Heart Matters (10 page)

The next message buzzed and she opened it
even as she felt her world shattering around her.

Ur gonna see a lot more of me around babes.
And by the by, ur stupid lil factory? Know this, it was me! You
ruin me, I ruin u! Im coming for ya babes, im coming for ya.

Jessica dropped the phone in shock. Memories
of that horrible night rose up like the poisonous fumes of a
venomous snake. She touched her cold cheeks with shaking hands.
Jake was back!
She had no idea what had happened to him all
those years back but Mark definitely had the answers. She needed
Mark. She
had
to call him.

Mark had the habit of checking her up once
in a while and she scanned her phone for his number. When she
dialed it she waited breathlessly for him to answer.

“Jess?” his reassuring voice gave her
immediate strength. “What is it?”

She gripped her phone, her knuckles turning
white even as fresh tears stung her eyes. “He’s back.”

She heard his curse and the rough slam of
his fist hitting a table. “Don’t do anything. I’ll be there.”

She nodded as if he could see her and hung
up without a word. Mark would definitely be with her but she had to
buy time. She stared at her phone for the longest time trying to
dredge the courage to call Jake. Her resolve broke as soon as she
re-read his message. No, she couldn’t call him. She would rather
wait for him to call her.

The intercom buzzed and she answered feeling
drained. “Yes, Ruth?”

“Ms.Devon is waiting for you downstairs,”
her secretary informed her and Jessica willed herself to stop
trembling. She was in no mood to entertain clients right now but
she had little choice. She checked herself in her compact mirror,
applied some makeup then glided downstairs with a blithe smile on
her face.

“Ida, how nice to see you again!” she called
out in the tactful manner she used with her clients.

Ida Devon turned her beautiful self towards
Jessica. “Jessi! My saviour!” She embraced Jessica and gave her
superficial kisses. “My darling, how are you?”

Jessica gestured to herself. “Just perfect
as you can see. And you look absolutely fabulous!”

“Do I?” Ida turned to the wall mirror eyeing
it critically. “Ah, yes. I have lost a few pounds on my bottom,
haven’t I?”

Jessica agreed, lying outrageously. It was
this part of her job that she disliked. Flattering her valuable
clients and keeping up with their nonsensical self-appraisal. But
she had to admit Ida Devon was one of her better clients who
deserved heartfelt admiration. At thirty-seven, she was a
green-eyed ash blonde who could turn every male head within eye
range. She was tall too, five feet ten inches of sharp curves in
the right places. A one-time theatre persona, she had given it up
when she married Senator David Devon, one of the most debonair
politicians in the country.

Some said she had left a long-standing
boyfriend for Senator Devon but Jessica couldn’t possibly blame
her. Not many men could match up to the Senator’s personality.
Although he was in his late forties and gray at the temples, he had
the amazing quality of charming the staunchest of people, men and
women alike. She knew Ida had actually married him for the fame it
gave her but she was glad at least she was still with him after six
long years.

Ida was also one of her faithful clients.
She had ventured into ‘Jess-C’ one year ago after she had seen her
design being sported by one of her close friends. Jessica had been
designing her clothes ever since.

Ida turned from the mirror and watched
Jessica absently. “I need a dress for a Halloween party, Jessi
darling, I know it’s short notice but can you manage?”

“Of course.”

Ida’s seated herself on a large, off-white
armchair and crossed her impressive shapely legs. “It’s one of
David’s weird ideas to have a Halloween party and I can’t seem to
knock sense into his head.” She gave an elegant yawn betraying her
sense of boredom. “As I am the hostess, albeit reluctant, here I
am.”

Jessica watched her sympathetically. Ida
Devon was getting bored with her marriage and that was not a good
sign. She smiled cheerfully hoping to encourage her. “Well, any
suggestions as to what you’d like to be dressed as?”

A light smile played at her lips. “Yes, I’ve
already thought about that.” Her upturned lips parted in a grin.
“I’d like to be Cleopatra.”

Jessica laughed. “You might as well have
gone in your birthday suit!”

“Naughty Jessi darling! Very naughty. I know
I could have easily have rented a costume but you know me. I hate
seconds.” She unfurled her tall length and again dropped her breezy
kiss on Jessica’s cheek. “Call me when it’s ready.”

