Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Tia huffed slightly and rolled her eyes. She was getting Don's constant harassment. I completely understood, Don was a pig and made working with him extremely difficult. I was trying to move this meeting along, my lady date with Annie and Rhea was in a couple of hours, and it would take me an hour and a half to get back to Detroit. Ricky, our new guy, sat next to me in the diner booth. We got constant looks since Ricky, and I definitely looked the part of mobsters. Tia looked a little bit more normal.

"I mean, I know we have to communicate constantly since we have a pipeline to Jersey but Jesus Andy. It's pissing me off." Tia said as he folded her arms.

"No, I get it. I will have Rio talk to him. It might sound a bit more...solid coming from him." I said. Tia nodded. "How are we doing on operations there?" I asked as I looked on my phone to keep track of the time.

"We're good. Things are moving smoothly. More so now than last month. But we still need more help on step by step guidelines." She added. I nodded.

"I know. I have an idea, I will have to run it by Rio, but I might get my printers in Detroit to come down periodically to help with quality control. It might mean a bigger cut for them for their time, but it might be worth it. We wouldn't be cutting it so goddamn close, you know?" I said.

"Yeah, that would be ideal. Let me know if that can happen or not. Oh, I got the invitation, by the way. I wouldn't miss it. Jordan and his wife can make it, and so are Tommy and his wife, Lisa. How many people are coming so far?" Tia said, smiling and taking a card out of her purse. Our wedding invitations were amazing. Rio and I had engagement photos taken a couple of weeks ago, and we picked the one of him holding my face in his hands, my hands on his, our foreheads touching, and us smiling ear to ear. The invitations were modern and simple, just like us. Well, the modern part anyway.

"I think about one hundred. But we sent out one fifty. We will see. It's coming quick." I said, smiling. I couldn't believe I would be a married woman in less than two months.

Jason had finally agreed to walk me down the aisle. I was honestly surprised. For a minute there, I thought I would have to walk alone. Rio and Jason still weren't on good terms. But Jason was trying to get along with him as best he could for my sake.

"Alright, lady, I'm out. I will get started on this idea, and in the meantime, if you need anything, just call. I will also talk to Rio about Don. We will get that fixed." I said as I hugged Tia. Ricky shook Tia's hand, and we headed back to Detroit. I dropped Ricky off and headed to the bridal shop. It was a privately owned, vintage bridal shop in the old part of downtown Detroit. It was such a cute neighborhood. When I walked in, I saw Rhea and Annie waiting with champagne in their hands.

"Hey," I said, smiling.

"Hey, you," Rhea said, hugging me. "You ready to find your dress?" She asked.

"Yeah, you're kinda low on time," Annie said jokingly and handed me a glass of champagne. The saleswoman eyed me slightly and smiled snobbishly at my tattoos.

"Hello, you must be the bride. I'm Kate. Do you know what type of gown you're looking for?" She asked.

"I think something sheath; I also like the vintage look. Almost 20s looking." I said, surprising her with my preference.

"I have several I think you'd like. I think you are a size six, and keep in mind we can expedite alterations. If you ladies will follow me." Kate said as we followed. She pulled several gowns, and I started. It wasn't until the fourth dress that I walked out, and both Rhea and Annie gasped.

"Holy shit." Annie breathed out. The gown was satin ivory with beaded tulle and Swarovski crystals. It had a vneck line that lightly showed off my chest with a low backline. It had short beaded capped sleeves and geometric designs all over. It was perfect.

"Oh my god, Andy...girl, this is the dress," Rhea said. Just then, Kate, the saleswoman, came in. She eyed me momentarily.

"How are we doing?" She asked.

"Actually, I think this is the dress. I'll take it!" I said, smiling.

"Now this dress is four thousand dollars." She said, smiling in a snobby manner. I tilted my head, really bitch?

"What are you implying?" Rhea stated.

"I thought us ladies were past the Pretty Woman era in feminism," Annie said, crossing her arms.

"Four thousand? That's all?" I said, smiling. "What a deal!" I said as I pulled my wallet out of my purse. I took out my American Express and handed it to her. Rhea and Annie smirked as she took it, clearly schooled. I laughed as she walked away. Rhea and Annie helped me out of the dress, and one of the associates took it.

