What Money Can't Buy Ch. 09

"You think I need therapy?" I struggle to hide the hurt in my voice. She nods gently, her eyes searching my face.

"I think it could help you. Sort things out, and not put so much pressure on Fran," she admits, her eyes finding her feet. This seems hard for her to say, and I have to admit she might be right. I want to do anything I can to take the pressure off of her.

Before I can reply, Francesca calls us to tell us breakfast is ready. "Thanks, Cher," I offer, "I'll think about it." She looks back up at me and smiles. She can tell I mean it. With that, we wander back to the main room.

When we get back to the kitchen, my mobile's ringer is going off, so I excuse myself as the ladies sit to eat. I check who's calling- great, my mother- I roll my eyes as I press it to my ear. "Happy Christmas, Mother," I say dryly into the mobile.

"Reginald, darling. Yes, happy Christmas. I need to speak with you," I roll my eyes. It's always something.

"What can I do for you?" I ask, hoping to end this call so I can get to my breakfast.

"Well, I'll just say it. It's absolutely horrendous. Your brother, Henry, he has gotten himself into a bit of a mess. The press caught him in the middle of a... a rendezvous of sorts, and now Sheila is threatening divorce. It's an absolute scandal. I could not be more livid with him right now," she says, and I nearly gag on her privileged tone. This is so typical of them. It's Christmas, and all they are worried about is the public image of the company after another one of Henry's mistresses gets discovered. Jesus, get to the point.

"Alright, Mother, I understand. What is it that you'd like me to do? Lock his dick in a chastity device and hide the key?" I mock, already at my wits end with this call.

"Reginald! Watch your language!" she castigates me, and I roll my eyes again.

"Apologies, Mother," I say to appease her and hopefully get to the point.

"Well, we've decided to put together an event for charity, you know, to remind the public that we are a loving family organization. We were thinking New Years," she explains.

"Sounds great, Mother. Would you like me to write a check?" I ask her.

"Well, we think it's important that you make an appearance, you know, for the image..." I cut her off.

"I have plans with friends on New Years," I tell her. Too bad for her "family image".

"Reginald, the family needs you. This isn't a negotiation. You can bring your friends along if you'd like," she replies.

God, this is ridiculous. At least they usually throw a good party- maybe the crew will be happy. "Fine. Just email me the details. Now, I have breakfast waiting for me," I try to end the call.

"Wait, darling. Malcom seems to think that it would be more effective if we organize something for a cause we've supported for some time..." she starts, and my heart sinks.

"You want to do something for Bowen's?" I ask angrily. This is so typical- taking advantage of such an incredible organization to make up for my idiot brother. Malcom is my mom's publicist, and he is as snake-like as they come.

"Oh, Reginald, that would be perfect! I was hoping you could get us in contact with that friend of yours, Janine..." she's off again.

"Jamie, mother. Jamie and Trevon Bowen. I've told you this a hundred times," I'm exasperated, but I also recognize that we could put the money from the event into centers across the city.

"Yes, my apologies, dear. Jamie. We could throw the event at Bowen's," she clarifies, and I know she is only trying because she needs something.

I sigh. "I will speak to her. But I already fund Bowen's, so whatever we raise at this event will have to go to other centers around the city," I try to make the most of my family's idiocy.

"That's fine, Malcom will sort it out. I will email you!" and with that, she's hung up. Typical. Not even a goodbye. I slam my phone onto the counter in frustration.

"Reggie, what's wrong?" Francesca says from the table. I don't respond, but in moments her hand is on my back. "Babe, are you alright?"

I turn to face her and the look of concern on her face warms my heart. "Yes, I'm sorry love. It was my mother," my face turns sour at the words.

She reaches up and kisses me, and I press into her. I let my anxiety pour into her and I relax against her lips. "Come, eat, and we can talk about it," she tells me as she pulls away. I kiss her again, hard, tasting the cinnamon and sweetness on her lips. This time, I release her. "Alright?" she asks me. I nod and take her hand and walk us to the table, where she has a plate waiting for me.

I dig in, then share with the ladies how the call went. "So, she's roped you into this?" Cheryl says, rolling her eyes, "Why is Henry such a man-whore?"

I shake my head. "Cheryl, the answer to that eludes us all. At least some good can come of it. I just hate to change our plans."

