Desperate Desires (Mergers & Acquisitions #3)

Chapter 27-y

“ S helly, what the hell?” Michaela yelled the second I accepted her video call.

“What?” I snapped back.

“You got married, and you didn’t even tell me!”

Shit.

I knew I’d forgotten something.

Okay, fine.

It was more like I had been avoiding this whole conversation.

Sure, I’d seen the missed calls, and emails. And texts .

But I wasn’t ready to face Micky or the other girls just yet. I didn’t want to share Ono with anyone just yet. Plus, I was not in the mood for their judgment.

I was happy. And that was a first. Could anyone blame me for wanting to hold on to that just a little while longer?

“It’s that fucking guy you wouldn’t tell me about, isn’t it?”

“Ono Bottarelli,” I told her his name.

“Fuck. Hang on, I am adding, Clem,” Micky said.

I shook my head and started a cup of espresso from the amazing machine my sexy ass husband had his guys set up in the kitchen.

True, I’d been bummed to wake up alone, but the note he’d left with one long-stemmed rose on the pillow beside me was definitely a nice apology.

Bellezza,

I didn’t want to wake you, but I’ll be back before dinner.

I have my cell if you need anything.

Be a good girl and rest today.

Yours,

Ono

I bit my lip and sighed.

“Earth to Shelly?” Micky yelled.

“Holy shit. She has it bad!” Clementine’s voice joined Micky’s.

I grinned and shook my head.

What was I doing, keeping this from them? It was childish, and I knew better.

“Okay, look. If I tell you about him, do you promise not to judge?”

“Um, no,” Micky snarked.

“Shut up, Mick. Of course we’re gonna judge, Shelly. Just spill already!”

I sat down at the counter, ran my hands along the cool granite top, and sipped my amazing espresso.

Then I began to talk.

The more I talked, the more I realized this whole crazy affair was just that.

Crazy.

But it was also wildly romantic, and action packed. Or maybe just packed.

That had me thinking about his dick, and I really did not want to go there with the girls.

Oh, but that dick.

Goddamn, the man was amazing. The things he did to my body. The way he made me feel. No one ever made me come multiple times in one night.

Mmm hmm.

“Holy fucking shit. Shelly, he sounds really into you. And judging from that expression, I take it he takes good care of you, too,” Micky said, and I heard the bow-chicka-wow-wow in her voice.

Sigh.

“I am not discussing sex with you two perverts,” I said, shaking my head.

“Come on! We shared with you. Plus, I want to know more about the whole shotgun airplane wedding. And, oh my fuck, Shelly! I want to go to your island!” Clem whined, as if her father didn’t have one, too.

“I will say one thing, and you know this takes a lot for me to say out loud.”

“Hey, you can tell us anything, Shell,” Micky said, tears welling in her eyes.

I narrowed my eyes. Micky wasn’t usually overly emotional. Hmm. Made me wonder.

Was she pregnant again already?

“I know that. And, well, I never expected to have anyone like Ono walk into my life. I mean, I always thought romance like that was reserved for women like you guys. Rich, beautiful, loved, sure of your place in this world. And I don’t mean that in a self-pitying kind of way,” I admitted with a shrug.

“Shelly, what the fuck? You are rich, beautiful, loved and deserving of everything good in this world!” Clementine said, indignance showing in her voice.

“Well, I’m not rich.” I snorted.

“Shut up,” she replied with an exaggerated eye roll.

“Look, I know, I know. Honestly, I think living with Aunt Agnes, even for a short while, kinda messed with my opinion of myself. You girls are my real family.”

“And you are ours, Shelly,” Micky whispered tearfully. “And your husband?”

“I think he might be my family, too. I like him,” I whispered, and felt echoing tears spill from my eyes.

“Shelly, that’s so good.”

“No, I mean, I really like him. I might even love him.”

“I’m so happy for you,” Micky cried.

“I never expected him to look for me after our initial meeting. Definitely never thought he would marry me. But now that I do have him, well, I think I want to keep him. But what do I do if he gets tired of me?” I asked, wiping my cheeks.

