Hello Lovelies,
Thank you for the support on the last chapter - and my AN. Sending big loves to all of you!
Hope you like this chapter. Fancy joining our favourites on their bachelor/bachelorette parties? ;)
Much Love,
Chelsea xx
Tammi – Thank you! I think Ana handled it well, and so did Ray – in the end! He'll move on. I have faith :) I hope you like this chapter! Much Love x
Reds77 – Thank you! I feel for him too! Poor guy, I just want to grab him and give him a cuddle. I hope you enjoy this update! Much Love x
Paula White – Thank you! Glad you liked it. :) Hope you like this one too! Much Love x
SuzB – Thank you, my lovely! I hope Ray will meet someone. I have a feeling he will! Hope you like this chapter! Much Love x
"You know, I'm starting to feel like I live on a bloody plane lately," I sighed as I stepped out of the cool cabin, entering the dry heat that was baking the runaway. I could see the tarmac boiling. I slugged down the steps, sweating immediately. "Jesus… why is it so hot?"
"Heatwave," Christian smirked, climbing down after me. "It's going to last all weekend. High up in the 90s."
"Someone needs to tell Nevada that it's November," I shook my head. "Seriously? And there are idiots in the world who refuse to believe climate change is a real thing?"
I turned to face the jet and watched as Elliot jumped from the plane, landing on the tarmac with an enormous grin on his face. He jumped on the spot, fist-pumping the air.
"Vegas, baby!" he bellowed. "God, it feels good to be back."
It was the first weekend in November, which had been designated as mine and Christian's bachelorette/bachelor parties as soon as Kate took over as our wedding planner. Three whole days of drinking, relaxing and revelling in our last few weeks of unmarried life. She and Elliot had worked together to pull everything off, after choosing Las Vegas as our destination for the shenanigans.
Apparently, it was the only option. Nothing else would do. It was Vegas or nothing at all.
I was leaning towards the latter…
I wondered if Elliot had more clout in this decision. Kate knows I'm not really the drinking, gambling kind of person. I would have been happy with a girls' night at home, in our PJs and watching cheesy rom-coms.
"Come on, Ana!" Elliot cheered. He grabbed me by the arms and began jigging me up and down on the spot. "Show some enthusiasm. You're in the glorious Sin City!"
"I'm just tired," I grunted. "I promise I'll wake up properly once I've showered and changed."
He pouted at my reply but let it drop, spinning around to help with our bags. Mia and Kate had already made their way over to the waiting limo. I heard the sound of champagne bottles popping from somewhere inside, their giggles quickly following the bang.
"Don't worry," Christian whispered in my ear. "There will be absolutely no sinning this weekend. I'll make sure he's on his best behaviour."
He tugged me into his side and pecked a light kiss to my temple.
"Are you okay?" he checked.
"I didn't sleep too good last night," I admitted. He gave me a look that said he already knew this. "I couldn't settle."
"Why?"
"Nerves, I guess," I shrugged. "I don't know what they have planned for us. Or, rather, what Elliot has in mind for you."
He slowly shook his head.
"I've already warned him," he said. "No strippers, no pranks, no silly games. I'm here to spend time with my best man, and keep an eye on my girl."
"And to enjoy yourself," I prompted.
"Oh, of course," he grinned. "Stop stressing. Kate and Mia promised you'll have fun. Trust them."
I tried to force myself to relax.
I was looking forward to exploring Vegas. I haven't been here before and I do want to peek into what the famous city has to offer.
I knew in my heart that Kate wouldn't set me up for embarrassment. But a seed of doubt lingered.
I don't want the typical bachelorette party. I don't want a stripper dressed as a cop or a fireman, thrusting his groin in my face. I don't want to sip from phallic shaped straws. For me, it's not about having one last blow-out before settling down. It's about catching up with my maid-of-honour and bridesmaid, who I feel like I haven't spent nearly enough time with recently.
Well, I have been busy combating my deranged, egotistical nightmare of a mother. I guess that does preoccupy the mind somewhat…
"Where are we staying?" Christian asked as we ventured over to the limo. I slid in first, taking the spot on the far right of the back bench.
"The Bellagio," Kate revealed, sat adjacent to me. She clapped her hands together, grinning wide. "We are basically taking over the entire floor. The hotel has promised us complete privacy. We can dine on our own each night, we can have free rein of the spa… heck, they'll even set aside part of the casino just for us. How crazy is that?"
Christian sat down next to me. He shook his head, a wry smile on his lips.
