True Deceit (Blindsided Book 1) (21 page)

Sex with Jamie wasn’t something that he spent much time thinking about. She had very little effect on him in that department. He quite simply didn’t find her attractive. It was a shame, considering he was marrying her, but as long as he had Carla, or someone like her, he would manage.

“So, how was the party? You all engaged now to little Miss Moneybags?” she asked as she brought their drinks and sat down next to him. He’d told her all about it and she teased him mercilessly.

“Yep, I am now officially a soon-to-be-married man.” He raised his glass in a mock toast.

“Pleased?” She smiled as she brought her glass to her lips.

“Don’t, Carla. You know I’m only doing it because I have to.”

“I know, sweetie. I’m only messing with you. As long as I still get to share you, you know I’m happy.” She pressed a kiss to his lips.

“You’re the thing that’s going to keep me sane.”

“Where does she think you are?”

“I told her I had some business to take care of.” Putting his glass on the coffee table, he turned back to her and pushed her robe off her shoulders once more. “So, I think I’d better take care of it. Again.”

***

The ride back home after the party seemed like it had taken forever. Ted had gone to take care of God knows what and Jake had gone off with Carrie, probably for the night. That had left her alone with her folks.

It wasn’t a long drive from the tennis club, fifteen minutes at most, but it had certainly felt longer. Her mother was so excited to have a wedding to plan that she hadn’t stopped chattering the whole way. Jamie had been pleased when they’d arrived home and she’d been able to make her excuses and escape to her room for some peace and quiet.

Her room was at the back of the house, overlooking the gardens. Pushing open the doors to her private balcony, she breathed in the night air and enjoyed the stillness after the noise of the evening.

The proposal had taken her by surprise, but what had surprised her even more had been her reaction to it. There was no denying it, her first instinct had been to panic.
But why?
She needed to understand.
Was she excited?
She wasn’t quite sure what she was if she was honest with herself. Pleased? Yes. Excited? No, she didn’t think so. She should be though, right?
Probably just hasn’t sunk in yet
, she told herself.

This really wasn’t the direction she’d seen her life taking. She had done really well at school, had been a straight A student and had gotten into the college of her choice, studying business. She’d always had an aptitude for numbers, so she’d thought she might go to graduate school and do something in that field. Exactly what she didn’t know, but that was part of the excitement, having her whole future ahead of her and getting to make those choices.

Just because you’re getting married doesn’t mean that you can’t follow your dream.
Does it? Would she still be able to go to school and do all the things she wanted to do?

The chill in the air was starting to seep through her clothes now, and she was feeling cold. Stepping back into her bedroom, she closed the balcony doors behind her and pulled the drapes.

Sitting down at her dresser to remove her make-up, she looked at herself in the mirror. She wasn’t unattractive, but not quite beautiful. Her dark brown hair was waist length and naturally wavy; her best feature, she thought. Her amber-colored eyes were fringed by long, dark lashes and their shape was slightly cat-like. She’d inherited her father’s nose though, masculine and angular and to her mind, it jarred with the rest of her face.

Ted, on the other hand, was gorgeous and she knew that she should be grateful that he wanted to marry her when he could have his pick of any woman in the state. On top of that, her parents were thrilled and she loved her parents. She could no more disappoint them than stick pins in her own eyes.

There was no doubt about it, she was very lucky. She had always had everything she’d ever asked for and her parents treated her like a princess.

It came at a price, though. As a McKay, she knew what was expected of her: a good marriage and babies, most definitely in that order. She hadn’t broached the subject of grad school with them yet, knowing full well what her father’s reaction would be. He saw no point in women getting an expensive education that, in his mind, they wouldn’t need. He’d paid for college and was now supporting her with an allowance, and he was happy to do it until her future husband took on the role, but it was not what she wanted. She wanted to be able to provide for herself, to stand on her own two feet.

