Alpha Billionaire’s Bride, Part Three (BWWM Romance Serial) (6 page)

“You didn’t. Seriously? Not your part in it, though, right?”

Marina shrugged. “Like I said, there were a few too many
highballs. I got to feeling badly about how my part in it could have really
hurt Sasha and so I apologized and everything. Anyway, it came out all right.
Agatha wasn’t even mad. How cool is that? She forgave me and said she’d help.
And she has, too. She’s made my job a lot easier.”

Jada’s blood pressure kicked up a few notches. “I cannot
believe you told Agatha your secret. It’s getting harder to count who
does
know your secret than who
doesn’t
. That woman will never keep her mouth
shut, Marina.”

“I think she will. She was upset when she heard what I knew,
and she wants to find out who tried to screw over Sasha.”

Jada would have pursued the subject further, but Mr. Forest
was ready to take them to the stables so she had to leave the conversation as
it was.

Hours later, after their lovely ride exploring the grounds,
Jada and Marina returned to the main house for lunch. Ian and Sullivan remained
holed up in Ian’s office, a disappointment for Jada who had hoped Ian would
find some time in the afternoon for her.

Late in the afternoon, Jada and Marina joined Sasha and Trey
at one of the docks. They dangled their feet in the chilly water and savored
the warmth of the sun on bare legs and shoulders.

Sasha told Trey how Marina studied billionaires,
embarrassing Marina and instantly transforming Trey from flirty admirer to
distant ice man. Sasha found the situation hilarious and ribbed Marina
mercilessly, but Jada felt sorry for Marina, knowing Trey probably thought she
was a gold digger.

In a way, Jada asked herself, wasn’t that what Marina was?
No, Jada wouldn’t believe it. She knew deep down that if it were necessary,
Marina would choose love over money every time.

Her sympathy for Marina, however, was short-lived when
Sullivan came strolling onto the docks and spoke to Marina in an overly-casual
tone.

“Hey, Marina, I’ve been meaning to tell you. I looked into
your friend’s little matter,” he said. “Tell her it’s fine. Nothing actionable.
She might want to keep it on the down-low, though, for now.”

Marina didn’t hide her relief. “Thanks, Sullivan. I
appreciate it.”

“No trouble. So what are you all doing down here?”

Jada let Sasha answer his question and grabbed Marina’s arm,
pulling her close. She hissed in Marina’s ear. “What was that about?”

“Shh. They’ll hear.”

“Come on then.”

She led Marina up the dock, away from the others. “What was
he talking about?”

“I told him about my situation because I was worried I could
be in trouble with the law, that’s all.”

“Your situation? You mean, you told him our little secret?”

“Maybe. Yeah, okay. I did. But—”

“That’s it. I’m done with this. You’ve now told everyone
except the one person who really should know what you did.”

Marina snagged her by the elbow. “No, wait. It’s okay. I
gave Sullivan a dollar to hire him as my attorney, so he can’t tell anyone what
I said. Attorney/client privilege.”

“That’s stupid, and only works on TV.”

“I don’t think so. And you heard what he said about keeping
it on the down-low for now.”

Jada had. She glared at Marina, who didn’t appear the least
intimidated by it. Marina re-joined the others at the end of the dock, leaving
Jada to chew over the situation by her lonesome.

JADA WAS THROUGH WITH KEEPING information from Ian, and by
the time she’d showered and dressed for dinner, she was almost positive she was
going to tell him everything. Almost.

When she saw Ian standing at the head of the long table in
the large dining room, her stomach fluttered. He looked so handsome in his
dinner jacket and immaculately-pressed slacks. His eyes sparkled when his gaze
met hers and she wondered what he was thinking. Did he like the pretty lavender
dress she’d chosen for the night, with its swinging hem and snug bodice that
showed off some cleavage?

