Fyre & Revenge (8 page)

Zette got up
slowly, sitting on the edge of the bed for a moment. Immediately as
she lifted her head off the pillow, a fresh wave of nausea hit.
This was really beginning to annoy her now, not to mention washing
her out. The wedding was two weeks away, she couldn’t afford to be
ill at the moment. She had dress fittings and things to organise;
she just didn’t have the time to be sick.

Sighing she
pushed herself to her feet, heading for the bathroom. She’d give it
a day or two and if she was still feeling ill, she’d go see the
doctor. Nothing was going to ruin her big day.

The church was
packed. Throngs of people, most of whom Zette didn’t recognise as
she peeked around the door at the back of the church, filled the
pews. When a few turned, eager to get a glimpse of the bride, she
ducked back behind the door.

“Ready for
this?” a deep voice asked as she turned. Logan Fyre, impossibly
tall and handsome, stood waiting to escort her into the church.
JJ’s lawyer friend, she’d met him a couple of times since she and
JJ had got together.

“Yeah…but a
little nervous,” she admitted as she moved to stand next to him,
sliding her hand onto his arm. He’d offered to give her away since
she had no family of her own. JJ had wanted to track down her
mother but she’d told him not to bother. She’d not seen Ariadne for
years, not since she was eighteen.

True to form,
she’d tried to get in touch when Zette had made it to the big time.
There had been a few ‘pity me’ stories in the press. They’d stopped
after Zette’s lawyers had informed her in no uncertain terms that
if she continued then Zette would spill the whole story of her
abandoning her daughter; a story likely to completely blow the
‘ignored mother’ line out of the water. Unsurprisingly she hadn’t
heard a thing from Ariadne since.

She was ready
though. More than ready. She loved JJ, she’d known that since the
night he proposed and now they were getting married. She moved her
hand, the inside of her wrist brushing against her silk-covered
stomach for a moment. And she had the best wedding present of all
for him.

She was
pregnant.

Somewhere along
the way fate had intervened and the stomach bug she’d thought she’d
had hadn’t been an illness at all. No, it had been the best news in
the world and confirmed by the voicemail her doctor had left on her
phone this morning.

She smiled,
holding the precious secret to herself for the moment. As soon as
she’d listened to the message, she’d wanted burst out of the suite
in the hotel JJ had booked. Well, more taken over really. He’d
booked the entire hotel for the reception and for their guests
overnight. But she’d held off; it wasn’t the sort of news you could
just shout through a door, and it was bad luck for the bride and
groom to see each other before the ceremony.

“You’ll be
fine,” Logan slid her a sideways glance, breaking into her thoughts
and misinterpreting the look on her face, his blue eyes kind. He
was arguably one of the most handsome men she’d ever met, bar JJ of
course, looking like he belonged on the screen or something. She’d
seen agents go nuts over men that looked half as good as he did. In
fact there were several out there in the congregation she just knew
were going to be hunting him down at the reception. She almost felt
sorry for them, the man was a lawyer, and from what JJ had told
her, a ruthless son of a bitch to boot.

“You look
fantastic, you’ll knock JJ’s socks off.” His voice was filled with
reassurance, a moral support she suddenly found she needed as she
fussed with her skirt.

She’d gone
semi-traditional. One of her trademark corsets, this time in cream
silk and scattered with embroidery and beading, layered over a long
skirt. The fabric was arranged into gentle folds that whispered as
she walked, the fullness pulled back into a small bustle and train
arrangement. It was gorgeous and she felt like a princess, the
feeling further enhanced by the delicate tiara that sat atop her
head, nestled amongst the deceptively simple up-do her hair had
been arranged into. She’d even gone with the veil, to complete the
fairy tale bride image.

A veil Logan
was even now drawing down over her face before they stepped into
the church. He paused for a moment, a serious look on his face as
he sought her eyes. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to
him, whatever happens, you remember that, okay?”

* * *

She was
beautiful. Absolutely stunning.

