"Reception?"
His eyebrows shot high, as if she'd announced he'd be waltzing up the aisle naked.
"We're having a quickie wedding at the register office. Do you really think the people you want to schmooze in this city will accept this marriage if we don't throw some fancy party?"
He threw the phone on the table and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I'm not the fancy party type."
"Too bad. You want doors to open for you in the corporate sector, you have to get to know these people socially. What schools their kids attend. What vacation spots they frequent. What golf courses they play.”
She entwined her index and third finger. "They're like this, a clique. I've been raised in those circles and have seen what they do to outsiders, let alone someone with…"
"My background?" He spat the words out.
"Yeah."
She wished she could sugar-coat this, or know the exact words to ease the obvious burden he carried around because of his dad. But she'd been nothing but blunt with him so far, no use changing the habits of a lifetime now.
"I'll be honest with you, Jax. If you want to make inroads with this crowd, lose the attitude. You're Denver Maroney's son, so what? You're a successful businessman, you own a flourishing mine, you're nothing like your dad. So quit glaring at anyone who approaches within two feet, lose the chip factory on your shoulders, and start lightening up."
"Chip factory? Funny. I’ll try if you do.”
Confused, she said, “What do I need to try?”
“To deliver.”
"Deliver what?"
"Everything a marriage entails."
His silky smooth tone alluded to what he meant, and she reached for her latte, belatedly realising she'd finished it. "You mean—"
"Sex." He didn't blink or look away, his cool declaration hanging in the air between them. "We've joked about it, but just so you know." He placed both palms on the table and leaned forward. "I don't play games. We get married, we're monogamous. No fooling around."
His intent rammed home the seriousness of their situation as nothing else could.
Once she said, 'I do', she'd have to say 'I don't' to many things she valued: her freedom, her spontaneity in socialising all hoursand answering to no one, her casual flirting with guys who didn't threaten or bamboozle or confuse.
She sure hoped Sapphire appreciated the sacrifice she’d be making for the sake of their beloved company.
Jax misread her silence, and probably her horrified expression too, sitting back abruptly.
"Don't worry, despite what I intimated at the races, it's not forever. Once we get what we both want, this ridiculous marriage is finished."
His honesty didn't scare her.
The unexpected hurt slashing through their best laid plans did.
Chapter 12
Opal indicated and pulled over, waiting for a rare parking spot in the CBD. "What's going on?"
Ruby had asked herself the same question many times over the last week. Sadly, she was no closer to an answer, other than being responsible for the future ofSeabornsucked.
"When I said we were heading into town for an afternoon cocktail party, I lied."
"Thought so." Opal reverse parked, cut the engine, and cast a critical glance at Ruby’s alabaster silk sheath and the luminous pearls at her ears and neck. "You're never this nervous about attending a party, so I knew it had to be more."
