The Rock Star's Wedding

Part 1

ONE

Funeral bells sounded far more cheerful than the trill of Xan's phone. At least, Xan thought they would. Not that she really wanted Jerome to die. She wanted him to live a long, lonely and hopefully painful life. No, she wasn't that cruel. She had loved him once. Before he'd slept with a girl almost ten years younger than him and broken off his engagement with Xan to marry the pregnant girl. Now...

Now, she had to answer the damn phone.

"This is Xan," she bit out.

"Ms Lane, I have a doctor on the line, asking for our events coordinator. Specifically, weddings. Do we even have one of those?" Philly giggled. "Getting married in paradise would be so romantic!"

Xan made a mental note to hire someone for the role. Once Jay's wedding was broadcast on TV, everyone would want to book a wedding at the resort, and she'd have to handle them all. It would definitely make her job easier if she could hand them over to someone else. In the meantime, though... "Put him through to me."

"Yes, Ms Lane."

The phone beeped and Philly was gone.

"Xan Lane, manager of Romance Island Resort. How can I help?" Xan intoned, wondering why Jay wanted a doctor at his and Penelope's televised wedding.

The woman's voice surprised her. "Hello, Xan. I need to book a wedding. When's your earliest available date?"

Xan recovered quickly. "Ah, we haven't really started taking bookings yet. You see – "

The woman laughed. "That's not what I heard. If you're planning to host an event for Jason Felix, you can handle pretty much anything."

Jason, not Jay, Xan noted. "Where did you hear that?" Xan asked.

"My sources don't matter. I trust them, so I know my information is correct. I had booked a venue for a wedding in a few weeks' time, but that venue is no longer sufficient for my needs. Your resort should meet my requirements. So what's the earliest date I can book?"

This woman sounded like Gaia's sister, if the billionaire had such a thing. Xan knew how to deal with her sort. To start with, she had to up the stakes, then double the price. "For weddings, if you intend to have a photographer, you'll need to book the entire resort for the two nights on either side of the day of your event. You are welcome to use this to accommodate your guests, of course. And the wet season's just started, so with the weather as wild and unpredictable as it usually is, we couldn't host a big event until the start of the dry season, in May next year, or more likely June. In rough weather, the island is completely isolated, as the swell is too high for jet boats to reach us, and if the wind's too strong, a helicopter can't land, either." Xan grinned and sat back, waiting to hear the woman's response.

The woman's voice was calm. "The first Saturday in May, then?"

Xan choked. "But that's when Jay's booked – "

The woman laughed again. "You seriously think Jason will marry one of those reality TV show girls? You're dreaming, Xan. I suggest you speak to Jason about it during the week. I'll fly up to the resort in a week or so to inspect the place, to make sure it'll meet my needs, and we can confirm a date then. Oh, and so we're clear, I'll want the entire island for a week before the wedding, and a week afterwards."

Who had the kind of money to book an entire island for a fortnight? Gaia, or one of her billionaire friends. Jay was going to be pissed off. Xan's grin widened. Oh, she was definitely going to talk to Jay about this one. Hopefully he could handle her, so Xan wouldn't have to. "All right," Xan said. "Let me just get your name and details."

"Sure." The woman rattled off answers to Xan's rapid-fire questions, then said a curt goodbye and ended the call.

Xan glanced at the hotel registry entry on her screen. Doctor Alana Miller wanted a wedding at the island. Well, she'd have to get through Jay Felix first. And if there was one thing Xan knew about Jay, it was that he hated spoiled, rich bitches.