Disclaimer: I give credit to the writers of Glee and Tickled Pink and readers and reviewers who give me things to put in the story to help with continuity. I just realized this is the first story I posted on ff in a year, but I have been writing it has just been posted on Tumblr instead which is easier for me to post and edit.
Chapter Five
Mercedes woke up, showered, dressed, and went into her kitchen only to find Sam already there drinking coffee and reading a newspaper. She had to rub her hands over eyes to acknowledge that she wasn't dreaming. Where he got a paper from was a question that she couldn't fathom the answer to. Also, the man was just too handsome for words, and if she was going to spend the next eighteen months being greeted by his handsome mug, then it would make their marriage sentence somewhat bearable. As she walked further into the kitchen, she said his name and good morning which caused him to look up from his paper.
Mercedes' voice didn't startle him, he had heard her footsteps, but when he glanced up from his paper and saw that she was wearing shorts, fishnet pantyhose, a sleeveless army green jacket, and her hair up in high ponytail, he couldn't help but appreciate her sex appeal. As soon as his eyes made it up to her lips and finally her big brown eyes, he couldn't keep the smile off his face as he told her good morning and then asked how she was doing.
Mercedes tried to answer Sam's question without acknowledging that the temperature in the room had to have shot up twenty degrees because the heat from his gaze alone had her almost breaking out in a sweat. When she finally collected herself, she was able to respond that she was doing fine. She also told him, "I noticed that you have made yourself at home. Did you go downstairs to get a paper? You know I have wireless and you could have used my desktop or your iPad to read the news online."
"Well, I start out every morning with a jog; it's the only time of day that I can get my exercise in. As I was leaving to go out on my jog, I asked and was told that you all had a coffee shop that sold papers, so I picked up a paper when I came back in from buying breakfast. I hope you don't mind that I used your key card to let myself out and in."
"I am glad that you noticed where I put it yesterday, and I am more than okay with you making this place your home. When we come here for my shows, this will be our home away from home, and it would help if you were familiar with everything. Are you ready to go ring shopping and pick a chapel for our wedding?"
"Are you going to change first or do you want to bring your gown for the wedding with you?" Sam asked thinking he didn't want every hungry male and potential Elvis impersonator that they would meet today to get a hard-on from looking at Mercedes in her outfit. He knew he had no right to be territorial, but he didn't want any man appreciating her body but him and him alone.
"Well, it is Vegas, and what I am wearing won't be a problem if we choose one of those drive-thru chapels. Did you really think I had bought a wedding gown for a Vegas marriage that will definitely end in an annulment in less than two years?" Mercedes asked realizing her vision of their Vegas wedding differed completely from his.
"I am just thinking about your mom and my mom. They are going to be upset that we robbed them of throwing us the social event of the year - a big high society wedding, and in retaliation will probably give us a surprise vow renewal party if we don't throw some kind of bone their way. We are going to need pictures and for the public to be fooled that we are happily ever after, we are going to have to get married in proper attire. Because I am not sure I am strong enough to put up with another surprise event without blowing my top and causing us to both go to jail." Sam reluctantly admitted.
What Sam was saying made sense. She had lots of outfits in her wardrobe at home that would have been suitable, but for Vegas formal wear befitting a wedding was not something that she would have purchased or brought with her on a trip. She told Sam this suggesting that they shop for a gown after getting the ring and then come back to the condo to eat lunch and then change for their wedding.
Sam was only slightly mollified by Mercedes' concession. They would still have to shop for both the rings and her gown with her dressed so sexily, but if he knew from experience men avoided jewelry stores and stores that catered to women looking for wedding gowns, so he should be safeguarded from having to punch some jerk out for looking at Mercedes inappropriately." So do we have to wait for you to call your limo driver before we can leave?" Sam asked Mercedes. He was ready to get everything done with.
"We could which would draw attention to me, and I try to be incognito when I shop. I will be wearing a baseball cap and glasses as part of my disguise. Also, I have a car here that we can use."
"Is it another classic car like your Spyder?" Sam asked wanting to know if the car she had was as beautiful as the one she drove around Lima in.
"No, the rest of my cars are in California, I drive a newer car here." Mercedes admitted feeling embarrassed by owning more than one car.
