Tied to the Billionaire(67)

“Well, look at it. Does it need pinning anywhere?”

Shaundra sounded exasperated, and Jade shook her head, coming out of her reverie. She looked at herself in the mirror, at the bridesmaid’s dress she was trying on for the final time. It had been difficult to choose a dress that all four liked—Jade had been reasonable in the face of three brides and their dramatically differing tastes, but she was paying for it, after all, and a hideous dress she would only wear once just wasn’t in her budget at the moment.


The dress was green satin, one-shouldered, with a close-fitting skirt embroidered with leaves. Jade ran an eye over the seams and edges, checking the neckline and the fit around the hips. It looked fine.

“It’s fine.”

“Good. One of us is happy then.” Shaundra turned back to the dressmaker, who was doing some quick work on the hem of her bridal gown. It had somehow dropped on one side.

One of us is happy. That was a joke. Jade had never been less happy in her life.

She knew there was a good reason why she didn’t do relationships. It was much too easy to let herself get hurt, and much too hard to find a man who could handle her. Except now she had, and it was Will Vandenmeer.

And the bastard had left her.

She had woken up that morning a little stiff, her muscles protesting at the activity of the night before. Rolling over, she had found the bed empty and paused in confusion.

Maybe he’s in the shower?

Except he hadn’t been. Nor had he been in the living area. Nor had he left a note. If his bodyguard hadn’t been in a chair by the door, she could have believed he had never even been there at all.

She had waited.

Half an hour passed. The bodyguard was snoring in his seat, and Will had not returned. In the end, her skin flushed and her movements hurried, Jade had dressed, crept past the guard and left.

What a f*cking bastard.

Will Vandenmeer. A BDSM-loving billionaire. She had never even dreamt she would want something like that, like him. It sounded ridiculous—she hadn’t wanted to get hurt, so she got into BDSM. And yet it had made perfect sense. Will had taken care of her, made her feel secure. She had wanted everything he offered—she had been willing to do anything for him.

God, she was a fool.

I let myself trust him. I was weak.

No. She hadn’t been weak.

The look on his face that night in the corridor was still in her mind. She had rescued him—he hadn’t seen her as weak. He hadn’t taken advantage of her, that night or last night. She could have stopped him at any time. It had been her choice.

Just maybe not the best choice.

Maybe when she got home she could look into clubs. Find another Dom, see if she liked it.

Yeah, right. You know that’s not what you want.

Jade narrowed her eyes at herself in the mirror. In her mind she saw herself meeting another Dom, one more like she had expected, who would command her and cane her and tell her not to come, and who would follow the rules exactly and leave her feeling empty.

She had learnt a few things about herself in the last couple of days, and she had him to thank for that. But now she was going to have to watch her three best friends get married, all the while knowing she wanted a man she couldn’t have.

And she had him to thank for that, too.



* * * *



It was eleven p.m. when Jade unlocked the door to her room.

They had gone to dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant. Piper had insisted on ordering champagne—Leonie had got very drunk and spilled her spaghetti bolognese down her shirt, and Shaundra had fallen off her six-inch heels and knocked a waiter over. Jade had been slightly tipsy, but had managed to get through the meal with no mishaps. In fact, thanks to the constant chatter and the presence of three of her favourite dishes on the menu, it had been a good evening.

Returning to an empty room was less pleasant, but unavoidable.

As she opened the door, her eye was immediately drawn to something on the bed. It was a black box, about the size of a shoebox but cubical, with a gold envelope resting on top.

What the hell? Had reception sent this up? She crossed the room, picked up the envelope and looked at the front. ‘Jade’ was written there in a simple script.

A thought struck her, and she tore the envelope open, catching the enclosed card as it fell out. She could already see the card was written in the same handwriting, and her heart pounded as she read the words.



Jade,

There is no one else I would give this to.

Will



The box was velvet-coated, with a heavy lid that opened on a hinge. Jade flipped it open and stared down at the sparkling contents.

It was a jewelled collar.

She lifted it up, watching as the light reflected from the facets. It was black leather, encrusted with diamonds and emeralds. Turning it in her hands, she found the buckle, gold with an amethyst stud, and so shiny it was almost a mirror.

A knock on the door startled her so much she almost dropped the collar.

Will.

He was standing there when she opened the door, dressed in black jeans and a T-shirt. Automatically Jade stepped backwards to let him in. He was looking at her with desperate eyes, as if he thought she would disappear.

The silence was broken by the thud of the door closing. Jade asked the question that had been on her mind all day.

“Why did you leave?”