At First Kiss

by Gwyneth Bolton

  She lifted her head and glared at him. “Food. Feed me, Seymour.” Her head fell back to his chest.

  He sighed and gently rolled her onto the bed. If he was going to get any more of what he was starting to think he couldn’t live without, he needed to feed his wife.

  My wife. Mine…

  He was starting to like the sound of that.

  Chapter 6

  You’ve been played!

  Monday morning came too soon. After a weekend of helping Jasmine get settled into his place and getting to know every inch of his wife’s body in the most intimate of ways, it was time to go back to work.

  He had to admit that he was enjoying getting to know little things about her as a person. He learned that even though she went on and on about cooking being overrated, she was actually a really good cook and could make all the Bajan delicacies he’d come to love when he visited there. She made excellent macaroni pie, stew chicken, rice and peas and a very tasty shepherd’s pie.

  She made him swear not to tell anyone she cooked for him if he ever wanted it to happen again. And since he rather liked her cooking, he was inclined to keep quiet.

  And he also learned that she used serial dating as a shield to protect herself because her mother had drilled into her head that men were no good. She didn’t tell him that, and she probably never would. But he picked it up from the seemingly random things she had shared with him about Carlyne.

  He also learned that he was determined to prove to her that she didn’t have to protect her heart around him. That he wanted to protect her heart, and she could trust him to keep it safe. Needless to say, that realization shocked him. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it and he certainly wasn’t ready to share it with her just yet.

  “These pancakes are good, Hubby.” She wiped her mouth with a napkin and winked at him. She looked hot in a vibrant purple sweater dress that hugged her curves the way he wanted to and the sexiest thigh-high leather boots he’d ever seen. She seemed poised and ready to take Detroit by storm. “Thanks, Jasmine.”

  She pursed her lips and took a sip of her coffee. “Before we head off to work, I think I really should tell you about my new job—” she started.

  “No. Don’t tell me.” The last thing he wanted to do was break her trust. And if it was hot news that he could share with his viewers on Detroit Live, he couldn’t promise he wouldn’t share it.

  He liked to think that he wouldn’t do that, but it was better not to tempt things. “I told you I can’t promise I won’t spill the beans. And you don’t need to risk getting sued by your new boss or getting fired. Although, I suppose we could find a spot for you at Singleton Communication…”

  She nibbled on her lips in contemplation and he wanted to reach across the table and kiss her. His mind started to envision all the things he could do with the Mrs. Butterworth syrup and her splayed across the table.

  Pancakes be damned!

  He could have a hungry man’s breakfast of Jasmine’s sweet toasted-cinnamon skin covered in maple syrup.

  He licked his lips. He’d have to table the table action for later or they would never make it to work.

  “Don’t worry, after your new boss makes the announcement, all of Detroit will know. And if you’re the new competition, I’ll try and go easy on you. But you should know, this is my city. Detroit Live is the show to beat for one reason and one reason only… I’m all that!”

  “Wow!” She narrowed her eyes and shook her head. “There’s that humongous ego of yours. I was wondering where it went these past weeks.” He shrugged.

  He really wasn’t conceited, not when it came to his work anyway.

  No. When it came to him hosting Detroit Live and him being the face of entertainment news in the city, well, he was just convinced. He was the best. And there was nothing anyone, not even his father, the man who signed his checks, could do about it. Hopefully, when he went in today—after being away and not doing live shows for two weeks—his father would have seen reason and would stop harassing him about moving from in front of the camera and joining the suits in the Singleton Communication offices.

  He shook his head.

  Enough of that!

  Looking at his beautiful wife wearing the evil frown he had begun to miss since they had gotten married and had started to become closer, he couldn’t help but smile. “You should be smiling, Jasmine. It’s not like I’m lying. I am all that, and you get to be married to me. You’re a lucky girl. Do you know how many women all around the world are going to be heartbroken once the news of our marriage really gets out there?”

