Free Scandalous by Victoria Christopher Murray

satin dress over the sofa, then stepped back.
    That was better.
    It was the quiet and the gown and the opulence all around me that made me realize what I was about to do. The realization weighed heavy on my shoulders and I had to ask myself, did I really want to do this? Staring at the dress, I asked that question over and over.
    “ Yes, ” I said aloud. “ I want to be Mrs. Kenny Larson. ”
    I had wanted to be this man's wife for a long time now, and there had to be a reason why we'd lasted all of these years. We were meant to be and with just a little help, Kenny would become the provider. He would become the husband that I needed. I had no doubt that he would work hard on that. And in return, I would work hard on becoming the best wife I could be. I knew I would make that promise to him in just a few hours, but I made it to myself right then. This was my solemn vow.
    That pledge made me feel even worse about what I'd done last night, but those blissful hours were in the past, right? Never to be revisited. I could start anew. I could be a good wife; after all, it was in my DNA. My mother had been the perfect wife -- dutiful, faithful, respectful -- until the day she died. I could be all of that.
    The knock on the door drew me away from my thoughts and I scurried to the closet first, slipping into a bathrobe. By the time I got to the door, the knock had come again. Glancing at the grandfather clock, I was glad that I knew my friend so well. It was just a little past six-thirty and Roman had barely been gone fifteen minutes.
    “ Jasmine! ” Kyla squealed, as if she hadn't seen me in years.
    “ You're early, ” I said and hugged her -- but then my eyes opened wide and my mouth clamped shut.
    When Kyla saw me looking over her shoulder, she said, “ Oh, Jasmine, do you remember, Roman? ” She stepped into the suite and Roman followed her inside.
    Now, I considered myself a proficient enough dodger and liar. I'd had to keep my life as a stripper a secret and lie to Kenny and everyone else for years. But in the past, I'd always had time to figure out what to do, what to say.
    Roman saved me though. He spoke before I started babbling. “ I guess you don't remember me. From the other night, ” he said, as if he hadn't made love to me a dozen times in the last twelve hours. “ I was one of the dancers at your bachelorette party. ”
    “ Oh, yeah, ” I said, hardly able to breathe. What was this guy up to? I began to wonder what I'd thought before: was this dude some kind of crazy?
    “ I bumped into Roman as I was walking to the elevator, ” Kyla said. “ He offered to help me bring all this stuff up. ”
    “ You should've had a bellman do that, ” I said to Kyla, taking the garment bag and suitcase from Roman's grasp. My hands shook, but it was good that I had something to do so neither one of them would notice.
    Roman said, “ Oh, I didn't mind helping. I was just leaving the hotel. ”
    With my back to Roman and Kyla, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “ Well, thank you, ” I said, when I finally had the nerve to face him.
    “ Yes, thanks, ” Kyla added.
    The three of us stood there for the longest moments of my life. Roman looked like he was waiting for an invitation to stay.
    He was some kind of crazy! I needed to get this guy out of here. “ Well, ” I said, hoping that was a good enough hint.
    “ Well, ” Kyla said, looking at Roman too.
    He still stood there, silent. Until, “ Oh, yeah. You're getting married today. You probably need some time to get ready. ” He stepped back, and I almost tripped rushing past him to get to the door first. It took everything inside of me not to reach out, grab his hand, drag him away, and then push him out the door. But I didn't have to touch him, thank God; he followed me, and when he got to the door, he paused and grinned. “ I hope you have a good wedding. ”
    I glared back at him. “ Thank you, ” I said stiffly.
    It still took him a moment before