May 19
The short drive from the hotel to the Villa had been entertaining enough to pull Red from his doldrums.
On the best of days, Lizzy was affectionate and even playful. She enjoyed being held and kissed, and seemed to especially relish their time in bed. Or at least, that was the story from Red's perspective.
But drunk Lizzy... was something entirely unexpected, which isn't to say...not unpleasantly so.
What had started innocently enough with her cuddling against him, laying her head against his shoulder in quiet contentment, had eventually graduated to the woman literally squirming into his lap, becoming amusingly demanding of his attentions.
Red smiled warmly at the less than suave gestures generated by such impulsive quests. He almost felt as if Lizzy were a kitten searching for a source of nourishment, as she, at one point... inexplicably nuzzled the front of his expensive shirt. He expected at any moment, she might start kneading him to get the desired results, whatever they were in her mind.
He could not be less than affected by such naïveté at one point returning the affection in kind. His lips gently trailed a searing path along the silky flesh of her nape.
He had meant it as nothing more than a gentle reassurance but the action had the opposite effect, in it encouraged the woman to new heights of exploration.
He chuckled against the sweet mouth ravishing his as Lizzy's hands accosted his person at every turn. She more than aggressively pulled at the tails of his shirt, working her way under the light fabric, her warm touch encompassing every inch of his available torso.
Her palms flattened on the hardness of his abdomen, the slim fingers running through the smattering of hair which led onto his chest. She squeezed his nipples hard, causing Red's amusement to grow by leaps and bounds as he jerked from such indelicate handling.
Fortunately, her attention span moved quickly in such a state and soon enough he was being man-handled at every turn as she tugged on the secure buckle of his belt.
He tried to halt his throaty chuckle for he had reached to assist in one instance only to have his hand knocked aside unceremoniously.
"I can do it." she grumbled her dissension, as she advanced her assault only to be waylaid by the layer upon layer of lilac tulle which crinkled delicately in thick bunches in Lizzy's uncoordinated hands as she pushed uselessly at the skirts as she attempted to straddle his thick thighs.
"Where the hell..." she muttered irritably, wading through the thick tulle as best she could.
Taking pity on her, Red bunched the sheer fabric around her hips, baring her thighs for his viewing pleasure... inadvertently unearthing the object she had previously sought.
"Oh, there it is." she nodded amiably, as though she had stumbled over the discovery herself. Her uncooperative fingers clumsily yanked at the heavy buckle to no avail, yet again.
"What the hell is wrong with this thing?" she muttered gruffly. Undeterred from her lack of headway, she tugged on the clasp with more determination.
Red shook his head ruefully, his amusement barely contained as the woman roughly wrenched him this way at that in her pursuit to free him from his confinement.
"I don't think this," he waved a hand over the simplistic catch, "is the problem, sweetheart."
"Well, there's something wrong with it." she frowned disgustedly at the unyielding enemy, huffing her irritation.
Red's chuckle deepened as Lizzy focused intently on the gadget, staring at it in open bewilderment. The car smoothly slid in under the Villa's awning, alerting the man to a more pertinent fact.
"We're here." he raised her chin with gentle fingers, breaking her concentration.
Smothering a laugh, the delight clearly shined in the man's eyes as Lizzy tsked her frustration at the disturbance.
"I almost had it figured out." her face showed her utter disappointment.
"How about we figure it out together." Red suggested, drawing her attention to their new surroundings.
"Oh!" Liz smiled excitedly, rubbing her heat against the bulge hidden beneath the offending material of his slacks.
Wincing visibly, Red grasped the woman's hips hastily, stilling her erotic enticement.
"...Inside." he prompted huskily.
The woman's reddened cheeks plumped into an enormous smile as she wrangled with the door, just as unproductively as she had his belt. Her eagerness endearingly touching.
Red grasped the handle in sure fingers, pushing it open. Throwing out his arm quickly, he caught the woman as she toppled outward.
Liz giggled her delight as Red effortlessly eased her feet to the ground.
"Are you steady?" He slid out behind her, looking down, only seeing the billowing dress. Sighing, he bunched the skirt in his fist, finding the tiny feet flat on the pavement.
Hooking her arm securely, Red stuck his head back in the car, quietly directing the driver to remain on stand-by for the others which would shortly be arriving. He remembered to grab her purse and bouquet.
A short time later, after a quick shower and even quicker snack and some hastily contrived aspirin concoction for the morning after hangover, Liz was somewhat in better condition but not nearly enough for Red's liking.
Checking with security as was his nightly ritual and seeing that all was in place, Red rejoined Lizzy, finding the woman already in bed, as naked as she was the night before. The nightgown he had wrangled her into with such difficulty... totally absent, discarded on the floor beside the bed.
She grinned drunkenly up at him, patting the open space beside her invitingly.
Red shook his head, scolding her antics before crawling into the bed. He wasn't the least bit surprised when the woman accosted him the very second his head hit the pillow.
He chuckled quietly, kissing her for countless minutes. Rather enjoying her inebriated state.
"You're drunk, Lizzy." he chastised, working her onto her back.
"No..." she disagreed, pointing a debating finger his way, "I'm tipsy."
"Same thing." he countered. "You need to rest." he softly nudged her nose with his, showing his affection for the woman.
"You deliberately teased me all day..." she sighed happily, rubbing her little muff against his thigh in open enticement, "and don't you think I didn't notice." she chided. "And now I need you to make love to me." she corrected. "It's clearly your fault."
"You're drunk." he repeated.
