The Marriage That Didn't Stay in Vegas (BWWM Romance) (4 page)

              “Why?”

              “Because we eloped.”

              We were in ear range of them now, so we both kept quiet.  One woman stood out from the bunch.  She wore a white, buttoned-down shirt with dark denim capris, red pumps, and blood red lips.   Her hands were on her hips and her head was cocked to the side a little. 

              Xavier had squeezed my hand one last time before he greeted them.

              “Hello, all. I would like to introduce you to my beautiful wife, Phoebe.”               They all stared at me. I noticed that one of the women in the back had her mouth wide open. 

              I grinned and beamed at them all, but only got a few smiles back from the men.  Sonic came up to me. He sniffed and sniffed, and then dropped right in front of me.  I kneeled down this time and gave him some extra rubs.  He was the only one who liked me in this setting and I was taking full advantage of it. 

              We all ended up back in the house in a lounge room.  There were a few couches and a dozen chairs in there. Xavier had a giant TV hanging on one of the walls and speakers in every corner.  I sat there rubbing, scratching, and patting Sonic.  Everyone was arguing and fussing at Xavier and it was starting to make my head hurt. 

              One of the women stomped over to me and swatted Sonic on his rump.               “Go!” she yelled at him.

              Sonic took off out the door. 

              Her swift movement and angry mood put tears in my eyes.  I stood from my chair and headed back towards the kitchen.  I probably didn’t have to go this way to get back to my room, but I wasn’t familiar with the house yet. 

              “And where the hell do you think you’re going?” I heard someone call from behind me, but I didn’t turn around. 
              “Phoebe?” Xavier called after me, but I kept walking. 

              Clara met me on my up to my room. “Mrs. Luther, you will sleep in Mr. Luther’s room now,” she whispered to me. 

              I nodded and kept treading up the stairs.  I pulled my boots and socks off and slumped down in the rocking chair.  I looked out the big window, and all I could see was a hay field.  There were haystacks and bales of hay all everywhere.

              I stared out there for a long time before I was interrupted by a knock on the door.  I didn’t say a word, so the knocker let themselves on in. 

              He kneeled down in front of me and wrapped his arms around my waist. 

              “I didn’t know what else to do. You didn’t remember me, and it seemed like you didn’t want to.  So, I left you there after I promised you and your friends that I would never do that.”

              My eyes drifted from him and went back to the window. 

              Xavier turned my face back to his gently. “I don’t have to pretend like I love you.” He then pressed his lips against mine and he felt so familiar to me.

              His tongue gently caressed mine over and over. His hands squeezed tighter around my waist as he pulled me to the edge of the chair. 

              “Do you have any idea how much I want you?” he questioned.

              “You don’t seem like you want me at all.”

              “I don’t?” 

              I shook my head. 

              He unbuckled my belt, unsnapped my jeans, and pulled them down. My panties followed and shortly after, he opened my legs wide.  

              “Are you going to be quiet?”

              I nodded frantically.

              “Do you promise?”

              I nodded again. 

              He gave me a wicked smile. He kissed the inner side of my thighs.  Xavier’s tongue pleasured me so that I could barely contain myself.  He had done this on our wedding night and I remembered screaming at the top of my lungs.  I wanted to scream now, but I knew I couldn’t.  He kept pulling me deeper and deeper into his mouth.  A few minutes later, I started squealing and squirming around. 

              “Are you about to -- Don’t scream,” he broke out.

              I frowned and shook my head, but I knew I wasn’t going to be able to contain myself. 

              “I need… I need a pillow.” I damn near choked trying to keep quiet. 

              Xavier rushed over to the bed and came back quickly with one.  I held onto it tightly. That was when he really started showing off down there.  I put the pillow up to my face and I started screaming into it. 

              “That’s my girl.”

              His soothing words made it worse; my convulsions were coming so hard that I could barely stay up in the chair. I just wanted to slide down to the floor and lay there.               