Unfortunately, she knew that she was going to have a battle on her hands when she finally did screw up the courage to tell her folks of her plans.
So why on earth did you say yes?
Because she was a good, dutiful daughter. Besides, she was only
engaged
to be married. There was no reason it couldn’t be a long engagement, was there?

Getting undressed and ready for bed, she resolved to talk to Ted tomorrow. A long engagement seemed like the perfect solution. Once she’d convinced him, she would talk to her parents about her plans. She’d been putting it off for too long.

Four

The McKay house sat on the outskirts of Brecon Point on several acres of land. It was a typical, two-storey colonial style house, though much larger than most.

The long, stately driveway to the house from the main road was lined with tall trees, meeting overhead to leave it covered in dappled shade. In the summer months the effect was pretty, but in winter, it had an air of gloom about it. Once free of the trees, the driveway led to a large turning circle in front of the imposing front door.

Inside, the ceilings were high and in the center of each room hung a crystal chandelier. The interior décor was in keeping with the style of the house, and at the same time light and airy. A large, spiral staircase led up to the second floor from the main hall and it was down this that Jake now made his way from his room. He’d been at work all morning and had just freshened up before lunch.

Normally, they each went about their own business and rarely saw each other during the day. His mom was the typical society wife, on the boards of a large number of charitable foundations. She was always busy rushing around from one luncheon to the next and it was almost unheard of for his dad to be home in the middle of a workday. Today, though, they were all meeting in the formal dining room at one o’clock, including Ted and his parents, to celebrate the engagement.

As Jake approached the door, he could tell from the voices that everybody had already arrived. He would have gotten out of it if he could but he was already in trouble for missing the proposal yesterday. He didn’t dare push his luck. The idea of sitting around a table talking weddings filled him with dread but it was for his sister so, taking a deep breath and putting a smile on his face, he opened the door and made his way into the room.

The formal dining room was rarely used but today the table, capable of seating sixteen, had been laid with the best silverware and china. Colorful floral centerpieces had been placed in lovely arrangements at the center at regular intervals.

“Afternoon, all,” he greeted them, taking his usual seat at the table to the right of his father.

For the next hour as the different courses of lunch were served, the conversation flowed over a variety of topics, from the weather to the local economy.

When they’d all finished eating and the plates had been removed, his father cleared his throat and stood up.

“My wife and I are absolutely thrilled that our two great families are to be joined together.”

Jake held in a groan as he watched his dad beam at Jamie and Ted across the table. “I know that they haven’t set a date yet, but we would like to give them one of our wedding presents early.” He turned to Ted. “How would you like to come and work for me and head up a section of our IT department? It would mean taking on a supervisory role and obviously comes with a bigger salary than you have at the moment.”

What the hell?
Jake felt everything slip into slow motion and there was a loud rushing noise in his ears, like the pounding of a waterfall.

“I don’t know what to say!” Ted seemed genuinely surprised. “I’d have to speak to my dad. As you know, I work for him.” He looked across the table at his father, who seemed equally surprised.

“It’s fine with me, son, if that’s what you want,” he said graciously.

“I’d be honoured then, sir. Thank you.” He watched as Ted, beaming, stood up and shook his father’s hand.

Jake tried to keep his cool, but failed. The rushing noise in his ears was closing in on him, getting louder and more intense. Pushing back his chair with a screech and throwing down his napkin, he stormed out of the room. The sound of congratulations and laughter that followed him made him even angrier.
He’d been promised that job for months!

Leaning one arm against the wall in the hallway, he bent over and rested his hand on his knee. Breathing deeply, he tried to push away the storm in his head. A hand on his shoulder made him jerk away and he turned, ready to lay into whoever it was. Jamie stood there, her eyes wide pools of concern.

“Are you okay?”

He didn’t trust himself to answer, so he just shook his head and concentrated on his breathing.

“Come back in. Please.”

“It’s just like my birthday, isn’t it?” he said, when he found his voice at last. “The bastard’s done it yet again.”

