MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

Nancy turned to Eric and said, "Go to the church. Tell them to delay the wedding by thirty minutes."

Eric sighed and said, "I can give you twenty minutes, but not a minute more. I will wait for you at the church. Don't be late!" Once Eric was gone, Crystal shouted for the makeup artist.

"Do we have enough time?" Nancy asked nervously.

"I'm not sure," Crystal admitted. "Your makeup is one thing, but what about your dress? It looked fine at first, but now I can see that it is not. Hand it over. I'll see if I can fix it?"

"How?" Nancy frowned and said, "There are no needles or thread here..."

"Just give it to me!" Crystal exclaimed. "I need to wash it before I can even try to mend it."

Nancy nodded, picked the dress off the floor, and handed it to Crystal. The garment stank of sex, and Crystal flinched when the scent hit her nostrils. Never mind that she told herself - You have smelled worse things in your life. She went to the sink and turned on the faucet.

By the time the makeup artist had arrived, Nancy was waiting for her. The girl quickly washed Nancy's face, and then she began to reapply her makeup. "You will be better than ever," she said. "You have nothing to worry about."

Once the dress was clean, Crystal held it in front of her so that she could inspect the damage. It was worse than she had thought it was, but she had an idea. She picked up a pair of scissors and cut off the torn pieces. The zipper was broken too, but that was an easy fix. She untied the bow-chain belt and created shoulder straps with them. It took a lot of pins, but she was able to hide them, and in the end, she thought the dress looked better than ever.

Crystal looked over at Nancy nervously. They needed to be at the church in five minutes. Thankfully, the makeup artist was finishing up. "Quick!" she exclaimed. "Get dressed!"

Nancy frowned. "But what about my hair?" she asked. Indeed, her updo had been ruined, but it had settled, and it hung beautifully over her shoulders.

"You look perfect as you are," Crystal replied. "Trust me. Noah is going to be pleased."

Nancy blushed. Once she was dressed, Crystal covered her head with hazy gauze. Stepping back, she smiled and said, "Nancy, you look like a princess that has been lost in a misty forest."

****

Eric had arranged for a pianist to perform for their guests to stall the wedding, and while the man played, a ballet dancer fluttered about in white dress. Then, as the last notes of the last song rang out, Crystal and Nancy appeared.

For an instant, the beams of lights fell on the two brides, and everyone "Ooo'd" and "Ahhh'd" as they approached their grooms.

Eric looked at the watch. They were five minutes late, but he paid for those minutes, not mind.

The journalists began to take pictures all around them, and the church lit up like Main Street on Christmas Day.

Crystal smiled. She looked as decent and elegant as a goddess.

Nancy appeared gentle and sweet and innocent and attractive.

The flower girls stood on either side of the aisle, and they scattered petals in front of brides. And when the ladies reached the front, their grooms held their hands, knelt on one knee, and kissed the backs of their hands.

Paul was sitting in one of the reserved seats. His legs were crossed, and there was a casual smile on his face. But that changed when Nancy came into view. His body stiffened, and his ire began to rise. Do not worry- he told himself- Calm down. You still have Plan B.

Once the grooms stood back up, the bridal party took their places, facing the crowd. Almost immediately, Nancy spotted Paul's disgruntled face, and all her fears returned. He glared at her, and she quickly looked away. She thought - If I pretend that I don't know him, maybe he will leave me alone. She knew that it was wishful thinking, but it was all that she had to keep her fears at bay.

****

Kitty-corner to the church, a large number of aircraft, tanks, and artillery had appeared from nowhere. A platoon of soldiers was marching towards the church, and suddenly, the wedding didn't seem quite so interesting to the people outside.

****

After reading from their Bibles, the priests prayed and then asked the two couples the routine questions:

"Eric Bush, do you take Crystal Smith to be your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day on, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

"And Noah Laurent, do you take Nancy Carter to be your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day on, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

Eric looked at Crystal, and Noah looked at Nancy.

"Yes, I do," the two grooms answered at the same time.

The audience laughed affectionately as the priests turned to the brides.

"Crystal Smith, do you take Eric Bush to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day on, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

"And Nancy Carter, do you take Noah Laurent to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day on, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?" 

Nancy and Noah gazed affectionately into each other's eyes. She smiled and looked around, and she happened to spot Paul again. I will not be beaten by you! - she thought. Her oath was like a declaration of war; she turned back to Noah, smiled, and said, "I do."

Unlike Nancy, Crystal seemed to be in a daze. Eric furrowed his brows and coughed. In a low voice, he said, "Dear...?"

When Crystal heard Eric's voice, she finally came to herself. She took a deep breath and said, "I do."

The audience burst into thunderous applause that echoed throughout the church.

Once the cheering died down, one of the priests said, "And now, please exchange your rings."

Suddenly, Paul jumped to his feet and shouted, "Hold on! Before the ritual is completed, I have a slide show that I have prepared."

Everyone thought the wedding had been coming to an end, so they were quite curious to see what the slide show would be about.

Around the church, there were a few large screens.. Prior to the wedding, they had been showing wedding photos and videos, but nobody knew what Paul had in store for them.