She dressed with care for the evening ahead at Zachary's home, unsure whether her long floral skirt, and halter-necked top with its deep vee and cross-over ties winding round her midriff were too formal. At least a two-piece outfit allowed for easier undressing if there was to be swimming in the pool. Zachary hadn't mentioned whether it was to be a large party and Jenny began to feel nervous. The sound of a car moving into the driveway sent her hurriedly across to the dressing-table, to retrieve her engagement ring. Oh, drat! The drawer was stuck, and she pulled at it impatiently as the contents slid and rattled noisily. At last the drawer jerked open and shakily she withdrew the small box from its hiding place and seconds later slipped the ring on to her finger.
Zachary eyed her silently as she opened the door, taking in the warm colour on her cheeks, the brightness of her eyes, and the nervous, almost flustered greeting she gave him.
'You have the look of a guilty pupil having narrowly escaped detection by the teacher,' he remarked lightly as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. 'Feel like confessing?'
'What makes you think I might have something to feel guilty of ?' Jenny parried defensively, and successfully hid her confusion as he leant down and kissed her hard on the lips, then tilted her chin to examine her expression at leisure.
'Grant Ogilvie happened to share a drink with me over lunch, and made no mention of his secretary having become newly engaged,' he said softly, and his eyes gleamed darkly as they witnessed the swift rush of colour to her cheeks.
'I told Uncle Dan,' Jenny began slowly as she regarded him with large serious eyes, noticing the tiny lines at the corners of his eyes, the thick well-shaped eyebrows and the wide forehead. His features bore almost a Slav prominence with the wide cheekbones and the sculptured jaw.
'You won't be able to hide behind the cloak of anonymity much longer, my Jenny-wren,' he chided gently as he touched the tip of her nose with a stray forefinger. 'It might be as well if we drive down to Tauranga tomorrow and acquaint your mother and Jane with our news before the possibility of them hearing it second-hand arises. We'll stay overnight, and take both your mother and Jane out to dinner.'
Jenny lowered her gaze as she glimpsed the lambent passion lurking in the depths of his eyes. Almost unaware of doing so, she sighed—not for any specific reason she could pinpoint other than a desire for the following few weeks to be over and done with, that somehow there might be some analgesic that would allow her to sleep blissfully and permit her to waken as Mrs. Zachary Benedict.
'Second thoughts—so soon?' Zachary queried Wryly. 'Another sigh such as that and I'll resort to caveman tactics!'
Jenny looked up at him a trifle anxiously, and her heart lurched crazily as he drew her in close against the hard strength of him. The feel of his hands as they moved with a caressing expertise brought shivers of latent ecstasy she had difficulty in concealing. 'Zachary,' she-murmured -hesitantly, and trembled as his lips trailed across her eyelids to the lobes of her ears before claiming her mouth in a kiss that was ungentle in its demanding passion. Uncle Dan was right, she thought shakily timeless minutes later. Zachary Benedict would not wait long.
'You were saying, Jenny?' he quizzed tolerantly, and quirked one eyebrow at her in amusement.
'You—you have an unfair advantage over me,' Jenny managed breathlessly, and felt a warm rush of colour flood her cheeks as he slowly traced her lips. 'Wrong, Jenny-wren,' he mocked gently. 'It's you who possess that by unnecessarily delaying our marriage.'
Jenny felt her lower lip tremble and her eyes began to swim with unshed tears as she struggled out of his grasp and turned away. This just would not do, she chastised herself angrily. All these doubts and fears interwoven with an overwhelming passion such as she had never known before. It seemed impossible that such feeling could be termed love. Love was supposed to be a gentle emotion, surely—not this surging, all-encompassing yearning that was alternatively heaven and hell. She shivered slightly as his hands reached out and drew her back against him, and she felt his lips brush against her hair.
'I love you, Jenny,' Zachary began quietly. 'We belong together—we both know the truth of that. There'll be times when I won't be able to protect you from possible hurtful gossip—I haven't led a celibate existence and I can't deny that there've been numerous affairs colouring my past. I'm aware that you need reassurance—I can't blame you for that,' he paused fractionally, then continued seriously,' 'I can only promise you my fidelity, Jenny—my love you already have.'