“If he gets tired of you, we’ll just hit him over the head with a frying pan. What?” Micky asked when we all gasped.

Gasps turned to snorts. And that, of course, led to chuckles.

“I don’t think domestic violence is the answer, Mick,” Clem replied, while I tried to recover from a fit of laughter.

“Mom had her latest romance heroine do that and her readers went nuts for it.”

“Okay, well, this was fun, but I gotta go get dressed,” I said, shaking my head.

“Fine. You can go get dressed, but we are hosting a party for you and your hubby at that fancy new hotel in Manhattan on Saturday.”

“The Stargazer?” I asked.

“Yep. Uncle Marat owns the majority of the place, and I asked him to reserve the rooftop restaurant for us, and he did. Plus, he got us all suites there, too! We are going to meet at ten AM at their exclusive Spa and by the time we are finished, the men will be ready and waiting!”

“Oh, um, I don’t know, Mick?—”

“Nonsense. It’s all arranged. We are going to celebrate you and Ono whether or not you want to, Shelly, so you might as well just go with it.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll see you Saturday.”

Excitement bubbled inside of me at the prospect of having this post-nuptial dinner in honor of mine and Ono’s marriage. I didn’t know how he would react to the news, but I was hoping he would be happy. Or tolerant, at least.

When you were a smart little girl, like I was, people didn’t often expect you to have the same dreams and aspirations as other little girls. But I wasn’t that different.

Sure, I made honors and was accepted to top universities, and I worked hard to get into prime pre-med programs many could never dream of going to.

But I always kept a diary where I would scribble down all my secret longings and desires, my hopes and dreams. I even had a vision board when I was in college.

And just there, tucked away in the right corner, had been a magazine cutout of a simple white dress and a solid gold band.

I looked down at my hand and bit my bottom lip.

The diamond ring Ono had given me when we said our vows was a little more than I’d imagined. The gem was huge.

Beautiful.

A perfect fit, and the way he’d designed it so the diamond was inlaid in the band was exactly what I would have chosen for myself.

He really does know me.

I used to secretly dream about getting married. But the thing I’d always been afraid to wish for, the thing I always wanted and was scared to even hope for, was love.

It was the one thing that seemed to elude me most of my life. Without the Volkovs, I might never have known it.

Seeing my besties’ parents together, watching the way those men and women cherished each other over the years? It fed that hope. It was the stuff dreams were made of.

Now that Ono had come into my life, I finally understood it was possible. I mean, I wanted a husband who loved me. I wanted him to love me.

But I knew asking for that might be too much. And maybe I shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

Whatever the fuck that meant.

Would Ono even want to celebrate our marriage? I had no idea. But there was only one way to find out.

Ask him, Shelly.

I grabbed my phone and sent my husband a text, wondering if he was the type of guy who returned messages or ignored them.

Me

Hey, It’s me. Michelle.

Um, the girls want to throw a little dinner party for us on Saturday at the Stargazer. Well, more like a reception for our wedding.

Hope that’s okay? If it’s not let me know and I can make our excuses.

I heaved a sigh, lowering my head to the table. Why was texting Ono so hard? We talked all the time in person. It should have been no big thing.

But when I saw those three little dots, and realized he was typing a reply, I couldn’t help it.

A tightness gripped my chest, and it felt like my lungs were too small to fit the air I needed to breathe normally.

Finally, his reply appeared, and I knew I smiled so hard, my face actually hurt.

Tough Guy

You know you don’t have to tell me who it is when you text, Wife.

I have your number saved already. And of course it’s okay. I’d have been surprised if your family didn’t throw you a party.

Can’t wait.

I bit my lip. I didn’t know why I’d added him to my contacts under that nickname I’d called him the night we met, but whatever. He was my Tough Guy and it suited him.

This was good news. If Ono wanted to celebrate our wedding, maybe he was thinking about it lasting a good long while.

Maybe forever.

I could hope, couldn’t I?