Uncomplicated: A Vegas Girl's Tale (8 page)

“I’m not. It’s just…it’s been awhile since I’ve seen them,” she mumbled.

The next day we had gone to the airport to pick up her parents. Jennifer had told me that we could wait a couple of days or weeks before bringing them here, but clearly her mother was worried. I wanted to get that sorted as soon as possible and what better way than to fly them out.

She chewed her bottom lip and sighed.

The sight made my blood hum. “Stop that or else I’m going to bite it.”

She looked up at me, her cheeks going flush and she did it again.

I growled and placed a hard bruising kiss on her lips. As much as I wanted to keep going, we were in public. Although, the exhibitionist side of me thought maybe we could show these people a thing or two about pleasing your partner in bed.

“God, even your kisses turn me on,” she moaned against my mouth.

I chuckled and trailed my fingers down her arm before entwining them in her hand.

Jennifer frowned and looked down, watching the movement. Her gaze met mine and something flashed in her beautiful blue eyes before she looked away.

She didn’t look away quick enough because I saw it. I felt it, too. Could you fall in love with someone so fast? Was it possible? I was a man who always got his way but if there was any indication that I could not make her happy, I would let her go. But after that look, everything was settled. Marrying her was probably the fucking smartest decision I had ever made.

A squeal of happiness interrupted my thoughts as Jennifer was pulled out of my grip.

I opened my mouth to protest when I realized an older woman was hugging her.

“Oh Jenny. It’s so good to see you. Are you hurt? Are you happy? Will you please tell me what is going on?” The older woman with vibrant red hair flowing down to her shoulders, held Jennifer’s face in her hands.

“I’m fine, Mom. Please, let me go,” Jennifer said, trying to shove out of her grip.

I bit back a chuckle. It amazed me that although she fucked for a living, she wasn’t into small touches of affection from those that loved her. Well no more. No more clients. It would be me and only me touching her from now on.

“You must be Mathis,” a large man said, his deep gruff voice invading my thoughts, and slightly intimidating me.

“Sir.” I stuck out my hand and shook his in greeting. His graying hair surrounded a face that was weathered due to the sun but his blue eyes shone with love as he watched his wife and daughter reunite.

“I heard you married my daughter,” he bit out and placed a heavy hand on my shoulder, forcing me to take a step back out of ear shot of the women he clearly loved.

I nodded once.

“Why?”

I thought a moment. Why did I marry her? To fuck her? No, I could have had that with no problems as long as I flashed a couple of bills in front of her face. My stomach clenched.
Nice fucking way to think about your wife, Mathis
.

But, I didn’t know about her job or the clients she had. It was like she was put on this earth for me, to make me feel whole. Complete. Something had been missing for the past couple of weeks, or maybe even longer. My club,
Club Rouge
was doing well in New York and
Club Maroon
would be fucking epic but it wasn’t enough. I needed more. I craved it. It controlled my thoughts, my actions and since meeting Jennifer two days ago, I felt the hole in my life start to fill. Call me a pussy for using these corny metaphors but it was the fucking truth.

“Did you hear my question, boy?” Jennifer’s father barked.

Oh I heard him alright. My jaw tensed.
Play it cool, Mathis.
He had every right to second guess my reasoning for marrying his daughter. I would do the same. I had to respect the guy for that. “Why don’t you remind me?” I asked, not taking my gaze off of Jennifer and her mother.

The older man rolled his eyes. “Why did you marry my daughter?”

I said the first thing that came to mind. “It had to be.”

B
APTISM BY
F
IRE

(Jenny)

“Is he some kind of drug lord, Jennifer?”

Leave it to my mother to ask the single most ignorant question on planet earth the moment she met my husband.

“That accent is what, Columbian?”

I can’t help but roll my eyes.

“No mother. He is not a drug dealer. He isn’t from South America either.”

If you took every last ignorant stereotype about
Bible Thumpers
and packaged them nicely together, you would get my parents. It was sad, but true. The unintended backhanded racism. The ignorant stereotypes perpetuated by Hollywood movies. And the suspicion of anyone who didn’t carry a Bible in their purse and throw around their Christian beliefs.

Just as Mathis neared with my annoyed looking father by his side, I realized how little I actually know about my husband. Nope, he was European. But I had no freaking clue where he was actually from.

“Honey, what country is it that you are from again? I can never keep it straight.” I bat my eyelashes at him and act genuinely clueless.

He picked up on my performance quickly as he wrapped his arm around my waist and placed a chaste kiss on my cheek.

“Bulgaria, honey.”

“I was just telling my mother about your European heritage. You know, I would love to travel to Europe someday.” It was the truth. The only place I ever had a desire to travel was Europe. The rich history always fascinated me. You can keep the tropical islands and the muggy climates. Give me some museums and ancient architecture and I would be a happy girl. Oh, and let’s not forget the food. This girl had curves for a damn reason!