Jenny felt her throat ache with suppressed emotion, and for the life of her she couldn't have uttered one word just then. Slowly she turned and reached up to pull his head down to hers, and her lips were singularly sweet as they met his.
'My dear Jenny-wren,' he murmured gently as he reluctantly raised his head some several minutes later. 'Mrs. Lowry has dinner waiting for us, and in another hour the first of our guests will begin arriving.'
Jenny slowly disentangled herself and moved away to collect her evening bag, and when she turned to face him he caught hold of her hand and raised it to his lips.
'I fly down to Wellington on Tuesday to attend a legal conference—unavoidable, unfortunately,' he said in a voice tinged with regret.
Jenny felt an ache begin beneath her ribs, and her voice was slightly shaky as she spoke, 'How long will you be away?'
Zachary's eyes met hers and it seemed an age before he spoke. 'A week—possibly eight days,' he enlightened slowly.
Jenny swallowed convulsively, A whole week without seeing him didn't bear thinking about. She wanted to cry out loud that she would marry him on Monday as he had initially arranged, and not wait the remaining four weeks until Christmas as she had hoped to persuade him to agree to—thus allowing time to plan, and work out a fortnight's notice at the office. Jenny thought rather hysterically that there was nothing to plan. She had a wardrobe filled with new clothes, filmy nightwear and lingerie by the .dozen, and a generous bank balance. Zachary owned an exceedingly luxurious home, and had his own legal practice—-there was nothing to wait for. Uncle Dan was right—she was concerned over all the wrong things, and lacked the courage to concede to Zachary's command. The gossipmongers would utter barbed comments, of that there was no doubt, but what did it matter?
'You're worrying unnecessarily, Jenny-wren,' Zachary caressed her cheek with gently teasing fingers. 'After tonight our engagement and forthcoming marriage in the near future will become common knowledge. You can place a call through to Tauranga before we have dinner and we'll talk to your mother.' He bent down and kissed her fleetingly. 'Perhaps you'd like to suggest we take both your mother and Jane to your aunt and uncle's farm on Sunday—there's no reason why we can't drive back to Auckland early Monday morning.'
Jenny smiled a trifle hesitantly, the thought of the evening ahead and meeting his friends was slightly daunting. Not to mention her mother's astonishment and probably cautioning—Jenny didn't imagine Jane would really be surprised at all! Perhaps she should permit herself to be swept along submissively with most of Zachary's arrangements, for Jenny knew without a doubt that he would win in the end.
With an adroitness Jenny could only admire Zachary had little difficulty in reassuring Mrs. Meredith, and held beside him with his arm firmly about her waist Jenny remained until Zachary handed the receiver over to her. Mrs. Meredith did most of the talking— perhaps questioning would be more apt, Jenny smiled a trifle wryly, but it appeared her mother seemed convinced and had readily agreed with Zachary's suggestion for them all to dine out tomorrow evening by way of a family celebration. She sanctioned also the proposal to visit Aunt Madge and Uncle Dan at Claudelands on Sunday, and it seemed Zachary had accepted her invitation to stay with the Merediths rather than arrange motel accommodation or stay with the Sandersons.
'I would dearly like to see you in action in the court-room, Zachary Benedict,' Jenny wrinkled her nose at him expressively. 'You have a way of smoothing out all the crinkles—in a wig and gown you'd -be positiv
ely diabolical!'
'I trust that's a compliment,' Zachary slanted down at her laconically. 'Otherwise I might be tempted to dampen your impish wit with a sudden plunge into the pool later this evening.'
'You dare, and I'll' Jenny sparkled indignantly up at him as he began to laugh.
'What will you do, Jenny-wren—tell me ?'
'Make sure you get awfully wet in the process!' Jenny retaliated spiritedly.
'Hmm,' he chuckled deeply, and placed a finger' beneath her chin. 'Is that a threat or a promise?'
'Both!' Jenny vouchsafed succinctly.
Zachary's eyes flared sensually alive and he bent his head down to hers to kiss her lips with a passion that rendered her starry-eyed and breathless.
'Dinner—a timely interruption,' Zachary smiled devilishly down at her as he firmly put her from him.