JJ had turned
as soon as the music had started, knowing from the sound and the
collective sigh from the back of the church that his bride had
arrived. Even though this was a marriage of convenience so to speak
he couldn’t help himself. He looked over his shoulder, every inch
the nervous bridegroom, telling himself that’s what Zette would
expect to see. If he could convince himself of that, they’d be
getting somewhere.

The sight of
her took his breath away as she floated down the aisle on Logan’s
arm. The sheer veil did nothing to conceal her beautiful features
and for once, it wasn’t her gorgeous body that grabbed his
attention, taking it and his libido for a joyride. It was the look
on her face, the soft smile that curved her lips as she approached.
Her eyes met his through the sheer veil; open and honest, emotion
shining there for all the world to see.

Love.

JJ froze, like
a rabbit caught in a car’s headlights and feeling like the rat he
knew he was. He’d conned her into this but he’d never intended for
her to fall in love with him, not really. Yeah, he’d thought about
it, played on her emotions, knew it would make that task easier.
But now, realisation hit him hard, a sickening feeling in his
stomach that almost overshadowed his sense of triumph as she slid
her hand in his and they turned to face the vicar.

“Dearly
beloved, we are gathered here today…”

* * *

Zette stood by
herself in a corner of the main reception hall, briefly between
groups of guests as she sipped from a glass of mineral water. She’d
taken the merest sip of champagne during the toasts, a fact she
passed off to JJ as being too excited to need alcohol as well.

Instinctively
her eyes swept the hall, looking for the tall form of her husband.
Husband, that sounded strange. Strange but good. Her eyes softened
as she found him, talking to a bunch of men over in the corner.
They all had that same hard-bitten look about them, a sense of ease
in the formal suits they wore that said they were used to wearing
them. Colleagues, she decided. Everything about them screamed
‘business.’

In fact, they
probably had about ninety percent of the world’s business brains in
here, she decided, looking around and ‘suit’ spotting. But
unerringly her eyes returned to JJ. His formal suit fit his tall,
broad-shouldered form to perfection. Understated but no one was
going to mistake him as anything other than the groom. He’d gone
minimalist, but the lines of his suit screamed ‘expensive
tailoring,’ the cream waistcoat under the charcoal jacket
emphasising the broad chest that narrowed into a slim waist and
powerful hips. Strong thighs pulled the fabric of his dark pants as
he turned to look at her, sensing her eyes on him, not too tight
but just right.

He smiled, a
slow languorous smile that made her heart stutter. She smiled back,
still sure that this was a dream. That she’d wake up the morning
after the concert to find it was over and she’d dreamed everything.
Their engagement, her pregnancy. Everything. She’d always wanted to
fit somewhere, wanted to be part of a family so it was her ultimate
fantasy; a family of her own.

Sure they’d not
started out well. Past history and the way he’d conned her into bed
would probably have most people clucking their tongues at her and
warning her to guard her heart. Ever the cynic, Zette would have
been one of them, should still be one of them. She didn’t believe
in fairy tales, did she?

Her ringed hand
tightened on her glass, the diamond solitaire glinting in the light
and nestled next to it, the heavy wedding band JJ had pushed onto
her finger mere hours earlier. His voice had been low; sincere as
he spoke his vows, his hazel eyes unwavering as he looked at her
throughout the ceremony.

She sighed, a
soft sound of contentment, happiness. She did believe in fairy
tales.

Somewhere deep
inside was still that little girl who wanted her prince charming
and her happily ever after.

And now she had
it.

* * *

“Congratulations to you and your lovely wife. Never thought I’d see
the day, the Jensen shark on the hook and hauled in!”

JJ chuckled,
shaking the offered hand. A slender, lean man in an immaculate
suit, John Ryland was a long time competitor and, more
surprisingly, a friend. It was a friendship built up over many
years of arguing and trying to get one up on each other. A friendly
rivalry JJ relished, knowing that Ryland was as manipulative as he
was. John’s blue eyes twinkled as the older man looked from JJ to
Logan and back again.

“One down, one
to go. Will we be seeing you heading down the aisle next Logan?” he
quipped, his voice filled with amusement. The two men were well
known for their avoidance of the matrimonial state, and Logan was
infamous for not dating the same woman for more than six
months.

