Heart Matters (20 page)

He left the apartment scowling fiercely. For a
while, he drove his BMW around aimlessly trying to come to terms
with his fury. Damn her for making a complete fool of him! He still
couldn’t believe she had called out to Warring while he was making
love to her. And to think for a moment he actually thought she was
reacting to him! He had never felt so cheated in his entire
life!

You married her hotshot
, an inner voice
jeered,
because you find her irresistible. She married you
because you were her key to her inheritance. She neither offered
you her love nor her loyalty but just her body. She can think of
any man she wants and still make love to you.
Make love
.
A relationship like theirs had no place for those words. It was
pure sex they had agreed upon, nothing more, nothing less.

Then why the hell did he feel like such a fool? She
had apologized for her indiscretion, what more could she do? He
could have taken her then and there and she would have been like
wild fire in his arms.
But I don’t want her like that!
he
thought bitterly,
I don’t want her dreaming of some other man
when she is in my arms!

Her beautiful face moaning softly with desire
floated before his eyes and had him accelerating his car heedlessly
into the slowly growing traffic.
There goes your practicality,
pal
, he smirked mirthlessly,
you wanted no strings attached
and she is took you up on it. She longs for another man while she
beds you!

His car went screeching into the parking lot of
‘Hart Inc.’ raising quite a few brows. When he stormed into his
office barking orders, everyone discreetly moved out of his way. He
slammed the door to his chamber and headed straight for the bar to
pour a drink.

Women! Damn them, damn them all!
he cursed,
downing the glass’s contents in one gulp and pouring out more of
the burning liquid.
They were all the same,
faithless
!
After Ida, he had promised he wouldn’t let
any other woman affect him in the same manner but here he was
drinking himself silly over a woman he didn’t even love! That was
the most painful part. Jessica had somehow managed to get under his
skin. Even Ida had been unable to do that!

He shoved the glass away appalled with himself. He
had taken an oath he would never get drunk like the way he had
after Ida.
Ida
. Would he ever forget her? Possibly. It was
difficult for a man to forget someone as sophisticated, vivacious
and sexy as Ida Devon. Once she had meant everything to him. He was
young when they had first met, only twenty-two and she was two
years older. They had met in college and he had fallen for her
glittering green eyes and silky hair. They had had a raging affair
and had moved in together six months into their relationship.

Ida had made herself very clear from the beginning.
She wanted nothing more than a live-in relationship. She believed
the institution of marriage slowly killed a person’s individuality.
So with no strings attached they had lived together close to four
years. That’s why when she walked out; he had felt his world fall
apart. She left a simple note stating that it was over between them
and that he should not try to chase her to make her change her
mind.

Broken hearted, Steven had spent his days drinking.
Jeff had been around then to help him pull out of the rotten mess
that he had become. He had finally come out of his pitiful
existence when he had seen Ida’s picture in the papers. She had
married Senator David Devon, the Democrat who apparently had
presidential aspirations. He had no idea how she had come across
such a man but the fact that she had got married within a few weeks
of their break-up told him she had been faithless.

Steven had resurfaced with a vengeance towards all
of the female species. He vowed he would earn in millions if only
to show Ida what she had lost. His determination made him overcome
his depression and after struggling for years, he struck gold at
the stock exchange and emerged as one of the most powerful
businessmen in the country.

Once his life had found a firm footing, he had
longed for companionship but shunned emotional involvement. He had
drifted in and out of several relationships before coming to the
decision that he needed an heir to run his business empire after
him. Sean was there of course but he still needed his own child.
That’s when he had met Jessica. He felt a longing for her that he
had never felt for any other woman, strangely not even Ida and
that’s why he had married her. He knew from their brief meetings
that they were compatible on many grounds and thought they could
make their marriage a success.

Then where had it gone wrong? Why did it hurt to
know that she loved another man? Maybe he was more egoistic than he
was aware. In any case, there was nothing he could do to change the
facts as they were. She had to forget Warring before they could
consummate their marriage. If she didn’t, then they would have to
part their ways.

