Cross Check (Marriage Contract #1) (14 page)

“Well shucks,” I grin, bringing my lips to his neck,
“Someone’s feeling awfully complimentary this morning.”

“I just want you to know how impressed I am by you,” he
murmurs, running his hands down my back, lingering just above the rise of my
ass, “How crazy I am about you…”

I bring my eyes back to his, taken off guard by his amorous
words. We’re not exactly big on proclamations of admiration, Jamison and me.

“What are you saying, Jay?” I ask him, my voice dipping low
with emotion, “That you’re actually coming to like me or something?”

“Something like that, yeah…” he grins, brushing a lock of
hair behind my ear.

His eyes dart down to the ground before he can continue, and
I feel a telltale brush against my calf that tells me we have company.

“Gigi,” I laugh, glancing down at my calico, “Your timing is
not the best, my friend.”

“Actually,” Jay says, his voice unreadable, “I think she has
something for you.”

“Oh god,” I sigh, “If it’s a dead mouse or something, I
swear…”

I bend down to see what Gigi’s gotten into, but there are no
mangled little critters in sight. Reaching to give her a scratch behind the
ears, I’m distracted by a gleaming sparkle emanating from her collar.

“What the…?” I mutter, reaching to investigate the bauble.

Gigi patiently blinks her big green eyes, permitting me to
spin her collar around. I freeze as a flash of white gold catches my eye.
Strung on Gigi’s paisley collar is an enormous diamond ring. Its Art Deco
filigree setting and princess cut diamond are surely antique, and combine to
stunning effect. So overwhelmed am I by the beauty of the ring that for a
moment its significance doesn’t dawn on me. I glance up at Jamison, whose smile
has widened at my amazement.

“It’s a King family heirloom,” he tells me, kneeling down
beside me on the terrace, “You didn’t think I was going to stick you with that
monstrosity Charlie picked out, did you?”

“I don’t… What’s happening?” I ask him breathlessly, sitting
back on my heels as Jay frees the ring from Gigi’s collar.

“I know that we technically already agreed to announce our
engagement,” he says, taking my hand, “But we only really talked about it as a
momentary PR ploy. I never got a chance to ask you properly.”

“Ask me…You mean—?” I breathe, eyes going wide.

“I know that these circumstances are…unconventional, to say
the least,” Jay goes on, his blue eyes hard on mine, “We were forced into a
crazy situation together. A situation that would be absolutely ridiculous for
anyone else to ever consider. But we’re not anyone else, Leah. We’re just two
people who care about each other, who’ve been brought back together by tragedy,
or fate, or the will of god, or whatever you want to call it. But even with
everything terrible that’s happened, these last few days with you have been
some of the best in my life.”

“They have been for me too,” I tell him honestly, my eyes
stinging with happy tears.

“I’m glad to hear that,” he chuckles, holding out the ring
to me, “And I hope that means you’ll agree to be my partner. Leah Brody, will
you—?”

“Yes,” I cut him off, surprising even myself with my swift
response. “Yes, Jay. I want to be your partner. I want to marry you.”

“You’re sure?” he presses.

“Yes!” I laugh, springing to my feet, “I can’t even believe
how sure I am.”

“Well then,” he smiles, slipping the ring onto my finger as
he kneels before me on the terrace, “I guess we’re engaged for real, then. Not
just on TV.”

“I think I like you as an actual fiancé even better than a
TV fiancé,” I tell him as he rises to his feet, “Because I don’t think I could
do what I want to do with you now on television…”

“Have some breakfast with me first,” Jay grins, running a
finger along my jaw, “You’re gonna need your strength for the rest of the day.
I can’t think of any way I’d rather spend the first day of our engagement than
fucking until neither of us can lift a finger…”

“Look at that,” I reply, as he traces my lower lip with his
fingertip, “We’re already in agreement. I guess we really do make a good team,
huh?”

