Heart Matters (25 page)

“Er…Sir, excuse me,” Keon’s accented English
sobered them and they ceased their childish amusement.

Sean stood up raking his hair in place.
“Yes?”

“A lady by the name of Mrs. Ida Devon is
here to see Mr. Steven Hart. I’ve informed her of his absence but
she insists on seeing you instead.”

Sean watched the color drain from Jessica’s
face and reached out to help her to her feet. “Are you all
right?”

A range of feelings from panic to irrational
fear to anger engulfed Jessica but she nodded bravely. “I’m fine,”
she breathed, her stormy eyes glinting with open distaste, “Why is
she here?”

“You know about them?” he asked her softly
and she nodded silently. He squeezed her arm reassuringly. “It was
a long time ago; Steve has nothing to do with her now.”

“I know but why is she here?”

Sean’s lips set in a hard line as he frowned
thickly. “That’s what I’d like to find out. Send her in, Keon.” He
led Jessica to the couch and settled her carefully.

Ida Devon entered the lounge appearing
thoroughly flustered by the heat. She wore a light summer dress
that somehow managed to cling to her slim figure. She removed the
cool hat she had been wearing and smiled broadly. “Why hello,
darlings! Hot isn’t it?”

Jessica exchanged perturbed looks with her
friends. She was sure Ida wasn’t here to indulge in polite talk.
Ida walked up to Sean, who was still standing and came to stand
close to him, her face just inches away from his. “Well, well.
You’ve grown up since I last saw you, Sean. Steve was exactly like
you at your age.”

Niki couldn’t bear the strain anymore. She
stood up to claim Sean’s arm possessively. “Won’t you introduce us,
Sean?”

He glanced at her vicious face and almost
laughed aloud. If the term ‘jealous’ applied to anyone, it had to
be Niki. He draped his arm over her shoulder, drawing her close.
“Niki, I’d like you to meet Mrs. Ida Devon wife of Senator David
Devon and Mrs. Devon, this is my fiancée, Niki Stanford.”

Ida pouted prettily. “It’s Ida, darling! I
had no idea there was another wedding on the way in the Hart
household. But tell me, where’s the newlywed groom?” She cast a
meaningful glance at Jessica, her brow rising delicately. “Why
isn’t he by the side of his newly…injured bride?”

Jessica’s mouth fell open. The woman had
some audacity to talk like that! She wanted to lash out at her but
forced herself to remain calm. “Hello, Ida. What are you doing in
this part of the world?”

Venomous green eyes hardened over her. Ida
had lost her affected smile and easy manner. She went past Sean and
Niki to stand before Jessica. “I’m not here to sweet talk with you,
Jessi darling. I will never understand how you tricked Steven into
marrying you. Why you even managed to get him out of the country
before the wedding just so I couldn’t talk to him!”

She reached into her purse for a lighter.
She lit a cigarette that was already in her hand before drawing a
deep puff from it. It seemed to calm her and she blew out the smoke
leisurely. “It’s not your fault, Jessi darling. I know you were
afraid I’d get him. But you haven’t won yet. He’s still mine. As
soon as he knows I’ve come to him, you’re out the door.”

With an effort, Jessica kept calm, telling
herself not to listen to the other woman’s blabber. But she
couldn’t help a shred of doubt from invading her insecure heart.
What if Ida was right? What if Steven still loved her? What if they
met and decided to start all over again? What if Steven…Steven left
her for this woman?
No!
she screamed silently,
he
couldn’t leave her after what they had shared!
What indeed had
they shared? a treacherous voice mocked her. A few passionate
moments in each other’s arms? That could never match up to a
lifetime’s loving.

“Ida, I think that’s enough!” Sean warned,
coming between the two women.

“This doesn’t concern you,
little
boy
,” Ida drawled, her vehement manner dropping abruptly.

“I know it doesn’t but Steven isn’t around
right now, so why don’t you come back later.”

His declaration clearly startled her. “His
secretary told me he’d be here.”

“He was but he’s back in L.A. right
now.”