Logan held his
hands up as though to ward off the thought. “Oh no, not me. It’s
just him who’s taken leave of his senses.” He laughed
good-naturedly and jerked his head toward JJ.

“Well, thank
the lord for that!” John replied and smiled down as a young woman
appeared at his side, sliding her arm through his and flashing a
shy smile at JJ and Logan. “Anyway, before I get dragged off,
congratulations again JJ. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.
Perhaps she’ll soften you up a little, eh?” he teased as he was
dragged off by the girl, who JJ vaguely recognised as his
daughter.

“Don’t count on
it Ryland! I still intend to nail your ass to the wall on the
Sanders deal, just you wait and see!” JJ called after him,
amusement in his deep voice.

Even though
he’d thought it himself about colleagues who got married, why did
everyone assume that now he was married, he’d suddenly lose his
instincts, his business acumen? If anything he felt right on top of
his game, as though he could take on the world and win!

“Someone’s
watching you,” Logan said, drawing his attention with an almost
imperceptible tilt of his head over JJ’s shoulder.

JJ turned,
catching sight of Zette over on the other side of the room.
Standing by one of the large windows, the area around her was clear
of guests for the moment, which left her framed against the glass
and the darkness of the night outside. Once again her sheer beauty
caught his eye. She looked every inch the fairy tale bride.

Their eyes
caught for a moment, locked. The air between them virtually sizzled
and caught fire before one of the guests approached her, no doubt
to offer yet more of the endless congratulations that seemed to be
going around. She turned, an easy smile on her lips, breaking the
connection.

JJ knew that
the image of her framed in the window, the hauntingly beautiful
blushing bride, would remain in his memory forever. Stamped there
until his dying day. Because he knew she wasn’t just playing a part
like he was. She really
was
a blushing bride, hyped up on
the excitement and emotion of the day. After all, hadn’t she
whispered earlier to him she was too excited to drink any more of
the champagne they’d served with the wedding breakfast? Even now he
could see she only had a mineral water in her hand. Whereas he was
knocking them back, trying to ignore the growing sense of unease in
his chest.

“You’re going
to hurt her, you know.” Logan’s voice was bland, as emotionless as
JJ had ever heard it. But he still heard the censure behind the
words. The subtle disapproval Logan was so good at when he thought
JJ was being a prize idiot.

He sighed.

“Yeah, I know,”
he admitted, keeping his face as neutral as possible. Luckily no
one seemed in imminent danger of disturbing them, the two men
standing at the side of the room, just shy of the door. A much
needed break for the groom before he started circulating again.

“You’re still
set on this idiotic scheme then?” Logan asked carefully, nursing
his glass in one hand as he looked out onto the dance floor. It had
been filled since JJ and Zette had taken their first dance and it
didn’t look like clearing any time soon.

JJ shrugged.
Even though Logan didn’t say it, he knew what he meant. It wasn’t
really proper to mention the divorce when the ink was drying on the
marriage certificate and the reception still underway. Not that
Logan would care about what was proper, blunt was his way.

“It’s done now,
I’m committed.”

Logan snorted,
lifting his glass and draining it in one long swallow. “You know
what I meant. You’re committed to this, not the other. Sure you
want to follow through with it? I can destroy those papers in the
morning for you,” he offered, placing his empty glass on the table
next to them, his eyes intent as he looked at JJ.

JJ didn’t
answer, just looking out over the crowd, a drink in one hand and
his other hand shoved deep into a pocket. Did he want to divorce
Zette after a year? A year was all he needed to fulfil the clause
in his grandfather’s will and he had sole control of Jensen
Inc.

But what about
after that? He’d seen them parting after a year and going their
separate ways. Probably before that if he was honest. Whilst he had
a better track record than Logan, his affairs rarely lasted a year.
He lost interest, moved on. If they got clingy, he just stayed out
of the country. As an avoidance tactic, it worked wonders. If he
needed to, he could always head overseas for the latter part of the
year to get out of the way.