***

Many hours later, I lean back against Jay’s naked body as I
sink into the piping hot bath. The brownstone’s master bathroom is more like a
spa, with an enormous porcelain tub, surrounded by a wide tiled ledge. There’s
plenty of room for both of us to soak our deliciously sore and spent bodies.
Jamison rests with his elbows on the tiled ledge as I press my back to his
chest, holding up my left hand to admire my ring by the light of a dozen
candles arrayed around the tub.

“You really like it, then?” Jay murmurs, resting his cheek
against mine.

“Can’t you tell?” I laugh softly, letting my head fall back
against his collarbone.

“If the way you were riding me before is any indication,
then yes…” he replies, circling my slender waist with his arms.

I reach for one of the two glasses of red wine resting on
the tub’s edge. It’s a rich Malbec, one of my favorites. I take a deep sip,
savoring the dry warmth of the wine and the steam heat rising off the water. I
don’t think I’ve ever felt this satisfied in my life. Jay and I made good on
our plans to spend the entire day exploring each other’s bodies. But even
though we’ve done nothing today but lavish each other with pleasure, my hunger
for him only grows as it’s stated. The taste of him has come to be more
intoxicating than any fine wine.

“Are you enjoying your first day as an engaged person as
much as I am?” I ask Jay, setting my wine glass back in its place as I turn
around to face him in the tub.

“Oh, I dare say I am,” he replies as I wrap my legs around
his waist, letting my sex press against his.

“I don’t know about you…” I tell him, “But I’m still able to
lift a finger over here…”

“That makes two of us,” he says with a sigh, grabbing hold
of my ass under the warm water, “Guess we still have some work to do.”

“You don’t say?” I murmur, circling my arms around his
shoulders as I begin to grind my hips ever-so-slowly.

Jay’s eyes close as I rub myself against his cock, my red
hair gathered up in a loose, tousled bun above the water. I can feel my own sex
start to ache once more as I feel him stiffen against me, growing harder by
second. His chiseled chest rises and falls above the water’s edge, and I can
practically see his heart begin to beat faster in his chest.

“I love feeling you get hard against me,” I whisper,
trailing my fingers down his chest.

“Can’t help myself,” he murmurs, bringing his mouth to
chest.

He blows cool air lightly against my breasts as I press my
slit to his cock. The sensation makes my nipples go hard at once, and I groan
as he takes first one erect peak and then the other into his warm, perfect
mouth. As much as I want him to keep going, I have other plans for my own mouth
at the moment.

“I want to taste you…” I breathe, my voice echoing off the
tiled walls of the spa-like bathroom, “Can I?”

“Of course,” he says, his blue eyes gleaming in the
candlelight.

Kneeling between his legs, I place my hands on his hips and
guide him out of the water. He sits on the tiled edge before me, his cock
glistening and hard before me. Jay gazes adoringly down at me as I wrap my
fingers around the full length of his manhood. Keeping my eyes firmly on his, I
bring my mouth to the swollen tip of his cock. I work my hands down the length
of him as I take his head between my lips. I draw the tip of his shapely member
into my mouth, running my tongue all around the bell-shaped tip of it. Jay lets
his head fall back between his shoulders as he stiffens in my eager mouth.

“Does that feel good?” I ask, loosing one hand to his balls
as I pump my fingers along his shaft, taking more and more of him into my
mouth.

“Fuck yes,” he growls, burying his hands in my head hair as
I suck him off.

I flatten my tongue against the sensitive underside of his
cock, taking his thick manhood as deeply as I can. I let my fingertips brush
against his perineum, relishing the low groan that rises from his chest as I
do. I love learning exactly how to touch this exquisite man, how to make him
feel good. He’s rock hard in my mouth, bucking his hips as I work him over. His
fingers tighten in my hair, and I know at once that he’s right on the edge.

“Leah…” he growls… “You’ve got me right there baby.”

