Page 2 of Heartless
When she reached us, she shook hands with the women first, starting with Annie. She didn’t seem star-struck, or if she was, she hid it well. Then she turned to me.
“Mr. Wilson. Nice to see you again.”
Hypocrite.
Madison was polite and well bred. Strikingly beautiful--I’d have to be blind not to notice that--but that’s where everything good about her stopped. Pretty face, a body all men would dream of having in their bed. But underneath her skin? Rotten to the core.
I offered Madison my hand, and she took it without hesitation.
“The feeling is mutual, Miss Hartley.”
Judging by the slight curve of her lips, she knew exactly which feeling I meant.
We continued strolling through the garden, and somehow I ended up trailing behind with Becca and Katie, while Madison took the lead, charming Annie’s pants off. But something about the situation nagged at me. I could understand the appeal of being Annie Foster’s wedding planner, but Madison didn’t strike me as the type to risk her entire New York reputation just to plan one wedding.
I needed to figure out what she was really up to.
Clearing my throat, I started. “Ladies.” Madison and Annie both stopped and turned to face me. “There’s a lot to discuss, but I think it’s best if Miss Hartley and I go over our limitations first. Then you two can take it from there.”
Honestly, it sounded like total bullshit. But it was the best I could come up with on the spot, so I had to roll with it.
Much to my surprise, Madison agreed. “Mr. Wilson is right. I haven’t been here in a while, and I have some questions.”
She made it sound like we had collaborated willingly the last time she was at The Gem, when nothing could be further from the truth.
Annie glanced between us, sensing she was being nudged out of the conversation. “Are you sure? I don’t mind sticking around.”
Madison placed a hand on Annie’s. “Let me handle this. I’ll call Becca later.”
I barely had the patience to wait until they were out of earshot before I turned to Katie. “Leave.”
She scurried away, and I focused all my attention on the woman in front of me. “What the hell are you doing here?”
To Madison’s credit, she didn’t flinch at my tone. “I came to honor my part of the deal.”
“Our deal?”
“Yes.”
I crossed my arm. “We made that deal over a year ago.”
“Precisely. It’s overdue. I want to get it over with and live my life free of you.”
She delivered the line in a steady voice, but I caught the subtle bob of her throat. Something had rattled the ice queen, and she was desperate to hide it.
“And how exactly am I enslaving you?”
Madison pushed a lock of hair off her shoulder in that diva fashion I expected from my clients at The Gem. But when she did it, it annoyed me more than usual.
“By holding that deal over my head. You can just call and summon me whenever you feel like it. Now that Annie Foster has reached out to me, it’s the perfect time to get it over with.”
It made little sense, but my need to get rid of her and the other wedding parties was stronger than my curiosity about her motivations.
“How about we forget the deal? You move on, live your life, and I never have to deal with you again.”
I would put that in writing if it meant getting rid of her.
Madison shook her head. “No.”