He pulled out her chair, the one nearest to his, and when
his fingers brushed over her shoulders she knew from his touch that he liked
what he saw. It was hard to focus on the others’ dinner conversation with Ian
so near. More than once his foot brushed hers, and she contemplated slipping
off her shoe and running her toes up his strong calf for a little dinner time
footsie.

She didn’t have to worry about keeping up with her fellow
diners. Everyone seemed content to make do without the pair at the end of the
table. Ian and Jada said little, and what they did say was inane, topics like
the weather and what the federal interest rate might be next quarter. It wasn’t
what they said, but what they didn’t say that had them riveted to one another.

All day long she’d been looking for Ian around every corner,
in every room and down every hall she walked. Now here he was at last, and
every fiber of her person strained to get closer to him.

Jada felt certain that tonight was it. She was going to
sleep with Ian Buckley. No doubt about it. The tension between them was
palpable and the simple brush of his hand against hers when he handed her the
butter was enough to send a wave of shivers down her spine. Tonight.

After a desert she hardly tasted, everyone decided to gather
in the bowling alley for a competition. Jada lagged behind and was relieved
when Ian took her aside.

“I had something else in mind for us after dinner. Would you
like see it?” Ian whispered, his breath warm and tingly on her earlobe.

She nodded and he smiled, then he took her arm and swiftly
led her away from the others. She heard Agatha asking where they were going,
and she heard Marina telling her to never mind, that they’d get Deb to come
down and even up the teams.

Jada appreciated her sister’s protection. At the same time,
her guilt over what she was hiding for her sister’s sake stole some of that
gratitude.

Ian ushered her quickly down the main hallway and toward the
opposite wing of the house. Jada saw Lydia standing in the hall in front of a
pair of double doors and realized with a pang that Ian wasn’t leading her to
his bedroom as she’d anticipated. He was leading her to whatever the security
chief guarded.

“All’s ready, Sir,” Lydia said with a curt nod. “This time,
I guarantee no one, human or beast, will get past me.”

Ian returned her nod, a small twitch turning up one corner
of his mouth. “Excellent.”

Lydia stepped aside and Ian stepped forward, flinging both
doors open at once and gesturing for Jada to enter.

She walked into a scene from a fairy tale. The room, which
she’d toured her first day there and which had been described to her as
multi-purpose, had been bland and nondescript, filled with tables and chairs
and a podium, like in a conference room. Tonight, it was hardly recognizable as
the same place.

It was illuminated by dozens upon dozens of candles in
different sizes, some on pedestals, some in groupings on small tables, some
tea-light-sized hanging from the high ceiling in golden mobiles that rotated
slowly.

Had the wallpaper been this golden and lush when she saw it
before? She didn’t think so. In fact, the whole room sparkled.

The floor was a dark parquet that glistened under the
flickering candlelight. Had it been such a gorgeous parquet when Jada had been
in the room before? She didn’t recall, but then, much of the floor had been
covered with tables and chairs, and now it was completely open, the only
furniture in the room being some comfortable-looking, plushly-covered sofas and
chairs which lined the walls.

The air was redolent with vanilla, black cherry and orange
blossoms, the combination of scents blending to create something new.

She heard the doors shut behind her and that’s when the
music began. At the far end of the room, on a dais partially hidden behind a
silk screen, sat the four musicians responsible for the delightful melody: a
string quartet. She nearly clapped her hands in pleasure. Wonderful.

The utilitarian space had been transformed into nothing less
than a fantasy ballroom. There could be no other way to describe it. The music,
the dance floor, the lighting. It was a ballroom fit for a princess. Beautiful.
And Ian had done it all for her.

“It’s splendid, Ian. How did you—”

Ian moved in front of her and bowed slightly. “May I have
this dance?”

Jada lifted her hand, meaning to accept, then guilt crashed
in from out of nowhere, ruining the romantic moment and sending her arm
plummeting to her side.

She blurted a strained response. “We need to talk.”

