Claim

by Janet Nissenson

  She stuck her bottom lip out in a sultry little pout. “I don’t care,” she declared. “At least it would take the edge off.”

  “No.” He gave the briefest shake of his head, but it was all he needed to get her attention. “You won’t. You’ll wait until later, until we’re in the privacy of our room. Where no one will hear how loudly you moan when I fuck you deep and hard, or how long you’ll scream when you come over and over again. So be a good girl, and show me how patient you can be, hmm?”

  Tessa glared at him sulkily. “It will drive me half insane all night long and you know it.”

  Ian gave her a cheery smile. “Well, at least it will give you something to think about, won’t it? Just consider it a pleasant distraction from worrying about meeting so many new people. Ah, we’ve arrived.”

  The retort she’d been about to deliver in response to his rather offhand remark was suddenly forgotten as the butterflies in her tummy returned full force. Ian assisted her out of the limo with his usual gentlemanly care, and kept a hand firmly on the small of her back as they walked inside the grand hotel.

  Tessa didn’t miss all of the interested looks directed their way as they walked at a rather leisurely pace through the lobby, and guessed that a good many of the onlookers recognized Ian as one of the famous Gregson family. He had cautioned her that there would very likely be photographers present at tonight’s party, especially since there were a number of celebrities, sports figures, and politicians on the guest list. She offered up a silent prayer of thanks that her hair, makeup, and dress were more than camera ready, and that she would certainly fit in with all of the other glamorous, well dressed women who would be in attendance tonight.

  The huge ballroom was already half-filled with guests when they entered, and Tessa could swear that every single person present had turned to stare directly at her simultaneously. Ian swiftly plucked two flutes of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray and handed one to her, whispering urgently, “Courage, darling. I believe this is what they call showtime. And it will be mere seconds, I predict, before the crowds start descending on us so drink up.”

  She gave a quick, decisive nod and bolted half the glass of fine French champagne down in a single gulp. Ian winked at her conspiratorially, then slid his arm around her waist, keeping her tucked firmly against his side.

  His prediction was spot on, as he was fond of saying, for within seconds of their arrival, they were approached by one couple after another who wanted to say hello to Ian and meet his new fiancée. Tessa didn’t miss the variety of reactions she received from Ian’s friends and acquaintances - surprise, speculation, admiration, envy - but she was relieved when everyone seemed friendly and welcoming. A few of the friends she had met during their visit in September embraced her warmly, and Victoria in particular made it a point to introduce Tessa around as her future sister-in-law, gushing about how thrilled the family was that Ian had met someone so wonderful, and how excited they were about the wedding next June.

  It was nearly time for the buffet dinner to begin when Tessa felt Ian’s body stiffen a bit. He hadn’t left her side for even a moment, remaining true to his word as always, and she was grateful for his unwavering support. But she felt a definite change in his body language, and the way his fingers dug a little deeper into her hipbone.

  “Is something the matter?” she whispered in concern.

  Ian glanced down at her, a somewhat distracted look on his handsome face. “Hmm? No, nothing’s wrong, love. It’s just - well, Victoria didn’t warn me that she would be here this evening, and there’s not going to be an easy way of avoiding her.”

  “Who?” Tessa inquired, puzzled by his sudden unease.

  He hesitated before somewhat reluctantly replying, “It’s Davina. And she and her husband are making something of a beeline for us even as we speak.”

  Hearing the name of his former fiancée caused Tessa, too, to stiffen in reaction. But before she had time to think about it, a striking brunette impeccably attired in a violet satin evening gown was standing right in front of them, her dark eyes softening as she gazed rather wistfully at Ian.

  “Ian,” murmured Davina in a soft, almost caressing tone. She extended a slim, perfectly manicured hand towards him. “It’s so wonderful to see you again. Welcome home.”

