embrace and lays a romantic kiss on her.
“Friends and family, I now present to you the newly married couple. Let’s hear it for ’em!”
Thunderous roars and claps erupt and the new Mr. and Mrs. turn to the crowd and hold their joined hands in the air. They walk down the aisle amongst well-wishers and stand over to the side to mingle. Lucas and I follow, him grabbing my hand as we stroll.
“This was a nice ceremony,” he says.
I blush slightly feeling his gaze skim over my face. “It really was. I knew they were in love, but I didn’t know how deep it was.”
We both look to the happy couple and can’t help but share in their joy.
“Well, I guess I’ll get upstairs and make sure everything is ready for the reception. Would you mind making the announcement?”
“Uh, sure. I can do that. I’ll see you on the rooftop.” He grabs one of the cordless mics and announces the reception will begin in fifteen minutes.
I make a quick check of the food, drinks, and see if the DJ is ready with the playlist, then signal to Lucas to send the guests on up. Lucas enters the area escorting my aunts while my uncles chaperone his Aunt Rachel. I hand them each a glass of their pre-selected beverage and follow through with a drink of my own.
“Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the couple of the hour, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Weathers,” the DJ announces the arrival, and the bubble machine shoots out sentiments of joy as they walk through them to the dance floor. “The couple will have their first dance as husband and wife.”
Perfect by Ed Sheeran plays, and I can’t help but tear up watching them dance. From the little pecks of affection they share with one another to the twinkle in their eyes under the stringed lights and the glow of the rising moon, I couldn’t imagine a moment more perfect. I’m so engaged in them, I don’t see when Lucas appears beside me.
“Hey,” he says in a breathy tone.
“Hey,” I reply in sniffles. “Have you ever seen something so beautiful?” I continue.
“Actually, I have. I’m looking at her right now.”
I turn and give him the once-over when he takes my hand and leads me to the dance floor.
“Lucas, what are you doing?” I query. I glance around and see everyone ogling us as he pulls me in to a close embrace and sways to the music.
“I’m staking my claim in my girl.”
“Yours? But our parents just got…”
“I don’t care. I’m not going to let this opportunity get away.” He tilts my head up towards his, and with his hands placed firmly on either side of my face, he leans in and kisses me. His tongue breaks through, and I reciprocate while his hands move to my waist as I wrap mine around his neck. And for a brief moment I forget where I am. The music, the air, this man, all combined, have me in a state of bliss.
“Nina, do you see this?” Mr. Weathers says to my mother as they stand by us.
“Yes, Charles, I do. And I have never seen my baby so happy.”
I rest my head against Lucas’ chest, and we continue to dance, and at this moment, I know I am falling for my rival.
About the Author
ML Preston, was voted one of the Top 50 Sexy Writers by Publishing Addict 2015. Her Undeniable Series, (Unthinkable, Untouchable and Unbreakable), is evident of the heat she can bring. She also has 4 short stories in her Southern Charm Series that rival the heat of her debut.
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Born and raised in Oklahoma City, she learned early on that she had a gift for bringing worlds to life with her words. An avid and voracious reader, she was encouraged to nurture her active imagination and quickly found a passion for storytelling. Inspired by her own personal love story, she began to write the voices in her head, embarking on a journey to share her stories. She spins tales of passion and romance where the lines between race and creed, physical perfection and social norms disappear in the face of love. Tales of real love; erotic connections with a heart and soul that everyone can relate.
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ML writes to escape from the mundane day-to-day. That and a few glasses of wine. Now writing Love Lessons, (expected release February 2018), she is keeping her mind racing with hot stories to share. She makes a home in Texas with her husband and three children, who keep her grounded when the voices call on her to tell their story. And they never stop calling.
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Where can you find ML Preston?
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Website:
www.mlpreston.com
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Facebook:
www.facebook.com/PrestonML
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Twitter:
twitter.com/ml_preston
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Instagram:
instagram.com/ml_preston
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Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/14437880.ML_Preston
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BookBub:
www.bookbub.com/authors/ml-preston
Bankrupt
Donna R. Mercer
All Tiara wanted was to be riddenhard and put away wet, metaphorically. Things had been going well, she was content with her weekend encounters with the hard-bodied stranger she had hooked up with through the Proximity app.
