The Wedding Date

Chapter Eight

Jack

I found out a week before the wedding that I had been paired with Amelia Anderson. I resent the elite tradition of matching making. At least in other societies their were open with their arranged marriages. Here they just invite you to weddings or other events and force people to be together. In their circles you either brought a date or you were paired with someone. And if you brought a date, they had better be well chosen or you risked insulting all of the families.

Not only that I had been married to a close friend of Amelia's. It had been a marriage that had left a bad taste in my mouth, and a huge litigation I had to look forward to fighting. Alice had only talked of Amelia very briefly. It seemed that Alice spoke about herself only very briefly as well. Because when the divorce began I found myself sitting across the table from a woman I hardly knew.

"We want fourteen million to settle out of court." Her lawyer told mine with a smug look. I had to grip the table with hard white knuckles to keep myself quiet.

"That's absolutely insane." I finally said unable to control myself any longer. "We were married less than a year and we have no children."

"You'll sign the check, " Alice said with a smile that reminded me of a snake. "Or I'll tell them what you did to me."

I froze.

"What I did to you?" I asked genuinely confused but, I had a feeling I knew where this was going.

"Oh come on now, don't play dumb Jack. We both know you hurt me. Physically." she had said slipping her long brown hair over her shoulder for effect.

I had wanted to be sick. I have no idea what my problem is with women but, it seemed ever since my first wife had died I was on a streak of horrible manipulative women. Somehow they always managed to catch me like this, completely by suprise. It seems I'm a fool for a pretty smile and a few well placed words. Being accused of this hurt me though, in a way I did not like to admit I could still be hurt.

I paid her the money, just to keep her lies out of the tabloids long enough to prove my innocence. I have never been violent with a woman and never would be. My father had been an abusive drunk. I had seen and felt first hand what it was like to suffer at the hands of the one that you love.

So to say I had a bad impression of Amelia before meeting her, would have been an understatement. To be fair, Alice had never EVER said anything nice about Amelia. Once she complained about how she had stolen a boyfriend from her back in high school. I now knew she was a liar, a cold hard manipulative liar. So, who knew if she had even been telling the truth?

In this case the truth didn't really matter. The fact that Alice had once called this girl "friend" was enough for me. I had spent the entire week before the wedding trying to trade partners with another groomsmen. No one it seemed wanted to trade with me.

This was when I had learned of Amelia's new status as a pariah. It seemed in the months I had been away from social circles trying to litigate my divorce a lot had changed for Ms.Anderson. I had heard several different stories none of which I had committed to memory, as a victim of the rumor mill I took what I heard with a grain of salt. But, the one common thread amoungst the stories was that Amelia Anderson had gone through a messy breakup. Which may or may not be tied to her falling out with her family. Not that it was any of my bussiness.

During the flight to Jamaica l had to stand to stretch. Sitting for a long time had a tendency to exasperate an old injury I had received playing college football. As I made my way up to the first class bathroom I saw her.

Her soft sigh is what had initially drawn my attention. I looked up to see her leaning against a panel near the bathroom. Immediately I was taken aback by her. She had a wild beauty about her.

She stood with her head back, eyes closed. Her hair feel about her shoulders in long messy waves. Intending to travel comfortably it seemed, she wore a simple outfit. Jeans and band t-shirt. Certainly not something Alice would ever be caught dead wearing. The jeans hugged her hips and thighs. The shirt was just tight enough I could see the hourglass shape of her body. She's stunning, I couldn't help thinking to myself. After a few moments of watching her I cleared my throat making her aware of my presence.

It can't hurt to just talk to her, I thought. I had been steering clear of women since I clearly did not have the best judgment. You know you want to do more than just talk to her, something in the back of my mind whispered.

Her eyes popped open and I saw her dazzling blue eyes.

"What takes you to Jamaica?" I asked her.

"Looking for the love of my life." she replied making my heart skip a beat. "Maybe you'd be interested in a trial run?"

Oh God, please don't tempt me. I thought. She was younger than me that was for sure, and the last time I had let myself fall for a younger woman she took fourteen million from me. But, she was exactly that... tempting. I could see something in her eyes though, as if she was half hearted in the second statement.

"I might just have to take you up on that offer." I had told her before walking away.

The next day, walking down the streets in Jamaica, heading to the dress shop to be fitted for my tux. Standing in the street, with her face to the sun was the beautiful blonde woman. She wore a colorful shawl, I watched her slip it down her shoulders. After a few seconds of taking in the sun, she moved on. She started walking through the marketplace and something compeled me to follow her.

I watched from a far as she bought a sea shell necklace from a vendor. I watched as she spoke so casually with the local. After giving the elderly woman the amount due for the jewelry I watched her put on the necklace. It was simple and made from hundreds of tiny white shells. She paused to look at herself in the mirror as she walked. I saw her light up when she saw her reflection but, it wasn't a look of self admiration or pride I saw on her face. The smile I saw was one of genuine happiness.

It was later that day I learned who the blonde woman actually was.

"I'm honestly suprised she was invited. I heard she had been caught embezzling money by her family. That they were so embarrassed they didn't press any charges so no on would know." Jason Woodley told his twin brother James sipping his drink. I had just tuned in to the conversation.

"Who are you talking about?" I asked leaning against the bar.

"Your partner, buddy. Amelia Anderson." he said. Which was shortly followed by, "Oh s**t, look there she goes."

I looked up to see the blonde woman striding confidentially through the lobby.

"That's her?" I asked.

"Yep, that's her. But, she looks totally different now." James said squinting as if he was eyeing her closely. I was overwhelmed realizing I was going to be spending a week with not only the girl I had seen but, that she was also Amelia.

Does she know who I am? I wouldn't put it past the Andersons to pair me with their daughter on purpose. Especially if anyone in their company had gotten word that I intended a hostile takeover. Did they pair me with her, so that she could seduce me?

They would be sorely mistaken. I had fallen victim to her type one too many times. I wasn't about to let it happen again.