Cheating Hearts Ch 04

Sorry for the long wait, but anyway here is chapter 4. Thank you so much for the comments. They keep me going.

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Mrs Read was in when Jasmine visited Luke's offices. She could see the younger woman's nerves were stretched to braking point and was quick to show her into Luke's office.

Jasmine wasted no time getting straight to the point so much so she did not even give Luke a chance to rise from his desk, or Mrs Read to leave the office. "Alright Luke Randall I will marry you."

Luke smiled. "I am glad you were finally able to see sense." Both Luke and Jasmine ignored the stunned woman before them.

Mrs Read's gaze shifted from one to the other as if she could read the answer to this big puzzle on their faces.

Jasmine threw down the note from Luke's lawyer. "If I had sense I would have never involved myself with you, but your lawyer's threats were most convincing."

"That will be all Mrs Read." Luke waited until the other woman had closed the door behind her before he addressed his fiancé. "Since that's settled I will have my lawyer draw up a prenuptial agreement right away."

"As long as you give me enough time for my lawyer to review it. I will also like enough time to put inputs on how best to protect my interests." Jasmine was not going to let Luke walk all over her, just because he had won this round did not mean the war was over.

"What interests?" Luke asked rather surprised, but that was nothing compared to the smile she gave him. A smile that had him imagining whether her beautiful nude body looked more beautiful like as her face a face that glowing because of the pregnancy. He had not really paid much attention to pregnant women before, maybe every woman looked extra special during that time.

"I am not going to let you push me out of their lives, and neither do I plan to be your whore ever again." Jasmine retorted. She remained standing wanting to be done with this as quickly as possible. She had no choice, but to capitulate for the present time, but had no intention of going along meekly with everything he wanted.

"I have never forced a woman to my bed Jasmine. You should know that better than anyone. I am not about to start now." He could see that she had the grace to feel shame by her flushed cheeks.

"I want this marriage to be in name only." She was not going allow her body to rule her body ever.

"I have no problem with that, so if that's all I have to get back to my work." Luke dismissed her.

Jasmine walked away with her head held high.

The prenuptial agreement was a surprise. It did not state that it was a marriage in name only, because that would defeat the purpose of marriage. But it was surprisingly very fair to Jasmine. In the event of their splitting up they will have joint custody of the twins, and Luke would pay child support as well as alimony, but Jasmine had that scratched out. She wanted the monthly allowance he wanted her to have while they were married scratched out as well, but Luke will not budge on that one. She was his wife, he wanted her to look like it, even though she would not act like it.

They managed to finally agree and from then on things moved quickly. Luke wanted a small wedding at a chapel for appearances' sake, but Jasmine put her foot down. They got married in a judge's office a week later after jasmine's visit to Luke' s office, with only Mrs Read as a witness.

Beth had seemed to understand the need for marriage after Jasmine gave her the Lawyer's letter stating Luke's intention to sue her for custody, but was not at all pleased with it. She had still not really wrapped her head around Luke and Jasmine together, but she had not time to dwell on it as she was going away for a modelling shoot. She did manage to wish Jasmine luck however believing the younger woman would really need it.

Jasmine had thought that they would be living in Luke's Penthouse, but Luke surprised her with a house.

She loved the old red brick manor house outside the city, but within fair driving distance, but would not give him the satisfaction of knowing he had managed to surprise her in a good way. Though the house was big with three stories, it was not flashy like the penthouse, which had simply screamed bachelor. The house would have been a perfect home if they had been getting married for the right reasons. She did not object to his organising a housekeeper and other staff to help with the big house and gardens as she had her studies to concentrate on. She did not want to fall behind. Nor did she object to the SUV he bought for her. It really made life easier. Their living arrangement were not overall bad, so far over the past month they have managed not to kill each other and behave civilly towards the other. They had dinner together and shared the same bed, because Luke said people talked and had no desire to see their marriage being publicly questioned.

She stayed as far away from him as possible and it should have been possible to manage that all night in a king sized bed, but unfortunately Jasmine was growing bigger everyday and needed more and more space. She wound up wrapped in his arms each morning.

Luke was not complaining about her turning to him at night. But he would have never believed that he would enjoy holding a sleeping woman in his arms if it was not post coital? Not that she had lost the ability to arouse him. It was the latter, she had reduced him to beating himself off every morning like some horny teenager. He could not understand why he could not just get a lover like any man denied marital rights would. He came into contact with beautiful women every day, some threw themselves on him, but he could not bring himself to take the bait. Something was definitely wrong because Luke knew himself to have a high sex drive, and he was not getting any.

On a bright Saturday morning Jasmine received a visitor. She rushed to the sitting room where the housekeeper had sat the visitor thinking it was Beth. The woman standing by the sliding windows gazing out into the garden was not a tall blonde, she was barely five foot and she was slender with jet black hair. She looked to be in her late 40's. She was to learn later, that it was actually early 50's.

"Good morning." Jasmine said, as the woman turned to fully face her.

