“You are a gift, the fact that you said yes is the best thingyou could have ever given me, sunshine. I don’t need anything else from you, just you.” Nodding her head, Monica motions for him to move on with it and open the box. The moment he lifts the lid she knows what he sees.Her, in lingerie, all variations of red lingerie. She was nervous as he lifts the first picture and sees that there is another underneath it. Suddenly he sits on the floor, crossed legged with the box in front of him, lifting picture after picture out. He still hasn’t said anything and it’s driving her crazy. Does he hate them that much? “I know they aren’t that good, and I was planning on the pictures being printed into a book, but I ran out of time and had to settle.” He looks up at her with an undecipherable look in his eyes. “Sunshine, these look fucking amazing. I’m torn right now between how much I love these pictures and the knowledge that someone had to take them, which means someone was looking at you
Monica’s alarm starts blaring on the bedside table, shereaches out blindly swatting at her phone. Laughing, Julien rolls over top of her and turn the alarm off. “Morning, sunshine.” he kisses the top of her head. “Don’tmove, I’ll get your coffee.” Julien hears her mumble something incoherent as he walks out of the bedroom. Returning with her coffee, it does not surprise him to findher sound asleep again. He takes a sip of the sweet crap she calls coffee and then put the cup down. Leaning down, he gently rolls his lips over the top of hers, urging her mouth open with his tongue. She doesn’t disappoint, opening for him she meets Julien's tongue with strokes of her own. “Mmm, you taste divine,” she says as she slowly comes to. Laughing, Julien pulls back; pulling her up into a sitting position. Handing her the coffee cup, he suggests, “drink up, sunshine. Just think, if you quit your job and come work at our club or the business, you won’t ever have to wake up at these ungodly hours
Monica reaches up touching Julien's face and pulls his eyes up to meet hers. "Julien, honey, I’m still marrying you. There is nothing in this world that could stop me from wanting to marry you. I can’t wear my ring because it’s just too big, it’s not practical. I have to put gloves on and off all day, I won’t be able to do that with the ring on.” Although Julien feels like a weight has been lifted knowing she’s not leaving, he still doesn't like the thought of her walking around without the fucking ring on her finger. He wants the world to know she’s taken and taken by him. There’s also the fact that that particular ring has a GPS tracker in it. Julien knows, not his finest moment putting a tracker on her fiancée, but given the circumstances he thinks if he ever had to actually use it, he won’t regret putting it there. She of course does not know that her ring has this extra feature. There is no way Julien is letting her walk out of this apartment without that ring on her. Standing u
“Come on lovebirds, I have somewhere I need to be. Ican’t hold this button forever you know,” Bray calls out from inside the lift. Laughing at him, Monica pulls away and walks into the lift. As the doors close, an unsettling feeling returns to Julien's gut. He tries to shake it off as separation anxiety. That’s all it is, he haven’t been separated from her for over three weeks now. She’s safe at the bar, there is security everywhere there to protect the staff and the bidders. Looking at the clock again, Julien notes it’s just nearing one o’clock. He has been at the club for the last three hours going over everything they can have on Catalina. There’s nothing giving any whereabouts to where she could be now, and it’s pissing him the fuck off. The foreboding feeling that he have in the pit of his stomach hasn’t left him all day. Something isn’t right, they were missing something, he just don’t know what. Julien has been texting Monica all morning, and now and then she will send a br
Monica's head was pounding, she reaches up to touch her forehead and find her movements restricted. Her hands were tied with rope. What the hell? Trying to look around, it’s dark, she was in a small cramped space, she was in a goddamn car boot. Closing her eyes, she tries to keep her breathing even and recall how she got here. She remembers being at work, she was serving snacks to an elderly patient. She remembers an orderly entering the room and that’s it. But she can’t remember anything else. She just need to breathe, stay calm. As much as she wants to scream out, she knows she needs to stay calm. The longer whoever put her here thinks she is still out of it, the longer Julien has to realise that she was missing and start searching. Oh god, the thought of Julien brings tears to her eyes. This is meant to be the start of their forever. What if they don’t get a forever? What if this morning was the last time she would get to kiss him? Hug him? She should have listened to him, she
A man dressed in black stops and squats down in front of Monica. "Monica, it’s okay. There’s an ambulance on the way. Just hold on, okay?” he says as he cuts her wrist free from the rope. She doesn't know who this man is. She doesn't know how he knows her name, but right now she doesn't care. "Julien, I … I …I need Julien,” she pleads with whoever this stranger is. “He’s going to meet you at the hospital, it’s okay. You’re safe now." She hears the sirens getting closer and she lets go. Closing her eyes she gives in to the darkness and let it take over her. Beep, Beep, Beep. Oh god, someone shut off the damn alarm. The noise continues, her eyes flutters open slowly and she takes in her surroundings. The smell of antiseptic, the beeps of machines, the chill in the air. She knows that she is in the hospital. Confusion wrapsaround her brain. Is she at work? Why is her head pounding? She attempts to lift her arm but a burning pain pauses her movement. “Argh,” she groans out loud. “Sunsh