              When I was finally back to my conscious self, Xavier carried me to the bathroom.  He turned the shower on and helped me undress the rest of the way.  I got into the shower and almost begged him to come in there but decided not to.  The shower was huge; it had four showerheads that all hit you at once.  It was so sensational that I almost had another orgasm from the water beating on my neck and back. 

              After I was squeaky clean, I shut the rainforest off.  I opened the shower door and there was a big fluffy towel sitting on the counter.  I dried off and wrapped the towel around me. 

              I went back into Xavier’s room. He was looking at something on his phone.  I lathered up with some lotion and put my clothes I had taken off back on; I didn’t want any of them to know what we’d been up to. I slid the princess cut back onto my special finger.  He watched me briefly, but then turned away as if he didn’t want to be caught staring at me. 

              “It’s a really nice ring,” I admitted.

              “It should be. It cost a pretty penny.”

              “Sorry.”

              Xavier smiled at me and I grinned back. 

              Once I was dressed, he came over and held his hand out for me.  There was a sound that sounded much like a cow’s bell, and then a clock from outside started chiming.    

              “What’s that?”

              “The lunch bell.”

              “What?”

              “Sometimes, we get a little distracted on the farm, so we have to have it to remind us what time it is.”

              “Is there a dinner bell, too?”

              “Yes.”

              I laughed, and he tugged me on.  “Listen, if they start nailing into you again, I’ll stop it right away. You don’t have to leave me with them all by myself.”

              “They're your family.”

              “They’re yours, too… well, for the rest of this week they are.”

              Something in his words stung and made my eyes water a little, but I quickly shook off that sad feeling I was suddenly starting to feel. 

              We stepped down and entered his dining room.  Once again, there was a spread enough to feed an army.  I wondered if every meal was buffet style in this house. There was a stack of plates at the beginning of the buffet.  We both a grabbed a plate and started piling them full.  Xavier’s plate was so filled with different foods that it looked like a trough.  He waited for me at the end so we could both walk into the dining room together. 

              There were three tables that sat twelve at each.  All of them were full except for two seats, one at the men's table, and one at the women's table.  Clara sat with some other staffers at the last table. I stretched my neck to see if there was room to move a chair over there.  But, there wasn’t and Xavier cleared his throat.  I turned to face him. He was standing by the empty chair at the women's table.  I swallowed hard and sat down in the empty seat.  Xavier pushed my chair up for me and squeezed my shoulder.  I patted his hand as he went to sit at his table. 

              I kept my head down and focused on my food.  The women kept the conversation going amongst themselves.  I didn’t focus any of my attention on any of them.  I ate slowly and chewed every single bite thoroughly.  When I was full, I just pushed my food around on my plate like a small child. I looked back over at Xavier, and he was done eating as well.  I looked over at Clara and she was getting up to collect the finished plates.  I got up and gathered my dirty dishes, and then I grabbed Xavier’s plate.  I went into the kitchen with them and started rinsing them off.                Clara came up behind me.  “Mrs. Luther, please let me do that.”

              I gave her a frantic look. She smiled and gave me a nod as if she understood what my eyes told her.

              “I’ll go collect the rest of the dishes. You just stay right here,” she said.

              A minute or so later, someone walked in behind me and wrapped his arms around me.  “I have something I need to go do. I won’t be able to finish the eggs with you, but I have a very good substitute that’s willing to take my place.” He rested his chin on my shoulder and pulled me tighter to him. 

              I squealed a little and nodded. 

              “Give me a kiss.”

              I leaned back and pressed my lips against his.  He turned me around while I was elbow-deep in suds.  He pulled me against him and kissed me almost violently. I wrapped my soapy hands around his neck. 

              Some of the staffers walked through, coughing back their laughs and giggles. 

              I pulled away from him with a smile, but he didn’t share my same amusement.  His face was serious and I didn’t know why.

              He pulled me in closer to him.  “Stay close to my momma. She’s the only one that matters to me.”

