The Bastard Son of Thor, page 2
My feet drop to the floor and I stand, then I nip his pec and he flinches. "Fuck you, Aurei! You and your fucking secrets!"
He puts his arm around me and we start across the terminal. "I wasn’t sure if you were going to burst into tears or faint on me."
I chuckle hearing the truth. "I wasn’t sure either! Fuck! I nearly did both. I guess I’m wound up pretty tight."
We walk across the area together. He like the God he is, while I dance across it like the Diva I am. "Relax. We’ve got this!"
"Thank you!" I tell him.
"For?"
"For being so fucking awesome!"
When we board the train, my phone goes off. Ding! Ding! Ding! "It’s Brutus." I look down to enter my code to unlock it and the tram jolts, throwing me off balance. I step to regain my footing, but the woman next to me, holding an infant, dropped her diaper bag, and it’s laying right where I need to put my foot. I stutter step;, then my ankle falls off my stiletto and like a tumbling rock, I start to go down. Dancers are used to the pain of crashing on their knees, and I feel my face contort into a grimace, knowing the level of pain about to be delivered. Splaying my hands to catch myself, I practically throw my phone. Through squinted eyes, I see Aurei’s lightning fast reflexes reaching out to snag me. One jerks my arm, keeping my knees safe. The other snatches my phone from midair. Only my tits land hard with the abrupt rescue, jarring an "oomph" out of my mouth.
"Careful now." He tells me as I gain my composure.
I roll my eyes. Well, that was graceful as fuck."
My phone goes off again. Ding! Ding! Ding!
Aurei opens his palm and puts it under my nose. I mash my lips together and take it, feeling slightly humiliated by my clumsiness.
"You’re just out of practice." He tries to reassure me, but fails because of the laughter in his voice.
I stick my tongue out at him, sassing his poor attempt at either humor or comfort.
He laughs out loud, then pulls me tight against him, securing me as I read the text from Brutus out loud.
* Your car is waiting for you, Boss Lady. *
* In the train. Be there in 8. *
* Your car key is at the baggage pickup as instructed. Look for the dude with your name on a sign. *
* Wait. WTF? You aren’t here? *
Brutus doesn’t answer and I pout. The tram arrives at our gate, and I hand my phone to Aurei. "Here. You hold it. It’s safer with you."
He chuckles and slips it into his pocket with his own, then asks. "Did Brutus come through?"
"Of course, never doubt Brutus," I tell him as we exit and my hand slips into his.
Brutus arranged to have my Shelby GT500 shipped out to Vegas. Aurei protested saying he had a car I could drive, but I bought my car because that’s the car I wanted. I never intended to leave it behind. It was always going to be shipped out. I was tired of having to be driven everywhere. I needed to be more independent and less isolated.
At the top of the escalator that leads to the baggage pick up point, Aurei puts me on the moving belt in front of him. As we descend, I turn around to face him and stare fixated on his crotch obviously admiring the view. I’m such a naughty tease. I drag my tongue over and around my lips. Wetting them until they shine. I’m rewarded to see his 'sausage' begin to grow in his pants. Instantly, his hand lands hard on top of my head and he palms it like a basketball, then turns me clockwise around. As I spin, I lift wicked, laughing eyes to his face and see the same expression on his.
"Bad Thang! Behave!"
"But it’s so hard!" I say and he chuckles again at the innuendo. It’s fast becoming my new 'go to' tease with him.
When we clear the overhang, I look out over the baggage area for the man with my name on a card. I give a little squeal of excitement and take off down the escalator too impatient to ride now. Brutus! Bald headed, big ole baby, Brutus! He came himself!
At 6’6", 295 lbs., Brutus dwarfs everyone around him by sheer volume of size. A former NFL Linebacker, he is mean and tough, but not nasty. His heart is as good as they come.
I sprint towards him and he drops the sign that reads 'Siri here! Wright now!' When I reach him, I stop and jump as high as I can, twisting at the top. He dips down into a squat and turns his shoulder for me to land on in our modified NFL body bump. Then he scoops me up and crushes me in a feet dangling hug! "It’s good to see you!" We say at the same time.