"Forgive me if I am being nosey, but just how many cars do you own?" Sam couldn't help himself from asking.
"Just four cars total. I have a Porsche Cayenne Hybrid that I drive around here in Vegas only, and a Range Rover and 65 Corvette Stingray in California."
"I see now why you had Mike draw up that prenup. I don't need your money, but I would be a fool to not one want of your awesome classic cars." Sam joked.
"I am sorry that my babies are all at their respective homes, but you are more than welcome to drive the Porsche today. I have a top of the line GPS system installed so you should be okay. Are you ready to leave for the jewelry store, some high end dress store, and then head to somewhere to get a take-out lunch, Mr. Evans?" Mercedes said as she grabbed a granola bar, banana, Greek yogurt, and a bottle of water for her breakfast. She was surprised at the fruit and yogurt that Sam must have purchased with the paper that morning because she didn't keep perishables in the condo.
If anybody told him he would be driving a blue Porsche in Vegas with his fiancée wearing a 4 carat Double French-Set Halo Diamond engagement ring with rare purple diamond accents on a diamond platinum band valued at almost a quarter of a million dollars, while wearing an off the rack white short halter mesh dress with beaded waistline from David's Bridal that was the cheapest dress in the store for $59 and was the reason Mercedes had been adamant about buying it, he would have told them they had lost their minds. However, this was his life and he wasn't dreaming all he could think of was her engagement ring was on loan, but the $10,000 that they had both split the cost of for their wedding bands would be the most money that they would have invested in this sham of a wedding.
Because they had decided to stop at the first chapel that they drove up to, neither paid much attention to their surroundings when they began to enter the Love Me Tender Chapel of Wedded Bliss. Mercedes wanted to turn around as soon as they walk over the threshold and heard an Elvis impersonator welcoming them and observing that Mercedes' car was the same color as his Blue Suede Shoes.
Before Sam could say a word, Felvis (fake Elvis) was trying to convince both he and Mercedes to fully enter into the chapel. "Don't Be Cruel to your lady love and run out like a Hound Dog because you have changed your mind." Sam couldn't believe that the situation could be worse until he saw Felvis shake his hips and leer at Mercedes and tell her. "If this man isn't willing to be your Teddy Bear then you don't have to go back to that Heartbreak Hotel in The Ghetto because I can't help Falling in Love with You." He said while licking his lips. Unfortunately this was the 70's version of Elvis instead of the 50s slimmer version of the star, he looked as he if he was literally getting ready to eat Mercedes with his hungry wolf gaze.
"OH HELL TO THE NO, Sam if you don't get me out of here right now I'm going to be doing the Jailhouse Rock for slapping the spit out of his corny ass fake Elvis' mouth." Mercedes said. He wanted ghetto she would give him ghetto behavior even though she had never lived in the ghetto, she had watched enough television to know how to act like she was from the hood.
"I can see why you were hesitant to marry her; that little curvy lady is the Devil in Disguise." Felvis was about to continue, but when Sam saw Mercedes about to remove her earrings, he knew he had to get her out of there as soon as possible. He had seen her angry before but never violent. She was apparently being pushed too far with being forced to marry, and he was seeing what a tigress she truly was, and only he would find her feistiness arousing.
Sam picked up Mercedes in a fireman's lift and took her back outside while unlocking the SUV's doors he placed Mercedes inside and drove away from the chapel as fast as he could. Sam spotted another chapel a little further down the strip called Forever Yours. He didn't think that was an Elvis song, so he convinced Mercedes to get out by joking about their last encounter saying it couldn't be any worse.
Mercedes agreed with Sam and told him at least they would have stories to entertain their friends with concerning their elopement for years when she realized just how funny the situation would be to an outsider and not one who was directly involved in it.
Mercedes' smile was back on her face, and Sam felt relieved. She was so interesting. Sam began to wonder how it would have been if he had met her under different circumstances. He knew he would have asked her out, and if she was being honest about their mutual attraction, then the two would have dated, and he would have been like every other red-blooded male and tried to get it in with her, but her beliefs would have resulted in them not staying together in a committed relationship. Sam knew that he could be platonic with her as long as he didn't kiss her, but if they were in a relationship and making out all the time, he would have been a walking hard-on who was best friend with his hand to try to alleviate some of the sexual arousal that he knew he would constantly feel in her presence.