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Nothing made a girl smile more than getting pounded like a nail. Life was grand between work, relaxing at home, and enjoying her weekends she had little to complain about. That is, until the company she worked for announced they were going belly up.
* * *
She was losing her job.
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Her future sucked.
* * *
She kind of liked her crappy job. She really liked her co-workers, but best of all she loved having the time to meet her sexy stranger. Better yet, let him take her, on different surfaces. He was the man of her dreams.
* * *
He satisfied her needs and then went away. No awkward demands for commitment. Just an occasional request for her to be arm candy.
* * *
Perfect.
* * *
What's a girl to do when her future is Bankrupt?
1
You ever have one of those days when you are craving something, but you don’t know what it is that you want?
Well, that was not the type of day that Tiara wa
s having. She knew what she was craving.
She was craving Spring-rolls.
But not just any kind of Spring-rolls. No, Tiara wanted Spicy Spring-rolls. Not the plain ones made of shrimp, chicken, or pork.
She wanted the one made with a big D, little i, little c, and a little k.
She was horny.
She was going to have to settle for the pork ones from the Shanghai Chinese Wok takeout place around the corner from her house. Unless you can get a man To-Go, provided that he comes first. Tiara giggled at her thoughts. They skirted over the line between naughty and wicked. Guaranteed to get her mouth washed out with soap by her grandmother. Those black grandmothers had a way of making their disapproval known.
She dialed the takeout place from the front seat of her car. Some of Tiara’s actions fell into the category of super lazy. Like the fact that she was in the parking lot of the takeout place using her phone to place her order instead of going inside. Lazy. But smart.
Going inside required her to interact with people. Bad idea. Her original desire wasn’t being satisfied. Instead, she was getting a poor substitute. If she had her a big, hard, fat Spicy Spring-roll just pounding into her relentlessly as she screamed and writhed on her bed….
Tiara fanned herself.
She may need to crack a window.
Turn on the air conditioning.
It was heating up in her car. Just thinking about being fucked made her horny. This pissed her off. The prospect of finding a man who fit that qualification was slim to none. All she had to look forward to was another night of being hot and horny while sitting on her living room sofa stuffing her face with Chinese food watching old tv shows.
She called in her order. The sooner she got home, the better. Starting her ‘single woman with no dick on the horizon’ weekend. The restaurant gave her a time for twenty minutes later which translated to her going to get her food in twenty-five minutes. It was never ready when they said it was. This minimized her interaction with other humans. She got plenty of that as a customer service representative at Barnaby’s Call Center. One of their major clients, an insurance company, experience a high volume of calls in the last few months.
The last major hail storm that hit the city brought the douchebags out of the woodworks. People filed their claims left and right. The first wave of people was polite and eager to cooperate on the phone. It was the second wave of people. The ones who filed their claims, but weren’t happy with what the insurance company was willing to pay them to get their homes fixed that turned out to be a real pain in her ass.
If she had to be polite to one more nasty person, she would climb through the phone and choke them with their insurance policy.
Deep breath. You aren’t at work anymore. It’s the weekend and you can relax. Maybe take a road trip with your friend B.O.B. down memory lane. You know. Remember the good old days when you had some dick available on a regular basis.
Maybe she would check out that app her friend Barb, from work, told her about. She pulled out her phone and scrolled to the app store. She nibbled on her fingers as she tried to remember the name of the app.
“Proximity.”
She typed it into the phone when a cute little app with two people walking closer to each other appeared. It took less than a minute for the app to download and install on her phone.
Welcome to Proximity. The app announced when she opened it.
Your Hook up is closer than you think. She tapped on the app.
Well, at least the app didn’t lie about the purpose of it.
What is your favorite sexual position?
Wine me. Dine me. Sixty-nine me.
Spit or swallow?
Swallow.
If you were a dog what kind of a dog would you be?
“What the hell kind of a question is that?” She muttered. “Whoever designed this app must have been high at the time.”
Shar-Pei
You thought the dog question was stupid? Yes or no.
Yes.
Please enter your driver license number?
Tiara entered her number.
Liar.
What the fuck?
