“You don’t have to do anything baby. I’ll take care of everything,” he leered with a smirk.
“Hmmmm. Everything?” she drawled.
Jax chuckled as he stood over her and tore off his clothes with undignified haste. “Abso-fucking-lutely everything.”
A long, long time later after he’d loved her into complete submission, and she was sprawled across his chest, she propped her chin on her hand and asked, “What was the book you had with the flowers?”
He smiled remembering all his plans. Nothing happened as he’d envisioned including her saying yes so quickly or discovering that his beautiful amazing fiancée was carrying his child.
“It was an ancient book of love poems. I figured if the flowers and Justin didn’t do it, some poetry and a box from Tiffany might.”
She placed a sweet, open mouth kiss on his chest and laid her head on the spot, sighing deeply. “I would have said yes without all the help. And not because of the baby. The minute I realized you were gone I started kicking myself. I’d already said yes, just not out loud.”
“I was banking on that my love,” he murmured. “And while we’re confessing stuff, I got my dad to confirm that our parents were one hundred percent in cahoots when they maneuvered us together. If we hadn’t clicked they were going to try pushing my brother Caleb at Rhiann.”
She laughed and picked her head up to smile into his eyes. “They would have missed the mark on that,” she scoffed with a chuckle. “Rhi is presently trying to pretend she’s gotten over her first love now that he’s suddenly reappeared in her life. Caleb is going to have to find his own girl, I’m afraid.”
“Uh, there’s more.”
“Meaning?”
“Well, your grandmother made a point of inviting me to Thanksgiving that day she was here. She’d pretty much read the tea leaves and realized we were already involved. And my mom, who by the way confessed to her kamikaze mission to seek you out, made me call your folks and tell them I intended to propose.”
Brynn laughed and shrugged. “I have something to confess as well. I think your mom knew I was pregnant. She didn’t say anything but the vibe was definitely hanging in the air. Now that I have Terry and Sue in the bakery, I’ve cut back on my work schedule. Actually, I’ve talked with both of them about working for me full-time. That’s not exactly a confession, but I wanted you to know.”
“I have business news too,” he told her with a squeeze. “I’m going to branch out, hire Jonas as a full-time associate. He can do the on-site coordinating so all I have to do is the vision stuff. Hoping to entice Caleb into joining me as a designer, dragging his ass home from Europe. That way, I can set up a home base with you and not have to travel much at all.”
Brynn sat up and stared at him slack-jawed.
“What?” he snickered. “Did you think that the whole time I was away it was just drinking with the boys and lap dances at the local titty bar? Shit honey. Before I even pulled into my folk’s driveway, I knew that big changes were necessary. My counselor Marty, who can’t wait to meet you by the way, really helped me focus on the here and now so all that crap from the war doesn’t keep dragging me under. I’m so sorry about what happened that morning Brynn, and we’ll get into all that another time, but for now I just want you to know—I feel great. Better than I have in a long time.”
Her expression softened as she reached out and ran a possessive hand down his chest and sighed. “I checked out a nearby support group for spouses that I’m really interested in getting involved with. Told Amy to reach out to them and see if they need a meeting space. She can coordinate with them on the monthly calendar to use the tearoom. If you think that’s okay…”
God. She was perfect. He had a lot to be thankful for. “Of course it’s okay. You have such a big heart, Brynn. This man is humbled by your willingness to be so open and honored to know you’ll be by my side in the years ahead.”
“I love you Jackson Merrill. Mr. Sexy Ass—aka the Butt Whacker.” She pressed her hand against her stomach and groaned. “And you’ll be happy to hear I’m hungry all the damn time and not for sweets and sugary stuff. Rhi’s totally converted me. I even learned how to make a pretty awesome Greek salad.”
“Is that your stomach I hear growling?” he laughed.
She giggled and bit a nail. “Better that than morning sickness.”
Jax sat up and fisted his hand in her hair. Giving a gentle yank he pulled her face close to his and murmured, “I seem to recall you rather enjoy this.”
“Caveman,” she snickered.
“Yeah, well…it’ll come in handy if you start puking. Don’t try and go it alone, baby. We’re in this together. I’ll hold your hair while you hang over the bowl,” he joked with a serious tone.