Uncertain green eyes glared at him. “I know
you’re trying to keep him away from me but I’m not going to be
persuaded to leave so easily.” She tossed her gorgeous hair and
turned to leave. “If Steven had been around, I’d be a very welcome
guest here. Since he’s not, I’ll be staying at ‘Carlton’s’. And
trust me when I say, I’ll know the moment he’s back.” She glided
away gracefully without further talk, leaving three very agitated
people behind.

Sean threw a worried glance at Jessica. “You
okay?”

She nodded not trusting her voice. Okay? She
was far from okay. She was frightened, confused and anxious. Ida
was a very determined woman. She had left Steven once and hurt him
deliberately so that he could never love again. Frankly, Jessica
was alarmed. How could she ever match up to such a woman? She had
nothing with which to hold on to Steven. Their relationship was on
a purely physical basis. It could be broken easily especially given
a choice like Ida.

Jessica’s heart was heavy with dread when
she retired to her room that night. The bed albeit with fresh
sheets, was laced with the smells of her lovemaking with Steven.
She clung desperately to pillows that carried his male fragrance.
Why had she fallen in love with him? Perhaps if she hadn’t, it
wouldn’t be difficult to let him go.

Why were women so weak? A man just had to
show them some attention and they readily made them the center of
their lives. Self-pitying tears welled in her eyes, flowing freely
onto the pillow. Why did she love Steven? What did she know about
him as a person? For heaven’s sake, she didn’t even know how he
liked his coffee! How
could
she love a man she knew so
little about?

Jessica wanted to be angry with herself for
her weakness instead she was miserable. She wondered why she had
not cried for Adam in this manner. Why had she not felt like her
world was falling apart when they had parted ways? There was only
one explanation. She had never loved him in the true sense. She had
made herself to believe she did partially because of her defiance
towards Jeff and partially because she wanted to be plain selfish.
She had been so obsessed with the thought of saving her company
that she had led herself to believe she loved Adam.

And Ty, oh sweet Ty; part of her could never
stop loving him. But what she felt for him was an infatuation from
her youth; a reverence to her super hero. In comparison, her love
for Steven had been like a slowly blossoming flower. Now, when she
recalled the way she had slammed into his hard chest the night of
Niki’s party, she knew she was almost in love with him then. When
he had drawn her in his arms on the dance floor, she was falling
hopelessly in love with him. And when he had kissed her and she had
surrendered in his arms, she was already in love with him.

Their marriage would’ve been a great
success. He didn’t have to know that she loved him and they
could’ve enjoyed their time together and had a couple of children.
But Ida was suddenly into their lives and Jessica stood to lose the
man she loved to her.

The thought hurt but she couldn’t change her
feelings. She loved Steven and ironically, if he left her she knew
she could never love another man.

The pictures that slid out of the envelope
had Steven narrowing his eyes. Even before he could properly see
them, he knew it had something to do with Jessica. He picked up the
first picture and sucked in his breath sharply.

It showed Jessica sitting in a café with a
handsome man who was probably in his late thirties or early
forties. He was holding her hand in his and seemed to be kissing
it.

The next picture was of them sitting at the
waterfront. The picture was taken from behind and it showed Jessica
nestled against the man.

The third showed her sitting in his lap, her
head cradled under his chin.

The fourth of them standing, her beautiful
face titled towards him with a flirtatious smile while his hands
held her waist.

The last showed them of walking away hand in
hand.

Steven placed the pictures down, settling
back in his seat, a vein working rapidly in his temple. Several
questions raged through his restless mind. They all were related to
the pangs of jealous rage he felt coursing through his blood.
Jessica,
his Jessica
,
his wife
with some other man!
What the hell was going on?

He glanced at the man again, instantly
annoyed with his familiarity with Jessica. How had Jessica left
this part out? Who was he? How did she know him?

He picked up the picture that showed her
smiling up at the man and suddenly knew who he was. Ty! Mark ‘Ty’
Sebastian; her best friend, her confidante. Why was she meeting
him? Were they having an affair?

Steven stared out of his jet’s window,
absently shaking his head. Jessica’s confession last night was
genuine enough to let him know she wasn’t having an affair. Her
sincere love-making was real enough. No, it was something else.
Something she wasn’t telling him. Something she felt she could
share only with Mark.

