The Billion Dollar Wedding: The Honeymoon Collection

by Cynthia Dane

  It’s my job to make sure he’s taken care of. To make sure that I am available to him. She kept waiting for him to take her somewhere and have his way with her. The man hadn’t so much as flinched in the pants since taking care of his morning friend. Still, Jasmine sort of wished he would ask for her to be naughty in the back corner of some store or behind the tinted windows of his car.

  Their date day came to an end when they got in the car after spending half an hour in an Asian import store. Ethan bought a birthday present for a friend, and Jasmine purchased a new table for the salon she liked to hang out in. It would be delivered on Monday, they were assured.

  Ethan drove them to the penthouse, where someone was more than happy to help them with their bags and parking Ethan’s car, which he rarely brought to stay downtown. A generous tip was left to this gracious employee.

  “Now,” Ethan said, as soon as the front door to the penthouse closed, “we’ve got a big dinner ahead of us. Remember what I told you to do last time we had a dinner with business associates?”

  Jasmine nodded. “Stay silent and be watchful.”

  “You should still be observant and studious of other people’s needs. However, there’s no need for you to be quiet today. Although it’s probably best I choose your outfit again. Wouldn’t want you picking something bland.”

  Jasmine’s mouth twitched. “When have I ever picked something bland, sir?”

  “Never. But let’s not risk it.”

  “Uh huh.”

  Jasmine was not surprised when he picked a black dress from her penthouse closet. That closet is nowhere near as big as the walk-in back home. Does the job, though. Jasmine was getting jaded. Not like she kept much downtown anyway. All the really nice stuff stayed up in the Hills, aside from some choice cocktail dresses.

  Like the one Ethan chose for her. This one was a Calvin Klein sheath dress, with a golden buckle cinching the waist and a sharp V-neck cut accentuating her collarbone. It was far from the most expensive thing in her closet, but it was slimming and, well, if Ethan’s wandering hands could be trusted, stunning on her.

  He sat her down at her vanity. To Jasmine’s great, almost heart-attack-inducing surprise, Ethan brushed out her curls and pulled her hair back in a low-riding ponytail that made her look at least five years younger.

  “Since when are you my stylist, sir?” Jasmine asked. He had never brushed her hair before, and she never thought in a million years to ask. Why would she?

  “Since I decided I wanted to make sure you were perfect for tonight.” Ethan pulled out a black felt box. At first Jasmine thought there would be something new in it, but instead she found her collection of ruby jewelry that Ethan had gifted her over the first few weeks of their relationship. So happened it was both of their favorite things for Jasmine to wear.

  While Jasmine put the earrings in, Ethan clipped the barrette into her ponytail. The bracelet went on right after the ruby ring on Jasmine’s right hand. From head to toe she was a simple black and red beauty that made Ethan growl in her ear and say he wanted to devour her right there… but would wait.

  Jasmine swapped out her white platforms for black Roman sandals that Ethan said were to die for. He said that with such a serious air that Jasmine had no choice but to believe him as he changed into a suit appropriate for a business dinner.

  She borrowed one of Ethan’s smaller dinner jackets before they left, hopping back in the Lamborghini and driving ten minutes away to the type of fussy restaurant that specialized in banquets and larger business dinners. In fact, Jasmine soon recognized the name as the place she and Ethan considered having their rehearsal dinner at before deciding it was much too far away.

  They were not the first couple there. Jasmine encountered Adrienne, stag, seeing her for the first time since they returned from Italy. Since she was apparently in the arms of a nicotine-addicted fashion designer… named Bonita. Jasmine kept her mouth shut as Adrienne insisted on introducing her to a few people Ethan probably forgot about.

  There was Sheldon and Priscilla Musgrove, oil tycoons turned investment geniuses. Pamela Graves, the only woman Adrienne admitted could outdo her in the new-money scheme of being the richest woman in America. Carlton Holmes, some old money patriarch who liked to stick his nose in everything here and there. And Tad Linfield and Johnny Hitchcock II, the second richest gay couple in the country, and the richest when it came to real estate.

