Annie faced her mother. "That's too bad. He might have failed to mention this to you, but I made it very clear that I love Oksana. I don't love him. I don't care how it makes you and Dad look. I'm not marrying him!"

"You are. I'm not letting you throw away all of my hard work. There is no way I can change the date at the club or get the deposit back. And there is no way I'm telling my friends my daughter is a lesbian involved with that. Say good-bye to your little friend. Actually..." Taum paused. Oksana stilled in her retreat with one foot moving toward the kitchen. "Keep her. Every good marriage has its slut on the side. Just ask your father."

"Mom!" Annie charged at her mother. She grabbed Taum's arm and yanked her out of the room. She dragged her with all her strength down the hall, into the kitchen. The little dog yapped the entire way.

"What the hell do you think you are doing? Get off me."

Annie heard the slap of Taum's hand against her face a split second before she felt it. Recoiling, she fell against the stove. Her mother had never lifted a hand to her ever.

"Six weeks. If I have to drag you down the aisle by your hair, you are marrying Jeff. And I promise, if you don't cooperate, you will regret it and so will she." Taum straightened her top and patted the dog on the head, making cooing noises until it settled down. When the little demon pooch was happy and licking the palm of her hand, she peered up at Annie. Annie held her cheek, her eyes watering from the throbbing sting, and watched as her mother pulled a green plated key out of her pocket and put it on the kitchen table. The emergency spare key she'd given Feather.

"I won't tell your father about this. I'm meeting with the caterer tomorrow morning. And I'm hiring you a new trainer. You look fat." Taum glanced toward the living room. "Call me when she knows her place. Or when it's over. Whatever. But you should apologize to your friends. You really hurt Feather's feelings."

Annie blinked, then flinched when her mother stepped closer to her side. Taum patted her hair the way she'd patted the dog's fur.

"Be a lesbian. I don't care. Just keep it under wraps. Don't...I don't know. Don't become a dyke."

After another assuming pat and an air kiss, Taum walked out the front door.

Oksana held the ice pack to Annie's cheek. Her own eyes started to sting as the tears continued to leak from Annie's eyes.

"How does it feel?" She pulled the pack away and checked the red spot before reapplying the pressure. She heard the slap Mrs. Collins laid on Annie from across the house. It took everything she had not to smack the lady down for hitting her. The last thing Oksana needed was to get arrested for assault on the weather-beaten shoe of a woman.

"It feels better. The ice is helping," Annie said. "I don't know who told her about your Ink Ladies pictures. I didn't tell anyone."

"Don't worry about it. That's the curse of the Internet. Once it's out there, it's out there."

Annie was quiet then. Oksana didn't want to speak. She couldn't help the things that were running through her head, mostly what Mrs. Collins had said and a few things in particular that came from Annie's lips.

"Sana."

"What is it, babe?" Oksana gently stroked Annie's jaw.

"I meant what I said to my mom. I love you. I didn't mean to tell you like that. I wanted it to be special, but I wanted to wait until I dealt with the wedding stuff. I wanted a clean slate so you knew what I was saying was real," Annie said. Her lip started trembling. "You can't believe anything she said...I...I..."

"Shh. Stop." Oksana leaned forward and kissed Annie on her lips. "Stop crying. Okay?"

Annie nodded, but the tears still flowed.

"I love you too. I was waiting for the same reasons. Jeff has always been between us and I wanted to wait until I had you all to myself. I love you."

"I can't believe she said that to you." Annie shook her head.

"She didn't. She said it to you because she was trying to hurt you. I don't know her. I know you and I love you and she was trying to hurt you so you'd let me go."

"Well, I'm not going to," Annie replied.

"I didn't think you would."

Annie took the ice pack from Oksana and sunk into a chair at the kitchen table. "I have to call Megan. And Feather. I'm going to fucking kill her. This is hers." Annie held up a loose key.

Oksana went to join her, hopefully to work out some kind of plan for the rest of the evening, but her phone vibrated in her back pocket. She took it out and stared at the display. It was Paulo.

"Fuck." She wasn't ready for this. Her senses were still humming from their run-in with Mrs. Collins. She knew this was just the eye of the shit storm. She wasn't ready to pass through to the other side.

"Who is it?" Annie asked as Oksana cursed again.

"Hold on. Hello?"

"What the fuck is going on? I'm standing in line at Pantages about to get my Wicked on and some crazy ass bitch calls me screaming about how she's going to sue Elite Fitness if Annie Collins isn't bride ready and in Orange County on July thirtieth. Please tell me what the fuck is going on and make it quick. I do not want to miss the opening number."

