When the kiss ended, he pulled back from her and smiled with a wicked gleam in his eye. “I really like this necklace.” His fingers traced the chain and went over the pearl. “It draws my attention to your finer qualities.” His fingers drifted to the beginning of her cleavage where he brushed the top of her breasts.
“Yeah well, wait until you see what’s underneath,” she teased.
“That’s the best part.” He bent down and gave her butterfly kisses on her skin where his fingers had just been.
She giggled. “That tickles.”
“I’ve noticed that your skin is pretty sensitive.”
“When your touch is that light, it is.”
He stood straight and chuckled. “So you like it rough?”
“Nathan, you’re impossible.” She swatted him playfully on the arm and went to get her purse from the closet.
“Maybe. But I do have one more surprise for you.”
“Oh yeah? Is this because you know I have one waiting for you?”
“No, but I admit I’m dismayed you won’t even give me a hint.”
She grabbed her purse off the shelf in the closet and came back out. Shutting the doors, she said, “If I did that, you’d know what it is.”
“Then you won’t be giving the right hint.”
“I’m no good at hints.” She walked over to him and looked expectantly at him. “Okay. What’s your surprise?”
He pulled out a small black box from his breast pocket. “I notice you don’t have a wedding ring.”
She blinked. “I forgot all about that.”
“I didn’t.” He opened the box and showed her the row of diamonds that decorated the top of the gold band. “This is one I picked out myself. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No. In fact, it’s a lovely surprise.” She held out her hand and watched as he slipped it on. “And you knew my ring size because...?”
“I took in one of your other rings to the jeweler.”
She nodded. “Well, I can’t fault that logic.”
He smiled. “You sounded just like your dad when you said that.”
“Did I?”
“He said the same thing a couple of times when your parents were here. It’ll be nice to see them this Christmas.”
“Where you’re sure we’ll be telling them that they can expect a grandchild in the next year?”
“That’s the plan.”
She sighed but shook her head in amusement. “You can’t control that one, no matter how hard you try.”
“The kid will be mine. He’ll know to do his part.”
She rolled her eyes. “We’ll see.”
Still seeming as optimistic as ever that things were bound to go according to his plans, he said, “I went ahead and got myself a ring to match yours, except I decided to leave out the diamonds.”
Her eyebrow arched. “Doesn’t that mean you got a regular gold band?”
“Yes.” He took it out of his pocket and showed it to her. “I wanted to wait until you had yours on before I put mine on.”
“Nathan, that is the kind of ring just about every man wears when he gets married.”
“Because it works.” He put it on and showed it to her. “Simple but the message is still there. It says, ‘I’m married to the most wonderful woman in the world.’”
“It talks?”
“I said it sends a message, you silly thing you.”
She shrugged but grinned.
He adjusted his gold cufflinks. “Are you ready?”
She took a deep breath and made a mental note not to squeeze the life out of her small purse. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
He took her by the hand and led her out of the bedroom. “You’ll be fine. The worst that will happen is you’ll get bored.”
“It’s only two hours, right?”
“Yep.”
Two hours. She could manage through two hours. It wasn’t that long. And yet, it seemed like an unusually long period of time. Maybe if she knew what to expect, it would be easier. A hundred people. She might be able to blend into the background, and avoid the dreaded ex-wife. Though she tried not to think of it, the woman lingered in the back of her mind and worried her. Just what kind of woman was she?
“You okay?” Nathan asked, breaking her out of her thoughts as they walked down the stairs.
“Yeah. I’m okay.”
They reached the bottom step and went to one of his cars. After she got in, he went to his side and started it up. She buckled her seatbelt and reminded herself, once again, that this was only for two hours.
I need to relax. I’m making too big of a deal out of this. She took another deep breath.
“I rarely go to these things,” he assured her as he drove out of the garage. “So you don’t have to be subjected to this often.”
She nodded, thankful that was the case. With his job and his money, who knew how often he had to go out and socialize at fancy events? She knew so little of this new world she’d been thrust into. She much preferred her privacy, though she had to admit that the maid was an unexpected delight. She would be very happy if she never had to clean another toilet for as long as she lived.
The ride through downtown Omaha to the outskirts where Jack Bently lived was a nice one. She enjoyed driving through the city. She especially loved the Christmas season where the city was decorated with a variety of colored lights. Her thoughts turned to what might be in December. Even if she chided Nathan for his insistence that they’d be expecting a child, the hope was lodged deep inside. She hoped this was one of the many areas he turned out to be right.
When Jack Bently’s estate came into view, she straightened in her seat. The place was huge. The three-story white house was set on a well-manicured lawn. She shook her head. No one needed a place this elaborate. She could barely detect any of the city lights from the row of large trees that surrounded the perimeter of his property. For all intents and purposes, this estate seemed to exist in the middle of nowhere, and the sun was setting in the sky.
Soon it would be dark and an array of lights would undoubtedly light up the place. They were soon behind a short line of cars. Two cars came in behind them, and her stomach tensed. This was it.
