Justin (9 page)

He shrugged. “As long as you plan it, and I can just show up. Sure.”

“
Will your grandmother be upset if she misses the wedding?” She didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings by just eloping. There were so many people to consider.

He shook his head. “We’ll get someone to film it for her, and she’ll be thrilled. She’d rather watch from the comfort of her bed in the nursing home than have to put up with a crowd of people at the actual event.”

“
Will Cody mind going back a day late?”

Justin shrugged. “Probably not. I’m not sure about Amber, though, now that I think about it. She may need to work Monday afternoon.”

Sarah bit her lip. She did want her new friend to be there to stand up with her. “I really want them there.”

Justin sighed. “How’s this? We’ll leave tonight at six instead of tomorrow night at six. That gives everyone time to get home when they planned.” He squeezed her shoulders. “Steven won’t complain about an extra day with just him and Bailey.”

Sarah grinned at that. Steven and Bailey were so obviously in love, she knew there was no way they’d have a problem with it. She was sure everyone knew they were in love but each other. “That sounds good as long as it’s okay with the others.”

Cody said he didn’t care as long as Amber was up for it. Amber squealed and hugged Sarah. “Of course, I want to be there with you!”

Once they touched down in Vegas, Sarah and Amber went off to find dresses armed with Justin’s credit card, while Justin and Cody found tuxes. They met back at the Chapel of Love and were married by Elvis himself. Amber wore a lavender gown that came to her ankles, and Sarah found a wedding dress that fit her perfectly. It was strapless with a fitted waist and a narrow skirt.

When she stared into Justin’s eyes as they exchanged vows, it seemed like everything in the world was right.

After the wedding, she hugged Amber, and thanked her again for standing up with her, and then they all piled into the plane to fly on back to Dallas. Sarah would have liked to have spent a bit more time in Las Vegas, but when she mentioned it, Justin promised he’d bring her back when they had more time to enjoy themselves.

On the drive back to Dallas from the airport, she snuggled into Justin’s arms. “I don’t even know where you live!”

He grinned kissing the top of her head. “Where we live. It’s a condo in North Dallas. Not huge, but certainly big enough for the two of us. We’ll pick out a house together whenever you’re ready.”

She smiled at that. She would have hated moving into his already established home with no say over where they’d live.

It was four in the morning on Monday when they got back to his place, and she was ready to collapse. Climbing the stairs to the bedroom seemed to be a herculean feat. She didn’t bother to look around, but just put one foot in front of the other, barely taking the time to brush her teeth and change before she fell into bed.

Justin stood over her for a moment. He wanted badly to wake her and have the wedding night he’d planned, but it was obvious she was way too tired. He undressed and climbed in beside her pulling her into his arms. At least he could hold her while they slept.

*****

Sarah woke just before noon on Monday, cradled in Justin’s arms. She showered and dressed without waking him, thinking she’d fix him breakfast in bed. It would be a good way to start their marriage.

She went downstairs and wandered around for a moment until she found the kitchen and started to dig around for a pan and ingredients for an omelet. She opened his fridge and found a six pack of Coke, three pieces of cheese, and some take-out Chinese food. She sighed and closed the refrigerator. She wouldn’t be fixing him breakfast in bed after all.

She had no clothes other than her beach clothes, and even in Texas, it was way too cold to wear them during the winter. She was going to have to wake him, make him feed her, and take her to her apartment to get some clothes.

She went upstairs and found him sitting up in bed stretching. She smiled and joined him, kissing him good morning. “I need clothes. And food. Do you realize you have
no
food in your fridge?”

He shrugged. “I eat out a lot.”

“
Well, we’re going to have to get some stuff from my apartment, and go to the grocery store. I like to cook, and refuse to eat out for every meal.” She had always enjoyed cooking, and wanted to be able to cook for her new husband.

“
Are you going all wifely on me?”

She nodded. “Get up. We need to get going.”

“
It’s my last day off.” He obviously didn’t want to spend the day running errands, but she didn’t have a car, and she wasn’t about to drive his tiny sports car.

“
Mine too, and I have a lot to get done. I’ll be downstairs. Hurry up.” She wanted to be home in time to fix him dinner that night, and get her clothes hung up and organized. She couldn’t stand living in chaos, and knew she wouldn’t have time to do much once the work week started.

She went down the stairs and got her cell phone from her purse. She quickly punched in her mother’s number, wanting to get the worst over with. She dreaded this phone call, so she just needed to bite the bullet and handle it. “Hello?”

“
Hey, Mom.”

“
Sarah! We missed you yesterday. How was the business trip.”

“
It was good. Really good.”
I spent the week having sex with my boss like you told me
, she thought.

“
Where did you go?”

She grinned. “A small private island in the South Pacific called Motu Tane. It was beautiful. There were palm trees everywhere you looked. We went whale watching and had a private luau right there on the beach. It was really amazing.”

“
So did you sleep with your boss?”

“
Mom! I can’t believe you asked me that!” Well, she could, but it was easier to complain about her asking than it was to tell her the truth.

“
Well, did you?”

“
I married him.” She said the words quickly, trying to get them out before she lost her nerve.

Her mother choked back a cough. “You what?”

“
We got married in Vegas last night. Would you be willing to help me plan a reception?”

“
You’re married? And I didn’t even get to see it?”

Sarah sighed. “Justin didn’t want to wait, but I do have a CD of the wedding for you.” She felt as if she were offering her a consolation prize.

“
I guess that’ll have to do, won’t it?” The disappointment in her mother’s voice made her feel bad.

“
I’m sorry. I thought you’d be okay if I got married without you as long as we could have a huge reception.”

