Heart Matters (9 page)

So Mr. Conceit was vulnerable to jibes after
all. Well, he deserved it. If he had meant to intimidate her by his
arrogant suggestions then he was sadly unsuccessful. She was almost
cent percent sure the marriage issue was courtesy Jeff. She didn’t
really see Steven as anything but a hard-core businessman. He was
interested in her inheritance only for his own security. It had to
be Jeff who had allowed him to think she was marrying for
convenience and hence the sarcasm.

An irritated frown marred Jessica’s
beautiful face. Damn, them! Why was she always running into men who
were just as patronizing and arrogant as her brother? Whatever
happened to the soft-spoken kindly middle-aged men of the
yesteryears? Why couldn’t Steven Hart have been someone like that
instead of the disturbingly virile man that he was?

A guilty, hot flush of color swamped her
cheeks. She wasn’t sure where that thought had popped up from. She
certainly hadn’t meant to think of him in that way! She bit her
lower lip forcing herself to think about her immediate dilemma.

She had now come to understand that while
‘The Residency’s’ board of directors would object strongly if she
were to mortgage her shares to pay off her debts, they wouldn’t
mind if she pledged it as a security to someone as influential as
Steven Hart.

She could have used some time to think
matters over but she had no choice. Her creditors were almost
baying for her blood. She had several orders pending. Even if she
managed to revive ‘Jess-C’ on her own, Steven Hart was right,
chances were she could run into trouble again. There was hope in
the form of ‘Hart Inc.’ Maybe she should trust her instincts and
trust Steven Hart after all. But for a deal with him it was clear
she had to get married earlier than she had intended and gain
access to her inheritance.

The engagement ring glittered charmingly on
her finger as she clutched at the steering wheel of her car. She
glanced at it thoroughly perturbed. The ring stood for the mutual
love and trust between Adam and her. It reflected the commitment
they had made to each other; it also reflected their hopes for
their lives as husband and wife. She would have liked to marry Adam
only for their love but instead she was about to use him for her
own selfish needs. Initially when Adam had proposed to her, she had
not intended to use her inheritance to save her company. It was
only later when all her avenues were closed that the idea had
cropped in her mind.

The thought was ugly enough to make her
shudder and she hastily turned on the radio loud to divert her
disturbed mind.

***

Jessica walked into her boutique, her mind
still preoccupied with uneasy thoughts. When she had started three
years ago, ‘Jess-C’ was simply a garment boutique, nothing more.
She had worked hard to create it into the exclusive brand name that
it now was.

She had needed help of course. She was new
to L.A. and although she was fairly popular because of the
magnanimous nature of her pending inheritance, she was personally
not known in the city. That’s where Niki, her cousin had helped
her. Niki belonged to the crème de la crème of the L.A. elite
society. She was a must guest at most of the parties happening in
and around Beverly Hills where she lived and when she began
sporting Jessica’s exclusive designs; queries and orders started
pouring in. ‘Jess-C’ soon earned enough reputation to have its own
faithful clientele.

Her demand increased with her participation
in high profile fashion shows. When leading stores for approached
her for her designs, she gave in to temptation and decided to
expand. Jessica took large loans for extra space to set up her
manufacturing unit and installed expensive machinery. She also
imported most of the fabric for her designs from Europe and Asia.
The expenses left her a bit high and dry but at the moment she was
intent on establishing the company. She recovered just enough to
cover her costs but that didn’t bother her. As long as she was sure
she would be able to repay her loans eventually, she refused to
slow down. The inevitable finally happened. With only twenty
percent of her loan repaid and several major contracts to complete,
the fire broke out gutting her manufacturing unit.

She landed an angry fist on the desk,
scowling furiously. No! She was not going to sit around and see
‘Jess-C’ go down the drain. She was going to do everything in her
power to get it back in action. Even if it meant marrying Adam
earlier than she had intended.
That amounts to using a
person
, a guilty voice once again reminded her but she ignored
it. She loved Adam and had to marry him sooner or later. Sooner the
better.

With firm determination, she dialed Adam’s
number. When his voice came over the line, she spoke with a loving
smile. “Darling, can we meet for an early lunch?”