Brynn gave his shoulders a hearty shove until he was flat on his back again, then quickly straddled him with a very naughty wiggle. “See this?” she teased waving her engagement ring in his face. “This says you have to do as I say. Got it?”
In one quick move he had her pinned under him and this time it was him wedged quite firmly between her legs doing the naughty wiggle. “Wanna say that again?” he smirked with a suggestive leer.
His fiancée grabbed his ass, rolled her hips and caught his hard dick, bucking against him until he sank deep. Jax groaned and shuddered at the incredible wet heat enveloping his shaft.
“Told ya’,” she whimpered as she ground her hips some more. “You did exactly what I wanted you to do…”
“In that case baby girl, I’ll be your submissive any day.”
“RHIANN. THERE’S A PHONE CALL for you on line two. And when you’re finished with the call, Mr. Ashforth would like to see you in his office.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake, Rhi groaned. She’d been doing cartwheels to keep from having to face Liam even though as CEO of Black Phoenix Group everyone now answered to him. While he’d made it a point to interview the teams in every department, she’d stayed in the background. She’d lucked out when he’d gone off to Europe right after the acquisition even though that meant having to deal with the unctuous Kim Walsh. As Chief Financial officer for the Black Phoenix Group, Liam’s global business, she had absolute authority, which she wielded like the vicious bitch she was turning out to be. Having made it abundantly clear that she felt a fashion magazine was beneath the dignity of BPG, she’d been making everyone’s life a living hell. She was a mean-spirited, venomous bitch who Rhiann disliked on sight.
To make matters worse, she’d been a particular shit toward Rhiann’s marketing department, putting everyone on notice that BPG’s CFO was going to be personally overseeing each and every expenditure and department request after letting it be known that she thought the marketing and advertising departments were, as she put it, spending money like they printed it. Bitch. With every passing day, Rhiann’s supposedly fabulous New York life was slowly crumbling to dust, bit by bit.
Snatching up the phone, she squared her shoulders, ready for another round of business fuckery and pushed the button for line two.
“Rhiann Wilde,” she answered while clicking her impeccably manicured nails on her desk.
An exasperated sounding voice came across the line howling, “I need your help, Rhi.”
“Oh my God, what’s wrong Brynn?”
“I just can’t,” her sister babbled. “It’s too much for my brain to process.”
“Aw, honey. Relax, okay? Take a deep breath and tell me what’s happening. It’s not good for the baby for you to be so ferklempt.”
Brynn barked out a laugh. “Ferklempt? Good heavens Rhi!”
She chuckled. “Shut up, you. Now tell me what’s got your knickers in a twist.”
She heard Brynn sigh and what sounded like a stack of papers rustling. “You’re going to have to do this Rhi, I have baby brain or something.”
“Ooookay. Do what exactly?” Sensing that she needed to focus, Rhiann sat forward and put her forehead into the hand whose elbow was resting on the desk.
<
br /> “Plan the wedding, of course! I printed out a bunch of lists, but it’s all just a blur. Help!”
“Uh, wedding? What wedding? Who’s getting married? Have I missed a memo or something?”
“Oh shit Rhi! I’m sorry. You’re right—I forgot to call you last night, ‘cause, well...” Her sister snickered softly. “I guess we kinda lost our way a bit. Jax came back and he asked me to marry him again. Squee!”
“What? Are you freakin’ serious? Oh crap, Brynnie! I think I’m going to cry.” The sound of her sister’s voice filled with such glee loosed a thickness in Rhiann’s throat that was hard to swallow away.
“And guess what? He actually did the down on one knee thing. Oh my God, he was so adorable. Flowers, an amazing ring, a one-hundred-year-old book of poetry and Justin Timberlake crooning in the background.” Brynn squealed with happiness as Rhiann sat there disbelieving. Just a few days ago her sister had been a complete mess.
“When’s the big day, sis?”
“Jax says I can have whatever I want, and I’ve decided Christmas. Just family and a couple of close friends. We’ll decorate the tearoom. It’ll be soooo romantic, don’t you think? I know that doesn’t leave much time for planning, but we don’t want to wait.”