As soon as they parked in front the pretty little chapel, Mercedes couldn't stop herself from noticing how lovely it was on the outside, and when she stepped inside, she couldn't stop herself from telling Sam, "It's really beautiful."
Before Sam could say anything in response, a little old lady came out to greet them, "Welcome lovely couple to Forever Yours are you two here to tie that knot of matrimonial bliss?"
Sam wanted to say no they were here to get divorced, but he stopped himself and said, "Yes, ma'am we sure are."
Neither he nor Mercedes noticed the quiet man sitting behind the counter until he asked, "Do you all have the necessary paperwork?"
"Yes, sir" Sam said as he retrieved the marriage license from his suit pocket that they had gotten from city hall.
While Sam was talking to the quiet man, the petite gray haired woman was talking to Mercedes. He could hear her ask Mercedes, "Now dear where is your bouquet?"
"I don't really need one. I thought the point of a bouquet was to throw to single women after the ceremony while listening to Beyonce's "Single Ladies"."
"Oh, no dear, every bride needs a beautiful bouquet, and I also have a veil that comes with our lovebird packet. You get pictures, a video of the wedding, and two champagne glasses that will be mailed to you inscribed with your names and wedding date. Come with me while I get you ready, and your fiancé can finish setting up everything with my husband."
Mercedes didn't like be dragged away with the older lady, and she looked at Sam to show her discomfort before following behind the woman with an expression of sadness on her face. Sam sent her a reassuring smile hoping to ease some her tension. The older man caught their exchange and told Sam, "My wife thinks that every bride is a romantic like her, but she doesn't realize some people choose Vegas for a quick wedding because they don't necessarily want all the frills."
Sam not wanting to be rude agreed, "I can definitely tell that she loves weddings, which is fitting for her job working in a wedding chapel. I think it would be very difficult to do this day end and day out, if she didn't love seeing people get married."
After Sam finished selecting a song and paying for the lovebird package, he heard the older man say, "Well, we should go into the chapel now and wait for your bride." It didn't take long for the wait, and Sam could see that Mercedes was uncomfortable under the thin veil with a dozen of white roses in her arm as she came down the aisle to the traditional wedding march behind the giddy elderly lady who was dropping red rose petals down the aisle in front of Mercedes.
As soon as she reluctantly made it down the aisle, Mercedes listened to the older man give instructions about reading their vows from the Teleprompters located behind each of them. She nodded her head and watched as Sam looked over her head and saw like he saw on the screen where it said to insert the bride's name. They both giggled at this, causing the elderly couple to look at them with a knowing smile on their faces.
"Mercedes, I am honored to take you for my lawfully wedded wife, and I vow to love and care for you as long as we both shall live. I take all of you your faults, imperfections and your strengths as I offer myself to you with my faults and strengths. I will help be a helpmate to you as well as turn to you when I need a helpmate. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend the rest of my life with." Sam felt the knot that was in his throat deepen with that lie because he knew their marriage would only last a year and a half, but the reverend and his wife didn't need to know that bit of information.
The minister then turned to Mercedes. "Okay my dear, it is now your turn." "Samuel, I am honored to take you as my lawfully wedded husband, and I vow to…" Mercedes froze as in shock.
The older woman and the minister exchanged a concerned look, and then she stepped toward Mercedes. "It's okay dear. It's normal to be scared." She released her hands from his and turned to older woman. "No, I'm scared of snakes. I am completely terrified."
"Bridal pre-wedding jitters are completely normal. I had them myself when I married the mister over 50 years ago. It'll be okay. I believe that something special brought you to our chapel." She told the couple looking to reassure them.
Sam couldn't stop form uttering to himself, 'something special alright it was a court order.' He was happy that for once his loose lips didn't voice his thoughts out loud. Sam sighed and thought he should say something because the last thing either of them needed was her deciding thirty days in jail would be better than marrying him. So far though, she had rearranged her life more than he had. "It'll be okay darling, I know we are making the right decision, and I know that you can do this," he reassured her. Sam's heart almost stop beating when he saw the scared deer in the headlights look leave her expression and she began to smile up at him .