"Short version, we got busted before Annie could tell her parents on her own."

"Great. Well? Do you still want your job?"

"Uh, of course I do."

"Fine. I'll deal with her. I'm guessing this is the last time this will happen. No other clients look good to you?" Paulo was pissed, but he was making his point. This was her one fuck up, the one major headache she could give him.

"Yes. This is it."

"Okay. Tell Annie I said hi and that better be the best pussy you've ever had in your entire life. Golden ticket vagina, Oksana."

"It is." She snorted so inappropriately. "It's more than that. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah. Bye," Paulo muttered.

Annie looked at Oksana with her big, sad eyes as she hung up her phone. "It's fine. He let me off with a warning."

"Are you sure?" Annie made a face and then her finger flew to her face. "Shit, that hurts." Oksana crossed the room and squatted in front of Annie.

"Here. Now, what do you want to do?" Oksana asked as she put the ice pack back on Annie's cheek.

"I have to-"

"That's not what I asked. What do you want to do? What do the butterflies want?"

"I don't deserve you." That irritated Oksana. She leaned back, taking Annie gently by the shoulders.

"Why would you say that? Don't let other people get in your head like that, okay? I love you. This isn't about deserving anything."

"What if calling Paulo isn't enough? What if she tries to hurt you more? What about Kat and Baba?"

"Kat doesn't have my restraint. She would fistfight your mom. And Baba is always packing a blade and she's got quality aim with a thirty-eight. Don't worry about us." Annie's weak smile was a welcome change. "So tell me. I still have a job. You still have me. What would you like to do?"

"I'm pretty hungry. And there's plenty of crap to watch on TV."

"Go get changed for bed and I'll get the food ready."

Annie stood and reached for Oksana's hand. The pink on her cheek was growing darker. "You want to come?"

"Give me a sec. I'll be right there."

"Okay."

Oksana braced herself against the counter and let out a long, shaky breath. Holy shit, that woman was crazy. Oksana's mother was cold. Really fucking cold and she was pretty sure heartless, but Mrs. Collins was on a new level of crazy. She was really going to try to force Annie to marry someone she had no interest in. Never mind what she had said about Oksana. She didn't want to give those cruel words any credence. Mrs. Collins was one of those women Oksana liked to pretend didn't exist. She ran into all sorts of snobby rich types through the gym, but none of them had ever had the balls to speak about Oksana that way, to her face.

Oksana knew who she was and she loved that person and she hated that Mrs. Collins's words were able to penetrate that confidence even the slightest bit. Oksana saw finally that part of her had wanted Annie's family to approve of her. She knew they wouldn't, especially from the way Annie explained her relationship with them. Still, she hoped they could see that Oksana was good for Annie. She hoped they would care that she made Annie happy, even if she didn't come in the ideal package. But Annie's happiness wasn't a factor in Mrs. Collins's plans. She was all about appearances and her own bizarre standards. The plastic strain on Mrs. Collin's face made Oksana feel a little better though, and even more thankful for her own family. All three of them would have to be there for Annie as she made her way through this swamp of bullshit.

"Sana?"

"I'm coming."

Oksana walked down the hall to Annie's bedroom. She was changed already, in loose sweats and a perfectly tight T-shirt that showed off her tits. She kissed Annie again and took a few seconds to play with her nipples through the cotton of her shirt before she took the pair of shorts Annie offered and slid out of her bra and her jeans. They lounged on the couch for a while, picking at their food and watching Predator until Annie drifted off. Oksana rubbed Annie's legs, trying not to think of all the ways their night had gone so wrong. They'd have to save that big purple cock thing for another time.

Sometime later, Annie's phone vibrated between them. Oksana checked the display in case it was a call from work.

It was a text from Feather. Sorry, but you should have told me the truth.

"Who is it?" Annie yawned and snuggled closer.

"No one, baby. Go back to sleep."

Chapter Fifteen.

The Perfect Day to Move At least ten times in the next week, Annie considered chang-ing her phone number. There were calls and texts she didn't want to take and a million more calls she didn't want to make.

Every day Taum would call. Annie made the mistake of answering just once. Taum went on about things being settled with the caterers. She also gave Annie the name of two more trainers before Annie hung up on her as politely as she could. That didn't stop her mother from leaving voice mails, each more threatening and unhinged than the last.

"Your bridesmaids are cooperating. Why can't you?"

"Jeff's parents don't need to know about this. If you'll just call him we can get on with things."