  Davina’s accent was every bit as posh and precise as Ian’s was, giving credence to her own upper crust background. Tessa knew that she was in her late thirties, but she easily looked ten years younger, her flawless ivory complexion glowing, her figure as trim and graceful as a girl’s. Her dark hair had been intricately arranged in an upsweep, with a few tendrils left loose to curl about her lovely face. A necklace of amethysts and diamonds surrounded her slender throat, with a matching pair of drop earrings dangling from her lobes. She looked almost fragile, certainly delicate, and was the epitome of class and elegance. And it took less than ten seconds in her presence for Tessa to feel both insignificant and terribly intimidated.

  “Davina.” Ian gave her hand a squeeze before bending to brush his lips ever so lightly against her proffered cheek. “Lovely to see you as well. And we’re only here in London for the holidays. Home is actually San Francisco these days. Speaking of which.”

  He turned to Tessa, giving her a warm smile that triggered the gooey, melting sensation she so often felt in his presence. “Darling, let me introduce you to an old friend of mine. This is Davina - it’s Cavendish, now, correct?” At Davina’s slight nod of assent, Ian completed the introductions. “Davina, I’d like you to meet Tessa Lockwood. My fiancée.”

  As she gave Davina’s hand a brief shake, Tessa was startled to notice the rather dismayed expression on the other woman’s face. But Davina was far too well bred to betray her distress, and instead gave Tessa a polite smile.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tessa,” she replied a bit frostily. “And let me congratulate you both on your engagement. I must say that the news was, well, something of a surprise to many of us who’ve known Ian all these years. The conjecture was that he’d remain a bachelor for the rest of his days, rather like his uncle Anthony.”

  Tessa didn’t care much for Davina’s rather snooty tone, and was about to answer her back when she felt Ian give her waist a little warning squeeze, signaling that she should let him deal with this.

  A warm smile lit up his handsome features as he gazed down lovingly at Tessa, the backs of his fingers brushing her cheek. “I thought the same thing for a long time, Davina. But the moment I met my Tessa, I knew she was the one I’d been waiting for all these years.” He bent his head, pressing the softest of kisses to her lips. “Isn’t that right, love?”

  Once again he’d managed to surprise her with this unexpected display of public affection, and in front of his former fiancée to boot. Tears welled up in her eyes as she gazed at him lovingly, her hand caressing his cheek.

  “Absolutely,” she murmured.

  They stared into each others eyes for long seconds, momentarily oblivious to the fact that Davina and her husband were mere inches away. It was, in fact, the sound of Mr. Cavendish clearing his throat that finally drew their attention back to the other couple.

  “Sorry,” apologized Ian with a dazzling smile. “I tend to act like something of a schoolboy at times when I’m with Tessa. You must be Everett. A pleasure to finally meet you.”

  Davina’s husband spluttered and stammered a bit as he shook first Ian’s and then Tessa’s hand, though he seemed a friendly enough man. But Tessa was more than a little startled to notice the marked differences between Everett Cavendish and Ian, and wondered why Davina had chosen someone like him to marry.

  Everett was on the short side, standing about even with his wife in her three-inch heels, and was what one might politely call stout. His belly was beginning to protrude over the snug fitting waistband of his tuxedo trousers, and it had likely been some months, if not years, since he’d done any form of exercise. His hairline was visibly receding, and he would probabl
y be completely bald in less than ten years. He had small, deep-set eyes, and pale skin, and Tessa noticed the small beads of sweat along his forehead and upper lip, even though the room was at a comfortable temperature and it was barely thirty degrees outside this evening.

  The contrast between the two men - the tall, well-built, and dashingly handsome Ian, and the short, pudgy, and merely average looking Everett - was beyond glaring. Tessa figured that either Davina had fallen madly in love with him, or had been so devastated over the break-up with Ian that she had settled for the first man she’d met soon thereafter. She was willing to bet that it had been the latter and not the former reason.

  The two couples made polite conversation for a few minutes, Tessa rather uncomfortably aware of the increasingly disdainful way Davina was regarding her. It was a blessed relief when the call came for dinner, and Ian deftly guided her towards the buffet line.

  As they waited their turn, she felt Ian’s arms encircle her waist from behind, his chest pressing against her back as he murmured in her ear, “I’m sorry about that, darling. If I’d had any idea at all that Davina was going to be here this evening, I would have certainly warned you.”