"What's great about this one is I don't even think you'll need alterations. It fits you like a damn glove." Rhea said as we headed over to the counter. Kate handed me my card and had me sign a receipt. I was able to make the dress since it was one-of-a-kind and didn't need to be made. Rhea took the dress home with her, so I didn't risk Rio seeing it. I gave Rhea and Annie hugs after they had exchanged phone information to plan my bachelorette party. I told them I didn't want a bridal shower. Not my thing.

I got home that evening and saw that Rio wasn't home. Working as usual. I sighed and headed up to the bedroom to change into my yoga pants. I noticed that our bedroom door was opened. Rio and I never left our bedroom door open. Ever.

I took my gun out of my jeans and slowly walked in. No one was there. I looked all over the room and found nothing. But then I saw our desk, Rio's Mac was slanted. One thing about Rio, the dude was OCD. He NEVER would leave his laptop slanted like that. Just then, I heard Rio come in the front door.

"Babe?" He called out.

"Up here." I choked out. He came in and saw my face and looked at me, confused. "Someone was in here," I said, pointing to his laptop. He went to grab his gun out of his jeans. "No, I checked. Clear." I said. Rio was already on his phone. No doubt calling Mick to come over. Once he was off the phone, he came over to me and pulled me into his arms. "Someone was in our home, baby," I said, trying to control my breathing.

"Maybe. I'll take care of it. Don't worry, okay? Hey, did you find a dress today?" He asked, trying to distract me.

"Um, yeah. Rhea took it back to her house. Jesus Rio, how could someone have gotten in?" I said. He sighed.

"I said I would handle it. Okay?" He said, his jaw tensing. I nodded.

"Mick coming over?" I asked. He nodded. "When?" I asked.

"Like thirty minutes." He breathed out, eyeing my lips. I crashed my lips to his. I needed a distraction.

I worked on his belt as he shrugged off his jacket. He stepped out of his jeans and boxers then lifted my shirt over my head. He undid my bra while kissed my neck and let it fall. He lightly shoved me onto the bed and peeled my jeans and panties off in one swift motion. The sex was hungry and intense. I was addicted to this man. I couldn't even handle my emotions anymore without needing his touch. The thought scared me.

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Mick and the crew went to do some digging to figure out who was in our apartment. Rio immediately called his security guy and had him install cameras and a new security system. It was almost midnight, and they were still setting it up. Rio was still not back. He had left with Mick and the crew hours ago. Once they were done, Billy, the security guy, showed me how it works and how to view the camera footage on my phone and disarm the system. They left, and I poured myself a drink. I decided to call Jason and see if he would come over. He agreed since it was a Friday night and he didn't have work the next day.

"So, do you know who it was?" He asked as he took a drink of his beer while we sat in the living room. I shook my head no.

"No. Rio said he would handle it," I said.

"How? I mean, how is he gonna find out?" Jason asked.

"He has his ways," I said, shrugging and taking another sip. "We are cautious on who knows where we live. I honestly don't know. What's weird is they didn't take anything. It looks like they looked on Rio's laptop and left." I said. Jason nodded absentmindedly.

"Bro, you okay?" I asked. Jason snapped out of it.

"Um, yeah. I gotta go. I'll call you later." He said, kissing my forehead. Before I could ask what the fuck, he was gone.

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It was finally time. I was getting married in twenty-four hours. I couldn't believe it. Our wedding planner Marla had really made it happen. Rio was paying her double her fee because of our time requirements, so she better have. We had booked a large modernized warehouse in the city for the ceremony and reception. It was expensive, but Rio didn't care. He said he wanted me to be happy. Rio and I had used his travel agent Tony to get our honeymoon to Hawaii set up. Annie and Rhea had gotten their dresses, both a shade of purple. The business had been set up so Rio and I could take a week off for the honeymoon. We decided on only one week away versus two since we had work, and we didn't want to leave Marcus that long.

"If you cheat on me, I swear to god I will chop your dick off," I said as Rio laughed into my neck.

"Chill, darlin'. I wouldn't do that." He said, moving my hair out of my face. "I'll see you tomorrow at the altar. Be safe." He said as he gave me a slow kiss. "Mine only," he said as he slid his hand down my front and briefly into my jeans.

