SWNOVELS Complicated Love: Chapter 16
“What the hell is that newswoman doing here?” Jaxson leaned in close to talk against Chase’s ear as the two men stood at the front of their makeshift outdoor wedding chapel, looking out on the intimate grouping of their best friends and closest family. Chase scanned the crowd and agreed that Brandi Wittman, his old babysitter, stood out as the one person in attendance that did not belong.
“I have no idea who let her in,” he whispered back. “I sure as hell didn’t invite her, and I’d bet my life that Emma didn’t either.”
Jaxson growled softly next to him. “Now what the fuck do I do? Emma and her dad are on the walkway and will be here in one minute.”
Chase changed his focus from the seated group dispersed around the pool deck to the flower-lined path stretching between the pool and the main club. His pulse quickened seeing Emma in her gorgeous gown, slowly walking towards her men, taking steps to the beat of the romantic music being provided by the Grammy award-winning string quartet they’d hired.
He finally leaned in to his Dom to answer with their only option. “It’s too late to throw her out without making a major scene. I don’t think Emma will notice she’s here and then we can have Miguel get her out of here as soon as he can without making a commotion.”
“I’ll text him now to make sure he’s on it,” Jaxson added.
The clearing of a throat right behind them cut the men’s quiet conversation short. It was Judge McDonald’s veiled way of telling the men to quiet down now that the ceremony had begun. Chase felt rather than saw Jaxson throw a warning glance to the submissive judge to stay out of their discussion.
It had been awkward for the first few minutes of being reacquainted, but the three men had simultaneously agreed to ignore their previous meeting in February at the Roulette Redux event where the judge had been dominated by one of Black Light’s most active dominatrixes.
Emma and Robert were almost to the brick patio deck where the wedding guests were standing and turning to watch the bride walking down the pseudo aisle. Jaxson put his phone back into his pocket and added, “I sent a text to Miguel and told him to keep an eye on her and get rid of her as soon as he can.”
Just as Jaxson finished his sentence, the overcast sun decided to make an overdue appearance, showering the entire wedding venue in bright sunlight. The golden glow shone a spotlight on Emma, creating a halo around her that seemed to shift the ground beneath him.
She was fucking perfect in every way. As if he could read his mind, Jaxson reached out and grabbed Chase’s hand, linking their fingers intimately as they leaned against each other, anxious to touch as they shared what was arguably one of the most important days of their lives together.
The rest of their closest friends and family faded away when his eyes locked with Emma’s as she and her father got closer to him and Jaxson. The grip on his hand got stronger as Emma turned her love-filled gaze on Jaxson next. It reminded Chase that his strong Dom was not immune to the more emotional aspects of their complicated love.
They hadn’t had any practice for the day so Chase didn’t know exactly what to expect when Emma stopped directly in front of her men, her father next to her. The foursome hesitated until the judge took charge.
“Please be seated.” He paused while the guests took their seats before continuing. “We are gathered here today as witnesses to the commitment ceremony between three extraordinary people who are fortunate enough to have found each other as they traveled through the vast world. Just like each and every one of you, their closest friends and family, I have had the privilege to witness the depths of the love that Jaxson, Chase, and Emma have for each other. While their relationship may be unconventional in the eyes of many, no one who meets them can doubt for one minute the deep level of commitment they have for each other.”
Chase had to force himself to focus on the words the judge was saying. The whole afternoon was beginning to feel surreal. For years, as their unique trio grew closer, he had been coming to terms with the idea that he would never get married as there was no way two of the three of them would have married and left the third person out. Yet as he looked past Emma to see his mom, sister, brother-in-law, nieces, and nephews in the front row, it registered that today he was the groom.
At least one of them, anyway.
The judge’s words faded to the background as Chase watched the beaming faces of their best friends — Khloe and Ryder, Jonah and Samantha, Spencer and Klara, and even their lawyer and friend Connor and his new girlfriend, Gabriella. Their old agent Roberta had flown in from London as had Emma’s grandmother from Wisconsin. The women were sitting next to Jaxson’s mom. Even Emma’s four roommates from the University of Wisconsin who had been supportive at the start of their unique relationship had been able to fly in with little warning and were watching from the last row of chairs. Every single person there, with the exception of the uninvited newswoman, was so important to the trio.
