Heart Matters (14 page)

“You look lovely,” Niki said admiring her
when she was finally ready. “Do try and look a bit happy,
Jessi.”

Jessica’s shadowed eyes lowered guiltily.
“I’m just a bit nervous.” She hugged Niki on impulse and then Lynn.
“Thank you both for being there. I…I want to be left alone for a
while. Will you…?”

“Of course,” Niki replied. “Just call if you
need anything.”

Jessica nodded, watching them leave the
room. She leaned against the door a sudden rush of tears blinding
her. She felt weighed down with an unknown burden and wanted to
run, simply run away till her breath ran out. Suddenly she was not
sure why she was marrying Adam. She wasn’t sure whether she loved
him or whether he loved her in return. They had not spoken much
since he had returned from his trip and hardly met. When they had
met once or twice, it was in the presence of others and she had
chosen to keep her distance from him. He did not seem to notice her
apparent withdrawal, which was good because she was sure if he
confronted her, she would blurt out her woes. And she didn’t want
that to happen. Not now, when they were almost married.

The phone in the bedroom rang sharply,
startling her. She chose to ignore it but when it kept ringing
insistently, she went slowly to answer it. It was time. They were
calling her for the wedding. “Yes?” she answered tentatively, her
mouth dry.

“I had to speak to you, Jessica.” Steven’s
seductive voice so close to her ear caught her unawares and she
sucked in sharply. “Are you listening? Answer me!”

She licked her dry lower lip nervously.
“What do you want?”

“You,” he breathed with such intensity that
she almost cried out aloud, “I want
you
, Jessica. Damn it,
don’t do it! Don’t marry him!”

Slow tears flew down her cheeks. His voice
was so close to her that she wanted to rush into his arms and
forget the entire world. She shook her head in denial. This wasn’t
right! She jabbed at her eyes with a handful of tissues. “This is
none of your business, Steven. Please stay out of it. And don’t
ever call me again! Please, please leave me alone.
Please!
”

“Fine, the choice is yours,” he said simply
and hung up leaving her with a sudden empty feeling.

No!
She denied furiously.
Tricks
all tricks!
Jeff had probably told him to give a last shot at
changing her mind. They had probably discussed what had happened
between them at Niki’s party. Steven was not calling her because
he
wanted to; he was calling her because
Jeff
wanted
him to. The reflection left her oddly unhappy and she buried her
face in the folds of her dress to cry her heart out.

Fifteen minutes later, she descended the
mansion’s staircase with Niki and Lillian by her side. Her veil hid
the desperation on her face but her swollen, red eyes could not
hide the truth. They searched for Steven at the bottom of the
staircase wishing fervently he would appear at her side as he had
once before. But he was not there. Her heart sank with a miserable
longing that did not lift even when Jeff came by her side to escort
her to the colonnade.

She walked slowly towards it, her heart
constricting so painfully with every step that she couldn’t bear it
anymore. Her eyes swept over the familiar faces of the guests who
smiled at her. Her ears heard the strain of the piano as someone
played ‘I will be here’ by Steven Curtis Chapman making her heart
all but shatter into a million pieces. She saw Adam, looking
dashing in his wedding suit, his blond hair shinning in the
sunlight and his face smiling at her.

Her hand was cold and clammy in her gloves
when he caught it in his and they stood to face the priest. Her
ears heard the priest’s oft-repeated words as though in a daze but
comprehended not even one. Her eyes focused vaguely on the horizon
beyond catching a glimpse of the sparkling swimming pool that
adorned the grounds. She froze, her mind playing back the two forms
she had seen making love on the edge of one such pool.

The choice is yours!
a persistent
voice whispered in her mind. As though coming out of a dream, her
eyes flew to Adam’s face actually seeing him for the first time.
She stepped back suddenly uncertain, her eyes wide with distress.
She was aware the priest had paused, she was aware of Jeff behind
her, she was aware of the soft murmur from the guests, she was
aware of Adam’s worried frown as he reached out to steady her.

“What’s the matter, Jessi?” he asked,
holding her firmly.