I lift my eyes back to his, my mouth full of his rigid,
staggering cock. Bringing both hands back to his shaft, I suck long and hard
along his gorgeous length, never letting our shared gaze waver. It’s more than
enough to do him in. Jay’s face twists into a mask of rapt bliss as he comes in
my mouth. The taste of him plays across my tongue as I feel his come spill into
me, swallow it down until the very last drop. I let his cock fall from my lips,
licking up one last drop of him from the corner of my mouth as he breathes hard
above me.

“Well fuck,” he breathes, “Now you’ve got
me
feeling
hungry again…”

I laugh with surprise as Jay picks me up out of the water
and swings me around to take his place on the tile ledge. I perch there before
him as he presses my legs apart, spreading me wide open before him. Goosebumps
spring up all along my arms and legs as I feel Jay’s breath against my
pulsating slit. My back arches as he pushes my knees back, bringing his lips to
my inner thigh.

He inches up slowly, kissing along my thigh. Teasing me. My
entire body responds to every little touch of his lips and tongue. He has me
wound so tight that I swear I’m already halfway to coming when he first runs
his tongue along the length of my slick sex, tasting my desire. Digging his
fingers into the flesh of my thighs, he flattens his tongue against my pussy,
stroking my pink flesh as I tremble above him.

I lean back against the wall, unable to hold myself upright
any longer. Jay smiles up at me as my chest heaves, presses the tip of his
tongue firmly against my clit. He flicks that tender nub with expert precision,
drawing deep, moaning cries from my throat as he edges me closer and closer to
orgasm. I gasp as I feel his fingers glide down from my sex to the tight
muscular circle of my anus. Still plenty slippery from the bath, his fingertip
traces around that forbidden ring as his tongue flutters deliciously against my
clit.

“You want to feel me here?” he asks, pressing his finger
gently against my asshole.

“Fuck yes I do,” I gasp, grabbing a firm hold of the
bathtub’s edge to steady myself.

With renewed vigor, he brings his mouth to my clit, sucking
and flicking as he presses his finger into my ass, just as inch. And inch is
all it takes to send the room spinning around me. His hand and mouth are like a
completed circuit, sending electric pleasure shooting through me. Red hot bliss
sizzles along my every nerve as I come hard for him, holding on for dear life
as the sensation threatens to level me.

Jay kisses softly up along my belly as I float back down to
earth. Scooping me up into his arms, he eases me back into the steaming bath
beside him. He wraps his arms around me as we both regain our senses.

Laying a long kiss against the crook of my neck, Jay murmurs
in my ear, “Think you can still manage to lift a finger?”

“You know what?” I reply dreamily, “I really don’t think I
can.”

“Allow me, then…” he says, reaching for a disc of expensive
lavender soap sitting in a golden dish beside the tub.

I close my eyes as Jay works the soap into a lather and rubs
his hands all over my body. It’s a simple gesture, but just as intimate as
anything we’re shared today. And that’s saying something, after all. I know
that tomorrow I’ll have to return to the real world—that I can’t just stay
holed up in Jay’s brownstone, coming every hour on the under with the help of
his expert touch. But I can rest easy knowing that this wonderful man will be a
part of my life from here on out, if all goes well.

And as much as anything else that’s happened today, that
fact seems almost too good to be true.

Chapter Eleven

“Are you sure a lunch meeting won’t be too casual?” I ask
Jamison, as we step out of the car in front of DeLeonardo’s.

“Not at all,” he says, “Trust me. It’ll put everyone at
ease.”

The day of our next big meeting with Elsie Walker has
arrived. I was on the fence about including Jamison in the meeting at first,
seeing as Loudon had placed the
Huntress of Tomorrow
project firmly in
my care. But after spending countless hours talking about the trilogy with Jay,
I know that he shares my vision for the series. He’s my partner. I can trust
him with this.

“Just let me take the lead though,” I remind him, pausing on
the sidewalk to have a final word. “It took me a while to win Elsie over. We don’t
want to spook her with yet another new face on the team.”

“Got it,” Jay agrees, “I’ll follow you.”

Franco is waiting to usher us back to our usual table when
we step inside.

