by Holly Jaymes
“Trouble at the office?” Deciding no naked play was in the immediate future, I looked through the cupboards for something to eat.
“Lisbeth is being a pain in the ass. She says she’s going to sign the papers, but hasn’t yet. I’ve got deadlines for this launch. For the marketing. She’s messing it all up.” She came to the kitchen and got a glass of water.
“I’m sorry.” Unable to stop myself, I pulled her to me and gave her a kiss.
“Is this lunch?” She set her glass aside and looped her arms around my neck.
I lifted her onto the counter. “It could be. A first course.”
“Mmm… Well then.” She hooked her legs around me and drew me in.
Thirty minutes later, we were sexually satisfied and fixing sandwiches for lunch. “We should eat at the table,” she said, taking her plate to the dining area. “I know what you do on that island.”
I waggled my brows. “We’ve done it on the table too.”
As we sat and ate, I found myself feeling very content in the everyday domesticity of this situation. At the same time, I deterred myself from getting too settled into it. This was all just a farce. It would be over eventually.
“So, did I hear you talking to Dane?” she asked as she picked up her sandwich.
I recounted my call, studying her face for her reaction. How would she feel being married for a year? Her expression was impassive, but she didn’t look at me.
Finally, she said, “What about Lily?”
That wasn’t what I’d expected, and yet, it made sense, considering how good friends they were.
“There’s no getting around her, I don’t think.” I wiped my face with my napkin. “This is in the news and so she’ll find out eventually. But...” I reached out and took her hand. “I think we can tell her the truth. Mostly. We can leave out the part where I ravish your body every night.”
She gave me a small smile. “So, we admit that Lisbeth somehow tricked us? Do you think she’ll believe it?”
“It’s the truth, isn’t it? Then we’ll just tell her the concerns that a quickie divorce would have on our careers, and how we’re dealing with it. As friends.”
She looked out the window toward the water at my comment of being friends. I wondered if that bothered her or was I projecting my own feelings onto her?
When she turned back, she had a resigned smile on her face. “One thing at time, right?”
“Right.” I squeezed her hand. “How about a walk to help digest this lunch?”
“Can I take a raincheck? I have a few more calls I need to make.”
The disappointment I felt was a reminder that I was getting far too attached to Victoria.
“Yes, of course.” I pulled my hand back. “I’ll do the dishes.”
“You don’t have to do that. You cooked.”
“I spread mayonnaise and mustard, that’s not cooking.”
“Still.” She stood and gathered her dishes. I shrugged, deciding to let her do what she wanted. I had work I could do too, so I left her alone. Perhaps this was a good thing. This was proof that our work lives would eventually pull us apart. The demise of our marriage wouldn’t be a ploy because it was something that would really happen. I needed to keep reminding myself that during the little moments when I secretly wanted more.
Chapter 15: Remember It’s Not Real
Victoria
I had been married for nearly two weeks and the only problem was how much I was enjoying it. Pax was an easy man to live with. He was low key, liked to cook, and at night, he played my body like he played the guitar. The only problem was that it wasn’t real. Oh sure, we cared about each other. We enjoyed each other’s company and we respected each other. But our marriage was a sham. It was an accident. A mistake. When Lily learned about it, she was going to flip out. I had to hope Pax was right that she’d buy the basic truth, and not suspect the deeper truth.
But there were other issues, such as making sure the real truth didn’t get out. What if Lisbeth decided to share the prank that she played on us with others? When I’d finally gotten a hold of her personally to talk to her, she asked if I was mad at her. Pax and I decided that she needed to believe that we were actually grateful for what she’d done. We needed her to believe what the public was being told to believe; that Pax and I were happily married.
“I knew it,” she said. “I could totally see it. I don’t understand why you two were being so stubborn. Love isn’t something that comes every day.”
“You’re right,” I replied. But for all my agreeing with and thanking her, she’d yet to sign the papers I needed to complete our endorsement deal.
“I’ll sign them when I get back,” she said. “Ethan and I are going to Australia. It’s summer down there now, you know. How weird will that be?”
“Don’t you have to be working on your album?” I wanted to ask Pax if he’d check with Dane about it. Then I wondered if that was appropriate. Was it okay to use my husband to track down a potential business partner?
“I don’t have to be there for another week or so. I know you think I’m being flighty, but at twenty-three, I can get away with it, and I’m going to. Dane says my life will change once I have my record. Pax says my life and time won’t be my own. So, until I sign my life away, I’m going to live it. When I get back, I’ll sign them.”
Ugh!
The following morning, I got a call from Galen. “Hey, boss, I know I’m supposed to come tomorrow, but I need to meet with the printers then. Can I come out today?”
“Yeah, sure.” I gave him the address to Paradise Java and told him I’d meet him there in a few hours. On the off-chance paparazzi were watching him, I didn’t want him to bring the media to where Pax and I were staying at Pine Rest. Of course, if they came to Eden Lake, they’d know I was here. But not exactly where. And maybe they’d get preoccupied trying to find Lily or Tucker. Fat chance, I thought. Well, maybe not Tucker. He was a big star and looking like he was taking his team back to the Superbowl again.
