Black Wedding by Emma Luna

Listening to the girls talk about their horrific experiences makes my blood boil. I hate that anyone would treat them like that, but to get it from your father is something I just can’t understand. He raised them for most of their life. I have learnt very quickly that blood isn’t always thicker than water. The bonds we choose for ourselves are often the strongest. Thankfully, they will always have Liam, and now me.

Thankfully, breakfast passes by in a blur. It was very uneventful, which for this family, I have quickly learnt, is a novelty. We all wait for Desmond to dismiss us, as nobody can leave the table without his prior approval. As everyone else goes off to their respective rooms, he instructs Liam and me to his office. Liam takes my hand and gives me a small smile. That’s enough for me. It tells me my Liam is very much here, and that he’s not the zombie in Desmond’s office from yesterday.

We approach the door, two big burly looking men with shaved heads and stern but vacant expressions are guarding either side of the entrance. Desmond instructs them to wait outside, which is good for us. He at least doesn’t plan on using his security staff to try and kill us. Sadly, that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to lose his shit and kill us himself.

There are two chairs in the room this time, and he instructs us to each sit, which we do as he slumps into his large, luxurious leather seat behind the desk. I feel his piercing black eyes boring into my skin, almost like he is trying to kill me with just his eyes. But, unfortunately for him, that sort of shit stopped intimidating me a long time ago.

“So, what is it you want to talk to me about?” Desmond asks, indicating with his hand that he gives me permission to speak freely.

Taking a deep breath, I make an on the spot decision that I need to just be honest. Of course, Liam will be pissed because he coached me on what to say, and this is practically the opposite, but I have to do this my way.

“So, I know that men don’t recognise me as a leader, I don’t give a shit about that. I will prove myself with time; that’s all I can promise people. I won’t ask for your trust, but you can sure as fuck trust that I will earn it. I will prove myself to everyone, but to do that, I need to be given a chance. I know I have several enemies. I have enough threats to know I am being targeted by more than one group. What I need to know is who I focus on first. So, how much of a threat are you to me?” I ask, making sure to keep eye contact at all times, so he knows how very fucking serious I am.

His laughter rings through the room as he throws his head back before looking at me again. “I will always be a big threat to you. It is no secret that I want London, and you are naive if you think people won’t capitalise on your weakness, using this handover time as a time to attack. However, I can assure you I have not got any outward plans to attack you. Believe it or not, I have no intention of slaughtering my son. He may be a pain in my ass, but I made his mother a promise, and unless I am forced, I will not break that promise. Besides, Evan reminded me that if I wait for you to provide me with a grandchild, then my family will be in power anyway,” Desmond added. I don’t know which part of that statement freaked me the fuck out more.

“So you want to work with us? Suppose you are willing to accept me as the leader. In that case, I will agree to a truce, and we will open lines of communication to have your family working with mine. Not only will this give you more reach and a financial boost, but you will also have links to London,” I offer, my heart racing as I do.

I try not to glance over at Liam, but it’s difficult to ignore the shake of his head and look of annoyance on his face. Desmond, on the other hand, now is wearing the biggest, and quite frankly most disturbing, grin I have ever seen. “And what makes you think I won’t use that to gain more power and overthrow you?” he asks, and I can’t help but chuckle.

“I fully anticipate that is what you will do, but as I mentioned before, I only want to fight one enemy at a time. So, I offer a temporary truce to you while I take out the Marcushio’s, and then I and you will have our time later. You will never rule London, and Liam will never side with you. So one day, our fight will come, but that day is not today. Do you agree to a truce?” I ask, my voice hitching slightly at the end as doubt starts to creep into my mind.

Initially, I thought Desmond would never be someone who would honour a truce, but then Liam told me earlier that his word is the most important thing. I know he will try to stab me in the back one day, and when that day comes, I will be ready. But until then, I need him to keep his word while I take out the Marcushio’s.

“Fine, Your Highness. You have a deal...for now. But we will have our day,” he states, and I reach my hand out to shake his.

As our hand’s touch, his face turns into a leer, and his eyes wander down to my cleavage. He keeps hold of my hand as he licks his lips, eyes still ogling my tits. Liam coughs deliberately to get Desmond’s attention. Desmond makes sure to shoot a smirk in Liam’s direction before letting go of my hand.

“Now that that is sorted, you need to give back the guns,” Liam states, and Desmond looks at him in confusion,

“What guns?”

“The AK47s from the shipment you hijacked,” Liam explains.

