Wade gave her a disapproving glare at the weak lie, and she shrugged. He would have to give her some time to get used to this. Beyond the customary small talk lies she gave while working at the restaurant, she was a pretty honest person. With a life as uneventful as hers, there wasn’t much need to lie about anything.
“Why don’t we get this over with? I’m sure you two have quite the honeymoon to get to,” said the judge cheerfully as he moved from the door to allow them into his office.
Wade must have pulled some strings to get this appointment the same day, but it was hardly surprising that he had connections in high places. This was her new life. This was her new normal. It was going to take a lot more than just a few hours for her to get used to such a drastic change.
“If you two can take each other’s hands, we’ll get started.” The judge picked up a big book from his desk.
She halfheartedly held her hand out, and Wade took it in his strong grip.
His hold on her was tight and warm. For a moment, she just stared. It wasn’t as though she’d been expecting him to be cold. She knew the science of how human bodies worked. So why was she surprised?
Dylan started to speak, all pretty, flowery words about love and matrimony. Much more sweet and sentimental than she would’ve expected a courthouse wedding to be. But she supposed he thought they were the real deal. He thought this was… what had Wade called it? True love. Her mind started to race through all the reasons this was a terrible idea. What would she tell her mother? Her brother? What kind of precedent was she setting? She was officially selling out, literally. Giving a bad man exactly what he wanted for money.
But it wasn’t as if she were a standup girl before this. What had she been doing with her life, really? For the past five years, she’d been nothing but a hermit, practically hiding behind her mother’s skirts. Her mother, who’d given up so much to help her and now needed her help. She had to stop being overdramatic about this and just get it done. These next few days would be the hardest, but once she was settled wherever Wade lived, she’d find her new normal.
The next thing she knew, Dylan was telling Wade to kiss the bride. For real? They did that even at these types of ceremonies? She met Wade’s gaze, and he gave her a little reassuring smile, signaling that he recognized just how odd the situation was. And then he was leaning in and pressing his lips against hers. The kiss was soft and sweet. Rather unremarkable except for when his free hand came up to cup the back of her neck. She pulled away, still gazing up at him. Everything so far had seemed so businesslike and professional, but this was a stark reminder that this wasn’t a businesslike and professional deal. She just sold herself to him—for better or worse, for richer or poorer. Hopefully richer.
She tried to manage a fake smile and took a step back. Dylan was so happy, he seemed oblivious of any of their inner strife. “Well, congratulations, you two.” He slammed the book in his hands shut, the noise reverberating through Zoe’s stiff body. “Now if you want to sign these marriage licenses, we’ll be all set.”
Zoe numbly walked toward the judge’s desk. The small piece of paper was already prepared, with her name printed clearly on it. “Aren’t there supposed to be witnesses?” She took a pen in her shaking hand.
“I’ll take care of that,” assured Wade. “All you need to do is sign.”
She’d signed the prenup this morning and it had seemed official enough. So why did this additional signature seem so much harder? Once she put the pen on the paper, she forced out a scribble. It looked nothing like her normal signature, but she was well aware that it was legally binding. She closed her eyes and stepped back as Wade added his signature as well.
“Congratulations, honey.” Wade put an arm over her shoulders. “Happy wedding day.”
Wade had been convinced that Zoe was perfect for this, but she was really going to need to loosen up at some point.
Luckily, Dylan didn’t seem to notice her reluctance at all, but the real crowd they needed to impress was outside the courthouse, waiting to see them jump into a car. “Dylan, can you give us a few minutes? I want to savor this moment.” He was well aware that if anyone else had asked the judge to leave his office for a few minutes, they would’ve been denied, but Wade was the main reason Dylan even had this job, so it was a no-brainer when Dylan readily agreed and left the room.
Zoe seemed to have some idea of what he wanted to talk about. As soon as Dylan was gone, she stepped back and shook her head. “I’m sorry I’m being so weird. I’m really trying to act normal, but nothing about this is normal for me. I’ll do better, I promise.”
“It’s okay,” he lied. “I don’t think there is a normal when it comes to this. You walk out there and cameras start flashing, it’s only natural for you to be thrown off by that. Just lean into me, okay? I’ll make sure you get from the door to the car in one piece.”
“Lean into you? What does that mean?”
“Just trust me.”
She let out a little snort. “Fat chance.”
Well, obviously this was going nowhere. He might as well just head out there and see how it went. He left the judge’s quarters and looked both ways, but Dylan wasn’t around. He wasn’t going to wait to say good-bye to the judge, so he’d have to make a mental note to send a thank-you email later. “This way.” Wade led her toward the back exit.
He took slow strides so it would be easy for Zoe to keep up with him. If anyone looked at the pictures, they should at least appear as if they just got married. When he reached the exit, he paused. He knew what would be on the other side of the door. Hell, he was the one who told his assistant to leak this to the press. But he was still worried. Even though he tried to calm Zoe, relaxing nervous women wasn’t exactly his specialty. If anything, he probably wound her up even tighter than she was to begin with.