The doctor continues, “my guess is it's early, the scan willtell us more.” Pregnant. Pregnant. She is pregnant. How did this happen? Of course she knows how this happened. She smiles at that thought. Then something lingers in the back of her mind. “Why don’t I remember what happened?” Monica asks the doctor. “You were injected with propofol, you were asleep for most of your ordeal I believe." She nods her head. Well, that explains why she can’t remember anything. “Will that hurt the baby?” she asks the doctor, as she does Julien looks up to the doctor while squeezing her hand. The doctor shakes his head. “No, the baby should be fine. Let’s get the scan done and find out how far along you are,” hesays with a reassuring smile. Monica was about to thank him but before she can, Julien breaks his silence. “Should be? Should be fine is not good enough.” He pulls his phone out of his pocket, dialling someone, looking back down at her briefly before the call connects. “Dean, find the bes
"Excuse me!” Monica bumps and swerve through the crowd of people also crossing the street with the light, faking left but then, seeing a hole to the right, she dodges that way instead. “Excuse me . . . pardon me . . . coming through, please.” Despite the overly practised manners that would make her small-town mother proud, she gets stuck behind a man in a suit with a phone pressed to hisear. “No, unacceptable. Call him back and tell him to be in my office within the next hour or there’ll be hell to pay,” he says snootily, sounding like the worst thing he’s capable of doing is making someone persona non grata at the country club in Martha’s Vineyard. She was sure the phone call is significant to him, but nothing is as important as her getting to work on time, this morning of all mornings. She doesn't make it a habit of running late, another politeness Mom ingrained in her at an early age—on time is late, early is on time—but today is critical. Her boss, Nora Jacobs, has a video conf
As they both share a passionate time.“Princesse, please.” It’s a beg, Monica will admit, but it’s growled with deep hunger. She flips her hair over one shoulder, putting her weight onto one arm to take Jackson in hand. Standing him upright, she aligns herself with him. “I loveyou, husband,” she says sweetly. “I love you, wiiiiife.” Jackson means to return the sweet words, knowing it will get her off as much as it does him, but Monica sinks her bliss down onto him, taking all thought and word formation skills from his brain. Engulfing all of Jackson in her warmth and wetness, she begins to move, sliding up and down his shaft at an unhurried pace. Jackson murmurs to her in French as he pinchens and plucks her nipples, reaching between them to circle her clit with his thumb, and lay a sharp smack to the flesh of her hip. Tobias once told Monica that a man has three women—his wife, his mistress, and his whore. He was the lucky bastard who has found all three in onewoman. Monica was eve
The reception was full of laughter, dancing, and magic. It must be magic because nothing else could bring that big of a smile to his bright bride’s face. Monica was on the dance floor with her bridesmaids. They were swaying andmoving, lifting their hands in the air as they sing along with the music. “She’s beautiful,” Jamaica grunts from beside him. “Congratulations.” Jackson looks over at him, taking a slow sip of his scotch. “Watch it,” Jackson teases. They have made peace, with each other and their pasts, not letting them affect their precious futures. In fact, Jamiaca was doing much better now, working an apprenticeship in home construction with plans to become a project manager one day. He grins back. “What can you tell me about her?” Jackson follows his line of sight and chuckles and he sees Claire from the coffee shop that Monica prefers. Monica insisted that they fly Claire to France for the wedding. “Good luck. Just don’t fuck it up, or that one will eat you alive.” “That s
His expression was like he had too much on his head already. He grew beards and had an manly scent. Not that she was still attracted to him. But his expression told her that he was not happy with the life he was living. The knowledge of breaking the news of getting married with Jackson had filled Julien with false hope and accusations that she can always come back to him if she wanted to. She can still have a half portion of his heart and stay there for his and hers little boy's sake. “How do I look?” Monica asks her Mom, glancing down at her beautiful dress. “Gorgeous,” she says, on the verge of tears again. “Are you sure you are not going to be cold, though?” Hopefully, she holds up the lacy shawl she found online for her. Once upon a time, she would have heard that as a way to say she doesn’t like her dress or as a critique of the timing of the wedding, or even a question about whether she should be getting married in the first place. Now, Monica takes it for what it is. “I’m no
