The Billionaire's Bride

Chapter 13

From the moment Jack offered his arm to Cassie to get out of the car, it was like he was a different man. He seemed to far more resemble the lighthearted and cheerful man she'd gotten a glimpse of that first night he'd brought her to his home, and he got to see Aunt Grace after he had been on vacation. He was happy, cheerful, spoke kindly to everyone, had jokes to tell and introduced Cassie proudly, as if she had been his prized jewel.

Cassie was a little surprised at first, when he had set his hand on top of hers that was resting on his arm, but she quickly adapted and stepped completely in line with the example he was setting. They conversed so freely, with each other and with those at the party, that even Aunt Grace would have been satisfied with their relationship, their performance was that convincing.

Cassie played her part masterfully. She spoke up at the appropriate times, she was entertaining and Jack was pleased to find that she was obviously clever and knew a lot about many different topics. He soon found that none of his fears were valid, and that Cassie was winning over even the harshest of critics with her wit and charm, not to mention her stunning good looks.

After they had been making their way through the crowd for over an hour, sipping their drinks and chatting merrily, Jack asked if he could leave her alone for a few minutes so he could have a private conversation with someone else at the party. Cassie pleasantly acquiesced, and wandered away to where a few of the ladies she had just met were gathered.

"Cassie, dear" a woman named Bridget called to her. "What were you saying earlier about the weather in San Tropez this time of year? You were there last year, right?"

"Yes," Cassie replied, "it was honestly too warm for my taste. I mean, that's why so many choose to go, because they love it in the summer and the heat, but I prefer it to be a little cooler. But that's just my preference."

"I still haven't made it there, myself" responded a woman Cassie hadn't met yet. "I'm Ella, Howard's wife" she said, extending her hand to Cassie in introduction.

"It's very nice to meet you" Cassie replied, shaking the woman's hand. "I am afraid I won't remember everyone's names tomorrow though" she confessed. "And the names I do remember, I won't be able to put with the people they belong to."

"And you won't be expected to" Ella replied with a smile. "There will be plenty of time to get to know us over the coming weeks. I'm sure everyone will have their turn inviting you two out for drinks, now that Jack has finally let us meet you."

"I look forward to it" Cassie responded cheerfully.

"Are you feeling somewhat settled in?" Ella asked. "Howard mentioned that Jack has been spending a lot of time at work this week, and I know how hard it can be to adjust, getting plunked into this world from a completely different one."

"Oh, yes" Cassie replied, wondering just what Ella would think of how different Cassie's world really had been, prior to this week. "I'm feeling very much at home now."

"Excellent! Then let's plan on lunch one day next week!" Ella suggested.

Cassie and the ladies continued their conversation, exchanging phone numbers and making tentative plans to get together the following week, and Cassie was beginning to think she might actually get a few friends out of this whole arrangement, and she was legitimately enjoying herself. Something she hadn't been confident would happen.

Jack couldn't help but continue to look over at the beautiful woman who was commanding so much attention. He was very glad she had followed his cues on the pretense of their relationship being far more intimate than it was. He had felt her start a little when he had placed his hand on hers, and for a moment he cursed himself for not taking the time to discuss with her that they would have to display at least a minimal amount of public affection, but he was pleased to find that Cassie was game and responded perfectly.

"She really is stunner" he heard someone off to the side of him say. He turned to see who it was, and saw that it was Ricky Andrews, someone he worked with a few times on different projects, but not someone he knew well. He was talking to someone else that Jack didn't know.

Jack smiled to himself, knowing that they were talking about Cassie, and he was proud to be escort to someone so admired. But his pride was soon exchanged for anger and disgust when he heard the men continue with their conversation.

"Wait till she turns around, and check out that ass" came from the man that Jack didn't know.

"I'm more of a boob man, myself" Ricky responded. "But she's got a nice rack too."

"The kind to bury your face in" came the vulgar response of the unknown man.

"She's got incredibly long legs too, for someone so short" Ricky chuckled, as they continued to ogle her.

"Long enough to wrap all the way around when..."

Jack didn't wait to hear any more, and he intentionally knocked the man in the shoulder as he passed by him, and made his way over to where Cassie was standing with the other ladies.

"Are you about ready to go, Dear?" Jack asked her, interrupting the women's conversation and positioning himself in front of her, blocking the line of sight of the men who had been watching her.

"Yes, whenever you are" Cassie responded, a little surprised at his abrupt approach.

Jack helped Cassie put her coat on, they said a few goodbyes around the room and then made their way out of doors to wait for Brandon to bring the car around.

"Thank you for coming tonight" Jack said, feeling like thanking her was a weird thing to do, but wanting to indicate that he really was appreciative of how well the evening had gone.

"Of course, that's kind of the whole point of this, isn't it?" she asked playfully with a smile. She felt much freer with him at the moment, having spent the evening playing at being his bride. It was like a residual effect that lingered in the air, and neither one had yet remembered that they both intended to keep things strictly professional between them.

"I had fun" Cassie said with a smile that made Jack's heart skip a little. He had fun too, and had really enjoyed getting to know Cassie a little bit as they had spent a majority of the evening together, and she was doing a lot of the talking, since so many people were wanting to meet her.

Jack was about two seconds away from putting his arm around her out of natural instinct, when Brandon pulled up with the car and Jack was suddenly reminded of his resolve to keep his hands to himself. So he opened the car door for Cassie and helped her get in, then went around to his side and got into the car, once again taking on the cold and indifferent behavior he felt he needed to project.