She tilted her head, quizzically. "Are you trying to tell me, you won't have sex with me because I'm tipsy?" She made it sound like the worst insult given in the entire history of the world.
"I don't want to take advantage of you." Red replied, grinning. "Well, I do, but only when you're an active participant."
"While I think it's sweet, maybe even charming that you think like that..." she smiled seductively, "but I am perfectly capable of making rash decisions on my own."
Red bit his lip to keep the smile from his face.
Liz impulsively reached, grabbing her phone, putting it on speaker... admittedly it took her a good few seconds to push the screen correctly. She waited patiently and then not so much so.
"Francis are you there?" the ring tone was still in effect until suddenly a young, masculine voice answered the line.
"Francis, what's twenty plus two?" Liz asked without preamble.
"Umm." Francis slurred slightly, and Red could hear the wheels turning. "Sixty-nine?" he snorted at his own wit.
"Let's try that again," she giggled infectiously while Red shook his head woefully for his lot in life, "what's four plus four?"
Red sighed heavily as the sound of silence greeted them. Liz on the other hand seemed more than content to wait it out, her fingers tracing his lips over and over, the pressure contorting his mouth comically. All of which was allowed.
"Better yet," Liz tried again, "four minus four."
"Umm," Francis obviously was putting his all into this effort, "is it a Queen of Hearts?"
Red closed his eyes, fighting the build up of the beginning of a slight headache. "And he wonders why he loses at cards."
"Lizzy, I can't see you." the young man's voice wavered, for he was obviously looking around for his unseen friend. "Are we playing a game?" the delight was apparent suddenly. "Is this hide and poke!"
"Hide and seek, Francis." she corrected, giving Red an 'God, he's stupid' look.
"Not how I play..." it was tittered.
"Francis!" Red barked at the boy. "Give the phone to someone else."
"I think it's for you?"
The phone was fumbled, then slid along a felt table top before it was picked up by more capable hands.
"Yeah?" Silas' clear voice came across the line.
"Cut Francis off." Red grumbled. "He sounds like a toddler coming off a sugar high."
"You got it." the man stated distractedly. "Hit me." The dealer was sharply informed.
"Silas, if you lose him..." Red was clearly aggravated.
"Can't lose him, boss." the man rattled the ice in the glass at a passing waitress, "Jack and coke, honey." Silas flirted openly before returning his attention. "Kaplan knows where all the bodies are buried."
Red's eye twitched irritably, his mouth opening to offer his own retort. Liz pulled the phone from his hand, purposely turning aside.
"Keep Francis alive and breathing, please." she asked sweetly. "And come back home safe tonight." Red reached around her, jabbing the screen, cutting the call off.
He pushed the woman to her back, kissing her hungrily. "Forty eight plus twenty five." he questioned roughly.
"Seventy three." she sighed, as the man drew her nipple into his mouth, his growing length pushing insistently against her thigh.
"The square root of 9?" he moved her thighs apart, settling his weight along her body.
She rocked her hips seductively, sliding along his length incessantly. She got lost in the wondrous sensation, pushing her clitoris against the rigidness with determination.
A muffled laugh built in Red's chest as the woman's concentration wavered, instead focusing entirely on her needs.
His little kitten wanted the cream all right, and was doing everything in her power to get it... and was doing well in her endeavors.
Her plump lips wrapped about his erection, the rigidness of her clit raking against his heightened flesh, his cock head beading with a prelude to the elixir she craved.
Red let her rub against him to her hearts content, nudging her with his cock as incentive.
"Lizzy..." he muttered warmly, coaxing her back to the question posed.
"Umm, three?" Liz questioned, much in the same vein as Francis before her.
"Are you asking me or telling me?" he muttered, nipping her lip erotically.
"No. No it's three." she groaned as the man cupped her ass, sliding wetly along her slit then between her ass cheeks. "Oh God, do that again."
Red chuckled appreciatively, obeying mechanically.
"You like that?" he questioned roughly, once again directing his shaft between her cheeks.
Liz nodded jerkily, tilting her bottom up for more connection, pressure. "... More."
She focused on the bulging shaft, her eyes closing dreamily as the heavy weight slid along her tender flesh. The extra skin of his shaft massaging the hypersensitive skin of her vulva and... God...
Her cheeks clenched as the man's thick head scrapped over her sensitized ass.
The foreskin she had grown to adore more than anything in the world, rippled along her puckered hole, drawing a fresh wave of heat from her center.
"Oh, you do like that." Red drawled hoarsely as the slick heat coated his shaft.
Reaching for one of the spermicide plungers, Red slid it into her wet body.
"Spell, sexual intercourse." he rumbled deeply, depressing the plunger.
Liz felt the gel fill her center before the man replaced the plunger with the bulging crown of his shaft.
"Fuck..." she drawled in a long moan.
"Close enough." he chuckled, slipping the mushroomed head in further. "If a train leaves New York at–"
"Shut up..." she grumbled, as his bare shaft pushed at her cushioned tunnel, "no one can answer those stupid questions."
Red's throaty laugh turned into a rumbling moan as he met the tight resistance of her body.
The woman opened her legs wider in open invitation, enjoying the low growl in the man's throat before he gently thrust, seating himself in her warmth.
"You like that?" she asked breathlessly.
"I love that..." the man sighed his contentment as her little body fluttered around him, trying to accommodate his girth. His head fell forward as her tunnel rolled about him in a wave as his pelvis nudged her clit.
"My next lesson is the coupling between a man and his lover." he groaned, sliding back out into the cool air of the room, his dick instantly missing the connection.
"Yeah?" she questioned, setting her heels comfortably on his rounded ass. "How does that go?"
