5. Element Of Surprise

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Inaya pressed her lips together, pretending to be emotional and keeping her tears in check, when, in actuality, the clinking of the crystals on her chandelier dress was cracking her up, and she was doing everything in her power not to double over laughing at the ridiculousness in the middle of the aisle.

The cherry on top was the grimace that Alexander was fighting. 

Poor guy, but he chose this for himself. 

He had the chance to walk away. She was ready to give it to him on a golden crystal-embedded platter if he asked it of her. But no, the man had decided to stay out of sheer greed. 

And now, he would have to pay the price - she would make sure that he regretted this greed for as long as they continued to stay married.

Parker McBell sniffled as he handed her over to her husband, making both of them fight eyerolls. They had been married two years, and he was acting as if he was giving his child away for the first time. 

If the great McBell was anywhere near a decent man, Alexander would have tried to understand his sentiments, but not this asshole. Alexander had only one agenda - make as much money off his surname and leave while he had the chance. 

The wedding was nothing like he wanted. It was just a spectacle for the crowd. And they were eating off of it. Sales were up. Stock prices skyrocketed. 

It was a blur of unfelt vows and forced interactions. 

A honeymoon for show had been planned, but it was scheduled two weeks later, citing business engagements. But they left for a private beach resort honeymoon suite after their reception. 

Alexander tugged at his bowtie after depositing his jacket on the couch. 

Inaya looked like an absolute goddess in her reception look - a white lace corset and a flowy skirt, her wild curls held back loosely by a silver butterfly-shaped clip. Alexander preferred this look over her distasteful wedding dress, which had been obviously deemed a wedding fashion revolution by the internet. 

She kicked off her transparent crystal butterfly-embedded stilettos as she walked over to the record player and selected a song from the vinyl discs on display.

“Feeling romantic?” Alexander mocked. He doubted she had an ounce of love, let alone romance, for anyone else in her body. 

I Don’t Want You To Go by Lani Hall started to play. 

Inaya took off the clip, barely holding her hair together, and shook her head before swaying to the music, ignoring his mockery and him. 

Alexander stared. 

This was not the first time he had witnessed his wife dancing by herself. 

She was the kind of person who did not need anybody’s company to be happy. 

And she somehow managed to look ethereal doing it every single time. 

He gulped. 

She had never hidden this habit of hers as she danced to her late mother’s music collection, but he had always felt like a voyeur. 

But tonight, he did something that he had never done before. As he rolled up his sleeves, he approached her, his eyes glued to her minimal hip movements as she immersed herself in the melody, her eyes closed. 

Inaya felt his presence before his fingers danced across her waist, and then they wrapped firmly around her. She opened her eyes, turning around to face him, her eyes meeting those ink pools which she despised for their magnetic effect. He pulled her flush against him, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. 

“Pretty sad song for a wedding night,” Alexander murmured against her lips as he placed a kiss on the corner of her twitching mouth. Inaya froze, but her husband kept swaying her to the music.

“It’s a lovely song.” She murmured when she finally came to. 

He nodded. “I prefer it to the first dance.” 

They had a rendition of Can’t Help Falling In Love With You by Elvis Presley for both their weddings. It was a beautiful song, but it was so overused, and it was not their style. 

“If you had a say in it, which song would you have chosen?” Inaya asked, surprising herself. Why did she care what he liked? When did she start to care about his preference?

“Can you feel the love tonight? Elton John.” Alexander surprised himself with the immediate response. He had never even thought about it, but the answer had rushed out as soon as asked. 

And it confused and worried him. Because the song had no other significance than the fact that it was the song that played the first time he saw her dancing by herself. 

Inaya’s lips parted. 

The night was full of surprises.

“It was my mother’s favorite song.” She confessed and then wanted to mentally slap herself because WHY WOULD SHE TELL HIM THAT? “But a cartoon song? Wow, you are full of surprises, Alexander Thorne.” 

“An element of surprise is pretty important in keeping a marriage interesting.” He did not know why he said that.

Inaya snorted. “Interesting observation.” 

He bent down, placing a kiss on her jaw. 

“What do you think you are doing?” Inaya’s breath hitched in her throat. 

“Exactly what you think I am doing.” He chuckled, his warm breath tickling her neck. 

Inaya pulled away, a flat look on her face. “You kept up the good boy act for two years. Why stop now?” 

“It’s impossible to keep up that act when my infuriating wife looks like a goddess on our wedding night.” 

“You are going to regret this,” Inaya warned as he peppered kisses down her neck, pushing her back to the bed. 

“Of all the things I would regret in our marriage, I don’t think this one will be on the list.” 

Inaya hit the foot end of the bed. She knew this was not part of the plan. She knew this would complicate everything. 

But she was a woman too, and just like her husband, two years of celibacy had taken a toll on her. 

Just this once.

She told herself. 

Just this once, and then she would make him pay for his this greed as well. 

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