9781631054631ChoiceAffairsSalisbury (2 page)

“Thank you. I’ll fax
it over to Jacob right now. While I’m doing that, I believe my cook has
prepared lunch for you. Caitlyn, would you mind checking?” He turn
ed and walked out of the room, papers in hand.
A man with a mission.

I stood watching him
until he was out of sight. “Looks like you’re having lunch with me, ladies.
Anyone care for a glass of wine?”

“God, yes, please!”
Eloise answered.

“Me, too, girlfrien
d,” Izzie chimed in. “Apolo Choice—ten, Susan
Pickett-White—zero.” She pretended to add the scores to an imaginary
chalkboard, grinning.

“Pop’s going to get
such a charge out of this when he hears about it. Poor man has never been able
to control her. She
simply walks all over people,
like she’s the most important person in the world.”

“Well, she’s going to
be quite a bit toned down at the wedding, thanks to Apolo. At least until it
comes time for pictures and the reception,” Izzie replied.

“Once the pictur
es are taken, and the ceremony over, I don’t care how she
acts. There are going to be so many people here, she’s going to be in her
element.
Rich, powerful people.”

“And
a handsome, influential, and powerful son-in-law.”

“Let’s not forget the
bride,” Elois
e put in. “The most beautiful and
important person of the day.”

“Izzie, there’s some
red wine and a cork screw over in the corner. If either of you prefer white,
I’ll go grab a bottle while I’m checking on our lunch.”

* * * *

Apolo

Susan
Pickett White,
my soon to be mother-in-law.
The woman is also a self-centered,
narcissistic bitch. I would say she’s self-absorbed, or perhaps even
egotistical, but for Susan, that’s lightweight. She’s is incredible. It’s all
“me, me, me” with her.

Upon hearing the quand
ary Susan had left everyone in, I immediately went in
search of Jacob to begin damage control. As usual, the man had a sixth sense
about what I needed, and he was in my office before I knew it.

“Jacob? Do you know
what Caitlyn’s mother went and did this mo
rning?”

“Yeah, I just happened
to catch the show. I’m already on it. I just need a vendor list. Everything
else is covered.”

He sat in front of me
munching on those disgusting curly fries from his favorite fast food vendor.
They always tasted like old, bur
nt grease to me. I
shook my head, realizing I was hungry. “Good man. The woman has no scruples,
Jacob. I’m afraid what she’s done is going to mean the need for further
security before and during the wedding.”

“I’m on it. Plus, I’m
going to have someone at
the gate to check in every
vehicle that arrives. I’ve ordered an awning to go over the delivery area in
case more than one vendor arrives at the same time.
Anything else?”

“Yes. As a matter of
fact, there is. I want you to pick up Mrs. Pickett-White, kicki
ng and screaming, if necessary. I’ve made arrangements for
her to stay at that quaint, little spa my mother loves. You know the one,
Jacob. She’s to have a detail on her twenty-four-seven and an ankle bracelet
attached.”

Jacob chuckled. He
knew I had been
pushed to my limits.
“Any other requests?”

“She’s to have
absolutely no connection with the outside world. Get her cell phone. I’ve
already instructed the spa that she’s to have no access whatsoever to any sort
of communication devices. No television, no r
adio, no
internet. She’s going cold turkey until you have her delivered to my house the
morning of the wedding.”

“She’s certainly
pushed your buttons, Apolo. Don’t worry. Consider it done.”

“I’m tired of this
woman thinking of no one but herself. Instead o
f
sharing her daughter’s joy, she’s hawking every, sordid detail to the highest
bidder. It stops now. I’m clipping her wings.”

“You don’t think she
got paid today, do you?”

“Of course, she did.
The woman’s no fool.
That,
and she loves nothing better than t
o be in the spotlight.”

“I’ve got someone in
route to pick her up. Don’t worry about any of this—not Mrs. Pickett- White,
not the details. I’ve got it covered.”

“I knew you would.
Call me if anything arises or you need anything. Thank you.”

Even my telepho
ne conversation with Susan had been brutal. The second
she’d realized she’d been caught, she back peddled, lying about everything in
an effort to save herself. If she’d been anyone else, I’d have reminded her of
the confidentiality agreement Caitlyn and I
had
everyone involved in the preparation of the wedding sign.

