Unscentable
Chapter 19

Izzy POV

Izzy was dancing on the dance floor in their family home ballroom, at the family estate in Maine. Her sister Joanie, looked so very happy as she was being twirled around by her new husband, Mason. They'd met 2 years ago at one of Joanie's friends engagement party and hit it off been together ever since. Mason had proposed a year after they met and were now married. Lucky girl just 24.

Izzy herself was still looking for Mr Right. She knew most of the people in this room, knew nearly all of the single men in there. None of them were her Mr Right. Downed her 5th or 6th glass of champagne.

She was one of 6 children. She had 4 other sisters, as well as Joanie. One was already married, two were getting married within the next 12 months, and one was, like her, still hunting Mr Right. She had no brothers, still irked her father.

He was very old-fashioned, wanted to hand his business over to a son, a man to take over, not a woman.

Her sister Cordelia, the eldest, also single, had gotten her business degree and had worked along side their father for nearly 15 years now, was the next in line to take over, but their father was a very stubborn man, and was not going to relinquish control to her until she was married to someone he thought was suitable to hand the company to, not her, but her husband.

Cordelia worked damned hard to attain her status within the family company, had in fact worked her way up from the ground floor. Her father had shown her no favouritism, still didn't in fact, was disappointed that she was not married to a suitable man of his choosing.

Cordelia at this point was out right refusing to bow down to his demand, and was more than capable of taking over and running the company.

Izzy herself had also disappointed her father, when she had moved clear across the country and away from the man he wanted her to marry. Who was here at this wedding, this evening himself. He was one of her father's junior business partners. Likely if she had married him, that man would be the one inheriting the family business.

He had stepped up to her twice already, left his date at his table to do so, in fact. Asked her to dance with him, he smiled at her, thinking his good looks would sway her into forgetting what he'd done. She had declined him on both instances.

This attention had not gone un-noticed by her sister Cordelia, who had walked over to her and looked right at her, "You're not going to get back with him are you?" she'd asked.

Izzy knew Cordelia was worried that if Izzy did take the man back, she would loose the chance to inherit the family business, and it really was what she wanted, mostly to prove to their father that a woman could do his job. Though she had worked hard and wanted to earn it, she had earned it as far as Izzy was concerned.

Izzy had told her "Not even if he was the last man on earth." Saw Cordelia smiled and nod then just walked away happy that Izzy wasn't about to be married off to a man they both knew their father wanted to hand the company over to. He was from a well-to-do family in New York, and a marriage alliance suited both families, but Izzy would not.

She had actually dated him for a full year and a half, set up by both families, thought he was nice, definitely good-looking, and he had treated her very well, till she realised he was actually a pig of a man.

Till she had seen him slide his hand up the leg of one of the female employees at her father's office where he worked, all slow and seductive-like, right up under her skirt, while he'd been talking softly to her, she'd not heard the words, didn't want to. Watching had been enough. Watched as that woman had not stopped him, had actually parted her legs slightly for his hand to go all the way up, which it had.

Obviously, it had been going on for quite a while, Izzy had felt humiliated by his behaviour as she had stood there and watched as her boyfriend at the time, with view to becoming her fiance and husband, had touched that woman so very intimately smiling the whole time at her, hadn't seen Izzy watching them, to involved in what he was doing, had continued to touch her until Izzy had cleared her voice.

Stated "Phillip, when your hand is free." Very angrily.

He'd looked right at her very shocked at being caught, retracted his hand, and had the hide to tell her "it's not what it looks like."

Izzy had seen the woman roll her eyes as if to say, 'Yes it was!

She had ended their relationship right there on the spot. She did not want a man who was going to cheat on her, and by what she had seen, the woman's reaction, she knew it had been going on for quite a while. She'd told her father that she had literally caught Phillip with his hand up a woman's skirt, his fingers inside that woman, and so had left him. When he'd heard from Phillip that she had ended things with him.

To her shock, her father had still tried to convince her to take him back, telling her that sometimes, men just have needs that one woman alone can't meet. Izzy had been mortified by this, that he'd not even cared that she'd been hurt by Phillip, that he still wanted her to marry him, even though he was cheating on her.

This had made her understand a lot more about her own parents somewhat strained her relationship at the time. All her life, on the surface and out in public, her parents were the perfect couple, but behind closed doors, there were heated conversations and separate bedrooms since she was like 10.

They ate separately, and both of her parents had their own apartments in the city away from the family estate where she and her sisters had grown up. Although her father had always had an apartment in the city, she knew her mother had not gotten one until Joanie was 18.