Mrs. Lowry's culinary accomplishments were obvious, for the meal was superb, and after her second glass of wine Jenny felt ready to face anything.
With utter fascination she observed Mrs. Lowry direct two young men down to the garden at the rear of the house where lamps illuminated the pool and surrounding paved area. A barbecue was set up by one of the men while the other organised and stocked a portable bar of no mean proportions. At the far end of the kidney-shaped pool were sizeable changing rooms, and Jenny stood watching as Zachary hooked up an elaborate stereo tape-recorder with connecting speakers.
'About thirty,' Zachary answered in reply to Jenny's query as to how many people were expected. 'The first few have just arrived,' he looked up as six couples wandered down towards them from the house.
Introductions completed, Jenny couldn't help but notice the looks of genuine disbelief on all but two faces as she, was presented as the future Mrs. Zachary Benedict. Drinks were distributed and the scene was re-enacted as each group of guests arrived. Jenny felt every single one of her features were closely scrutinised by almost all of the women and she needed little imagination to reason that she was the most circumspectly whispered-about person present! She could read from their expressions just which direction those idle gossiping tongues were travelling, and she hated the calculatingly speculative glances and the over-bright smiles. She was under no illusion that most of these women would love to scratch her eyes out! By the time most of the guests dispersed to the changing rooms Jenny was feeling decidedly defensive.
Jenny smiled brightly at the ten young women in various stages of undress as she changed into her gaily patterned bikini in shades of lilac blue and pink. Thanks to her careful sunbathing last Saturday she was lightly and evenly tanned, but she almost blushed at the scantily covered voluptuous curves of one young girl who openly admitted that she hoped her carelessly tied bikini top came adrift in the pool. Jenny barely refrained from querying why the girl didn't go topless, and have done with it!
Bathing cap in place, she emerged with the other girls and walked to the edge of the pool. It looked inviting, the sparkling clear water was tinged a delicate green, and she stood hesitantly unsure as the others alternatively dived, slid or jumped into the pool.
An arm slid around her waist and another lifted her high up against a muscular chest, and Jenny turned a startled face to meet Zachary's faintly mocking expression a few inches from her own.
'Don't you dare throw me in, Zachary Benedict!' she whispered furiously as he moved purposefully to the very edge, realising that it would be futile to struggle against his superior strength.
'Now why should I do that?' Zachary teased smilingly a bare second before he stepped into the pool with her held closely against him. Jenny flung her arms up around his neck and as they hit the water together she felt his lips fasten on hers and his hands slid about her waist. It was an utterly pagan action that rocked her senses completely, and when they surfaced together Zachary's eyes held a lambent sensuality in their darkly gleaming depths. 'A pity we have an audience,' he murmured quietly, and kissed her, hard on the lips before allowing her to escape to the pool's edge where he leisurely followed a few seconds behind her.
For a few minutes they watched the voluptuous redhead frolic with two male friends. Her carefree abandon sent waves of embarrassment over Jenny as minutes later the girl's bikini top came unfastened and was accompanied by cries of false modesty that succeeded in attracting the attention she had contrived to obtain.
'I think I'll get changed,' Jenny muttered briefly, and spared a quick look at Zachary. His face was completely impersonal as he took in the scene and his eyes for one brief second were coldly derisive.
With an easy lithe movement he, levered his powerful frame up on to the pool's edge, and standing to his feet leant down and grasped Jenny's hand and pulled her up to stand beside him. Jenny shivered in the cool night air and murmured indistinctly that she intended to change back into her clothes.
When she emerged some ten minutes later the barbecue held sizzling steaks on its grill and the aromatic smell rose tantalizingly coupled with brewing coffee, and Jenny made her way towards Zachary's tall figure. He had changed back into his clothes and she watched his face crease into a warm smile as he caught sight of her. Jenny's heart lurched crazily and she had to stop herself from physically flinging herself into his arms. Never—never would she tire of just looking at him. The laughter lines that creased the skin at the side of his cheekbones, the way the corners of his widely-spaced eyes wrinkled at the temples when he smiled, and the sensuous lips that could alternatively delight or punish with a frightening expertise. That he should want to marry- her—her, not any one of the innumerable women he had known Jenny found completely overwhelming and more than a little bewildering.