Now, our wedding night
was in jeopardy also. I don’t have time with my upcoming duties in Washington
to take Caitlyn off on a proper honeymoon. She was fine with that. And we had
agreed to a cou
ple of quiet days together instead.

All Caitlyn had asked
was that we go somewhere simple and private. I’d thought of the cabin and the
houseboat, but then it had dawned on me that she’d never been to my private
island. The day of our wedding, Caitlyn and
I would
be hurried off via helicopter to my waiting jet. From there, we’d wing our way
to the Caribbean.

While everyone else
thought we were holed up in some luxury hotel in downtown Atlanta, the two of
us would be enjoying a few lazy days on the water. No
press, no outsiders—just my exquisite bride and me.

I’d bought the island
a few years ago mainly as an investment. Sir Richard Branson has nothing on me.
He may have turned Necker Island into some swanky resort for the ultra-rich,
but I’m so beyond his la
ughable attempts at showing
off his wealth. My net worth makes his pale in comparison, but I simply choose
not to showcase it.

The island is perfect
to hide out. No one, except perhaps three people, even
know
I own it. I’ve managed to turn part of it into
a working plantation, giving the people who do see to the
upkeep of my estate another means of having an income.

I spent the afternoon
in my office at home, taking care of any last minute details at Choice
Enterprises. I had a couple of meetings planned fo
r
tomorrow with people I intended to leave in charge. I had never turned over
control of my empire to anyone before. The idea of others at the helm made me
nervous. I had good people set in place, but still, it was a hard decision.

I was deep in thought
ab
out a newly acquired property when my private line
rang. It was Jacob. I noted the time, fully knowing the nature of the call.

“Mission
accomplished?”

“
Yes,
and our package went kicking and screaming, demanding to
speak to you or Caitlyn.” Jacob chuckled.
“Not to
mention, she kept telling everyone who she was and how she would ruin all their
careers. The woman is incredible, Apolo. Anyway, she’s on her way. I’ll give
you another update as soon as we have her secured in her final location.”

“Excellent, and m
ake sure there’s someone with her, outside her door,
twenty-four-seven. She’s cunning and conniving. She’ll stop at nothing if she
thinks escaping will get her featured in the spotlight. You know—the poor,
pitiful mother of the bride.”

“Anything
else?”

“Yes, come to think of
it, there is one more thing. Be thinking how to feed her information about our
wedding night destination. I want to send her, and everyone else, on a wild
goose chase.”

I heard him rolling
with laughter on the other end of the phone.
“Oh,
it’ll be my pleasure, Apolo. I’ll get back with you on that before we return
our package.”

“Thanks, Jacob. I knew
I could depend on you to help me with the devious parts of this plan.”

Chapter
Two

Caitlyn

The morning before my
wedding, and
there is a blissful calm all around.
Partially I believe because my mother is not close by causing chaos. Thanks to
Apolo.

My father got in from
Ireland late yesterday afternoon, as did Apolo’s parents. Though we extended an
invitation to all to stay with
us, the three opted
for a hotel.
At least for the first
night.
I imagined jet lag of some sort played into it, and not
knowing the situation surrounding my mother…
well,
let’s just say they were trying to enjoy some calm.

Izzie was to meet me
here soon. We
both had a last minute fitting. Barring
any unforeseen needed alterations, we’d bring home my wedding dress today, as
well as Izzie’s. We were both as excited as schoolgirls. Our gowns were
straight off the showrooms of Stella McCartney.

The dresses weren’
t real “wedding” dresses, as that’s not what I was after. I
wanted something we could both use again, and knowing the weather in the south,
I didn’t want the weight of a full gown.

Apolo had flown us to
London where we met with my favorite designer. Stella
had them already chosen and waiting on us. They were perfect. Mine was the
palest shade of rose pink I think I’d ever seen, and Izzie’s the hottest pink.

At first, I was
hesitant about Stella’s choice, but seeing it on Izzie and how it complimented
her da
rk hair and eyes, I had to agree. They were
fitted and altered under Stella’s watchful eye and then flown to a dressmaker
of her choosing in Atlanta for any final alterations.