"I insert my hard cock into your very wet pussy." he instructed, before sliding back inside in illustration.
"And then what happens..." she waited for more.
"I move in rhythmic thrusting motion... repeatedly." he bumped her cervix, enjoying the feel of her thighs quaking already. "Until we reach the point of climax." he dropped his mouth against her neck, suckling her gently.
"You're body releases a thick cream over my shaft." he schooled her in the sexual congress happening between them. "Slicking my way to achieve a climax of my own."
"What happens then?" she mewed as he grasped the crook of her knee, pulling it up alongside his hip, allowing him to slide even deeper than before.
"I fill your little pussy full of the hot cream you so desperately want from me." he snapped his hips, upping the speed of his movements, fucking her harder. "Would you like that?"
Raising up on her elbows, she whimpered softly at the sight of Red's thick, wet erection and the incredible feel of it's heavy drag sliding easily and disappearing into her snug depths.
As Red's large sack pressed intimately, nestling snugly against her bottom, she knew without doubt, he would give her what she had been wanting all damn day.
"Yes..." she purred, "I would love that."
"Good," he gritted, watching what she was, "because it's going to happen."
Their heady moans grew in volume as they watched their bodies move together until the need to come became too much.
Liz's head fell back into the pillow, grasping the man's tight ass in her small hands. He grinned, crooning lovingly to her as she urged him to go faster.
"God..." she gasped, her back arching off the bed. Her cries of ecstasy grew as the man's thick shaft dragged along her pulsating clitoris. "Don't stop..."
Red readjusted his stance, adding pressure to her clit, drawing the woman's orgasm out, much to their delight.
"Don't stop, baby." he urged. "Keep coming on my cock."
Her center gripped at him in strong waves, pulling at his thickened shaft, making the man moan louder as he neared his own release.
"Baby, look down..." his voice shook amorously.
She felt the first hot splash of his semen warm her, then watched the man slide his throbbing erection free.
Liz gaped as a powerful stream of white cream shot from his large pulsing crown, landing hot and thick on her mound and tummy before he slid back into her still rippling body.
"Oh my God..." she gaped, the feeling of his essence warming her body became even more potent, actually having seen the visual.
"That's what I'm doing to you." he nestled his mouth against the gentle curve of her neckline, a long groan of satisfaction rumbling from the man's throat sending shivers down the woman's spine until he came to a slow stop, his cock spent.
She moved her hand between them, touching the still warmed liquid, looking at it in the low light before bringing it to her tongue, tasting it.
Red snarled, grasping her wrist, pushing it into the bed. Bunching her hair in his fist, he dragged her into a heated kiss, his tongue dancing along hers.
The man grunted, finding his taste on her tongue. The mix alluring as fuck.
His waning erection slid free, a hot gush of their union following his exit. He moved her hand between her legs. She moaned softly as the thick cream flowed from her and along his shaft and her fingertips. He swiped his fingers through the thickened fluid, holding it up for her to see.
"I did that to you." He growled heatedly.
Which each clench of her body, more of his warmth wet her lips and the bed beneath them. Red lay into her, his tongue teasing her own until the man rolled to his back, taking her along with him.
Liz sat up, rolling her hips, slicking his pelvis and stomach in their lovemaking for several minutes until the man pushed at her hips, scooting her back against his straining erection.
Taking him into her body, she watched the man beneath her divide his attention between her and her mirror image. His obvious appreciation of their activities and her body... of her, were fully on display in the man's handsome features and in the way he touched her.
She was so glad she had listened to her heart and had taken a chance to be with the man... a man who clearly worshiped her.
But more importantly, she was never so happy to have someone to share in this deeply intimate moment, to share her life and happiness.
Red frowned up at the woman, smoothing a hand up between her breasts, laying his palm over her heart.
"Baby, what's wrong?" concern was on his face for he sensed something not present before.
"Not one damn thing." she smiled, concentrating fully on her lover.
The amazing night seemed to go on and on.
Red's cock throbbed once more as a breathy quivering sound, one he was highly addicted to hearing, rushed past Lizzy's lips as they enjoyed yet another round of passionate and vigorous lovemaking.
Lizzy had more than fulfilled his earlier need for her, ten fold.
Her inebriated state, had not stopped him from partaking in her many... amazing qualities.
Just when he thought he may have had his fill of the woman, he would catch a tantalizing glimpse of her shapely form peeking out from under the crisp sheet and feel his body respond of it's own accord, demanding more of what only she could provide.
What he thought was going to be a self sacrificing night had turned into one of the most amorously passionate events of their relationship.
"You were grumpy this morning..." Lizzy murmured, pushing back against him to take all he had to give.
"Now you know why." he bit softly, traversing the silky flesh of her shoulder. "I needed this, Lizzy."
"Have you had your fill of my... female charms, now?" she moaned as his tongue traced a tingling path up her spine. "Please tell me you haven't..."
"Sweetheart, I'm not even close to getting my fill of the amenities you provide." he stifled his bubbling amusement at the description provided.
"Amenities?" she giggled. "What, I'm like a bottle of hotel shampoo?"
"God baby, you are so much more that," the scent of the dark strands of her hair enticed him, "you're that unexpected shower cap, or the ever elusive, but much needed, sewing kit."
Red trembled with the last vestiges of his orgasm, shaking the last drops of cum from the tip of his cock inside her overfilled body, very much enjoying the sensation.
"Your sexy talk makes me all aquiver." she rasped as the man unexpectedly moved his shaft just so, etching a wide smile across Red's face when she did indeed... quiver.