Jessica watched her leave with mixed
feelings. Ida was a nice person when she wanted to be but she was
also sadly submerged in the shallow world she lived in. Jessica
thanked the Lord the nth time in her life for allowing her to lead
a fairly ordinary life. Even without ‘Jess-C’ she could easily lead
a life much like that of the L.A. elite but she personally abhorred
the very notion.

She attended only those parties where her
presence was a must. Personally she enjoyed a quiet walk along the
beach or browsing books in the public library or watching an art
show or simply watching children play in a park. That was the only
way she could preserve her inherent nature and calm her nerves that
would otherwise be high strung with the pressure at ‘Jess-C’.

Today however nothing could soothe her
nerves. She was scared to wits about Jake turning up and wondered
if she could trust Adam enough to share her secret with him? An
uncertain feeling crept through her. Maybe not just yet.

***

“Care for a drink?” Steven asked going over
to the bar in his office.

“I could sure use one,” Jeff admitted,
following him and taking a seat on one of the stools. “Give me the
strongest you have.”

Steven came up with a quick concoction and
placed it before Jeff. “You don’t look too well.”

Jeff dismissed his concern with a wave of
his hand. “I deserve more credit than that. I haven’t slept in
forty-eight hours.” He gulped down the contents of his glass and
gasped. “I can’t bring myself to go and see, Jessi. I’m scared
she’ll have me walking her down the aisle the minute she sees
me.”

Steven braced himself on the counter
appearing thoroughly amused. “She’s one hell of a woman.”

His friend looked at him in surprise. “You
are attracted to her, aren’t you?”

Steven gave him a dry smile. “Yes. Too
attracted,” he admitted frankly, “But that’s not the issue here.
She needs you now more than ever, Jeff. Unfortunately, she might
not let you be around to help her.”

Jeff’s deep eyes set on him intensely. “It’s
Warring, isn’t it? What do you have on him?”

“Not much, he’s been in L.A. on and off. He
is educated, a graduate in public relations. But his meeting with
Jessica was not by chance as he has let her think. He had tried to
bump into her several times without success until he finally met
her at a fashion show. He is
acquainted
with Shari
Stanford.”

Jeff’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“Acquainted?” he repeated slowly.

“They had a rather torrid affair before he
met your sister.”

“And she knows nothing of it?”

“Hardly anyone does. Not even Niki.”

Jeff frowned thinking fast. “Why keep it a
secret?”

“Shari is Jessica’s fiercest enemy,” Steven
revealed quietly. “She was especially snubbed when Niki chose to
promote her designs and when ‘Jess-C Creations’ surged ahead of her
own ‘La Belle Shari’. And then Warring dropped her which was
something she couldn’t bear. Warring of course is a gold-digger. He
loves flashy cars, roulette and women. He knows very well that once
he marries Jessica, he doesn’t have to worry about the finance
required for his expensive lifestyle. He’s going to have a ball at
her expense.

Shari guessed his intention and chose to
blackmail him by threatening to tell Jessica all about his
not-so-innocent intentions. So he continued his affair with Shari
while he romanced Jessica.”

Jeff’s eyes clouded with white fury. “That
bastard! I knew he was up to something. But how did he manage to
lie so low? How come no one’s ever seen him with Shari?”

“That’s easy. He’s just careful. He’s almost
never found at play while in town. We live in a big country, Jeff,
and he travels a lot. Not everyone in Las Vegas or anywhere else
knows Adam Warring. It was difficult for my man to trace his steps
but not impossible. Shari and Warring leave town within days of
each other, book themselves in motels under false names, have a
raging time and then get back on separate flights.”

Steven ran a disturbed hand through his
hair. “There’s one thing I don’t understand. Jessica has a lot of
respect for this guy. He isn’t exactly always courteous with her
but it seems whenever they have an argument, she is the one who
goes running after him. Is she that patient with men?”

Jeff rubbed the stubble on his unshaven
chin, frowning slightly. “There haven’t been many men around her.
Nobody lasted over a couple of months. I don’t know what goes
wrong, but she’s been picking and dropping men since high school.”
He raised his worried eyes to his friend. “I have to stop this
wedding, Steve. I can’t let her just go ahead and marry that
bastard. Will you help?”