Setting the jealous feelings aside, he
addressed one very important question. Who had a bone to pick with
Jessica? Who had taken the pictures and ensured it reach him? Who
was this unseen enemy and what was his next step?

One thing was for sure, this time around,
Steven would ensure he would get Jessica to trust and turn to him
and not Mark Sebastian. With that, he reached for his cellular and
got in touch with Joe Strauss.

***

The turmoil of the sea under the wrath of a
storm reflected in Jessica’s relentless gaze at the tranquil waters
of the Pacific Ocean. There were faint shadows under her eyes,
evidence of the sleepless nights she had spent waiting for Steven
to return. She could have called him easily over the phone but she
did not fancy a long distance confrontation. Instead, she waited
patiently for his return, spending her free hours on the beach
either swimming or walking. Niki and Sean had tried to cheer her up
but she had brushed aside all their efforts and chosen to remain
aloof.

Now she sat on the edge of her beach mat
angry with herself for wallowing in self-pity. She deserved all she
was going to get from Steven for falling for him. What
had
she expected from their arrangement? Everlasting fidelity? She
shook her head rising to her feet. Her injury had almost healed in
the four days that had passed by and she could now walk easily. You
cry too much, she told herself, that’s your problem. Haven’t you
heard, laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry
alone?

She headed for the surf with that last
thought and dove into the welcoming waters. She floated about
lazily, delighting in the feel of the salty spray. Overhead the
early morning sun was already warm and she closed her eyes against
its glare.

A shadow fell across her and she opened her
eyes squinting in reflex. She saw no one but turned upright
frowning. She looked around in the clear water and gasped when she
saw a dark shape underneath. It was heading for her! Good lord, was
it a shark? She controlled the urge to make a lunge for the shore
aware that she would only excite the fish. Her eyes closed on
impulse and when she felt something bump against her, she almost
screamed out aloud. But when a pair of strong arms wrapped
themselves around her waist, she did scream.

She was pulled forward to collide into a
muscled wall and she found herself staring into determined blue
eyes before her mouth was caught in a passionate kiss. Carried by
the waves, her legs rammed against powerful ones, entangling of
their own accord.

“Hi, sweetheart,” Steven murmured against
her wet ear, nibbling at her sensitive lobe. “Missed me?”

“Steven! You almost gave me a heart
attack!”

He grinned at her, holding her close. “You
thought I was a shark, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” she admitted weakly, conscious of the
way the waves kept slamming her body into his. An unspoken message
passed between them and he lifted her to mould her more intimately
to him. Her legs wrapped behind his waist feeling the length of his
desire and their lips clung hungrily.

He kept her straddled around his waist and
walked out of the water to the edge where the wet sand began. The
deep blue of his eyes spoke of his urgent desire for her. He was
away from her for only four days but he felt like a man starving
for centuries. His need to touch her, to bury himself deep in her
was so strong that he could hardly contain his excitement.

He spread her sarong on the sand before
laying her on it. He was upon her in an instant, kissing her
urgently even as his fingers drew away her flimsy bikini bottom.
Parting her willing legs, he sought her warm entrance and plunged
in with a cry. She reached for him with a similar frenzy, matching
his wild thrusts with her own desperate ones.

Steven lost himself into his wife with one
last thrust, wanting to claim her somehow forever. He remained
joined with her, nuzzling her neck with small kisses. “Mine, all
mine,” he whispered against her salty skin.

She stared up at his guileless depths,
wondering at the desperation in his voice. “Steven, what is
it?”

His eyes reflected untold emotions as they
gazed down into hers. “Say it.”

“Say what?”

“That you’re mine forever. That you won’t
leave me for another man.”

Jessica blinked in surprise. What had
overcome this handsome husband of hers that he was suddenly so
insecure about her? She touched his cheek gently, a smile playing
at her lips. “You already know I’m all yours Steven.” She hugged
him to her, her heart all at once heavy. Steven wanted her. Really
wanted her! Now she didn’t have to worry about Ida any more. “I’ll
never leave you, my darling.”