His face fell. “That’s never good, not when a woman says it
like that. Have I done something—”

“Oh, no. It’s not you. It’s me. You’ve been wonderful, and
I’ve ... I’ve been lying to you. I’ve got a secret. I’m so sorry. I have to
come clean.”

She watched a train of expressions cross his features:
confused, startled, disappointed. Her stomach ached. Something big and dry
lodged in her throat.

“Should I sit for this?” he asked.

“It wouldn’t hurt.”

She followed him over to a sofa and they sat down. She
steeled herself for his anger.

“It’s about Marina,” she said rapidly, ripping off the
bandage with one, merciless pull. “She’s involved in the marriage license scam,
unwittingly of course, but she’s involved. And I’ve known since yesterday and I
didn’t tell you because ... well, because I didn’t. I’ve been lying by
omission, which is wrong, and I know that. There’s no excuse, I know that, too.
I feel terrible, but she’s my sister and family’s family and, I don’t know.
When you hear everything I’m sure you’ll understand. I hope you will, anyway.”

Ian’s brow furrowed. “That’s your secret? That Marina was
part of the scam and you didn’t tell me?”

“Yes. And when you hear the whole story—”

“That’s everything? You aren’t hiding something else?”

“No. That’s it. It’s enough, I’d think. I mean, I’m pretty
sure everyone on the estate knows the secret except you, and that’s plain
wrong,” Jada said, wishing she’d shut up but was apparently unable to stop
digging herself into an ever-deeper hole. “Maybe Trey doesn’t know, but I think
he’s the only one. And maybe some of the staff, but everybody else knows. And
that’s terrible because you should have been told first, not kept in the dark.”

He took her hand and squeezed it between his big ones.
“Jada, I already know about what Marina did.”

“What?”

“I already know. I’ve known since yesterday.”

“Wait.” She pulled her hand away. “You know what Marina did?
All of it? How she got CGTV involved and helped the woman who was bribed ...
and ... everything?”

Ian nodded. “Yes. All of it.”

Irritation roared in out of nowhere. “Who told you? It
wasn’t Marina was it? I mean, she’s told everybody else, but she couldn’t have
told you, could she? I’ll kill her if she did. Seriously. Don’t tell me if she
told you.”

Ian smiled. “No, it wasn’t Marina. It was Elly. I ran into
her not long after she overheard Marina telling you everything. Elly looked
upset so I asked her what was wrong. The next thing I knew she burst into tears
and started babbling about not being invisible. I’m still not sure what that
was about. When I convinced her I didn’t care if she was invisible or not, she
told me about overhearing Marina’s confession, and I got an earful about what
had happened in your room.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Elly is the squealer? But she
promised!”

“Don’t blame her, Jada. She felt terrible that she told me.
When she finished her story, she said she wouldn’t be able to look you in the
eye again.”

“Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen much of her since
yesterday. I bet she’s avoiding me.”

“Undoubtedly.”

Jada took a moment to chew over the new info. “So, you knew
all along. Why didn’t you say something?”

“I was testing you.”

“Seriously? I think that pisses me off. But then, I wasn’t
being honest, and you don’t know me, not really, so I could see why you might
not trust me, but still—”

Ian barked out a laugh. “I’m joking, Jada. I wasn’t testing
you. I figured you’d tell me eventually. I understand loyalty to your sister
and how you couldn’t know what my reaction would be. I was giving you time. And
see? I was right to do it. You’ve told me everything and we can move on.”

“That’s so logical and even-handed, it’s almost ridiculous,”
Jada said.

“Thank you, I think.”

“I don’t get it, Ian. I wanted to tell you right away, and I
believed Marina was wrong to distrust you. And now here you are telling me that
you trusted me, too. Why is that? Why are we trusting each other so easily and
quickly? Are you always this way? I’m not.”

“No, I’m not either.”

Jada looked into his eyes and read that he didn’t understand
what was happening any more than she did. And she also read that, like her, he
didn’t mind not understanding, which also wasn’t common for either of them.