"Don't stress about that- a boughie New Years party sounds like a good time! Free booze and food? The gang will be thrilled," Rose says with a grin, and I relax further. Thank God I have such wonderful people in my life.

"So, your family is going to be there?" Francesca asks me, her voice laced with trepidation.

Shit. I hadn't thought about the fact Francesca likely doesn't want to meet my family. "Yes, my two shitty brothers and my horrible parents will be there in order to remind the public that we are a "loving family organization,'" I can't hide the malice in my voice. She looks terrified. "Are you alright, love?" I ask, but I already know the answer.

"Yeah, sorry, I just..." she starts to respond, but Rose cuts her off.

"Fran, it's fine. I'll stay home with you, we can party it up here," she offers kindly. The look of concern on Rose's face surprises me. I must be underappreciating how much my family upsets Francesca. She does look terrified.

"Absolutely, darling. I would never expect you to come. It will be a drag anyway," I try to brush it off. I take her hand and pick up my fork to finally take a bite of the delicious looking cinnamon roll in front of me.

My lips circle my first bite as Francesca pipes up again, "No, I think I should come," she says.

I swallow rapidly and choke on the bite. "Sorry?" Rose gapes at her, as baffled as I am.

Francesca gulps and looks over at Cheryl, who nods at her encouragingly. What? Have they talked about this? "Umm, yeah. I think that, you know, I should meet your family, at some point, so this is an opportunity. For that," she murmurs awkwardly, twiddling her thumbs in her lap.

"Francesca, you don't need to do that. I rarely see them. We could go years before you would need to meet them, on some random day when my mother barges in to tell me I need to do some interview for the family image," I reassure her.

She shakes her head, and I'm stunned, "No, Reggie. I would like to come, if that's alright," she says, and looks at Cheryl again. Cheryl smiles and reaches her hand out to grab Francesca's across the table. What the hell is going on with them?

"Okay, if that's something you'd like, of course I would love to have you there," I say, and Rose and I share confused glances across the table.

The conversation moves on, but I want to address this with Francesca later on. I grab her hand again as I dive into my breakfast, trying to enjoy her hard work.

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Rose and Cheryl spend the night in the spare room after a long day of laughs, love and a few too many eggnogs. When we finally get back to our room, I sit on the bed and pull Francesca into my lap. "Baby, let's talk about New Years," I say, running my nose along her neck.

"Reggie, I'm tired," she whines.

"Francesca," I scold her, hugging her tightly, "Talk to me." She's quiet. "You seemed really freaked out, and then all the sudden..." I prompt her.

She sighs. "Well, yeah, I'm... the idea of meeting your family scares me. They... It's hard not to vilify them. I mean, you can understand that, right? But, at the same time, I worry about the power they have... it's hard to explain," she says.

I ponder what she's said. "It makes sense that you would vilify them. But they have no power over you- they can't hurt you, and I wouldn't let them if they tried," I reply, trying to comfort her. She doesn't say anything. "I don't want you to come if you it's going to be hard for you. I don't want to cause you pain, love."

She burrows her head into my chest. "No. I realized a few months ago that I would eventually have to meet them. I actually talked to Cheryl about it at my birthday party. I don't want to run from it. I love you and I want to accept you, and everything that means. It's not like you have much of a relationship with them, so I won't have to see them at Christmases and birthdays and everything for the rest of my life," she mumbles, and I inhale sharply at those last 5 words. The rest of her life. Wow. I can't help my grin and she notices, causing her brow to furrow. "What?" she asks.

"Nothing," I say, then kiss her forehead. "Are you sure you want to come?" I belabor the point.

"Do I have to be nice to them?" she asks me, and I laugh a deep belly laugh.

"I'd prefer if you weren't," I tell her, "It would ruin my cred with the family if I stopped calling them on their bullshit."

"Then yes, I want to come and call them on their bullshit with you," she murmurs, nuzzling me again.

"I'm glad. It was daunting thinking about facing them without you," I say gently. It really would. I can tell she's tired- it's been a long day. "Let's get you to bed, Killer," I whisper.

"Bed? Already?" she looks up at me, grinning salaciously.

"Disappointed?" I tease her, then tickle her sides.

She chuckles but grabs my hands to stop my onslaught. "You are a beast!" she says as I fight her hold and keep tickling.