A squeeze from Jaxson’s hand brought Chase out of his contemplative thoughts and back to the judge’s comments.
“While this ceremony may not be a legal marriage in the eyes of the State of California, I would argue it is more binding because it is the love and respect the trio has for each other that forms the glue that will unite them as one, not some piece of paper.
“As with a traditional marriage, before Jaxson, Chase, and Emma exchange their promises to each other, I’d like to ask who gives this lovely woman’s hand in marriage?”
Chase hadn’t expected for Robert Fischer to have an active role to play in the service. As the group gathered were the people closest to them in the world, all eyes pinned Emma’s father expectantly, knowing how vocal he’d been regarding the unique relationship his only daughter was in.
He wasn’t surprised when Robert entered into a stare down with Jaxson. As the head of their family, Robert knew that it would be Jaxson who would take the lead for making sure Robert Fischer’s daughter was happy and loved. After several long seconds of the tense showdown, Robert spoke loud and clear for all present to hear. “It is not a secret that I haven’t always understood the complicated relationship the three of you have formed…”
“Daddy, please. Don’t…” Emma had turned towards her father, ready to beg him not to make a scene by publicly denouncing their relationship.
Her father cut her off. “Don’t worry, honey. I promise, you’ll want to hear what I have to say.”
Chase sincerely doubted that, considering the conversation he’d overheard just over an hour earlier. Jaxson was squeezing his hand harder than ever, giving Chase a hint that his Dom had the same worry as Chase.
Robert continued on. “As I was saying, I know I’ve not been as supportive as I maybe could have, or should have, been over these last few years, but I want to assure all three of you that my reservations were never aimed at either of the men that my baby has fallen in love with. On the contrary, I have the utmost respect for each of you. My reservations have always been because I was trying to protect my little girl from being hurt. What I didn’t understand until recently is that instead of Emma somehow getting less of either of you because she was having to share, I can see that you each love her with all of your heart. She lost her own heart to you both years ago, and for that reason it’s an honor for her mother and I to give our blessings to your marriage.”
Chase watched Emma as her father spoke, not quite sure if the moment was real or imagined, but the small squeak Emma released as she suddenly hugged her dad confirmed it. They’d actually received the older man’s blessing, and when Chase turned to look at Jax he saw the same warmth he felt in his chest.
“Thank you, Robert,” Jax said, offering his free hand to shake as Emma tried to compose herself. She looked even cuter with her nose turning red, and her violet eyes more vibrant from her happy tears.
It took another well-timed squeeze of his hand from Jax for him to turn his gaze back to her father. Caught staring at one of the loves of his life only made him smile and shrug a shoulder. “Sorry, she’s a bit distracting when she looks so beautiful.”
His new father-in-law smiled kindly as he answered. “I agree. Her mother looked just as beautiful the day I married her.”
“Thank you for your blessing, I know it means the world to Emma… to all of us.” Unwilling to release Jaxson’s hand, he opened his left arm for a hug and was surprised when Robert stepped forward to pat him on the shoulder and squeeze.
“Just take care of my baby girl, all right?”
“Always,” Chase replied just as Jax promised, “We will.”
“If you’ll take your seat Mr. Fischer, we’ll move forward with the ceremony,” the judge spoke softly, a smile playing on his lips, and Robert gave Emma one last kiss on the cheek before he offered her forward.
That was the moment when Jax released his hand to take Emma’s right, and Chase stepped around to stand on her left. Almost like their favorite position, but a little more publicly appropriate.
He must have smirked, because Jax had a devilish look in his eye for a moment just before his Dom reached across Emma’s belly, his fingers resting over the bundle that she was keeping safe and sound for now. It was the perfect option, to reach across Emma and entwine his fingers with Jax’s over her tummy, and the soft sniffle from her as she squeezed his hand told Chase that Emma loved it too.
“We’re ready,” Jax spoke, nodding to the judge.
Judge McDonald faced them, and the small crowd, and opened the portfolio with his notes before he continued. “We will start with each of you declaring your promises to each other first and then I understand each of you would like to deliver your personal vows.”