The moment was shattered much to the man's growing discontent by the sound of men's voices yelling out through the silenced Villa, jolting Red to action.
"What the fuck." he pulled free quickly, grabbing his weapon.
Sliding Lizzy off the bed, he flicked the light off, handing her a weapon. Walking quickly to the door, he listened intently, silently slipping into his pants.
"You stay here." he warned sotto voce.
He inched the door open, hitting the lights off in the hallway as he crept slowly out into the open area.
"Where the hell are you!" a man's gruff voice snapped as footsteps walked closer. A shadowy figure appeared through the arch way. Seconds later the bulky frame was highlighted against the softly lit adjoining corridor.
The man froze instantly, hearing the sound of Red's weapon being racked. Slowly, ever so much so, arms were raised, hands out, showing no weapons.
"Who the fuck–" Red hit the lights, finding Silas standing stock still, a disgruntled look on the handsome face.
"We can't find Francis." Silas bitched, dropping his hands before stalking to the powder room, shoving the door open, checking inside.
"You lost him?" Red grated irritably, sliding his gun into the back of his waistband, following the man's trek.
"You know, I do have to piss from time to time." Silas snapped right back.
"Did you find him?" Mark appeared on the scene, leaning casually against the open archway.
"He is not on the premises." Dembe's mouth was pinched with irritation as he approached from the opposite direction.
"Where was he before you lost sight of him?" Red demanded answers.
He rubbed his eyes wearily hearing the door crack open behind him. He turned, pushing it open, gesturing to the woman peeking out, to join them. Liz came up alongside, absently tying her robe.
"He was all over that girl in the casino..." Silas huffed, "trying, probably unsuccessfully, to get his long john to fill his jelly donut with their special cream." the man air quoted much to Liz's amusement.
Mark chuckled until Red glared at him. "I'm sorry, every time he talks about them," he air quoted to indicate Francis and Lia, "he refers to them by a different pastry category." The man laughed out loud. "HoHo and Pound Cake. Yule Log and Twinkie. Sno balls..." he snorted, chuckling his amusement, the image simply too much to contain.
"Think." Red cut the tirade short, returning his interest to his head guard, "if you were Francis..."
"I can't be that fucking stupid." Silas grumbled.
"...Where would you go?" Red finished irritably.
The silence was deafening as each individual unsuccessfully tried to place himself in the confines of such a minuscule brain.
"He wouldn't..." Red's face was a mask of incredulous disbelief.
Silas' head fell back as he picked up on the insinuation.
Mark started laughing again as he too realized the direction the conversation had taken. Dembe's face was a study of sullen gloominess. Each man reacted differently and in their own inimitable fashion.
Red hurried to the bedroom, crossing into the bath, Liz hot on his heels.
She matched Red's movements, quickly slipping into her clothes watching the man dress far more quickly than she could.
"What? Where is he?" she questioned, sliding her feet into her shoes, her fingers combing her wild hair into some semblance of order.
"That little moron is getting married." Red groused.
"Can I have just a second." she grimaced endearingly, gesturing to the facilities behind them.
Red nodded his understating.
"We'll wait." he murmured for her alone, watching after her as she scurried off, ignoring the men blathering outside the bedroom door. He reluctantly drew his attention to where it was needed.
"Francis did not catch the garter." Dembe was stating sagely, as Red approached.
"Who the hell does he think he?" Silas feigned shock. "Going against tradition like that. There's no way he can be getting married, Red." the guard's mood was surprisingly high." He can't claim something he didn't rightfully win."
"He could be anywhere." Mark tossed his hands out to his sides, shaking his head at the absurdity of the moment.
Liz hurriedly came out of the bathroom, taking Red's outstretched hand.
"No..." Red stomped off towards the door, the little entourage close on his heels, "it'll be one of a couple places."
Silas waved off the driver, taking the position himself as the others gathered around the large vehicle.
Liz caught the man's arm, drawing Silas up short. "Are you sober?"
"Sober enough to go moron hunting." he held open her door, shooing her inside. "Isn't that like the pot calling the kettle black?"
Liz gave him a disgruntled look before sliding into the sleek automobile.
"...Silas?" Red eyed the man critically.
"I haven't had a drink since we lost Honey Buns and Spotted Dick." Silas replied seriously.
Mark fell into the car, laughing fitfully.
"... Spotted Dick." the man wheezed, as he wiped the tears of amusement from his eyes.
Red looked up to the heavens for deliverance, before gesturing Lizzy to take center seat. Liz's lips quivered as she valiantly tried to withhold her own amusement at Mark's good humor.
He was right. Silas' comical branding of nicknames for Francis or Lia was actually rather funny, if one thought about it.
"How do you know where he'll be?" Liz asked to get her mind back to the subject at hand.
"He's drunk." Red explained his reasoning. "They have theme weddings... the idiot will want to put on a good show. It's how he operates."
They checked the first two chapels that fit the bill and found nothing.
"We should have split up." Liz said, climbing back into the car, Red right behind her.
"It's always the last one you check." Mark grumbled as he slid into the back seat, directly behind Dembe.
"How long have they been gone?" Red asked as they pulled out into traffic.
Silas looked at his watch, grimacing. "An hour and a half."
"They would have had to get a marriage license, right?" Liz queried.
"Yes, but that only takes a couple minutes." Red sighed. "They're nothing but efficient here, especially with a top money maker."
"How can they even do this?" Liz was confused. "I mean, they're drunk."
"Francis can skirt any rule, if he really wants to, Lizzy." Red said knowingly. "Plus, you throw enough money at people..."
