I stare at my computer monitor, but my brain won’t process the information. The only thing that my mind keeps doing is playing yesterday’s event repeatedly. Not only his actions are running on an endless loop, but so are his words, along with my lack of response.
The look of anger boiling out of him when Nathan told him about my regular appointments. If he only knew where I go all the time, he would probably run for the hills. However, that secret is one he must never find out about.
I take a bite out of my bagel. A soft moan falls from my lips as the strawberry cream cheese hits my tongue.
At least I stopped on my way to work this morning and got something to eat. I have to say that this hits the spot.
As I’m taking another bite, Dotty walks into my office. “So, you left early again today. I was going to ask if you ate anything, but I see you stopped and picked up something. 
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I run my hand through my hair and march across the room. How dare she prevent me from seeing her? I couldn’t even get past the front desk today. I groan as I get to the end of the room and turn back the other direction, while running my hand through my hair again. The hotel room door opens. I glance up as I continue marching across the room and sigh, as Ryan kicks the door shut with his foot while his hands are full of bags. The aroma of burgers and fries fills the room, but for once, it doesn’t smell appetizing to me. He shakes his head. “Why did you even go there? Didn’t we talk about trying to use the project and partnership as a way to get her to see and talk to you? You know you are digging yourself a hole by doing this.” He walks past me to the coffee table and sets the bags down. I shake my head as I continue pacing. “I don’t know. I just had to see her
I slowly scan the restaurant. I don’t trust Connor at all. I never know where he will try to talk to me next. The last thing I need is for him to ruin my lunch by suddenly appearing in front of me and making some wild remark about wanting to work beside me or something like that. As I scan through the area again, Dotty taps her finger on the table. “Stop it, Deanna. He isn’t here. Even if he was, I don’t think he would cause a scene. Now, stop this and let's have a wonderful lunch. Mom gave me strict instructions to make sure you have a good meal today. You have been working through your lunches and eating only small amounts of snacks and not any proper food. You need to stop it.” Even though I want to look around the place again, I stop myself from doing it. The corner of my mouth curls downward as a sigh slips from me. “I don’t mean to worry anyone, but I’ve been too worri
I aimlessly stare out the SUV’s passenger window while the music blares and Dotty sings off key along to the old songs. I can’t help but to smile at not only the old songs, but all the memories that come along with them. I still can’t believe that we snuck away without being followed. Well, I hope he hasn’t followed us, but when I look behind the vehicle, I don’t see any familiar cars back there. Earlier, Dotty didn’t even give me any time to change my mind. As soon as we got back to the office, she talked with Cliff and Nathan about our vacation, and they both agreed that I needed one. They almost pushed the two of us out of the office and back to the house. It wasn’t long after that when we hopped in the black SUV, which is normally parked in the back of the garage. She maneuvered through the tight area and went out the back way. I breathed a sigh of relief when we got to the street and it was al
My hand tightens around my phone as I hold it up to ear as I grit my teeth. “What do you mean you don’t know where Deanna is? How do you not know?” The P.I. clears his throat. “Sorry, sir. I was sitting outside the house waiting for them to leave, but they never came back out. I’ve checked around the company. Some staff knows nothing, but I was lucky to find a few that told me that her and Dotty took some days off for a vacation. However, I’m still not sure how they got past me.” Idiot. A bumbling idiot. From the couch, Ryan looks across the hotel room at me and mouths, “What?” I take a deep breath and shake my head as I look down at the floor and turn my attention back to the P.I. on the phone. “Is there anything that you can tell me? You’ve been monitoring her for several days now. There has to be something that you can give me.” Ryan gets up off the couch and walks towa
I look over the top of my wine glass as I take a sip and scan the crowd. This is exactly like how I remember these stupid, boring events are. I don’t know why father said this is a celebration for BW Fashions, because it looks like any other high society event. The same people are all dolled up. The women try to outdo each other with extravagant dresses and heels so high they should be declared weapons. The men aren’t any better. They walk around with their noses in the air in the most expensive suits money can buy. Even my father does the same thing. However, I’m sure I’m going to be lectured for wearing one of my everyday business suits instead of a tuxedo. Well, I don’t even want to be here, so I’m not taking the time to find a tuxedo. However, from the people occasionally looking at Ryan and me and giving us the once over, I’m sure some nasty rumor is spreading about me. Here’s a news flash