When he sets me down, he steps back, lays his big hands on my shoulders, and sums me up. "Baby Girl! You really look good! Rested, happy, relaxed! You look fantastic!"
"Thanks, Brutus! Karma has been working her magic."
"Love looks good on you!"
"Finally, right? It feels fucking fantastic too!" His eyes fall to my choker and my fingers find the gold plate with the inscription. I know now is the time to tell him. "Brutus, Aurei is my fiancé. He asked me to marry him in Italy and I said yes."
His eyebrows shoot up and I know he’s thinking, 'this is too fast!' But he knows me well enough to know I’m my own woman and make my own decisions. He says simply. "Ah! That’s news! Congratulations!"
"Thanks." I beam up at him.
He looks over at the escalator and I turn to see Aurei filming us. I wave him over and turn back to Brutus. "He’s a truly great guy!"
He beams at me now too. "I know. I approved of him before you did."
I laugh out loud at that. "You always have my back, don’t you?"
"Yes, ma’am."
"Have you two set the date?"
"Yes.," I tell him as my Golden God strolls over.
"When?" He asks studying him closely.
"Very soon," I tell him with pride watching my man arrive.
Most men are intimated by Brutus, but not Aurei, not the Bastard Son of Thor. He oozes competence unmatched by the majority men, along with supreme confidence because he knows exactly who he is, and has fearlessness on a level that’s downright scary. Fuck! This man has IT.
Brutus sticks his hand out for Aurei to shake. "Mr. Moore. Brutus Martin. It’s nice to finally meet you."
"Aurei, please. Likewise," he grasps it with a firm grip and pumps it. "I look forward to working with you."
Brutus smiles. "It’s nice to have you onboard." He reaches into his pocket and produces my car key, then hands it to Aurei. "As directed. Fueled up and ready to roll."
"Perfect. I have her until tomorrow."
Brutus nods and smiles at me. "It’s good to have you home, Baby Girl."
"It’s good to be home."
"I’ll escort you out and make sure you get off without an incident." He tells us.
Aurei asks. "Is there a crowd?"
"No, but this is Sin City and you can never let your guard down in this town." He waves us to the exit.
At the doors, he walks through first, then Aurei and I follow. No one in their right mind would fuck with me. I’ve got two of the baddest asses on the planet guarding my naughty ass. Ha!
Chapter Three
On the highway, I watch in silence as my pilot maneuvers through the traffic. He is skilled and posed. I watch his face for visual clues, but he seems completely relaxed, making me wonder out loud. "Does anything rattle you?"
He grins. "Nope."
I chuckle with that straight-line answer.
"Aren’t you even a little bit nervous?" I ask innocently because the closer we get to our destination, the faster the butterflies are flying around in my gut which makes me amazed by his calm composure.
"No." His eyes dart to me, then a frown plants itself squarely on his brow and his eyes dart back and forth from the highway to my face. "Why are you?"
I swallow hard. Wishing with all my heart, I could take back the words, and he would never find out that I’m nervous as fuck right now. My gut tightens into an even bigger knot with my regret, and I tell a little white lie. "Just curious. I’m not either."
Then he asks me again with a firm, demanding tone and I hear exactly what he said. Oh fuck! He didn’t ask. 'Why? Are you?' He asked. 'Why are you?'
The knot grows, and my hand goes up to my choker. I swallow hard again. He hits the blinker and takes his foot off the gas. My heart rate skyrockets as we pull off the side of the road. He turns that thunderous green gaze on me, and he pierces my core, weeding out the bullshit and seeing the truth. I reach out to touch his face. "I’m nervous. Ok. I’m really nervous. Like butterflies are circling around and around, but it’s the good kind of nervous. I’m sorry! I can’t help it. This is a big deal! Please don’t think I want to change my mind. I don’t. I’m just fucking nervous."
His eyes crinkle when he sees my soft smile and my sincere eyes pleading with him.
"No second thoughts?"
"None!"
"No cold feet?"
"No! My feet are as warm as my heart." I tease him. "Want to feel?"
