What Happens in Miami (What Happens In. Book 2) Read online

  Devin

  I watch in amusement as a made-up story unfolds to her. She definitely has gaps of memory from last night, and one of the most important factors is not ringing a bell to her.

  My instinct is to torture her and placate the moment.

  Another instinct is to give her a show, something that she was in all enjoyment of last night. But the rational part of me doesn’t want to scare the shit out of her and I would rather have her calm in this moment when I tell her about the events of last night.

  I know that because she doesn’t remember what happened, that I might be opening a whole new can of worms.

  I just need to remind her of what we discussed last night, and why we both decided that it was all a brilliant idea.

  “As much as I would love to resume last nights activities, do you think that my lovely wife and I could have a private conversation? I think maybe some of our other guests could use some food and such?” I say to Felipe, the man that both Connie and I shared our wedding bed with.

  He nods, and gets up from the warmth of the covers, puts on shorts and walks through the door adjoining to the hallway.

  I sit up in bed, push back against the wall and tuck the sheets around my waist, look down at Connie and smile.

  “Tell me about the last thing that you remember from last night?” I ask.

  She moves to her side, pulling up her covers and keeping her breasts from being bared to me.

  “I remember the V.I.P. lounge, I remember that we discussed my job, your parents and how you were always viewed. I remember that we hung out and drank from the bottle service. I remember that you pulled my hand and we danced. And…and… I think that’s it. Did you slip me anything?” she asks with all vulnerability.

  “Not a damn thing. I wouldn’t ever. I’m not that kind of person and that’s not the kind of crowd that I converse with. Are you sure that’s the last that you remember?” I ask, hoping that there may be more.

  “That’s the last that I remember. I thought when I awoke earlier that you were actually Becca,” she admits, then as if a lightbulb turns on, she looks at me. “And who was that that came into bed with us?”

  I ignore her question and focus on the fact that the greatest and most monumental event that happened last night has escaped her. An idea that we drunkenly came up with and agreed to.

  “That ring on your finger. That is a ring that we searched for, high and low. As soon as we left the airport, I had to make a few phone calls and even bribed a jeweler that Felipe knew to open early, very early. We got married last night. It was all a part of our agreement.”

  “Our agreement? Airport?” She turns to look at me.

  “Yeah, we talked about this. I’m sorry, I keep forgetting that you don’t remember everything. But, under the circumstances, I should likely attempt to jog your memory. Let’s see what Felipe is cooking. Since you don’t remember the majority of the night, let’s get dressed. I find it better to discuss matters of business fully clothed, rather than indisposed.”

  She hesitantly pulls the sheets with her as she slips inside the bathroom. After roughly ten minutes, she returns, looking freshened up and alert.

  I motion for her to follow me into the living room of the suite that we’re staying in and pour us both a cup of coffee. Not really knowing how she takes hers, I hand it to her and point to the array of additions that anyone could ask for.

  The party that we traveled with is still mostly asleep in some of the other rooms along with the main living space and so, I bring us both on the patio of the room. Felipe has made himself busy by tidying up the space and making breakfast from grocery bags near his feet on the floor.

  Connie sits in the chair opposite of me and smiles with her cup of coffee.

  “Okay, let’s begin with this, where are we?”

  “We decided to take the party up a notch. It was actually your friend’s idea. She sure as shit is laughing riot. At first, she was timid, and then she got a few drinks in her and wouldn’t stop talking. She said that she was wanting to conquer some of her bucket lists items, and she mentioned that you both had a trip planned that got cancelled.”

  “Wait a minute, we’re in Miami? Why are we in Miami?” Her voice seems to climb an octave when she asks this. “That’s all the way on the other side of the country!”

  “I have the means and figured that it was a fun adventure, plus I love Miami.”

  “And this agreement? How did it get to be that I am wearing a ring on my ring finger?” She asks after taking a hesitant sip of her coffee with her eyes on mine.

  “Okay, so the bottom line is that we made an agreement that would benefit both of us.”

  “Okay.”

  “Well, my darling. The reason why you’re wearing a ring on your ring finger is because we got married last night as part of our agreement.”

  Chapter Five

  Connie

  There are no words that can describe what I’m feeling right now. One moment I was in San Francisco, and the next, I’m in Miami, straight across the United States.

  This can’t be.

  I couldn’t have been so drunk that I got on a plane, got married to a stranger, and ended up in city very far from home!

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I laugh.

  “I’m not,” Devin says seriously.

  “Why not?”

  “Because, last night we discussed how this would benefit the both of us. You don’t recall any of this?” he asks. “I don’t want to beat around the bush, especially when I’m feeling guilty that you don’t remember last night.”

  “Let’s just get the band-aid off. Tell me, Devin, what happened last night?” I plead.

  “We discussed how a marriage could be a good thing,” he says as if it’s nothing.

  “I’m not understanding how, I mean we don’t really know one another. There’s a reason why people don’t jump into a marriage.”

