Midweek Tease: More from Just For the Weekend

Welcome to this week’s Midweek tease. Monday marked the release day of a new bundle of books from Crimson Romance. Wedding Season consists of 10 novels with a common theme. Just For the Weekend is one of those.  Can you imagine waking up married?

Here’s this week’s tease.

Cleo sat up quickly, moaned, and fell back onto the bed. Her head was spinning, and it wasn’t a pleasant sensation. She closed her eyes and forced her mind to focus. What exactly had happened last night? She concentrated so hard it hurt.

She vaguely remembered getting dressed and going out for something to eat. They’d taken the limo. It had been almost midnight, and there had been people everywhere.  Sam had insisted they celebrate the rescue as well as the beginning of their relationship. They’d had more champagne … He’d talked about getting together with Liz, Jane, and Charlie, but it had only been the booze talking. After this weekend, he’d be off to Wales and back on stage in August. He’d ring another woman’s bells, and she’d live the rest of her life on memories of what might have been but couldn’t be.

They’d made no promises to see one another, at least none that she remembered, but why would they? They still had tonight. She focused her mind on last night once more. They’d gone down to the Strip and moved from one casino to the next. Memories of a large video screen and fireworks flittered through her mind, and she recalled dancing in the street. Images of brightly lit casino floors and ringing bells warred in her mind with others of fancy beverages in glasses of all shapes and colors. What the hell did she drink last night? She sat up again and gripped the bed for support.

Whoa! Take it easy. If the planet will just stop spinning a second, I’ll be fine. 

She stood gingerly and walked to the bathroom. She washed her puffy face—too much alcohol, not enough sleep—took two acetaminophen tablets she found there, and then returned to the bedroom. Her stomach roiled.

So this is a hangover. Not good.

She wrapped herself in one of the bathrobes she found on the floor at the foot of the bed and padded out to the living room for some water. She stopped dead as the scent and color hit her. Given the precarious state of her stomach, the aroma of what must surely be a hundred roses nauseated her.

The room was filled with blooms in every imaginable color. Why in the world would Sam send so many? She blinked her eyes and saw a card on the table. She reached for it and opened it.

Good morning, Mrs. Mason.

I hope the headache isn’t too bad. I have business to attend to, but I’ll be back by two. Think about where you’d like to go for our honeymoon. I have a couple of suggestions.

Love, Sam

Her heart pounded wildly. Her breath caught in her throat, and she felt as if the world had stopped spinning and reversed itself. For a brief moment, she was elated.

Mrs. Mason? 

The wonder of it thrilled her. The handwriting on the card was definitely his. It was bold and large, an extension of the man himself. She plopped into the nearest chair and stared at the note in her hand, awed by what the words implied.

She looked around the room, trying to find something to kick start her brain. Further along the table was a picture of the two of them standing in front of a pair of white and gold wedding bells. Instant Bliss Chapel was emblazoned in gold under the picture along with the names Sam and Cleo Mason, and the date. She stared at the number. July fifth. She’d been married earlier today. You’d think she’d remember her own wedding. That wasn’t something a girl was supposed to forget.

She scrutinized the photograph. She and Sam were smiling, arms wrapped around each other, their left hands clasped in front of them. She wore her white eyelet dress, the silver and turquoise jewelry Sam had bought her at the Skywalk, and on her wild hair sat what was definitely a small veil. She held three red silk roses in her hand—the same three roses sitting on the table beside the photograph. Her eyes were a little glazed, but she looked deliriously happy as did Sam beside her. In fact, he had a smug, sappy, satisfied look on his face as if he’d just gotten exactly what he’d wanted. She’d seen the look on the faces of too many five-year-olds not to recognize it.

Cleo gazed at her left hand holding his in the photograph and then examined her hand. The gold band in the picture decorated her left ring finger. She shook her aching, throbbing head from side to side. She didn’t feel like a new bride. She felt confused and sick—suddenly, deathly ill. The implications of what she was seeing roared into her mind like a freight train out of control.

Oh God. What have I done? I’ve married a man I’ve known less than forty-eight hours.  I’ve married a male stripper! How the hell am I going to tell Dad? This can’t be real.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s tease.

Want to read more? Here’s the Amazon link. https://www.amazon.com/Wedding-Season-10-Nuptial-Novels-ebook/dp/B01HH2TGN0/

I won’t be back next week. I’m going camping for a few days, but I’ll see you all on July 13th. Hope you’re having a great summer!

Please take a minute to visit the other great teasers. There may be more than listed here, so don’t forget to check the Linky link.

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