The judge paused long enough for Jaxson to nod before continuing.
“Wonderful, first the promises.” Chase felt the heat of the judge’s gaze as the older man turned to him to ask, “Chase, will you have this man and woman as your husband and wife; to live together in dedicated marriage? Will you love, honor, comfort, and keep them, in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, be faithful unto them as long as you all shall live? If so, please respond with ‘I will’.”
Chase stood a bit taller as he answered confidently, “I will.”
It was ridiculous that two such simple words could hold such important meaning, yet he felt better… more complete as soon as the promise left his mouth.
The next time the judge asked, the questions were directed at Emma. She responded with her own confident, “I will.”
It was while the judge was asking the vows for the third time that Chase heard the first buzzing sound in the distance. Jaxson was able to get his own “I will,” out before the noise became loud enough to distract the judge as well as the guests. Whispers and side conversations could be heard as the trio looked around trying to figure out where the high-pitched racket was coming from.
When Miguel, their head of security, came bursting onto the scene from the small satellite security office near the pool house, Chase suspected there might be something bigger going on than just a plane flying a bit too close to the ground. Miguel was followed by two of their newly hired guards dressed professionally in black suits and ties. All three men were jogging towards the wedding party.
Chase was still trying to figure out what was happening when Jaxson released both his lovers and rushed to meet Miguel halfway down the aisle. The noise continued to grow louder and he knew it was some motorized vehicle of some sort. Knowing they were in the center of the huge, several acre property, Chase was confused as to what vehicle could possibly be getting this close to the pool.
“Code Blue!” Miguel shouted, escalating whatever the hell was going on to an official security event. Chase racked his brain to remember what the code blue indicated. Having not opened yet, he hadn’t had the time needed to learn all of different procedures their new security team had put into place. The only thing he knew for sure was that he needed to protect Emma and the babies while Jaxson conferred with Miguel.
Chase pulled Emma into his arms protectively, watching over her shoulder as things turned from confusing to chaos. Ryder stood, running to Miguel and Jaxson just before all three men started looking up, scouring the sky. In unison all of their guests turned their attention to sky as well. When Chase followed their lead, he immediately knew what was happening.
Two large drones were converging on their location. One had come from the direction of the main club while the second, lower flying drone had snuck in from over their future home in the opposite direction. They were flying low enough to the ground that Chase could easily see the high-powered cameras on each pointed in the direction of the wedding.
Instinctively, Chase released Emma just long enough to rush to the edge of the pool deck, pulling a huge umbrella they would use as shade in the future from the center of the glass table it was attached to, pulling as hard as he could until the heavy umbrella lifted up. Chase rushed back to Emma, shielding the two of them under the camouflage as he rushed her towards the overhang of the nearby outdoor bar for better protection.
Irrational anger started to bubble up inside of him that someone, one of their trusted friends or family, had clearly blabbed about their special ceremony. He couldn’t think of any other way the owners of the drones had known the exact date, time, and location of their unusual wedding. Any hope of it being accidental was gone when the unmanned flying devices moved even lower, hovering just feet above the venue. The click of the onboard cameras could be heard over the high-pitched whir of the machines as they got low enough to get pictures of the entire location.
Emma clung to him, shaking as she asked. “Who would do this to us?”
“I don’t know, baby, but I guess we should be glad they are only taking pictures and not doing something more dangerous.”
As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted them.
“What do you mean, more dangerous?” Emma pressed him.
“Never mind. Forget I mentioned it,” he reassured her, not wanting to tell her he’d been in one meeting where security had discussed the possibility of weapons being flown into their private airspace by drones to escape the ground security detection.
The judge had joined them in the protected area. Khloe, Jonah, and Samantha, holding their infant Natasha, were rushing their way as well. As celebrities, they were all used to the crazy things the paparazzi would do to get the scoop on a hot story. That was when Chase remembered Brandi, a journalist, was in attendance.
Out of instinct, as soon as Jonah arrived next to him, Chase pulled Emma out of his embrace and stepped forward to meet the rock star.
“Will you stay with Emma and protect her from any bullshit going down? I need to go help Jaxson and security figure out what the hell is going on.”
“Sure thing, man,” Cash answered. “I’ll stick here with the ladies.”