"Same goes for you," I said, smiling. He nodded, then left with Mick and the crew.

We were both headed out for our bachelor's bachelorette parties. I knew there would be ample strippers and other females at his, but I trusted him. I had no idea what Rhea and Annie were planning, but Rhea was picking me up in a few minutes. I would be staying at her house all of tomorrow, you know traditions and everything.

A few minutes after Rio left, I heard a knock at the door. I opened it to see Rhea, smiling big.

"You ready?" She said, sounding excited. I smiled big and nodded. We headed downtown, and we came up to a club called "Neon," and when we walked inside, I saw a big group of girls in the corner, Annie screaming for everyone to say hi to the bride. I saw Ruby and Beth, and I was actually surprised. I had invited them to the wedding, against Rio's objections, but they declined. I understood why. I just wanted them to know they were welcome. I had a conversation with Annie about her being in the wedding. I had asked her if it was weird for her or Beth, and she swears it wasn't.

"There she is!" Annie yelled over the music. Annie came over and put a sash over me along with a cliche tiara. I saw Wendy, Micks' girl, and a couple of the other crew member girls. I couldn't help but notice a tension between Beth and Rhea. I tried to ignore it, but it was pretty thick. We all took shots and partied. Ruby left after the first club, giving me a warm hug and a 'congratulations.' I knew she didn't like Rio much, not that I blamed her, and it meant a lot that she was there tonight at all. We went to the next club, and the girls had blindfolded me before we went inside, so I couldn't even see the place's name. I heard music and a thick beat. When we got inside, the girls had me go up a set of stairs and sit on a chair. Suddenly, the blindfold came off, and I had a ripped dude in my face. I laughed and tried not to touch him too much. He was hot, but he was no Rio. I shut my eyes as I lifted a five-dollar bill and tried not to see how he was picking it up.

The night was such a blast, and it wasn't until about four in the morning that Rhea and Annie brought me back to Rheas' house. I said goodbye to Annie and gave her a big hug. Rhea told her she was welcome to stay, but she said no. Rhea quietly showed me to the guest room, and I passed out.

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I woke up the next morning to talking outside my room. I went out to the living room, and Annie played with Marcus on the floor while Rhea was in the kitchen. They both smiled at me, and Marcus ran up to me and gave me a huge hug. His adorable face looked up at me.

"Are you marrying my dad today?" He asked.

"Yeah, little man, I am," I said as Rhea handed me a cup of coffee.

"Does that mean I will have two mommies now?" He said. I looked at him and shook my head. I started to say no, but Rhea cut me off.

"Yeah, baby. It does." She said, smiling. "You know most kids have one mommy, but now you have Andy and me. Pretty cool, right?" Rhea said. Marcus smiled and nodded his head as he started working on his breakfast.

"You hungry?" Rhea asked.

"No way. Too nervous." I said, smiling as I took a sip of my coffee. After we all had our coffee, Rhea went to get Marcus ready, and Annie let the makeup artist and hairstylist in. Mick came to pick up Marcus, and Rhea started to get ready with Annie while getting primped and pulled. When I was done, Rhea came in wearing a spaghetti strap long chiffon dress that was an eggplant purple while Annie was in a short halter dress that was a quartz purple. They looked beautiful. I had asked Rio if he wanted his sister and mother to come, but he said no. He said he hadn't spoken to them in years and had no desire to.

Once we were all ready, we headed over to the loft. I was starting to shake. I had my hair down, and beach waved while two braids connected in the back. Rhea had let me borrow her silver bracelet with dark purple sapphires. Annie had gotten me a navy blue garter that Beth had given her to give to me. As far as I knew, Ruby and Beth weren't coming. They had to keep up with appearances which I got.

I waited in one of the dressing rooms in the warehouse loft. There were two separate sides, one for the ceremony and one for the reception. Rhea and Annie had checked it out and told me it looked amazing. I checked my phone, and it was coming up at five o'clock. We chose a nighttime wedding because it was more us. I was in the dressing room, bouncing my leg up and down, when a knock came at the door. Annie answered the door, and it was Jason. He was dressed in a navy blue suit, and he eyed me with awe.