"Yes." He smirks as he checks the mirrors while his foot presses the gas and my sports car jumps back onto the road.
My bare feet land in his lap. "See. They are warm."
Now he laughs, cutting his eyes at me. "Not that I don’t love your dancing feet, but that’s not what I wanted to feel."
I giggle and put them on the dashboard, wiggle my toes and tap dance on it while I count out time. "One two three, one two three."
"Sing, Siri. It will help with your nerves." He tells me.
"Ok. What do you want me to sing?"
"The first song that pops into your mind when you think about us."
"Mmmm." I dance my feet along the dash, then start to hum, then start to sing, "Like I’m Gonna Lose You" by Meghan Trainor. I am rewarded with a big beautiful smile, then right on cue, he picks up the duet, singing John Legend’s part. His tone is so pure and the mellow sound comforts me.
I hold a pretend microphone for us and I do get completely distracted from my nerves as we sing to each other that we are going to love each other, and not take our love for granted. We understand what it means to be alone and we are going to appreciate what we have every day for the rest of our lives! We are going to love our Us forever and appreciate it.
Aurei puts on the blinker and turns in. We’re here! My feet freeze on the dash as he parks. He turns to look at me and his intensity quiets the butterflies, then he takes my foot and pulls it to his lips. He kisses it softly and says. "Tonight, I’m going to kiss every inch of your skin just like this."
I smile at him.
He stares up at me as his kisses tickle my toes. "Ready?"
"I’m ready!"
"Sure?"
"Yes sir."
"Perfect." He opens his door and I watch his gorgeousness walking around the front of the car. His blonde hair swaying with his long stride. When he opens my door, I have my sandals back on. I spin around and plant my feet firmly on the ground then stand up. I look him right in the eye and tell him. "Go, Baby, Go!"
He laughs at that and cinches my hand. We walk into the building and the receptionist greets us with a smile. She doesn’t look at me; she asks Aurei. "You must be Mr. Moore?"
"Yes."
"Right this way then."
We follow her down the hall. When she stops, she opens a door and tells me. "Barbara is waiting to assist you."
I take a deep breath, square my shoulders and prepare to enter the room. When I take a step, Aurei doesn’t release my hand. He pulls me back. His voice is husky as his hand slides up and under my choker. "Look at me."
I do and I see the green that looks back is deep with passion. He leans down to peck my lips, offering a sweet kiss of encouragement. I can hear the receptionist shift her feet. She is waiting for me to go in so she can finish escorting him and get back to whatever she was doing on her phone when we came in. I pucker up for the peck. As soon as his soft, yet firm lips lay lightly on mine, our electric spark ignites, and his sweet kiss, turns into a full mouth, deep tongue, thrusting, hungry kiss that tells me he demands Heaven with me. I melt with his show of complete commitment to us. My arms wrap themselves around his neck and my fingers slide into his hair.
The front door opens and the receptionist clears her throat. "Excuse me just a moment. I’ll be right back."
Aurei slowly withdraws his tongue and ends the kiss. I lean against him and he holds me close. When I open my eyes and look into his, the only thought I have, I share with him. "I know exactly what I’m doing." His sweet smile goes into his eyes and I know I said the right thing. He takes my hands in his, and pulls them to his lips, holding my eyes captive. He opens the palms and hovers over them. My eyes twinkle at him. "I know what you just did there with that trickery of the best kind kiss."
He winks that killer wink, then kisses my branded spot. Fireworks flare inside me and my heart beats to be his. I pull my hands out of his grasp, take a deep breath, toss my mane, roll my shoulders, then stride straight through that door of destiny without looking back.
I hear his soft chuckle as it closes.
From the rear dressing room, I’m greeted by Barbara, a middle aged, heavy set woman with a genuine smile. "Ah, Miss Wright! Come in, please. I’ve been waiting impatiently for you."
"I’m sorry. My apologies."
"No. No." She laughs heartily and she shakes with it. "I was simply impatient to unwrap this exquisite design and dress you in it." She waves me over to the center of the changing area. "Let’s get you out of those clothes and into this little piece of heaven."