  She sucked her teeth long and lyrically. “C’dear, I ain’ got time for dis foolishness dis mornin’, yuh hear? I ain’ know why I does let yuh work muh nerves, nuh. But I agree with yuh on one ting. Yuh can wait and hear wit de rest of de city who gwa run dis town. She name Jazz Stewart! Mark my words!” She sucked her teeth again and got up.

  He could only laugh as he watched the seductive sway of her hips as she walked away from him.

  Life with Jasmine was anything but boring.

  After breakfast, Troy took his time getting to work. The show didn’t tape until two. If he showed up too early, it would just give his father more time to nag him about settling down, being responsible and joining the business end of the company. Troy actually couldn’t wait to see the look on his father’s face once he told him that he was married and he still wasn’t going to stop hosting Detroit Live and become an old businessman. The thought of one-upping his father made him a little more excited about getting to work and having the same old battle again.

  Once he reached the Singleton Communication studios where the live audience segments of Detroit Live were taped, he noticed that just about everyone was gathered in Studio B.

  Studio B was always set for Detroit Live. So Troy really couldn’t fathom why everyone on staff and media folk from all the local networks would be gathered there without him. A sense of foreboding crept through his chest, and it went deeper into his gut when he heard his father’s voice.

  “I’d like to thank you all for coming here today. This is a very exciting time for Singleton Communication and Detroit Live.” Jordan Singleton’s deep voice boomed so loudly he hardly needed the microphone.

  Troy’s father was an older, more distinguished version of Troy. Jordan Singleton stood over six feet tall like his son. They shared the same caramel complexion and the same broad smile and dimpled chin. Where Troy’s hair was black deep-set waves, Jordan’s wave sported a more-salt-than-pepper mixture. Both men were built tough but wore a suave swagger that belied the toughness that went right down to their cores.

  Troy made his way through to the front of the crowded room wondering what the hell was going on and knowing that he wouldn’t like it when he found out.

  Once he could see what had everyone’s attention, his stomach dropped. His father was standing on the Detroit Live stage and Jasmine was standing next to him.

  Jasmine noticed him the same time that he noticed her, and their eyes held for what felt like forever. He squinted in question, willing her to tell him what this was all about. She broke eye contact with him then and kept her eyes on his father.

  “I’d like to introduce you to the new cohost of Detroit Live, Jazz Stewart. Jazz will be cohosting the show, and my son, Troy Singleton, will remain on as the other cohost. Jazz comes to us from Boston, where she was an up-and-coming media darling and girl about town. She brings a smart, sexy, witty and very feminine side to what has been a somewhat masculine take on the entertainment happenings of our fair city.” Jordan primped and preened for all the cameras like he’d been born to do so. The man had always been a ham.

  Troy figured that was where he’d gotten his own love of the spotlight and desire to always be the center of attention from.

  The room started buzzing, and Troy could feel the tension of all the people wondering how he was taking the news.

  “And since she brings a fresh perspective, we decided to
up the ante a little bit. Detroit Live will be having its very own battle of the sexes. You all will get to weigh in on which host you like best, and that host will be the only host of the show at the end of six months. It’s all up to you. Will you root for Team Jazz or Team Troy?”

  The room really started buzzing then, and before Troy knew it he was walking up to the stage. Jasmine still wouldn’t look at him. She kept her focus on his dad, and that just made Troy angrier.

  Although fuming, Troy had to give it to his wife. She was quite the little actress. When he jumped up onstage, she feigned shock like a pro.

  He couldn’t help it. Unable to stop himself, he had to see how good she really was. So he walked over to her, pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

  She kissed him back with so much passion they were both panting by the time his father cleared his throat for them to stop.

  Troy smirked at his father. “Dad, since this seems to be the day for big announcements, I should let you know that Jasmine is my wife. You can call her Jasmine Stewart-Singleton now.”

