So I'm back from my short break. Hope you enjoy this post.

The Co-conspirators

"Please understand that you are under no pressure to agree to this. It's just the only thing I could think of that may get us through this without the press catching on." Ryan explained.

Annabel was completely confused now. She looked to Keith who smiled reassuringly.

"I wondered if you and Keith … would pretend to be getting married? Then Marissa and I could pretend to be your witnesses." Ryan suggested.

Annabel was dumbfounded.

Ryan quickly explained. "I just thought it might be the only way they could accept us heading off to a wedding chapel without them realising what was really happening and turning the whole thing into a joke." Ryan stressed.

Annabel sat there stunned. When she could, she looked up at Keith and asked. "What do you think about this?"

He shrugged. "It's fine by me." he replied. "I might not ever get that close to being married to a beautiful woman again so I have nothing to lose." He assured her, a smile on his face. "But you should make your own decision. Don't let me influence you."

Annabel nodded and then turned to Ryan who was sitting watching her. She was sure that he was holding his breath waiting for her answer.

"I …" she didn't know what to say.

"Just think about it." Ryan suggested. He didn't want her to dismiss it without thinking it through. But he couldn't think of any other way for them to pull it off without the paparazzi realising what was going on.

Annabel looked back at Keith again. He shrugged again, indicating that it was all up to her. "What exactly would I have to do?" she asked Ryan.

That was all Ryan needed. He wanted to make the idea as appealing as possible to her. "Well tomorrow, you and Keith would go shopping for a dress and rings. All at my expense of course. We have booked the chapel for 6 pm. So the intention is that we would meet you at 5 and then go to the courthouse to get the license then go straight to the chapel. After the wedding we would have a small celebration and then Marissa and I will go off to the dinner at the conference. I figure that no one would expect me to go to a boring old conference and deliver a speech on my wedding night."

Annabel nodded.

"You and Keith can then either go out on the town or I thought it might be a nice touch if you come back to the hotel and had a candle lite dinner here. But that is up to you."

"You don't have to have dinner with me if you don't want." Keith stated. "I can just bring you back to the room." He assured her.

Annabel smiled. "And eat on my own? I don't think so….." Annabel sat quietly for a while thinking it through. "This isn't exactly the wedding I'd dreamed of ... " she assured them, thinking of her dreams of Ryan and not a sturdily built bodyguard … but obviously that wasn't going to happen. "But it would certainly make a good story in years to come. And … I was always told to make the best of what you've got … so why not." She replied. "And I get a new dress." She added for good measure. "Do I get shoes as well?" she asked now teasing Ryan.

Ryan laughed. "Absolutely. What's a dress without matching shoes. Marissa would never forgive me. I'll even throw in the honeymoon." He teased.

Annabel smiled. This weekend was certainly turning out to be different from what she had expected. "Then I'm in." she replied. If nothing else this would certainly remove any chance of boredom from the weekend.

Ryan quickly grabbed her and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you. But I have to get back to Marissa. She will wonder what has happened to me." He turned to Keith. "Are you okay with what you need to do?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'll see you at 5 tomorrow." He assured Ryan.

"Okay. Just give me a call if you think of anything else." Ryan said as he made his way out the door.

Keith started to follow but was stopped by Annabel. "Wait." She said.

Keith turned back to her.

"Don't you think that we should at least eat dinner together if we are getting married tomorrow?"

He smiled. "You don't have to."

"I know I don't have to. But I hate to eat alone. Maybe we could go out and show our faces around. At least then it won't seem quite so odd when we turn up together tomorrow." She suggested.

Keith couldn't help but think that her idea held some merit. "That's probably not such a bad idea." He said.

"Well you don't have to make it sound like it's so unexpected. I'm not blonde you know?" she teased.

Keith held her gaze as he wondered if he should ask her to prove it. Given that she was obviously naked underneath the robe it would be easy. But he decided that perhaps it was a little too early to suggest something like that. Although there was no doubt that she'd been checking him out as well. He knew that from the time they were introduced that there had been a degree of attraction.

Annabel watched the play of emotions on his face and as he raised his eyebrows she knew exactly what he was thinking. She couldn't help but think that this could actually turn out to be fun.

"You know going out to dinner with me shouldn't be such a chore. You could pretend to like the idea." She teased.

"But I do like the idea." He replied. "Maybe a little too much."

Annabel laughed. She revised her opinion; this was definitely going to be fun. "Go and put your glad rags on and come back and get me in 10 minutes and I promise I'll be dressed a little more appropriately." She assured him.

"I rather like the way you're dressed right now." He teased looking at her cleavage and the long expanse of leg as she moved to push him out the door.

"Down boy. Play your cards right and you'll get to see it again." She assured him.

---

Ryan let himself quietly back in to the room only to find Marissa in bed. She had the remote in her hand but her eyes were closed and she had dozed off …. or so it seemed. He noticed the hotel gown on the end of the bed and realised that she was naked, her bare shoulders apparent above the sheets.

Slipping off his clothes, he quickly pulled back the covers to join her and as he cuddled up to her, she sleepily said "If you're from house-keeping you'd better have your way with me quickly, I'm expecting company."

Ryan laughed quietly. He started to run his hands over her naked body pulling her in to his, wanting to feel their naked flesh touching. "I'm not from house-keeping. I'm the tour guide."

Marissa still had her eyes closed. "Oh yes. I remember. The guy with the big dingle dangle. Do you know how to use that thing?" she asked opening one eye slightly.

"I think I can manage it." He replied the smile growing on his face.

"Hmmm." She said as she slowly opened her other eye. "Well, as I remember, I owe you, so let me just take a closer look at it and we'll decide how to proceed." She suggested as she slid down under the covers kissing his body on the way down and running her hands over him. As she neared her target Ryan could feel himself stiffening at the shear thought of what was about to happen the anticipation killing him as he waited for her to finally take him in her mouth … But nothing did happen. After a moment she slid back up to look at him.

"What?" he asked wondering what was going on?

"I was just having a look." she said. "What did you think I was doing?" she asked smiling.

"You tease …" Ryan said as he rolled her over and pinned her to the bed and began to grind his hips against her … making her fully aware of what she had done to him.

"Look who's talking. Do you have any idea of the state you left me in when you went off to fix your little problem? I swear if some one from house-keeping had walked in I may just have jumped them on the spot." She informed him.

"Well I'm here now. So how about you show me what you've got." Ryan suggested.

Marissa smiled and took his hardness in her hand and guided him into her moist hotness. Ryan moaned as she encompassed him. "Oh my God, Ris."

Marissa waited for the ripple of pleasure to subside and she whispered. "I've got one of these."