Nathan reached over and took her hand in his. “The good news is that we can go outside for some peace and quiet once in a while. It doesn’t have to be a constant bombardment of people.”
She tried to smile her thanks but was far too nervous to do so.
When he drove up to the entrance, a valet came over to park the car so he and Amy got out. A group of photographers rushed over to them and took their pictures. She instinctively stepped closer to Nathan, immediately sympathizing with rock stars and actors. They had to deal with this all the time. She just had to deal with it tonight. She’d never been more grateful than right now that Nathan wasn’t a high profile personality. She’d hate to deal with the mass of cameras every time she went somewhere.
Nathan took her by the arm and led her into the entryway. “I think that’s about the only time they’ll want your picture,” he whispered.
Sure enough, as soon as the other couple got out of the next car in line, the people aimed their cameras in the other couple’s direction.
Amy relaxed. But only a little. She turned to the butler who greeted them and directed them to where they could go to sample hors devours and wine, see Bently’s business plans, or mingle with the other guests. Turning to Nathan, she waited for him to decide.
“I might as well make an appearance with Bently,” he told her. “Do you want to come with me or sample some of the food? I hear the shrimp cocktail at his parties is among the best around.”
Her stomach twisted into horrible knots. There was no way she could eat, regardless of how exceptional the food was. “I’ll go with you.”
“I’ll see what I can do about getting us out before the two hours are up,” he promised.
With a slight nod, she slipped her arm through his, since she noticed tha
t the other women were doing that with their dates, and tried not to trip and fall as she walked in her heels. She felt about as graceful as a one year old learning how to walk. The constant stream of people passing by them made her dizzy, so she kept her gaze toward the entertainment room where another round of photographers and reporters surrounded Jack Bently who looked as if he was thrilled with all the attention.
“I thought he’d be older,” she admitted.
“He didn’t have to build his wealth from scratch. His parents live in California and are loaded.”
She nodded and waited with Nathan on the edge of the group for Jack to notice them. She guessed that Jack Bently was in his late twenties or early thirties. He had dark blond hair, a muscular build, and perfect white teeth. The guy looked like he walked right off the movie set and into real life, and by the way he kept smiling at the cameras, it appeared that he knew it too. Amy already didn’t like him. She reminded herself not to make rash judgments. She had to be fair and give him a chance. Pushing aside her initial prejudices, she stepped forward with Nathan when Jack motioned to them.
“This is Nathan Rudolph of the Rudolph Travel Agency. He’s the lucky person I’ve chosen to do my exclusive cruise line through,” Jack introduced, staring and smiling at the cameras the entire time he spoke.
Lucky indeed. Amy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. What an ego.
“Yes, and the agency is excited about the venture,” Nathan replied with ease as he shook Jack’s hand.
Both men glanced at the cameras and paused to smile before they let go of the handshake.
“Who is this lovely lady with you?” Jack asked, turning to her.
Again, a gazillion flashes made Amy blink as people took her picture.
Nathan slipped an arm around her waist. “This is my wife, Amy.”
“Charmed,” Jack pleasantly greeted and kissed her hand.
“Uh...thanks,” she hesitantly replied. Is that what women said in situations like this?
“Of course, I mean that you’re the one who’s charmed.” Jack laughed as if he made the funniest joke anyone had ever heard, and reporters and cameramen laughed along with him.
Amy stared at Jack and tried to determine just how much he loved himself.
Turning back to the cameras, Jack said, “I only select the best. My cruise line will feature the grandest ship anyone’s ever seen. It will give everyone with enough cash the chance to be ‘king for a day’, so to speak. Why, I have top name actors already signing up to go on it.”
“Can you give us their names?” a reporter asked.
“Well, to name a few, Angelina Jolie and Robin Williams say they can’t wait. Why, just the other day, Angelina called to ask if I have suitable accommodations for her children. She then went on to tell me about how one of her kids...”
As he rambled on, Amy sighed and scanned the room. Posters for his ship lined the walls, and she noticed the words that were across the top of the posters read An Experience of a Lifetime. Below the words was a picture of the cruise ship, which looked pretty much like any other cruise ship she’d seen. She didn’t know what was so special about it. Maybe it was the overinflated prices he planned to attach to it that made it attractive. Some people assumed that expensive meant better quality. This, of course, wasn’t necessarily the case, but she’d witnessed it enough. The couple featured on the poster was a stunningly attractive man and woman. They looked the part of what type of people Jack Bently was hoping to attract.
She turned her attention back to Jack.
Someone from the audience asked Nathan if Jack would work exclusively with the Rudolph Travel Agency for an indefinite period of time.
“The contract currently states one year,” Nathan replied, his arm still comfortingly around Amy’s waist. “After that time, we will discuss how to proceed with the upcoming year.”
Jack laughed and, once again, shot a big smile to the cameras. “Yes. Nathan twisted my arm to get the full year out of me. I originally thought it’d be for the summer, but he reminded me that people can cruise in the winters too, especially since they’ll be departing from California.”
