Grounded (Up In The Air #3)

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Mr. Besotted

We went to a gala for charity the night news broke of our engagement, which was perhaps a mistake. The red carpet was pure chaos.

By sheer coincidence, the men’s health magazine had released their cover and spread of James that same day. It had all turned out beautifully, but they had used several of the pictures with the both of us. The cover picture they’d used had actually been from one of the shots where James had his back to the camera, and I was clearly giggling into his shoulder. My laughing eyes were visible over his shoulder, his face was bent down to nuzzle into my ear, catching the edge of his besotted smile.

Needless to say, the release of the romantic pictures, combined with the first appearance of his bat-shit crazy tattoos, and the announcement of our engagement, had gotten the attention of the media, and we were bombarded the second we stepped out of the car. We couldn’t even hear what the paparazzi were asking us, they were shouting so loudly over each other. Two overzealous male photographers even exchanged blows.

As soon as fists started swinging, our security ushered us straight into the party.

Jackie had picked out a long gown for me that I had to lift high in order to move swiftly as we were ushered inside. It had a fitted champagne silk bodice that hung artfully off my shoulders, but just below my breasts it bled into a long, flowing crimson skirt. She’d paired it with shiny red patent leather shoes and I thought it might be my favorite dress to date. I felt feminine and sexy, and pretty enough to have the most gorgeous man in the world on my arm.

James wore a classic black tux, with a champagne colored shirt and a crisp black bow tie. He had a crimson handkerchief folded into his breast pocket. I wasn’t sure if Jackie or James had set us up to match for the evening. It was anyone’s guess at this point.

Inside was a bit of a crush, so much so that I hoped right away that we wouldn’t be staying long. Especially since the first person we sighted was an irate Scott. We saw him coming from across the antechamber into the gala, and I noted again that he looked uncannily familiar.

“Why does he look so familiar to me?” I asked James, who was studying the other man with sharp intensity.

James laughed. “He’s a very famous tennis player. I just assumed that you knew who he was. He’s highly recognizable. I’ll never stop loving the fact that you’re completely unimpressed with celebrities.”

I shrugged, thinking that it wasn’t so much about not being impressed as it was about not keeping up with current affairs.

“I hope you’re happy, James. Jolene and I have split up because of your porno,” Scott began loudly the second he was within earshot. It was a bad start to the conversation, and I couldn’t miss the fact that the entire room got quiet as they tried to overhear the two famous men having it out.

James stepped a little in front of me in an instinctive protective gesture. I didn’t imagine that I was in any danger from anything but words, though, with our security out in force for the event.

“That doesn’t make me happy, Scott, though I do think you can do better than a woman who’s only interested in your money, and likely isn’t even capable of fidelity. There’s no reason why that video should have ended your relationship. That was taken at least three years ago, before you were even seeing each other.”

Scott chewed on his lip, studying James intently. “You knew about that thing for three years, and never bothered to tell me?”

“No. I didn’t know about it until a few weeks ago. That was taped without my knowledge. I never would have consented to it. No one in my position ever would.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. I couldn’t stay married to a woman that the world has seen having sex with you. A woman who released a sex tape of herself with another man while married to me.”

“If it’s any help, I don’t believe that she had anything to do with the tape being released. She had nothing to gain from it, and everything to lose. All that video did was burn all of her bridges. Jolene is much too pragmatic to do something so emotional, and with nothing to gain.”

Scott eyed him with suspicion. “Who else could it have been?”

“I don’t know yet, but I am determined to find out. Would you like me to let you know when I have answers? Would that help?”

Scott nodded. “It’s tearing me up, and I know you don’t understand it, but I’m finding it impossible to just let her go. Knowing that she isn’t still so hung up on you that she would do something like that just for spite would help. I think that the idea that she would release it, not caring if it ended us, is what bothers me the most.”

“There’s no accounting for taste, but I can well understand being obsessed with a woman and not being able to let it go, Scott. I wish you the best. Perhaps she’s changed.”

“I know she’s no angel, but I like what she is. If I could only get her to care for me, as I do for her, I think that we could have a good marriage.”

I couldn’t see his face, but I clearly saw James shrug from behind.

“I’m not sure it works that way, but I do know that people are capable of changing, and I hope for your sake that she’ll change for you. I wish you nothing but the best, Scott. I always have.”

Scott hesitated for another moment, looking unsure, before finally nodding. “I think I know that. I guess I have all along. It was just easier to blame you, yanno? Let me know if you find out anything.” He was walking away before he’d even finished talking, his words trailing to us as he moved away.

It seemed to me that Scott could have apologized, being that he’d admitted that he’d been wrong about James, but I didn’t say anything. Friendships could be complicated things, and I wouldn’t dream of stepping in when I didn’t understand theirs.

I did think that Scott and Jolene might just deserve each other, but I kept that thought to myself, as well.

I was happy when the next familiar faces we saw were friendly ones. Both Sophia and Parker embraced me warmly, gushing about the engagement. I flushed in pleasure, and if I was honest, a touch of trepidation. Some part of me screamed that this was all too much too fast every time I was reminded of what I’d agreed to.

“Have you hired a wedding planner? Do you know the venue?” Sophia asked, beaming at me.

I thought she was adorable, with her blonde curls and her enthusiasm, but her question intimidated the hell out of me.

“No,” I said finally. “I haven’t even thought about it.”

Sophia seemed to sense my discomfiture. She touched my shoulder lightly. “There’s no rush. And you can have any size wedding you want. Just be sure to invite us.”