Mercedes turned, looked at Sam as to convince herself that she could really do this with him. "I really think I can," she finally admitted to Sam then she turned to the minister. "I am so sorry I think I am ready to try this again" She turned towards Sam who had held out his hands and again she placed hers in his. Her gaze met his, and she offered him a small smile. "Samuel, I am honored to take you as my lawfully wedded husband, and I vow to both love and care for you as long as we both shall live." She glanced at the teleprompter screen, and braced herself before returning her gaze to him. "I take you with all your faults and imperfections and your strengths as I offer myself to you with my faults and strengths. I will help be a helpmate to you as well as turn to you when I need a helpmate. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend the rest of my life with."
"Wonderful," The minister encouraged. "Do you have rings?" Sam nodded and then released Mercedes' hands and reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew the two rings. He held out his hand, and she removed the one that didn't match her engagement ring. "Okay, Samuel, go ahead take Mercedes' hand and read the screen again."
"I give you this ring to wear with all my love. As a ring has no end, neither shall my love have no end for you. I choose you to be my wife this day and forevermore." He slipped the ring on her short chubby finger.
The minister turned to Mercedes. "It's now your turn again my dear."
She swallowed hard, glanced at the screen behind Sam then met his gaze. Mercedes took his hand and nodded once. "I give you this ring to wear with all my love. As a ring has no end, neither shall my love have no end for you. I choose you to be my husband this day and forevermore." She slid the platinum band on his finger and glanced down to see her hand still holding his.
"With the power vested in me, I pronounce you man and wife."
"We did it," he whispered. She nodded.
"You may kiss the bride." The minister cheerfully added.
Oh God, no! "It's okay. I think we're good," Mercedes assured with a smile.
The minister chuckled. "I don't consider a couple married until they kiss. Don't be shy."
The minister's wife giggled. "Those are the rules."
He glanced back at Mercedes. Yesterday he'd almost kissed her. Now he had no choice. He stepped closer and wrapped an arm around her waist. A quick peck and they could get out of there. Sam lowered his head toward hers and her lashes fluttered closed. The hand with her ring fell on his shoulder at the same time his mouth brushed against her full lips. They were even fuller and softer than he imagined and he lingered a moment. Her body eased against his and he deepened the kiss. His tongue caressed her lower lip and she let out a small gasp. His tongue entered and entwined with hers. His heart started to race and his body burned as he savored the flavor of her. Now that he had a taste of her honeyed mouth, he knew it was just as he feared that he would become addicted. He couldn't stop kissing her. He wouldn't even notice if the chapel was on fire as long as Mercedes was returning the kiss like she was he could remain lost in their embrace. He laced the fingers of his other hand in her hair and his groin stiffened. When Sam tightened his hold on her waist, she let out the sexiest moan he had ever heard softly against his mouth. An intense heat traveled through his entire body, and he was glad his suit jacket covered the effect kissing Mercedes had on him.
"Now, that's a kiss, I can see why she was shy about letting you do that to her in a public place." The minister's voice cut in and reminded Sam where he was. He lifted his head as her lashes fluttered open. For a fleeting moment, she looked slightly dazed and her breath was ragged and shallow. He couldn't blame her; the kiss was off the chart— and in word hot. Sam couldn't keep his eyes from her face. Mercedes' lips were more than a little swollen, and he wanted to run his tongue over them to comfort her. Right then and there he knew there would be no more kissing, because too many of those kisses, and they were going to end up in bed. He bit down on the side of his tongue. Sam didn't even want to imagine what kind of heat and ultimate satisfaction that would result in. A flash went off, and both he and Mercedes turned to the beaming old lady who was taking pictures with a nice camera.
"I know without a doubt that your marriage is going to be one that lasts, and I won't see you two back here because that was the kiss of a couple who is destined to be together."
Sam and Mercedes both glanced at each other and smiled over the craziness— it was better than laughing. Sam released his hold on Mercedes, and they both turned. The camera went off again, and he now knew two things. One, the wedding pictures should be interesting and two, no more kisses, ever.