  Other people, such as the Blakes, the Andrews, and Charlotte’s father were there, mingling with the other guests. Francesca Blake and Lana Andrews exchanged polite words before one turned away in disgust and the other turned away in more disgust. Charlotte’s father, the son of a department store giant, was hell-bent on flattering Pamela Graves until she agreed to see his collection of rare Japanese scroll paintings after dinner. “That’s code for fucking, duh,” Adrienne said. Before they sat down to dinner at a large oval table to enjoy quails stuffed with vegetables Jasmine had still never heard of, Sheldon Musgrove made the embarrassing mistake of calling Tad and Johnny cousins instead of engaged to be married.

  It’s amazing how many social gaffes these people come up with on their own. Meanwhile, they could get away with it, even if Tad Linfield looked like he smelled a dead horse somewhere in the room and Francesca Blake was pretending Lana Andrews could keep her hands off her own husband for five seconds. Jasmine felt like the pinnacle of ladylike qualities as she sat down with her back straight and napkin across her lap. She even knew which fork to use, much to Adrienne’s relief.

  The dinner conversation was beyond her, but this time Jasmine didn’t have the excuse of a “missing” voice to not speak. So when Francesca turned to her and asked, “What do you think of the new exhibit at the art museum, Jasmine?” she had no choice but to answer. Much to Adrienne’s chagrin, who knew Jasmine hadn’t stepped foot in the art museum for at least a year.

  Stay calm and bullshit your way out of this. Jasmine smiled kindly, hand perched on her wineglass as she searched for the best answer to come to the forefront of her mind. “I thought it was delightful,” she said. What the fuck is at the art museum right now? Divert! Divert! “Ethan took me there a little while ago. We both love going to the museum and seeing the latest exhibits.”

  “Is that so? I never took Ethan for an art man.” Francesca sat back in her seat, pondering this info. “It’s always good to hear about you younger people enjoying the culture around you. Too easy to become complacent these days.”

  “Well, if there’s any man in this world who refuses to be complacent, it’s my fiancé.” Jasmine wasn’t lying about that – and what she said caught the attention of the woman sitting directly across from them.

  “Not complacent, huh?” Lana asked with a debilitating smirk. “I’d like to see that.”

  Jasmine averted her eyes before she could blush in front of Francesca. Happened at that moment that Ethan took her hand beneath the table and drew it to his leg.

  “I am most certainly not complacent,” he muttered in her ear, before turning his attention back to a conversation with Tad Linfield. Ethan did not let go of her hand.

  Halfway through dinner, Adrienne came by and asked to talk to Ethan and Jasmine in private. “Just a little something has come up. We’ll be right back!” she promised the group.

  They excused themselves to an empty room near the rest area. Adrienne slammed the door shut behind them and immediately pulled out a cigarette to calm herself with. So much for the sweet demeanor.

  “What’s this?” she demanded, gesturing to business partner and fiancé. Specifically, she motioned toward Jasmine’s collar. “Why are you playing your games at these dinners? You think I don’t know what this thing means?”

  She puffed on that cigarette as if her lungs craved it more than her brain. Jasmine turned her nose away from the smell, but Ethan remained facing Adrienne. “There are no games afoot.”

  “My ass!” How had she become so angry so quickly? What had they even done? “Do you
know who is out there? Important clients that we can’t afford to lose.” She was mostly shouting this at Ethan, but occasionally she glanced at Jasmine, eyes going straight for the collar around her throat. “I was willing to overlook the first time it happened, but this is getting out of hand. I can’t have you two making fools of yourselves in front of these types of people.”

  “You have to admit that Jasmine has done admirable both times.”

  Adrienne took a step back. “What?”

  “You heard me. What do you think I’ve been doing this whole time? I’m training my future wife.”

  “Training her? What the fuck is she? Your bitch?”

  Jasmine gasped. Ethan furrowed his eyes. “Do not call her that. Ever.”

  “Come off it.” Nevertheless, Adrienne was flustered, finishing off her cigarette and squishing it in a glass ashtray. “I was asking if that’s what you thought of her.”

