Eve Of A Thousand Wakes

008 Finding Tessa

"Whoa—that's a surprise," Jake said, startled. Before their marriage, he'd always been the one in control, Ashley remembered, almost fondly. He'd never once complained back then. Of course he hadn't. He'd already had his eyes on the real prize: her inheritance.

"An eye for an eye," Ashley said with a grin, pulling out his erect member. She marveled at the size and mentally patted herself on the back. Jake would turn out to be a rotten guy down the road, but for now, he was a Chad.

Ashley wet her right hand, grabbed his monstrosity, and slid up and down slowly for several minutes. Then she picked up the pace, jerking him off faster.

Jake closed his eyes and leaned back. Before long, she'd sped things up even more. What was the hurry?

"Hey, slow down there, cowgirl!" Jake pleaded, breathless. But Ashley's hand kept pumping up and down like a plunger, sending him climbing toward orgasm faster. And then it happened.

Jake exploded. Ashley dodged at the right moment, and his load splattered against the back of the driver's seat.

Jake let out a long moan and shivered, his hips tensing. "Mother of freaking God!" he exclaimed. "Full marks, Ash!"

Ashley barely registered any of it. Even now, her mind kept snagging on the same image: Tessa, motionless, a blade through her heart.

After Jake and Ashley had sorted themselves out, he eyed her curiously. "There's something different about you today."

Ashley shrugged. "I'm an enigma."

"Come with me to Grayson Enterprises today after lunch," her fiancé said lovingly, playing with her hair. "I'll show you around my company, show you off to the team. They'd love to worship their future Queen."

She pecked him on the cheek. "Some other day… After we're married…"

"I feel like your mind is somewhere else," Jake observed—closer to the truth than he could possibly know.

Ashley swatted playfully at the collar of his blazer. "You're right. You've always been able to read my mind. I regret to inform you, dear lover, that I must delay lunch. I completely forgot I have to meet someone today."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "Who is it? Are you cheating on me with Mr. Someone?"

She giggled and shook her head. "It's just a friend. Can you please drop me off at the Marigold Hotel?"

Jake looked disappointed. "Marigold? Why? We have a reservation at Le Bernardin! Tell me who you're meeting!"

Ashley crossed her arms and pouted. "Since when have you been so intrusive? What happened to your devotion to the Queen?"

Her fiancé eyed her suspiciously. "But—"

"It'll just take half an hour," Ashley pleaded, making duck lips. "You can wait for me, right? It won't be the perfect final date if I have other things on my mind."

"Fine! Fine!" Jake replied, throwing up his hands in defeat. "I'll take my business calls at the restaurant till you arrive. But don't be long…"

He lowered the limo's partition and instructed the chauffeur to take a different route.

Ashley finally got out in front of the Marigold—but not before Jake extracted his toll: five minutes of kissing, and her designer panties, which he pocketed with a grin, calling them his "battle trophy."

Ashley rolled her eyes at his childishness and let him keep the underwear.

The Marigold was a nineteenth-century mansion turned hotel—eighty-nine rooms, seven suites, Georgian furnishings dripping with gilt and crystal, two hectares of gardens, a spa, a pool, more entry points than any building had a right to have.

Both the Graysons and the Palmers practically kept it in business.

Ashley stood at the entrance, pulse ticking. How would Tessa react to her showing up out of nowhere?

They were close—they would be close, anyway—but Ashley couldn't remember exactly what their friendship had looked like a year back. She needed information before she walked in blind.

Ashley immediately googled Tessa. The eighteen-year-old was already a mini-celebrity, featured in Teen Vogue.

Ashley rushed to reception, wondering what the hell Tessa was doing at the Marigold. The receptionist, Bella, recognized Ashley, since the Palmer family frequently booked suites there for business.

"Miss Palmer… What a pleasure… How can I be of service?"

"Is Tessa Grayson staying in one of your rooms?"

Bella raised an eyebrow and checked her computer. "Umm, yes, ma'am. Her photoshoot for Teen Vogue is scheduled for today."

"I see…" A cold thread of suspicion pulled tight in Ashley's chest. "Give me a second." She was already dialing Teen Vogue's head office.

"Ah, Miss Palmer!" Carmen, the chief editor of Teen Vogue, gushed over the phone. "To what do I owe the pleasure?!"

"I need some information," came the direct reply.

"Of course. Before that, if I may mention… We reached out to you so many times during your teenage years, hoping you'd be featured in Teen Vogue. Perhaps we could strike a deal for Vogue, our premier magazine for adults? You're rich, beautiful, and fashionable—the perfect celebrity for our readers!"

Ashley sighed. "Carmen… I'm flattered. I'll let you know if I'm interested. Can you help with my issue right now?"

"Oh, pardon me. Please go ahead. How can I help?"

"Do you have a photoshoot with Tessa Grayson today?"

"Umm… Let me check… Yeah, we do have an appointment with Miss Grayson for Teen Vogue. But it's not today—it's next week."

"All right. Thanks."

Ashley hung up, her stomach dropping through the floor. If Teen Vogue hadn't booked today's shoot... then who had? Her hands had already started shaking.

Whoever had set this up wasn't here to take pictures. They were here to finish what they'd started in her vision.