Mercedes was relieved to be in the car heading back to the condo. After the wedding things had been fine, they had taken pictures at a variety of places using their cell phone and received the video package and digital emails of their wedding photos that they could share with their loved ones online. The copies of the printed pictures would be mailed alongside their glasses. After they had tired themselves out pretending to be a happily wed couple, they had eaten dinner at a nice restaurant her favorite when she was in Vegas before heading back to her home. Everything was going as planned except for the fact that she couldn't stop thinking about their kiss. She had never been kissed before so ardently that her knees had actually buckled. She chalked it up to the moment, to the fact that they found each other attractive and had been fighting the attraction for so long. There was no way could she allow herself to think it meant anything else, and she refused to set herself up for disappointment and heartache. This was a sentence— not a true marriage.
Once Sam had parked the Porsche, and they had walked inside the condo and pretended that neither the kiss nor the wedding had happened at all. Mercedes went into her bedroom took a shower and changed into a comfortable pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt putting her hair back up into a ponytail. She took her iPad and left her room heading to the balcony to enjoy her last evening away from Lima. She was surprised when Sam joined her with his tablet as well. They caught up on work barely speaking to each other. When they had finished catching up with their work, Sam asked her if it would be a good idea to turn their cell phones off after they sent out mass texts along with pictures telling their parents and friends that they were married. Mercedes agreed and they had a drink and talked about inane things until it was time for them to go to bed.
The next day, they had hurriedly packed, got into the limo driven by Roderick, turned their phones back on, and chose to ignore the numerous of missed calls that flooded their phones from their mothers. By the time they were on the private jet, Mercedes had time to listen to the numerous voice mails that were eating up her data storage limit. Apparently, in the three days they were gone, an exchange of gifts had occurred, thanks to her friend Kurt— event planner extraordinaire— and the brother of one of Sam's clients.
When they arrived in Lima, Sam was not surprised to see a car waiting to take them to Mercedes' home. As soon as they had arrived at the house and unpacked, Mercedes asked if he wanted her to join him at his office this morning. He knew she didn't want to sit around the house waiting to be ambushed by her mother and God forbid his mom as well, so he invited her to come along with him.
"Do you think our mothers will show up here once they realized I am not at home?" Mercedes finally asked after sitting quietly watching him work busily at his desk. Mercedes couldn't put her finger on it, but it was like Sam was intentionally ignoring her presence ever since they stepped off the plane in Lima.
"I seriously doubt it. We can hope they are both busy with their all so important jobs to be bothered to deal with us until after five." He glanced over at her after shaking his head.
"I guess you are right. My mom lives at court, the country club, and making my dad healthy dinners that she cooks each night."
Brittany came bursting through Sam's office a moment later. "I am so sorry for interrupting Mr. Evans, and oh my God it really is you. You are Mercedes Jones one of my favorite singers in the entire world. I so got to tell my cat Lord Tubbington that I finally got to meet you in the flesh." Brittany continued to gush forgetting what she came into the office to tell Sam.
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well Brittany, but my last name is now Evans." Mercedes corrected. "But just call me Mercedes. Mrs. Evans is to be reserved for my mother-in-law."
Sam couldn't believe that she was taking his last name, so he stopped what he was doing and looked at her. "You are really taking my last name?"
His voice was a mere whisper, but she didn't miss the surprise in his tone. "Yes and not because I am old-fashioned. I don't want anything to do with my middle name that sounds like Marshall. If I was a boy my name would have been Marshall Jones, but because I was a girl, she chose a middle name that sounded close to Marshall as possible. I am now legally Mercedes Jones Evans. That is how I signed the marriage certificate, and I am going to get my driver's license changed this afternoon at the DMV after I drop the papers and photo evidence off at Mike's office for crotchety Judge Washington." She too whispered. The last thing either of them needed was anyone knowing the details of their new life.
He studied her a moment and a wide range of emotions crossed his face. "I didn't think you would change your name because of your career." Sam didn't tell her how Quinn was not willing to take his last name. His mother's family may have been socially acceptable, but his father's Evans family were considered to be poor white trash to her, and she had refused to take his name at all and wasn't even willing to hyphenate. He figured since Mercedes was a star her name was important for her career, and she was willing to not use it for a year and a half just because she was sentenced to marry him.
Something was definitely off about Sam and for the life of her she was unable to put her finger on it. "I won't be doing much performing while we are married since I am pretty much stuck in Lima, and the few shows in Vegas, and if we are able to synch our calendars for a few other shows I will still use Mercedes Jones as my stage name, but for all other intents and purposes, I am Mrs. Samuel Evans."
