EPILOGUE
Gloria
Three months later
The nightmare of being chased by Boris Borofsky is over. I have a new dream. It’s always in fifty shades of gray. And it stars Jaime Zander.
“Action! Shoot!”
He carries me down a long winding staircase, shrouded in a cloud of fog. I lie limp, weightless in his bare strong arms, fallen apart from what has been and what will be; the heat of his flesh sears mine. Silk binds my eyes, my hands, and my feet. My breasts, shrouded in cups of leather and lace, quiver with each step he takes. My head is flung back, my platinum hair, loose and long, brushes against his taut torso; my arms dangle. The image of his beautiful face burns through the blindfold and flickers in my mind. His hooded eyes are lusting for me, his mouth hungering for every part of me. My core trembles at the thought of what this man can do to me.
Music plays in the background. A song: “Angel” sung by Leona Lewis. The words pipe through my ears. Yes, this was meant to be. He is made for me. I am his angel; he is my god. I long for him to devour me with his manliness and make me fall apart until I can scream his name no more.
A seductive, virile voice rises above the music. “Gloria’s Secret. Let yourself be carried away.”
The dream becomes reality.
“Cut! That’s a wrap.”
Six Months Later
“Your dress eez magnifique!” squeels Sandrine, my maid of honor, as she adjusts the long train. It’s a body-hugging column of ivory silk and lace, the first in the new line of Gloria’s Secret bridal wear we’re launching. Beneath it, I have on matching ivory lace lingerie and something borrowed—Sandrine’s powder blue garter that she wore at her own fabulous wedding three months ago. And of course, Madame Paulette’s lucky silk stocking.
“Gloria, go look at yourself in zee mirror,” urges my chic French friend with a big smile, looking magnificent herself in an ocean blue satin gown.
I pad over to the floor-length gold-leaf mirror and gaze at myself. My breath hitches. With my waist-length platinum hair flowing over my shoulders, the way my future husband adores it, and my dramatic makeup, I almost don’t recognize myself. The brilliant red lipstick on my lips reminds me of who I am. The sexy, powerful CEO of Gloria’s Secret, and the future wife of Mr. Jaime Zander.
The dress is strapless. I wear my pearl-white scar on my chest like jewelry. I no longer have to hide it. Scars come with secrets and mine has been bared. It reminds me that I have survived. That I have healed. I have left my past behind.
While I stare at my reflection, Sandrine carefully places the final piece of my ensemble over my head—Madame Paulette’s delicate Chantilly lace veil that she wore when she married her beloved Henri. Along with many other things I’ll always cherish, she left it to me in her will. I adjust it so it obscures my face.
“Ah, ma chérie, you look superbe!” That deep raspy voice. It’s Madame Paulette! I can hear her. She’s here!
“Merci, Madame,” I say silently. I smile at my reflection, and it smiles back at me.
“Holy fuck! Glorious, you look beyond fabulous!”
I pivot on my red-soled ivory satin Louboutins. Yes, a touch of red from head to toe.
It’s Kevin. My best friend and our best man. He’s gone English morning suit the whole way—well, except for the red Keds. That’s what makes my beloved Kevin who he is.
Jogging up to me, he gives me a great big hug.
“I just had to take a peek,” he gushes. “Gotta go and check on Ray.” He rolls his eyes. “That boy is so high maintenance and takes forever to get ready.”
I stifle a laugh. Jaime’s assistant, Ray, followed him to LA and, after breaking up with his New York boyfriend, hooked up again with Kevin. They’re living together in Kevin’s condo one floor below mine. Happiness soars in my heart knowing how happy and in love my Kev is. An over-the-top Christmas wedding is in the works, and to my sheer delight, Kevin is marrying into a wonderful family that embraces his homosexuality. I give him a peck on the cheek before he scurries out of my bedroom.
Tyrone is waiting for me downstairs. Jaime and I are exchanging our vows on the beach below the cliff where we plan to build our dream house. Everyone from his company and mine has been invited, no gifts permitted except donations to Girls Like Us, my charitable mentoring program. I hope all the underprivileged girls I support will find as much meaning and joy as I have in my life.
