Steam rolls off me while I glare at Nathan.
Who does he think he is? Deanna is my wife. I don’t care whether or not she has a ring on her finger. She is still my legal wife, and no one can have her.
Ryan’s tight grip on my shoulder snaps me out of my silent attack. “Con, you need to keep your cool. You need to win her over instead of trying to trample your competition. You might push her away if you come off too strong. Remember what Dotty told you. Keep your cool and stand beside her. Don’t try to bulldoze anyone over, especially not the employees.” He pauses for a moment and then whispers, “Unless they deserve it.”
I pause for a moment while I let his words sink in.
After a few seconds, I sigh and tear my eyes away from Nathan just as he asks, “So, did you hear anything from our potential new customer from Friday?”
I
I run my hand through my hair and sigh. Connor still hasn’t returned either my phone calls or his mother’s, nor has he returned any of my messages. I have even called the company and his assistant would only tell me that my son is out of town, along with Ryan, on a business trip.I turn and pace back in the other direction along the front of my desk.I wish I would have researched the company a little bit more. All I remember is that it is some company in the Midwest. I also remember that one manager is making waves in the business world, but beyond that, I know nothing. I don’t even know the company’s name.I glance down at the phone in my hand. Who can I call to try and get some information?It isn’t like I can fly there. I don’t have enough money to do that, but maybe I can get Brett to go visit Connor and talk him into coming back home.I can&r
Once again, I stand frozen outside the break room. When are these women going to stop being like this?Sherrie’s voice spills from the room. “Did you see those two gorgeous hunks working in the bitch’s office? Oh my. I would love to have either of them. They are both sexy and those muscles are just to die for. They may try to hide it, but I can see the outline of their chests against their shirts. Yummy.”Another woman chimes, “Oh, yes. I saw that too. I think I was even drooling. Do you think they are married?”Sherrie snorts and replies, “I didn’t see any rings on their fingers, so I’m thinking that they aren’t married.”A third woman says, “No. The blonde hunk has a ring on. I’m sure I saw it. I think he is married.”Wait. A ring. Is Connor wearing a wedding ring? 
I follow Deanna back into the house, with Ryan and Dotty right behind me. We all left the office earlier than normal to make sure Deanna would be back home in time for her first session with Dr. Davis.As she sways her hips in front of me, my eyes roam down her back. Her long golden blonde hair sways back and forth across her back. My focus scans farther down her back to her tiny waist and then to her round butt, which is hidden under her black skirt. Luckily, the skirt is tight enough to give me the outline of her alluring butt.Man, she looks amazing.I take a deep breath and instead of calming myself down, I get a whiff of her perfume, which instantly takes me back to the one and only night of wild passion we shared.Heat instantly surges through my body as my shaft comes alive.She doesn’t have any idea what her mere presence does to me. If she would turn around right now w
I sit silently on the couch in Cliff’s office with Connor still right beside me and his arm wrapped around my shoulders. I don’t know whether to look up at him or not. I have never planned on letting anyone sit with me and hear the things I talk to Dr. Davis about.However, through the entire session Connor sat silently next to me, providing me comfort and his reassurance that he was here to help me.Now that the session has ended and the doctor has left, the two of us still sit quietly in the office.As the silence continues to drag on for minutes, doubt seeps into my mind. Will Connor hate me for the things he heard? Will he reject me now?I fight the urge to snuggle into his warmth and instead, clear my throat. While I stare blankly at the floor, I softly whisper, “Do you hate me now? If you want nothing to do with me, I’ll understand.”My heart pounds against my
I keep one arm wrapped around her tiny waist as she opens up the book. Over the past few hours, my heart has shattered so many times. I didn’t know she went through all of that. I couldn’t even imagine what her pains was like when she lost our boys, but that was on top of so many other things. I turn my focus to the first page of the photo album. A small smile spreads across my face as I scan through the various pictures of a pregnant Deanna lining the page. Guilt washes over me. I should have tried harder to find her. I rest my chin on her shoulder and whisper, “Tell me about each of the pictures. Please.” She takes a shaky breath and then nods. My smile widens as I look down at the various pictures. She is so beautiful. I can’t wait to see her like this again with our next child. She points her finger to the far top left picture and in a whisper, s
I’m still fuming, and it has just been a day since I’ve talked with Connor. How could he leave a decision like that up to someone else? Plus, who is this person? I march down the hall of our mansion and barge into my father’s office. As soon as I step inside, I bark, “Where is Connor at? I need to go there.” My father looks up from his desk and shakes his head. “I don’t know. I was hoping you could figure it out. I can’t get any information from his assistant or his staff. Maybe if you try, you can find out.” My blood boils as I stomp my way across the room and in front of his desk. “What do you mean you don’t know? Why aren’t they telling you anything?” He shakes his head again and leans back in his chair. “I don’t know. I can only guess that Connor has told them not to say anything to me about his activities or whereabouts. That is why I asked you to help me.”
I glance next to me at Connor, who is putting food onto my plate. This is the second morning in a row where he has done this. I still can’t quite believe it myself, but I’m going to savor these moments together, which also includes him sleeping beside me these past few nights.I must admit this is the first time I’ve been able to sleep sound through the night without waking up at some point from one of my terrible nightmares.A faint smile dances onto my face as I continue to silently watch him put my favorite things on my plate.A warmth spreads through my heart.Can I finally let myself trust him? He has proven himself several times, and each time he has stood beside me.Cliff clears his throat at the end of the end. “Connor, how long are you and Ryan planning on staying with us? I’m not trying to get rid of you, but I kind of want to know. If you are
I still can’t believe I’m going back home.I don’t know how I got talked into doing this. Wait. Yes, I do.All Connor has to do is look at me with his crystal-blue eyes, and I agree to anything he wants. It doesn’t even shock me knowing that I’m going to be staying with him at his penthouse, while Dotty and her parents stay at a nearby hotel.However, that isn’t my biggest concern right now.No. It is everything else this town represents that has my stomach in knots and beads of sweat lining my forehead.I glance out the private airplane’s window as I take a shaky breath. I mentally chant to myself that I can do this.Connor leans over and kisses the top of my head.I can’t fight back the small smile that bubbles out. However, I won’t admit it, but I’m getting used to him doing this all the time and
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