“Are you ready for this?” That was a stupid move. The second he asked, she seemed to tense up even more.
“I can manage,” she squeaked out.
“This isn’t going to work,” he muttered.
Her eyes widened. “Well, it’s a little too late to be having that realization now, isn’t it? I mean, we did the deed. We signed the papers. What do you expect me to do now?”
Wade did the only thing he could think of. He kissed her. One hand rested against the small of her back to hold her in close as his lips moved over hers. The little peck she’d gotten during the wedding ceremony had been nothing. This was the real deal as he pulled her body tightly against his and devoured her mouth. The effect was electric, and the arousal hit him fast and hard.
He only wanted to kiss her to loosen her up and catch her off guard a little bit. He’d rather have a dazed, aroused, and confused look on her face when they went outside than the utter terror she was showing before. But the arousal hit him harder than he’d expected.
She was cute. He wouldn’t have done this if she wasn’t pretty enough for his standards, but he kissed cute women all the time. Somehow the silky feel of her white dress and the soft curves of her breasts pressing into his chest was more exposure than he was expecting. When he pulled away from her, she wasn’t the only one who was breathing hard.
Her big, dark eyes were giant saucers as she looked up at him in shock. “What was that?”
He knew what it started as but didn’t know what it had morphed into. So he didn’t answer. Instead, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and reached for the doorknob. “Lean on me,” he reminded her before opening the door.
Just like that, everything exploded. Camera flashes were going off in their faces as a crowd of twenty or so reporters and photographers started firing off questions at them. There were so many people speaking at once that none of the inquiries could be made out, which was good because Wade had no intention of answering them.
As they pushed through the crowd of demanding onlookers, Zoe thrust herself closer and closer to him, just like he asked. He moved carefully, because he knew she didn’t know where they were going o
r how far the car was. Once he reached it, the driver already had the door open so he could easily usher Zoe into the backseat before crawling in next to her and slamming the door. “JFK Airport,” he ordered once the driver was back in the car.
Zoe was still right next to him, leaning over carefully to see that the photographers were still snapping pictures. “Is this an everyday thing for you?”
“I think it’s safe to say that today is special,” he muttered.
“Why are we going right to the airport? Where did you have in mind for a honeymoon?”
“Just my least favorite place in the world,” he grumbled. “Birdsville, Ohio.”
Zoe’s eyes burst open as she shot awake suddenly. She blinked rapidly as she tried to get her bearings about her and stared out the window directly to her right while white fluffy clouds went by.
“Did you have a nice nap?”
She winced and saw Wade sitting across from her. How odd. Someone sitting across from her on a plane. But she supposed her first time riding in a private jet should be odd.
She set a hand on her black leather seat to push herself up straighter. She almost couldn’t believe that she’d fallen asleep, but she supposed this jet was made for luxury. It wasn’t as if she’d gotten a restful night’s sleep before this.
There was a fully stocked bar on one end of the plane, along with a whole assortment of snacks that Wade had offered her when they first boarded. A large screen TV was on the other side of the jet if they wanted to have a nice movie experience, and the plush seats would convert down if she wanted to lie down and have a higher quality nap.
But honestly, she hadn’t meant to fall asleep. She’d been sitting in awkward silence with Wade and closed her eyes for just a minute. Between the rush of meeting the overwhelming man and making the arrangements, she and Wade had spent little time alone together. Now that they were in the air, it was the first time she’d ever really had to make small talk with him. An act she found much harder than anticipated.
Obviously she was going to be with him for two years, so there would be a lot of quiet time to fill, but she hadn’t exactly mastered small talk with anyone, let alone someone so hard to get a handle on.
“How did you sleep?” asked Wade.
Zoe could feel the rush of embarrassment course through her cheeks. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep. She knew it was nothing to be embarrassed about, but the power dynamics between them was so important right now. Hopefully falling asleep hadn’t given him the upper hand. Did she trust him enough to fall asleep in front of him? She still didn’t know whether he was a murderer. And considering she basically signed her life away to him, he could do anything he wanted to her. She hadn’t felt this vulnerable since….
She pulled her thoughts away from that direction. “This is a really nice plane,” she said abruptly, not really answering his question. “How long have you had it?”
“I got it for a steal at an auction about ten years ago. It took some fixing up, but it’s one of my favorite places to be now.”
She tilted her head and considered him for a moment. She’d asked a basic question and he’d given her more information than she needed. Was this the first part of their bonding? “Auction? You don’t seem like the type who needs to bargain hunt.”
“I might not need to, but the thrill of the hunt is always enjoyable. Who doesn’t love a good sale?” He grinned.
She gave him a soft smile in return. She couldn’t argue with that logic. Wade had taken off his suit jacket at some point, and he’d rolled up his sleeves and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his white shirt, giving off a much more relaxed vibe. He also happened to look utterly devastating, but she supposed she was just going to have to get used to him looking fantastic.
“I guess you’ll have to show me all the best places to get sale prices in New York.”