She considered the idea that being with Ian was meant to be,
that in a cosmic sense he’d been intended for her all along, and that’s why she
was still single and why she’d never been serious about a man before, and ...
it was meant to be. She almost said it out loud. Almost. Then she returned to
her senses.

“So anyway,” she said briskly, intent on changing the
subject, “you know all about Marina then. Good. I’m glad Elly told you,
actually. You’ve already had time to think about everything. Who’s tops on your
whodunnit suspect list now? We think it has to be one of Sasha’s enemies. We’ve
narrowed it down to three models with grudges.”

“That’s interesting. But you’re wrong. I know exactly who
did this and why.”

“You do? How? When did you find out? Why haven’t you told me?”
Jada’s mind whirled.

“Well, it’s not one hundred percent certain yet, but it will
be by tomorrow morning.” His confidence was persuasive. “CGTV invented this
story, made it up. They’ve been ducking our requests for a copy of the marriage
license, and the reason why is simple—they don’t have one. When the Springers
Glen courthouse opens up tomorrow, my people will be there getting proof that
there never was a marriage license. Then CGTV will pay for thinking they could
get away with something as outrageous as this.”

“Wow. I mean, not that you shouldn’t make them pay. You
should. I mean wow, that makes so much sense. Do you really think they’d make
up something like this? About someone as powerful as you? I don’t see how
they’d think they could get away with it.”

“Tattletale presses lie plenty. If there isn’t a real
scandal to sell their product, they make one up. Truth or fiction, they’ve got
sales quotas to make.”

“I get that. Why aren’t they constantly being sued?”

“Most of us in the public eye simply let it go or we
threaten legal action until they retract the story and we leave it at that.
Also, there are a lot of people out there who know that any press, good or bad,
helps careers that rely on celebrity, so they don’t complain as long as it
doesn’t go too far.”

“Do you think this story has gone too far?” she asked.

“I do. I might have let it go, merely threatened them until
they publicly retracted it, allowed them to claim that a clerical error caused
a misunderstanding. You’d be surprised how many supposed clerical errors there
are.”

“A ton.”

“Yes. A damned incompetent profession as a whole if
celebrity gossip presses are to be believed. Anyway, I might have let this go,
but when they attacked you so viciously, they crossed the line. You aren’t a
public figure and they should know better. I promise you, Jada, they’ll pay for
what they’ve done and for any damage they might have caused you moving
forward.”

Warmth built in Jada’s chest. “It’s okay, Ian. I’m okay. I
don’t think they’ve done any permanent damage.” She could hardly ask her next
question from fear of his answer. “Do you?”

“I hope not. I don’t think so, not yet. But it was a nasty
attack, and I don’t understand why they did it. It can’t be allowed to stand.
It’s not right.”

She nodded. She’d been trying not to think about the impact
this would have on her future, pushing her concerns aside while she still
could. But Ian had been thinking about it for her, hadn’t he? She wasn’t sure
how she felt about that.

“It’s a lot to take in,” she said. “You’re sure CGTV made
everything up?”

“I am.”

“Marina’s going to be disappointed. She’s spent all day
trying to get hold of those models’ agents, but they haven’t answered her,
probably because of the holiday. All that frustration for nothing ... except,
it kind of serves her right. She wouldn’t have had the trouble if she’d just
let me tell you everything yesterday.”

“Good point,” he said. “But I can see her side of things.
She doesn’t know me, after all.”

“And maybe you’re some crazy, overly-rich egomaniac who goes
ballistic when someone crosses you.”

The side of his mouth quirked. “You are truly naive, the
pair of you.”

“Wealthy people are never egomaniacs ... I see. Ha!”

“No. Not that. You’re right about that. Not about me, but in
general. Still, that’s not what I meant. I meant you’re naive to think that
anyone could be overly-rich.”