Pax was holed up in his room, playing his music and recording some on a bunch of equipment that Dane had sent over.
“If Billie Eilish and Finneas can make music in their bedrooms, so can you,” Dane had told Pax apparently. “He doesn’t want it to look like I’m working on my honeymoon, but he wants me to work on my honeymoon,” Pax explained to me. Then he gripped me by the waist and pulled me to him. “Lucky for me, I’ve got a great muse.”
The idea that he’d been writing music inspired by me, filled my belly with butterflies, which was so dangerous for me. This isn’t real, I kept reminding myself.
When it came time for me to go to town, Pax had decided to take a run along the lake. I’d been on the phone with one of my distributors when he planted a kiss on my cheek and dropped a note that he was heading out.
Because he was gone, I left him a note that I had to meet someone in town. Fingers crossed, no one saw me. I wasn’t famous. In fact, I thought if anyone knew me, it was as Allie’s sister. So I felt reasonably safe going to town.
I arrived at Paradise Java and ordered a coffee. I found a seat along the back wall where I’d be able to meet with Galen in private.
When he arrived, I stood and waved to let him know where I was.
He grinned and walked to me, holding his arms out to give me a hug. “You look fab as always.” He kissed me, like he usually did, with a big smack on the lips. I was used to it by now and knew it was just a friendly gesture.
“You look smug, as always,” I said to him.
He sat next to me and took my hand. “Spill the tea, Victoria.”
“About?”
He rolled his eyes. “Is Pax Ryder as sexy naked as he is in jeans and t-shirt on stage, of course.”
I laughed. Of course that was what he’d want to know. And that was something I didn’t need to lie about. “He’s even better.”
He closed his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. “I knew it.” Then he looked at my left hand a
nd frowned. His gaze jerked to me. “No ring? Pax Ryder can afford a rock the size of my head.”
Oh no. For a moment, I could only stare at my empty hand. We’d thought of everything—or so I thought. Finally, a response came to me. “It’s out being resized.”
“The band too?”
I nodded. “It was a set.”
“See, girl, that’s why you plan a wedding and not elope on a whim.”
I smiled with relief that he was buying my answer. “You’re right, as always.”
He leaned forward and studied me and I tried not to squirm under his scrutiny. “You’re not one to run off and get married in Vegas. I didn’t even know you knew him. What’s really going on? Is this some sort of PR stunt? And if so, why aren’t I in the know?”
I waved his comment away. “You know I’d never do something like that. The truth is, I’ve known Pax a long time.”
“But never talked about him?” Galen’s pursed lips suggested he was suspicious.
“His mother and my mother are friends,” I explained, careful not to reveal that it was also Lily’s mother. “We had a little thing a few years back and…well…it never left.” That wasn’t a lie. As much as I tried, I never had fully gotten over Pax.
“It’s still suspicious. But if you introduce me to him, I’ll forgive you.”
I laughed. “Maybe another time.”
He frowned. “Are you moving to Europe? And why are you working on your honeymoon? And-”
I interrupted him before he could get carried away. “Our plans aren’t set. And I’m working, just as he is, because we have commitments.”
“Well, as great as I think this move has been for the company’s bottom line, you need to keep us informed.”
He was right. I also needed to consider that with the uptick in exposure and sales that came with marrying Pax, the company could also suffer the opposite when we ended the marriage. But now wasn’t the time to prepare for that. Now, I needed to find out how the marketing aspect of the Radiance launch was going.
“I’ll do better,” I promised. “Now, why don’t you get some coffee and show me these marketing plans, so I can get back to him.”
He left for a moment to get a drink and then we went over his work on the Radiance marketing campaign. At this point, much of it involved Lisbeth, so if we didn’t get her nailed down, Galen would have a lot of reworking to do.
“So when will Lisbeth be on board?” he asked, nibbling on a chocolate croissant.
“She’s spending the summertime in Australia.”
“In the middle of winter?” he quirked a brow.
“It’s summer down there.”
“Isn’t she supposed to be recording?”
“A week or so. I’ll hunt her down. She’s got a thing for Pax, so if needed, I can get his help.” There I went, using Pax again.
“Always good to marry someone with connections,” he said. “And someone who’s hot.”
I laughed. “I won the lottery there.” Too bad it was all a giant mistake.
When I finished my meeting with Galen, he returned to Los Angeles, and I decided to visit Allie. She wasn’t at her studio, so I stopped by her condo.
“Hey, girl.” She shook her head in a “what did you do?” fashion.
I shrugged. “You got some time for a visit?”
“Yeah. Josh is working today. I was just making some tea.” She held the door open for me.
“How’s the house-hunting going?” I asked.
“Slow. Do you want some tea too?” she called from the kitchen.
“Sure.” I sat on the couch and admired the view of the lake. “You’ve made quite a life for yourself here, Allie.”
She came in carrying two mugs of tea, handing me one. “That statement sounds loaded.”
“No. Just an observation. You’ve achieved your goal. A successful studio. A wellness retreat. A great husband with a baby on the way.”