"How soon into the phone call did you mention my name?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.
"About three minutes," Kate admitted. She shrugged her shoulders. "What? Would you rather we were slumming it over at the MGM?"
"Fuck no," he scowled. "I'm never staying there again."
"How many times have you come here?" I asked.
"A handful," he guessed, unsure of the exact number. He draped his arm around my shoulders, his hand smoothing down my bare arm. "Mostly for business meetings. Clients love coming here, for some reason."
"You don't see the appeal?"
"It's okay," he dismissed with a sigh. "Although… I think I'll enjoy it more having you here with me."
He brought his mouth to mine, kissing me with a burning passion that always sends shivers up and down my body. His tongue teased against mine, a soft groan slipping into my mouth.
"Ew," Mia huffed from further down the limo.
"They might as well make the most of each other now," Kate warned. "As soon as we've checked in, that's it until bedtime."
"I don't think they'll even make it to bedtime at this rate…" Elliot whistled.
I giggled as Christian flipped him the bird, refusing to relinquish on our kiss.
Christian's palm met my cheek, lightly pulling me from sleep.
"I didn't want to wake you," he muttered. I cranked open my eyes and scanned the darkened room, finding him sat behind me. He dipped forward and kissed my forehead. "But the others are downstairs, waiting for us."
I groaned and rolled onto my back, stretching my arms above my head.
"How long have I been asleep?"
"About forty-five minutes," he replied. I was shocked. I didn't even remember laying down, let alone falling asleep. "You clearly needed a nap."
I blinked slowly.
My restless night had caught up with me, downing me the second I had sat down on the pristine king-sized bed. Admittedly, the pillows were insanely plump and the velvet throw invited one to curl up under it. I would have been rude not to.
Kate and Elliot had arranged for me and Christian to stay in the presidential suite, the open room plan framed with wall-to-wall mile-high windows that promised a perfect view day or night. The suite was distastefully decorated, a mix of soft neutral colours and gold accents. The bedroom was the epitome of romance: a four-poster bed with satin drapes, an ice-bucket on the bedside counter, a tray of chocolate coated strawberries beside it.
The grey chaise longue in the corner looked particularly appetizing. Christian had uttered his desires to screw me on it as soon as he saw it. That, I was very much looking forward to.
"Where is everyone staying?" I asked, croakily.
"Mia is down the hall. Kate and Elliot are next door," he answered, pointing to the wall behind me. "Thankfully, our bedrooms do not back onto each other."
"A small mercy," I quipped.
"Yeah, I'm not interested in hearing them having sex," he shook his head. "And I'd rather they didn't hear us."
"Embarrassed?"
"Merely protecting your modesty," he winked. "I can't promise our security detail won't hear you though. We're surrounded by them."
Kate had explained to me on the plane that we would have more security than usual for our weekend. Taylor, Jaz and Sawyer were all back home, but there were twenty others ready and armed to protect us. Christian and I weren't happy about the latter point, yet agreed that in a city as busy as this it was best to prepare for any eventually.
"At least we'll both be able to relax, knowing we're covered on all bases," I admitted.
"Are you finally coming round to my way of thinking?" Christian arched his brow, smirking at me.
"I wouldn't go that far!" I snorted. "But I do understand the importance of being safe. Especially without Taylor being here."
"I couldn't drag him away from Sophie for another weekend," he shook his head. "He doesn't get to see her enough as it is."
"I agree," I hummed. "I'll miss him, though."
"Me too," he smiled, fondly thinking of his friend and confidant. "So… I checked how this weekend is going to work. What with us having separate parties and shit."
"And?"
"They won't budge on us staying apart throughout the day," he said.
I frowned.
"There will be no crossing paths, no texting, nothing."
"That's shit."
"But at night we get to meet up," he added.
My brows hitched, lifting.
"We'll have dinner together and get to check in with each other, before separating again for whatever they have planned for us."
"We will be together every night, though?" I worried. "Because I can just about handle being away from you for the day, but not during the night. I want you right here next to me. I'll be damned if Elliot is going to keep you from me."
Laughing, Christian crawled on top of me, pressing his full weight onto my body. He positioned himself between my thighs.
His nose ribbed mine, his lips gently pecking at the corners of my mouth.
"I love it when you get possessive," he hummed, his voice deep and throaty. I felt his chest vibrate against mine. "It really turns me on."
"Funny enough, I'm sensing that…" I stole a hard kiss from him. "Now answer my question. Do they promise we'll get to sleep together each night?"