"I'll never be your beast of burden," I sing The Stones to her as I tickle. We fall back on the bed and I continue singing. "All your sickness, I can suck it up! Throw it all at me, I can shrug it off," I croon as I make my way on top of her, locking her arms beneath my knees. "Should I put you out of your misery, baby?" I tease her, and she presses against my knees but realizes she is totally at my mercy. God she is sexy.

"Come on baby, make sweet love to me," she sings in her beautiful honey-like voice, and I can't resist her. Not that I'd ever try to. I release her arms and slide down, letting my lips find hers. I kiss her softly at first, but my need for her grows as I think about our conversation. The rest of our lives. My tongue explores her mouth at the thought.

We undress hastily, each of our desperation evident to the other. I reach down and feel between her legs, and she is wet and wanting. I slide into her, my desire to be buried within this woman overwhelming everything else. She feels so good. Her walls cling to me and it feels like a velvet vice-grip surrounding me. I swear, this pussy was made for my cock. We start to move together, still kissing and touching frantically. Neither of us can get enough of the other. I try to slow down, taking a deep breath and slowing my thrusts. I grab her face and kiss her hard before pulling away. "Francesca, my God, you are everything to me," I murmur against her lips. "I didn't know that love could be like this."

"Me either," she replies, locking eyes with mine. "This is special, isn't it?" she asks as we shag slowly.

I nod and kiss her again, trying to express how I feel. You're my family, Francesca. "This is forever," I whisper, almost inaudibly. She kisses me again, and I refocus on pleasure. I have to make her cum. I shift us so her hips lift, and I slide a pillow beneath them, changing the angle to adjust where I hit her.

I start pumping again and kiss and suck on her neck. "Oh, yeah," she whispers. I let my hands find her tits and I tease her nipples lightly. Her hands find my upper arms and she squeezes them as I drive her higher up the mountain. "Reggie... I- Oh yes!" she says quietly, then her nails dig into my biceps and I feel her clench around me as she cums. It's a quiet orgasm, but powerful. I keep thrusting as she pants below me, recovering. "Wow," she murmurs. She grabs my face and kisses me hard, wrapping her arms around my neck and tugging me against her. She rolls me over and rubs her nipples across my chest as she takes over. She bounces up and down on my cock slowly as her mouth takes mine, her hands running through my hair. Suddenly, she's rubbing her clit against me and moving along my body, making my cock shift inside of her in a delicious way.

I groan against her mouth and grab her hips to pull her harder onto me. I circle her hips as she kisses my neck and jaw. "You feel so damn good," I moan, relishing the tightness of her pussy lips wrapped around my cock.

"Mmmmh, you're the perfect fit, Reggie," she says into my ear as she starts bouncing on my cock again. She squeezes her walls and I let another groan escape my lips. "You like that?" she asks and squeezes again. I close my eyes and enjoy the sensations. She sits up to get a better angle, her hands on my chest as she springs off me and back down, speeding up. I open my eyes and watch her shag me, her tits jiggling as she goes. I reach forward and find her clit with my thumb. I rub at it quickly, hoping to make her cum again. Her nails dig into my pecs and she scrunches up her face, and I know she's close. I press up into her as she slides down, getting deeper, and let my thumb fly over her button. She sinks all the way down and stops moving as her orgasm begins. "FUCK!" she cries, nearly hurting me with her fingernails.

Her pussy locks on me and I feel my balls churning. I grab her hips and start pumping into her and find my release. "Francesca, baby!" I cry as the first jet of spunk jumps from my cock. "Oh god," I murmur as my own orgasm shoots through my body, paralyzing me beneath her. She collapses on top of me and I wrap my arms around her, burying my nose in her hair and taking a deep breath. She's like my drug.

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I would never have left Francesca this morning, sleeping as beautifully as she was, but I had my first therapy session. It was mostly me telling the therapist about my life, and talked a lot about my nerves to see my family and introduce Francesca to them. We didn't focus on the concept of marriage with Francesca, but I think Cheryl was right- it could really help me figure things out. The therapist reminded me that I have time to sort this all out and understand what I'm feeling. It felt good, honestly.

