[Cordelia]When the car stopped in front of the most exclusive bridal salons in Los Angeles, my heart sank to the floor. I still remember the last day we were here. My mother brought me here without an explanation, letting it be a surprise that they had decided to marry me to Atlas in Angelica's place. I cannot remember the weather or the color of the shoes I was wearing when I entered the store, but I do remember the look of harsh judgment the owner made when she learned why I was there instead of my sister. The appointment had been made for Angelica, who had come the week before to have her measurements taken and her dress sized. Nobody would mistake me for her. "What kind of person takes her sister's fiance," she questioned me harshly as her rough hands cinched and pulled on a dress designed for a much curvier body. "Do you have no shame?""Perhaps," I remember answering, my body too stiff and stunned by the events of the week before, my face and arms still bruised from the acci
[Cordelia]"Excuse me," I try to catch the owner's attention as she turns to leave. "I think there's been a mistake. I'm not the one getting married."The woman turns around not bothering to mask her disgust. "Are you sure? After last time how can you be so certain?"I am not going to justify myself to this woman. She doesn't need the intricate details of my relationship with the Steele Family. "Oh, Cordelia!" Angelica pops her head in. "Here you are!" She sees the way the woman is looking at me and twists her face in confusion. "Is there something wrong?"Pretending the woman's bad attitude doesn't piss me off, a skill I've mastered in recent days when dealing with Angelica, I smile brightly and sigh, "Of course not. I was just letting her know that I do not need the wedding dresses and I...""Oh! I should have told you," Angelica beams as if she had the best idea ever. "I thought it might be a fun idea for you to get to try on some wedding gowns as well since your wedding will be c
[Cordelia]I have no interest in trying on wedding dresses, but Angelica doesn't care. She pushes me into the room with enough force that I am sure she would lock it behind me if she could. Even without the lock, I know I am trapped. If I do not leave this room donning an appropriate wedding gown, I will have to face the wrath of the bride.Hesitantly I look through the rack of dresses. I don't know why I even bothered since it is clear that the shop owner has her own opinion about what a pregnant bride should wear, and the opinion is not kind.Still, determined to make Angelica happy, I try on each dress. I'm sure they are out there wondering about me since I don't bother with stepping out of the room to show them off. Even the ones that look like promising options make me want to cry with how terrible I look once I put them on. The worst one was a dress made of stretch satin that had so much ruching around the midsection that the champagne-colored silk made it look like I was naked
[Atlas] It isn't every day that you receive a call from your banker asking about whether or not you authorized $500,000 in expenses at a bridal boutique in addition to $25,000 at a sex shop. Even with the financial struggles that Steele Industries has had, I am still a billionaire, but not all of those assets are liquid. I have enough money to cover it, but that doesn't mean I'm pleased with how much Angelica is spending. Even if this sham wedding were to happen, we'd still need to pay for a hall and decorations and food.We are going to need to speak about the budget before this gets more out of hand than it already is. I keep looking for signs that she remembers anything but she seems to be regaining her memories at a frustratingly slow rate. She now understands that it has been 5 years since she disappeared, but even that concession took weeks of convincing. What is she going to do when I tell her the truth? How will she react when she learns that when she disappeared I so casua
[Cordelia]"Atlas..." My breath catches as his hand touches the edges of the veil. "May I,' he asks as he gently reaches for the lace corners that trail along the edges of my bodice. Afraid to shatter the magic of the moment with words, I nod. He steps up onto the raised platform and for a moment, time stops. My lungs fill with his clean scent, his body so close that I can feel the heat of him radiating outward, melting whatever ice was in my heart. It has been so hard since I told him I wanted to be friends. The more I see him with Angelica, the more it tears at my heart. But right now, at this moment, I don't want to think about her. It is just the two of us as he lifts the veil revealing my face as he places it gently behind my tiara. "You are so beautiful," he moves a strand of hair behind my ear and I close my eyes at the gentle touch. "Such a beautiful bride. How did I ever let you go?""Atlas," I try not to cry, but a tear slowly rolls down my face."Shhh," he gently wipes
[Cordelia]Atlas sits very still, his hands splayed out, his face open with surprise. I use his shock as an opportunity to move myself out of his grasp, just in case he decides to use his body to change the subject. Every nerve in my body is on fire as the blood rushes into places that make me swoon, but I can’t give in to my physical impulses. I need answers, not distractions. "I'm not," he says plainly without inflection, clearly stunned by the question. "I never have."Now I'm the one sitting up suddenly in shock. "But you dated for almost a year before...""She wanted to wait until after the wedding," he shrugs. "I didn't want to rush her.""But now things are different," I persist. "She told me that you were proving your love for her and...""But I don't love her," he replies. Leaning forward he reaches for my hand. "To be honest, I'm not sure I ever did. It was always one-sided. I had so much affection for her, that I didn't notice how little she had for me. Even now, she seems
[Cordelia]Walking backward, Atlas leads me over the edges of my dress which lay puddled at my feet in a beautiful ripple of silk and lace. The tall silver pumps catch on the edge but he holds me steady with a stable hand on my waist as my back presses against the cold, flat surface of the mirror. I gasp at the sudden chill as he presses me into it gently, his hands moving up and down my rib cage sending delicate tingles of pleasure along my spine. Placing my hands on his chest, my hands reach up to wrap around his neck, bringing him closer to me as my lips part enough for his tongue to gain entrance."Cordelia," he smiles my name against my lips as he continues to kiss me, his hands slowly reaching up towards my breasts, which aching and full, press against the tight lace of my bra. As his thumb touches the edge of my areola I gasp. "Too much?" he stops, waiting for my approval. I struggle to catch my breath. Pregnancy is making everything so sensitive that just a simple touch is
The door holds open just big enough for Angelica to pop her head in. We see a tendril of blonde hair. Atlas snaps to attention, Jumping to his feet he rushes to hide. I move to the door to try and push it closed. Oblivious, Angelica continues to struggle to enter the room and with a final shove almost knocks me off my feet. I don't need to pretend to be embarrassed as she stands there, stomping her foot as I reach down to cover myself with the discarded dress. "Don't come in here!" I scream at Angelica. "I'm naked!" "I can see that," she snorts, rolling her eyes. "I used to change your diapers, Cordelia, I've seen you naked." "Not like this," I huff, turning my back to her as the door opens a bit wider. Thankfully, the more she opens the door, the better Atlas is hidden. At least until she opens it completely. The last thing we need is a big scene at the wedding dress shop. Imagine the headline "Steele Family Scandal: Wrong Bride Mr. Steele!" I shoo her away, or at least try to, p