"They look the other way." Liz concluded. "Regardless, I don't get what the big deal is." she shrugged. "It's not like they can't get it annulled."
"And if anyone finds out about Francis's little escapade?" there was an edge to Red's tone.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Let's just say, Francis has a reputation." Red quirked his brow. "Lia seems like a sweet girl. There's no need to drag her into this lifestyle blindly."
Again, Liz didn't quite catch the reference but her questions would have to wait as they pulled up to the last of the top choices.
She quickened her steps, following after Red as he stalked his way into the stucco style chapel.
Liz craned her neck, hastily reading the neon sign looming large above the entrance. She hesitated in her footsteps as the receptionist came out of her seat, calling after the men beginning their search of the premises.
"Sir! Sir, you can't go back there." the stout young woman was traipsing after Silas who was ignoring the warning completely.
Mark came alongside, taking the woman's hand lifting it gallantly to his lips. "We'll only be a second, sweetheart." he reassured. "He wants to look over the accommodations before we commit." Silas threw him a caustic glance. "He's so impetuous, that's what I love about him."
Liz quickly scurried after Red, ignoring the woman herself.
The blaring sounds of 2001 Space Odyssey filled the small cathedral, halting everyone in their tracks.
The lights lowered, a purple hue filling the room, strobe lights danced merrily over the fog which now crept eerily along the floor.
Liz stood rooted to the spot, her eyes wide and startled. "What the hell..." she whispered her stunned awe.
Dembe stepped aside in a gentlemanly fashion as two scantily clad Showgirls sashayed into a well worn carpeted walkway which led up to the eternally decorated altar.
Mark craned his head to the large looming palm trees above them, having almost ran face first into a trunk that had been hidden by a fake plant.
Red's head swished back and forth as unmistakable music of Elvis Presley's smash hit, "That's All Right", rang out.
Wide doors opened from somewhere behind them, a fierce beeping of a horn alerting any innocent bystanders to the arrival of a brand new, shiny, pink 1964 Cadillac.
Red stepped in front of the car quickly, leaning his large palms into the hood, making the driver come to a sudden halt and the passengers in back flop around haphazardly.
"Francis!" Red barked resoundingly even over the strands of the incredibly loud music. "Don't even think about it!"
"You guys made it!" Francis called out jovially, as though they had responded to an elegantly issued invitation.
He slid up the seat onto the back trunk, attempting to swing his legs over the open side, greeting Red's arrival just in time to offer a sincere hug. "You will be my best man, right?"
Liz squinted hard through the flashing lights, taking in the young man's outfit, chortling softly under her breath.
Francis was dressed in close resemblance to Captain Jack Sparrow, minus the gold teeth, and his bride-not-to-be, was dressed as a female pirate, though the costume left very little to the imagination. It was low cut, short and tight.
If anyone asked Liz, they were the cutest couple she had ever seen.
Though, she had to wonder, if they were having an Elvis wedding... why the pirate gear?
Red looked Francis up and down, sighing shakily. "Boy," he ventured an opinion, "what the fuck have you gotten yourself into this time."
"You like it?" Francis grinned, waving theatrically over his rented threads. "I'm like early 'Navy bad guy'."
"No, you're a pirate. There is a difference between Navy and..." Red hesitated, realizing a lost cause when he saw it because Francis' eyes were glazed over, vacant, but concerned. "What the hell am I doing?" he muttered to himself.
"I even get to carry my own weapon, see." Francis pulled it free, waving the weapon about haphazardly until Red snatched it free from unresisting fingers.
"They had flintlock pistols, not Glocks." Red snapped peevishly, checking the safety was on before shoving the confiscated weapon in his waistband. "Let's go, Francis." He thumbed to a nearby door.
"I'm getting married." Francis' face fell. "Aren't you happy for me?"
"There will be no wedding." Red's patience was waning.
Francis looked around at the chapel, then at the officiant, openly confused. "It's all legal?" he held up the paper as proof for Red to see.
Red took it, folding it into his pocket. "You're drunk."
"On love..." Francis sighed dreamily at the woman across from him before frowning hard when he didn't see her at her proper place by his side. He glanced down, finding the object of his affection, helping her slide up to his level. "Our love will be written about in songs." the man professed.
"Only a country tune will fit the bill." Mark muttered his growing amusement. Liz hit his arm gently as a rebuke.
"Walk away now before she takes your dog and truck and you end up in prison." Silas clarified the statement, walking on scene, having turned the music down to a discernable level .
"I don't have a dog." Francis looked to Red for confirmation of the fact.
"See, she's already started." Silas pointed out. "She's taken the dog."
Francis frowned suspiciously at Lia before shaking off what ever the hell he had been thinking.
The Elvis impersonator leaned comfortably against a nearby pew, laughing quietly, enjoying the show being put on for him, for a change.
Silas moved around the car, helping the equally inebriated woman from the back. He stuck his other arm out quickly, catching her as she toppled from the car in a fit of giggles.
"You all right there, hon?" the large man asked.
"Yep." Lia grinned happily, before throwing Francis an affectionate 'finger wave'.
Red gripped Francis' hand, stopping the man's response in mid-wave. He gripped Francis' chin, forcing his focus.
"What's her favorite color, song... book?" Red questioned.
"Uhh..."
"Where is she from?" Red tried again.
"She'll be from Washington D.C." the man was proud of his sudden cognitive abilities. "Isn't that right, sugar britches?"
"I thought she was love muffin?" Mark muttered to the men standing beside him. Dembe and Silas chuckled, both in good humor now that they had their wayward Lothario well in hand.
