A Billionaire Beach Wedding: Evan & Maddy
An Extended Epilogue for The Mistress Contract

 
I can’t do this. It’s all going terribly wrong and I’m about to bolt. Panic rises in my throat and I swallow down a lump of cold fear, furiously trying to stave off the feeling of overwhelm. 

It’s my wedding day, but will it actually happen? 

My very expensive wedding coordinator, Amber, hired through Exeter Houses’s restaurant, Isca, has been avoiding my gaze for the past 20 minutes and the pitying looks of my best friends are doing nothing to soothe my fears.

I’m standing in the bridal suite at Exeter House, surrounded by my closest friends —Lexi, Gwen, Cassie, Sam, and Avery–I stare out the window in a state of near-shock. The windstorm outside is growing stronger by the minute, palm trees swaying and almost doubling over as gusts rise up, swirling sand everywhere. And the wedding coordinator has zero idea what to do.

"We could just postpone the wedding until the storm passes," Lexi suggests hopefully. I stare at her. Postpone? Is she crazy?

"How about moving it to the Athenaem on campus?” Gwen chimes in. “It’s available later today. I just checked on my phone.” 

"Or, hey, this bridal suite is massive. Why not just just do it here in the bridal suite?" Cassie’s only half joking, but still, everyone gives her a look. It’s not the time or the place for jokes. My level of panic is going up exponentially as each minute passes.  

“Yeah it’s big but not big enough for two hundred guests.” Avery arches a brow. “That isn’t even a little bit funny.”

Anxiety claws its way up my throat and my mind races. None of these suggestions are helpful and Amber keeps striding around either checking her clipboard or her phone and mumbling to herself. My gaze is glued to the big window overlooking the beach, watching my exquisitely orchestrated wedding fall apart before my eyes. 

I can barely breathe. It’s all ruined.

"What am I supposed to do?" My voice breaks and tears prickle my eyes. I’m in danger of ruining this very expensive makeup the esthetician just applied. “I've been planning this wedding for months, every minute detail. All that work, all those decisions. And now it all just falls apart because of the fucking weather? This is a nightmare."

Just then, Evan bursts into the room with a sheepish Haley trailing behind him.  She glances at me and then away quickly. Obviously, someone sent her to go fetch my bridegroom and in he swoops. "What's going on here?" He looks around as if searching for me.

I immediately spin and turn my back to him, frantically looking for somewhere to bolt, somewhere where he can’t see me. 

“We’re not supposed to see each other before the wedding!” I wail, voice shaking. The tears are starting to prickle my eyes now and they’re about to breach the rims of my eyelids any second now.
Behind me the room is in silence and I hear Evan ask the ladies to give us the room. My stomach twists and I bury my face in my hands. “Evan, we can’t–”

“We’re scientists. Why believe in silly superstitions?” he says. 

I sigh. He has a point there…and besides, if nothing else, my wedding gown is still hanging in the changing room, so there’s that.

My friends all file out slowly. Sam rubs my arm, gives me a side-hug, and tells me it will be alright before leaving, too.

I’ve still got my back turned to the room but the next thing I feel is strong arms as Evan pulls me into a hug. I close my eyes, warm all over from that familiar feeling of solid muscles wrapped around me like a shield. My heartbeat quickens and I’m bathed in the familiar, delicious scent of sandalwood and Evan.

I settle against his broad chest. He bends to kiss my temple. “I’ve got this, Madeline. Everything will be alright.”

My eyes wander back to the windows, the sand swirling around on the beach, almost blotting out the beautiful white pavilion-style tent set up there. My eyes narrow and my stomach sinks.
“The flowers are all gone. They blew away.”

“No. I had them all brought inside when the wind got worse. The waiters at Isca are setting them up in the main dining room.”

I blink and turn around in his arms. “Inside Isca? But it’s still open for business. They told me that the restaurant wouldn’t close for the wedding.”

He stares down at me, a small smile curving his sexy mouth. “They’re closing now. I threw around my weight as a founder along with a fair amount of money. They’re clearing the restaurant now. The guests will be able to file in shortly.