"Jesus An. You look so beautiful." He said. My eyes started to well up, but I stopped myself because of my makeup. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Jason whispered. I rolled my eyes at him, and he put his hands up defensively. "Okay, okay. I love you, sis." Jason said as he gently hugged me. "You ready?" He asked. I nodded and smiled. We all waited outside the double doors to the giant ceremony hall. Mick and Marcus were already lined up with Rio inside. They opened the doors, and I heard the quartet playing "A Thousand Years." My heart was pounding through my chest. Annie and Rhea walked down one after the other, and then I saw him. His face turned into a bright smile which was something I didn't see often. Jason walked with me, and when we reached Rio, he reluctantly let me go. Marcus was doing so well, for being ten years old, he was so damn patient. It was a quick ceremony, and by the time the minister said, "You may now kiss your bride," Rio and I couldn't take it any longer. He put his hands on either side of my face and gave me a deep kiss that made my knees weak. Holy shit, I just married a gangster.

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It was time to party. I didn't do the whole bridal party table crap. That felt weird, so I just had everyone at two big long tables. I recognized mostly everyone, but some were Rio's business associates I had never met. We all laughed, and Mick made a hilarious speech. It was funny to see a big tough guy like Mick start to tear up. Rhea also made everyone laugh, calling herself the "Ex-wife best friend." Rio and I had our first dance, and he told me how beautiful I looked.

"Goddamn woman. How am I supposed to wait until tonight to tap that fine ass of yours?" He said, whispering in my ear before spinning me around. I laughed as I came back around.

"It will all be worth the wait, baby," I said, smiling.

Once Rio and I had cut the cake, I noticed that he was sitting at a round table with Mick, some of the crew, and Cruz, one of his associates. God damnit, he was doing business at our wedding. I looked over at him and shook my head, smiling. He smiled back and put his finger up.

I danced with my bridesmaids and Marcus. I was having a blast. It was kind of hilarious to see a bunch of tatted-up scary-looking gangbangers tearing it up on the dancefloor. As things started to wind down, I looked around and couldn't find Rio...or Jason. I hurried out to the balcony attached to the warehouse, and I could hear them arguing.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Jason said. I slowed down so I could eavesdrop.

"Yeah, I figured. But I'm onto you. I know a lyin' ass bitch when I see one." Rio growled. Jason stayed quiet for a moment. I decided to break it up.

"Hey, guys," I said sweetly, my hair slightly blowing from the wind. It was kinda cold, and Rio could tell I was freezing. He shrugged his jacket off and put it on me.

"Hey, baby." He said cooly. "You ready to head out? I need to get this dress off of you." He said as he kissed my neck, not giving a fuck that Jason was standing there. Jason rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, my feet hurt," I said. He put his arm around my shoulders and went back inside with me. After Rio had gotten my garter off and Rio threw it (Mick caught it), I threw my bouquet, which Annie caught. I almost died laughing because Eddie looked like he would fall over. Rio and I got into his G-Class Mercedes Benz.

"Holy fuck baby, we're married," I said, smiling at him. He smiled and took a right.

"Kinda hard to believe since around this time last year, you were plotting to have me in cuffs, huh?" He joked.

"Oh baby, I still do," I said, winking at him. He laughed and flashed me that gorgeous grin of his. Once we were all checked into our room and when we were in the elevator, we both sat there knowing damn well that there were cameras in the elevator, so we kept our hands to ourselves. Once we got out, we started to walk to the room. I had the room key in my hand, so when we got to the room. I started to put the key in. I felt Rio kissing my neck, and I turned around to meet his lips as I shoved the door open. We got inside and shut the door. I shoved off Rio's dress jacket, and I ripped his suit shirt off.

"Not getting that deposit back," I said, smiling into his lips. He laughed and turned me around. He bent me over the desk in the room and started to undo my dress. I stepped out of it, and I was just in my panties and bra. He ripped my panties off, and I unhooked my bra. I sat on the edge of the bed and undid his pants. He groaned as I worked my magic, and he snaked his hand through my hair and pulled my mouth closed. He hissed and pulled me away, pointing for me to get on the bed. I scoot back and watch him hungrily crawl onto the bed and bend down in front of me. He put my legs over his shoulders, and his lips dove onto me. My head was swimming, and while my heart was racing, I felt completely at peace. Little did I know, this was the calm before the storm.

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