"They've promised," he nodded. "I threatened to break Elliot's legs if he tries to keep us apart."
"Good! I need my cuddle buddy."
"I'm your cuddle buddy?" he pouted. "What happened to me being your fuck buddy, huh?"
"You stopped being my fuck buddy the second you started inviting me over to your place," I explained. "You took me into your home – into your bed - that's too serious to be classed as some casual hook-up."
"I didn't just take you into my bed," he said. "I took you into my heart."
"Aw, baby…" I moaned.
I ran my fingers back through his hair, brushing it from his forehead.
"You don't need to talk like that just to get into my panties. I'm not wearing any."
A throaty laugh escaped him.
"Damn, if I'd known that I would have started fucking you ten minutes ago!" He thrusted his hips into mine, grinding his jeans against my linen pants. "I wasted all that flowery bullshit when I could have been pounding into you. What a rookie mistake!"
"You're losing your touch," I tutted. "Let's hope Vegas kicks some badass, ruthlessness back into you."
His smile brushed against mine as he kissed me, his teasing and mocking provoking a giggle that I couldn't suppress any longer.
Whilst I loved every side of him, even Mr Grumpy and Pedantic, the joker in him was a welcome relief after such a long time of hurt and upset. I would always relish its appearance.
"I was sceptical before," I announced. "But I have to say, this is absolute bliss!"
I grinned from ear-to-ear and reclined into my lounger, taking a sip from the Bellini in my hand. I was wrapped in an oversized fluffy robe, every inch of my body silky smooth and relaxed into complete submission.
Joining the others back in the lobby, Kate and Mia had whisked me off to the spa for a pampering session. The three of us were booked in for the works – for every treatment on the menu - not a single body part seemingly off limits. I glimpsed down at my fingers, appreciating the mint green polish I had opted for.
"I told you you'd like it!" Mia sang from her seat to my left. I turned my chin to her. "I'm never wrong. I said that colour would suit you."
"You did," I smiled. "Speaking of never being wrong – how is the business going?"
Mia's interior design business was still a fledgling, but I knew it would soar sooner or later. She had a unique eye and a great sense of what colours and textures work well together. I loved what she had done with our apartment.
"I've managed to secure my next client," she revealed, visibly buzzing as she told me this. "Christian's been a big help, of course. He's helping me build up a portfolio, so I can showcase what I can offer."
"If you want to take pictures of Escala, you can," I said. "I don't mind as long as there's nothing personal on show, like photos etc."
"Thank you!" she nodded, eagerly accepting the offer. "I've never been so happy. I think I've finally found my calling."
I knew this fact pleased everyone in the family. Christian was particularly concerned that Mia had yet to find a job, and Grace and Carrick were keen to see her become independent from theirs and Christian's wallets.
"I'm happy for you," I smiled. "You're coming into your own."
Kate returned to our corner of the room, having climbed out of the pool after a quick swim. She grabbed her towel and robe and wrapped them around her body.
"I love it here," she breathed heavily, rubbing the ends of her hair with a smaller towel. "Seriously, I want to stay here forever."
"Make sure you're back in time for the wedding," I snorted. "I'm down on numbers anyway, now my mother and her husband aren't coming. I can't afford to lose anyone else! It'll be just Ray at this rate."
Kate stopped her movements and stared at me, her beady gaze studying my face. Her eyes were full of concern.
"I haven't had chance to ask you how everything went with your mom," she recalled, shaking her head. "Christian told me what happened."
"I know," I nodded. "He said he'd spoken to you."
"Are you okay?" she checked. She reached over and clutched my hand, squeezing it hard.
I knew hearing about my bad experience with Carla would bring back her own familial issues. She had been disowned by her entire family, for crying out loud. It had been painful and difficult for her to process the harsh words her father had said to her, but more so the cold way her mother refused to intervene and stand up for her.
"I'm fine," I muttered. "Really. I'm doing okay. I'm not saying it wasn't shit, because it was, but I was expecting it."
"Has your mom always been like that?" Mia interrupted, edging closer and lowering her voice. "Have you always been distant from her?"
I nodded again. "I grew up with a mother, but not a mom."
"I'm sorry," she grimaced.
"Don't be," I shook my head. "I've come to terms with it. If this past year has taught me anything, it's that life is too short to waste time on people like her. I want to be happy and I know she would only drag me down."
"You've done the right thing in walking away from her," Kate told me. "I feel better being away from my fucked up family."
"Well, you've got us now," Mia declared. "Mom and Dad love the both of you. And they have more than enough love to share around."
