Vivianne

“I must say, I was quite surprised to hear the news. But then again, the pair of you made a strangely strong duo. It only makes sense that there was more to your relationship than met the eye.” He slowly released my hand, still staring into my eyes. “I wish you nothing but happiness.” 

“Thank you, Mr. Drake. Now if you’ll excuse us, we need to continue making our rounds.” Dominic pulled me back a step. Lucian smiled and nodded, but the smile barely reached his cheeks.

Before Dominic whisked me away, Lucian leaned in close and whispered in my ear. “If this marriage of yours doesn’t work out, there’s still a place for you at Drake manor.” 

A shiver ran down my spine, and the hair on my arms raised. I reminded myself to breathe and walked away without a word. I really hoped Dominic hadn’t heard the words, because the last thing I wanted to do on my wedding night was explain how Vivianne Sinclair and Lucian Drake were linked.

Thankfully, it seemed he hadn’t. “I think everyone should be here by now. Let’s start knocking out the traditions. Bouquet, garter, cake, first dance, in that order?” He looked down at me, and his gold-flecked eyes were soft. 

“Yeah, I guess so.” 

He gave my hand a reassuring squeeze and pulled away. “I’ll go get the bouquet off the cake table and have the director announce the order of events so we can get this ball rolling.” 

I watched him disappear into the crowd and just stared. Who was this considerate man, and what had he done with Dominic?

Moments later, the sound system came to life. “Attention, everyone. We hope you’re all enjoying the party so far. Mr. Voss has informed me that the traditions will now begin. If the ladies would gather at the north end of the hall, the first event will be the bouquet toss!”

I took that as my cue. The crowd parted for me until I stood in front of a large group of women with Dominic at my side. He handed me the bouquet, and I couldn’t help noticing that it wasn’t the same one I carried earlier. 

“Alright everyone, get ready! Viv, keep your eyes on me.” 

I turned my back to the crowd and gripped the bouquet in both hands. Like a scene from a movie, I brought it down for more lead-time, and tossed it behind me as hard as I could. The whole time, my eyes were fixated on Dominic. He was smiling, but not the mocking grin he usually reserved for me. It was softer, gentler almost. 

Or maybe the whole wedding cosplay thing was going to my head. 

The women squealed with delight as the flowers arched high into the air and fell in the middle of the crowd. I began to laugh when Analise beamed and held up her prize. “Looks like you’re next, sis!” 

Then came the men and Dominic with a chair. My stomach flip-flopped as he set it down in front of me and patted the seat. I sat, but hissed, “You reach farther up than is necessary or linger too long, and I’ll kick you in the gut.” 

He merely laughed and brushed my cheek with his thumb. I narrowed my eyes, but he laughed again and turned away from me. “Are you ready, men?” The group erupted into shouts and catcalls, and Dominic knelt dramatically by my side. 

I felt my face flush as my boss disappeared beneath my dress. I could feel his breath on my leg and his gentle fingers brushing my thigh. The garter slipped down a few inches, then stopped. He leaned in closer and I was confused what was happening…until he emerged with the piece of fabric and elastic clutched in his teeth. 

The room exploded with cheers. Dominic rose to his feet, bowed, and shot the garter into the crowd like a rubber band. I had no idea who caught it, because I was too wrapped up in being mortified that his face had been so close to my thigh. 

He lifted me out of the chair and led me to the cake table. I picked up the knife and brandished it at him. “If you get cake up my nose, I’m quitting.”

“Warning taken.” He encased my hand in his large, warm palm and redirected the blade toward the cake. It slid easily through the soft sponge, two strokes leaving us with a decently-sized wedge. Using the spatula thing was harder with both of us, but we managed to get the cake onto a plate with minimal mess. 

He tore a piece of the cake away and held it gently between his fingers, ready to feed it to me. I took a piece too and warily stepped closer. We eyed each other up and down, neither trusting that the cake would actually end up in our mouths. 

But, as he promised, Dominic took my warning to heart. He politely placed the cake in my open mouth, so I returned the favor. Before I could pull my fingers away, though, he closed his mouth around them and sucked the frosting from their tips. 

The feeling of his tongue on my skin made me feel things I absolutely did not want to feel. I yanked my hand back and he chuckled while wiping the frosting from his own fingers. 

“Alright, my queen, are you ready to dance?” 

The only answer I could give was yes, despite the nerves kicking up again in my stomach. The first dance meant being close to Dominic for an extended amount of time, while everyone stared at us. But it was also the last big hurdle. So I took a deep breath, nodded, and gave him my hand. 

“If the attendees would please clear the center of the ballroom! Our guests of honor will now take the floor for their first dance as Mr. and Mrs. Voss.” The voice echoed hollowly in my ears, barely louder than the rush of my own heartbeat. 

Dominic led me to the middle of the room, holding my hand up high. The music grew in volume and he rested his free hand on my hip. I wrapped mine around to his shoulder blade, and we began to dance. 

We swayed slightly at first as A Thousand Years played. Dominic pulled me close to his body and his cologne filled my nostrils. Little by little our movements grew more fluid, but I struggled to stay calm. Being pressed against my boss like this was making me anxious, but there was something almost…reverent about the way he held me. 

“There’s no need to be so stiff.” His whisper was hot on my cheek. “The song is almost over. You’re doing so well. Just a little bit longer.” He brushed a bit of hair away from my face, and his touch was surprisingly tender. My traitorous stomach flipped and for a brief moment, I forgot this was fake. Something dangerous was stirring inside of me, and I needed to kill it. Immediately. 

It had to just be exhaustion and nerves. Nothing some wedding alcohol and a good night’s rest wouldn’t cure. 

The song ended and we separated. Dominic kissed the back of my hand and everyone flooded the dance floor as the next song began. I turned toward the bar and gestured to it with my thumb. “I’m ready for some drinks.”

“Me too. And there are plenty of them.”