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until the big day.
    The thought made her stomach catch. So little time to get used to it. So little time before she would be calling herself Jade Vandenmeer.
    And yet she knew, instinctively, that she had made the right choice.
     
    * * * *
     
    Jade closed her eyes for a moment as the elevator doors opened, breathing in the familiar, welcome scent that always greeted her on the top floor of the Bellagio.
    They had arrived back yesterday after three weeks in New York City. Despite the glinting jewel on her finger, Jade had found herself floundering in first-date nerves. What had happened in Vegas could have stayed in Vegas, but back in New York things were suddenly very real—and just a little unnerving. She had pulled Will aside immediately after they got off the plane and insisted on dating him properly for the few weeks they had.
    I refuse to be carried away by wedding planning and amazing sex. I need to know you outside of that—I need to know I’m right about you.
    And Will had agreed.
    Their first official date had been at the Sanctuary. Jade had raised an eyebrow at this, but Will had explained his reasoning—security. Having a recognisable face, the last thing he wanted on a date—especially a first date—was to have a camera or microphone shoved into it. The Sanctuary was a safe haven in more ways than one.
    It also served very good food. Over a bottle of champagne and a bowl of squid ink pasta, Jade had admired the surroundings and bantered back and forth with Will about anything and everything.
    Will was—entertaining. Fun. Intense. He was passionate about his work, yet never took business calls at dinner. His eyes would light up whenever she hit on a topic he was interested in, and their conversation would flash and glow for hours, hopping from one point to another, never getting dull.
    He had been fascinated to hear about her own career.
    “So what do you do for a living? I don’t think you ever said.”
    “I’m an EFL teacher. I spent a year teaching in Japan.”
    “Wow. That’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to go.”
    “Seriously? You’ve never been to Japan?” Somehow Jade had assumed that every rich businessman would have been there.
    “Nope. One of many places, actually. We’ll have to go sometime.”
    He had even suggested it for their honeymoon, but Jade had managed to strike a compromise. They had booked one week in Tokyo and one on a beach in Thailand.
    After three packed weeks of private restaurants, wedding planning and nights spent in Will’s apartment—which Jade had been unsurprised to discover was a penthouse at the top of an extremely expensive skyscraper—they were back in Las Vegas for their wedding. The previous night Will had arranged a helicopter flight out to the Grand Canyon for a candlelit dinner, something Jade had known was possible—Leonie had found it in one of her Vegas wedding brochures—but had never expected to experience.
    “This is the most amazing place I have ever seen.”
    Will had smiled lazily from the other side of the table, a forkful of shrimp risotto halfway to his mouth. “There are so many places I want to show you.”
    And there were so many things, and places, Jade wanted to be shown.
    Now Will stepped behind Jade and unfastened her emerald necklace, dropping it into his pocket. Jade said nothing, recognising what this meant.
    The collar.
    It was in its box on her bedside table. As they entered the room, Will closed and locked the door while Jade retrieved the sparkling band of leather, sweeping her hair aside to bare her throat for him.
    “Good,” was Will’s only comment. His breath tickled the nape of her neck as the collar brushed her skin, and Jade shivered as he unzipped her dress and unfastened her bra. “Strip for me.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    She slid the dress over her arms, letting it drop to the floor along with her bra. As she untied the sides of her panties, Will moved to stand in front of her, holding out his hand, which was