"Call me back, Annie. I don't want to come back up there."

Annie had no clue how she was supposed to respond. How do you speak rationally to someone who refuses to address reality? It would be a balmy sixty degrees in hell the day she walked down the aisle to Jeff, but silence was the only way she could get her mother to see that. If Taum was crazy enough to see the ceremony through, then fine. Annie would make sure all the guests knew she wouldn't be there, and after one e-mail, she was finally able to confirm that Jeff wouldn't be there either. He was still pissed at her, but he knew they were officially done and he wasn't interested in playing Taum's insane games any more than Annie was. Taum could throw her huge wedding, and she and Feather, and maybe Shane and a few of her parents' clueless friends would be the only ones to show up. Annie hoped they would enjoy the cake.

When Taum wasn't lighting up her phone, there were texts from Feather, each more and more insulting and pathetic than the last.

I think you owe some people an apology. Including me.

You should have told me.

Why didn't you tell me?

I don't care if you're gay.

So you're just ignoring me now?

Please, Annie. Call me. I'm not mad at you anymore. Neither is Shane.

I miss you. Call me.

Annie didn't give a shit about how Feather felt. After a little investigative work on Megan's part, Annie learned that Jeff was only a small cog in the machine that had lead Taum into her living room that night. Feather had coughed up the spare key to her house. She'd also done her own research from what Jeff and Taum knew about Oksana. All it took was one glimpse at Oksana's Elite Fitness profile and Feather remembered Oksana from the Ink Ladies photos. Feather had told Taum that Annie was involved with some sort of deviant slut whose photos and videos Feather had viewed and, Annie assumed, masturbated to plenty of times. Feather was a traitor, a hypocrite, and a shitty friend.

Shane was a little annoyed that Annie and Megan had left her out of the loop, but Feather had been the fink. Even if Feather apologized to Oksana's face and offered to be her personal slave for the rest of her natural life, Feather wouldn't be hearing from Annie for a very long time.

When she wasn't avoiding her mom and her friends, Annie took what free moments she had to contact all of their guests. Most felt sorry for her, as if Jeff had dumped her. Others tried to hide their annoyance and failed. There were calls and e-mails from Jeff's family and friends too. Some were shocking, like a Facebook message she'd received from a random buddy of his calling Annie a whore. Annie spoke with Jeff's mother briefly. She wasn't amused by all the trouble Annie had caused, but she understood that Annie and Jeff had parted ways. Jeff's sister had a few choice things to say. Her voice mail was short but to the point.

"My brother dodged a bullet. Thanks." That message hit home.

Annie had hoped she would find some sort of refuge in Oksana's arms and in the warmth of Baba's home, but all of it was taking its toll on their relationship. At first Oksana sat with Annie while she made some of these calls, but after the fourth, "I'm so sorry...no, we both thought it was best," Annie could no longer handle the subtle way Oksana's body would tense beside her. She couldn't ignore the number of times Oksana excused herself for a drink or to use the bathroom. When Annie asked for a few days just to straighten things out with their guests, Oksana didn't argue. Annie couldn't wait for it all to be over.

At work, people tiptoed around her, afraid she would have some sort of abandoned bride meltdown. She told Esther the whole story and gave her permission to spread it as office gossip. Sergio bought her a bottle of tequila to express his condolences. She planned to take a few shots that night before she made the last of her calls. Hopefully, Oksana would come over after she sobered up.

Annie looked up at Jewel who was loitering in her doorway.

"You need something?" Annie asked.

"You have a package." A short man in a suit appeared behind Jewel.

"Ms. Collins?" The short man stepped into her office. He was all business.

"Yes?"

"This is for you." He handed Annie an envelope and a set of new keys.

"What is this?"

"Have a good day." He nodded and disappeared out the door. Annie could feel Jewel and Esther watching her with concern, but she ignored them. She tore into the envelope. A handwritten note from her mother was paper clipped to a letter from her parents' attorney.

Let me know when you come to your senses, the note read. Annie flipped to the first page of the letter. Her eyes skipped over certain lines as her brain refused to process what the letter was saying. Words like "forfeit" and "property" and phrases like "effective immediately" and "storage unit" stood out. Her eyes went to the top of the missive and she read the whole thing again, still holding out for the real message to come through in some hidden lines she simply couldn't see. It was a joke. Or just a push. It wasn't real.

"Tell Sergio I had an emergency," she told Esther as she gathered her things.

"Okay. What's going on?"

Annie just shook her head. "I have to go." Jewel was smart and jumped out of her way.