“They’re waiting for you,” he says excitedly.

“Great,” I reply, “Lead on.”

Not only will Elsie Walker be joining us today, but we were
also able to get our potential lead actress in the room as well. Svea
Andersson, the Swedish actress I like for the lead of the
Huntress of
Tomorrow
trilogy, is in New York shooting an indie feature. She agreed to
join us this afternoon—a huge win in my book. I twist my beautiful engagement
ring on my finger as we walk back into the quiet dining room of DeLeonardo’s.
Nervous energy courses through my veins as I spot Elsie and Svea sitting
together in our booth.

The two young women couldn’t be more different, in terms of
their looks. Svea’s Scandinavian beauty is intense enough to be almost
otherworldly. Her icy blonde hair, wide set eyes, and full expressive mouth are
composed and intriguing—perfect for film. Elsie Walker is like a photographic
negative of Svea. Her figure is absolutely minuscule, almost childlike in its
proportions. But although she’s only in her mid-twenties, her deep brown eyes
are heavy with sharp wit and laser-like judgement. Elsie wears her hair in a
raven black pixie cut. Despite their aesthetic differences, Elsie and Svea seem
to be having a perfectly lively conversation when Jamison and I step up to the
table.

“Elsie, Svea,” I say, holding my hand out to each of them in
turn, “I’m so glad you could sit down with us this afternoon.”

“It’s great to finally meet you in person,” Elsie says,
giving her pixie cut a tousle, “Skype is great and all, but it can’t beat being
face-to-face.”

“Couldn’t agree more,” Jay says, offering his hand to Elsie,
“I’m Jamison King. It’s great to meet you, Elsie.”

“You’re Loudon King’s son?” Elsie says, her dark eyes going
wide as her tiny hand disappears into Jay’s.

“That’s right,” he tells her, holding her gaze.

I tense up for a moment, worried about what Elsie might say
next. She and Loudon were never each other’s biggest fans. Loudon thought Elsie
was a difficult, fussy kid; Elsie thought Loudon was a stodgy, out-of-touch old
dude. I hope the author’s distaste for the senior Mr. King doesn’t trickle down
to his son.

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Elsie says adamantly to Jay,
taking me totally by surprise. Her entire manner seems to soften as she takes
in Jay’s charming, relatable presence. I can practically see Jay’s ego
expanding as Elsie takes an immediate liking to him. Christ, it took me months
to establish even a cordial business relationship with this woman. Now here she
is, getting all google-eyed over Jamison King. I try not to take it personally,
but that sure as hell isn’t easy to do.

“Yes, it’s just terrible what happened,” Svea adds, taking
Jay’s hands with both of her own the second Elsie has freed them.

Her low-cut blouse falls open a bit as she leans over the
table to comfort Jay, revealing an ample and impressive pair of tits. I’m not
the only one to notice, either. Jay’s eyes dart down as he shakes Svea’s
hand…or at least, I
think
they do. Maybe I’m just being paranoid. Either
way, it’s not a huge deal. Who wouldn’t be distracted by that gorgeous rack? I
need to stop comparing myself to the infamously charming Jamison King and
remember why we’re here.

“Thank you both,” Jay says to both the women, settling into
his chair beside me, “I miss my parents like you wouldn’t believe. But being
here, helping to keep the company going, is the best therapy a guy could ask
for.”

“Well, I’m happy to have been brought into the effort!” Svea
says, swinging her saucer eyes my way, “Thanks for calling me in, Ms. Brody.”

“Leah, please,” I tell her, noting the way her demeanor
cools when she speaks to me, as opposed to Jay. I’m finding almost impossible
not to think of the old stereotype about some girls being even more attracted
to men when they’re engaged or married. I feel like a terrible feminist for
buying into that myth, even for a second. Maybe being newly engaged is just
screwing with my head a bit.

“You two had a pretty busy week of your own,” Elsie says,
folding her hands as she regards my ring across the table, “I suppose
congratulations are in order.”

