Secrets and Seductions

"What the hell are you doing here, Jackson?" Ava demanded, hastily ending the call with Matty and whirling to face her looming husband.

His eyes flashed, jaw tightening. "We have an urgent situation. Harrison is waiting for us downstairs."

Ava crossed her arms. "I'm not going anywhere with you until you tell me what's happening!"

Jackson raked a hand through his hair, clearly agitated. "Suffice it to say, new information has come to light that affects both of us. We need to get our stories aligned before this meeting."

"What kind of information?" Ava pressed. The look on his face made her stomach clench.

"The kind that could blow up my company and our little arrangement here," he bit out. "Harrison doesn't make unannounced visits unless it's serious."

Ava's mind raced with possibilities as she followed Jackson out of the bedroom. His lawyer had dirt on their drunken wedding night...or her trashy background...or both. Panic rose in her throat.

As they entered the opulent study, Harrison Drew rose from a leather armchair. Ava sized him up - mid-fifties, graying at the temples, three-piece suit. Eyes sharp as a hawk. This was a man who missed nothing.

"Jackson. Mrs. Reynolds," he greeted them crisply.

"Let's cut to the chase, Harrison. What have you got?" Jackson's whole body was a taut wire.

"It's about Veronica Maddox."

Jackson swore under his breath. Ava darted a glance at him - Veronica was his scheming ex who still worked at his company.

"What about her?" Jackson growled.

Drew pursed his lips. "She's been quietly collaborating with Drexler Technologies on a new VR headset design. One that incorporates several proprietary Jackson Tech features she had access to."

Jackson exploded out of his chair. "That backstabbing bitch! Drexler is our biggest competitor - if they beat us to market, they could take half our market share!"

"Indeed. Which is why we need to get ahead of this, fast." Drew steepled his fingers. "Veronica's clearly been exploiting her role to gather insider intel and build this rival product."

Ava's head spun as the two men discussed legal injunctions, PR counter-offensives, board strategy. She felt way out of her depth...until Drew turned his steely gaze on her.

"Mrs. Reynolds, you have a vital part to play as well."

"M-me?" Ava stammered. "What do I have to do with any of this?"

Jackson scrubbed a hand over his stubbled jaw. "Veronica knows our marriage is one of convenience. If she blows the whistle on that now...it'll look like my personal life is a shambles, that I'm distracted and making reckless choices."

"The board is already spooked about Veronica's defection," Drew put in. "Any hint of instability at the top could lead to a stock sell-off or hostile takeover."

Ava felt nauseous. This corporate intrigue was so beyond anything in her world. "So...what are you saying?"

Jackson leveled her with his intense blue gaze. "I need you to play the doting wife. Accompany me to public events, pose for some photos. Let everyone see that I'm steady as ever with my beautiful bride by my side."

Ava barked an incredulous laugh. "You can't be serious! I never signed on for some drawn-out charade."

"I'm very serious. Deadly, in fact." Jackson's voice was soft but steely.

"And if I refuse?"

"Then our deal is off. No more bank transfers, no more fancy digs." He gestured expansively at the mansion. "It's back to the street with you and your kid."

Ava felt like she'd been slapped. Rage and fear warred within her, fusing into an icy ball in her gut.

Jackson gentled his tone, but his eyes were resolute. "Or, you can be my dutiful wife until this all blows over. Keep the money rolling in, give your boy a taste of the good life. And at the end...I'll let you go with a nice, fat divorce settlement."

Ava's mind whirled. She was trapped, well and truly. This manipulative bastard had her right where he wanted her.

But then she pictured Matty's sweet face...their crummy apartment...the stacks of unpaid bills. A fresh start suddenly seemed worth any price - even her soul.

She lifted her chin, meeting Jackson's gaze head-on. "I'll do it. I'll play your perfect wifey. But I want double what you're paying me now."

Jackson's eyes gleamed, a ghost of a smile playing at his lips. "That's my girl. Knew you'd see reason."

He extended his hand and they shook on it, his enormous paw enveloping her slender fingers. Ava suppressed a shudder at the contact, hating how his touch made her zing with awareness.

"We'll strategize more over dinner," Jackson said as he rose. His hand skated lightly up her bare arm. "Wear something...wifely."

With that, he strode out, leaving Ava alone with her churning thoughts and Drew's assessing stare.

The lawyer cleared his throat. "For what it's worth, Mrs. Reynolds...I believe you're doing the right thing. For yourself and your son."

Ava just nodded numbly, wrapping her arms around herself. What choice did she have? She was in the deep end now...and the only way out was through.

As she made her way back upstairs to change, one thought crystallized in Ava's mind. Somewhere in this gilded cage, there had to be a weakness she could exploit.

Jackson Reynolds might think he had her under his thumb...but Ava would find a way to turn the tables. To beat this arrogant billionaire at his own high-stakes game.

Game on, husband, she thought grimly. Game on.