Just another amazing
thing about Apolo—the connections he has and the fact that
no one seems to refuse him. I certainly hoped his new
career as a politician would be as easy.

Izzie came rushing
into the room as though we were under some sort of threat. “Have you seen the
local morning shows today?” she asked. Her face looked almost wi
ld.

“No, you know I’m not
going to watch all the speculation and gossip about our wedding.” I paused and
watched her face start to fall. “But I know you’re going to tell me. Come. Sit.
We have a few minutes before we have to leave.”

“Well, it’s now known
t
hat this evening’s dinner party is going to be at
Anthony’s new restaurant.”

I shook my head. “Wait
until Apolo gets wind of that. What else?”

“Somehow, your mother
has gotten pictures out of her mother-of-the-bride dress. Caitlyn, it was made
by Vera Wang
, and it’s over the top. Compared to our
dresses, hers makes her look like she’s the bride instead of you.”

This time I exhaled,
trying to maintain my cool. “Damn her! How did she manage that?”

“The people in Vera
Wang’s publicity department were the ones who leaked the photos,” a deep
baritone boomed as Apolo entered the room.
“Seems your mother gave them
carte blanche
regarding any publicity
surrounding the dress.”

He passed me a
snapshot. Izzie was right. It looked more like a formal wedding dress than
mine. “She’s not wearing that, Apolo. I’m not having her upstage me at my own
wedding. Do you think Renee has time today to help me find something
appropriate
for her
to
wear?”

“Done.
Renee is going to put out a couple of
calls and have a small selection brought here. You can go through them, choose
what you think will work. Then leave your mother with one or two to decide on.”

“Thank you. Apolo,
what do you suggest we
do at this late date about
dinner? Anthony’s place will be swarming with press, just the way he wants.”

“I’ve fixed that,
also. I left a message informing my dear brother that I was cancelling our
dinner there due to his inability to keep secrets. The fiv
e of us will dine here at the house, with a five-star chef.
I also spoke with Eloise and told her not to worry.”

“Thank you, Apolo. I’m
sure Eloise is grateful as well. She has enough on her mind with the reception
and last minute deliveries.”

“That’s why
I took care of it. By the way, I informed Anthony that he’s
not invited to tonight’s festivities. Perhaps he’ll learn one day. Besides, I
think a nice, quiet meal with just our parents and Izzie is more fitting.”

My bestie, who’d been
quiet and simply obse
rving, suddenly got a huge grin
on her face. “Sometimes, I wonder if there isn’t some sort of school to learn
how to be devious like Anthony and Susan. They certainly both have it down to
an art.”

“Izzie, you’ve known
my mother long enough to know that it
was born into
her. She’s always been like that. Becoming Apolo’s mother-in-law is only going
to make it worse, I fear.”

“The only way to ever
hope of stopping them is to banish them from things like tonight, and in your
mother’s case, ban the dress,” Apolo
replied. He
looked tired. I knew he hadn’t been sleeping well the past week. The wedding,
turning control of Choice Enterprises over to others, along with his new
position as a senator, were all wearing him down.

“Will your parent’s be
okay with you uninv
iting Anthony from dinner
tonight?” I asked.

“They’ll understand.
They’ve come to realize that Anthony always has an ulterior motive for doing
things.”

I knew what he was
referring to, so I left it at that. As long as there were no hard feelings with
his p
arents, I was fine.

“Looks like no
siblings will be attending tonight’s shindig,” Izzie laughed.
“Means more for us.”

My own brother, for
whatever reasons, had declined our invitation to attend our wedding. He’d never
given an explanation, and I’d long ago
decided
perhaps it was for the best. He, like Anthony, seemed to have a secret,
parallel life.

“Now, the two of you
get going, before you’re late to your fitting. I would suggest lunch, but I
have meetings at the office. I shall see both of you back here
this afternoon. My parents will arrive shortly, as well as
your father, Caitlyn. So, enjoy your day, ladies. The madness is starting.”

Our dresses fitting
perfectly, Izzie and I left the dressmaker an hour later. Nothing needed taken
in or out, much to our
delight. It was close to
lunch, and I had already decided to take Izzie out to eat. This would be a
bittersweet one—my last lunch with my best friend as a single woman.

