Hollywood Flirt - Alexa Aston Page 0,1

she married Wake.

A soft rap at the door startled her. Sydney sucked in a quick breath. She steeled herself as Patricia Marshall breezed into the room. Sydney shivered and told herself she only imagined the room’s temperature dropped ten degrees with the Ice Queen’s entrance.

Sydney had done everything imaginable to win over Wake’s mother but nothing had worked. She finally realized a year into their relationship that any woman Wake brought home would never be good enough for Patricia’s little boy. The pair was almost joined at the hip. Sydney thought it was a little creepy. Wakefield Number III had died in a boating accident ten years ago, soon after the government had brought fraud charges against him regarding an investment scam. Her curiosity led her to search online regarding the allegations. From everything she’d read, her gut told her the so-called accident had been an actual suicide, hushed up by authorities. Ever since then, mother and son were tighter than sardines crammed into a can. She supposed that’s what bluebloods did—rally the troops and then close ranks upon the death of a loved one. Not like her father, who’d made a hobby of remarrying every few years after her mother’s death.

“Hello, Patricia,” Sydney said easily, though every time she spent time around this woman her insides felt jumbled and off-balance.

“Must you wear those glasses?”

Sydney was used to hiding behind the oversized frames, even though they contained no prescription. They’d become a part of her. Though she would love to walk down the aisle without them, a small part of her feared someone would figure out who she was—and then Wake would reject her in front of everyone. He was even more traditional than his mother. To find out he stood at the altar with someone with Sydney’s past reputation would cause him to turn a cold shoulder and slip from the chapel without a further word. No running and screaming for a Marshall. That would be undignified. He’d simply slither away and leave her exposed to the world.

She was Hollywood royalty, whether she wanted to admit it or not. Her father was one of the most famous directors on the planet. Her mother had been a talented Oscar winner and named People’s Most Beautiful Woman. It didn’t matter. Sydney cut ties with Monty Revere years ago and her mother was long dead. In her heart, she should believe she was good enough for Wake but insecurity nagged at her, chipping away whatever self-confidence she had.

Though she might not equal Wake in good looks, she had brains. No one became Yale’s Law Review Editor and graduated at the top of the class unless they flexed serious intellectual muscle. She knew that was the biggest turn-on for Wake, who’d come in two-hundredths of a grade point behind her. They’d duked it out until the very last paper was due in their final class. Already engaged, Sydney had wondered if Wake would still marry her if she outshone him but he’d told her he was proud of her. He also seemed to appreciate her height, which intimidated most men, but Wake was six inches taller than her at six-four, another plus for him.

If only she could love him.

Turning to the Ice Queen, she said, “Yes, Patricia. I’m blind as a bat. I wouldn’t be able to see the aisle—much less walk down it—without my glasses.”

The woman frowned. “At least take them off for the pictures afterward. Glasses can reflect and make for incredibly bad photographs. We wouldn’t want to mar Wake’s day.” She sighed. “It’s almost time.” Patricia leaned over and gently touched her cheek to Sydney’s.

The gesture moved her because Patricia had never shown Sydney any kind of affection during the last three years. She remained distant through all the wedding planning, though she’d insisted that the couple do premarital counseling and sign a prenuptial agreement.

Before Sydney could express her gratitude and hope that today would mark a new beginning in their relationship, Patricia warned, “You better make my son happy, Sydney. He deserves your undivided attention. That means catering to his every whim. See that you place his career above your own. If you don’t, I’ll make sure he gets rid of you.”

So much for thinking she might have found a new mother. At least Patricia never changed. She put Wake first and foremost. Always. Sydney understood it. She accepted it.

“Wake has made me very happy, Patricia. You know there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him.”

Actually, Wake was often selfish