              I nodded and by looking at his face, I knew he meant it.

              “Phoebe, I love you.”

              I wanted to say I love you back, but I wasn’t sure if he would believe me.  I touched the side of his face. He closed his eyes.  I pressed my lips against his again, but then he pulled away from me.  He held onto both of my wrists and I watched him.  When Clara walked in slowly with the rest of the dishes, Xavier let go of my wrists. 

              He turned to walk away and I tugged at his arm.  “Can I go with you?”

              “I need you stay here.”

              “Why?”

              “It’s important.”

              “I don’t want to stay here without you.”

              “You’ll be with me,” a loud voice said from around the corner. “I hear you like the chickens.” The woman in the button-down shirt and the red heels with the fire engine red lipstick came from around the corner.  “We weren’t properly introduced earlier and I apologize for that.  Mintora Luther, but you can call me Mini.”

              I looked over at Xavier and he was smiling at the woman. He had given her a kiss on her cheek before he touched my chin. As he walked away, I listened for his boots on the marble floor until I couldn’t hear them anymore.   

Chapter 4

Mr. and Mrs. Luther

              “Well, Mrs. Luther, Jr, let’s go.”

              I looked over at Clara. She nodded at me with a smile before leaving us alone. I chuckled on the inside at her little nickname for me. 

              Mini traded her heels for a pair of black work boots.  I followed Mrs. Luther, Sr. out to the chicken coop.  We went into the steel shed, and Mini put on one of the big coats and then handed me one.  She started up the first batch of eggs while I watched her diligently. 

              “The ones you have to watch out for are Xenophon, Xena, and Xyliar.  Xyliar is the closest to Xavier. She is the meanest.  She’s married to Omni and I’m not sure how he deals with her, but they make it work.  They have three children, and they live in Nevada.  Xena is my middle girl. She’s married to Baxter.  They have three children and one on the way. They live on a ranch in Arizona.  Xan Jr. is married to Dandrea and they have two children.   They live up the street from us.  My second son, Xanthus, is married to Kellie. They have four children.  They live in L.A. Xandra, my eldest daughter, she’s married to Roland, and they don’t have any children yet. They live across town from us."                

              When she spoke of her Xandra, I could see that there was something in her eyes.  She was her favorite daughter.  And, I had a strong feeling Xavier was her favorite son. 

              “Xylon and Xenohon are my problem boys.  Anytime trouble is nearby, it finds those two.  They still live at home and I have a strong feeling they will never leave.” She laughed at herself.

              I smiled as I just listened and kept working, I felt better moving, so I didn’t have to do that awkward staring into her eyes.  I looked up at the big clock. It had only been an hour.  I wondered how long Xavier was going to be gone.  I thought about staying in his room until he came back. 

              “Phoebe, if I asked you a couple of questions, would you be perfectly honest with me?”

              “Yes, ma’am.”

              “This stays in here, just between you and me.”

              I swallowed and waited for her questions. 

              “How did you guys really meet?”
              “What did he tell you?”

              “A lie,” she said sternly.  “This will be our little secret and I won’t tell a soul,” she promised. 

              I trusted Mini, so I decided to be perfectly honest with her.  I started at the very beginning and I didn’t leave anything out.  After we had cleaned and dried all of the eggs, we sat up on the steel tables.  She laughed at all the funny parts and awed at all the sweet parts.  I was very animated with her and that made me feel good to be myself.  She held my hand when I told her how I knew I loved him on the Ferris wheel.

              “How did he propose?” 

              I told her about how after the Ferris wheel part we went and found one of the many 24-hour jewelry stores. 

              “May I see your ring?” 

              I held my hand out for her to see and she gawked at it.

              “Wow, that’s some ring.”

              “I know.” I stared down at it and smiled.

              “I think you guys' story is great and thank you so much for sharing it with me.”

              I turned away from her and looked over at all the eggs. 