  “What is this really about?” Ethan asked. “You’re better than this, Adrienne. Don’t insult my fiancé, let alone in front of her.”

  “Look, I don’t care what you two pervs do in private, but keep it separate from business. For the love of… do you think you get to flaunt who you are in front of these people?”

  Ethan had a lot more patience than Jasmine would have given him credit for. He must like her still, because otherwise she would have no taint by now. Ethan did not take well to being talked to like this. It was a miracle his collar wasn’t smoking in anger right now. “Works for Tad and Johnny out there.”

  Adrienne’s jaw dropped. “Don’t you dare go there.”

  Jasmine was officially lost now. What did Tad and Johnny have to do with what Ethan got up to? Were they kinky too?

  Adrienne excused herself, swinging the door open and not paying a single bit of attention to the woman standing on the other side, eavesdropping as if it were her favorite hobby.

  “Well, well,” Lana Andrews said, eyes fluttering toward Jasmine’s collar. “Thought that’s what that was. Knew you were a mess like the rest of us, Cole, but a love triangle with the ol’ missus? Hinky. I like it.”

  “It’s not like that, and I would appreciate you not spreading slander.”

  “I would never. I stick to facts.” Lana entered the room, her svelte figure intimidating in every situation – including this one. “Like how I would love to throw a few grand at you to prove that you really are training this precious little whelp to be your perfect bride. I heard from my husband what Richard Blake is saying about your girl’s ass.”

  “My girl is right here. You can talk directly to her.”

  Jasmine froze as Lana approached her. Holy shit, she’s tall. Jasmine did her best to not shrink in her Roman sandals.

  “If you really want to fit in with everyone playing along the vanilla/chocolate divide, you’ll have to do more than wear a collar and a wedding ring. If you don’t own both, everyone will take you for the fake you are.” Lana dropped the gravitas and shrugged. “That’s my advice.”

  “Thanks for the unsolicited advice,” Ethan muttered.

  “Anytime. See you later?”

  “Perhaps.”

  Once they were alone, Ethan tightened his hand around Jasmine’s side. “Are you really training me?” Jasmine asked. That wasn’t a word they used in their relationship. Sure, maybe it came out once in a while during a scene, but they weren’t the kind of couple who trained. Were they? That sounds… too much for me.

  “Don’t take what just happened seriously. There’s a lot going on.”

  “You’re telling me!”

  “Jasmine.” Ethan embraced her, although his hands quickly held her by the shoulders so his eyes could pierce into hers. “Every single one of those people plays mind games. They all have ulterior motives, whether it’s business, sex, or boredom. Don’t fall into their traps. They want nothing more than to play with you, to treat you like an amusing toy to mock and to get to me.”

  She snatched his arms back. “So you see it!”

  “I’ve seen it since the day we became public about our relationship. I was hoping you could ignore it.”

  “You can’t ignore something like that, Ethan! Even your ex-girlfriend thinks I’m a fucked up mess!”

  “What?” Ethan stood back, releasing her. “That’s not what that was about at all.”

  Jasmine’s brief anger dissipated. “Then what was it?”

  “She’s insecure.” Ethan looked as if he regretted blurting that out so quickly. “She’s not that much different from you, Jasmine,” he said, softer. “She’s insecure in her own ways. It has nothing to do with us, I promise. Definitely nothing to do with you. Didn’t she take you to Italy to buy you a wedding dress?”

  “I know, but…” Jasmine knew how these people worked. What was a weekend in Italy swooning over designers when it could be used to humiliate Jasmine down the road? “Never mind.”

  “Do you trust me?”

  She looked him in the eye, tall and proud even though she wore her collar. “I’ve always trusted you. Maybe to my own detriment, but I have always trusted your sorry billionaire ass. You think I’d marry a man I didn’t trust?”

  His tender touch to her face almost calmed her, but by now Jasmine was so irate over the whole situation that she merely wanted to turn away with a huff. “Then let’s get out of here. I’ve done my talking for the night. I want to go relax with the love of my life before we’re too busy to give a fuck.”

  Jasmine lowered her guard. “Say that again,” she pleaded.

