Читать книгу I Want It Now - Sydney Molare - Страница 8

That’s correct. I’ve bought me a bona fide, flesh-and-blood, hunky-as-hell, mail-order husband. Yep, this secret will definitely stun, amaze, trip out, and even irritate those in and around Dina’s World. My grin could have lit up Grand Central Station during a power outage. “You sure are.” We stood there grinning like we’d been together for a minute. I don’t know, life felt right. If he was an axe murderer or wrong, I wasn’t getting any negative signs from the heavens above.

“Shall we get started?” Simon asked.

“Sure,” we both said together.

“Follow me, then.”

“How was the trip?” I asked as we followed Simon to wherever. Simon walked fast and with purpose, so he’d obviously been here before.

“It was good. I’d never been on a ship for two weeks before, but the ride was good. No storms that made me seasick.” I loved his thick British accent and concise English.

“You’re better than me. I took a three-day cruise and spent most of it making love to the porcelain goddess.”

“Who?”

There I go with that bad habit of using the slang language I’d picked up from my students. “The toilet. Sometimes when you are ill, people jokingly refer to the toilet as the porcelain goddess since we spend a lot of time paying homage during that particular time.”

“Oh. The loo is the porcelain goddess. You Americans are truly…unique.”

“Ye—”

“Could you two keep close?” Simon was standing ahead, tapping his gleaning shoe’s toe on the ground. “We are expected in two minutes, and I do hate to be late.” Censure was in his eyes.

This grown woman definitely felt chastised. “Yessir!”

Dubois squeezed my hand as I picked up the pace. “Simon is all bark. We are why he is here, not vice versa.” He was correct. I slowed down.

Soon we found ourselves inside a small room that resembled a chapel. A ruddy-faced, bearded man conversed briefly with Simon before striding over to where we stood. “I’m Captain Mark Tooney and I’ll be performing the ceremony.”

“Good to meet you.”

“Hello.”

“Great. Do you have your paperwork, Ms. Charles?”

“I sure do.” I opened my purse and pulled out the required papers. “Here you go.”

The captain studied the papers for a few moments before he nodded and said, “Everything appears to be in order. If you will step this way.”

When he began positioning us, I stopped him. “Please. I need a moment. Where is the ladies’ room?” I knew my wedding was unconventional, but I wanted to look the best I could for it.

“Of course. It’s out those doors and down the hallway. Take your time.”

I thanked him and strode toward the doors he’d indicated. As I reached for the metal handle, a hand covered mine. “Allow me.” I hadn’t realized Dubois had followed, but I was more than happy to see that chivalry was not dead. I stood to the side as he opened the door, then followed me through and stopped just inside the hallway. “I need to freshen up a bit myself. But I’ll be waiting here for you upon your return.”

Damn! He was definitely winning cool points all around. Oops. Got to stop the slang, even in my mind. After all, if I think it, I’ll eventually speak it. I nodded and entered the bathroom. I touched up my makeup, released my hair from the pins holding it, and brushed it out and straightened my dress. After spritzing on more perfume, I removed the gold band I’d purchased for Dubois. Ready.

He was relaxing against the wall as I exited but stood upright immediately. “You look wonderful,” he said, eyes looking me all over.

“You do, too.” He’d changed into a cream suit that set his dark skin off to perfection. In his hands, he held a bouquet of red roses. “For you. I didn’t know if you’d bring your own bridal flowers, so I brought some…just in case.”

I hadn’t remembered the flowers, and they were just what I needed for the day. “I didn’t remember, and they are lovely.” I took the offered flowers, feeling my heart begin that now familiar thudding in my chest. “Thank you.”

“You are more than welcome. Shall we?” He offered me his arm. I slid my arm into the crook. “Of course.”

The ceremony was a bit of a blur since so many other thoughts were churning through my head. I do remember reciting the vows, but it was when Captain Tooney said, “You may now kiss your bride” that I truly focused. I was feeling quite shy about our first kiss. However, Dubois was not shy as he pulled me to his chest and his lips fit over mine. I was planning on a chaste kiss, and apparently so was Dubois. His tongue remained in his mouth as our lips slid over each other, softly, teasing with promise behind them.

We pulled apart—reluctantly—with big smiles on our faces. If this was the warm-up, the consummation was going to be the bomb! Drat! There I go again.

“Okay, you guys are officially married. Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Dubois Harrington!” Canned music began playing and we turned and walked back down the empty aisle and out into the hallway.

“Dina, I hope to make you the happiest woman alive.” Dubois grabbed me up again, his lips on mine, but this time the kiss was a bit different. His tongue snaked out, twisting and flipping my tongue into complicity, and in no time I found myself sucking his tongue deep, biting his lips, running my hands up and down his back.

The clearing of a throat was the only thing that stopped us from peeling off our “good clothes” and doing the nasty right there. We turned to a smiling Simon holding papers in his hands.

“I’ll need your signatures here.” He held out the marriage certificate, which we both signed. I smiled at the Old World calligraphy penmanship of Dubois. “Now…let’s have a celebratory dinner, and I’ll need to go over the last-minute details.”

We all loaded into my car and I drove to a restaurant across town, the Queen’s Tearoom. After we’d been seated, Simon pulled out the contract I’d filled in more than six months ago and began. “Dina, Dubois, again congratulations.” We nodded. “Dina, according to the contract, there is a thirty-day, half-rate, money-back guarantee with this marriage. If after thirty days, if either of you is not satisfied or wishes to leave this marriage, please let me know. The marriage will be annulled. Dubois will then return to Extania with you paying his return fare home. Are you both clear on that?”

Simon’s talk was sobering indeed. Either of you… This was no one-way street. I could reject or be rejected. “I am.” I turned to look at Dubois, who also was no longer smiling.

“I am also.”

“Good. After the thirty-day period, no money is refundable and no passage home is guaranteed.” He looked at each of us slowly. “You must then do as any other married couple does: Work hard to stay married.” I gulped in spite of myself. “Any questions?” We both shook our heads. “Great. Let’s eat!”