When he’d been fifteen, all he’d wanted for his sixteenth birthday had been a car. He dreamed about it, about the freedom it would give him and how, for once in his life, he would get something that Jamie didn’t already have as she wouldn’t be old enough to drive until six months later.

There had been a big test coming up at school and his dad had promised him that if he did well, he would get him a car. Used to skipping school and getting bad grades, Jake had put a huge amount of effort in, studying every night and working damned hard. He knew the minute he’d finished the test that he’d done well, and it had been confirmed a couple of weeks later when he’d come home with a B-, thrilled. He’d proudly presented the paper to his father, who had merely nodded and walked away.

It didn’t matter. Jake knew he’d done well and on the morning of his birthday he’d woken up at the crack of dawn, so excited he couldn’t stay in bed any longer.

He’d waited all day but the car never materialized. A couple of days later, he’d come home to find a shiny new BMW sitting in the driveway in front of the house. He’d rushed inside, almost bursting with excitement. Finding his father in his office, he’d gone to hug him, to thank him, only to be told that the car was for Jamie. Only six months apart in age, they’d taken the same test. She’d got an A+. It made no difference to his father that he’d made a promise, that Jake had worked so very hard and, for him, had done incredibly well.

He hadn’t been able to stop himself bursting into tears in front of him, tears that his father had looked upon with disdain before walking away and leaving him to his crushing disappointment.

He’d had to look at that car every day for the next six months, idle in the driveway, until Jamie had gotten her license. She’d been distraught seeing what their father had done and hadn’t wanted the car, but he had insisted. She’d done what she could, though, and every morning, just after leaving for school, she’d pulled that car over and swapped places with him and for the day, at least, it had been his.

All those feelings were back now, overwhelming him. Furious, he grabbed his car keys and jacket and stormed out of the front door. His black, convertible Mercedes was parked out front and he jumped in. The door was barely closed before he put his foot to the floor and drove off down the drive, wheels squealing and leaving a dust cloud in the air.

***

Jamie was furious with her dad. Could he really not see what he had done to Jake? How much he had hurt him? If he really wanted to give Ted a job, he could have given him any job. Why the one he’d promised to Jake? She walked back into the dining room just as her dad was asking Ted a question.

“So, have you set a date yet?”

Jamie opened her mouth to speak but before she could, Ted answered.

“Well, Jamie doesn’t know this, but I’ve got a surprise.” He was grinning widely at her as she stood in the doorway.

“What do you mean?” Returning to her seat, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer.

“Well, I knew you’d been as anxious as I am to get married as quickly as possible, so I’ve already booked the church. It’s all set for two months from today!”

He seemed thrilled with himself as he looked around the table at their parents. They seemed thrilled, too. Her mom was clapping her hands together excitedly and her dad beamed. His parents, though, while looking pleased didn’t look at all surprised.

“What do you mean you’ve already booked the church?” Jamie said quietly, not quite trusting her voice.

“Yes! Isn’t it wonderful, darling?” Ted took her hands in his and squeezed.

She pulled her hands away sharply. “You’re joking, aren’t you?” Her voice was getting louder now. “Please tell me you’re joking!”

He looked confused now. “I thought you’d be pleased.”

“You’re just going to have to cancel it.” She glared at him, daring him to argue.
What on earth was he thinking?

“Err…I think we’ll leave you kids to talk.” It was her dad. She was so angry she had almost forgotten that he was there. She waited until the others had left the room before speaking again.

“How could you do this without even talking to me? And I could have said ‘no’ for all you knew!”

He smiled indulgently. “Come on, Jamie, we both know you weren’t going to say no.”

Oh really?
“You think you know me that well, do you?” She was getting angrier by the minute.
How dare he!

“I know I love you and that you love me.” Once again he took her hands in his own and looked into her eyes. “And I know that we want to be together forever.”
Dammit!
He knew exactly what buttons to push.