"Your parents are amazing," Kate smiled. "They are something else."
"They're pretty special," Mia grinned proudly. "Christian, Elliot and I are super lucky. We all came from pretty broken backgrounds, but Mom and Dad saved us."
"Do you know anything about your past?" I asked.
"My birth mother was young," she nodded. "She was seventeen when I was born. Her parents were ashamed, apparently they were crazy religious and disapproved of her getting pregnant out of wedlock."
"Did they make her give you up?"
"I think so," she hummed. "My father was older than her and abusive, apparently. He didn't want a baby and took out his anger on her. She figured it was best to give me up and try to piece her life back together, away from him and her parents."
"Start over?" Kate guessed. "Without you?"
"Something like that," Mia nodded. "I think she probably made the right decision. She was young, had no money, was going it alone. It would be difficult to do that with a baby hanging off you."
"How do you know all this?" Kate wondered. "All of you know so much about your pasts."
"Mom and Dad kept our pre-adoption files," she explained. "We've all read them. I waited until I was eighteen to read mine, but Elliot was thirteen and I think Christian was about the same age. I guess it was easier for us because it's never been taboo. We knew were adopted. It wasn't some kind of dirty secret… Jeez, it's kind of obvious considering my family is white and I'm not."
"Was it difficult growing up different?" Kate paused, sipping her own drink. She flapped her hand in the air. "I mean, not race-wise, but being adopted? Elliot said he was the only adopted kid in his class. Was it the same for you?"
"Yeah, but Mom turned it into a positive," Mia smiled. "My parents chose me, that makes me pretty damn special by comparison… but on the other point, it was hard seeing I was the odd one out. I used to hate it, but Christian was always on hand to fight my corner. Kids can be cruel, they made comments about my hair, about my skin being dirty. It hurt."
"I'm guessing Christian got into a lot of fights, huh?" I gathered.
"Too many to list," she sighed. "I used to tell him to back down but he wouldn't. Elliot was the same, though. They looked after me. They still do, even if Elliot winds me up all the time!"
"He drives me crazy too," Kate laughed. "I wish my brother was half has protective as your brothers."
"I wish I had a brother, full stop!" I chortled. "Well, I guess I have one now in Elliot."
"And two sisters!" Mia beamed. She lifted her glass to raise a toast. "To us girls. Misfits and complicated, fabulous and fierce."
I clinked my glass with theirs and took a long gulp, almost finishing the lot. I clocked eyes with a server hovering in the corner, and she sprung into action. We were being waited on, hand and foot. If I wanted a drink, it was there within seconds.
I drew my feet up, bringing my knees to my chest, and picked up my phone to check my notifications.
Smirking, I opened the latest message Christian had sent. He was out playing golf with Elliot, hitting the course before hitting the sauna.
The text contained a single link. Clicking it, I giggled as the video for The Police's Every Breath You Take filled my screen, the sound muted.
I replied:
Careful, Mr Grey, your stalker side is showing! x
It's never too far away, baby. C x
You're breaking the rules. We're not supposed to be texting! x
Fuck the rules. Are you having fun? C x
I am. I needn't have worried. I'm in my element! x
Did you get a massage? C x
Several! Full body, head, feet… I have been spoiled! x
As you should be! C x
Are you having a good time? Have you killed Elliot yet? x
Not yet. He's behaving himself, for now. We're on the twelfth hole. Should have time to grab a beer before dinner. I'll meet you in our room? C x
Sure. Laters, baby ;) x
You need to stop spending time with my brother!
You love him…
Debatable.
"Put that phone down!" Kate snapped, scowling at me. "Tell him I said to leave you the fuck alone, this is girl time."
I tapped out one last reply.
Got caught. Kate said you need to leave me alone x
She's such a spoil sport. But I'll do as I'm told. Love you! C x
"Okay, I'm putting it down," I sighed. I rolled my head in her direction. "What? I can't help it. We're in love."
"You're gonna make me vomit," she rolled her eyes. "Not even Elliot is as soppy as you two, and he's majorly into the romantic crap."
"You love all that shit," I protested. "You're worse than me. You love being wined and dined, having a guy fawning over you all the time."
"Doesn't every woman?" Mia laughed. "I know I wouldn't say no to some loving."
"Christian might have some objections!" I shook my head. "But who knows, maybe you'll meet someone here? A holiday romance?"
"Fat chance of that happening! I'll die a spinster," she groaned. "I might as well adopted some cats now…"