“Now seems like a good time for you to tell me what happened in Vegas.” She sat in a chair, curling her legs under her.
I looked down into my tea. “It’s crazy. He was there because his record label wanted him to keep an eye on Lisbeth Garner. They want to try and prepare her for stardom, I guess. I was there to do business with her.”
“And like London, one thing led to another?”
I shook my head then stopped. “Well, sort of. We did hook up again, but the marriage, that was Lisbeth’s doing. She married her manager and somehow got us married too.”
Allie frowned. “How’s that possible?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. The thing is, Pax’s record label told him he couldn’t get out of the marriage as it would hurt his reputation.”
Allie made a face that suggested she thought the reasoning was dumb. “So how long do you have to be married?”
I held my hand out in an I-don’t-know gesture. “It sounds like we’ll part ways shortly, going on with our own lives and then down the line say we drifted apart.” Again, I looked into my tea, trying to hide a sadness about that. It was stupid to feel that way, but I couldn’t control my feelings.
“So there’s nothing real about this marriage?” Allie asked, blowing on her tea.
“Well…”
Allie laughed. “Beyond sex.”
My smile faltered. “Do I care for him? Yes. But we still have Lily to deal with. God, when she finds out, she’s going to lose her mind.”
“What are you going to tell her?”
I let out a breath as I visualized the confrontation with Lily. “Just what I told you, except without the hook-up.”
Allie let out a long breath. “Oh, Vic. I hate that you have to go through all this.”
“Maybe it’s karma for all my antics that gave my Mom gray hair.”
She laughed. “I think, just like in your business, you need to decide what you want and go after it. Lily will have to deal.”
“That assumes Pax would want the same thing as I do, and the truth is, he doesn’t. He’s going back to England soon and I’ll be here. Even if we did want to make a real go of it, it would end exactly like it’s planned to end, with us drifting apart.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “Are you sure about that? You’ve spent six years apart and look at you now. It doesn’t seem like you drifted apart.”
She had a point, but I also knew she had stars in her eyes for everyone to find the same intensity and depth of love that she had with Josh.
We finished our tea and then I headed back to Pine Rest. I could really use a soak in the hot tub. I’d forgotten to ask Allie about a bathing suit, although I supposed I didn’t need one. As messed up as this situation was, I decided to make the best of it, including sexy times in the hot tub.
Chapter 16: Duped
Pax
I returned from my run to find Victoria gone. I searched the house and finally found a note saying she had to meet someone. Who? We were both stuck out here in the middle of nowhere. But then I wondered if maybe she was meeting with her sister. Then again, why not just say that?
Deciding she’d let me know when she returned, I took a shower, then made myself a snack and jotted down some music that had come to me on my run. I checked my watch, thinking Victoria had been gone a long time. I was going to text her but didn’t want to come off as controlling, so instead, I went to the TV room and watched sports highlights which included some of Tucker. I hadn’t kept up on U.S. sports, but from what I’d learned so far, Tucker was making his second bid for a Superbowl win. He was really down to earth and lived a modest life for being as important as he was. I admired him for that. It was certainly how I preferred to live my life, although sometimes it was hard, especially with the world disturbingly interested in my private life.
My phone rang with Dane’s ringtone. I picked it up. “Hey, Dane.”
“What the hell is going on out there, Pax?”
My brows furrowed. “I’m watching TV. Why?”
“Where’s your wife?”
His tone made my hackles rise. “What’s your problem, Dane?”
“My problem is that there are pictures flying all over social media of your wife having an intimate moment with another man.”
“What?”
“Tell me she has a twin or a doppelganger, Pax. Because this doesn’t look good.”
“It’s nothing,” I said automatically, even though I had no idea what it was. Maybe she was with Josh or a friend. She wouldn’t be sleeping with me if she was in a relationship with someone else, would she? She’d said it had been a long time since she’d been with someone. I ran my hand through my hair, unsure what to think.
“Are you sure? Because the pictures look bad. Already people are wondering about your marriage,” Dane said.
Fuck.
“At least she’s the one who’ll look bad. This can be spun to make you the victim,” he continued on.
“Jesus, Dane, don’t go assuming the worst.”
“I don’t get you two. You’re both successful, attractive people who are married and living together. Why isn’t she fucking you? Why is she with some other guy?”
“Hey! Dane. Shut the fuck up.” I didn’t like the way he was talking. “It’s nothing. Just a meeting.”
“Find out and fix it or let me know and we’ll spin a story to get you out of it. It’s not ideal, but if she’s cheating-”
“Just let me deal with it, okay?”
“Call me when you know what’s going on.”
I hung up and searched my phone for the photos in question. There was one with a good-looking man kissing Victoria on the mouth, followed by one in which they were hugging. I tried to figure out where it was. Maybe it was an old photo being used to dupe people into thinking it was current. But I didn’t know the place. It looked like a restaurant or coffee house.
In the next picture, he was holding her hand, his thumb brushing over her ring finger. It did look intimate. The text with the photos was equally as incriminating.
“Pax Ryder’s wife a cheat?”
Another said, “Is Pax Ryder Not Keeping the New Mrs Satisfied?”