“How about for our honeymoon, love?” Honeymoon? Do couples like us get those? I wanted to stomp on his foot, or slap him for being so fuckin’ cheeky with me. But, that would be the first thing to alert my parents to the sham we had going on. Whatever the fuck we were doing I hadn’t a clue, because I still had yet to figure it out.

“Oh, Mathis. I don’t want a honeymoon.”

Before he could reply, my mother interrupted us with her typical nosey behavior.

“How long have y’all been married?”

My eyes shot to Mathis and he smiled.

“Two days,” he proudly announced as if he had won the lottery. His smile spread from ear-to-ear flashing his beautiful, pearly whites.
God, his smile
.

My mother’s face began to morph and I knew it was only a matter of time before she blew a gasket. Three, two, one...

“Two days? That is it? Jennifer, please tell me this is all a joke!” My mother’s red hair flipped to the side as she dropped her bags onto the ground.

“No, mother. It is not a joke. We were married on Saturday night.” I tried not to let my smile fade, but it was hard. Nothing I’d ever done had been good enough for my parents, which was why I ran across the country. I loved them to death, I really did. But their Christian ideology of what a good Christian girl should do with her life was lost when it came to me.

“By Elvis, right?” As the words left her mouth, Mathis’ cool evaporated into thin air. His jaw clenched and my body tensed because I knew whatever would come next wasn’t going to be pretty.

“My dear, Eloise,” Mathis paused for a moment, “if I may call you Eloise. Do you really think I would marry your beautiful daughter in front of Elvis in some cheap Las Vegas cliché?” His grip on me tightened. “My Jennifer deserves nothing but the best and while it may not have been the most traditional wedding, I would never disrespect her with an Elvis impersonator.” And like that, Eloise met her match and her mouth remained clamped shut until my father and Mathis exited the Bellagio suite he had booked them for the week.

The fact that he could put my mother in her place with two simple sentences sent my head swimming. I loved it. I loved every word that came from his lips as he gently, verbally berated her without her even realizing it. I should have known right then and there we were meant for each other. But instead, I would continue to fight him with everything I had. Because that is what stubborn Irish folk do.

After a day full of my parents, I laid in Mathis’ bath tub soaking away the stress. Well, it kind of was my bath tub now considering he was slowly having Dean move all my shit into his penthouse. The door opened and closed before my husband appeared by my side, holding two flutes of champagne.

“They are something else,” he laughed as he handed me the glass.

I shouldn’t drink around this man, it clearly has already proved to be extremely dangerous. Next thing I know I would wake up with a flock of kids or something. It was just how this man rolled.

“I tried to warn you. But nooooooooooo. You had to spill the beans
and
invite them out here to visit.” I waved him off.

“I can see where you get your fire from.”

I know, my mother. Her attitude. The fiery red hair. The only thing my father gifted me were his bright blue eyes. Everything else came from the one and only Eloise Sunshine.

“Please, don’t compare me to her right now. I am trying to get her, and her drug lord comments out of my head.” I tried not to laugh, but once I hear Mathis’ laughter flooding through the room, I couldn’t help but join in.

“Mind if I join you in there?”

The laughter quickly stopped. At first I didn’t think he was serious. What man really wanted to take a bubble bath? Maybe the same man who would go out of his way to draw a bubble bath for his hung over wife whom he had known for a whole six hours. He continued to kill me with his sweetness.

“I guess,” I shrugged. I was trying to give him the cold shoulder. I guess it was the way I dealt with all of these emotions that were slowly starting to come to the surface. I swore when we were at the airport earlier, he caught my loving look. How can you love someone you know nothing about? And I mean nothing. I didn’t even know where he was from, how is that for wife of the year?

“You know, Mathis. We know nothing about each other. Absolutely nothing.”

He smiled as the last piece of his clothing fell to the floor and he climbed into the tub behind me. His hardening erection pressed gently against my ass, but not in a sexual way. His attraction and admiration of me is clear, but his respect is even clearer. It was a fine line we were both learning to dance. I wasn’t used to respect in the sexual manner since I had been nothing more than a plaything to the men in my life.

“Then why don’t we spend our time together tonight learning about each other. Jenny, love, let’s make this work.” My husband’s hands softly massaged my shoulders.

His words took me off guard. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of truly making whatever this game was turn into something more. He brought out something in me I had never felt before and as much as it scared me...I could tell he was just as scared.

“Why me, Mathis. You could have any woman in the world. But you picked me.” It was an honest question. Something I truly needed to know before opening up to him any further. His answer would determine our future together whether he realized it or not.

“My life has been missing something for a long time. It wasn’t until I saw you across that club that I realized exactly what it was. It was never about sex, or money. It was about the way you made me come to life that night. From the moment we met, I knew you would be a challenge,” he paused for a moment, only to place a kiss on my neck. “But every minute since then has been worth it. I’ll never want anyone else the way I want you.”

A chill surged through my body. In that moment, I was pretty sure I melted right into his body. If this was what love felt like...I was in love with Mathis Verlinden, and I was in way over my head.