I watch Desmond’s face as Liam explains what he means, and the confusion remains on Des’ face. When he denies that he has the guns or knows anything about the guns, I believe him. There’s no way he could have hidden his reaction that well. This guy wears his emotions with pride. He doesn’t try to hide them; instead, he owns them. Looking over at Liam, I see he believes him too.

We don’t linger with Desmond for too long, wanting to get the fuck out of his office as quickly as possible.

“I will text Kellan to tell him the Marcushios are armed, and we need him to locate the guns like yesterday. While he is working, wanna go back to bed?” he teases with a very sexy wink that almost brings me to my knees. Literally. Like, right here in the corridor.

“Fuck yes. Let’s go.” I pull him along with me as we practically run back up to our room.

The engagement party approaches quickly,far too soon for my liking. I know I am going to be the one on display, that people are going to be looking at the new O’Keenan leader. For quite some time, there has been speculation over what would happen when Gramps became too old, and Dad would be pulled back to Cork to run the Irish syndicate. Nobody ever suspected I would be capable of leading. Instead, they thought I would be forced to marry someone who would rule. Now I need to show them that I don’t need a man by my side, and even though I choose to have Liam with me, he is not the boss. I am.

Liam waits patiently for me to finish dressing. His mother ordered the dress for me, and it arrived today. When I first put it on, I instantly wanted to take it off. Never have I put clothes on and felt naked. But the more I looked at it, the more I realised I love it. The silky black material flows over me like a second skin, all the way down to the floor. The front of the dress droops, almost like a roll, exposing my cleavage. My leg is visible thanks to the slit up the side that stops mid-thigh, but the bit I find incredibly sexy is the back. The spaghetti strings hold the dress up as the back of the dress droops all the way down to my lower back in a U shape. If I had a tramp stamp, it would be on view for the world to see.

Once I admitted I would wear the gorgeous dress, I decided I needed to have hair and make-up to match. Hours of pampering later, and I am waxed, plucked, and ready to go. My smokey eyes make my silver eyes sparkle, and the deep red lipstick plumps my lips perfectly. I curl my red hair and pin it back off my face but arrange for the curls to fall down my right shoulder, ensuring the back of the dress is visible.

Taking a deep breath, I open the door, and for a minute, I get to take in the mouth-watering view in front of me. Liam hasn’t heard the door open or seen me yet, so I get to stare at him. I have always thought Liam was akin to a Greek god, but he almost kills me in a suit. My heart is racing as I take in his rugged stubble, all the way down to his tailored black suit. His mother picked out a red silk tie to match my dress, and he looks fantastic. The tight trousers hug his ass, and the white shirt is just see-through enough that I can see his beautiful abs. I am one lucky woman.

Liam catches me staring at him, and I wait for him to joke with me about it. He usually makes a joke about how I find him irresistible, and the cocky Liam that I love comes out. But that doesn’t happen this time. Instead, he unapologetically stares back. His dark eyes rove over me, and it’s like his eyes are on fire. Everywhere his eyes touch, my skin begins to heat up under the scrutiny.

“Fuck, Bree, you look gorgeous,” Liam states as his eyes continue their lazy perusal of my body.

“You like?” I ask as I slowly turn around, making sure to stick my ass out slightly, so it really accentuates the missing back of the dress. I also cock my hip and place one hand on it, making the thigh slit very visible.

“Oh fuck. I wanna fuck you so bad right now,” Liam groans as he adjusts the growing erection in his pants, no doubt trying to make it more comfortable.

“Later. First we have to mingle and stop people from trying to kill us.”

Liam grabs hold of me and pulls me until my body is plastered against his. I can feel his hard cock straining to get free, and I am so tempted, but this is work time, and I need to get my head into it. His lips brush against mine, and I am such a goner. The taste of him is intoxicating, and I run my hands up his chest and then around his back, making sure to stay under the jacket, so I can feel more of him. His hands explore every inch of my exposed back, feeling lower and lower until his hands slip beneath the fabric.

“Are you not wearing any panties?” he whispers in my ear, his voice a low rumble that I feel in my stomach.

“Nope. Wouldn’t want any panty lines, would we?” I ask seductively, and he giggles.

“You will be the death of me, or my blue balls will. Either way, let’s get to this party because the sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave, and the sooner I can fuck you in this dress,” Liam purrs and fuck if I don’t physically feel myself getting wetter.

Liam pulls away before going to the safety box on the side, putting in the code until the lid flips open. He takes out his preferred gun of choice, checks it, and once it’s full and the safety is on, he places it in the special pocket in his inside jacket pocket. Looking down at my outfit, I curse when I realise I have absolutely nowhere to hide a gun. So when Liam takes out and prepares my weapon, I ask what he is doing.