“I don’t think I’m the best person to give a shopping tour. I’m sure I can find a shopper who will take you everywhere important.”
“Like a private shopper? Doesn’t that take all the fun out of it?”
“If you want to shop, you shop. I’m usually too busy.”
“The price of running an evil empire, I suppose,” she said.
He opened his mouth, then stopped himself as he gave her a quizzical look. “You’re kidding, right?”
She shrugged. “A little.”
“I don’t like being called evil.”
“That’s probably why I like calling you it.”
He let out a little laugh and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You know, I used to tell Tara that she was cute when she was angry and she’d always get upset with me. Now I kind of understand why.”
His first mention of the infamous Tara. The supermodel who had stolen Wade’s heart and jilted him the day of their wedding. It was the first time he’d mentioned her around Zoe, and she wondered how much she should probe. “Have you heard from her?”
“Oh, I’m sure she’s on her millionth orgasm with her new boyfriend. Not exactly a time to be guilt tripped by me.”
That was an interesting way to put it. “You’re sure she left you for somebody else?” Maybe that was just a paranoid thought of his. As though no woman could possibly leave him unless she already had somebody else lined up.
“That’s what she told me. Although I’m starting to believe that she was never that trustworthy to begin with.”
Well, now she knew where he got that idea from. “Her loss,” said Zoe halfheartedly.
“I appreciate your confidence in me. But Tara was very sure in her choice. She said she could never spend her life with a robot like me. Apparently the new guy actually makes her feel things.”
“That’s a little bit harsh.”
Wade nodded but didn’t seem all that upset. “I get it.”
“How can you get it? She was a complete bitch to you. That’s not okay.”
“She was ripping off the Band-Aid. If she were nicer to me, then I would think there was still hope. She was making sure I knew where we stood.”
Maybe there was something to this robot theory. Maybe that was Wade Maxium’s big secret. It was easy to succeed in life and business when emotions didn’t get involved. How much further would she have gotten in her life if she didn’t have her little mental breakdown?
She thought back to earlier in the day when he kissed her. No, kissing wasn’t the right word. He’d distracted her. After her massive shock from the moment had worn off and she’d gotten through the first of many layers of embarrassment, she’d been able to recognize what really happened. He played her mind and body so she had just the right dazed and confused look for the reporters. Even though the heat that had rushed through her had been a hundred percent honest, he’d worked her just the way he needed to. Maybe he really was a machine. Maybe in return for all his success, he had to give up anything resembling emotion. But unlike Tara, she couldn’t use that as an excuse to leave. She’d made a deal with him, and now she was going to see it through, for better or worse.
“I’ve secured us two days in Birdsville. Is that enough time for you?”
Zoe gripped the seat beneath her tighter. Well, that was one hell of a loaded question. “I don’t even know.” How long would it take her to explain to her mother what happened? She supposed physically it would only take a few seconds. It really depended on whether her mom was going to have a full-on breakdown about this. She could only hope that stress wouldn’t negatively impact her health.
“And you don’t have any boyfriends I should be worried about?”
“If I did, don’t you think I would’ve mentioned it yesterday?”
“I offered you a lot of money,” he pointed out. “The kind of money that will make a lot of people forget their boyfriend.”
“I’m not most people.”
“All right, Ms. Honorable. Do you have any exes I should be worried about?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You know…. When someone
you used to love moves on to someone a lot richer, and dare I say, more successful, jealousy can cause people to do stupid things.”
Zoe let out a little laugh. “You think my ex is going to be so jealous of you that they hurt us?”
He shrugged. “It’s a worthwhile concern.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry there. All of my exes are just happy to be rid of me. I dated a guy named Johnny for half a second and it was all terrible and we don’t need to say anything else about it.” She’d bet that Johnny wouldn’t even notice she was with someone new once she got to town. He was never known for being observant.
“And what about the honeymoon?” he asked.
“What about it?”
He smiled at her. “I mean, where do you want to go?”
She frowned. “That’s a loaded question. How long do we have? What’s the budget?”
This time he laughed out loud at her. “There is no budget. There is no time limit. As long as I have internet access, we can go wherever you want.”
She glanced around the luxurious surroundings. She was on his private plane. Of course he didn’t have a budget when it came to the honeymoon. “I don’t, I mean, how do I even choose? I’ve never been anywhere.” Did she want adventure? Zip-lining across the jungle or finding herself through the busy streets of Paris? A beach to fall asleep on or a bright skyline to greet her every night at a towering hotel? “Where would you go?” she asked, genuinely curious.
“Tara wanted to have an LA honeymoon, languishing in the luxury of the Hollywood hills. But now I know she was screwing a producer, so her love of Hollywood might be tied to her love of screwing around.”
She raised a brow. This Tara really sounded like a trip. At least she didn’t have to be too concerned about living up to the ex. It was crazy to think that Wade had been about to marry someone like that, but if their situation made anything clear to her, true love wasn’t his main goal from marriage. “That didn’t answer my question. That’s where Tara wanted to honeymoon. What about you?”
Lucky Liar Page 3