When I got back, I assumed Francesca would be awake- she never sleeps in, usually not past 7:30. Instead, I found her just as I left her. Her golden hair is fanned around her head in a silky halo, her cheeks pink, lips red and parted around her white teeth. She's got an arm raised over her head, making one of her breasts peek out from beneath the sheet. I could sit here and watch her sleep for hours, but unfortunately, we have a busy day ahead of us. Malcolm has planned a black-tie charity dinner with a silent auction for the tonight's event. It was 5,000 euros a table, so I'm certain it will be a classy affair. I convinced the gang to accompany me and bought a table. I had a tux that would fit Riggs, and Frank already owned one, but unfortunately the girls didn't have attire for a black-tie event. I told them I'd take them out shopping for something, but today was the only day they were all free, so they will need to find something that fits. All the girls jumped on the opportunity- Except mine. I smile at the memory of Francesca's stubbornness.

"I have a dress. I'll wear the one I wore the night we met," she mutters after I tell her the girls wanted to go shopping.

"I'm getting a dress for all the other ladies, let me get you a new one," I pester her.

"Reggie don't press me. I love that dress; I'm looking forward to wearing it again," she says calmly as she takes out one of her side plaits.

I sigh but start unplaiting the other side, "Fine, fine. But at least come with us. I don't want to go without you," I finish with her braid and kiss her neck,

She turns to look at me and rolls her eyes. "Alright, I'll keep you company."
"Maybe you can try on a few, just for fun," I offer, "Or, we could fund you some nice jewelry?"

"Watch yourself," she says playfully, smacking my bare chest.

I grin at her, "Oh, you wanna play, do you?" I ask, tackling her onto the bed, tickling her sides before making sweet love to her.

Francesca mumbles something and I'm distracted by my daydream. I'd better get her up and moving, she'll be mad she's still in bed. I lean down and kiss her forehead. "Wake up, my love," I murmur, and she stirs beneath me, stretching.

"Hi," she says, yawning.

"It's time to get up," I kiss her lips gently.

She groans, "But I was having such a lovely dream. And I never get to sleep in!" She rolls over to the other side of the bed, and I let out a chuckle. I slide into bed next to her and pull her against me.

"Dreaming of me?" I ask her seductively.

"Absolutely. NOT!" she laughs maniacally.

Two can play at this game. This should be a laugh. I nuzzle her ear and whisper, "It's after 10, Killer."

Francesca shoots up, startled. "What?!" she cries, turning and looking at the clock. I laugh at her concern. "How did I sleep so late?" she frantically gets out of bed.

"Baby, calm down," I say, standing with her and pulling her into me. "You can get dressed, I'll take you to breakfast, then we'll meet everyone to go shopping," I kiss her deeply. She reciprocates, then pulls away and wanders into the bathroom, calmed considerably but still moving quickly. "Any New Year's resolutions?" I call to her.

"Yuh," she mutters, a toothbrush making her difficult to understand. I follow her into the bathroom and hug her from behind, my nose nestling into her neck.

"What are they?" I ask her.

She spits then rinses her toothbrush. "I want to be braver. Maybe get to bold by the end of the year," she smiles at me, and I mimic her.

"I love it," I tell her, then kiss her again, tasting the minty freshness on her lips.

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We meet the group in a shop Jessie said she walks by on her way to work and has always wanted to go into. When Rose heard Francesca wasn't getting a dress, she insisted her sister at least try some on with them. I knew I could count on her. They all pick out some options and head to the dressing room. I sit next to Frank while we wait for the ladies to try on their choices. Frank got roped in to help Jessie choose a dress, but he seemed genuinely happy to be there. "How are things going with you two?" I ask as Jessie heads back to the dressing room after getting his opinion on a gown.

He smiles sheepishly. "Bloody brilliant, honestly."
"That's fantastic. You both seem really happy," I reply, smiling back at him. "Jessie was telling me that Bar 23 is in trouble- that still the case?" I ask him.

"Unfortunately, yes. It doesn't look like they'll even make it another month. Jessie and most of her friends are applying to other restaurants already. It's a real shame, she loves it there. Plus, Cheryl and Rose were talking about renting the space as a venue, since they could get it for a deal and most classic venues are already booked for their date," he tells me.

I shake my head, "Damn, that really sucks. That place was great, and in such a nice location," I tell him. "What a shitshow."