“This will be strapped to my back. You will not be leaving my side anyway, so if you need it, you take it. Do not hesitate to use it because none of the assholes here will hesitate. Okay?” he asks me, and his face looks so severe. I want the sexy, cocky Liam back.

“Is this like the crime Family version of you carrying my purse? Are you my bitch now?” I joke, giving him my best serious face, but I can’t keep it up.

His face is a mixture of uncertainty and annoyance, and when I start to laugh, it quickly turns into that sexy glare he gets when he is getting ready to pounce. He is like an animal stalking his prey and just waiting for the right time to go for it. I can’t help it if I like winding him up.

“Don’t think I haven’t forgotten the spanking I owe you from earlier. You just added more onto the tally, and yes…I am still keeping count and will be doing so all evening,” he growls.

As I stand there with my mouth open and my panties dripping, I can’t help but ask, “How many am I up to?” Although I’m not entirely sure I want to know. What I do know is the evil smirk on his face tells me that as the figure is rising, my ass is going to be deliciously sore.

“You don’t want to know, but you should be good tonight if you want to be able to sit down tomorrow, that is,” he jokes as he pulls me out of the room.

Walking together down the corridor, I let Liam lead as I still have no clue where anything is in this house. He has taken me on a bit of a tour, but I just got more confused. Until we get onto the main corridor where our bedroom is, I have no sense of direction. Then, as we turn a corner, we hear a voice calling us from behind. We turn to see a very suave and sexy looking Finn, dressed in a suit, running towards us.

“Look at you looking all debonaire,” I say to him as I reach over and straighten his light blue tie. It compliments his navy blue suit and white shirt perfectly.

“Are you kidding me? I could have turned up stark bollock naked, and nobody would even realise because they will all be looking at the new queen in the black dress. You look hot, Red,” Finn jokes, and he must stare at me for a little bit longer than Liam is comfortable with because before I know it, he slaps him playfully around the back of his head.

“That’s my fiancée, you perv,” jokes Liam as Finn mutters about him being an asshole for ruining his hair.

The boys banter back and forth until we reach what looks to be a small reception room, but given the noise coming from behind the double doors, it seems like we are near the party.

“Is this the entrance to the party? Are we late? Nobody is going inside,” I ask, wondering if everyone is already here.

“This is the door used for the grand entrance. Basically, we will be announced as we walk in, then we will walk down a set of stairs, and the party is on the floor below. There’s a public entrance downstairs. We can go out into the gardens from there if you ever need some fresh air,” Liam explains, and I am grateful. Growing up in a Family like mine, you learn the escape routes pretty quickly, and it’s reassuring to know that Liam was raised the same.

We wait for a few minutes, and it’s not long before all the Doughty’s are gathered in the room. Freya is dressed in the most beautiful sky blue ballgown that accentuates her blonde hair and blue eyes. Ryleigh is the more rebellious one of the two, and she is wearing a short, purple dress that is tight like a corset on top but flies out like a ballgown below. It stops mid-thigh, exposing the most beautiful tattoo of a woman’s head and her brain is filled with books like a library. This is clearly the first time anyone has seen the tattoo since everyone’s shouting at her about it. She has dyed her hair bright purple in the few hours we were apart during the day. I think she looks fantastic, and I make sure to tell her that.

Von is dressed in the most elegant, long silver ballgown. She looks almost regal with the way she holds herself, and with her arm wrapped around Desmond, this is the closest I have seen them since I got here. Both Desmond and Evan are dressed all in black, looking like twin versions of each other. Both of them leering at me most disgustingly. I can feel Liam by my side getting ready to say something, but we talked about this before we came. Neither of us is going to do anything to risk the truce we have in place.

A girl enters the room dressed in a short black skirt and a tight black shirt. Her shiny black hair is pulled back into a simple ponytail low on the back of her head, and her eyes remain averted at the floor.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Sir. Manuel sent me to inform you of the order of introductions,” muttered the girl towards Desmond.

“Well...get on with it then, you eejit,” Desmond sneers, and I feel Liam recoil beside me. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice that Evan appears to look uncomfortable. He’s bouncing from one foot to the other and generally looking more shifty than usual.