"Good morning." She said brightly. "I thought even Luke would not be working on a Saturday."

Her voice was soft slightly accented and friendly as she moved forward hands outstretched.

Jasmine though taken aback by the stranger wanting to hug her nevertheless leaned forward and accepted the warm hug.

"I waited for the honeymoon period to be over so I could meet you my dear. I am Consuela Randall." The older woman understood the younger's shock, but she herself had not expected a visibly pregnant bride.

"You are Luke's mother. But my sister..." She stopped at the confused older woman' eyes and then explained while blushing. "Luke' ex wife said he told her his parents had died." She shook her head, a bewildered look in her eyes. There had been no one from his side of the family at Luke and Elizabeth's wedding, just like with their, only this time there was no one from her family as well.

"I am sure Luke wishes it were so, but I am very much alive, though his father has passed away." An intense look of pain crossed the woman's eyes, but then she visibly brightened and turned to Jasmine. "I unfortunately missed both weddings since I received no invitation, but I heard about his recent marriage to you from a friend." She did not elaborate that Luke's lawyer Lee Brent who had been Matthias's lawyer and best friend fed her every scrap of information regarding her son' life, but Lee himself had been taken by surprise, by Luke's first wedding. None of them had ever thought Luke would get married, never mind going through it twice, and sisters at that. But his second wife's pregnancy made more sense to her now.

Jasmine was just about to organise refreshments and seat their guest when both women heard the quick seemingly angry male steps making their way to the sitting room.

Luke came in dressed casually in jeans and a white dress shirt. He had gone into the office to pick something up, and had said he would not be long because he wanted them to go shopping for baby things. She had been shocked he wanted to be involved in that, but the Luke who came in now was vastly different from the one who had tried to be charming this morning. He was in a towering murderous rage.

"What the hell are you doing in my home?" Luke demanded, almost seeing red. He had seen her car parked outside. It was a bright green Porsche hard to miss and familiar. A present from his late father to a woman he had cherished, and loved beyond reason.

"Get out....

"Luke you cannot speak to your mother like...

"Stay out of this Jasmine. I want this murderous bitch out of my house right this minute." Luke said and Jasmine watched his mother flinch as if he had slapped her. She tried to speak, but Consuela held up her hand.

"I had hoped that time will have helped you to calm down and listen to my side of the story. That everything is not as black and white as you want it to be. I am sorry I came, but glad at the same time. Take care of your new wife Luke. She is a keeper." A woman who will defend a complete stranger because she felt she was being mistreated was a good woman. She was crying as she made her way out of the house.

"Luke." She moved closer to him. He still looked angry, but so lost as well, she wanted to take him into her arms.

He almost fell into her arms too, but turned silently and walked away, and Jasmine could have sworn there was a sheen of wetness in his eyes. Who was Luke Randall, what could that poor woman have done to make him hate her so, and distrust all women. If there was something she had learned over the past month was that Luke was not really the hard unfeeling man he projected to the world. She had seen him concerned over her health, how he really wanted to be involved in the pregnancy, and how he interacted with people who worked for him, he knew their names and about their personal lives. She had overheard him asking Mrs Stephens, their housekeeper about her granddaughter who had just started school. And then he turns around and calls his own mother a bitch.

Jasmine sighed, did she really want to open herself up to this man emotionally, and risk getting hurt again when he rejected her? She knew she had been half way in love with him before the night that had resulted in the twins, and that it will take little for her to be head over heels in love with him.

Unfortunately she was not given a choice about getting involved when a few days later her mother in law called her and asked her to lunch. She wanted to refuse, but the pain and loneliness in the other woman's voice prevented her from doing that. And anyway did she owe Luke her loyalty, after all they were not truly man and wife, they were more like enemies. That was no longer true at all. Luke and she were trying to find some harmony. She had not really forgiven him for forcing this marriage, but he has not done anything else since then, nothing to show his power over her, going so far as to consult her with regards to the house. He did not think the previous owners' modern minimalist furniture suited the old house and she agreed with him.

They were getting along which was why she was furtively looking around her as she made her way to the coffee bar they had agreed to meet at.

Consuela did not look so good this time, she looked beaten and desperate, and jasmine's heart went out to her.

She quickly sat, taking her mother in law's hands into her own.

"I should not be forcing you to sneak around on Luke. He hates lies so, but I just need to know something. Is my son happy?"

Jasmine looked down at their clasped hands and then at Luke's mother's face. "The reason behind our marriage is obvious Mrs Randall....

Consuela blanched. "No please call me Consuela." She did not want to think of the time she had been Mrs Randall. How happy she had been once, and then one foolish act had destroyed not just her whole world, but her family and Luke, her beautiful loving son. She did not deserve his forgiveness or love, but she longed for them with all her heart.

"I am dying, and I need to do everything I can to help my son become the man he was meant to be, not the bitter stranger he is now." Consuela could see she had shocked the younger woman. She could see the sympathy in her eyes. She was saddened by the fact that she will never know her better.