  There was nothing better than feeling this man gather her up in his arms and nuzzle her throat, collar on or not. “You’re the love of my life. Let’s go show the world what we mean to each other.”

  Jasmine grinned against his shoulder. He couldn’t see her relief, but he probably felt it twitch in her body – and she never wanted him to let go.

  Chapter 8

  This time Jasmine felt no hesitation entering the BDSM club. Why should she hesitate when she had Ethan with her? The man had enough confidence for the both of them – and that man, and that woman, and the girl behind the coat check, who greeted them both with a flirty look as she took Jasmine’s jacket.

  “You are the most ravishing woman here,” Ethan mumbled in Jasmine’s ear as they wandered through the main room. The place was packed. Not as packed as last time, but with no scheduled shows going on, it was a good amount of regulars and their guests. Jasmine wasn’t surprised to see their kinkiest friends there, and had no qualms coiling herself around Ethan as they sat on a comfortable couch in the midst of couples getting tipsy on cocktails and each other.

  All but two, anyway.

  “We’re trying not to get drunk,” Kathryn explained to Jasmine when they had a moment to chat – but not about work. “Vegas took a toll on us.”

  “What happened?”

  Ian interrupted his girlfriend. “Ever hear that phrase ‘What stays in Vegas?’ Yeah, that. We’re pleading the Fifth. For all eternity.”

  “Besides, shouldn’t y’all be grilling the pregnant woman?”

  Monica, who sat on another couch waiting for her husband to get back from the restroom, gave Kathryn a terse look. “I’m pregnant, not dead inside.”

  “Quite the contrary,” James said, appearing right behind Monica. “She’s got double the life inside of her.”

  “Why, thank you for noticing, James.”

  “Not a problem. Gwenny always says I’m an observant son of a bitch.”

  Jasmine chose then to get up, hand lingering in Ethan’s as he looked at her with a cocked eyebrow. “I’ll get us a drink… sir.” She couldn’t help but titter. “Whatever you want. You relax here while I take care of you.”

  That must’ve been music to Ethan’s ears. He asked for something with whiskey, and Jasmine was off, sauntering up to the nearest bar to ask for whatever was good. She wanted one, because she fully intended to share it with her fiancé.

  “Are you Jasmine Bliss?”

  S
he turned to see a young woman wearing nothing but a pink negligee and a nondescript collar around her neck. The woman didn’t even have a bra on – her nipples were as prominent as the moon in the sky outside. “Yeah, I’m her. Can I help you?”

  “You don’t know me. I just wanted to say that you’re really pretty and I’ve always loved seeing your pictures in the papers.”

  “Is that so?” No one had ever said that to Jasmine before. Not earnestly, anyway. “Thanks.”

  “I also love your collar. Is that from Mr. Cole?”

  Jasmine leaned against the bar. “It sure is. Real rubies.”

  “Wow.” The woman had an electronic cigarette in her hand, which she puffed on now, though not with the same intensity that Adrienne had earlier. “I hadn’t heard that you two Dom/sub. I like it, though. You’re a hot couple.”

  Jasmine tried not to blush. “Thanks.”

  The bartender handed her the drink she ordered. “See you around,” the stranger said.

  “Yeah. See you around.” Jasmine snatched the drink and returned to where Ethan sat, legs casually crossed and arm snaked along the back of the couch. Jasmine handed him the drink and sat with her shoulder curling toward his. “Hope it’s to your liking, sir.”

  He took one sip before handing it back to Jasmine. “Everything is absolutely perfect.” When Jasmine put the drink on the coffee table in front of them, Ethan pulled her back into his embrace – and beyond.

  Jasmine was against the back of the couch, Ethan on top of her, his lips hitting hers as hard as they dared while his tongue dove into her mouth. Jasmine barely had time to register her fiancé – her Dom – getting handsy before she realized a good amount of people watched them.

  Holy shit. They had never made out like this in front of others before. Ethan did not like sharing!

  This was already their wildest night ever, and Jasmine didn’t feel a single ounce of shame. She did, however, need another quick drink of the hard liquor before diving back into Makeout Junction.