"Mercedes Marcia Jones!" her mother called her name before bursting through the doors. The only time she used her middle name was when she was in big trouble. She spun on her high heel and faced her mother.
"Oh yeah, Sam I forgot to tell you that Judge Jones and your mother were here to see you. Your mother called earlier asking had I heard from you, and I told her that both you and Ms. Jones were here, and in less than fifteen minutes later, they were both here like magic." Brittany said proud that she remembered why she came into the office in the first place.
"Thanks Brittany, you are dismissed." Sam said knowing that the fireworks were about to fly, and none of them needed Brittany to be collateral damage. Even though she may have deserved it for not paying his speeding tickets and not giving him the heads up of the phone call and pending arrival of their mothers, so he and Mercedes could hightail it out of there.
Mercedes could tell that her mother was pissed. Her eyes widened slightly as Brittany's remarks and dismissal and then her mother and mother-in-law walked in, and she bounced her gaze between the two before telling her mother. "You forget that I am Mercedes Jones Evans now."
"What in the hell were you two thinking with that stunt?"
"Gee, Mommy Dearest, which stunt could that possibly be? The one in front of the Elvis wedding chapel I am sure you loved the picture of me flipping Elvis off that Sam took with his cell phone after I had taken a selfie and posted it on my Instagram warning people to only marry there at a last resort. The stunt in which we sent you one of the many pictures of where we actually got married, or the one where we thought making your lives as uncomfortable as ours have been since you both decided to interfere which was fitting even though your life being flipped upside down only lasted hours whereas ours will be flipped for eighteen months?"
Sam nodded grateful his little firebrand wasn't going down without swinging. "Mercedes is right, there is some clarification needed."
"I had livestock show up while court was in session," his mother-in-law exclaimed. "It was very disruptive, and I had to set the hearing back for hours due to the uncooperative chickens. Chicken excrement was everywhere among other animal wastes!"
"You mean they didn't heed your orders in the court room when you banged the gavel on the bench?" Judge Jones glared at her, and they locked gazes.
"You most definitely should have been a lawyer." Her mother-in-law chose that moment to say something.
"Forgive me, but I find that train of thought irrelevant at this point and inadmissible." She flashed Sam's mom a saucy grin.
"Don't get rude with Mary. What you and your husband did was uncalled for," her mother snapped.
"Uncalled for, Judge Jones, come off it." Sam finally spoke. "You both had a hidden agenda and played both the ADA and Judge Washington."
"Samuel, my office was filled with gold and silver coins. It took a cleaning crew two hours to find my desk." Mary placed her hands on her hips and glared at her son.
Sam turned to Mercedes. "Kurt is good."
She smiled and nodded. "One of the best, actually I think you'll like him. He is very attentive to small details." Of course, she left out one minor detail; he was also over the top flamboyant at times. She was sure her husband would find that out soon enough.
"Is that all you two have to say for yourselves?" Her mother barked again.
Sam reached into his briefcase and withdrew two envelopes. "No, actually we made sure you each of you got a copy of the marriage certificate."
Mercedes added "A souvenir of your manipulation and if you don't mind, I have to go down the hall and meet with Dwight he said something about taking me to lunch and now that I have on the correct shoes he is going to take me to an actual construction site."
Judge Jones turned to her daughter and stopped her before she could leave. "Your father told me to tell you he'll meet you at the restaurant. At the time, I had no idea what he was talking about."
Mercedes didn't want to have to deal with her father today, but she would to escape her mother's presence. "I will have Dwight drop me off at home, and I will see you later at dinner." Mercedes told Sam as she got up to exit the office.
Sam hesitated before telling Mercedes, "Actually, I'll be late tonight, so don't hold dinner for me. I am going to have Brittany order some take-out. I have to catch up on a lot of things." Sam's tone of voice was cold and flat.
"Don't worry Mercedes, I am sure your father and I would love to have dinner with you. It will give us time to have a long and overdue mother-daughter chat."
"Just wonderful" Mercedes said leaving the office as quickly as she could wondering if she would ever be able to escape from the nightmare her life had become.