Emma clung to his arm. “Don’t go!”
Chase turned back to her, placing a small kiss on her forehead. “You’ll be safe here. I just want to go see what’s happening and how I can help.”
Tears threatened to fall down her cheeks as Emma begged him not to go. With a nod to Jonah, Chase left the cover of the bar area and jogged back to the chaotic poolside crowd in time to see one of Miguel’s security guards running up with a titanium looking briefcase. It was the kind of top-secret case that might be handcuffed to a guy in mirrored sunglasses.
Chase didn’t look closely at the contents of the suitcase as he passed, but he could see technical equipment inside that he hoped would bring down the drones. Knowing there was nothing he could do to help with that effort, he instead got busy looking for Brandi.
The seat towards the back of the venue that she’d been in just minutes before was now empty. Chase scanned the area, observing the confusion on the faces of most of their friends and family. Several asked him what was going on as he passed and he truthfully told them he didn’t know yet, either.
He caught sight of their new club manager, Madison, barking orders to several servers who had seemed to come out of the woodwork. Maxine’s husband had come in for the wedding as well, and she had left him to go assist Madison. It looked like they were moving the guests in the direction of the overhangs and umbrellas as one of the drones got so brave that is was only a mere twenty feet above the scattering guests.
There were two people conspicuously missing from the small crowd. Not only was Brandi missing, but so was Lola. She’d been in the main house seeing to the reception details before they had come down for the ceremony. She could still be there, of course… oblivious to all of the commotion happening outdoors, but something in Chase’s gut told him to seek out the employee they had already decided to let go as soon as the clubs were successfully opened.
He was about to start sprinting across the lawn to the main house when Jaxson’s mother stopped him, placing her frail hand on his tuxedo-covered forearm.
“I swear to you, Chase. I didn’t tell Gregory about the wedding. I’d never do that because I knew he’d love to disrupt the ceremony if for no other reason than to make Jaxson angry.”
Chase stopped long enough to reassure his new mother-in-law. “This isn’t your fault. Even if you had told the senator, you wouldn’t be responsible for his devious actions today any more than you have been in the past.”
He could see she didn’t believe him. The creases of wrinkles on her forehead as she frowned made Miranda look a decade older than she was. He quickly hugged her, trying to reassure her before extricating himself and resuming his trek in search of the missing women.
The sound of the chaos got softer the farther away Chase got from the pool. By the time he had crossed the lawn and climbed the stone steps of the huge balcony, it was almost quiet. Certainly quiet enough for the sound of heated arguing to make it to his ears.
Chase slowed down, careful not to make any noise as he neared the final row of eight-foot hedges meant to camouflage the under-construction portion of the huge deck. He pulled to a dead stop when he realized that at least one of the raised voices belonged to his old babysitter.
“You lied to me, you bitch! There is no way I was invited to this event. It’s downright intimate.”
Lola answered, clearly trying to keep their voice lower. “Relax. They put me in charge of sending out the invitations and since I’m also in charge of the marketing and advertising for the club opening tomorrow, it only made sense to get some mileage out of the wedding with the press.”
Chase’s blood had started to boil with anger as he listened to the employee they had known was a total bitch spell out how she’d purposefully sabotaged their important day. Before he confronted her, he pulled out his phone and shot off a text to Jaxson with the new information.
“Where the hell did the drones come from?” Brandi’s voice cracked with panic.
“You and your TV station ordered them to get the aerial shots to go with your story, of course,” Lola snapped.
“You bitch! I never intended to write a story and you know it! You invited me here just to try to pin this whole debacle on me,” Brandi defended. “How much did you get paid for this little stunt?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I invited one of Chase’s oldest friends to his wedding. If you decided to capitalize on that invitation by getting the inside scoop on the celebrity wedding of the year… well, I can’t be responsible for the actions of one of the guests.”
Jaxson and Miguel arrived just as Lola finished her over-the-top pronouncement of innocence that Chase knew was total bullshit.
He leaned in to whisper to the new arrivals. “It was Lola. She set this up and probably got paid a pretty penny for it, too.”