“Sorry, Sir. You and Mrs. Doughty will be announced in five minutes, then there will be a five-minute break. Then Evan will accompany Freya, followed quickly by Finn accompanying Ryleigh. There will then be another five-minute break before Liam and Brianna are introduced. I have my headset on and will be informed when you are to go,” she explains, and everyone shifts around the room, so they are standing in the correct order and with the right person. But other than that, nobody acknowledges that she even spoke.

“Thanks for that,” I say to her. All eyes turn to me like I had just taken a shit in the middle of the room.

“Please, do not address the help, Bree. Only I talk to them, isn’t that right, children?” he asks all his children. However, his gaze is aimed directly at Evan, which is odd because he appears to be the only one that blindly follows Desmond anyway.

Everybody mutters some form of confirmation at Desmond’s question, then the girl indicates it’s time for Desmond and Von to enter. As the doors open, our room is filled with a roar of applause as they enter the Ballroom. I try to look around at the room, but after seeing the massive hanging chandelier, I figured it would be better if I didn’t see any more.

As soon as the doors close behind Desmond, the atmosphere changes. All the kids start to relax again, including the girl sent with the instructions. I am shocked when Liam begins talking to her. “Teigan, what are you doing here? I thought you went off to university.”

She smiles at Liam, but it’s clear that there is no light behind her eyes. Even with a smile on her face, she still looks so sad and lost. I feel like I want to hug her or save her, but I have no idea what to do.

“It’s a long story, but I work here now. So you really shouldn’t be talking to me. Your dad has spies everywhere,” she practically spits the last part, and I can’t help but notice the way she looks at Evan as she says that. I’m not surprised; I wouldn’t put it past him to report back to Desmond about the staff.

In quick succession, she announces the two sets of siblings, and they enter to much softer applause. However, it’s still apparent there are a lot of people in the room below us. Now that it’s just me and Liam left, I am starting to get nervous. I can feel my hands begin to sweat, and as I fidget from one foot to the other, I’m tempted to begin pacing the room. Liam squeezes my hand to calm me down.

“Tee, I’m so sorry you are stuck here. What happened between you and Evan?” Liam asks, and that stops my anxiety straight away.

“Did you date Evan?” I ask Teigan incredulously, and she chuckles.

“We dated all throughout high school, and he wasn’t as much of a dick back then. Then, I went off to university, and he stayed here to work for his father. My Evan disappeared the day he never showed up to move away with me,” she says, her breath hitching as though the story still makes me sad.

“I remember that Evan was supposed to go with you, but then he just didn’t. He changed after that. So why did you come back?” Liam asks, and Teigan shakes her head, looking even more dejected than before.

“My mum got sick; I came back to help her. She needed some treatment that was only available in the US, and I needed money fast. The bank wouldn’t take a risk on a student with thousands of student debt and no job, so I came to the only person I knew who would give me the money. I had the tickets booked and was all ready to go, but then mum passed away. I couldn’t get my money back, and Desmond wouldn’t let me move out of the town to try and find a job. He said it would be the same as running, which he offs people for. He insisted I work here and work off my debt. By the time I am about a hundred years old, I will have probably paid off the original debt, but my grandchildren will be paying the interest. He has me bent over a barrel, and boy does he fucking know it,” Teigan explains, and my heart breaks for this beautiful girl.

“What did you study at university?” I ask, genuinely curious.

“Would you believe it if I told you criminal psychology?” she asks, and I can’t help but laugh.

“Please tell me you didn’t want to be a pig?” pleads Liam, and the lightest laugh escapes Teigan’s lips. It causes her face to light up slightly, and I see a hint of the girl she once was.

“No way. I wanted to work with criminals, people with psychotic tendencies, things like that. Help them to learn to manage their behaviour and basically how not to go to prison,” explains Teigan.

A short sharp laugh escapes me. “Well, Evan could really use your help there,” I joke, and both Liam and Teigan mutter in agreement.

“You know, he used to be funny, kind, and easy-going, but the more time he spent with Desmond, the more he became his clone. I fucking hated it, and I hate having to spend every day watching him morph into this version that I can’t stand,” she murmurs, her voice laced with sadness, and I feel Liam sag beside me. Teigan clearly has never got over Evan.

“I know what you mean. I wish I could have got my brothers out when I helped my sisters,” Liam groans, a wave of sadness washed over him, and I can hear the genuine regret in his voice.

“Don’t think like that. They are men and not boys. They are older than you, and you are not responsible for them, okay?” she says but interrupts us before we can reply. “Shit...you’re up.”

Then with no time to prepare, the doors open, and I walk into the wolves’ den, clinging onto Liam as though he were my life raft, which in a way, he is.