  She shook her head, leaning back into the comforting warmth of his body. “It’s okay,” she told him. “And frankly, even if you had known, it’s probably for the best that I didn’t. As nervous as I’ve been about being here tonight, thinking about meeting your ex-fiancée would only have made things worse.” She paused for a moment before adding, “She - she’s a beautiful woman, Ian. I can certainly envision the two of you together, can understand why you would have been attracted to her.”

  He moved to stand beside her, his hand at her waist, and shrugged. “She’s not even half as beautiful as you are, love. And I think it was more a case of being thrown together and feeling comfortable with each other than any sort of overt attraction. My relationship with Davina wasn’t even remotely close to what you and I have now. And she knows it, too. That’s why she was acting like such a snooty bitch just now.”

  Tessa felt an odd urge to stick up for Davina, perhaps feeling sorry for the other woman that she hadn’t been able to hang onto a prize like Ian, and had had to settle for the bland, milquetoast Everett instead.

  “She wasn’t so bad,” she demurred. “Frankly, I think she’s probably too well-bred to ever be really bitchy. And I can understand how she must be feeling right about now. After all, Everett pales very, very badly in comparison to you. I can’t imagine why she would have been attracted to someone like him after having a catch like you for a fiancé.”

  Ian grimaced. “The fact that his family owns the largest cellular phone network in the U.K. probably swayed her just a bit. The Cavendish’s are almost as wealthy and well known as my family. But they seem happy enough, and I believe their little boy is around five or six years old by now. And whether or not she’s still bitter after our broken engagement doesn’t give her the right to be unpleasant towards you.”

  “It’s all right, Ian,” assured Tessa quietly. “It really wasn’t all that bad, and it’s over now. Let’s enjoy our dinner and visiting with your friends, hmm?”

  Tessa was easily able to follow her own advice and have a very pleasant evening. She felt very much at ease with Ian’s friends and their wives who had been seated at their table, the same ones she had met during their earlier visit to London. Clive and Lesley were seated to her immediate left, and Ian’s childhood friend kept everyone at the table amused throughout the meal with his jokes and stories.

  After dessert had been served, Ian drew her out onto the dance floor to join several dozen other couples, and she sighed with something that felt a lot like utter bliss as she rested her head on his broad shoulder.

  “Enjoying yourself, love?” he murmured against her ear.

  She lifted her head slightly to gaze up at her gorgeous, debonair fiancé, thinking for perhaps the thousandth time how lucky she was to be able to call him her own. He was everything and more that any woman could dream of - handsome, strong, sophisticated, wealthy, and a true gentleman. When one added in his kindness and compassion, the way he devoted himself to taking care of her and indulging her every whim, and especially his amazing sexual prowess, Tessa doubted that a more perfect man could be found anywhere in the world. He was certainly her ideal of the perfect man, the ideal lover, the ultimate prize. And she loved him fiercely, passionately, with everything she was, and knew that he felt the exact same way about her.

  “It’s been a wonderful party,” she enthused. “And I know I was being silly with all my worrying about it. Everyone I’ve met has been so kind. What about you? Are you having a good time?”

  Ian pulled her a little closer, his arm tightening about her waist. “I always have a good time when we’re together, darling,” he replied, brushing his lips against her forehead. “And tonight has been a very happy occasion for me, seeing so many old friends, but more importantly being able to show you off to all of them. You’re by far the most beautiful woman in the room, Tessa, the star that shines the brightest. And I’m so proud of you, so proud that I can call you my own.”

  “That goes both ways, you know,” she told him. “Even though I’m still a bit peeved at you for making me wait for - well, you know what.”

  He laughed in delight, his hand sliding down her back to give her ass a suggestive squeeze. “And the wait will be well worth it, darling, I promise you. After all,” he whispered to her huskily, “I’m every bit as hungry for you.”