For an answer, a slow smile spread across
Steven’s face. “I will be more than glad.”

***

Mark drew Jessica in his warm embrace and
she held onto him for her life. At the moment there was no one she
would rather be with than this huge, strong man who could soothe
away all her fears.

They were meeting at a non-descript café
tucked away in Santa Barbara and took chairs next to each other
while still holding hands. Mark’s larger ones covered hers as he
smiled at her lovingly. “Look at you all grown up, baby girl.”

Jessica took his hand and placed his palm on
her cheek. Mark had grown older and more rugged but his warmth, his
genuine affection for her made her feel secure. “Where were you?
All these years, you just left me all alone.”

His chocolate eyes crinkled as he smiled. “I
was always around baby girl.” He gazed at her with adoration.
Jessica was more beautiful now as a woman in her prime. It seemed
as though Nature had waved a magic wand and given a hundred percent
boost to her already gorgeous features. Right now he wanted nothing
more than to lean in and kiss her luscious lips. But he knew he
couldn’t. Somewhere in his heart he knew she had moved on. Although
she still loved him, it was more of adoration and genuine affection
than anything else.

She turned her face and kissed his palm that
was against her cheek. “I wanted to meet you so many times but
somehow I just couldn’t.”

He drew his hand from her cheek and covered
both of hers in his large ones. “It’s ok. Let’s not talk about that
now.” He dropped a kiss on her knuckles. “Show me his message.”

Jessica silently slid her phone to him and
he read Jake’s messages, a muscle twitching in his jaw. “What did
you do to him?” she asked softly.

He sat back in his chair, his lips set in a
grim line. “I ruined him.”

She regarded him out of startled eyes. “What
do you mean?”

His smile was mirthless. “When I was sure
you had left the country, I caught up with him one day and bashed
him till he didn’t have a useful bone in his pathetic body. I
tipped the narcs about his drug abuse and luckily for me they
caught him pedaling. He was kicked out of college and his
reputation ruined. He went into depression and kept doing drugs
till he almost lost his mind. It was just because his parents’ had
money that he managed to live off them all these years. He went
into rehab four times.” He ran an exasperated hand through his
thick hair that was now peppered with strands of gray at his
temples. “I don’t understand one thing.”

“What?”

His brown eyes looked helpless alarming her
a little. “I went to his place immediately after I left you that
day. I knew I had to get his phone. I managed to get it from him
while he lay sleeping it off. I took it and destroyed it.” Mark
paused and she knew what he was going to say next. “So how the hell
does he have those pictures with him?”

Jessica felt her face grow pale and stared
at him uncertainly. “Maybe he had mailed it to himself that
night.”

Mark’s face was a grim mask. “That’s what I
think.”

The gray eyes were now almost dark and her
face ashen. She looked about to faint and he covered her hands to
offer his reassurance. “Jess, don’t worry. I’ll get him again.”

Her head shook miserably. “How, Ty? I’m sure
he isn’t somewhere we can trace him easily.”

“I have friends in the right places. We will
find him.”

Jessica regarded Mark with anxious eyes. She
knew he would die trying to protect her but how far was it right to
string him along? She had to face her fears someday. “Ty,” she
began but his narrowing look stopped her.

“Not one word, baby girl,” he warned her, “I
know that look. It’s the same one you used when you wanted me to
leave you, but you can’t do it again. I will get him. You sit tight
and if he tries to get in touch with you again, just ignore him. He
probably wants to blackmail you for money so if you answer him, he
will succeed in what he wants most.”

She watched him uncertainly. “What’s
that?”

“Your fear,” he stated and the truth of his
words made sense to her.

She nodded. “You’re right. That’s what he
wants.”

Mark watched her troubled eyes and leaned to
draw a finger down her cheek in a gentle caress. “You need to tell
Jeff about this.”

The gray irises flared at him in alarm. “No!
I couldn’t!” A deep flush spread across her cheeks. “Those pics,
Ty, they’re just too horrible! I would die if anyone saw them!”