I smile. Heaven. "Yes."
When I’m wrapped in the white, gold trimmed, gown shipped from the villa, I climb onto the pedestal and stand while she makes minor adjustments to it. Her eye is sharp and she tweaks it perfectly, fitting the bodice to hug my double D’s and reveal as much cleavage as possible without letting them tumble out. Then she tucks it under my ass cheeks, so it will flow and sway sexily as I strut my assets. "This dress ... Ah! You will shine as bright as the stars in the spotlight." She stands up and says. "Let’s get you out of it, so I can work my magic."
I dip my shoulders and let the fabric slip down my arms, then wiggle my ass until it falls to the floor like a white, glittering cloud.
"Exquisite!" Barbara remarks watching it float down, then she holds out her hand. I balance myself and step out. She scoops it up and disappears.
Standing on the pedestal, butt naked, I take a deep breath and try to relax, but my nerves start to get the best of me again. I roll my eyes. I need to sing.
Thinking about what I do in Vegas, how lucky we are to have found each other in Alabama, and how love has changed us, "The Rose" by Bette Midler pops in my mind. Since I can’t dance here, I start to hum it, singing a few snippets.
When Barbara comes back, she says as she helps me step in the altered gown. "Are you going to sing that?"
"I hadn’t planned on it."
"You should."
I look in the mirror. Who I see smiling back makes me so happy. I’m his Good Girl Goddess. I smile at my reflection, then down on Barbara.
"I think that’s it." She smiles up at me.
"Thank you."
She holds her hand up again to help me down. "Your Prince awaits."
I giggle. "He’s my Golden God."
She chuckles. "You are a golden goddess in this gown."
Chapter Four
Aurei:
Watching her sassy ass make up her mind to truly go through with this, is a memory I will always cherish.
As I wait for the receptionist to return, I remember Siri asking me if I believed in karma and soulmates, and I told her I was beginning to. Now, I’m a firm believer.I chuckle. She’ll like that.
When we packed to come back to the States, we decided to keep this a secret from everyone. Neither of us wanted a big hoo-haw, and neither of us, frankly, have time for it. Our lives are complicated enough without adding a huge event that would surely become a media feast of epic proportions. I hope her parents will forgive her, but she didn’t want to wait for their return. "When it’s right. It’s right." She stated emphatically.
I grin. This is so right!
I hear the entrance door open, then close and the receptionist appears in the hallway. She walks towards me, all smiles. "This way, Mr. Moore." Her words give me a flashback and I chuckle with the memory of that particular moment in time. Mrs. Smith coming out of her office, ready to show me an apartment I already knew I was going to rent, and Siri, standing breathless and beautiful, having almost busted her ass in a puddle of water in the lobby of Dogwood Court, clueless she was already mine.
Grinning, I turn to follow. Yeah. I believe in karma and soulmates, but I also believe in seizing the opportunities presented. I’m a man who makes what I want happen, and I wanted Siri. She opens the door and pushes it into the room. "The dry cleaners delivered your tuxedo this morning. You will find it hanging in the dressing room. Everything you need is in there. When you are finished, go to the end of the hall. You will be in Chapel #9.
"#9? Perfect. Thank you." I walk in and take a deep breath to relax my nerves too. I wouldn’t admit it to my Baby Thang, but hell yeah, I'm nervous too. I only want to make her happy and I’ve been a selfish asshole my entire life. I blow my lips and run my fingers through my hair, then start to pace the room. Everyone is nervous before, right? It’s a big deal to make a lifetime commitment to another person. Suddenly I realize exactly what I’m going to say to her and I feel a little better. It’s perfect.
I take my phone out and check the time. It’s only been a few minutes. Knowing I have at least a half hour to kill, I decide to text my team.
To Antonio: *Your location? *
* Vegas. Heading over to the architects now. *
* Meet me at the warehouse tomorrow at 2:30 p.m.*
* Roger that. Ciao. *
To Quintus: * Your location? *
* Vegas. At the apartment. Sweet! *
* Are you with Kip? *
* Yes. He says to tell you, Bianca will forgive you now.... Whatever that means. *