  He kissed her then, right there on the dance floor surrounded by a hundred other people, and rather than shy away from all the stares she sensed being directed their way, she gloried in them instead. She kissed him back fiercely, her arms clinging to his neck, and couldn’t help feeling a bit bereft when he reluctantly lifted his mouth from hers.

  “For once,” he laughed softly, “the Gregson brother whose photo will be splashed all over the tabloids tomorrow morning won’t be Colin. I guarantee you that every photographer in this room caught that particular kiss on film.”

  “Good,” she replied cheekily. “I’ll make sure to buy a copy of every newspaper with our picture in it so we can show them to our children one day. Maybe I’ll even start a scrapbook.”

  Ian laughed more heartily then, drawing even more astonished glances, and Tessa giggled happily right along with him. She was still smiling, in fact, when she walked inside the ladies lounge a short while later - only to be brought up short when she saw Davina seated at one of the mirrored vanity tables touching up her makeup. The brunette glanced up at the sound of Tessa’s heels on the marble floor, but the look on her lovely face was one of sadness rather than the hostility Tessa might have expected.

  “I’m surprised Ian’s let you leave his side long enough to powder your nose,” Davina joked lightly, though the hurt tone in her voice was impossible to disguise. “He seems completely taken with you, Tessa, perhaps even obsessed.”

  Tessa’s already rosy cheeks flushed a bit more with embarrassment. “It goes both ways,” she acknowledged shyly as she walked over to where Davina sat. “He’s a very special man, as I’m sure you’re aware.”

  “I am, yes.” Davina closed her little gold compact and placed it carefully inside her silver satin clutch. She stood then, the top of her sleekly coiffed head barely reaching Tessa’s chin. “And I’m very glad you realize how lucky you are, Tessa. You’re - well, quite a surprise, let’s say. When I heard from Victoria that Ian was engaged, I wasn’t expecting his new fiancée to be quite so, er, young.”

  Tessa gave an apologetic little shrug. “I get that a lot. But fifteen years really isn’t all that much.”

  “Fifteen.” Davina shut her eyes briefly and gave a little shake of her head. “My God, you’re even more of a baby than I initially thought. I hope, my dear, that you know what sort of a life you’ve got to look forward to with a man like Ian.”

  Tessa was immediately taken aback by such a statement. “I’m not sure
what you mean,” she replied warily. “Ian has been wonderful to me. He’s the kindest, most caring man I’ve ever met.”

  “I’m not referring to his personality, my dear,” assured Davina. “I’m well aware of Ian’s nature, and it’s most obvious how much he cares for you. No, what I was really referring to was his devotion to the family business. More specifically, how frequently he travels and how much time he’ll be spending away from home. Do you have a large family, Tessa? A lot of friends?”

  “No, to both questions,” admitted Tessa. “I don’t have any family at all. But while I don’t have a lot of friends, the ones I do have I’m very close to. Why do you ask?”

  Davina gave a little shrug. “Because you’ll need to have a support system to fall back on when you’re left alone for four weeks out of every six. When Ian is traveling to God knows where, and you have no choice but to attend a party or reception or other event with your sister or best friend or a cousin. I used to tease him a bit that I was jealous of his job, that his job was rather like him having another woman on the side. But it wasn’t a joke, Tessa. His dedication to the company will take precedence over his relationship to you, mark my words. And you’ll be bored and lonely and neglected. Haven’t you already experienced any of this?”

  Tessa shook her head. “Not at all. At least, not since last spring when I left my job at the company so that I could travel with Ian. We’re never separated now, I go everywhere with him.”

  Davina stared at her in shock. “You - I didn’t know you had worked for the company. Is that where you met Ian?”

  “Yes. I worked as part of his support staff for over two years before we began seeing each other. I, um, resigned from my job right around the same time. So now I’m free to accompany him on all his business trips, and because I’m very familiar with all of his administrative needs I act as his PA during those times. It’s an ideal solution, really.”

  “Yes, I imagine it must be,” replied Davina quietly. “But you won’t be able to keep up that sort of arrangement once you start a family. Unless you’re one of those dedicated career women who don’t want children.”