Page 22 of Untamed Billionaire
After they were all settled back with plates of food and cold beer, he explained his plan.
Chloe ignored the bottle of champagne in the ice bucket next to her as she watched her cousins shimmy and wiggle on the dance floor. The music pounded in her head, making her nauseous after the heavy meal they’d all eaten earlier in the evening. As promised, Chloe ate more than she normally would have, but that meant she nibbled on a single slice of pizza while her cousins devoured the rest of the slices. They didn’t mind her not eating, laughing at the fact that all eyes would be on her so she needed to slim down.
Now she was sitting alone at the night club, wondering how long until she could slip away and catch a cab home. She was tired, having spent most of the day rushing around. Again. Shouldn’t the wedding planner be doing most of this work? Why was Chloe even needed? No one asked her opinion about the flowers, the cake, or the menu. Her mother didn’t trust Chloe enough to ask her opinion and the sales clerks were too intimidated by Jocelyn Forsythe to even glance in Chloe’s direction.
This whole wedding thing was just a sham, she thought. It was a way for Chloe’s mother to become the center of attention, to crow that her daughter was getting married and all of her friends needed to send expensive gifts. Chloe wasn’t even allowed to unwrap the gifts! Her mother did that as soon as they arrived. Good grief, some of her wedding presents were already on display in her mother’s house! Yes, her mother had stolen her wedding gifts!
Sighing, Chloe set the champagne flute down on the low table in front of her and grabbed her purse. She wasn’t having a good time and she didn’t want to stay. The only reason she’d come tonight was because her cousins had insisted. They were now out on the dance floor, oblivious to her sitting alone.
Plus, she was tired. She wanted to go to bed, and she missed Marco.
Walking out of the night club, she lifted her phone to call a taxi. Fifteen minutes later, she stepped out of the cab, giving the man a hefty tip, then snuck into the house. She wondered if there would be time for her to visit her sister tomorrow. It was Wednesday, her usual day to visit Emma. Would her mother have a list of things Chloe had to accomplish?
Probably. Which meant she needed to slip out early and tell her mother that she had some errands she needed to run. Which was true, actually. She was going to hit that new lingerie store over in the next town. She’d seen the beautiful, alluring pieces in the window when driving by a few weeks ago. At the time, she hadn’t seen any point in purchasing something like that. But now that she was getting married…and she could parade around in those bits of nothing in front of Marco, she was eager to give them a try.
Chapter 8
Marco looked at the messages on his cell phone. He’d asked his friends for help last night. According to their messages, everything was set up. They were all ready for him, so he just needed to get Chloe.
“Good morning, Marco!” Jocelyn called out as she walked down the hallway to the foyer where he’d been left to wait, her heels clicking against the hardwood floors. “We weren’t expecting you today.”
Marco shoved his hands into his pockets. “I was wondering if I could speak with Chloe,” he explained, irritated at being left in the foyer like a strange intruder. But he didn’t expect anything more from Jocelyn. She used every opportunity to show Marco that he wasn’t worthy of being a member of their family. Even now, she’d stopped several feet away from him, as if she might get cooties if she came too close.
“I’m afraid that Chloe left earlier this morning. Which was very naughty of her since I have some things for her to decide on regarding the wedding.” She grinned slyly. “Just a few more days!”
Marco gritted his teeth. “Do you know where Chloe is?”
“I have no…”
“I’m here!” Chloe announced, rushing down the hallway, her hands carrying several bags from a store that Marco didn’t recognize. “What’s up?” she asked, moving around Jocelyn so that she could rush over and…stopped with a blush only a foot away from him.
Marco glanced at Jocelyn, catching her irritation and disapproval before bringing his eyes back to Chloe.
“I have something I need to show you,” he told her. “Do you have time?”
“I do!” she replied, sounding as if she were out of breath. “Just let me put these upstairs.”
“No need. Just bring them,” he said, taking her hand and tugging her out of the house. He didn’t trust Jocelyn at all. He’d already spied a crystal vase that he knew Angela had sent as a wedding gift. It was on a shelf in Jocelyn’s living room, not sitting with the other presents. He wondered how many other gifts she had stolen, but didn’t have time to dwell on that now. He needed Chloe for the afternoon. And evening, if he could manage it.
Chloe started to say something, but Marco wasn’t slowing down. He suspected that today would be significantly more important than Saturday and he wanted to make today special.
“What color are the bridesmaids dresses this Saturday?” he asked as he took her packages and tossed them into the trunk of his Mercedes.
“Um…they are…uh…sage green, I believe.”
“Green?” he asked, then looked down at her, putting his hands on her waist as he backed her up against the car. “I thought you wanted yellow dresses.”
She laughed, but the sound came out a bit self-conscious. She wasn’t fighting him though.
“I did, but mother said that yellow was for spring weddings. Sage green was more appropriate for a fall wedding.”
“And what flavor is the cake?”
Her eyes dropped, looking at his mouth and his body reacted when she licked her lips. “I think it’s…uh…I don’t know. Maybe chocolate?”
“You don’t like chocolate.”
Her eyes darted higher and she looked up at him. “I love chocolate.”