Only two prominent Gloria’s Secret associates—or should I say former associates—won’t be there. Victor Holden and his daughter Vivien. Victor is no longer affiliated with Gloria’s Secret. In fact, he’s no longer affiliated with any of his companies. Soon after his arrest, he was indicted by a grand jury and later found guilty on three counts of securities fraud. Further investigation into his dealings revealed that he’d also funded Boris Borofsky’s sex slave trade. He was charged a hefty fine and sentenced to twelve years in a white-collar penitentiary without parole. After her father was sentenced, Vivien fled the country. Sandrine thinks she saw her in Greece while on her honeymoon; that’s one place Jaime and I won’t be visiting soon.
Jaime’s ad campaign in which we starred was a mega success and has even been nominated for several awards. Sales have soared. The subsequent sex toy launch was also phenomenal. Just as Jaime had proven in his little one-on-one research session, women—and couples—love the provocative products. They’ve sold like hotcakes, and Gloria’s Secret stock has gone through the roof. It’s at an all-time high.
We’re still looking for a new Chairman of the Board. One of the Board members suggested Jaime, but he declined, stating it was a conflict of interest. Besides, he’s too busy running his own company ZAP! whose headquarters he moved to California. It made sense. He has a lot of clients in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley as well as in Japan, China, and other Asian countries. And he has all of me. His new office, overlooking the ocean in Venice, is a fifteen-minute drive from mine. Needless to say, we do lunch. Or we’ll squeeze in a quick work out together. My inner thighs have never been in better shape.
The SoCal late summer day cannot be more perfect. It’s the kind of weather that makes people flock to LA and never want to leave—a cloudless blue sky, a perfect mild temperature, and just a little ocean breeze. Going on six in the evening, the fiery sun is beginning its descent into the Pacific. The sound of the ocean with its crashing waves mixes with squawking gulls. That is the only music Jaime and I wanted when we exchanged our vows.
My heart is pounding with anticipation as I walk down the cliffside steps, that Jaime had built just in time for our wedding, on the arms of two other men dear to my heart—my drivers, Tyrone and Nigel. The latter flew in from New York to be here for me. The memory of Jaime chasing after his Town Car after I fled from him pops into my head. I hold back a bittersweet tear. I’m so lucky he never stopped chasing me. In my right hand, I hold two fragrant long stemmed roses—one white for Madame Paulette, the other red for Jaime. The two people who have made me blossom as a woman.
My heart skips a beat when I see my man. Oh God, he’s gorgeous, dressed in an elegant long-tailed tux and a blue bow tie that complements the color of his eyes. And of course, no socks. His denim blues meet my gaze and I know he’s mine. Later tonight, we’re flying back to Paris on his private plane for our honeymoon. The City of Light. And the City of Love. I glimpse down at my shimmering toi et moi ring and wonder what surprises Mr. Creativity has in store for me this time.
“Come here, you.” He takes me in his arms. I melt into him.
“You look beautiful, Gloria,” he whispers in my ear. Oh, the breathy way he says my name!
“You do too,” I whisper back.
Before a justice of the peace and an adoring crowd that includes Jaime’s therapist Dr. Zimmer and his French client Emanuel, who both helped bring us together, we exchange our vows. My heart hammers as Jaime begins.
“My angel, I showed you my scars; you showed me yours. I gave you my heart and you gave me yours. We are the eternal union of two wounded souls. But from this day on, no more scars; no more pain. I will love you, cherish you, and protect you for all of eternity.”
It’s my turn. I’m teary-eyed.
“Mon amour, I promise I will love you forever. No matter what life throws at us, we will always be toi et moi. I shall never leave you. My tears are my witness. And I shall keep no secrets between us for as long as we both shall live.”
We exchange simple gold bands, both inscribed with the words: Eternally Yours. We’re officially husband and wife. My heart roars with joy as Jaime lifts up my veil, and his lush lips consume mine with a passionate kiss that I want to never end.
This is the man I will cherish and confide in the rest of my life. He knows all my secrets. I bore my past—my abusive childhood with my crack whore mother, my love for Madame Paulette, and the unthinkable crime that’s now behind me, buried six feet under. One night after making glorious love, I even confessed to initially thinking he was Ms. Zander. A woman! He almost rolled off the bed with laughter and then fucked me again…harder.
Confession: There’s one more secret. I’m hiding it deep inside me. But true to my vow, Jaime was the first to know. In six months, the world will know too.
Her name is Paulette Long Zander. And she has a twin. We’re calling him Payton Henri.
Jaime
Gloria and I vowed no more secrets. No more lies.
But I still have one I will take to my grave.