  Jasmine bristled and she leveled him with a harsh stare.

  She didn’t miss a beat as she let him know, “Yeah…about that…my work name will always be Jazz Stewart. Since that’s my ‘brand’ and it has more pop. But don’t worry, Hubby, at home, I’ll always be Mrs. Singleton.”

  She smiled and gave him another light peck on the lips so that only he was able to catch the glare in her eyes.

  Angrily, he glared right back at her.

  Troy turned to his father, who was eying them both suspiciously. “I have to hand it to you, Dad. You picked the one woman in the world that I might think twice about wiping the floor with. But I’m sorry, wifey, you’re going down.”

  “We’ll see about that, Hubby. I think you’ll soon realize the truth. And the truth is, I’m taking you out!”

  The crowd went wild and cameras flashed as they both stood glaring at each other. Jazz with her arms akimbo and him with his arms folded across his chest.

  Neither of them managed to best Jordan, who seemed to sense a media gold mine and proclaimed, “Their marriage makes this competition even more interesting…” Jordan Singleton hammed it up for the camera and added, “Who will win, the husband or the wife? Only the ratings will tell. Tune in, Detroit. Or not…” He gestured toward the married couple. “The choice is up to you.”

  He’s going to divorce me. I just know it. He’s going to divorce me and then my deadbeat father is going to get all of my mother’s hard-earned money. And then I’m going to be left alone and I’ll never feel those magnificent hands doing all kinds of scandalous things to my body ever again…

  Jazz was the picture of calm on the outside as she and Troy followed Jordan Singleton back to his office. She held her shoulders straight and kept pace with the long-legged men as if she, too, towered over six feet instead of her average height of five-six.

  But on the inside every horrible thing that could possibly happen now that Troy knew the truth ran through her head. And if anyone would have told her that she would care more about the fact that she might lose the husband she never even knew she wanted than she would if she lost the job she’d always dreamed of, she would have called him or her a crazy liar.

  But it was what it was. The only thing she cared about at that moment was how she was going to make Troy understand and forgive her.

  Once they were in Jordan’s office, he eyed them both suspiciously.

  She put on her best game face and wondered why she was standing there wishing Troy would hold her hand or something. Just because he had been her rock for the past few weeks as she dealt with the loss of her mother didn’t mean she could count on him every time she was feeling unsure or under fire.

  “Before I get started and find out just what the hell is going on between the two of you, Jazz, let me say that I’m sorry to hear about your mother. Carlyne was a wonderful woman and she will be missed. Now, what’s this about the two of you being married?”

  When Jordan mentioned her mother she went absolutely still. She knew that the two of them had met a few times when Carlyne had come with her to attend various functions for Alicia, Darren and their children, but she hadn’t been expecting him to mention her mother.

  Troy must have sensed her becoming upset, because he reached over, squeezed her hand and held it.

  “That said,” Jordan resumed, “what I’d like to know now is how did the two of you all of a sudden end up married? And does it have anything to do with the fact that I pegged Jazz here for your replacement when you take your proper place in the company? Did she tell you that she had been hired to cohost Detroit Live? Jazz, did you break your confidentiality clause? I really hope you didn’t. Just because you’re apparently family now doesn’t mean I won’t sue you.”

  Jazz straightened at the threat of a lawsuit. “Now, how was I supposed to tell him anything, when I didn’t know the details? I thought I was just going to be the new cohost. And I figured he would be irritated about that since it was his show and his alone and no one likes sharing something that they used to have all to themselves. Trust me when I tell you that was the last thing I wanted to tell my new husband. But I had no idea you planned to have us in some kind of a competition! No, Jordan, I didn’t break the confidentiality clause.”

  But I really wish I had…

  She chanced a glance at Troy, but he was staring straight ahead. Even though he held her hand in his, she felt strangely disconnected from him. The odd thing was she didn’t know when she’d become so connected to him in the first place. She only knew that she wanted that closeness back.