The stocky guard frowned, looking down at the small woman leaning into him, snuggling her cheek into his chest.
"You're really cute..." Lia giggled, softly stroking Silas' goatee.
The man grinned lecherously, winking at the small soused woman. "Is that right?"
She smiled drunkenly up at the man, before resettling her head on Silas' strong chest, patting it absently.
Silas quickly caught the woman as she started a slow slide to the floor. Hooking her legs with his arm, he drew her up against his chest.
Lia sighed happily, settling her head on the man's shoulder, gingerly tracing his soft beard with overly familiar acquaintanceship.
"You're really cute..." she grinned happily.
"Yeah, I get that a lot." The large guard nodded amiably. Mark snickered quietly, returning his attention to Red and Francis.
"I'm her cinnamon roll..." Francis proclaimed. "And she's my tootie frutti..."
"What is her name?" Red sighed.
Francis blinked heavily, shaking at the forming cobwebs. "Lia!" he smiled triumphantly.
"He's got you there, Red." Liz grinned happily for the man.
Red returned the smile, finally finding humor in the situation, now that they had Francis under control... for the most part. Now all he had to do was cut through the drunkenness and get Francis to leave, peacefully.
"Her last name." Red purposefully fished.
Francis hesitated, staring off into the stained glass so long that Red wondered if the boy was still with them.
"She's taking my last name." Francis waved a finger about, as if signing off on it. "Isn't that right, baby cakes?"
Lia looked around for Francis over Silas' shoulder, away from the direction everyone was facing.
Silas tapped the woman's thigh, getting her to turn the right way. "Honey, you're man is over there."
The young woman rolled bloodshot eyes Francis' way, wrinkling her nose in a cute manner at the man, waving once more.
Rubbing her cheek affectionately against Silas' shoulder, she smiled blearily up at the man. "He's my special brownie."
"If you mean, pot laced, then you may be correct." Silas muttered.
Liz looked at the couple and couldn't help but think of how cute they were together, how they got along so well...
Red shook his head when Liz looked at him imploringly. "No, Elizabeth."
He gestured for the boys to take Lia to the car. "She's going to sleep this off." he said, before wrapping his hand tighter around Francis' arm. "And so are you."
Lia pouted in a decidedly childlike manner, making the revealing costume she wore seem suddenly too risqué for the woman.
"But..." Francis protested.
"When you wake up in the morning wide eyed and sober," Red made the boy focus, "and you still want to get married. I will bring you back here personally."
Sliding Lia over to Mark's waiting arms, Silas chuckled finding the woman's beseeching eyes looking up at him, then forlornly at her suddenly lost love.
"We'll bring Fruitcake along in a minute," he brushed an errant strand of hair from her face, smiling, "I promise."
She smiled brightly, before hugging Mark around the neck and giggling. "You're really cute."
Silas rolled his eyes, sighing. "They're so fickle these days."
"But I paid for it already..." Francis pouted, pointing around the chapel and his costume as Red pulled him from the car.
Silas stepped forward quickly, helping Red keep the man from taking a nose dive into the large flower arrangement beside the car.
"Whoa!" the man yelped, before straightening quickly. "There's a step there", he pointed in warning to the flat even floor beneath his feet, "be careful."
Red shook his head ruefully before gesturing for them to vacate the premises.
Francis pulled up short suddenly, falling into the pillar beside him, grinning at Red. "Hey! Why don't you use it!"
"What?" Red questioned, re-righting Francis.
"The chapel." Francis suggested gleefully.
Red staggered in place, inadvertently tightening his grip on Francis, making the young man wince.
"Ow..." Francis' response was a genuine one, he rubbed his arm casting Red a suspicious glance.
Mark and Dembe stopped in their tracks, slowly turning to look at the group behind them.
Red looked at Dembe quickly, instant communication passing between them before the spell was broken when Raymond had to quickly grasp the weaving man's arm to keep Francis upright and functioning.
"You and Lizzy..." Francis reached out, grabbing Liz's hand, dragging her closer to his side. "You're engaged to be married, the place is bought and paid for... she caught the bouquet." he pointed out the logistics of his plan. "No need for it to go to waste."
Liz's mouth gaped at the suggestion, looking quickly at Red, finding him staring steadily at her, before returning his attention to the man beside them.
"No, Francis." the man moved the younger one closer to the end of the car.
"What do you mean, no?" Francis dug in his heels, refusing to budge suddenly. "You don't want to marry Lizzy?" The statement was a sacred whisper.
"I didn't say that." Red managed tightly.
"You didn't have to..." Francis pouted, hastily turning a slurred explanation on Elizabeth. "He didn't mean he wouldn't." he placated any supposedly hurt feelings. "He just meant..." the man hesitated visibly, his anger suddenly more than apparent, "what did you mean?"
"Francis." Red grated. "This is not the time."
"Do you think you're to good to marry her?" Francis gripped blindly for something to halt their progress, wrapping his arms around a large urn of flowers.
"She caught the bouquet." he reiterated, speaking through the large four foot tall floral arrangement, his face all but hidden by the fabric Calla Lilies.
Elvis chuckled heartily at the theatrics, enjoying this show more than anything he'd seen in a while. Red shared a look with the bedazzled man, suddenly feeling like the father of a wayward teenage boy who could, and did, get into the strangest predicaments possible.
"Francis, why don't we just go back to the Villa and get some rest." Liz tried her hand at placation.
Red took the flowers, sitting them back on the table, shoving the man forward roughly. But Francis gripped the door jamb quickly to halt their progress.
