[Veritas]

Las Vegas, Nevada
Present day:

"Christopher?" Sandra purred.

No response from the huge lump underneath the silken coverlet of the king-sized bed. Sandra gently pulled the hem aside. "Chris," she cooed softly, "time to get up, honey. You'll be late for work."

A faint moan, then a shaggy mane of black hair slowly emerged from the depths of the coverlet. Two red-rimmed, bleary, hazel eyes struggled to focus on Sandra's soft, brown face as Christopher Sarantakos, aka Criss Angel, Las Vegas' hottest illusionist, gradually became vertical. He sniffed, snorted, coughed, rubbed his stubbled face and cursed under his breath. "What time is it?" he rasped.

"Six-thirty," Sandra said.

Despite his disheveled appearance and rancid morning breath, she kissed him full on the mouth. "Now, you'd better hurry up and get moving," she told him. "Your show's not going to tape itself, you know."

Criss managed a smile, then scooped Sandra up in his arms and smothered her with kisses from slender neck to her ample bosom. Sandra giggled and pushed him away. "Stop that!" she laughed. "You'd think you'd have had enough after last night! Save some for the honeymoon, willya?"

"Enough?" Criss sniffed in derision. "I can never get enough of you! And I hope I never do. And why wait for the honeymoon? We can have it right here and now!"

He nuzzled his face into her neck. The stubble from his unshaven face scratched Sandra's skin. "Ow!" she cried. "If you're gonna do that, at least shave, okay?"

Criss held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Sorry," he said, and got out of bed. "Not even married yet and already you're acting like a wife!"

"Is that a compliment or an insult?" Sandra shot back.

Criss pulled on his dark blue robe and padded into the master bath. "Is that a trick question?"

Sandra rolled her eyes in exasperation. She heard a steady stream of water splash on marble tile. "Plenty of room in here," Criss called out. "Wanna join me?"

The invitation was too enticing to refuse. Sandra grabbed a pink silk kimono that had been lying on a chair, pulled it on, and headed for the bathroom. She opened the door and stepped into the steaming shower where her fiance' waited for her sans bathrobe. "Come on in," he said seductively, "the water's fine."

Sandra removed her kimono, revealing her tanned, nude body, and embraced him. "So are you," she murmured.

(Sorry I got to cut this short, but I got to go to work. I'll pick it up later. V.)