'Come back to earth, my Jenny-wren,' Zachary leant down and spoke close to her ear as he handed her a mug of hot black coffee. 'You look as if you're way out there among the stars,' he teased gently.
'I was,' Jenny smiled bewitchingly up at him as she sipped the steaming brew. 'My thoughts are strictly my own—so eat your heart out, Zachary Benedict!'
Zachary chuckled quietly and regarded her lazily, his eyes flaring slightly as they roved slowly over her face. 'Wrong—I can read you like an open book.'
Jenny wrinkled her nose at him and when she spoke her eyes danced with barely suppressed merriment. 'If that's so, kindly explain why you haven't handed me one of those delicious-looking steakburgers.'
'It will keep, Jenny-wren,' he cautioned implacably, and his eyes twinkled in amusement as she lowered her eyes away from his intimate gaze. 'You have one week— as from next Friday.'
Jenny's eyes flew open and her lips parted in surprise as she lifted her head.
Zachary handed her a steakburger and smiled down at her wickedly. 'In slightly less than two weeks you'll become Mrs. Zachary Benedict—and this time I'm permitting no histrionics. I have the licence and have made an appointment for four o'clock at the register office. I'm due back from Wellington Wednesday week, and a day and a half at the office should enable me to tidy up any loose ends. Unfortunately I can't extend that particular weekend by much more than a day or two, but during the Christmas vacation we'll get away for a couple of weeks. How does Queensland's Gold Coast sound? Or perhaps you'd prefer Acapulco or Hawaii?'
'You're not serious!' Jenny exclaimed haltingly.
'About our marriage—unequivocally,' he voiced adamantly.
Jenny bit into the steakburger as her panic-stricken eyes searched his desperately. 'Where—where are we going—after the ceremony?' she stammered slightly seconds after swallowing convulsively.
Zachary's mouth curved into a wide mocking smile and his teeth gleamed whitely as he answered. Somewhere quiet and for away from here—where you'll only have me for company,' he drawled significantly, and leant down to catch a stray tendril of Jenny's hair back behind her ear. 'When you've finished that,' he indicated her steakburger, 'we'll attempt to find some space and dance, hmm?'
Jenny shot him a startled look as he caught the hand that held her steakburger and lifted it to his mouth to take a sa
tisfyingly large bite. She was about to take the last mouthful when there was a murmur of voices beside her and a muffled exclamation as an arm jolted accidentally against her. For an agonising second Jenny didn't feel the scalding hot coffee cascade over her forearm, then she had to clench her teeth against the pain as the skin burned with an excruciating intenseness. She felt rather than heard Zachary's quick indrawn breath, and knew she was white-faced as she turned to reassure the concerned girl apologising profusely at her side.
'It was an accident,' Jenny managed with remarkable calm. 'Really, it's all right,' she assured Zachary blindly as he led her towards the house and through the kitchen to a magnificently tiled bathroom. In a matter of seconds he had filled the basin with cold water and plunged her arm into it right up to the elbow. Then he turned and took a gauze bandage and a sterile dressing from a glass-backed cupboard and added a roll of plaster and some scissors.
'Leave your arm there for a whiles—fifteen minutes, at least,' he bade sombrely as he turned to face her, and his eyes raked over the paleness of her face. 'I'll be back in a few minutes.'
Jenny nodded mutely and looked at the large welt several inches above her wrist. It hurt abominably, and by the time Zachary returned she was close to tears.
'Drink this,' he held the tumbler to her lips and Jenny choked as the fiery liquid hit the back of her throat. When she regained her breath he replaced the tumbler to her lips and held it there until the last drop was taken.
'Brandy—again?' Jenny quipped musingly as the potent liquid spread a warm relaxing glow through her body.
'With you, I'm not sure which is more difficult to handle,' Zachary slanted down at her. 'The effects of the brandy, or an attack of nerves—both tend to have equally predictable consequences.'
'You're hardly a settling influence, Zachary Benedict. In fact, I find you totally devastating!' Jenny Smiled up at him captivatingly.
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