"See, you've hurt her feelings." the man's mouth drooped sadly. "She's trying to, uhm..." the man scrunched his face, desperately searching for the word.
"Improvise?" Red supplied, wanting to move things along.
"Yes..." Francis drawled, "Improvise... something," he frowned, having lost his train of thought. The man scowled hard at Red, his mouth turning down considerably having remembered something. "You hurt Lizzy's feelings."
Red ran a hand over his face, scrubbing the surface hard before looking at the man, then in turn, Elizabeth. The man's gaze steady and unreadable.
Liz felt a course of shivers run down her back, though she wasn't sure why. "We u-uh, don't have a license."
"It'll only take a couple minutes." Francis nodded knowingly. "They'll even bring it here."
"Y-you..." she stammered, "you can't walk me down the aisle, silly." she smiled warmly at her friend. "You're far too," she steadied him with Red's help, "...wobbly."
"You want me to walk you..." he pointed at himself, truly touched that she wanted him to do that. Francis blinked hard and shook his head, as though trying to make the drunk go away. "Coffee... give me some coffee."
"I-I..." she thought quickly, "I don't have my dress either, Francis."
"Get a new one." the man replied. "Or better yet, go back there." he gestured to some unseen room. "They got a bunch of stuff..."
Liz caught her lip with her teeth, thinking of something to say, to help get the man to leave peacefully.
"Oh. I get it." the man nodded. "Your dress..." he shot a finger gun her way, "it's your mom's right?"
Liz's brow furrowed, instantly wondering if her mother had a wedding gown when she'd married.
"Dammit, Francis!" Red growled, shoving the young man towards the door and into Silas' capable hands. "Get in the fucking car!"
"What'd I say?" Francis pouted up at the bulky guard as Silas righted Francis to his feet.
"Something stupid." Silas sighed. "Something you won't remember." he granted. "But something she'll forgive you for." he dragged the prattling man to the door, trying to give his boss a moment alone with Liz.
"Francis has left the building!" Francis called out before striking a pose Elvis would have been proud of... until the man fell into the guard trying to guide him along.
Red approached the silent woman, his face sympathetic. "You all right?"
"Did she have a wedding dress?" she asked quietly.
"I don't know." Red shook his head slowly. "I wouldn't think so." he fairly scoffed, before catching himself. "She wasn't..."
"She didn't love him, did she."
Red found himself at a loss on how to answer that question. He was really never sure why Katarina had married Constantine.
It could have been the man's status. He did provide her with easy access to the 'inside'. She could have needed access to his money. She could have been genuinely fond of the man. There were so many reasons why she married and stayed with the man.
But love? He didn't think so.
He couldn't imagine being unfaithful to someone he loved. But then, he was beginning to wonder if Katarina ever loved anyone at all.
"I would never cheat on you..." she muttered quietly.
While Red was thrilled by the statement, he also felt a sense of melancholy. That she felt the need to defend herself, against her mother's actions... as if the trait were hereditary.
"I know, baby." he soothed her worry. "And that's a two way street."
Liz stood taller, tilting her head, sensing that there was a question hanging between them.
"There may come a time when..." Red began a difficult transitional subject matter.
"Red..." Silas stuck his head back through the doorway, "Francis is heaving in the gutter."
Red hung his head dejectedly, the moment between himself and Lizzy thwarted for the moment.
Liz chuckled quietly, leaning into Red's chest, muffling her amusement.
"I'll be there in a minute."
Silas gave a thumbs up, then grimaced as he looked out to the unseen man and the grisly sound of further regurgitating.
"We'll discuss this later." Red gestured towards the door.
"Not taking the offer?" Elvis grinned, casually leaning against the door jamb of the exit.
Red glanced down at the woman beside him, softly sighing his disappointment.
"Not at this time."
"I think we should notify someone." she watched Lia sleeping peacefully before closing the door gently, having left on a small night light.
Waking up in a strange place always unsettled her, so having a dim light somehow was reassuring.
"Try her phone." Red suggested, motioning to the bag Silas had dumped on a nearby table. "But I would suggest a friend instead of the parental units."
Liz balked at such a personal invasion but she did have to live up to a responsibility.
"We don't need the parents embroiled in this mess." Red stated his reasoning.
"She's an adult, Red." Liz rolled her eyes as she scanned the contact menu.
"You think that a grown woman's daddy wouldn't demand a shot gun wedding?" he pulled the buttons on his shirt free, leaving the front dangling open.
Liz giggled, then outright laughed, "If they only knew the term 'shotgun wedding' would take on a whole new meaning with this crowd."
Red quirked his brows in agreement, allowing the woman to make the necessary calls.
"Lia's a bridesmaid," the woman winced having disconnected the line. "The bride asked we give her a nine am wake up call."
Red grinned accordingly, checking his watch. "Talk about bloodshot eyes. Well..." he quipped, "everyone is supposed to focus on the bride anyway. Who will notice. Right?"
Liz grimaced again. "Poor Lia." she sighed heavily. "A wedding should be perfect."
The statement sobered the man's thoughts.
"I want to marry you." he began without preamble.
"Wha..." Liz blinked quickly, trying to wrap her head around what he'd just said.
"I wanted to take Francis up on his offer. Don't think for one second that I didn't." he continued his narrative. "But I'm not going to marry you because it's convenient."
"Are you saying..." she stammered her confusion, "if I had agreed," she hesitated visibly, "you would have... even at that horrible place..."
"Yes, I would have." she was trying to see humor in the situation but his steady gaze robbed her of any sense of convention. "In a heartbeat."