A thousand ideas flashed in Rhiann’s mind. Tons of winter greenery with red berries and poinsettias. She saw a Pinterest board not long ago with a picture of gorgeous green foliage done in swags tied with beautiful ribbons and twinkle lights. Chairs with white covers and big flowing fabric bows in corresponding bridal colors. Romantic? Hell to the yeah! Would also give her great story ideas for a new book she was developing.
“Oh, and Rhi? You’ll be my Maid of Honor, won’t you? And Charlie can be a bridesmaid. Jax has a brother he wants to stand as his best man. Dad in a tuxedo and Nana! Oh my. She’ll be a sight, no doubt.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa sis. Settle down and take a breath! Of course I’ll stand with you sweetie. And don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll take care of all the details. With Amy’s help of course. You just focus on that man of yours and finding a dress. Something gorgeous Brynnie. None of that tailored suit crap. Have you told the folks? Do they know about the baby yet?”
Brynn growled, and Rhiann couldn’t help but laugh. “Actually, my hunky man told Mom and Dad before he proposed. Something about being an old-fashioned guy. We called them together last night to share the news that I’d actually said ‘yes’. Y’know, I thought maybe Mrs. Merrill suspected when she was here so we pretty much ‘fessed up about the baby too. His folks are thrilled. Everyone’s so happy Rhi. It’s like…God. I think it’s like a fairy tale or something.”
Rhiann smiled. “Looks like you get a happy ending, sis.”
She heard Brynn sigh, then murmur, “You’ll get yours too Rhi.”
Oh shit. She needed to cut this conversation off before it veered into Liam territory. That was the last thing she needed fresh in her mind before she had to go and see him face-to-face.
“Listen sweetie. It’s a busy day here so I have to run now but I’ll video chat with you later, okay? Maybe you can introduce me to your Butt Whacker. Won’t that be fun?”
The sisterly chitchat ran out of steam not too long thereafter and by the time Rhiann hung up, her head was spinning. A baby on the way and now a wedding. The Baron-Wilde family was changing. She was happy, truly happy for Brynn. Her first marriage had been a hiccup, and thank God it ended before the asshole she’d married had done any permanent damage. Now, she seemed genuinely over-the-top, head-over-heels in love with her man. She couldn’t help the sigh that escaped. At least one of the Wilde sisters had hit the romance jackpot. Her? Not so much. And as for Charlie? Well, who the hell knew what she was up to these days—traipsing around Italy doing Lord knows what.
Rhiann stood up and rolled her shoulders to work out some kinks then slipped into the tiny washroom tucked in the rear of her office. If she was going to survive the command performance she been summoned to with her new boss, she sure as hell was going to do it looking like a million bucks. Or as close to a million as she could get.
Okay, let’s see…hmmm. What’ve we got here? she thought as she peered into the mirror and took stock. Since it was just another day at the office, she’d worn her favorite sweater dress in a warm fawn color. It had a cowl neck and clung to her body in all the right places. A gold chain with an interesting three-stone dangle hung almost to her waist and below that, a dark brown leather belt rested low on her hips. Simple. Classic. Understated.
Black hosiery was visible between the hem, which stopped a couple of inches north of her knees, and the tops of her brown suede Gucci knee high boots. Rhi liked anything with a heel and her boots delivered but not in an obnoxious way.
With the outfit passing muster she moved onto a detailed assessment of her hair and makeup. As usual, at some point during her busy morning, she’d gathered her hair into a messy bun and secured it with a pencil from her desk. She considered letting her brown mane tumble around her shoulders but decided against it. Not wanting to give the impression she’d made any special effort whatsoever, Rhi rummaged through her bag of everyday junk until she found a hair stick with an artisan glass bead on the end—the pencil was a step too far along the don’t-give-a-fuck road—and quickly jammed it into the lump of hair.
When you work around some of the top fashionistas in the business the best way to hold onto your confidence meant playing up her best feature, which Rhiann figured were her eyes. Along with an outrageously lush mane of brown hair, she’d inherited her mother’s vibrant green eyes. A well-known makeup artist had shown her the best way to get a smoky look which she quickly touched up, adding a bit of neutral lip gloss as an afterthought.