Two burley guards had arrived next to Miguel as Chase spoke. Their head of security tried to reassure them. “Ryder has a lot of experience with neutralizing drones. He’s who I consulted with before purchasing the detection and bring-down equipment. He should be able to destroy any photos the drones did take. The police are on the way. Let me and my guys take care of detaining Ms. Garcia.”
“Fuck that. I’m the one who’s going to handle this, and, believe me, we won’t be doing much talking.” Jaxson’s voice was ice cold. His eyes were as dark as Chase had ever seen them.
Miguel tried to reason with his new boss. “You hired me to handle shit like this.”
Jaxson was having none of it. Chase knew he was the only one who had a chance of getting through to him. Stepping up to his tall Dom, he hugged Jaxson’s stiff torso and leaned up to talk calmly against his ear.
“Take a deep breath, baby. You need to let security handle this. No good will come out of you confronting Lola.”
“Fuck that. She needs to go down hard.”
“And she will go down, but if you confront her right now, the police will be taking you in on manslaughter charges. I might be wrong, but it will be a bit difficult to help Emma and me raise our kids if you’re in prison.”
Jaxson’s muscles tensed as he tried to yank away from Chase’s strong hug. He wasn’t listening to reason. Chase held him tighter, refusing to let his Dom loose to charge the final distance to Lola.
Chase softly begged him then. “Please, baby. For me and Emma, for the twins, let Miguel handle this.”
In seconds he knew that his pleading and reasoning were not getting through to Jaxson. His Dom was on the edge, ready to explode with anger that the paparazzi had ruined their special day. Chase knew it was because Jax deemed the invasion to their privacy as a direct threat to the people he loved the most. He was in Papa Bear protector mode.
On instinct, Chase did the only thing he could think to do.
He was a switch.
So he switched.
He pulled out of their hug to pin the taller man with his best glare. “Jaxson Cartwright-Davidson, stop it right now. Miguel is going to handle this while you and I stay here. You will not end our wedding day in the back of a police car. Do you hear me?”
The surprise in Jaxson’s green eyes almost made Chase laugh… almost. The moment was too serious for that. The men stayed in a silent showdown. The raised voices of Lola and Brandi arguing on the balcony above them were the soundtrack to the intense showdown.
It was Miguel who eased the tension, stepping up to the men and leaning in. “Mr. Cartwright is right. Let my men and I handle this. I promise you, she will regret her actions.”
Jaxson refused to look away as he answered Miguel. “Detain her. Question her. But she doesn’t leave until I have a chance to confront her as well, got it?”
Miguel hesitated, glancing from Jaxson back to Chase, unsure in that moment whom he was supposed to be taking his orders from.
Jaxson raised one eyebrow in that adorable way he always did when he chastised his submissives. For some it might make him look scarier, but for Chase, it just turned him on since he most often saw that raised eyebrow just before he was to be punished for some infraction. And since his Dom loved to fuck him right after every punishment, his body had been trained, like Pavlov’s dogs, to love that raised eyebrow.
Chase finally answered Miguel. “Let’s see how things play out, shall we? The most important thing is to secure the area first and foremost and then to make sure those responsible for the unforgivable disruption are detained.”
“Yes, sir.” Miguel stepped back and turned to head up the nearby steps with the additional security guards following.
Only when Jaxson and Chase were relatively alone did Jaxson finally speak. “That was pretty brave of you. Or stupid. I’m not entirely sure which yet.”
Chase finally let the smile he’d been holding in spread across his face as he answered. “I’d like to think of it as smart, actually. Not only did I hopefully stop you from doing something stupid, but with any luck, I got myself signed up for a sexy punishment on our wedding night.”
“I see. So you’re trying to top from the bottom? I’ll have to take that into consideration when I’m deciding how to best punish you.” The first hint of a smirk had appeared at the corners of Jaxson’s lips as he struggled to maintain control. “Do you consider that tone of voice you just used with me to be properly submissive?”
“No, Sir. It was very naughty of me.”
“Yes. It was.” Jaxson leaned in close to speak against the shell of Chase’s ear, sending threads of electricity through him. “That bare ass of yours is going to be bright red when it gets fucked later.”