I blink. “It’s lunchtime. How do you clear a restaurant at lunchtime?”

He laughs. “You pay the customer’s bills and offer them a voucher for a free meal at some later date.”

My jaw drops. “That must have cost you a fortune, on top of an already pricey wedding–”

He lays a finger across my lips to silence me. “I only marry the woman of my dreams once in my lifetime. That’s worth any amount of money to keep her happy and treated like the queen she is.”

I swallow, my throat stinging. My vision of his face grows blurry. “Evan–” I start, voice trembling.

“Don’t cry, my love. I’d marry you in a courthouse, in a barn, or on a windy beach. Hell, I’d even go to Vegas and get Elvis to marry us in one of those drive-thru chapels. But this day is important to you and though it won’t be like you originally envisioned, I hope it will still be a wonderful day.”

My hands reach up to rest on either cheek and I cradle his face, so close to mine. “You are amazing, you know that?”

He grins again. “I do.”

Finally, for the first time, I laugh. “Now get out of here. I need to fix this makeup and you need to pretend you didn’t see me right before the wedding.”

He plants a quick kiss on my forehead. “I need to find your semi-useless wedding coordinator anyway. I’ll whip her into shape with all the details. You are hereby ordered to not worry one bit about any more wedding details. Just concern yourself with being at that altar and ready to say I do, my darling bride.”
I hook my arms around his neck. “Yes, master.”

There’s a change in his eyes and he sucks in a sharp breath. “No more of that until tonight or we won’t make it to that altar without me ravishing you first.”

I push against his chest. “Plenty of time for that later, on the honeymoon to wherever it is you’re taking me.”
He grins wickedly, quite happy that he’s managed to keep his secret right up to the moment he reveals it to me later tonight. He was in charge of the honeymoon details and he’s shared none of those with me, including the destination. 

And with all that, the wedding ends up being delayed by no more than ninety minutes. The entire restaurant crew and others, pulled from their stations at Exeter House to help in a pinch, rushed to clear and then speedily set up the restaurant. 

I have no idea what to expect as I step into the spacious room, at the end of the aisle with my mom at my side.

As the music for the bride starts, our officiant signals to the guests to stand for the bride. I swallow my nervousness as two-hundred guests rise from their metallic gold chairs and cream cushions, each with filmy cream-colored gauze tied elegantly over the backs. Two hundred pairs of eyes fix on me as I study the long aisle before us. It’s lined with tall, gold lanterns, and adorned with clusters of lavender and white flowers. The altar is adorned with a beautiful archway of white flowers, and framed by tall vases brimming with lavender roses.  

My breath escapes my lips in surprise as I look around at the remnants of my beach pavilion wedding carefully and artfully rearranged in the main dining room. Daylight streams in through the tall ocean-facing windows and dozens of cream-colored lit candles supplement the late afternoon lighting. 
It isn’t what I’d envisioned but it's breathtakingly beautiful all the same.

And my bridegroom, he’s the most beautiful sight of all, standing beside the altar with Ash Grayson beside him as best man. Evan wears black tie, which is what he calls his tux, an elegant garment with black velvet lapels. It’s tapered to his fit body perfectly. In it, he’s more than just a snack–he’s a whole fucking meal.

And in just a few minutes he’ll be legally mine. But I know that’s just a formality. In his heart, he’s mine already.

In the space of a few heartbeats, Mom and I close the distance to the altar. She kisses me on the cheek and takes my hand, placing it in Evan’s large one, which closes over mine. It’s warm and my hands are icy cold from nerves. Together, we take the last few steps to face the officiant, but not before he murmurs under his breath. 

“You are so beautiful, my bride.”

As the ceremony begins, our officiant instructs us to face each other and hold both hands. I smile, looking into Evan’s deep blue eyes, surprised to see just the tiniest glimpse of nervousness there. 

When asked to deliver my vows, his hands tighten around mine as if to send me strength. And I need it, too. In front of all these people, my voice is shaky. But I knew this might happen so Sam, my maid of honor, hands me a small card where I’d written them down.

