The Rock Star's Wedding

by Demelza Carlton

  Xan smiled. It wasn't like the hotel would fall apart without internet or TV today. There weren't any guests to complain, and she did have a stack of books she'd borrowed from the resort library, courtesy of the rash of Christmas functions they'd hosted in December. As long as neither of them got hit by a falling coconut and needed emergency medical attention, the lack of communication felt...liberating. Like really being on holiday.

  New books, the house to herself, bad weather outside...now all she needed was a nice cup of tea to make her day perfect. Xan headed for home to turn the kettle on.

  TWENTY-ONE

  As Xan debated whether to brew a third cup of tea or prepare an early lunch, she heard another knock at the door.

  "Is it fixed?" she called as she opened the door.

  "Nope," Jay replied, looking far too cheerful for someone bringing bad news. "Seb says it's the dish, damaged in the storm. We'll have to get the repair guy out again. Baz should have his number, seeing as he did all their upgrades. One of the guys will call him when the get back to the mainland. I called Shou, who'll be here soon to pick them up." Jay's brow creased. "I'm not sure if I heard him right, but Shou said something about an alert for Cyclone Rose. It's been upgraded to yellow in the Buccaneer Archipelago, or something like that. He said if we want to evacuate, bring a bag to the helipad."

  Xan's jaw dropped. Yellow alert? That meant they were in the cyclone's direct path. They had to evacuate. But cyclones never came to Broome.

  "Are you sure?" she asked carefully.

  Jay shrugged. "That's what he said. He should be here soon, so you can ask him yourself. I'm going back to my place to grab a few things. See you on the helipad."

  Jay believed it, then. If the fearless rock star wanted to evacuate his precious island in the path of an oncoming cyclone, then she should, too.

  Xan grabbed her toiletries bag from the bathroom and stuffed it into her overnight bag, followed by two changes of clothes. Considering, she added another set of underwear and a dress. Three days' worth of clothes would be enough to wait out a cyclone, surely. If she needed anything else, she could buy it in town. Besides, she wouldn't be staying at whatever evacuation centre Emergency Services had set up. Steve would have rooms free at the Mangrove Hotel, she was certain of it. She probably wouldn't even have to share a room with Jay again.

  She paused in the living area to pack the library paperbacks, then zipped up her bag. Xan refused to feel guilty about taking the resort's books offsite. She'd bring them back within the week, which was more than most guests did. She still hadn't found that virginity auction book she'd started reading and never finished. She should probably order a copy online, or see if it was available as an ebook. After the storm.

  Xan listened for the sound of the helicopter, but she hadn't heard its arrival this morning over the rain, thunder and other assorted noises of the wind playing havoc with her hotel. Best to be on the helipad early, she decided, hefting her bag onto her shoulder.

  At least she didn't have to worry about locking up. There wouldn't be anyone left here to lock out.

  Xan hurried along the path, marvelling at the break in the rain. It wouldn't last long, but if she was lucky, they'd be in the helicopter and away before the next squall hit. She sure hoped so.

  The skies had started to spit by the time Shou's aircraft cleared the palm trees and started its descent, but Xan held her ground by the helipad fence. Jay, Seb and Cam were laughing about something outside the gate. Once the helicopter touched down, all three men moved to join her.

  It was a good thing Shou had four seats, or he'd have to make two trips, Xan thought. She glanced around, uttering a fervent prayer that the cyclone wouldn't harm her hotel while she was away from home.

  TWENTY-TWO

  Seven words were all it took to make Gaia's day: "Mr Felix will be in town today."

  Her hand tightened around her phone, as she wished she could reach down it and haul the pilot out to give her more information. "When? Where? How is he arriving?"

  The man was addictive. When she'd first flown away from Romance Island Resort, Gaia could still feel the ghost of Jay's touch on her skin. She'd revelled in it for a few days, before it had faded. Except...it didn't fade entirely. Instead, it left behind an all-over aching that made her want him more every day.

  She'd busied herself with work, waiting for him to call and summon her back to his bedroom. To the glorious cocktail of pleasure and pain that sent her body into heights of euphoria ordinary people needed drugs to reach.