I lean back in the lounge chair in my string bikini and close my eyes while I lay with my legs slightly open for optimal exposure. The sun’s rays soak deeps into my body, almost warming me from the inside out, while the gently breeze dances around and caresses my skin. Not surprisingly, it happens to now be a shade darker than the first day we arrived. I don’t want to admit it, but this has been relaxing. However, this is our last day. Cliff called this morning letting us know that we have another meeting with WW Enterprises, but this time only with Ryan. Connor isn’t able to make it. I breathed a sigh of relief, but I can’t rejoice yet. A small part of me knows Connor won’t give up yet. Since we have little time left in our small oasis, Dotty and I are thoroughly enjoying ourselves. First thing tomorrow morning, we will make the long trip back home. Surprisingly, a part of me wishes we could
Dotty smiles and turns towards the shore while I get up, not wanting to hear any of it.Anger pulses through my veins with each step as I march into the house and head straight for the bedroom. I slam the door behind me, stopping only long enough to lock the door before I stomp over to my bags and grab some clothes.As I go to step into the bathroom, Dotty’s playful voice seeps into the room. “Oh, she wasn’t feeling well, so she went inside for a while. I’m sure she will come back out when she is feeling better.”Not feeling good. Not even close.I walk into the bathroom and close the blinds, making sure no one can see inside. I grumble under my breath and curse my friend. However, in the back of my mind, I know she is doing this to help me move on, but I would rather move on in my own time.I untie my bikini strings and let the tiny bits of fabric fall to the floor
I cross my arms over my chest and take a deep breath.Why can’t my father understand what I’m trying to say? I don’t care what his plans are. It still doesn’t negate the fact that I legally can’t be married to more than one woman at a time. Plus, I don’t want to be married to anyone but my current wife, even if she isn’t talking to me right now.I glare across the room at my father as he sits on the couch, with my mother beside him. Luckily, my brother and his wife aren’t home right now. I don’t know if I could take all of them again. That horrendous company event was enough for a while.My father slides to the edge of the couch and matches my glare with one of his own as he points his finger at me. “The deal is final. There is no backing out of it. You have no choice.”I raise an eyebrow and snort. “No choice.&nb
Dotty and her mom walk into my bedroom as I stand in front of the mirror, making sure I look perfect. My off-white silk wedding dress shimmers in the afternoon light as I shift from side to side, looking at it from every angle. A smile dances around on my face while my eyes sparkle. My attention soon drifts down to my stomach, and my smile widens. The silky material falls loosely across my large baby bump. I gently caress my stomach and whisper, “This is it, babies. I’m finally getting the wedding I’ve always wanted.” Dotty smiles and wraps her arm around my shoulders as she looks down at my stomach. “Kiddos, your mommy is finally getting everything she deserves. Not only is your daddy giving her the gorgeous wedding she deserves, but he has agreed to stay here with us.” Her mother lightly slaps her shoulder. “Stop hugging her. You are going to wrinkle her wedding dress.” She then looks at me throu
My palms glisten and my stomach twists as the nurse leads us back to the exam room. With each step, my mind goes wild with the various reasons for why I’m tired lately. However, none of them really makes any sense. I quickly wipe my hands against my pants as I take a deep breath. Connor wraps his arm around my waist and kisses the side of my head. “Don’t worry too much, love. We are here to take some simple tests and then we will hopefully have some answers soon. Okay.” I glance at him out of the corner of my eye as I tentatively nod my head. He kisses the side of my head again and whispers, “I’m going to be right here next to you. Don’t worry. I’m sure it isn’t anything serious.” I take another deep breath. I wish I could be that confident, but my history reminds of what could go wrong. The nurse stops in front of an open door. “You will be in here. Please have a
My gut tells me something is wrong with Deanna. I don’t know what, but I’m not taking any chances.I work like a madman trying to get everything done in a short period of time, so we can go back to the Midwest.I completely ignore my father and mother. I did the only thing I could, and that is I got him his lawyer. However, his lawyer wouldn’t even take the case until I gave him a hefty retainer. I didn’t want to ask how much my father owed him, but I figure I gave him enough money to cover everything.Unfortunately, it hasn’t stopped my mother from trying to bug me, but I let my security handle it, both at the office and at my apartment. In addition, I have removed her name from the approved list of people who can visit me.I have also let Dotty and her parents know what is going on. So, if I need to have backup, I have it when we get back there. With Deanna’s