“And there you have it,” she muttered aloud at her image as she twisted and turned, this way and that. Well, that was the best she could do. Oh, hold on, she thought as she dabbed a bit of her favorite scent behind each ear and on her wrists.
After a final glance in the mirror, Rhi gave her reflection a crooked grin. She looked, like the professional she was. Now, all she had to do was keep her shit together and ignore the rapid pulse that reminded her who she was about to meet with. Liam fucking Ashforth. The man she’d given her virginity to as a foolish college sophomore. The same man who walked away from her without so much as a backward glance.
Eh, crap. Her nerves were starting to do somersaults. Not good or helpful so to keep her hands occupied she grabbed a pen and a presentation folder off her desk from a recent team meeting, popped a breath mint into her mouth, and started for the elevator. Staying focused helped so she began counting steps as she walked along, Rhi nodded at the others she passed in the hallway and reminded herself to keep breathing. Dammit. This was going to be a lot harder than she imagined it would be.
Thankfully she was alone in the elevator so shoving the folder under her arm and holding the pen between her teeth she vigorously shook the tension from her hands. Unbelievably, she felt her body temperature increase, a sure sign that the anxiety was winning. Reminding herself that she was an adult, not a silly nineteen-year-old with shadows of cupid obscuring her commonsense, Rhiann straightened, pushed her shoulders back and lifted her chin. Screw Liam Ashforth. This was business and she was damn good at what she did.
Unfortunately, the second the elevator doors swooshed open it felt like she’d been sucker punched in a pillow fight. Damn her imagination. There was no way she could realistically feel his presence just by being on the same floor, could she? Crushing what was left of the mint in her mouth, Rhi swallowed, licked her lips, tried tilting her chin again and headed for the double glass doors that led to his secretary’s imposing desk.
The woman guarding the new inner sanctum of BPG’s chief executive was in her mid-fifties with the sort of coolly assessing exterior one would expect in her position. Rhiann felt like she’d been subjected to an ocular pat down by the time she came to a halt at the woman’s desk.
“Ah, Ms. Wilde,” t
he woman drawled as she rather testily consulted her watch as if to imply Rhi was late, or worse, wasting her precious time. Good grief. Liam’s gatekeeper was a fire-breather. A slow trickle of damming sweat escaped down the back of Rhiann’s neck while her nervous smile fell off her face.
“I’ll inform Mr. Ashforth that you’ve arrived. Please, have a seat,” the testy secretary indicated with a curt nod at a single chair placed along the far wall that made Rhi feel like she was being put in a time-out. Shit.
A good ten minutes passed during which Rhiann sat there, rigid and unyielding, while the fire-breather completely ignored her. Ooooh, this lady is good, she thought. Not only was Rhi practically hyperventilating with anticipation, she could feel smudges of nervous sweat gathering behind her knees, under her arms, and between her legs. If something didn’t happen soon, she’d be able to swim her way into Liam’s office. Damn him.
The phone never rang yet somehow Mrs. Scary Doubtfire was communicating with her boss, made eerily obvious when eventually, she casually nailed Rhiann to the spot with a caustic glare and announced, “Mr. Ashforth has time for you now.” Holy fucking crap. Suddenly the meeting felt like a parole hearing.
Standing with a quick glance over her shoulder at the chair she’d just vacated to make sure a puddle wasn’t visible on the upholstery, Rhi strode forward with confidence she wasn’t feeling, toward the double doors where the secretary stood. The woman rapped lightly, pushed on the handle, and walked in ahead of Rhiann.
“Ms. Wilde from the marketing department is here to see you, sir.” This announcement met with complete silence as a frisson of unease slithered down Rhiann’s spine. As the woman turned to leave she looked at her with an expression that bordered on pity and whispered, “Don’t sit until he says you can.”
Oh, for heaven’s sake. This show of power and intimidation was really taking things too far. After all, she’d been naked and sweatier than she was right now with the CEO of Black Phoenix Group. She wondered how the intimidating gatekeeper would react if she knew that little tidbit of insider information. Unfortunately, the reminder of the naked and sweaty thing was a very bad move when memories of that fateful night exploded in her head.
Wilde Forever (Wilde Women Book 1) Page 42