“I’m sorry. Sorry for what I did, Tessa. Sorry I failed you...” For the first time ever Grant looked vulnerable, totally at a loss.
“It’s too late, Grant,” Tessa said softly. The four years hadn’t been all bad. But they were over. “This is goodbye,” she said firmly.
He left on a muted half sob.
Weak, Tessa thought. And turned to the man who was strong in every way.
Blaize’s eyes were glowing furiously. “You should have let me finish him off.”
If anything, his tension was even more pronounced. Tessa sighed to relieve some of her own. The situation had been awkward, to say the least, with her old lover and her new lover confronting each other. “I’m sorry you had to be here,” she muttered self-consciously.
“I’m sorry I didn’t throw him out the door,” Blaize grated.
She lifted appealing eyes to him. “It’s over now, Blaize.”
His eyes bored at her, wary and watchful. “You did say permanent, Tessa,” he reminded her sternly.
“Yes, I did,” she affirmed.
“I told you I meant to have you,” he said.
“Yes, you did.”
“You don’t need him.”
“That’s why I told him to go.”
“You need me.”
“Yes,” she said fervently, realising Blaize was feeling uncertain of her.
“He might come back.”
“Blaize, I don’t want him back. If he comes, I’ll tell him to go again,” she assured him.
Still he was disturbed. “Fidelity works both ways, Tessa.”
“Yes, it does.”
“No changing your mind.”
“No.”
“I think you’d better come and live with me.”
“Are you still going to marry me?”
“Yes,” he said vehemently.
“I don’t like you not trusting me.”
He paused. Frowned. “I do trust you. I just want to protect you.”
“Am I going to be your secretary?”
He grimaced. “Tessa...”
“I just want to protect you, Blaize.”
He heaved a deep sigh. “Well, if you’re living with me, I guess I might be able to get some business done during the day. All right. You can be my secretary.”
“All right. I’ll come and live with you. But you still have to marry me.”
“The wedding’s set,” he reminded her. “If you want, I’ll marry you tomorrow and to hell with the wedding.”
“No. Six weeks is fine.” She couldn’t possibly upset her mother again.
“We’re agreed then.”
She smiled. “I think we have ringi, sir.”
He relaxed. He smiled. Then began to chuckle. Then to laugh. A look of intense happiness lit his face. He scooped Tessa up in his arms, twirled her around, then paused, his eyes burning into hers. “Just remember the Japanese don’t sidestep. It’s consensus all the way.’’
“That’s fine by me, Blaize darling.” Her eyes danced teasingly. “I’ve never liked dictatorships.”
He growled and kissed her. Tessa wound her arms around his neck and kissed him back. She felt very secure. Maybe it was just male possessiveness on Blaize’s part, but it seemed to her that his emotions had been very involved a few moments ago. Although it only took a few moments more before he got very physically involved.
He certainly was a complex man.
Maybe, after they were married, she would be able to get him all sorted out. In the meantime, living with him and being his secretary would surely help her in this task. Except she mustn’t tell her mother what she was doing. It would upset her mother terribly.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The six weeks seemed to fly by for Tessa. Living with Blaize was vastly different to living with Grant. Blaize owned a penthouse apartment at Milson’s Point, which was not far from where she had lived. Not only was the place sheer luxury to Tessa, but there was also the service of a daily maid who came in to do the housework, the washing and ironing, and whatever food shopping Blaize required. Blaize cooked his own breakfast—and Tessa’s—and more times than not, they ate out in the evening.
Most weekends they were engaged in a whirl of social activities. Blaize insisted she use his money for the extra clothes she needed to fulfil these engagements, and even came shopping with her to make sure she didn’t stint on anything. Tessa simply wasn’t used to having enough money to buy anything. She found it difficult not to keep checking price tags. Blaize didn’t so much as blink an eyelid at the cost.
She was deliriously happy with him, and Blaize showed every sign of being absolutely content with her. To Tessa’s amazement his friends seemed to accept her without reservation. She decided it was probably because no one had the temerity to criticise Blaize Callagan’s choice of wife, particularly since he always treated her lovingly. He was exceptionally good at that. Which just went to prove that when Blaize set his mind on something, he carried through with complete dedication.
He found a position for Rosemary Davies as personal assistant to one of his high-powered friends. The beautiful blonde made no waves about being asked to resign. Tessa was established as Blaize’s executive secretary, and she did her best to keep his mind on business.
There were times when he got very tense. Luckily his apartment was only five minutes away from the CMA building. They often took work home with them. Tessa liked sharing everything with Blaize, and he very quickly became used to it. He even went so far as to express the view that it was a good system. Efficient and relaxing.
A week before the wedding there was a meeting of executives in the boardroom. Jerry Fraine remarked that she looked happy. Tessa replied that she was. Jerry smiled at her and slyly added that Mr. Blaize Callagan seemed to be getting more and more human.
The day before the wedding, Tessa went home to her parents’ house. Her mother expected it. Besides, Tessa wanted to have one last night with her parents before the final commitment to a new life as a married woman.
Blaize was reluctant to let her go. It almost sounded as though he nursed some suspicion she would get cold feet about their marriage at the last moment if he let her out of his sight. Which was too absurd to credit. Nevertheless, he informed her, before she left him, that if she wasn’t at the church on time, there would be dire consequences.
Joan Stockton was in a flutter, checking and re-checking everything, wanting everything to be right and proper and perfect for the big day. Tessa and her father did their best to calm her down. Joan insisted that they each take a sleeping pill so that they would get a proper beauty sleep. Mortimer remarked that he didn’t think it would help his beauty, but he took the pill from his wife without any argument. After all, she knew best.