I clear my throat and begin. "Evan, from the moment I met you, I knew that you were the one for me. You have brought so much love and joy into my life and I am so grateful to have you as my partner. I promise to love you with all my heart, to support you in all your dreams, and to be your best friend and companion for the rest of my days. I give you my heart, my love, and my devotion, now and always."

A collective and silent “Ahh” goes through the large room as I hand the card back to Sam and take his hand again. Evan’s looking at me with glowing eyes and now it’s his turn to speak his vows in that delicious British accent. The room quickly grows silent again. Of course, he doesn’t need notes and speaks freely…

"My dearest and darling Madeline, you have captured my heart and soul from the very first moment I laid eyes on you. I’m honored and blessed to become your husband and hereby promise to always be there to love and cherish you. I’ll stand by your side in good times and bad, be your rock, your shelter, and your home. I give you my heart, my love, and my eternal loyalty and devotion, now and forever."

Well, that’s it for me. My makeup is ruined halfway through those beautiful words and promises as tears stream down my face. Sam hands me an antique handkerchief that belonged to my grandma, which is my “something old.”

Soon after, we exchange our wedding rings and the officiant asks us to seal our promises and love with a kiss, which Evan is all too eager to do, much to the amusement of the crowd.

The guests cheer and applaud the moment we turn to them and our officiant announces us and Mr. and Mrs. Evan Kohl, husband, and wife.

The wedding is over… and we’re officially husband and wife. But the festivities have only begun and the exhaustion of it all comes collapsing down on me as we tick all the boxes of a fancy wedding–the first dance as a married couple, the best man and maid of honor’s toast, the tossing of the bouquet, and of the garter, the cutting of the cake…

The guests are obviously enjoying themselves as the food, cake, and drinks flow freely, but at just an hour in, I can’t wait to get the hell away from all of this. Evan has wandered off somewhere to talk to some associates from work and I’m surrounded by my giddy bridesmaids narrating back to me how beautiful everything was. 

I cut them off, excusing myself to hit the bathroom with a playful, “There are some other Exeter House billionaires out there ripe for the picking. Have at ‘em!” Lexi already has hers, the best man, her fiance, in fact. But the others think it’s the greatest idea ever and move as a group over to the bar to begin plotting their hunt. With that distraction in play, I quickly locate my husband and approach him from behind, reaching out to squeeze his hard ass cheek playfully.

He pivots and, seeing it’s me, grins and hooks an arm around me. “Are we having fun, Mrs. Kohl?”
“Indeed, Mr. Kohl…” I dart a glance at the men who were speaking to him and then look back at him. “But there’s a matter of important business I need your help with. Mind if I steal him for a few minutes, guys?”

Not one of them protests and so I turn to Evan and kiss him on the cheek. Then I go up on tiptoe so that only he can hear me. “Meet me in the bridal room in five minutes for that…urgent business.”
There’s a hungry glint in his eye when I turn go “to the restroom.”

Without a word, when Evan enters the bridal room, I’m standing beside a round, stone table that earlier had held refreshments for us while we got ready. It’s empty in here and I’ve already pulled the blinds and dimmed the light. 

Evan doesn’t seem surprised by any of these preparations, as he knows why he’s here. So instead of talking, he immediately shrugs out of his tuxedo jacket and sets it across the back of a chair before coming to me.

I step out of my shoes and my white lacy panties at the exact same time and he quickly hauls me up on the table, pushing back my skirts. “You read my mind. Waiting until later tonight after everyone leaves to fuck my wife would never have done.”

He bends and claims my mouth with his and suddenly his hands are everywhere, one on my bodice, one sliding up my inner thigh. “You are so fucking beautiful and I am the luckiest man on–”

“Yes, yes,” I interject impatiently as I fumble to unbutton his trousers. “Less talk, more fucking. This marriage isn’t going to consummate itself.”