“I…” She licked her dry lips nervously. “I
can’t marry you. I…can’t…”

“Jessi,” he began, his grip tightening
painfully.

Jessica winced trying to pull away. “Adam,
I’m sorry!”

His hazel eyes burned furiously. “It’s Hart,
isn’t it? You’ve been seeing him behind my back, haven’t you?
Answer me, damn it!”

“No! No!” she cried struggling against
him.

“Leave her Warring or I’ll break your neck!”
Jeff growled his threat coming behind her.

Adam left her sensibly but scowled at them.
“You little bitch! Having an affair behind my back!”

Jessica stared at him aghast. “I don’t
believe you! You are accusing
me
while
you
have been
having an affair with Shari?”

Adam paled visibly. His stance softened
abruptly. “Jessi, baby, we need to talk.”

She shook her head. “No. It’s over all over
Adam. I don’t want to ever see or hear from you again!” She turned
to Jeff. “Please take me away.”

Jeff obliged her readily and after
apologizing to the guests, he led Jessica away.

***

The lead turned up dead once again. Mark had
traced Jake to the last hotel he was holed up in only to find he
had vacated just five days ago. He cursed in frustration. Jake was
already in L.A. It wouldn’t take him long to get to Jessica.

He had to find him before that happened! If
he terrorized Jessica again, Mark was sure he was going to jail for
killing him!

Mark called the numbers of his various
sources again. He finished his curt commands before looking at his
watch. Damn! He had just one hour to spare before he had to report
on duty. He had already applied for a leave but being assigned to
political figures meant leaves were hard to come by. Plus the
senator he was assigned to was important enough to have several
layers of thick security surrounding all those working around him.
It wasn’t easy for Mark to extract himself without raising
suspicion and at this moment he wanted no one to so much as take a
whiff at his relationship with Jessica Cantrell.

He knew she was going through hell already.
She wasn’t aware of it yet but ever since their meeting at the
café, he had made it a point to hang around the perimeter of her
life whenever possible.

He had seen her that night at her cousin’s
party. He had seen her melt into Steven Hart’s arms and felt
somehow relieved despite the dull ache of longing. Hart was capable
of protecting her if she would just let him. When she almost
married that loser Adam, he wanted to jump out of moonlighting and
spank her. When she didn’t, he wanted to kiss her and tell her how
proud he was of her.

Mark sighed, putting his car into gear and
weaving into downtown L.A. traffic.
Jess, Jess, Jess. I wish was
your superman, honey but I’m not. I’m just an idiot who loves you
to death! Go to Hart, baby girl. Go and be safe till I get that
bastard Jake!

The week crawled by at an agonizingly slow
pace. Jessica shifted in with Jeff and Cheryl for a while. She did
not want to be alone at her apartment where Adam could easily barge
into her life again. She cried often, unable to forget Adam’s
treachery and unable to come to terms with her longing for Steven.
While her feelings about Adam ranged from guilt to anger, her
feelings for Steven were so scattered that she had no idea how to
decipher them.

His handsome face with its mocking smile
drifted in her dreams. She saw him once stretching his hand towards
her but when she put forward her own, he disappeared leaving her
alone. To add to her misery, Steven had not called her once. She
was sure he was aware she had walked out on Adam. The realization
that he had called up on Jeff’s behest was probably true hit her
like a painful blow to the heart.

She buried herself in matters concerning
‘Jess-C Creations’ working fervently. After the fateful night of
Niki’s party, right up to the day of the wedding, she had been
unable to pay attention to her work. Thankfully, she had a reliable
assistant who had completed a couple of her designs like that of
Ida’s Halloween costume. She called all her retailers appraising
them on the current status of the company; she dealt deftly with
the insurance company allowing them to interrogate her regarding
the fire. To reveal Jake’s admission to the act of arson was really
not possible. In fact she hoped for her own benefit he was never to
be found guilty or she would surely be exposed before the entire
world by him. She called a few more prospective financers but
finally the day dawned when she had to accept defeat.