  Jordan Singleton eyed Troy and Jazz with a mixture of suspicion and trepidation. “Well, I really hope you’re telling the truth, Jazz, and I don’t find out otherwise. Because I will fire you and sue you if I find out otherwise…family or not! Speaking of which, how did you come to be married to my son?”

  “I ran into Jasmine when I was coming back from the Barbados Jazz festival. She had just buried her mother and was looking rather distraught,” Troy started.

  Jazz struggled not to roll her eyes when she remembered how Troy had told her she looked like death warmed over. She painted on a bright smile.

  “Even though it had to be the worst time of my life, seeing Troy was a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy situation. I’ve always thought he was a hot stud, you know.” She turned to Troy and grinned.

  She tried not to crack up at the clenched-teeth smile he offered her in return. “Well, I’ve always had a fondness for Jasmine, no matter how harsh and mouthy she tended to be most times. I couldn’t just let her travel alone in her condition. I knew she was moving to Detroit soon. Even though I didn’t know she was moving here to help you stab me in the back.” He let go of her hand and she felt a stabbing pain in her heart. “So I went with her to Boston and something special happened between us. Before I knew it, we were on the plane to Vegas eloping.”

  “Mmm-hmm… Well, I suppose the two of you have known each other for years. So, it’s not like you just met her yesterday and married her today. I guess you two know what you’re doing. And if not, the entire state of Michigan might be watching it all implode on air. The ratings would be amazing, like those God-awful reality TV shows.”

  Troy smirked. “It’ll be ratings magic. And now that I think about it, Dad, I can’t help but wonder if you hired Jasmine on purpose. Maybe you sensed how I felt about her all along and knew she was the one woman I might think twice about beating out of a job. And then you’d have what you wanted—me off of Detroit Live and in a stuffy office.”

  Jordan didn’t say anything and the two men just sized each other up. Jazz thought Troy’s comment added a nice umph to their case. Of course he hadn’t really felt anything but dislike for her in the past, but his comment nicely threw the ball of blame into Jordan’s court.

  “But, Dad, you and my adorable new wife should know one thing… Detroit Live is my baby and anyone getting in the way o
f that is going to be ruined.” He turned to Jazz. “Even you, sweetheart.”

  She smiled at him with every ounce of syrupy sweetness she could muster. “We’ll see just who gets ruined, Hubby Bubby.”

  “Yes, we will indeed.” Jordan tented his hands under his chin as he looked back and forth between Jazz and Troy. “This has the potential to be phenomenal in the ratings. Man against wife… The promotional team is going to have a field day with this one! This could be even better than my original plans for the competition.” He smiled at them as if they had both turned into golden geese. “Why don’t the two of you go and enjoy one more day of honeymoon before we kick things off? I’ll have the folks in promotion and marketing come up with new concepts playing this husband-and-wife thing. The other promo for the contest was bland compared to this. This is the Battle of the Sexes kicked up a notch. We can show another rerun today, since we’ve been showing them the past two weeks.” He peered at Troy. “Word of advice, son, no one is irreplaceable, not even you. The next time you decide to teach me a lesson by taking off, jet-setting and eloping and whatnot, remember that piece of information.”

  Troy didn’t respond, but Jazz could tell he was beyond angry. She could feel the seething rolling off of him in waves.

  “Jordan, you can’t really expect me and him to compete against one another for the show. He’s my husband—”

  “So? This is a business. I didn’t tell you two to get married.” Jordan laughed and rubbed his palms together. “I’m glad you did, because this contest could be a real cash cow.”

  “But I don’t want to be pitted against him—”

  “Would you rather be sued?”

  “Okay, Dad. Stop threatening my wife with lawsuits! We’ll do your little contests. But in the end, when I win my show, you’d better come up with another show for Jasmine.”

  “Come up with another show for me? You mean he better come up with another show for you after I win.”