  The only drug she needed was Jay Felix, rock star lover extraordinaire. The only man she'd ever take orders from.

  But he hadn't called. Maybe he was busy. Maybe he'd forgotten about her.

  Then that travesty of a reality TV show had gone to air, with her lover as its eligible bachelor. She'd tried to get the show cancelled, but she didn't own the network, and she hadn't been able to negotiate the purchase before the show went to air.

  Nightly she'd watched him dating those common girls who obviously meant nothing to him. They stole kisses, unaware of the masterful man they were courting. None of them could give him what he needed. No one but Gaia, and she knew it.

  She bided her time, waiting for the inevitable end of the show, when he'd pick one girl he wanted to be his wife. Gaia had Stephanie prepare background checks on all the finalists. Every sordid photograph they'd posted on social media. Every bit of dirt from their past that could be dug up was unearthed, and held in reserve for bringing the little bitch down.

  Penelope left an interesting trail of poisoning cases in her wake. Lorelei's embezzlement was old news to Gaia by the time the show had aired the episode about her arrest. And Calais...the farm girl's sister had died in suspicious circumstances only a few months before the show started.

  But in the end, Gaia hadn't needed to use any of her ammunition. A weeping Penelope had admitted on live TV that after watching the show herself, she didn't believe Jay loved her as truly as he'd said, and she could never marry a man without love.

  Gaia hadn't believed a word of it. Jay had probably revealed where his true tastes lay, and their relationship had dissolved before he'd finished her first spanking. What would a cook know about a man's needs? Especially when the man was a powerful alpha male like Jay Felix.

  That's when Gaia made up her mind. Someone needed to comfort him. Someone who understood him.

  Gaia took the first flight north.

  And she'd been stonewalled at every turn. Jay wasn't in Broome. Or he was, but no one knew where. Jay was on his island. Jay wasn't on his island, and no one could tell him where he'd gone. He was staying with his family, or some other silly excuse.

  But now she finally had the truth, wrung from the helicopter pilot who'd helped her take pictures of her first date with Jay. Jay would be in town today.

  She glanced at the suitcase full of sex toys she couldn't wait to show him. Every bit of her body screamed for his touch.

  The pilot had said something, but Gaia had missed it.

  "He's where?" she barked.

  "He's at Romance Island."

  Ha! As she'd suspected all along.

  "I'm to pick him up as soon as possible and bring him to town," the pilot said. "I'm about to take off, as soon as I'm off the phone."

  "No you're not," Gaia snapped. "Not without me."

  "Miss Vasse, there's an emergency and I need – "

  "If you lift that bird off the tarmac without me, I'll tell everyone you took the photos of me with Jay Felix. The resort won't work with you again if they know you violated guest privacy and sold those pictures to the press." Gaia smiled. She had him, she knew.

  "I never sold any pictures to anyone!" the pilot protested hotly. "I just held your phone and took pictures at your request. I had nothing to do with private pictures going public! I never even saw them! I..."

  "By the time I'm done suing you for your breach of privacy, you won't be able to show your face in public again," Gaia sa
id smoothly.

  The pilot swore in a language Gaia didn't understand, before he said, "Your helicopter is waiting for you, Miss Vasse. Please be quick. There's a cyclone coming in and it's not safe to fly in those wind speeds."

  "Oh, I will be." She ended the call, wanting to scream for joy. Later. Later tonight, as she writhed in ecstasy beneath Jay's naked body.

  Christmas might be over for this year, but it was going to be Gaia's happiest new year ever.

  TWENTY-THREE

  The helicopter door cracked open and a woman stuck her head out.

  "Mr Felix, I've come to save you," Gaia said, in a voice Xan decided was probably meant to be sexy, but just came out sounding ridiculous.

  "Oh, for fuck's sake," Jay muttered, so softly probably only Xan heard it. He stepped forward and gestured to Seb and Cam. "Get in, guys." He glanced at Xan, gritting his teeth. "You, too."

  Xan could count, too. "No. I'm the manager of the hotel, I should stay behind. Shou will come back for me once you're safe on the mainland."