We approached the
Bentley, handed Bo, Jacob’s stand-in, our plastic-covered dresses, a
nd climbed into the limo. Bo was in his early thirties and
built like a tank.
Former something
or another.
Seals, special
forces, whatever.
All I knew was that I caught Izzie doing more than a
casual once-over every time she came into contact with him.

Whi
le I had wanted to take her to a nice place, Izzie had
other ideas of how we should spend our time together.

“Where
to, ladies?”
Bo asked as he settled behind the wheel.

Izzie named off a
small cafe that was still hip with the masses. I nodded my head, and
Bo put the car in gear. “Izzie, are you sure?”

“Absolutely.
You’re going to have to eat in enough
of those frilly places now that you’re to be married to Apolo. Let’s have a
little fun, one last time.”

“Are you insinuating
that Apolo is stuffy, Izzie?” I
teased.

“He is awful serious,
Caitlyn. Does the man even know how to have fun?”

“He does. Just not in
the same way you might.”

“That’s what I
thought.
Stuffy and boring.
You’ve got to get him to lighten up and
live a little, Caitlyn. He’s turning into an o
ld man
before his time.”

“Apolo is not turning
into an old man. It’s hard for him to relax with all the responsibilities he
has. He likes to fish, you know.”

“I know, but when was
the last time he actually did it?”

She was right. Apolo
rarely took time off
, and it would get worse with
this new senate position. “I guess I’m going to have to start putting my foot
down and insist he actually rests when the senate is on break.”

“Good luck with that.
He’ll just be caught up in the middle of something to do with
Choice Enterprises. No, you’ve got to plan something out.
Take him somewhere.”

“Okay, okay. I get
your point, and I will. Hopefully, he can relax some on our honeymoon.”

“Yeah, he’ll be
relaxing then.” She snorted, looking out the tinted window of the
Bentley.

“Izzie!”

“Oh, come on, Caitlyn.
Stop being a prude. You’re the one who told me the man’s an animal in bed.
A real sex machine.”
She laughed.

* * * *

Apolo

Here I am—less than
twenty-four hours before my wedding to the most incredible woman in the
world—and I’m working.
Putting out
last minute fires.
Making sure everyone knows exactly what’s expected of
them.
A regular diary of how to
manage my business while
I’m away.

Fortunately for me, my
new position as a senator has not officially started. Moreover, the remaining
staff at Choice Enterprises is confident and more than able to keep things
running smoothly. In any case, they will send me a daily briefing of
what, if
anything,
is going on. More specifically, the
committees and other matters closely monitored by my office.

Then, of course, there
is the matter of Susan, Caitlyn’s obnoxious mother. She has been a thorn in my
side since day one, always wanting to
upstage her
daughter. Always telling anyone who would listen that her daughter was my
girlfriend,
and now, that I’m her soon-to-be
son-in-law.

I’ve done my best to
try and contain her and her mouth. Not an easy task. I can tell it’s going to
be a game of w
its with her, who can outfox who.

My delicious bride,
though nervous, has taken it on to oversee every detail. Why she hired a
wedding planner, I sometimes wonder, because she has been right there in the
middle of the preparations.

Then, I remember why
Cai
tlyn hired a wedding planner—to keep her mother at
a distance.

Which
reminds me of the other unpleasant task I must deal with—my brother, Anthony.

Our original plan had
been to have the rehearsal dinner at his restaurant on Lake Lanier. But as
usual, he ha
d to go and leak everything to the press.

Since he didn’t answer
his phone, I left a message informing him of the change of plans.
And made sure to include the fact that he
was no longer invited to this evening’s affair.

Not so long after, he
stormed down
to my office at Choice Enterprises,
barging in, acting like a stark raving fool. Of course, he wasn’t happy and
clearly wanted to make sure I heard about it directly from him. Sometimes, I
swear he and Susan could be siblings. They’re so much alike and so
over-dramatic.

“What the hell do you
mean, leaving me a message telling me you’re not only cancelling the dinner at
my restaurant, but that you’re uninviting me? Me?
Your best man?
What in the hell is going on here,
Apolo?”