“
Are you happy?”

“
Yeah, I am.” She looked up as Justin walked into the room, his hair still damp from the shower.

“
Well, that’s what matters. Bring him to dinner on Sunday and we’ll talk about the reception.”

“
Yes, ma’am.”

She talked about the beauty of the island for another minute before hanging up. “Was that your mom?”

“
Yeah. She’s pretty disappointed.” Sarah sighed as she thought about how sad her mom had sounded over not being able to be a part of her wedding.

He hugged her. “I’m sorry. I called my grandmother after my shower. She was thrilled. She wants me to take you to meet her today. Are you willing?”

Sarah nodded. “Of course. My mom wants you to come over for Sunday dinner.” She didn’t want to think about how her parents would greet him. You never knew what would come out of their mouths next.

“
Sounds reasonable.” He rubbed her shoulders. “Let’s go.”

They had a quiet lunch, then went and picked up enough of Sarah’s clothes she could make it through the week. “I’ll arrange to have someone pack your things and move them to my place by the weekend.”

Sarah nodded. She was amazed at how much he could have done by scattering money around.

Sarah loved his grandmother. The sweet lady had a tear in her eye when Justin introduced his new bride. They stayed for an hour with a promise of another visit on Saturday. “Is there anything I can bring you when we come back?”

Mrs. Owens shook her head. “No, child, but thank you. Justin makes sure I have everything I need.” After a quick hug, they left the building.

“
I wish she’d come live with us,” Sarah told Justin on the way out.

Justin laughed. “There’s no way. She’s too happy surrounded by people her own age who will play cards with her all day long.”

Chapter Eight

The first thing Sarah did at work on Tuesday morning was go to HR to have her name changed. As soon as she walked into the HR office, Angela cornered her. “So how’d you get the cushy job? Sleeping with the boss?” Her eyes were narrowed as she stared up at Sarah.

Sarah smiled. “Actually I am. I’m here for a name change form, please.” She held up her left hand wearing the wedding ring.

“
No way did he marry you.” Angela’s eyes were wide with shock.

Sarah didn’t respond. “Do you want me to get the form myself, or will you get it for me? I remember where they’re kept.” Sarah kept her voice pleasant and sweet, refusing to rise to the bait.

“
You slut! What did you do to get him to marry you? You’re pregnant, aren’t you?”

Sarah simply met Angela’s blue eyes and waited for her to get the form. Finally after spewing more venom from her eyes, Angela went to the cabinet and pulled the form. She handed it to Sarah and sat down.

Sarah quickly filled it out and handed it back to her. “Thank you. Have a good day.” Once she was out the door she sighed with relief. Hopefully that was the last time she’d be walking into HR for a long time.

Two weeks before, that type of behavior would have had Sarah running for the hills. Sarah was able to laugh it off as she took the elevator to the top floor. She settled at her desk and went through the hundreds of emails she’d received during their week away.

Justin stepped into her office and said, “I need to see you Mrs. Owens.” He held the door open wide as he waited for her to join him in his office.

She grinned at him over her shoulder at his use of her new name. “Of course, sir.” She went into his office, and he closed the door behind her. “What can I help you with?” Her eyes held his as she smiled at him.

He leaned down and kissed her thoroughly. “Nothing. I just realized it had been almost two hours since I’d kissed my wife.”

She laughed. “You know, you may have to restrain yourself while we’re at work. Your partners wouldn’t like it if the company went under because you were too busy chasing your wife around the office to do any actual work.” She couldn’t help teasing him, knowing he’d work as hard as he always had.

He grinned. “They’d understand, though. They’ve seen you.” She smiled hugging him again. “I actually did have a reason for calling you in here.”

She pulled back. “What’s that?” Her voice changed to her business voice, ready to do whatever work he had planned.

“
I wanted you to know I’m having an SUV delivered for you after lunch.”

She stared at him in surprise. “Why? I don’t need a car.” She’d never had her own car. When she was in college, she’d lived on campus, but her parents were close enough to help out with whatever she’d needed.

“
There are going to be times when we’ll need to bring separate cars. You need your own.” His voice was patient, but firm. He obviously wasn’t willing to argue about this.

“
I can take the bus.” She didn’t know exactly why she was arguing, but she didn’t feel like he should be buying her something as expensive as a vehicle. She’d done without for long enough that she knew she could keep doing it.

He shook his head. “No, you can’t. I’ve been pretty high profile in this area for a long time. As soon as the press gets wind of our marriage, you’re going to find your picture being taken at weird times. On a public bus wouldn’t be good. I don’t think you’d be safe.”

She sighed. “I guess you’re right. I hadn’t thought of that.” As much as she hated it, he was right. She hadn’t thought about her safety now she was married to her billionaire.

“
Don’t worry, I picked out a small SUV. You’ll like it.”

“
Thanks.” She brushed her lips against his.

“
You’re welcome.”

She turned to go back to her office. For some reason, she hadn’t considered the changes in her life due to Justin’s money. Sure, she knew she’d have a nicer place to live, but having to be careful about who saw her where was not something she’d ever thought of. She sighed. She’d get used to it.

*****

Sarah loved being married. The only real difficulty was the way the people in HR treated her. They “lost” her benefit enrollment form and told her she wouldn’t have benefits until the following year. It was only March.

All name changes were done within three business days of submission, but it had been two months, and her name hadn’t been changed. She’d been forced to fill out the form repeatedly. One Monday morning, she sat at her desk talking to them again.

“
Please just send the form inter-office mail. I don’t have time to go down there this week.” She booted her computer as she spoke to them. “Yes, I understand. Thank you.”