  “This is more-so a marriage of convenience, not of love. You’re correct, we don’t know one another, but we are attracted to each other. We mesh well in bed, and I don’t see how that factor can’t be a good thing,” he says with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

  “If this isn’t something that love is supposed to take part in, why sleep together?” I ask.

  “Because why let a good thing slip through our fingers. We were hot for one another last night, and we rolled with the punches. If you choose to never sleep with me again, while I wouldn’t like that, I will respect that.”

  “I’m so confused.” I say shaking my head.

  “Last night, we decided that a marriage would benefit the both of us and that’s why we did it. It will help me with my family and my obligations, and it would benefit your career.”

  “What does my career have to do with getting married?”

  “You’re a nurse and you want a job at the hospital, not at a small practice where your skills aren’t being utilized to the fullest of potentials. With my networking and connections, not to mention who I am, you could be working at San Francisco General by the end of the month.”

  I look at him in confusion.

  “Who you are?” I ask.

  “Devin Richards.”

  “And is that supposed to mean something to me?”

  “As in Mayor Richards.”

  “Um, I don’t think so. Mayor Richards is much older.” I shake my head as he throws his head back and laughs.

  “He’s my father.”

  “Your father is Kenneth Richards?” she says loudly, then mumbles, “and you’re the son that they always talk about.”

  “Curious to know, what do you hear about me?” He quirks an eyebrow and asks.

  It’s never anything good. The stuff that is usually reported is that he’s got some secret and so the papers keep trying to figure out what the secret is by making up bizarre stories and seeing what fits. He also has a pungent for partying. His family wants him to settle down, but he doesn’t show any signs of doing so. Reporter
s stick to him like flies and he even eggs them on sometimes.

  “You know what they say about you, why would I need to relay any of it. It would just be repeating what the reporters say. I don’t know if any of its true, but it doesn’t matter to me anyways.”

  “Au contraire – it matters very much now. We’re married, so now we’re a team.” He smiles.

  “I never said that I agreed to anything here.” I shake my head.

  “The ring on your finger says differently,” he lifts the coffee cup to his mouth and takes a hesitant sip.

  “Hey Dev?” A female voice breaks into the small bubble that we have on the patio causing the both of us to turn around.

  A tall stringy woman, who looks like she lives in a bathing suit with long blonde hair, tanned skin, pink lips with bright blue eyes stands clutching onto the sliding glass door entry way. She looks between us and then steps out onto the balcony.

  “Ah, this is my friend Marisa. Marisa, please meet my wife Constance.” Marisa holds out her hand to me and I shake it hesitantly, questioning the relationship between the two.

  Am I jealous?

  “Nice to meet you, in the soberness of the afternoon. When Dev called saying he was bringing a party all the way here, we weren’t sure what to expect. We sure as shit weren’t expecting a wedding!” Marisa gushes.

  “Marisa here, is a friend of mine. We’ve known one another for a while. Probably about ten years now. Her fiancé Michael is a friend of mine. And where is he? He didn’t want to join us?” Devin asks.

  “Oh, he’s at his parents’ in New York. Something about something dealing with the family name, since I’m not officially a ‘Stone’, I’m not invited. You both will need to come back, so we can all get together. Perhaps a double date, I don’t think we’ve really done that before,” she says excitedly between the two of us.

  She seems nice and since they’ve known one another for so long, she must be a good person, and I return the easiness of conversation with her, taking away the thoughts of what the hell did I do last night for just a moment.

  Chapter Six

  Devin

  The way I see this working is that we both get a beneficial thing out of being married, just as we discussed last night. She gets a better job, her dream job. And I will get my parents off my back about becoming a family man, along with the gauntlet of newspapers for making up stories about me.

  Miami was a fun change of venue and I hadn’t visited in a while. I said my goodbyes to Felipe and the remainder of guests in the hotel room, leaving it to be two of my friends, my new bride, and her friend, Becca.

  I should be straight forward with Connie about my personal life, but she hasn’t asked, and I want to keep my secrets just a little longer. She and I talked about the public version of me, but hold off on the private side of everything for the time being.

  Our party is on the way to the airport, each of us silent and some, likely hungover. Connie and I sit beside one another, not touching, but aware of one another in complete silence.

  Once the town car hits the tarmac, she leans forward and looks out the window in question.

  “What kind of plane are we taking?” she asks.

  “Private.” I reply.

  “Private.” She says quietly, to herself as she leans back against the seat.

  “This is so cool, I wouldn’t have thought that you were, well you last night.” Becca says. “Thank you for an interesting time.”

  “My pleasure. I’m glad that you had a good time.” I say to her, meaning it.

  “I still think what you two did was a little wild and reckless, but I think Connie needs a little extra spunk in her life.” Becca says winking at her friend.

  “A little spunk?” I look to my companion.

  “She could use a little fun in her life.” Becca clarifies.

  “I don’t know what she’s talking about, I’m fun.” Connie defends herself.

  “While you may be fun, half of the time it’s like pulling teeth to get you out of the house. And now look the one time that I do in a few months, you go and land yourself a man and get married.” Becca laughs.