The dirty promise melted Chase from the inside out. Blood rushed to his cock, engorging it until it tented the front of his pants, and he could feel Jaxson’s erection rubbing against him through their tuxedos. He had to swallow several times before he could speak. “I’ll look forward to it, sir.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t if I were you. I’m pretty sure you’re going to hate me in the middle of your discipline session.”
Chase went to his toes to brush his lips against his Dom’s. The light kiss ignited into an open mouth devouring of each other. Only when both men were out of breath did Chase finally answer. “I am certain I could never hate you. In fact, I love every single thing you do to me.”
“I’ll remind you when you’re begging me to stop tonight.”
Only the sound of a scream above them on the balcony could drag them out of their sexual tryst. Lola’s loud voice could be heard screaming at Miguel to get his filthy hands off of her and that she’d done nothing wrong.
Chase was surprised that Jaxson didn’t resume trying to join their security team and instead took out his phone to send off a text.
“Who are you texting now? Everyone we know is here already.”
“I sent a note to Connor to come join us. He drafted the specific language in the NDA that Lola signed. If anyone can make sure Lola understands exactly how much legal trouble she’s in, it’s Connor.”
“That’s a wonderful idea. He should bring Judge McDonald too. I’m sure the two of them can scare the shit out of her.”
They had to wait at the bottom of the stairs for several minutes until Connor and the judge arrived. Chase was confused when Connor arrived grinning. “What’s so damn funny?” he asked.
Connor leaned close so the women above them wouldn’t hear them. “Ryder used a new technology to bring down the drones with a net. It’s illegal to shoot them down, but there is no legal precedent against just forcing them to land when they are low enough to the ground to be caught by the net. The cocky idiots would have probably got away with it if they’d flown higher.”
Jaxson growled. “I still can’t believe we can’t shoot the fuckers out of the sky.”
Chase remembered the debate they’d had in a recent meeting about the topic, knowing that rampant drone usage in nearby Hollywood was a hot topic.
“Well, believe it. It seems your team invested in the right prevention though.” It was the judge who weighed in this time.
Jaxson was impatient to confront the traitor among them. “Let’s get upstairs.”
Connor shook his head. “Let me handle this. I’ll text you…”
“Not a chance in hell,” his Dom argued.
The newcomers spent several long moments trying to convince Jaxson and Chase to remain behind, but Jaxson would hear none of it. Instead, he reached out for Chase’s hand.
“You two go first, but Chase and I are coming behind you,” Jaxson asserted, finally putting the discussion to a rest.
Lola’s screeching got louder the closer they got to the wide balcony overlook. By the time Jaxson and Chase got their first visual of the scene, the two guards who’d been with Miguel had Lola subdued, her arms behind her back presumably in handcuffs. Miguel had stepped up to tower over her, doing his best to intimidate her into silence without actually touching her.
“I suggest you quiet down, Ms. Garcia. Your hollering is not helping your case.”
She stopped her yelling to utter her first bitter words since the men’s arrival. “You can’t do this to me. I’ve done nothing wrong, you barbarians! She’s the one responsible! She wasn’t even invited!” Lola nodded towards Brandi.
The men couldn’t see Miguel’s face, but they could hear the menace in his voice as he leaned only inches from her shocked face. “You are too stupid to understand just how much trouble you’re in, aren’t you?”
Lola’s eyes widened at his harsh words. “Me, stupid? That’s funny. You can’t have me arrested. I’ve done nothing illegal.”
Miguel chuckled. “Oh honey, don’t worry. We didn’t call the police.”
Chase felt Jaxson moving forward in protest. Chase pulled him back, whispering. “Let it play out. He’s up to something.”
“Fuck that. I want her behind bars,” Jaxson groused.
Connor stepped forward next to Miguel, but Judge McDonald leaned into Jaxson and Chase to clarify, “Your security guard is right. So far I haven’t seen any laws broken.”
Jaxson started to argue back, but Chase dared to cut him off. “Shush, I want to hear.”
He felt Jaxson’s hand squeezing his ass cheek through his tailored tuxedo pants just before his Dom advised him, “This ass of yours is going to be beet red before bed tonight if you keep it up.”
Chase’s knees actually felt weak under him with the wave of sexual tension that hit him as Jaxson pulled his hand away and swatted his ass hard, a preview of what was to come.