Dotty’s voice booms from my phone. “If you don’t come back here right now, I’m going there. How can you let yourself get so run down that you nearly faint at work? Is Connor not taking good enough care of you?”I shake my head and stare out the bedroom window. “It isn’t like that, and you know it. Connor has been taking good care of me. We have been under a lot of stress lately. You know that full well. I’m sure it has finally caught up to me. There is nothing to worry about, though.”I glance around the room. “Connor has me resting in bed right now. He said he wasn’t going to take no, so I gave in. Everything will be fine. Now, stop worrying.”She sighs. “I’m just concerned, especially after what you went through before. I don’t want a repeat of it.”I slide under t
Connor and I walk into his office building. What little smile we can muster is barely visible as we walk through the lobby. The bags under our eyes show everyone exactly what we have been going through. Even though we should be going back to the Midwest and to my job there, we are still in the city and dealing with his issues here. A slight yawn escapes my mouth as I try to acknowledge the receptionist as we walk by. She smiles back at us, but it doesn’t reach her eyes as her eyebrows knot together. I need a hot cup of herbal tea. I’ll be good then. Connor places his hand on my back and whispers, “Do you need to take a nap? You can sleep in my office if you can’t stay awake.” I sigh and shake my head. “No. I have too much to do. If for some reason I get too tired, I’ll just lay down on your couch and take a small cat nap.” “Uhm. Okay. I’m assuming you nee
Why did I let my mother talk me into this? I keep telling Deanna to not let her parents affect her, and here I am letting my mother talk me into leaving with her for a private talk. However, this isn’t really a private talk at all.I glance around the table and politely smile at Mr. Gold while I ignore my father. I then turn my attention back to my mother. “What is this all about? I have work to do, and I need to get back to the office.”She flashes me a sweet smile and reaches across the table to pat my hands. However, I yank my hands away before she can touch me.Her smile falters a bit as she stares at me. “Son, we need to have a very important conversation with you. This is the best way to do it without having any interruptions.”Interruptions. She is worried about interruptions.Anger rushes through my veins. I grit my teeth and growl, &
I stare down at my herbal tea as I sigh. What am I going to do now? Dotty’s voice booms from my phone, and I instantly pull it away from my ear. “Stop doing that! You have talked about this before. Shoot, even you and I have talked about this. Neither of your parents deserves to be called your parents. Your parents have abandoned you and even when given the chance, they still ignore you like the plague. While Connor’s parents seem to only want to use him for whatever stupid scheme, his father is cooking up. So, stop giving them the benefit of the doubt.” I slowly put the phone back to my ears as I nod. “I know we have talked about it, but it isn’t quite the same thing as when you see it with your own eyes. I don’t want to be the reason Connor has a strained relationship with his mother.” “Ugh… Girl, you are really trying my patience here. Stop treating them special because s
The look of defeat on Brett’s face still floats around in my mind. I have never seen him look like that, even when he was dealing with his family. However, this particular blow seems to have been a little too close to home. I sigh and stare out the window and across the city’s horizon. For once, I’m alone in Connor’s office while he has another meeting with a few department heads on another project. However, I’m not in the mood to sit there while everyone looks at me with either envy or disgust. As my focus drifts to the sky and some wispy few clouds floating along, my thoughts go back to Connor’s father and the board’s decision. Will his luck finally run out? However, I think the bigger question is will the board actually follow through with their threat this time. Connor has given me a complete history of his father and the things he has done. In addition, he has explained how he became the CEO at
My stomach sinks as my assistant explains what the board has decided to do.A part of me knows this is the right thing, but another part of me still wants to protect my father. However, I don’t think he deserves any protection right now, especially after some things he has done lately.I can also breathe a sigh of relief since the board isn’t holding me accountable for anything my father does. Most of them remember what he did in the past. Plus, his recent slips of judgement have sealed his own fate.As my smile fades and turns into a deep frown, I turn so Deanna can’t see my expression. However, I know it is already too late.I run my hand through my hair as everything slowly sinks into my brain.Deanna’s concerned voice keeps me from turning my back around completely to her. “Connor, did something bad happen? Is the board going to go after your father