  Her heart sank as Shou shook his head. "Sorry, Ms Lane. I already shouldn't be flying in these conditions. It's only going to get worse. If I'd known you were here..." He shot a pained glance at Gaia. "I wouldn't have brought passengers. Please, do what Mr Felix says and get in."

  "No," Xan insisted.

  "We could draw straws," Cam volunteered. "To see who dies a hero to save everyone else." He paled at the thought.

  "No one's dying," Xan snapped. "There's a perfectly good cyclone shelter on the island. I'll just have to spend a couple of nights camping out there, is all. I'll be fine."

  "You're leaving with everyone else. I won't put my staff at risk," Jay said. "I'll camp out with my guitar and maybe write a song for the storm." He managed a ghost of his usual cocky grin.

  He didn't believe a word he said, Xan realised. No. She couldn't leave him on the island on his own. Gods only knew what sort of trouble he'd cause. Even without a cyclone coming in. "Get in the bloody helicopter, Jay."

  Gaia leaned out further. "I'll keep you company through the storm, Jay," she purred.

  "No fucking way. You stay in that helicopter, or else," Jay said.

  "Or else what?"

  The two IT guys looked as eager as Gaia to hear the answer to her question.

  Jay scrubbed a hand across his face. "Fuck, I can't do this. Get off my island, Gaia."

  As if she hadn't heard a word he'd said, her face lit up. "I don't want to go," she pouted.

  Jay's eyed narrowed. "Well, you can't fucking stay. I know what I want and you sure as fuck can't give it to me. And I know for fucking certain I can't give you what you need."

  Gaia looked positively thrilled. "Goodbye, Jay."

  "Gaia...goodbye," he responded. More quietly, he added, "And good fucking riddance."

  "I gotta go, guys. Who's getting in?" Shou asked.

  "Him," Xan said just as Jay said, "Her."

  "I'm not getting in any fucking helicopter with that fucked up billionaire," Jay growled. "Just get in."

  "I'm not leaving you alone on this island," Xan said. She turned to Shou. "Take these three to safety. Tell Baz to keep someone manning the radio on the mainland. We'll see if the cyclone shelter is up to spec." She smiled bravely, hoping it looked far more brave than she felt. She'd have given anything to fly to safety with the others, but she couldn't. A captain went down with her ship, or something like that. Maybe she'd strangle Jay Felix first.

  She and Jay backed away from the helicopter to give it space to take off.

  Xan clenched her fists at her sides, wanting to appear calm as her last hope of safety flew out of sight.

  When she couldn't see the helicopter any more, she turned on Jay. "Why didn't you just get into the bloody thing and evacuate like a sane person? You're a bloody idiot, Jay Felix!"

  He visibly sagged. "You're right. Jay Felix is a fucking fool."

  The last thing she needed was to share the island with a madman. "You're Jay Felix," Xan reminded him.

  "No," Jay said softly. "Right now, I'm Jason Felix. Not a rock star, not a hero, just a bloke who's as shit-scared of this cyclone as you are. Jay Felix is a persona that's gone too fucking far. I hope he doesn't get me killed, because right now, I hate Jay fucking Felix more than you ever could. You should've gotten into the helicopter, because you don't deserve to die in this storm. Jay Felix would be okay going out in a blaze of fucking glory, sacrificing himself and shit. If it weren't for his reputation, Gaia Vasse wouldn't have looked twice at me, and she wouldn't have been in my seat. We both would've flown out, and we'd be having a beer together in the brewery by sundown. So until further notice, Jay Felix is a fuckwit. If we survive this cyclone...I'll still hate his fucking guts."

  Xan wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. "Fine. Jason. Whatever. At least we agree on something. But we are not going to die here. That cyclone shelter is rated to withstand anything that storm can throw at us. When Emergency Services call the all clear, we'll still be here, holding the fort."

  Jay...no, Jason laughed. "The two musketeers. Yes, ma'am. We might need some supplies, though. Meet you in the cyclone shelter by sundown. I'll bring the beer."

  "And I'll bring the radio," Xan replied. Someone had to think about practical things.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  They stayed on yellow alert for the rest of the day, so Xan announced that she was sleeping in her own house until someone sounded the red alert. Morning found her back at the games room, checking the cupboards for emergency supplies. The shelter doubled as a pool hall and games room for the rest of the year, with a bar and kitchenette in one corner, a rack of beach towels at the end and an ablutions block tacked onto the ocean side of the building. On the sheltered lagoon side, a back-up generator nestled under the veranda with enough fuel to last a week.