He managed to choke out a groaned, “I look forward to it, sir,” as the judge chuckled at his expense next to them.
Brandi’s crying brought their attention back to the spectacle in front of them. Chase looked up to see his old babysitter staring at him as tears poured down her face.
“I swear to you, Chase. I didn’t know today was going to be such a private event. I got this invitation for a grand opening party hand delivered to the station two days ago and I thought you had sent it. I never would have come here had I known how private… that it would be your wedding ceremony…”
Connor was the one who answered her. “Exactly why did you come? Did your station send the drones?”
“I came because… I thought… maybe Chase wanted… it was stupid.” She paused, turning red before tacking on, “I was never going to write a story. I travel with a news crew and van when I’m doing a story. You can check. I drove my own car. I came alone.”
“Let me see the invitation you got,” Madison asked briskly.
The new Runway West manager had snuck up on them, joining the growing crowd, approaching the newswoman to snatch the invitation out of her hand as soon as it was out of her small, jeweled clutch purse. The men watched Madison turn the invitation over and look at the back of the paper instead of reading the actual invitation.
Lola’s manic ramblings were the only soundtrack at the moment. “There is no proof whatsoever that I had anything to do with sending that invitation. It’s printed, not handwritten.”
Miguel squeezed her upper arm to hold her stationary when it seemed Lola had thoughts of walking backwards.
“Oh, and how do you know that? I thought you hadn’t even seen it before.” Miguel taunted her.
That shut Lola up.
When the petite Madison looked up from examining the paper, her eyes sought out Lola’s. “I know without a shadow of a doubt that Lola printed this invitation, not only against the orders she had received from any of us regarding the guest list, but more importantly, in direct violation of the non-disclosure agreement she signed when she became an employee.”
“There is no way you can pin this on me, you bitch! You have no proof,” Lola spat.
Madison stepped closer. “This isn’t my first rodeo, you idiot. I’ve worked many VIP events where invitations have to be managed carefully or every Tom, Dick, and Harry will show up with false invitations.
“When the paper stock arrived for the wedding invitations, I marked each of them on the back with a small number and tracked each and every invitation, by number. I am certain that we only used invitations 1-17. I distinctly remember handing you the remaining paper stock and telling you to shred it to avoid this exact kind of scenario.”
Lola’s eyes widened. “That doesn’t prove anything. And even if I did send out another invitation, which I’m not saying I did, I still didn’t do anything wrong. She’s the one who works for the press. She’s the one responsible for…”
Ryder was the next one to break into the growing crowd, cutting Lola’s speech off.
“The drones aren’t registered to Ms. Whittman’s TV station,” he announced.
Brandi sighed. “I told you so,” she said, her voice still shaky.
Ryder continued. “My source with access to the FAA database confirmed they’re registered to the parent company of TMZ.” He paused, pinning Lola with his scariest interrogator glare. “How much were you paid for the information on the wedding, Ms. Garcia?”
“I don’t know…”
Ryder approached Lola, cutting her off. “Oh come on. You can tell us the truth.” He jeered. “You were just trying to get a bit of publicity going for the opening of Runway West, right?”
His question made her pause as she considered her options. Chase could see Ryder was giving her a bit of rope, and he suspected Lola was about to hang herself.
“Well, I was in charge of advertising for the club opening. Not that I did anything wrong, but you have to admit this is going to get a big buzz going ahead of the opening tomorrow.”
She’d taken the bait.
Connor took over. “There’s only one problem with that, Ms. Garcia. You signed an ironclad non-disclosure agreement. Today’s wedding is not a club event, and even if it was, your advising the press of the nature of today’s event along with the exact location and time is a direct violation of that NDA.”
“What do you know about this? I’ve never even seen you before,” Lola snapped, still defensive.
“I know everything there is about this. I’m the lawyer who wrote the NDA you signed.”
Judge McDonald stepped up next. “As a sitting judge for the State of California, I can tell you with certainty that you will be found in violation.”
“Oh so what! Even if I did it, and I’m not saying I did, breaking an NDA isn’t a crime.”
