“I don’t know what you mean” I denied.
“Well I guess it’s not as though you did it in the limo or anything” she muttered.
I choked again and she thumped me on the back.
“You did it in the limo” she exclaimed excitedly “My god Flair. I never knew you were such a…”
“Don’t even say it” I hissed, my face beetroot “Just don’t.”
She leaned back, sipping at the wine glass, a thoughtful expression on her face “I never knew Grayson had it in him, but whoa. The man’s creative got to give him that. Good for you” she praised me “Time you started to live a little.”
“I live plenty” I snapped, drinking a copious amount of wine from the glass “You act as though I was living like a nun with Johnathon.”
“Because you were. You had sex like clockwork when he wanted it, you cooked for him, you cleaned for him, you worked for him. Everything revolved around him and you didn’t do anything for you. At least now you have some excitement in your life” Rachel said smirking “Although you probably shouldn’t let this slip to anyone else” she added “I can only imagine how your brothers would react to something like this.”
“I don’t intend on walking around with a big sign saying I did it in the limo with my husband” I snapped.
She laughed and flipped her hair, finishing off the glass of wine and placing it on the coffee table. “Probably a good thing,” she said teasingly “Your brothers would probably kill him.”
I put my half-drunk wine glass down. “So how was it?” I asked, changing the subject “I’m guessing it was good. Are you going to see Timothy again?”
She smirked “We have plans for another date. He’s, well he’s different from anyone else I’ve dated.”
“Because he’s not wealthy or because he’s a gentleman?” I asked intrigued.
“Both” Rachel answered nonchalantly “I think he’s gathered I’m wealthy but he still treats me as his equal. He doesn’t expect too much from me and he shows interest in what I like to do. It’s interesting to hear about his work and the enthusiasm he has for it. He really likes working for Grayson you know. He admires him.”
I nodded. “Grayson really likes Timothy as his assistant so I guess they both have mutual respect for each other.”
Rachel opened her mouth to answer when a bunch of papers were pushed underneath the door. “Oh those are my gossip papers,” she said with delight as I rolled my eyes “Let’s see what’s new in the news today” she sang, getting up with a spring in her step.
“No doubt it will be Johnathon and Charlotte’s engagement party on the front page” I called out, leaning back against the couch “That’s why the press were there, remember? So it won’t be anything exciting, sorry” I teased as Rachel shot me a disgruntled glance “Maybe tomorrow will be better and you can get your gossip fix.”
“Don’t be like that. Some celebrities might have done something deliciously naughty and gotten themselves smeared on the front page” Rachel scolded me over her shoulder, her eyes twinkling with humor “I live for these magazines.”
“I know you do. You were the same in college” I reminisced “Couldn’t get your hands on them fast enough.”
She giggled, kneeling down to gather them and stand back up “Well can you blame me? It was my only link to the outside world. If you had your way we would have been inside and studying all the time.”
A smile curved on my lips “Speaking of which, after we’re done catching up on the latest gossip with each other, I need you to go through some designs with me, so that we can send them out to the third party and onto the boutiques from there” I reminded her.
“All work and no play” she sighed, putting a hand to her chest “you’re going to die young at this rate Flair” she warned me.
I shook my head at her amused. She began to put the newspapers down and grabbed one, spreading it out. I didn’t pay any attention until she began to laugh, sounding almost hysterical.
“Oh my god” she squealed, causing me to glance at her sharply “Flair look” she pointed as I rolled my eyes and looked down at the paper “It’s a picture of you and Grayson.”
She was right. It was a picture of Grayson and me. Specifically, the one that had been taken inside in front of the fireplace with Grayson holding me. It was an intimate picture and, I had to admit, it had come out really beautiful. The headline read “Playboy Bachelor Grayson Oakes finally marries the love of his life in a secret wedding.”
Oh boy. There was no picture of Charlotte Deluca or mention of her engagement party at all. Rachel was laughing wildly. “She is going to be so pissed” she chortled “She invited the press to her party so that she could be plastered all over the front page and instead you and Grayson are front page news. Oh this is glorious” she crowed as I stared at her stunned “it couldn’t have happened to a nicer person” she finished triumphant.
“Do any of the papers mention Charlotte and Johnathon’s engagement?” I asked with a hint of desperation.
It had not been my or Grayson’s intention to steamroll all over the engagement like this. I crossed my fingers that it was just one paper, but as Rachel dutifully began to look through the rest, each and every paper contained the same picture and the same exciting headline about Grayson and me. I swallowed hard.
“Oh dear,” I said weakly, picturing Charlotte’s wrath “Charlotte Deluca is bound to be unhappy about this. Who do you suppose had the picture changed out?” I asked confused “They would have had to have permission to use that photo and who gave them the information about the secret wedding?”
Rachel snorted “Who cares. It was bound to be front page news eventually Flair” she pointed out carelessly “So what if it takes precedence over Charlotte’s engagement party?”
“I feel sorry for her,” I said, studying the page, the way that Grayson’s lips turned up as he stared down at me, the light in his eyes, the gentle way his hand rested on me as he held me “she was so excited about the engagement party and being the center of attention.”
“Well this is Karma kicking her ass then for being such a horrible person in real life,” Rachel said unsympathetically “Or did you forget that she took your dress from that boutique? Or the other things she’s done to us? Not to mention had an affair with your husband for six months?”
When she put it like that it was hard to feel sorry for Charlotte Deluca. I picked the paper up and cocked my head. “Frame one of these for me” I suggested and she laughed, shaking her head.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.