His mouth dips to my neck and before I can protest, he kisses, sucks, and even bites me there. Shit, I’m going to have to walk back in there with hickies all over my neck. Fortunately, we’re done with all the photos. And honestly, I’m under no illusions that people aren’t suspicious about the bride and groom disappearing during the reception.

Evan’s hand is between my legs, rubbing my clit as his mouth commands mine. I may have summoned him here and demanded sex but, as always, he’s taking over the situation. And that’s just how I like it.

I’m vaguely reminded of the first time we had sex, in that VIP Exeter House beach bungalow. He’d put me up on the table then, too, told me to lie back, and up until that point, it had been the hottest sex of my life.
In seconds he’s inside me and I sigh with the feeling of being filled by him. He reaches around to grab my ass and pull me flush against him. “Not my best work…” he says on the end of a groan of satisfaction.

“You can save the fancy stuff for the honeymoon. I just needed your cock now, hard and fast.”

He sucks in a shaky breath. “As you wish, Mrs. Kohl.”

And with that, he’s pounding me, driving into me hard and fast and not letting up. My eyes close and my mouth drops as he stretches me wide and drives in deep. His hand wanders between us to stroke my clit, sending shockwaves of electricity zipping down my every nerve. I never get tired of this feeling. Of his large body looming over me, of him commanding my body. My hands are hooked over his large, solid shoulders, my head thrown back and his face is pressed into my neck as his breathing comes fast.

His hand strokes me faster and soon I’m enjoying the welcome bliss of an orgasm as it blooms and radiates throughout my body, sending waves of bliss rippling through my body. I fall back against the hard bar of his arm hooked around my back, holding me upright as he continues moving against me until, at last, he stills and I feel his orgasm pulse inside me.

At the same time, we both suck in a breath and he presses his sweaty forehead against mine. “Consummation done and dusted,” he mutters with a laugh and I throw my head back, laughing with him…

Hours later, we’re dressed in our traveling clothes and out in front of Exeter House standing near a town car that the groomsmen had decorated with the traditional “just married” sign across the back.
We’re headed to the airport, I know that much. But where, from there? He still hasn’t told me. "So, what's this surprise you have planned for me?

"You'll have to wait and see," he replies with a twinkle in his eye. And with that, we pull away to the cheering and birdseed-throwing of all our friends and associates wishing us well. My heart races with excitement. Three weeks alone with the sexiest man I’ve ever known. He’d vowed to make me too sore to walk before we return…

Yes, please. 

The car heads down the freeway toward the private airport adjacent to LAX. I twitch a brow… a private flight? I’d never been on one of those before. “I was able to charter Devon’s jet.” 

A grin spreads across my face. “I can’t wait to become eligible for the mile-high club.”

“Oh, we’ll have plenty of time for that. We’ll be spending our wedding night in the air, after all.”

My brows climb my forehead. I was thinking maybe Mexico or New York City…

“Long flight, then?” I ask, pressing him for more details. He points with a smile and I look up to see that we’ve pulled onto the loading platform. I smile, seeing the "Just Married" painted on the side of the plane.
Evan grins at my reaction and he helps as I manage the boarding stairs in my three-inch heels and pencil skirt. An air hostess greets us with champagne flutes and once we are seated, I turn to him, seated across from me as I sip my glass. “Now will you tell me where we are headed? Or are you still going to make me wait?”

Evan sets aside his glass of champagne, untouched. He leans forward and takes my hand, a self-satisfied grin on his face. "We're going to a private resort in the Maldives.”

I blink, eyes widening. The Maldives! That’s a bucket list place for me. Something I’d mentioned offhandedly to him months ago when we were talking about traveling. “You remembered!”

His grin widens. “Of course I did. You’ll find I seldom forget anything. And let me assure you that with what I have planned for us, you won’t forget a moment of this trip.” He releases my hand and takes up the champagne glass. 

“To us and our honeymoon.”
I return his smile and swallow the last drop of my champagne. “To Mr. and Mrs. Kohl.”
And soon thereafter, we’re in the air and on the way to our future…together.