              “But, I can’t help but to wonder how you really feel about him.”

              “I hurt him badly the morning after… I didn’t remember him or anything about the night at all.  I tried, but the memories wouldn’t come back.  By that next morning, I had remembered everything, but I had finally sent him back to his hotel. The last thing I told him was that my lawyer would be contacting his lawyer.  I tried to find him when I got my memory back, but he was long gone by then. By the time I got back to work, my godfather, who happened to be my boss and my attorney, had every single thing on Xavier and demanded that I come up here, and convince him to sign the divorce papers.”

              She stared me down. Then, she started swinging her legs while chewing on the inside of her mouth. “How do you feel about him, Phoebe?"

              “It doesn’t matter.”

              “Why doesn’t it?”

              “It’s just my rotten luck.”

              “But, I think you do love him.”

              “I don’t want any of his money or any parts of this farm. I just need for him to sign my papers, but he said he wouldn’t until you guys left.”

              “Phoebe, have you told him that you love him?”

              “He doesn’t believe me.”

              “Oh, honey.” She tried to soothe me, but I wasn’t in the mood. 

              “I’m getting a headache. I’m going to go lay down for a while.”

              “You don’t have run off. We can talk about something else.”

              I gave her a small smile. “Maybe later.”

              “Honey, I wasn’t trying to upset you.”

              “I know.”

              She held her arms out for me and I stepped into her embrace.  She gave me a triple kiss on my forehead without even removing her lips in between. 

              Over her shoulder, I saw Xena and Xyliar, two of Xavier’s sisters walking towards the steel building. It was a good thing I wanted to go lie down.  I didn’t make eye contact with either one of them as I walked past them. 

              At the house, I stepped in through the kitchen and walked right passed Clara.               “Mrs. Luther, are you alright?”

              “Yes, I just have a light headache. I’m going to go lie down for a while.”

              “Mr. Luther may be gone a while. I’ll bring dinner up to you.”

              “Thank you, Clara.”

              “You will do no such thing, Clara.”

              I heard a voice at the doorframe.  I wasn’t sure which sister that was, but I was getting the hell out of that kitchen.  

              “This is your house and no one, not even my pig-headed sisters, are going to keep you locked up in a room upstairs,” Xena said. 

              I walked past her and headed upstairs.  I wasn’t sure if she was being facetious or serious because her face held a very blank expression. She didn’t look mean, but she wasn’t smiling either. 

              I stripped down to my tank and panties before sliding deep under the covers.  I drifted off into a deep sleep quickly.  I was standing in front of the movie theater in Vegas.  There was a mannequin in the ticket booth, holding a ticket for a showing for "A Patch of Blue."  I got the ticket out of the mannequin's hand and went inside of the theater.  There were mannequins behind the counter and there were even some inside the theater.  Some were coupled up and some were by themselves.  The theater was packed. 

              I saw an empty seat in the dead center of the theater. I walked down the crowded row to get to the empty seat.  The closer I got, the more I realized that the person sitting next to the open seat was a real person.  It was Xavier. He was smiling widely at me.  I sat down next to him.

              He pulled me into a kiss but then all of a sudden, he stiffened. I pulled back to see what was the matter.  Xavier was now a mannequin; the mannequin wore all of Xavier’s clothes.  I shook him hard and then, the whole scene had disappeared. Everything turned black- pitch black.  I screamed and screamed for help, but no one came. 

              “Phoebe! Wake up! Wake up, baby!”  I was jerked and pulled away from the pitch-blackness into the shadows of Xavier’s bedroom. 

              I could see dim lights coming from the hallway.

              “Momma, turn on all the lights!” Xavier told her frantically.

              “X,” I sighed.

              “I’m right here. Open your eyes for me.”

              I heard Xavier, but I couldn’t find him.

              “Phoebes, open your eyes, baby. Look at me. I’m right here.”

              I reached for his voice and found him.  When I opened my eyes slowly, he was cradling me with the covers tucked around me.