“Thanks,” I reply, “We’re—”

“We’re so thrilled,” Jay cuts me off, grabbing my hand in
his, “It all came about pretty quickly, but hey—love waits for no one, right?”

I glance up at Elsie and Svea, feeling uncomfortable with
this public display of affection. This is a business meeting, after all. And I’m
not the only one who seems to disapprove. Elsie stares across the table at me
with something close to disappointment.

“You were already doing so well at King Enterprises, Leah,”
she says with a bite, “Why marry into the company, too? Just wanted to seal the
deal?”

I let out a game chuckle despite how badly her barb stings,
plucking my hand promptly out of Jamison’s grasp.

“I know. What a cliché, right?” I offer with a roll of my
eyes, waiting for Elsie’s expression to thaw.

“Well. To each her own,” she shrugs, turning her attention
to the menu.

But I know full well what she’s really saying with her stoic
silence:
I thought you were better than this.

I stare at my own menu, not even able to read the words on
the page as my mind churns away. It never even occurred to me that this would
be an issue—other women thinking less of me for this seemingly strategic
partnership. I know what it must look like to the rest of the world—like I sold
myself into marriage for a slice of King Enterprises. Like I chose to advance
my career by offering up my body. No one knows that Loudon had already planned
on handing the company over Jay and I as a team. To the uninformed eye, my
engagement to him must look horribly opportunistic.

The second Franco appears at the table again, I ask for a
glass of wine. I’m going to need something to steel my nerve.

“So,” Elsie says, turning her attention back to Jamison,
“I’d love to hear more about what King Enterprises is thinking for the film
adaption. Will you fill me in?”

“I’d love to,” Jay replies, smiling winningly across the
table at Elsie at Svea.

I watch, dumbfounded, as Jamison launches into a detailed
description of our vision for
Huntress of Tomorrow
. Without even a
glance my way to check in, he bulldozes through our pitch, point by point.
Elsie and Svea both stare back at him, rapt and engaged. Though I’m sitting not
two feet away from Jamison, he seems like a stranger to me as he goes on
talking in his salesman-like manner. For the first time, I watch Jay the
marketer do his thing.

It’s incredibly unsettling, seeing how easily he moves
between personas. To the naked eye, this smooth, upstanding version of Jay
looks totally authentic. I’m the only one here who knows that this isn’t what
he’s like at home. In bed. When no one else is around. I’m the only one who’s
seen him furious, devastated, vulnerable. But then, who’s to say that this
isn’t the authentic Jay, and the face he’s been showing me in private is the
fraudulent one?

“Leah…
Leah?
” I hear him say, as if from a far
distance.

“Hmm?” I murmur, snapping out of my trance.

“You still with us?” he laughs, placing a hand on my knee.

“Looks like someone’s daydreaming about wedding planning on
the job,” Elsie observes sardonically, tucking into her lunch as it arrives at
the table.

“Ha. Right,” I say blankly, staring down at my salad as my
appetite disappears, “I think you’ve been doing a great job laying out our
vision for the project, Jay. If… If you all would just excuse me for one
moment?”

Ignoring the baffled expressions of Elsie and Svea, I spring
to my feet and hurry back toward the restrooms. My ears are pounding as the
blood rushes to my head, bringing a hot flush to my face. I ignore the curious
looks of wait staff and other diners as I hurtle through the dining room,
barely able to keep my balance. Finally, I make it to the single-stall bathroom
and wrench open the door, barricading myself inside.

Numb, I lean back against the door, staring at my own
reflection in the mirror. I look pale and drawn, not at all the confident
businesswoman I need to be. But that follows, doesn’t it? My confidence has
just been shaken to its very core. Seeing myself through Elsie Walker and Svea
Andersson’s eyes was the wakeup call of century. Ever since I agreed to
entertain Jamison’s proposal, I’ve been walking around in a love-struck haze,
not able to see clearly for a second. I let my feelings for Jay cloud my
judgement, utterly blind me to what was really happening right in front of me.