“Sure, just tell me where.”

“Matisse?”

“I’ll be there. Love you.”

She blew him a kiss and hung up with a happy
look. Finally, things were beginning to fall in place. If
everything went on smoothly, ‘Jess-C’ would be back on track by
early November.

***

“Steve, how are you?” Jeff’s voice came
through clearly on the phone.

Steven sat up in his chair surprised. “Jeff,
what’s up?” he asked simply. They had been friends long enough to
do away with formalities. And right now, Jeff sounded
disturbed.

“Do you know where I am?”

A puzzled frown marked Steven’s face.
“Where?”

“Geneva. I’m calling you up from
Geneva.”

“What’s the matter?”

“You provoked her, didn’t you? You laid the
collateral thing on her to check her guts, didn’t you?”

Slow comprehension dawned over him. “She’s
getting married?”

“Yes, my friend, she just called me.
Incidentally you are lucky to be the second person after me to hear
the news.”

An amused smile played on Steven’s lips. “I
don’t believe it! She has got some spirit, I have to admit.”

“She also happens to be a stubborn fool and
my baby sister, Steve. She’s doing it to prove it to you that she
can take you up on your challenge. She’ll get married and strut
under your nose like a peacock and make you live up to your end of
the deal.”

“What did you do that’s made her so
willful?”

Jeff chuckled softly. “I was overly
protective I guess. She’s just learnt to be a foolish rebel.”

“Tell me what I can do to help?”

“I’ve stalled her wedding till mid-October.
At least she loves me enough to want me to walk her down the aisle.
That gives you approximately three weeks to give me something on
Warring.”

“Adam Warring seems to be a tidy fellow,
Jeff.”

“He’s also not the one for my lil’ sis. Just
find out all you can about him, I need the details.”

“All right, don’t worry.”

“Steve,” Jeff’s voice was sincere, “She
can’t marry him. You have to get him out of her life.”

Steven smiled, his blue eyes glinting with
purpose. “I will most certainly try, buddy, that I promise.”

He hung up and sat thinking deeply. When
Jeff had initially called him up regarding Jessica, he had taken up
the matter as a favor he was returning to a close friend. Then, he
had laid eyes on her and somehow felt an obsession grab him. No
longer was his involvement impersonal. She haunted his every waking
and sleeping moment with her glittering eyes and luscious lips. He
wanted her more desperately than he had ever wanted a woman. His
obsession with her scared him but he dismissed it casually. Maybe
he was longing to taste her once. Just once. Then he would be free
of her. But before he could do that, he had to destroy all the
thorns in his path. And that meant getting rid of Adam Warring.

He buzzed his secretary on the intercom.
“Put me through to Joe, Susan, right now.” If someone could give
him answers on Adam Warring, it was Joe. And he wanted the answers
fast.

“Aunt Jessi!” The delighted squeal was heard
all the way across the hallway of the sprawling mansion Jeff had
bought for his wife and kids. A slim golden figure barreled into
Jessica almost knocking her over.

Jessica had received Cheryl’s call informing
her of her arrival in Beverly Hills with the kids and had
immediately dropped everything to visit them. It was nearing the
end of September and she was happy they were well in time for her
October wedding.

“Mallory!” she gave a delighted cry stooping
to hug her seven year-old niece. “How are you, honey?”

“I’m happy to be here! Dad says we’re gonna
live here forever.” The child’s freckled face shone happily. “Isn’t
that cool?”

Jessica laughed, ruffling her hair
affectionately. “Where’s mom?”

“Jessica, how nice to see you again,” Cheryl
came into the hallway suddenly, greeting her with open arms. She
embraced Jessica warmly and led her into the lounge.

Jessica followed her sister-in-law’s petite
figure, looking around appreciatively. “This place is
beautiful.”

Cheryl smiled with the slightest hint of
pride. “Jeff had the best designers do up the place. Unfortunately,
I couldn’t be involved.” She smiled widely, touching her faintly
protruding stomach. “Cantrell three’s on the way.”

Jessica gasped with delight. “Oh, Cheryl,
how wonderful! Jeff didn’t tell me! I’m so happy for you both!
Which reminds me, where’s Jamie?”