“I already gave some to Simon. You got yourself a good one here.” Monica's mother's gives Jackson a smile of approval as she fans herself playfully. “I think I’m the fortunate one to have captured Monica's heart,” hereplies, looking deeply into her eyes. Monica thinks Mom flat-out swoons at his poetic words, French accent, andgrumbly voice. She was pretty sure she hears her whisper to Jacqueline, “I think we are going to be grandmas soon if he keeps saying things like that.” “Mom!” Monica exclaims aim, flushing brightly in an instant. “Oh, I’m only teasing,” she says. She turns to Jacqueline and Nora. “Has she told you how she struck out from our little town, with nothing but piss and vinegar in her blood and a dream in her heart? I was so worried, but this one . . . you can’t tell her a thing!” Monica's mother goes on to tell Nora and Jacqueline how she had worried about her being in the big city, had waited for her to come home with her tail between her slender legs, and how proud
Most of the models are local to NYC, but she had lamented that her Amour mourning dress was meant for Jeanette and that she was sad she would never get the chance to walk it. So Jackson secretly surprised her by flying Jeanette in to do it. She was not wishing the show away, but she truly can’t wait to see Jeanette strut in that gown. No one can do it justice the way she can. Monica swears, she blinks and the time flies past until she was standing backstage with Jeanette in the voluminous black gown. “Remember, slow. Eyes forward.” Monica demonstrated the defiant gaze she wants on Jeanette to have, tackling the future with strength after the loss of love. “Pose, small smile of hope. Then back like a queen.” “Slow. Strong. Hope. Queen,” she repeats clearly. Her English has gotten much better. Monica's French was improving daily, too, from listening to Jackson. “Tue cette piste, fille,” Monica tells her, snapping her fingers. Jeanette looks at her in surprise. “Oui, I will kill the run
Molly pushes Monica's shoulder. “You would bust ass to get as much done as possible, and then leave to ‘work at home’ or ‘visit the park for inspiration’ and come back the next day with barely anything else done since you left.And you would have a dreamy smile on your face.” Molly makes a vacant-eyed, open-mouthed smiling expression that Jackson thinks is supposed to be what Monica looked like. Jackson did that to her, he thinks cockily. Katarina nods, agreeing. “We thought you had found a French Romeo, and then we saw Jackson wearing the same necklace you had started wearing. It didn’t take much to put one and one together.” Beatrice adds quietly, “We were a bit worried for you, as he has quite the reputation. And it didn’t seem to be helping you in the competition. We weren’t concerned about that until . . .” She trails off, and he knows that his aunt turned that particular screw to get Beatrice to do her bidding. “Okay, so no hard feelings?” Monica asks them all. Molly leans over
“I should have told you,” she whispers back. Monica pushes at him, nearly shoving him out of his chair. “Get up and hug her, or I’m going to have to do it, and I’m not getting snot on her jacket. It’s too fabulous for that.” Jackson gets up to come around the table, and for the first time in he doens't know how long, he enfolds his aunt in a hug. Jackson knows it’s been long enough that he have forgotten how thin she truly is. And he doens't think he have hugged her when he have been taller than she is, even in her power heels. How long ago must it have been since they embraced? It must have beenwhen he was truly a child, before he was a teen growing inches seemingly overnight. “I’m sorry,” she murmurs into his chest. “Me too.” They sit back down, and he looks to Monica, silently asking what she thinks about his aunt’s request for a fashion showplace. They have a conversation consisting solely of raised and lowered eyebrows, pursed lips, and smiles. Finally, Monica turns back to J
She has let that go and is looking toward the future. With Jacqueline, Monica was only concern is him and his little feelings. He squeezes her hand tightly so she knows how much he appreciates her. “Yes, well . . . I guess . . . when I found out that you were gallivanting all over Paris together, I will admit that my first thought was that you’d seduced Jackson to improve your chances in the competition.” Monica points to her own ample chest. “Not a gold digger, just so that’s clear.” Jacqueline nods, accepting that fact now. “At the time, though, it made sense. It wasn’t the first time.” She looks to him for confirmation, and Jackson grunts in agreement. “There was that idea in my mind. But also, if the reverse were true, that Jackson had in fact pursued you” —she flicks her eyes to Monica this time— “I felt like it would be doing you a disservice. I didn’t want you to be distracted by him and miss out on your opportunity, because I know what something like this could mean to a youn
They sit in folding plastic chairs at Jackson's folding plastic table after he closes his laptop. In the awkward silence, Monica can hear the loud buzz of a drill every few seconds as the crew hangs new drywall. “What are you up to, Jacqueline?” Monica was not doing niceties or waiting for her to launch into a practised speech. She wants to throw her off, make sure she knows that they were not under her thumb and have no problem calling out her game play. She has come all the way here to talk about something, after all, so may as well not delay. She presses her lips together in response but gives in. “The reactions to the fashion shows have been quite exciting. Perhaps you have heard?” Monica doesn't look at him, but Jackson stays quiet, and something Jacqueline sees in his expression must give her pause because her nostrils flare. “Or maybe not. But the media buzz has been quite positive. For House Corbin and the designers themselves. Seeing as two of the designers are from America,