I nodded, my mind going a little blank at the thought of planning a wedding. “Of course. Small or large, you’ll certainly be on the guest list. I can’t say the same thing for your sister-in-law.”

She laughed. “I would hope not. She’d try to burn the place down, the crazy twit.”

That made me laugh. Crazy twit seemed like a perfect way to describe Jules, and I was sure that Sophia must have been even more fed up with her than I was, since she’d married into her family.

We mingled for a time, but I cut loose from James when I saw a restroom. Blake followed me in, even hovering outside the stall, but I was growing accustomed to it. Her relentless stoicism was even starting to grow on me.

I didn’t take long in the restroom, but I heard some sort of commotion outside of my stall right before I re-emerged.

Blake was standing so close to another woman that I didn’t even recognize her at first. I noticed that the bathroom attendant was absent before I caught enough of a glimpse of the woman to make out who it was.

“Jules,” I said coldly when I saw her. “Blake, you can let her loose. I’m prepared this time, and she didn’t bring her partner in crime.”

Jules was decked out in a black, one-shoulder sheath. She looked polished and beautiful, but looks meant nothing if your insides were spoiled rotten.

Jules was smiling, a sharp malice in her eyes, when I saw her fully. Knowing her, that meant trouble. “I just wanted a word, Bianca. It’s really kind of pathetic that you’re so scared of me that you need a bodyguard now.”

Blake had stepped out of the way, but she was braced to pounce on the other woman.

I smiled at Jules. It was an unpleasant smile. It felt unpleasant. But I was done putting up with her crazy little scenes.

“Congratulations on the engagement. You must realize that it’ll never last with James. He’ll tire of you before the ink is dry, but good luck with that.”

“That’s what you wanted to say? What a waste of both of our time.”

“No. That was a side note, actually,” Jules replied, looking noticeably more agitated at my response. “What I came here to say to you is that I was the one that released that sex tape. I stole it from Jolene years ago, afraid she would do something crazy with it. She told me about it one night when she was hopped up on opiates, and so I knew she had a loose tongue. At the time, I wanted to save his reputation, as I couldn’t let my future husband be seen in such a light. I just wanted you to know that it was me that put that out there. If he’s going to go out of his way to be seen slumming it with you, then his reputation is already shit, so I wanted to make it shit.”

I was so disgusted with her that I felt my mouth moving into a sneer. I hadn’t even known I had it in me. “You’re pathetic, you know that? He was never even your boyfriend, let alone your future husband.” I held up my left hand, showing her my engagement ring. “James isn’t subtle. He would have made himself plain either way, if he had any intention of marrying you. What did you even have to gain with any of this?”

She shrugged. “I wasted a lot of my prime years—“

“On a delusion,” I interrupted her, unable to stop myself.

She looked ready to spit. “Revenge. I did it for revenge. It was that simple. And it felt good.”

She was so smug when she said it, as though she’d accomplished something great, that I just snapped. “Well, it didn’t work. He’s still standing. Now get a f*cking life.” I was moving to her as I spoke. She and Jolene had caught me off guard when they’d cornered me before, and gotten the better of me in a physical altercation, but I’d been through hell and back, and I had no doubt in my mind that I could take the spoiled bitch.

I grabbed her by the hair before she saw my intent, and she barely even struggled as I dragged her across the room and into a stall. I dunked her head into the toilet while she pulled at my wrist, being very careful not to get my own hand wet. I held her there for one, two, three, four, five seconds before pulling her up and yanking her back out of the stall. I pushed her away from me, still only touching her hair.

She turned to me, looking shocked and scared and furious. “What the f*ck is wrong with you?”

I smiled at her, showing a lot of teeth. “Revenge. I did it for revenge. It was that simple, and it felt good,” I said, quoting her own ridiculous words back to her.

“I’ll have you arrested! I’ll-I’ll sue you!” she sputtered.

I laughed. The bitch was an amateur. “You got rid of your only witness so that you could have it out with me. There’s not a mark on you, and do you really think that my bodyguard is going to act as an eyewitness against me? I’d suggest you leave as quickly and quietly as you can, so that I’m not tempted to do it again. This was a waste of your time and mine. So go, and get yourself a f*cking life.”

She gave me one more hate-filled glare before she ran out of there like the place was on fire.

I glanced at Blake. She was smirking. It made me laugh again. “You think she’ll leave me alone now?” I asked her, wanting her professional opinion.

She nodded. “Walking through that ball looking like that is probably the most humiliating thing that princess has ever had to go through, so I’m going to say yeah, she’s most likely out of your hair now.”

I nodded. “Good deal. That was the point. Enjoying myself was just a bonus.”

Blake stifled a laugh.

I was still washing my hands, wanting to get all of the Jules off, when Lana and a frantic James burst through the door. I just raised a brow at them.

“Are you okay? What happened?” James asked, so obviously worried.

“We saw Jules tearing through the hallway, her hair wet, and her makeup a mess,” Lana added, studying me carefully.

I shrugged. “She stole that video from Jolene, and put it on the internet. She came here to tell me that. I didn’t take it well.”

James shot Blake a questioning glance, approaching me. “What happened?”

“I dunked her face in the toilet. She left. I don’t think she’ll bother me again.”

He reached me, running a hand over my hair with a soft touch. His brow furrowed for a moment as he processed that. He blinked a few times, then threw his head back and laughed.