“He’s asleep in his room. He will be happy
to see you, Jessi. We all are.” Cheryl’s sky blue eyes smiled at
her warmly. “I’m glad Jeff finally convinced me to move out here. I
guess I didn’t realize it over the years Jessica, but he misses you
terribly.”

Comprehension suddenly dawned upon her. “He
told me you shifted here to be closer to your mom.”

Cheryl laughed prettily, her blonde tendrils
bouncing about her face. “Oh, you know how he is, Jessi. He feels
if you were aware he is fussing over you, you’ll run again.”

A troubled look shadowed Jessica’s eyes as
she listened to her sister-in-law. Was that what Jeff really
thought? That she was running from him? It was partially true but
she had not chosen to think of it like that. Jeff was extremely
attached to her and when he got married she had seen the hurt in
Cheryl’s eyes when he fussed over her for little things.

Jessica had sympathized with her because she
knew that a woman always felt threatened by another one. Even
though Jessica was Jeff’s only sister, Cheryl was uncomfortable
when she was around. Jessica had seen it plainly and had found it
easier to leave. Now after all these years she didn’t want
misunderstandings between them. She looked at her sister-in-law’s
fragile face that could not mask the troubled look. She covered her
tiny hands with her own. “Cheryl, I can never take your place, you
know that don’t you?”

The baby blue eyes seemed startled but
Cheryl nodded. “Jessi, I’m sorry if it was me. I didn’t mean to be
jealous, but I was. Jeff always took more care of you when you were
around.”

Jessica nodded wistfully. “Yes, but you are
his wife. I can never take your place. He loves you, Cheryl.” She
grinned suddenly. “Besides, I don’t need him to look after me
anymore. I’ve found someone who can do that for him.”

Cheryl nodded happily. “Oh, yes! I’ve heard
of Adam from Jeff, although I can’t say all of it was
pleasant.”

“I know what Jeff thinks of Adam but let
me
tell you what he’s really like.” Jessica spent the next
hour telling her about Adam accompanied with thrilled exclamations
from Mallory. When she finally told them of her wedding plans,
Mallory giggled with excitement. “I’m gonna be a bride’s girl! What
will I wear? Mom, I don’t have a dress for the wedding!”

Her mother and aunt laughed helplessly.
“Darling, there’s still plenty of time. Aunt Jessica will design a
dress for you.” Cheryl turned to Jessica smiling fondly. “I’m so
happy for you, Jessi. Let’s put everything behind us and start
afresh, shall we?”

When Jessica left them, she felt contentment
pass over her for the first time in years. It was as though a
weight had been lifted off her heart and she knew this time round
she would be a real part of Jeff and his family.

Back at the boutique, she sat at her drawing
board, absently trying to compile a dress for Mallory. She was all
at once happy at the turn of events in her life. She was getting
married, Jeff was going to be around once again, she had cleared
her misunderstanding with Cheryl and ‘Jess-C’ had a strong chance
of survival. Now she could take on the world!

Her cell phone that was placed on her desk
buzzed suddenly and she reached for it to check the message. When
it popped open, she gasped loudly, all the color leaving her face.
She stared at the picture not ready to believe her eyes. Tears
stung her eyes even as her hands began shaking out of control. This
could not be happening. No one had this picture
except..except..
Jake!

A silent scream of terror rose to her lips.
Her eyes closed as tears rushed down her face followed by a bout of
shivers. She willed herself to get control of her emotions and
opened her eyes to see if she was mistaken. But the picture was
still there. A hideous nude picture of her having sex with Jake!
That was the only dirty statement that came to her mind. That is
what anyone who saw it would conclude.

A new message buzzed and she opened it
trembling with fear.

Hey darlin’. Did u think u could get away
with what u did to me? Did u think im long dead n gone? Well think
again babes..im back! And im gonna getcha! im gonna make u pay for
all the yers ur boyfriend took away from me! Im gonna fuck ya so
bad u wont sit good ever! u hear me u bitch? N I still got all ur
yummy pics babes..just think whats gonna happen when they get
loaded on the net n d whole world sees u fucking me!