It was already the end of October and she
had two months left to repay her debts. There were finally only two
options before her; to claim bankruptcy and kill ‘Jess-C’ or to
find a prospective husband.

Jessica finally took a crucial decision. She
had to learn that nothing apart from her company mattered for her.
It was her life’s goal to resurrect it somehow, anyhow. And if she
had to use people to do it, she would.

***

If Steven was surprised to find Jessica at
his door, he did not show it. Instead, his manner as usual was
blatantly sardonic. He appraised the smart, beige, silk trousers
that she wore with a delicate pearl colored blouse and a silk
jacket over it before settling on her gorgeous face. She made a
picture of perfection with a patterned scarf draped from her
shoulder and her unruly hair tied up in a neat braid. The navy
depths were frankly impressed. “Well, well. To what do I owe this
pleasure?”

Jessica held her ground firmly albeit fuming
silently. Sarcastic jerk! She agreed seven in the evening was not
the right time to visit uninvited but she had urgent work. When she
had asked Jeff for Steven’s residential address, he had given it to
her showing a deliberate lack of interest but she knew he was
curious as hell. She had not confided in him and instead dressed
carefully and left without a word. She had been confidence
personified all the way to his home; in fact right up to the time
she’d rung the bell and he’d opened the door. Now she was
nervous.

“May I come in?” she asked, trying to hold
on to her self-control.

“But of course”, he drawled, his mouth set
in a cynical smile. He stepped aside to allow her entrance to his
exquisite penthouse apartment. The door closed behind them as he
led the way to a breathtaking lounge. “I’m sorry if the place looks
a mess. It’s my housekeeper’s day off.”

Mess? She looked around the spotless room
that was free of any visible clutter. It was a spectacular room
done up in a soothing shade of cream with varying shades of beige
and brown. The contemporary furniture was sparse, the main life
being a large painting of a stormy seascape. It was lit
strategically and was compelling enough to hold a person’s
interest.

Jessica stood staring at it for a long time
unaware of Steven’s intense eyes observing her. “It was done by my
brother,” he said softly.

Her fascinated eyes flew to his face. “It’s
beautiful! He seems to be quite an artist.”

“Undoubtedly,” he said, his eyes betraying a
gentleness that told of his affection for his brother. He gestured
towards a plush leather couch. “Why don’t you make yourself
comfortable while I get you a drink?”

She declined the drink offer but thankfully
sunk into the couch. The touch of bravado that had possessed her
earlier was fast disappearing causing her knees to knock against
each other.

Steven sat on an armchair opposite her, his
blue gaze watching her closely. He was dressed in a dinner jacket
and she suddenly wondered if she was intruding. He was obviously
all set to go out.
With someone
, a jealous voice in her head
told her. It made her flush uncomfortably.
What was it with this
man? Why did he always have such a strange effect on her? You are
here on business!
she warned herself sternly and squared her
shoulders. “I won’t take much of your time. I…I was wondering if
you are still interested in the partnership proposal I offered
you.”

He began laughing much to her indignation.
“You are a disappointment, Jessica,” he said sensing her annoyance,
“Business talk is the last thing I expect from a beautiful young
woman who comes to my home unescorted. But since that is on your
mind, let me answer you. Yes, I am still interested if you are
ready to consider my condition.”

“I am,” she replied boldly, “I am ready to
stake my share of ‘The Residency’ in equal proportion to whatever
you put into my company.”

“That’s all fine, Jessica”, his deep eyes
narrowed skeptically, “But I happen know that the wedding that held
the key to your inheritance never took place. So Jessica, how do
you propose to get your little hands on it?”

She felt oddly humiliated by his observation
and struggled to keep calm. “I plan to get my
hands
on it by
marrying of course.” She saw the surprise in his eyes and smiled
secretly.

“And who is this person you intend to
marry?”

She did not fail to catch the cynical tone
in his voice. “I don’t know yet. Anyway, that is none of your
concern. All you should be interested in is that I am keeping my
part of the deal. Now you keep yours. I’ll draw the necessary
papers. I’ll also see to it that I’ll get married within a month of
our signing the deal.”