When we met, I told her I liked her when I knew I already loved her.
for a BONUS CHAPTER: When Jaime Met Gloria
SEX, LOVE & LINGERIE
Click on the Cover Below
Filled with sizzling romance and dramatic twists and turns, this novella-length continuation of Gloria and Jaime’s passionate love story will take your breath away and melt your heart.
Gloria:
We’ve been through so much together.
An emotional rollercoaster of lies and deceit. But through our love and strength, we survived.
We thought we could survive anything until the unexpected happen.
And now I must fight for my life and everyone I love.
Jaime:
I can’t lose her.
Not now. Not ever.
We have so much to live for.
And she promised to be my forever.
EXCERPT
Jaime
God, I loved Gloria’s lips. The shape of them. Their fullness. Their power. Holy balls, what they could do. I watched in the mirror in awe as she applied her red lipstick. It was as if she was painting them, and every time she did, I thought of my father with a red tube of paint in his hand. Red was his favorite color, just like Gloria’s.
Mesmerized by my gorgeous wife, I stared at her reflection. Gloria wore her red lipstick the way a superhero wore his cape. It made her powerful. Invincible. Except I was her Kryptonite. When I kissed her lips and stripped off her red capelet, she became weak. Powerless. And all mine.
I couldn’t resist.
She succumbed.
But this time my cock had a different destination. Her backdoor. Quickly grabbing one of the many moisturizing lotions she kept on the counter, I parted my robe, squirted a bountiful amount on my cock, and lubricated it. As I spread it evenly along my shaft, my mind flashed back to the first time I fucked Gloria in the ass in Paris. It was a first for her. Butt-fucking Gloria had since become one of our favorite activities. And in her advanced pregnant state with her huge belly, it was just easier this way.
Wasting no time, I shoved down her leggings and spread her ripe cheeks.
“Jaime, are you going to fuck me in the ass?” she asked, her voice all breathy. Oh yeah, she wanted it bad.
“That’s what it seems like,” I replied as I plunged my serpent into her puckered, just washed hole. Christ. She felt so tight! So hot! So good!
She groaned my name. Wrapping one arm back around her extended belly, I began to thrust in and out of her. Her beautiful moans morphed into beautiful groans. I’d only just begun. Once I got into a rhythm and she rocked into me, I moved my other hand to her pussy, and inserted two fingers into her entrance while my thumb rubbed her clit. I knew what she loved. Still banging her from behind, I watched in the mirror as she arched back to meet my thrusts, her face contorting with pure ecstasy, her chest rising and falling. Shrieks escaped her lush lips and her eyes squeezed close.
“Eyes, angel.” I wanted her to watch herself come with me. At my command, she blinked them open and met my smoldering gaze in the mirror.
“Oh God,” she whimpered as I pumped in and out of her, bringing both of us to the edge. Her clit was throbbing, ready to explode. And I knew I was hitting her G-for-Gloria spot again and again.
The desperate sound of her. The impassioned sight of her. It was so fucking erotic.
“Fall apart for me, angel,” I whispered in her ear, my blood rushing to my pulsing cock, my own orgasm coiling between my thighs. I could almost hear her fiery clit crying out for relief.
“Now, baby.” On the next deep thrust, she roared my name and shattered around me. As she lost control, so did I, my powerful eruption meeting hers head-on.
I hissed. Jesus. The power of a kiss.
NOTE FROM NELLE
Dearest Reader~
Thank you so much for reading Sex, Lust & Lingerie. I hope you loved it, and will take the time to leave a spoiler-free review. Regardless of the length, reviews help others find my books and mean the world to me. Here are the book links:
I hope I’ve gotten you equally excited about Sex, Love & Lingerie, the continuation of Gloria and Jaime’s passionate love story. It’s a standalone novella with no cliffhangers! AND it’ll include a bonus chapter from Jaime’s POV: When Jaime Met Gloria.
Check out the rest of my bestselling, critically acclaimed books (links follow). I write romantic suspense, romantic comedies, fairy-tale retellings, and an occasional tearjerker. All my books have an element of jeopardy and suspense.
In early 2019, I will be bringing you what readers have called my best book ever. Remember Me. Ripped from the headlines, it’s a story like none other that will have you turning the pages and gasping for air. And wait till you see the sexy cover!!! Add it to your Goodreads TBR list!
Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for your love and support. You are the reason I write.
MWAH!~Nelle ♥
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