Chapter 10
"Who’s the hot blonde you were lip-locking?"
Jax depended on Murray, his manager in Melbourne, but that didn't mean he had to like him. The guy had waltzed into this corporate marquee and shaken hands with half the crowd before eventually sidling up to his boss.
If Jax didn't value his expertise, he'd fire his schmoozy ass.
He followed Murray's line of vision to where Ruby held court in a group of preened, pampered women.
They fawned over her, admiring her jewellery, touching the diamonds dangling from her ears.
She smiled and nodded and chatted, at ease in this environment while he struggled to comprehend the enormity of what they'd agreed to.
"She's my… fiancée."
Damn, saying it out loud didn't make it easier to understand.
Murray whistled low. "Your what?"
"You heard me."
Murray smacked his palm against his ear. "Could've sworn you just said that hottie is your fiancée. Wow, she's—"
Jax's withering glare silenced his manager, whose curious gaze swung between him and Ruby.
"Why didn't you say something?"
"I just did. Now fill me in on what I missed at the office this morning."
Murray muttered, "Man, you're buttoned up tighter than a nun's habit," before reverting to business mode and checking emails on his phone.
Jax could handle business a lot better than this floundering feeling he'd just dived in the deep end without a life buoy.
"Nothing that can't wait until this afternoon." Murray scrolled through his emails, before highlighting one and holding out his phone for Jax to take a look. "Did you get the media messages?"
As if Ruby's outlandish proposal hadn't confounded him enough, now this. "Yeah."
Murray hesitated, obviously not wanting to incur the guaranteed wrath for mentioning anything remotely related to Denver’s appeal. His manager had made that mistake before and Jax's subsequent rant had ensured the guy didn't bring it up again.
Until now, in a place guaranteed to make him keep his cool. He may loathe the incessant hounding by the media for the inside scoop now Denver's appeal wasn't too far away, but there was no point taking it out on the messenger.
"For the sake of Maroney Mine, I've been civilised with these bloodhounds. But if they continue to harass me, just stick with the standard "no comment".'
"Got it." Murray fired off a few emails before slipping the phone into his top pocket.
Annoyed how the mere thought of his father's impending appeal soured his mood, Jax jerked his head towards the guy Murray had been back-slapping a moment ago. "Who's that?"
Murray shrugged. "New guy in town. Making moves within mining circles. Pays to be nice."
Jax didn’t need the reminder. Once he married Ruby, he'd have to play the role of devoted husband in order to achieve his objective: to gain access to an influential crowd that he needed.
He didn't care what they thought of him personally, but he'd refuse to put up with their icy indifference in the business sector where he needed them to play nice.
He hated being guilty by association, when anyone with half a brain in the corporate world knew how different he was from Denver. Like comparing diamonds with fossilised dinosaur remains.
Murray's curious gaze drifted back to Ruby. "When's the wedding?"
Damn. They hadn't discussed the exact date beyond a nebulous next week, or the wedding or the living arrangements. They hadn't discussed much of anything after she'd kissed him.
That kiss…
Soft, warm lips tinged with peppermint, bold in their demands like everything about her.
He was used to being in control. With Ruby, he'd met his match.
"Soon."
“Who is she?"
Considering Sapphire was the company spokesperson, with Ruby the creative genius behind the scenes at Seaborn, it didn't surprise him Murray wouldn't know her.
"Ruby Seaborn."
Murray whistled low. "Seaborn of Armidale? That's some serious old money."
Spoken like a true manager who made his living dealing with mega bucks. Murray stared at him with admiration. "Good for you."
Jax forced a tight smile. He hated telling lies. Denver had seen to that. But living a lie with Ruby was a necessity. He needed business doors in this city to open, not slam in his face.
Murray glanced at his watch. "I'll see you back at the office?"
"Yeah."
Once he'd ironed out the details for his impending nuptials.
Him, married?
Fuck.
Though it wasn't all bad. While he cemented business deals essential to taking his mining corporation global, he fully intended making the most of his marriage: in every way.
Ruby's stipulation of no sex would be the one point in their soon-to-be-signed marriage contract he had no intention of sticking to.
Considering the unexpected kiss she planted on him, he had high hopes that with a little convincing she'd come around.
Yeah, this getting hitched business looked better by the minute.
As if sensing his train of thought, Ruby glanced up and sent him a jaunty wave, her sunny smile slamming into him with the force of a tropical cyclone.
He might have a problem with the concept of marriage, but consummating it?
Not a problem at all.