Lovers & Players Read Online Free PDF Page B

her kidnapping and the sexual indignities she’d been forced to endure, which she’d confided to her best friend, Tina, but no one else, not even her mother, who would’ve thrown a hysterical fit if she’d known her teenage daughter had been sexually molested. It wasn’t as if she’d been raped, although her kidnappers had forced her to do other things…things she didn’t care to think about. She’d locked away the memories. It was better that way.
    One memorable night at a fundraiser in Manhattan, she’d been introduced to Max Diamond, and even though he was much older than her, she’d been intrigued by his sophisticated style and courtly manners. Max struck her as someone who was safe. He also seemed to be a gentleman, unlike most other men she’d met. The other advantage was that, since he was so rich himself, he certainly wasn’t after her inheritance, which was a big relief.
    After several quiet dinners and long conversations, they’d begun dating seriously. She knew he was divorced and had a child, but that didn’t seem to matter.
    Right at the beginning of their relationship she’d been totally forthright and informed him there would be no sex. ‘Never?’ he’d said, perplexed and intrigued by her directness.
    ‘Don’t laugh at me,’ she’d replied earnestly. ‘I’m saving myself for the man I marry.’
    ‘I can respect that,’ he’d said.
    ‘Really?’ she’d said, delighted by his response.
    ‘Yes,’ he’d replied. ‘I find your attitude most commendable.’
    Hmm…a man who understood made a nice change. It was then that she’d decided he was definitely the man for her.
    Three months later–much to Nancy’s delight–Amy and Max had gotten engaged.
     
     
    Every day after Amy finished work, Nancy expected her to come to the house and pore over the wedding plans along with Lynda Colefax, the wedding planner–a bossy, over-groomed woman of indeterminate age.
    Amy was beginning to dread these little sessions. She couldn’t stand listening to Nancy and Lynda go on about which guests were attending, where they’d sit, the flower arrangements, the table placements, the wedding cake, her dress, the music, the table linens. It was all so trivial . ‘I don’t care!’ she was tempted to scream. ‘It shouldn’t be such a big deal. I hate being the centre of attention. I just want it to be over.’
    Harold, her step-father, agreed with her. ‘Too much fuss,’ he grumbled. ‘Too much money being spent.’
    Naturally Nancy ignored him.
    Amy’s own father had drowned in a tragic boating accident on a weekend trip to Venice when she was three. A year later her only sibling–a brother had passed away due to a rare bone disease. She had no memories of either of them, except a few family photos. She lived with an ongoing sense of sadness and loss, having convinced herself that if her father had been alive, her kidnapping might never have taken place.
    Her step-father was a pleasant enough man, even though everyone knew he had no balls. Nancy had them firmly in her pocket. Nancy ruled. It was her money, her way of doing things. And Harold never dared get in her way.
    As her wedding drew closer, Amy found herself unable to sleep at night, lying in her bed and wondering if perhaps she was making a huge mistake. Yes, her future husband was an important man, a business powerhouse. Handsome, in a dark, brooding way, he was also kind and thoughtful and genuinely cared about her. He’d accepted her no-sex-before-marriage rule and never tried to pressure her. He’d bought her a ten-carat diamond engagement ring and showered her with other expensive gifts.
    Not that the gifts meant anything: they were merely surface signs of affection. Deep down she yearned for more than that. Deep down she yearned for her father and her brother, the missing men in her life.
    Lately she had questioned her feelings for Max even more. Was she really in love with him? After all, he came with major baggage–an