It was likely that her father was just like Phillip, a cheating pig of a man always. Izzy just hoped that her own mother had someone too. As she watched them now, if you never saw them behind closed doors, you would think they were still perfect for each other, they were smiling and laughing, he had his arm around her waist and she was all leaned into him. They looked happy and to be in love.

It made Izzy more than a little sad, though she was now used to seeing it, and knew it was so very wrong, she herself wanted a man that would only have eyes for her, and that was not such an easy thing to replace. Even on date's men's eyes wandered. As soon as this happened, she ended things. If they were looking while dating her, she believed they were not really interested in her.

Izzy didn't consider herself to be gorgeous in any way, but she knew she was pretty, and she was loyal and had a really good work ethic, she earned a good living and with that promotion, she couldn't wait to be heading overseas, was mostly packed for her move now too. Was getting a fully paid apartment for a whole year, a company car, and would be the actual store manager.

The money was good too, got a massive pay raise, and all her travel was paid. Piper really was spoiling her and she knew it.

The new store was nearly ready, had spoken to Paul, their building contractor, just 2 days ago, everything was on time. A few hick-ups along the way, but nothing Paul had not expected and been able to deal with. He was a very capable man. Izzy was also looking forward to a change of scenery, a taste of the Aussie men too. She smiled to herself, perhaps Mr Right was actually Australian, and that's why she'd not met him yet.

"Isobelle, sweetheart." It was her father, Bryan Jenkins, an advertising mogul. He took her hand in his "Come dance with your father." he puled her out onto the dance floor. He was a 60 year old man who looked maybe 50, kept himself healthy and fit, had a personal trainer, a dietitian and a chef to make sure he ate properly.

"Yes father." she smiled up at him, though it was not a genuine smile, she had already seen him with Phillip after she had refused to dance with the man, like 10 minutes ago, they had both been looking right at her, she had not liked the vibe, had felt that before. "Phillip would really like to dance with you, Isobelle.

He's a changed man." he told her calmly, as he swept her around the dance floor.

"I highly doubt that father, once a cheater, always a cheater."

He frowned right down at her, disapproval written all over his facial expression at her loudly spoken words.

"He's still willing to marry you. Even with that crude tongue of yours."

"Is he. I'm sure his date over there." she shot up at him, reminding her father that the man had a current girlfriend and that she was here, showing her full well.

He had not changed one bit. Wanted his cake and to eat it too. "Would love to hear that. She looks like she thinks he's completely hers."

"He will leave her for you, just sewing his oats while you are away is all." Izzy snorted "For you, you mean, for the company he'll get out of it." she did not believe for a single second that Phillip actually wanted her, just wanted what he would gain from her father by marrying her. "Stop that, Isobelle, he'll sign a prenup and be loyal to you. I've already discussed it with him, written up the prenup even."

She was glaring at him now. "Then I suggest you tear it up. I told you already I am moving to Australia in a month, that I am never going to marry him, he's a pig of a man." she yanked herself from her father's grip and turned to walk away, only to replace herself facing Phillip himself.

He smiled down at her, she gritted her teeth as he grabbed right on to both her hands and started to dance with her, "Now Isobelle, you must forgive me, come home. I was young and I am willing to admit stupid." His voice was soft and cajoling "Give up this nonsense and come back to me, it's where you belong."

Izzy tried to pull herself free of him, but unlike her father who had let go, and now she realised why, because Phillip had been right there to grab on to her.

Phillip was not about to let go so easily. He had one hell of a grip on both her hands, almost painful, she realised.

"I'm not interested, let go of me." she grated out.

"The deal is practically done Isobelle, stop being childish and marry me already." he stated, all arrogant and self assured.

"Childish?" she snapped in an angry hiss, trying not to make a scene at her sister's wedding "I'm not the one, who got caught red-handed."

"Oh, that." he rolled his eyes "it was a one-off thing. It won't happen again."

"You're right about that, it won't because I will not be coming back to you." she stomped right on his foot as hard as she could, and heard him gasp, let go out of sheer reflex, glaring right at her. Izzy didn't care, she turned and walked away. They were not going to rail road her into a marriage alliance.

Was stalking her way across the dance floor when she saw them, Mr Yummy and the other guy from the walkbys of Pipers store. They were both dressed in suits and ties, fitted in well with the crowd, just noticeably taller and more muscular, she realised, actually stood out quite a bit.