Chapter 3
If she made it through the night in one piece, without attacking someone, it would be a miracle! Lady Jaye wondered at this point if she would even have time to dress out of the jeans and t-shirt she was wearing to supervise the set up before the party began!
Zartan appeared out of nowhere. She envied how he could do that…well, more so that he could disappear into nowhere, like she wanted to do now.
"Where's the Baroness? I thought this was her show," he said, liking the casual look of jeans and t-shirt that Lady Jaye was sporting.
Lady Jaye rolled her eyes. "Apparently, she has to dress. Like I don't!" She sighed. "This is never going to be ready. We'll fall flat on our faces and all rot in jail," she said with a frown.
Zartan chuckled. "It's not like you to be so negative. What all is there left to do?" He looked around the large ballroom. "Looks like it's ready to me! You get enough people in here, no one's going to notice one less banner or private alcove," he said sarcastically, gesturing at the alcoves in question.
He grabbed Lady Jaye's list. "I think I can handle this. What all is there left to do?"
"Not too much," replied Jaye, giving Zartan a look. "Why, are you volunteering?"
"Well, I figure it takes women forever and a day to get ready….I mean, what, the Baroness has been preparing all day? Just go and get yourself ready and I'll see to everything else."
"You're a lifesaver!" Jaye said with a smile. Without thinking, she leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. "I really appreciate it," she said shyly.
Zartan smiled. "Just save me a dance or two tonight. We'll see where that leads us," he added mysteriously.
Jaye smiled and hustled up the stairs to the room she had staked out earlier to change. What was she doing? Playing around with Zartan could be dangerous. While her heart, she knew now, still belonged to Flint, she didn't know how he felt about her, what with her new lifestyle. It could be he was angry enough to move on. She wasn't sure what she wanted either. Part of her wanted to explore the relationship with Zartan. He was so much more than she had ever thought and he obviously felt attracted to her.
Lady Jaye rolled her eyes. Okay, girl, she told herself, why are you going on like some cheap romance novel when so much more was at stake tonight! Get it together!
After dressing, Lady Jaye appraised herself in the mirror. The bodice of her black strapless gown hugged her curves while the skirt flared. Nothing too flashy, but simple and elegant. Something everyone would expect from the CEO of an up and coming company, she thought. Her subtle red highlights in her brown hair blended well with the simple but elegant upsweep created by her stylist. She was wearing it longer than she did when she was in GI Joe and for now, it worked. She wondered what Flint would think. Stop! she ordered herself. You cannot focus on him right now. You have a job to do, a business to launch. She hoped he was not going to be with the Joes here, no matter how much she missed his company. She did not want to worry about keeping Flint and Zartan apart when she had so much more to focus on!
There was a knock on her door. Destro entered the room, looking very dapper in his tuxedo. "Are you ready, my dear?" he asked, waiting to escort her downstairs. "The guests are beginning to arrive."
Lady Jaye took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Now or never," she quipped to her uncle, who frowned at her flippancy. "Sorry," she murmured. "I'm a bit nervous. I'll be fine in a moment." She closed her eyes and when she opened them, it almost seemed to be a different woman standing in front of him. A professional, he thought, with debutante training and breeding. Exactly what we need to lead this company, he thought proudly.