You do not weigh one hundred and twenty-five pounds. The app called her out on the information on her license.
Please upload a picture of yourself.
You just got my driver’s license. How many pictures do you need?
Nobody looks good on their driver’s license photo. Do you really want us to use this? The app must be reading her mind. This was really freaky.
She uploaded another pic from her phone. It was the one where her hair stylist had just finished dying her hair blonde with the caramel streaks. She loved how it complements the warm glow of her brown skin. It became her profile picture.
Are you ready to see if your new fuck is within Proximity?
She tapped the button labeled Ready Set Go.
Tiara checked the clock while the app percolated. It was almost time for her to get her food. She wondered how long the app took to find her a match.
She got out of her car, sliding the phone into her pocket, grabbing her wallet as she headed towards the door of the Chinese place to get her food. The smells hit her before she even entered the place. It smelt delicious. Her stomach rumbled in agreement.
Tiara reached out, opening the red door with a golden dragon painted on it as her phone dinged in her pocket. She eagerly pulled it out.
Your new fuck is within Proximity. The app declared. There was an animation of a dick entering a pussy flashing on her phone. Tiara paused in the doorway, clicking on the picture. The dick entered the pussy and then an explosion occurred on her screen. A message appeared after the animation. Your steady fuck BigDickRide is within proximity and would like to hook up with you. Please click on the link if you would like to continue the hookup.
Tiara clicked on the link.
“Excuse me,” a deep voice sounded behind her.
She looked up startled at the sound. She forgot that she was standing there blocking the doorway. Woo Momma.
Standing in front her was gorgeous hotness. Whiskey brown eyes were frowning at her. She stared into them. Lost in the swirling lights that made up the beautiful orbs.
“Excuse me.” The deep voice sounded again. She realized that it was coming from him. “You’re blocking the door,” The voice informed her.
She looked around in embarrassment. Realizing that he was right and that several people were trying to get around her. Chagrined, she stepped out of his way. He brushed past her as he exited.
A firmly muscled arm brushed her breasts. Her nipples tightened in response. She inhaled deeply. The scent of man and musk mixed with Chinese food invaded her nostrils. He carried a large bag of food past her. Whoever had him for dinner was one lucky bitch.
Tiara turned her attention from the example of masculinity that just left her drooling to her cell phone. She may not get him, but she did have the opportunity to get someone tonight. Dick was just one click away.
She hurried up to the counter and completed the transaction for her food. She was happy that she preordered her food and didn’t have to wait. She was in and out of the restaurant and back in her car in no time. She clicked on the link in the app.
The message read:
BigDickRide would like to invite MuthaFknQueen to meet him at the Carlton Hotel room 1514 at 8pm tonight. Do you accept this invitation?
Tiara looked at her clock. The Carlton was a very exclusive hotel that wasn’t far from the restaurant. Being invited for a night of passion, there was better than her lonely night of Chinese food and old tv shows. She tapped the yes, button quickly.
The app flashed. Have a wild ride.
Tiara turned on her car. She had enough time to get home and shower before presenting herself at the Carlton Hotel.
2
Tiara found herself standing outside of the door of room 1514 at the Carlton Hotel precisely at eight o'clock. It was like everything in the univers
e aligned so that she could make this rendezvous without any difficulties.
There was minimal traffic on her way home from the takeout place. Her sexiest lingerie was clean and folded neatly in her dresser drawer. She even got her thigh high stockings on without ripping a giant hole in one of them. This meeting was meant to be.
She gave a nervous little huff before knocking quickly on the hotel room door. Her jaw dropped open when she saw who was standing before her. It was him. Whiskey Eyes from the Chinese place.
“Come in,” that deep voice sounded. Her body reacted in pleasure as she entered the room. Her gaze drifted around the room refusing to land on him. She couldn’t believe her luck. If his body was anything to go by then, she definitely was in for a BigDickRide. “I don’t know how anonymous you want to keep this?” His deep voice was having an effect on her. She could feel the little scrap of cloth she classified as underwear starting to get damp. Her nipples harden inside of the lingerie she wore. Never before had she ever experienced such a reaction. It was as if her body decided to take control of the situation and react to every sound that was uttered from his mouth.
