Marriage by Blackmail - Book 1

Chapter Twelve

Lia

"So who was that guy?" I asked Damian, now that we had made our rounds to the guests and were being allowed a moment of privacy.

He was leaning against the porch rail while I stood beside him. His face scrunched up in disdain at the mere mention of the man who had almost stopped our wedding and was now being heavily monitored by Naia. Damian continued to glare at the man who now wore an exasperated look as Naia refused to allow him to mingle with the other guests, not that they wanted speak to him anyway.

I nudged Damian in the side, wanting an answer to my question. He turned to address me but we were once again interrupted by this character. Ugh, he was really starting to annoy me with his terrible timing.

"I just wanted to offer the groom and his lovely bride my congratulations, however I don't believe we've been introduced. My name is Zandre Alexander." He said with what would have been a charming smile if I didn't know he was trying to screw us over.

"And my name is Mrs. Giordano," I said upping the sass and placing emphasis on my new title.

I watched with satisfaction as the smile fell from his face when he saw that I wasn't moved by his charisma. He looked past me to Damian and held out his hand.

"You've won this small victory Giordano, but I do believe you'll have a very special house guest soon," his voice dripped with venom, as they shook hands a little too firmly.

"They're more than welcome." I quipped, unable to bear letting this man have the last word.

Damian snaked his arms around my waist so that our bodies touched then gently kissed my cheek. Every nerve ending in my body tingled in response, enjoying the gesture a little too much.

Lia get it together! He's still the enemy! I scolded myself.

We were only acting this way now to aggravate our common enemy. Still, I couldn't numb the heat that had spread through my body at the contact. I had to hold my breath to keep his intoxicating scent from invading my nostrils. I was going to write a very strongly worded letter to the makers of that damn cologne. How dare they make something so sexy smelling to weaken my resolve. It took colossal effort to stop myself from melting into his embrace and absorbing his essence into my skin.

"If you're quite finished Alexander, better yet whether or not you are, I'd like to enjoy my reception without your toxic presence. Be sure to collect a token on your way out." Damian asserted, leaving no room for resistance and effectively saving me from my wayward thoughts.

"Of course, wouldn't want to forget this joyous occasion now would I?" Mr. Alexander responded in a sickeningly polite tone before turning to make his exit.

I felt Damian relax his hold on me once we could no longer see Zandre Alexander. I knew the battle was far from over but for now it was a refreshing sensation to be able to breathe a breath of relief for having passed the first hurdle. I pulled out of his embrace and tugged him back down the porch steps to rejoin the party. It was, after all, our wedding reception we might as well enjoy it.

"Let's go pretend to be in love," I joked with him, noticing a bittersweet expression cross his face momentarily before he returned my smile.

I ignored that, not wanting to venture into serious issues just yet. My only goals right now were getting stuffed with all the yummy treats laid out on the buffet and trying to find a good spot to stash Naia's body for pulling this stunt.

Just as the thought crossed my mind, she came running up to me and threw her arms around my neck.

"I'm sorry and I love you please don't hate me or use my dead body for potato fertilizer," she pleaded while I tried to pry her arms from around my neck seeing that I was losing the ability to breathe.

Damn this girl got a grip! Argh!

Sensing my looming expiration, Damian came to my rescue.

"Okay she forgives you, but not for long if you don't let her breathe," he said pulling me to him and patting my back to stop my sputtering once she released me.

When I was able to speak again, I glared at her and laid out my terms.

"I forgive you but I demand the right to plan your wedding and name your first born child," I said folding my arms over my chest.

"What? No way!" She yelled throwing up her hands.

"Well, I Amelia Serafina Costa hereby-"

"Okaaaaaay!" She gave in, knowing I was about to revoke our friendship.

"Yaaaaaaaaaay!" I squealed and hugged her.

She grumbled abuse at me, but I ignored her happily as I dragged her and my new husband around enjoying the rest of my wedding reception.

Damian

"I cannot believe we have to share a room! I'm going to kill her!" Lia whisper-shouted.

Xanaia had conveniently forgotten to mention that she invited my family to stay at my house for the next few days and even designated rooms to each person ahead of time to ensure that they wouldn't bother us. I could tell she was trying to make things easier for Amelia by pushing us together and while I appreciated the attempt I had long since discovered that Lia doesn't respond well to being manipulated. She was now pacing the room and grumbling when I wanted nothing more than to go to sleep.

Who do you think you're fooling?

I scowled, I was a man and I would be sharing a room with a beautiful woman who happened to be my wife. Of course I wanted to sleep with her! Admitting it to myself only worsened matters as my mental desires started to manifest in the most obvious physical way. I groaned causing her to stop pacing and look at where I was sitting on my bed.

"Are you okay?" She asked with furrowed brows and a hint of concern.

"You're damn pacing is giving me whiplash and I need to know if you're going to use the bathroom or not so I can clean up and go to bed!" I snapped, her expression hardened and I regretted my behavior immediately.

"No, go ahead." She said coldly, turning to get something from her bags that still hadn't been unpacked.

I got up and took a step in her direction intending to apologize then changed my mind. I'd already screwed up, not that we would have been consummating our marriage tonight even if I didn't just act like a total ass. I sighed internally, moving past her and into the bathroom. I closed the door behind me before stripping down and stepping into the shower. I let the water run cold knowing I'd need it to sooth my painfully hard state. I turned my face up, allowing the water to chill me totally. I couldn't help it as my mind wandered into a place where I'd be enjoying my wedding night like a new groom ought to. I muffled a groan as my arousal increased instead of lessening like I hoped it would. I couldn't stay in the shower all night, I'd catch pneumonia and die, not that Lia would mind. I weighed the options and settled on three:

1. Catch pneumonia
2. Suffer from blue balls, or
3. Handle the issue my self

I sighed in frustration as my erection began to throb painfully. Deciding on option three I took a firm grip on my manhood and I allowed my imagination to run wild.

I emerged from the bathroom an hour later and was glad to see that Lia was asleep. I don't think I would have been able to face her without her guessing exactly what I'd been doing and just what, or should I say who, had been fueling the thoughts that brought me such guilty pleasure.

I dressed quickly and carefully got into bed to avoid waking her up. As I laid next to my lovely wife, I reluctantly acknowledged that I wouldn't be able to deal with a repeat of tonight's frustration, nor did I want to seek pleasure outside of my marriage. I had no choice but to woo my wife because simple seduction just would not cut it here. Satisfied with my resolution, I drifted into a deep sleep filled with erotic dreams in which Amelia was the star.