  I look between the two and see that laughter in both of their eyes, but a little more than laughter in Connie’s.

  Guilt? Embarrassment? Annoyance? Panic?

  I can’t tell.

  I lean into her, “do you mind if we talk privately on the way back?” I whisper.

  “We have several hours in the air, I’m pretty sure that there would be no escaping it, in such close quarters.” She whispers back.

  She clearly doesn’t remember how big the plane is. But I’ll let that be a surprise to her.

  And as soon as the car pulls up beside my family’s bombardier Global7500 private plane, an audible gasp from both Becca and Connie takes place.

  I chuckle and open the door, as our driver retrieves the ladies purses out of the trunk.

  “So, I thought we were going to be in one of those small puddle planes, is this for real? Why do you guys have this plane?” Connie asks.

  “Believe it or not, before my father was mayor, he was also a pretty successful businessman. He likes his luxuries and so does my mother. Once his stint as a mayor is up, if he doesn’t get re-elected, he may likely go back into the private sector. He still has his business, he just transferred power over to his number two.” I hold my hand out to Connie as she approaches the stairs which lead up the plane. I reach for her hand and she places it in mine. When her small hand molds into mine before I let go of her, I squeeze it, prompting her to stop and turn to me.

  “This is going to be a good thing,” I tell her.

  She smiles and continues up the stairs while I follow her up.

  My friends, Mathias and Troy are the last to enter the plane, giving me a knowing look, but not saying a word. They drank more than any of us did last night and are hurting pretty bad today.

  I talk to the flight crew and then turn to my guests as soon as the cabin doors close and I hear all the hustle from our attendant and the two pilots chattering. Everyone is sitting in one of the luxurious chairs, except Mathias who has taken ownership of the back suite. With over five hours of flight time, I want to make sure that we talk sooner rather than later.

  I walk into the suite and nudge Mathias; he has his arm draped over his eyes and moves it slowly.

  “C’mon, you slept in a nice bed last night, I slept on a fucking chair.” He whines.

  “I have to speak to Connie, privately.” I tell him.

  “You mean you want to speak to her, with your privates.” He sits up and rolls his eyes.

  “While that would be ideal, I think that my new wife is still getting used to the fact, that we’re in fact… married. I’m not sure though, once she finds out about my hidden stories, she’ll want any more private talk with me.”

  “Private talk as in sex or actual talking?” Mathias grins rubbing the back of his neck.

  “Either.” I say.

  Chapter Seven

  Connie

  When he said we traveled on a private plane, I didn’t think it would be a plane this large.

  There are places for people to sit, a small kitchenette or bar and then in the back a separated area to sleep with a full-sized bed. One of his friends, the tall quiet one, Mathias walked directly to the back and laid down in the bed. After speaking to the pilot and the attendant, Devin came to my side and before he said anything he walked to the back of the plane.

  He sat back there and spoke to his friend, then moments later, they both came out. His friend plopped down in one of the nice seats in front of me, and Devin came to my side and kneeled down in the aisle.

  “Care to join me?” He asks quietly.

  I stand and we move to the back of the plane and shut the door behind us. Becca has her head against the side of the plane and her eyes are closed, and the same for the other two guys now.

  I turn and Devin is sitting on the bed, with his back against the wall separa
tor. I take a seat beside him.

  He hasn’t put any moves on me since we woke up, even though I’m fairly sure that last night, there was a lot of moves between the two of us. I’m still trying to understand the guy who crawled into bed this morning naked behind Devin, but he hasn’t broached the subject and therefore neither have I.

  Did he bring me to the back of the plane, so we could mess around?

  “Do you prefer to be called Constance or Connie? I realize I never asked you and I’ve been calling you Connie all day,” he asks.

  “Connie is fine.” I say. “My full name is really only used by my parents or when someone is angry with me.”

  “Good. So, Connie, we are married. We discussed last night’s topics and there’s been plenty of time for you to freak out, but you haven’t. What’s on your mind?”

  I look to him, as the plane begins to move.

  “Crap, we should be wearing seatbelts, where are the seatbelts on this bed?” My hands frantically grasp around the bedding.

  Devin snickers. “We’re good,” he says patting my hand.

  It takes a moment before my brain registers his words and my body relaxes.

  How do people do the nasty in a plane? I don’t know if I could even handle that. What if you were mid-pump and boom the plane goes down? What if you were giving head and turbulence happens? The mile-high club is not something that my paranoid mind can manage. God, I hope that isn’t what he’s expecting.

  “What are your thoughts about this whole being married thing? About everything we discussed this morning.” He asks again, “now that it’s the day after?”

  I take a moment before responding. What are my thoughts? Am I capable of being married to him, someone that I barely know aside from what the news reports on him?

  “I vaguely recall that we discussed the potential move from the dinky place that I work for now, to my dream job, how would that work?” I ask him.

  “We have dinner with a few people who work there, I talk up my lovely wife and then they ask you to work there,” he shrugs. “I know several high-powered folks at General.”