Again, he laughed and those around him laughed as well.
Amy sighed in boredom. This whole conversation was as exciting as an infomercial.
“I’m sure you’re glad you came,” Jack told Nathan and Amy. “I have other people to talk to before the night is over. A pleasure.” He kissed Amy’s hand again.
“Let me guess,” she said before he could say it. “The pleasure is all mine.”
“You’re quick to catch on.” He winked at her. “I like that.”
She forced a smile and gladly left the crowded room with her husband. The worst was over. Only another hour and some odd minutes to go.
Chapter Twenty
Amy breathed a sigh of relief when Nathan escorted her onto the patio. The place led to a pool large enough it put the one Nathan had to shame. It also had a hot tub to the side of it. Though no one used either, the entire space was decked out in lights and soothing symphony music played through the speakers set out along different places along the patio. There was only one other couple lounging by one of the patio tables. They laughed and talked as they sipped wine.
“Are you okay?” Nathan asked.
“Why? Do I look like I’m not?” she wondered, bringing her hands to her cheeks to find out if her skin was unusually warm or cool.
“You look overwhelmed,” he replied slowly, as if he wasn’t sure if she would like the analysis.
“Oh.” She sighed and headed for a chair. “Then I do a lousy job of playing the part.”
He chuckled and followed her. “I didn’t realize there was a ‘part’.”
She sat down and inhaled the warm night air, grateful for the breeze that cooled things down enough to make the evening comfortable. “Yes. There is a part. I’m supposed to be a rich woman who can handle social events like this with great calm and dignity.”
“You’re doing fine.” He pulled a chair closer to hers and sat down. He took her hand in his and kissed it. “I’m proud to have you with me.”
She shuddered. “If you must kiss my hand, please kiss my palm. I know you have to do business with Jack Bently, but he gives me the creeps and he kissed the top of my hand.”
He glanced at her. “Bently creeped you out?”
“There’s something about him I don’t like. I don’t know what it is.”
“It’s probably that he thinks he’s God’s gift to women. I wouldn’t give him anymore thought.”
“I guess you’re right,” she murmured, noting that he turned her hand over and brushed his lips along her palm. It might not have been an intimate part of her body, but it created a spark through her. Then when he playfully planted kisses up her arm, she squealed. “That tickles!”
With a wry grin, he straightened, and still holding her hand, he took out the handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped the top of her hand. “There. All traces of him are now gone. Feel better?”
“Much.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
He tucked the handkerchief back into his pocket. “Would you like something to drink? A little wine might help settle your nerves.”
She took a deep breath. “It’s not a bad idea.”
“I’ll go and get a glass for you. Would you like anything to eat?”
“Maybe if there’s something with chocolate in it.” Hey, who was she to deny a chance to eat chocolate?
His smile widened. “You got it. I’ll be right back.”
She turned her attention to the rest of her surroundings. Beyond the large patio and pool was an expanse of green lawn that led to a gazebo and what looked like a golf course. She wondered how much of this Jack really used. Nathan only used his tennis courts and pool if he had company. She gathered that it was a good way to keep guests entertained. Regardless, luxury items served little purpose, even if they were nice to have around.
The breeze blew again so she closed her eyes, enjoying the quiet—away from the majority of people who stayed inside the house. The couple stayed on the other side of the patio, still enraptured in their conversation, which she couldn’t hear from where she sat. All she heard was the woman’s laughter above the music.
“So you’re the new Mrs. Nathaniel Rudolph.”
Her eyes flew open and she looked up at the dark haired, slender woman whose black dress clung to every curve of her body and whose high heeled shoes showed off her long legs.
“You’re the model in the poster.” Amy said it because it was the first thing that came to mind, not because it was the smartest thing to say.
“Yes. The ex-Mrs. Nathaniel Rudolph.” The woman placed her glass of wine on the table and sat next to her.
Amy tried not to openly stare at Veronica, but the woman looked better in person than on the poster. And Amy thought she looked gorgeous in that poster. Veronica’s dark brown hair was swept back and held in place with what looked like diamond hairpins. There wasn’t a blemish on her face, or maybe the make-up hid any that might be there.
Veronica let out a happy sigh and said, “I talked to Nate a couple weeks ago, and he never mentioned you. That’s downright rude of him. How else could I reveal his dirty little secrets to you?” She laughed, a sound that struck Amy as gentle wind chimes. “I jest, of course, darling.” She set her hand on Amy’s arm and removed it within the same moment.
Amy shifted uncomfortably in her chair. For all outward appearances, the woman seemed friendly, but this was Nathan’s ex-wife. Clasping her hands in her lap, Amy cleared her throat, and not knowing what else to say, she blurted out, “It’s nice you have a sense of humor about it.”
“What’s not to have a sense of humor about? We’re both women. He’s a man. I know whose side to be on.” Veronica winked at her and picked up her glass. “How is married life treating you? I hope Nate’s not being too much of a brute.”
What Nathan Wants Page 16