***

Two weeks later, Jessica sat in her office staring
outside the windows. She had received access to her inheritance
within days of her marriage and had worked out the revival of her
company as per her agreement with ‘Hart Inc.’ The paperwork clearly
stated that in case her company once again plunged to the verge of
bankruptcy, her shares with ‘The Residency’ would automatically be
transferred to ‘Hart Inc.’ Her company was revived as ‘Jess-C Hart
Creations’ and Jessica plunged into work with the energy of a young
child.

Her stand with Steven had not changed after their
wedding night. He had chosen to keep away from her as well as the
apartment. The thought that he was spending his nights in someone
else’s arms oddly hurt but she refused to let it show. She was so
involved with her work that no one sensed the turmoil of her heart.
Often she worked into late nights and was usually so exhausted by
bedtime that she fell asleep as soon as she hit the pillows. She
did have a faint impression that Steven sometimes came in and stood
watching her as she slept but the feeling was so vague that she was
sure it was her imagination. Sean and Niki came in sometimes and if
they noticed Steven’s obvious absence, they chose not to show it.
Sean had his own place elsewhere and they never stayed long.

Neither Jessica nor Steven chose to break the ice
and continued to wallow in self-pity. The stress, both physical and
emotional took its toll on Jessica’s health until one day she
finally decided to put an end to the entire charade. She had to be
fair to herself. She couldn’t go on living her life in this manner.
She was married but without a husband. She had refused at least a
dozen post-wedding party invitations and now she had reached her
limit of patience.

If Steven didn’t want her in his life, he could say
so. In the end, she had received control over her inheritance and
he had his much-needed security. So why were they still married?
Why not call it a day and get a peaceful divorce? She had anyway
nothing to gain from it in terms of alimony as per their
pre-nuptial agreement. So why were they still playing these
games?

With firm determination, she called up his office
using her boutique’s landline, her heart beating wildly. She
realized she didn’t have his cel phone number after she had erased
her own to get rid of the pics Jake had sent her. She had not
bothered to program any numbers as she mostly used her office phone
where she spent most of her time. She didn’t want to speak to
anyone as it is. Especially Jeff who bothered her with the most
needling of questions.

The bell rang on the other end and she waited
awkwardly for his secretary to come on the line. When the other
woman finally came on, Jessica spoke lightly. “Susan, hi. It’s
Jessica. Is Steven in?”

“Oh, good morning Mrs. Hart,” Susan spoke
hesitantly, “I’m afraid Mr. Hart isn’t back from Singapore
yet.”

Singapore! He was in Singapore without so much as
bothering to inform her! Jessica cleared her throat. “Oh, yes. I
spoke to him…last night and he said he might get back earlier than
intended. Er...can I have his cell phone number? I seem to have
misplaced it.”

“Sure.” Susan gave her the number and hung up after
some polite talk.

Jessica felt her temper rise slowly. She was most
embarrassed to have to ask his whereabouts from his secretary.
Everyone expected the wife would be the first one to know if her
husband was not around even for half a day! She jabbed his cell
phone number ferociously and waited for him to reply.

After a while, the bell rang and he came on the line
sounding thoroughly surprised. “Jessica? What is it?”

So, he had her boutique number programmed in his
phone, did he?
she thought irritably.

“Can we talk?” she heard her voice say while she had
actually intended to give him the choicest of abuses.

“Not now, I’m in a meeting. Can’t it wait till I get
back?”

She shifted uncertainly. She couldn’t just blurt out
that she wanted a divorce. At least not while he was in a meeting.
“Fine. I’ll talk to you when you get back.”

“Good,” he said simply and hung up leaving her
thoroughly frustrated. Half of her wanted to call him back and
shower abuses for the inconsiderate creature that he was but her
more sensible half told her it was better to wait. He had not told
her when he was returning and she wasn’t about to call him back and
ask.