“Not in a criminal court, no. But fortunately for us, my firm and I handle multi-million dollar civil law suits as our bread and butter. I hope you’re ready to lose every single possession that is important to you, Ms. Garcia. When I finish with you, you’ll be lucky to be able to afford a bicycle and a studio apartment on Skid Row.”
Finally realizing the gravity of her situation, hard-as-nails Lola turned on the water works. Chase almost felt sorry for Lola. Almost. Then he remembered that she had tried to ruin the only wedding day he would ever have.
Jaxson stepped forward, edging past Connor, Ryder, and Miguel to stand in front of the now crying woman. Lola was stupid enough to take his arrival as a reprieve.
“You believe me, don’t you, Jaxson? All I’ve ever done has been for you.”
Jaxson took a deep breath. When he spoke, he barely contained his anger. “I should have fired you weeks ago like Chase and Emma asked me to. I will always regret giving you the opportunity to almost ruin my wedding day. And for the record, you do nothing for anyone but yourself. We’re going to dig into your financials. Not only will you lose when we sue you for breach of the NDA contract, but we’re going to uncover every piece of dirt you’d rather keep hidden and we’ll shine a nice big spotlight on it. I’ll make it my life’s mission to make sure you won’t work in this state ever again. And we’ll have a restraining order within twenty-four hours to make sure you can’t come anywhere close to the property ever again.” He paused, stepping even closer until they were only an inch apart. “Consider yourself lucky you aren’t leaving here in the back of a police car, Ms. Garcia.”
Jax had turned to tell Miguel to escort her off the property when Lola pulled her head back and threw her head forward, trying to head butt Jaxson. Chase shouted out to his new husband and Jaxson was able to move enough that Lola’s head rammed against his shoulder instead. Instead of stopping her, she fought to free herself from the handcuffs security had put her in, flailing while screaming with fury.
Miguel and his men made easy work out of regaining control. All her temper tantrum had done was seal her fate.
Connor spoke loudly. “Jaxson, the ball is in your court. Would you like to press charges for assault? We have over a half dozen witnesses that she attacked you. We could turn this civil case into a criminal case now.”
“What?” Lola shrieked. “I’m handcuffed. I didn’t hurt him.”
Ryder grinned. “I don’t know. Davidson can be a real pretty boy at times. I bet you could have done some damage.”
Jaxson’s side glance shot daggers at their friend. “Helms, you can be a real asshole, you know that?”
Ryder chuckled. “Yeah, but you like me anyway.”
Lola was crying in earnest now, realizing she’d made a major mistake getting physical with so many hostile witnesses.
Jaxson got in her face again, almost daring her to head-butt him again. When she didn’t, he gave the final orders. “As much as I would love seeing you driven away in the back of a police car, I don’t need the kind of scrutiny that a public police report would bring. So consider this your severance package. I’m going to let Miguel’s team escort you to your car and then drive you to the gate. You will never again come within a mile of this property. Connor and his firm will be in touch with details on the consequences of breaking the NDA. If you’re lucky, it will just cost you the money you took to sell out my family and me. Be warned. If you continue to shop our secrets to the highest bidder, we won’t stop until you have nothing left to lose.” He never took his eyes off Lola as he added, “Get her the hell out of here.”
After Lola and the security team were gone, the remaining occupants of the balcony took a moment to take a collective deep breath. As their leader, everyone waited for Jaxson to turn. When he did, he glanced from person to person, nodding his silent thanks for how they’d helped handle the explosive situation.
“Thank you, all. Truly. As angry as I am that her actions interrupted our wedding, I couldn’t be happier with how quickly everyone took action to make things right. Chase, Emma, and I… well… we owe you.”
Ryder stepped forward, never afraid to go head to head with anyone, not even Jaxson. “Yeah, well, being a pretty boy and all, we all knew you’d need a little help.”
Jax gave Ryder his best glare. “Pretty boy, eh? You’re a real prick, you know that, Helms?”
Ryder chuckled. “Yep, guilty as charged. Now, are we going to finish this wedding or are you gonna use this interruption as your get out of jail free card?”
Chase used that as his cue to link his arm through Jaxson’s and start pulling him back towards the stairs. “Believe me, he’s not getting away from Emma and me. He’s stuck with us. Now let’s go finish the ceremony so we can get the party started.”