And what happened here is, Jay has made me into a goddamn
fool.

A knock at the door rings out behind me.

“Leah?” I hear Jamison’s voice say, “Leah, let me in.”

Acidic anger rises in my gut as I whip around and wrench
open the door, coming face-to-face with the target of my ire. Jamison stares
down at me in annoyed confusion, stepping into the bathroom and closing the
door behind him.

“What the hell is going on with you?” he demands, his voice
a frustrated whisper, “First you zone out of our meeting, then you just
disappear altogether?”

“You seem to be handling it just fine on your own,” I hiss
back, “But then again, that was your plan all along, wasn’t it?”

“What are you talking about?” he shoots back.

“You were supposed to let me take the lead back there,” I go
on, “That’s what we agreed. But you were never going to let me get a word in,
were you? You turned me into your fucking prop. The smiling, happy fiancée. You
played me, Jamison King.”

His eyes flash furiously in the dimly lit bathroom, his entire
frame seems to expand in his moment of ire.

“You sound like a lunatic,” he spits, “I
had
to take
over back there. You were practically comatose. And as far as ‘playing you’
goes… Fuck me. I don’t even know how to respond to that level of crazy.”

“Was anything that happened between us this past week true?”
I demand, “Or were you just manipulating me the entire time?”

“You need to slow down before you say something you’re going
to regret,” Jamison warns me, trying to place his hands on my shoulders.

“This has all just been your way of taking me out of the
competition,” I tell him, batting his hands away, “You knew I wouldn’t back
down from the presidency, so you just tried to fucking domesticate me instead.
Fill my head with flowers, and diamonds, and whateverthefuck else so you could
edge me out of my own project while I was distracted.”

Jay takes a step back from me, staring down at me as though
I just spat on his parents’ graves. His hands ball into angry fists at his
sides as he goes on.

“Where is this coming from?” he asks me, “Half an hour ago,
we were a team. We were unstoppable. What’s gotten into you?”

“Seeing you in your element is what’s gotten into me,” I
scoff, “The way you turned on the charm for Elsie and Svea? Is that what I can
look forward to, being your wife? A lifetime of knowing that you’re out there,
flirting with other women?”

“Jesus Christ, Leah!” Jamison shouts, slamming his fist
against the wall, “The entire point of this meeting was to win Elsie and Svea
over! And that is exactly what I’m doing.”

“I know,” I say, my voice hollow, “You’re very talented at
winning women over, Jay. Even me. But I’m seeing clearly now, and I’m not
liking the look of what’s in front of me.”

“Well that makes two of us,” he growls, staring at me with
disdain.

A heavy silence unfurls between us as we take each other in.
Though we’ve spent most of our lives bantering and arguing, we’ve never had a
proper fight before. Even when we’ve disagreed, I’ve never felt let down,
betrayed, or hurt by Jay. That is, not until this very moment.

“We need to get back out there,” I tell Jay, brushing an
angry tear from my cheek.

“No shit,” he snarls, shoving a hand through his blonde
hair.

“Do me a favor and keep your hands to yourself,” I snap,
“And try letting one of us silly little women get a word in edgewise, if you
can stomach it.”

“If you can manage to put a full sentence together, be my
fucking guest,” Jay says cruelly, standing aside as I march toward the door.

“Wait a minute before coming back to the table,” I command
him, wrenching the door open, “I don’t want to make a scene, here.”

“No?” he laughs meanly, “You could have fooled me.”

White hot anger courses through me as I make my way back to
the table to rejoin Elsie and Svea. The heat of my outrage burns away any doubt
or self-consciousness that crept in during the meeting so far. What the fuck do
I care what assumptions people might make about me? I know that I’m not some
gold-digger using my body to get ahead in my work. And I don’t need to be Elsie
Walker’s best friend, anyway. I’m here to do a job. A job I happen to be
fantastic at. And fuck if I’m going to let some drama with Jamison stop me from
doing it.