Liz's mouth fell agape. "I was just thinking, most men need to be dragged to the altar."
The man's face suddenly became expressionless.
"I am not most men." Red clarified. "And their bride, certainly isn't you."
Liz's cheeks brightened at the compliment.
"I told you..." he iterated, his former beliefs, "I want more than anything, to work towards that goal with you." his eyes hardened slightly. "If I thought for one second, you were of the inclination, I would not have hesitated to make it happen this very night."
"But we just started dating." Liz thought back over the last two weeks, her head swimming with details and memories. "You don't even know for sure you like me or–"
"Oh, I like you." she was instantly assured, the deep resonate tone vibrated along her spine.
"But..."
"Listen to me Elizabeth." the man demanded her full attention. "I would marry you this very second, if you allowed it."
"I...I..." she stammered, torn between two possible realities.
"You don't have to say anything." Red calmed her quickly. "I just needed you to know." he clarified. "Tonight, tomorrow night, next week," he stopped for emphasis, "all you have to do is say the word... or allow me to say them."
Liz twisted the ring on her finger, thinking of all the reasons why she shouldn't... but each was over shadowed by every reason she should.
Red took a deep breath, pulling her into his embrace.
"I'm sorry." he interrupted the woman's silent musings. "I just made that sound like you had to decide right this minute." he soothed.
He had worried about pressuring her earlier at the wedding, and here he was... doing exactly that.
She smiled up at him, listening intently, hoping he would continue.
"If you want to go back, I am more than up for it." he began. "But there's also a part of me that wants you to pick flowers you love, a friend of your choosing by your side and a cake made just for us." he lowered his voice, keeping the conversation just between the two of them.
"I want to see you in a beautiful dress..." he painted the picture. "I want you to throw a bouquet... I want to hunt for a garter." he voice lowered intimately, drawing Elizabeth's heart from her body.
"I want us to have a wedding that we will look back on with happiness and fond memories. You deserve that special day... full of love."
She held his gaze steadily, picturing what he said, and felt a warmth spread through her.
"You are a damn good thing for me." Red declared. "You center me. You make me feel alive. You make everything, everyday... perfect." he kissed that little mouth gently, adoringly. "When you're ready... I can be that for you as well, Lizzy."
Liz honestly felt at a loss as to what she should do. No one had ever said those wonderful things, those heartfelt words to her before in her entire life. Not with such meaning, anyway.
There was a part of her wanting so badly to take Red up on his offer, right then and there in their jeans and tennis shoes.
But there was also a part of her that wanted to give him what he wished for as well, and that was a wedding that was just for them. Something they had built up to and grown to anticipate.
He ran his fingers through her long hair, rubbing his fingers against her scalp soothingly. "I'm not letting you get away from me, if I can help it."
Even if she decided to get married a week from now, or if she should wake up tomorrow, after having let the idea settle more...
She had time.
"Unless something changes before our departure," he left the option available to her, should she desire it, "I will ask you to marry me, Elizabeth."
She blinked rapidly, comprehending the words.
"And when I do..." he let the idea settle, before gently grasping her chin, "I will expect a response."
She couldn't help but wonder, if he did ask, as he stated he would...
How would it happen?
What would he say? Would he get down on one knee? Or ask after they had made love? Maybe he'd whisk her off on a romantic holiday? Or maybe when they were home, enjoying a rainy day together?
The anticipation she felt, that Red would pose the question when it was the right time for them and for all the right reasons... to join two lives together based on the love they had for one another.
The wait for the real thing, besides being an exciting and exhilarating thought...
Was a wish she desperately hoped would come true.
MAY 20
Francis and Lia finally came pitifully shuffling out while the others enjoyed their breakfast.
Both wore dark sunglasses, sitting heavily in their chairs, grimacing at the smell of the food around them.
"Sausage?" Silas passed a plate of steaming meat under Francis' nose. The man's pasty complexion paled even more so.
"You're a real bastard, Silas." Francis grumbled, having turned aside hastily. "And remember, I too have a gun. And I know how to use it."
"Well, we got up on the wrong side of the bed, didn't we?" Silas grinned happily, his mission accomplished.
Red allowed the moment, sipping his coffee leisurely. "Eat something," he suggested, "you'll feel better."
Francis and Lia turned a shade of green at the thought, but looked relieved when only fruit and vegetable were placed before them.
They nibbled the offering, and before long, they were easily putting the light food away as the nourishment worked its magic.
Red and Mark conversed quietly for a spell, before Mark excused himself. He patted Francis consolingly as he passed, chancing a quick wink in Lia's direction.
"Any plans today, Lizzy?" Red turned the conversation to the mundane.
"I guess I might shop a little," she shrugged, "play in the pool." She locked eyes with him, conveying a message. "I have to check my email."
Red nodded his understanding. She had been checking it since they'd been here, but after receiving word that they were closing in on one of the fugitives she had profiled, she needed to stay on top of it.
"Francis?" Red enquired solicitously.
"Unless you need me, I'm going with Lia to her friend's wedding." he dropped his head into his hands, pressing hard into his temples, before seeking out the others. "...Did I get married last night?"
Red chuckled into his coffee cup. Liz giggled musically, arising with a small shake of her and a scolding look to both Lia and Francis.
Silas and Dembe were embroiled in a debate encompassing the situation in South Africa. Neither were paying any attention to anyone but themselves and the topic at hand.
Red sighed heavily, arising as well, taking his coffee as he made his exit with but one chastising look in Francis' direction.
"Seriously," Francis called after the retreating figure, "did I get married?"
The young man exchanged worried glances with an even more concerned young woman.