The afternoon sun shone down on the two of us and we walked alongside the waves and giggled at stupid jokes. I felt more comfortable with him than I had with anyone in my life. He seemed to relax the longer we walked. I wished I could have more days like this, but both our vacations were going to have to end soon. I pushed the thought as far from my mind as I could.“What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?” Jack asked as I bent down to pick up a seashell. I studied the shell for a moment before casting it out into the ocean.“You are going to make fun of me,” I said, squinting out at the horizon before looking at him. He grinned mischievously.“I’m going to make more fun of you if you don’t tell me,” he said, his eyes sparkling. I glared at him before answering.“I went skinny dipping in Old Man Smith’s fishing pond. A bunch of us did it one night,” I said finally, a blush creeping into my cheeks.“That doesn’t sound that crazy,” he scoffed gently.“Well, it wasn’t... until he cam
I could hear him snoring gently in the bedroom through the open window. His breathing was slow and even, the soft rumbles of his sleep soothing. I sat with my feet curled up under me on the wicker porch chair looking out at the rolling waves and listening to my husband sleep.I found myself smiling. I had this wonderful serene sense of calm and perfection. I could get used to this marriage thing. The world finally felt perfect. I knew it was all a lie, that in two days I would leave the ocean and this marriage would just be another page in my scrapbook, but today, I didn’t care. Today was perfect.Last night had been amazing. Yesterday had been amazing. I still couldn’t believe I was a married woman, if only for a little bit. Jack had taken me back to my cabana and showed me what a husband should do for his wife. Thinking about the pleasure his hands and tongue could create made my temperature rise.This sense of happiness held a danger though. I was falling for him — falling for him
“Have you seen my black swimsuit?”“You already packed it. It’s in the front pouch of your suitcase.”“Thanks,” I said with a flustered grin as I put the now dry pink suit in with the black one. Jack sat on the bed, watching me bounce around the bedroom picking things up and putting them in my suitcase. “When does your flight leave again?”Jack sighed and shifted his weight on the foot of the bed. “It technically leaves whenever I am ready, but, I have to be back in New York by the close of business, so I need to leave in about fifteen minutes.”“I wish you didn’t have to go until evening,” I said quietly as I put the last couple of items in my main suitcase. What I really meant was, I wish you didn’t have to leave me at all.“Me too, but planes can only fly so fast,” Jack answered. He shifted his weight again.“Anxious to be off?” I asked, nodding at his tapping toes. He couldn’t seem to sit still. He looked down at his feet and saw his toes tapping against his sandals.“It’s a good
I leaned back in my seat, wondering how my life could have changed so much and yet not changed at all. Everything felt different since I met Jack, but everything was still the same. I was going back to my normal, boring, life and in a few hours this vacation would be nothing but a memory.A stylish blonde woman sat next to me with headphones jammed in her ears. I sighed and didn’t bother trying to introduce myself again. She had plugged her ears the moment she sat down. Besides, what would I say? Hi! How was your vacation? I had a great time on the island. I married a billionaire! The idea made me giggle a little as she pulled out a magazine.On the cover was a black and white photo of Jack with the tag line: Billionaire Bachelors. Seeing him took my breath away and made my insides ache. I missed him and my plane wasn’t even back in the states yet. The woman flipped to the article, Jack’s eyes catching me from the page. I wished I could take the magazine and hold him close to me again
The attractive stranger stood gracefully, a fitted pinstripe suit accenting her tall frame. Her dark hair was pulled back into a tight bun, her stylish square glasses accentuating her jaw line. The door swung on its hinges behind me as I forgot to close it. The suitcase clattered to the floor and I stood there facing at the official looking woman in my living room.“Who are you? How did you get in here? And what the hell is going on?” I wanted to scream. I wanted to run into my bedroom and lock the door. I was jet lagged and travel weary, and my head was still spinning from the airport; a stranger in my locked apartment was not something I wanted to deal with right now.“My name is Rachel Weber. I’m Jack Saunders’ personal assistant. Your landlord, Mrs. Jenkins, let me in. She was very nice, though very eager to tell me she would call the police if there was any trouble. What ‘the hell’ is going on is that I am here to bring you to New York.” She said it as though it were all very sim
Night had covered the world in darkness as we landed at another private airport. I could see the lights from the city starting to sparkle and shine, twinkling glimmers in the cold winter night. I could see a bridge I knew had to be famous lit up like a summer sky, but before I could even ask what bridge it was, Rachel was hurrying me onto a helicopter.My interest in the bridge was quickly overpowered by the noisy machine as I climbed in and sat down. Rachel calmly put the headphones over her ears and pointed to a set for me. I couldn’t help it, but my hands shook as I put them over my head. I sat glued to the window as we flew into the heart of the big city. I didn’t dare blink or I would miss something. Buildings taller than my imagination emerged from the darkness as we floated through the air, the lights shone like glittering beads. The entire city looked like an elaborate piece of giant’s jewelry shimmering in the dark.After only a few moments, the helicopter landed on the roof
Jack’s home was the most beautiful living space I had ever seen. It was as if a giant had placed a fully furnished house on top of a skyscraper. The entryway was dark, but I could see city lights through the towering glass windows in the main room. Rachel closed the door softy behind me and offered to take my jacket. I shrugged out of it, glad the room was warm after the cold March air outside. I stood, glancing around, trying to figure out how big Jack’s home really was.“There are three bedrooms, an office, a dining room, living room, and the kitchen. There is a pool on the terrace, but it is currently empty due to the weather. The hot tub is open though,” Rachel said, reading my mind. I gulped slightly. This was bigger than my parents’ house and it was sixteen stories in the air. “I’ll show you your room.”Rachel guided me into the main living room across hardwood floors. The furniture was sleek and modern, but it felt comfortable. As we walked into the room, a gentle light turned
Rachel had me try on what felt like every piece of clothing in the store. I didn’t mind though. With her artistic eye, it was actually fun to try things on. She made sure to pick things that were always in my size, or at least close enough that I didn’t get the frustration I usually did trying on clothes. She picked out things I would never have thought to wear on my own, but I was constantly amazed at how good they looked in the mirror.I tried not to look at the price tags. A single shirt cost a month’s salary and some of the dresses made me feel woozy thinking about how many times I could pay rent with a single garment.Rachel made sure I had everything I could possibly need. We spent the next three days perfecting my look, getting measured for custom clothing, and picking up more clothes than would fit in my closet at home. I even got real French lingerie.The only thing I insisted on was keeping my current pajamas. Rachel tried her best to convince me that a new pair of embroider