32. Two Stories
TWO STORIES
I f Phoebe thought the dinner last night was an overload of the senses, it was nothing compared to the reception of Laken Carlisle and Jamie Wilde’s wedding with professional football players and other celebrities in the sports world.
Phones were checked at the door. Not surprising.
Only the photographer was allowed pictures.
She’d been told about the phone situation and decided to not bring hers at all. With her career, she wasn’t letting it in the hands of anyone, even if it couldn’t be unlocked.
Elias had his and could keep it. Only immediate family members were trusted enough.
She’d do nothing to break the family's trust, but did not need to have her phone on her anyway.
But she took some pictures of her and Elias together before they left for the wedding.
Just like she had last night too.
Memories to have along with the funny silly selfies they took when they were together in Southern Pines.
It just reminded her how there seemed to be two stories to their dating lives.
Or maybe that was just in her mind.
Like she’d thought for sure Elias was going to confess his love to her last night before Foster knocked on the door.
Talk about bad timing.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” Aileen asked her, coming over to sit down.
“I am,” she said. “Just trying to take it all in.”
“It’s hard,” Aileen said. “I’m surprised Foster hasn’t left by now. He’s not good with crowds and this is much bigger than Braylon’s wedding was. I expected as much. But Foster has Charlotte to help keep him grounded.”
She knew Foster was the grouchy sibling of the group, but she didn’t see any sign of that.
And she had to admit she really liked Charlotte a lot. They were about the same age and both older than their significant others.
Another thing she found funny since she’d never dated a man younger than her.
Maybe she was looking at so many things wrong in her life and was finally given the chance to look at them right.
Aileen said, “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen my son so happy before. And trust me, I see him more than the rest of my boys.”
“That’s sweet to hear,” she said.
“You two have something special,” Aileen said. “I can see it, even if you’re unsure. Just wanted to let you know not to be.”
Aileen got called away before she could ask what that meant, but by the smirk on Elias’s mother’s face, she suspected it was planned just like it had been.
One of those mic drop moments that people practice having but never achieve.
“Do you want to dance?” Elias asked her.
“I do,” she said. “I’m surprised I can get you out here.”
“Only because they are slowing it down and I need to get you in my arms.”
The music had been more on the fast side with lots of people busting a move. Nothing you’d see her doing no matter how many times someone tried to drag her out there tonight.
Usually Talia.
“Everyone seems to be having fun.”
“Am I to guess you don’t like to dance?” he asked. “Fast songs?”
“I’m not that coordinated,” she said. “Nor would these shoes allow it. I’m not sure I’ll be allowed to sit it out at Ben’s wedding.”
“Where you’ll know most of the people there,” he said. “Here, it’s a lot of eyes.”
“Big eyes,” she said. “And many on me since I’m with you.”
It was hard not to notice. Some of those eyes were on Jamie’s side of the wedding invites.
Most knew about Elias’s business and many wanted his beer. They wanted it without having to drive to North Carolina to get it.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t happening even though she knew Elias had beer shipped only to West’s pub that he owned to have on tap.
No, not shipped.
A staff member drove it here personally, then drove back.
Talk about family loyalty and support.
“You’re handling it well,” he said in her ear.
“I’ve been around big events a time or two. And trust me, you don’t know stress unless you’re in front of a judge that hates your family, and a jury that would love nothing more than to hang your client and you’ve got to get them all to be on your side.”
She only wished her grandfather had been alive to prove to him she could win cases despite his name, that she wasn’t riding on it to get ahead in life.
Then she wondered why she always felt like she had to do those things.
Her parents never pushed it on her.
She did it to herself.
Just like she was the one holding back from telling Elias how she felt.
“I’m sure you didn’t break a sweat,” he said. “You’ve got the ability to let the outside world not see you. The real you.”
She angled her head to the side. “Do you see me?” she asked softly.
“I do,” he said. “The real you. I guess the question I need to know is if you see the same?”
“I do,” she said. “I’m going to show it to you later too.”
“Now I want this wedding over even faster.”
She laughed. “I gave you another reason other than getting out of your suit?”
“You did,” he said. “Just like I need to get you out of this dress. I swear that slit couldn’t go any higher.”
She laughed. Her dress was navy, fitted to her body and strapless, to the floor, with a slit up her left leg. She didn’t think it was that high, but sitting down, it showed a lot of her leg.
Thankfully she could hide that under the table.
“I should have tried sitting down with the dress on when I bought it,” she said.
“Oh no,” he said, his hand sliding up and down her back. “Then you wouldn’t have bought it and teased me like this.”
“You’re right,” she said. “I wouldn’t have. But I’ve got a few hours to tease you some more and I’m going to do it.” She leaned in close and whispered in his ear. “I have no bra on and only a tiny little thong.”
He dropped his head to her forehead. “That’s cruel.”
“That’s fun,” she said, laughing.
And when they were in their hotel room four hours later, she didn’t even get a chance to move past the closed door before he had her back against it, his mouth on hers and his hand under her dress via the slit.
“Shit,” he said. “It’s silk on top of it.”
“Didn’t you believe me when I said I had a thong on?”
“I wasn’t sure,” he said.
“Do you want to see it?” she asked.
“Later,” he said. “Right now, I’ve just got to be inside you.”
She was tackling the button on his pants.
He had his suit jacket on, his tie stuffed in a pocket, but his pants were undone and pushed down, his cock free and in her hand.
No reason to stroke it as he was ready to rock and roll.
Rock and roll her!
He put his hands under her arms, lifting her against the door, her legs around his hips.
The cool material of his suit felt foreign to her.
The same as this position, as she’d never been with a man that she felt confident enough in their ability to not drop her.
“Don’t make me wait,” she said.
She wanted to reach down and move her thong aside but couldn’t and was just holding on, her arms around his neck.
She didn’t need to worry.
He found his way like he always did, moving the material out of the way, his cock finding her slick opening and thrusting in fast. Thank God for the little birth control shot she got last month.
She lurched up against the door and then did it again with each jerk of his hips.
It wasn’t a planned action on his part like some of their other encounters. Where they found a rhythm and moved to it together.
This was more about finding that ecstasy at the end as fast as they could.
“Oh God,” she said. “Keep doing that.”
“I plan on it,” he said, his hips jamming up again and again.
She ground against him, the silky material of her undergarment adding another layer of arousal.
His mouth went to hers, crushed it like he had so many times, turning this from lovemaking into pure sex.
She rarely felt like she did now.
So uninhibited by what she was feeling and what was happening to her.
Each thrust of him into her set off tingling sensations to all her extremities.
“I’m so close,” she said.
She was moving faster against him, faintly aware the zipper on her dress was biting into her back.
Oddly enough that pain only intensified the pleasure between her legs, causing her to shout out his name and grip his whole body tight to not lose a moment of the feelings in her core and even up into her heart.
She’d stopped moving, but he continued letting her feel him come at the same time.
She dropped her head on his shoulder and the words that had been trapped for what seemed like an eternity tumbled out.
“I love you so much.”
“What did you say?” he asked. Seriously? She confessed her love and he asked her to repeat it rather than return it! “You’re muffled with your mouth in my collar.”
Oh thank god.
But could she say it again?
It felt as if the moment might be gone.
No. It wasn’t gone.
It’d never be gone.
And she couldn’t even stress if the endorphins caused her to say it because now she had a minute to gather her brain cells.
“I said, I love you...so much.”
He was looking at her while she said it this time so there’d be no confusion over her confession.
“I love you too,” he said. “So very, very much.”