A rush of emotions threatened to envelop her pushing
her close to tears. She blinked rapidly to get rid of them and
reached for her phone. She had no intention of sitting around and
moping for Steven. But she had to get the heaviness off her chest
by being with the one person who loved her more than his life.

Ty. Talking to him would feel like indulging in a
thousand dollar spa. Not only good to relieve her stress but damn
good for her bruised ego!

***

Her eyes were hidden behind dark shades and Mark
knew she was hiding not only her identity behind it but also her
pain. Immediate concern rose in his heart. He hoped Steven Hart
hadn’t done anything to hurt her.

“Jess?” He covered her hands in his and leaned in to
peer at her. “Baby girl, are you ok?”

She gave a slight nod. “Jake?”

Mark took in her prim and proper stance and wasn’t
fooled. Today it wasn’t Jake she was bothered about. “I gave him a
warning, Jess. He’s heeding it for now.” He sat back in his chair,
raising his iced tea to his lips. He watched her maintain her
composure. If anyone so much as glanced at them, it would appear
they were acquaintances having lunch. Her wild hair was drawn back
in a tight bun, she wore a chic business suit and her shades
completed a professional look. Marriage to Steven Hart meant
ducking the media’s roving lenses at all times.

Her request to meet him had come as a surprise and
he was immediately sure it wasn’t all about Jake. Mark was almost
beside himself with the need to keep her safe.
To keep her
happiness safe.
He watched her but all he could see was his own
reflection in her glasses.

“Jess, if it was just a matter of getting Jake to
shut up, I could do that but those damn pics! I can’t do anything
about them. You need to tell Jeff, maybe Steven too.”

She sighed shaking her head. “Ty, I can’t do that. I
can’t tell Jeff and Steven…” Her voice broke and his heart
constricted.

So he was right about Steven! He
had
hurt
her! God damnit! What did men want anymore? You get this gorgeous
creature as your wife and yet you find it in your heart to make her
miserable. He threw caution to the winds as he covered one of her
hands, bringing it to his lips. “Baby girl, I know it’s none of my
business but if Hart’s hurt you, I swear I will kill him!”

A tiny smile lit up her face. She gave him a
friendly punch. “What are you, Batman? Always talking about bashing
and killing people!”

He chuckled, feeling happy that she was at least
smiling. “Remove your glasses.” She did as asked making him suck in
his breath. There were shadows under them and a sadness that
touched his heart. “Jess, tell me. You know I’m always there for
you.”

She rose, holding her hand out to him. “Let’s go
someplace we can talk.”

Mark dropped a few bills on the table and taking her
hand, tucked it in the crook of his arm. They wandered about lazily
for a while before sinking into a secluded bench by the waterfront.
He draped his arm over her shoulder and she laid her head on it,
sighing deeply. Turning slightly towards him, Jessica clutched the
lapel of his denim jacket and for a while they simply sat content
in each other’s company.

She tilted her face to catch his handsome profile
and traced a finger over his laugh line. “Tell me again why we
couldn’t be?”

He didn’t look at her, keeping his gaze out towards
the ocean. Her finger touched his lips and he placed a tiny kiss on
it before capturing her hand in his. He looked down at her aware
that she was hurting deep inside. “Now all the reasons I had, seem
idiotic. I was,
am
a nobody Jess. I grew up in foster homes.
I could never have given you the life you really deserved. So let’s
leave it at that. You’ve moved on baby girl. Why don’t you just
tell Steven you love him?”

She seemed taken aback. “Do I?”

His smile was wry even as he nuzzled her head,
inhaling the incredible smell of her hair. “Yes, you do.”

She dropped her eyes feeling vulnerable. “But he
doesn’t love me.”

Mark’s eyes narrowed, the sun turning them lighter
than they really were. “What do you mean?”

A deep flush stained her guilty cheeks.
“I..er..we..um..”

“If the tip of your nose turns red it must be worst
than I imagine.”