  There was a whole cupboard full of torches and lanterns, but food seemed to be in short supply. Even the fridges under the bar were empty.

  Jay wandered in, whistling, dragging a trolley behind him. "Figured I'd get us some supplies."

  Xan squinted at the trolley. "Four cases of beer? We're not going to be in here long enough to drink all that."

  He shrugged. "Yeah, but it was easier to just grab the boxes than try to juggle a few loose bottles. Not like we'll be able to just go out and grab another six pack when the storm rolls in tonight."

  "So it's tonight then?"

  "That's what Baz said." Jay lifted the cartons onto the bar, then tore one open to stack the bottles in the fridge.

  "Did you raise him on the radio this morning?" Xan asked.

  "Nah, called him on the satellite phone." A long ripping sound, followed by more clinking.

  They had a satellite phone? Huh. Xan had never seen it. "How long ago?"

  Another shrug. "However long it took for me to get from my villa to the bar, load up this trolley and bring it here. Twenty minutes, maybe?"

  So his information was current. Still, she should switch the radio on in here. And make sure they had food.

  "Can I take the trolley?" Xan asked.

  "What for?"

  "Food. I'm not drinking on an empty stomach." Xan didn't intend to drink any alcohol at all, but there was no point telling Jay that. He could probably demolish a fair bit of that beer by himself.

  "Good idea. I'll come help." He flashed a...no, not a cocky grin. This one seemed sort of nervous and on edge, just like she felt. Not like the Jay she knew at all.

  "Thanks, Jay," she said.

  "Jason," he corrected.

  Right. Jason. "What's the difference, anyway?" she asked.

  "I get to be as scared as you about this storm, instead of laughing like a madman and pretending I'm not. I'll help you get supplies, because only a rock star would live on beer for two days. If we survive this, I want you to tell everyone that I was drunk when the red alert hit, and I didn't sober up until after the all clear."

  "Will you be?"

  He laughed mirthlessly. "Mayb
e. If we get all this sorted by then. That's the secret to surviving a disaster, though. Get drunk and somehow you'll make it through. When the Titanic sank. Same with the City of York. And the Batavia. When it looks like your ship's sinking, break into the best booze and get absolutely blotto on it, and hope when you wake up it's all over."

  Xan didn't believe it. "Seriously? It sounds like bullshit to me, Jay...son."

  He held up his hands in surrender. "It's the honest truth. They even stuck the drunk guy in the Titanic movie. Watch it, if you don't believe me. Just...not with me, please. Jo had a thing for it when we were in high school. She watched it way too many times."

  "Okay." If she made it out of this cyclone alive, and to an internet connection, she'd investigate. If he was right, maybe that was why sailors throughout history drank so much rum. Or wine. Or whatever they'd had available.

  "So, what do you want for dinner?" Jason asked, levering open the door to the walk-in freezer in Catering. "We're all out of fresh lobster, but I think they have frozen tails in here. I don't know how to cook them, though."

  Xan laughed. "You're cooking tonight?"

  Another shrug. "It'll have to be one of us, and I wasn't game to ask you, seeing as you outrank me and all. So it's easier to assume it'll be me. And I don't know how to cook lobsters, so I thought I'd put that out there before I get volunteered for shit I don't know."

  "All right." Xan considered the limited kitchen facilities she'd seen behind the bar. "We have a sink, a kettle, a microwave and an electric frypan. Whatever you think you can cook with those, I guess. It's only one night. There should be some bread or cereal for breakfast tomorrow. Is there anything we can just heat up in the microwave?"

  Jason laughed. "If there was, I'd have eaten it by now. Our chefs run a proper kitchen, with everything made in-house. I did find some blue cheese gnocchi in here the other day. There might be some left..." He rummaged around in the freezer, then held up a frosty vacuum-sealed bag. "Eu-bloody-reka! And a tub of that cream sauce, too." He found a frost-rimed cardboard box and loaded it with his finds.