              “There you go.” He kissed my sweaty forehead.

              “How long has she been having night terrors?”  His mother asked.

              I didn’t hear Xavier respond to her.  I heard water running, then someone placed a cool towel on my head; it felt so good. Xavier gave me a few quick pecks on my lips.  I was so exhausted that I could barely move.  I focused on the room now, and all the sisters were there and their father.  Mini sat on the bed with Xavier and me.  I focused on her face.

              She smiled at me and asked, “You think you can eat something?”

              I shook my head.  I was still a little shaken up from the nightmare. 

              “What scared you?” Xavier asked.

              “We were in the theater, watching ‘A Patch of Blue’, but everyone else there was a mannequin.  And, then you turned into a mannequin… and everything went pitch black. I couldn’t see a thing. I couldn’t find you anymore.”

              “I swear, I’ll never leave you alone again,” Xavier promised me. 

              None of them probably knew what those words meant to me.  But, even I didn’t even trust the words that were coming out of his mouth now.  Xavier and I both knew this wasn’t going to work and this was nothing but a charade for his family.  I was about sick and tired of all this pretending, and I just wanted to be left alone.  I pulled away from Xavier and snuggled up to a pillow.  I buried my face in it and sobbed continuously. 

              I heard the shuffling of feet walking away from me, and a creak from the door closing as, eventually, the room fell silent. When I raised my head, I was alone, but the bedside lamps were on.  I drifted off again, nightmare free this time.  By the time I woke again, it was 2:00 a.m. I looked over at the empty side of the bed. Xavier hadn’t come to bed yet.  I pulled on a robe and house shoes and tiptoed out of the room. 

              There were a few dim lights on downstairs.  I followed them, but still no Xavier. The house was still.  I noticed the kitchen door was cracked, so I went outside.  I looked across the backyard and saw nothing but the pole lights. I went around to the side of the house and saw a single, dim light.  I followed it. The crunching sound under my feet startled me.  I was in the hayfield, and there was a lantern up ahead. 

              “Xavier?” I whispered.

              “Phoebe, what’s wrong?”  I heard him get up quickly as the crunch was now following him.

              “Nothing. I was looking for you.”  He met up with me and held me.

“You didn’t come to bed.”

              “I wasn’t sure . . . I didn’t know if you wanted me to.”

              I pushed up a little and kissed him.  He kissed me back, but his was a little more needing than mine was. 

              “Can anyone see us?”

              “No,” he breathed. 

              I pulled my robe off and it dropped to the ground.  He wrapped his arms tight around me. “I need you.”

              “Phoebe, do you remember everything?”

              “Yes.”

              “I mean about --”

              “I took your virginity. I remember,” I said.

              “You don’t think of me as less of a man?”

              “No, why would you think that?”

              “Because I’m not that experienced.”

              “You ate me out like a pro earlier.”

              “Phoebes.”

              “It was beautiful, and you’re so much of a man inside and out, and those freakishly large body parts . . .”

              “I want to please you.”

              “You do in more ways than one.”

              “I--"

              I interrupted “Shhhh. I love you!” 

              We had sex right there hidden from the common eye in the hay bells.  He wanted me on top of him and he admired my body and my plump bare breasts.  So, I rode him for the duration of our lovemaking that night.  We got back to the bedroom a little after 4:00 a.m. and we slept in until 9:00.  No one came looking for us, no one called for us, and it was nice.

              I woke him with him in my mouth. I had to put a pillow over his face this time to keep him from screaming.  We made love again in the shower that morning and Xavier was ready for another position.  We eased into him taking me from behind and he loved it. We were finally in our honeymoon state; we couldn’t keep our hands off each other.  We had sex twice in the steel building behind the chicken coop.  I loved it when he rammed me across the tables.  I sucked him off again in the tractor, way out in the west field.  We made love all that night and again that next morning. By the fourth day, we were both worn out, but we were still so hungry for each other.