Until Asher.
16
Asher
Reginald Donovan’s whole head is bright red. Fire sparks in his eyes as steam curls out of his ears. “You bastard,” he sneers, leaning his knuckles on my desk.
I lean back, tenting my fingers in front of my chest. Popping a brow, I look the man up and down. The buttons of his poor shirt are straining against the effort of remaining closed. His hair is sticking up at odd angles, and it looks like he ran the whole way here. Not that he’d be able to run very far. Cruel, tangy satisfaction tickles my tongue as I allow myself to smile. “Hello, Reggie.”
“Don’t fucking Reggie me, you piece of shit.” Spittle flies from his mouth, spraying my forehead with saliva.
The diamond mines have been all over the news. I’ve been doing interviews and press releases day in, day out. The people of Nord are happy about the new industry, and Gerhard, Inc. has gotten more good press since the announcement than we do in a full year. The partnership with NRG is the best deal I’ve made in years.
Suck on that, Logan.
I have Penelope to thank for it—and I’ve been making sure to make that clear in every interview I have. She might be the Ice Queen of Nord, but she deserves the credit for this.
Shaking out a handkerchief, I dab Reginald’s spit off my face. “I assume you heard about the diamond fields near Roston.”
“You snake. You little fucking dog. I bet your father’s happy with you. Did he give you a tasty little dog treat, you…you…you…”
“If you’re going to keep calling me names, Reggie, I’m going to have you escorted out of here.”
“How did you get an application in so fast? My contacts at the government told me I was the only applicant interested in the land in Roston.”
“I guess your contacts were wrong.” I don’t even attempt to hide my grin, enjoying the nice shade of purple that sweeps over Reginald’s cheeks.
“Something’s fishy here.”
“Are you just going down the list of animals, or…?” My grin widens. Nico, sitting in the corner of the room, chokes on a laugh.
Reginald spins around, huffing out a grunt. He walks back and forth across the room, throwing me hateful glares. “I’ll find out who told you about this and wring their neck.”
“Doubtful.”
“You did something illegal. I’ve heard how you operate, Gerhard. You did something wrong, and I’ll find out what it is.”
“You’ll sign on the dotted line and let the Gerhard Corporation absorb your company.”
“Over my dead body.”
“Cute.” I push my chair back, standing up. Turning my back to Reginald, I stare out the Stirling office window at the city sprawled at my feet. I feel like an explorer discovering new lands. Donovan’s protests only make me hungrier for more. More success. More money. More business.
In the distance, the castle gleams in the bright, summer sun. I stare at the building, wondering what Penelope is doing now.
“I’ll never hand my company over to you, Gerhard.”
“Of course not.” I glance over my shoulder, grinning. “You’ll still maintain some control over your operations, Reggie. On paper, at least. The only thing that will change is you’ll have to report to us.”
“I’d rather die.”
“That can be arranged.”
Donovan huffs, kicks the leg of a sofa, and winces. “I found that land months ago. It took weeks to get the geotechnical reports approved to prove the existence of diamonds. Putting the proposal through to purchase the land took even longer. How the hell did you manage it so quickly? A few weeks ago, I was assured no one else knew about it.”
“Someone did,” I answer.
“Who?”
“That, I can’t say.” My eyes flash. I would never throw Penelope under the bus. I’d never tell Donovan or anyone else that she approached me. All Penelope did was tell me about an opportunity and arrange a conversation between me and Mick Burgundy. She had no say in who was sold the land near Roston, or whose application for mining rights was approved. The parliament handled the actual application.
Still, I feel the need to protect her from any criticism. There’s no corruption here, just an opportunity—but would the public see it that way?
Donovan swears, then turns on his heels and leaves without another word. I wait for the door to close behind him, then let out a sigh. Sinking down into my chair, unease gurgles in my stomach.
“He’s mad,” Nico says from his chair on the edge of the room.
I glance at my second-in-command, shrugging more nonchalantly than I feel. “It’s understandable. I scooped his get-out-of-merger-free card out from under his nose.” And I did it with the blessing of the Queen. “He knows he has nowhere to go, and he knows his shareholders will accept the deal we propose. He’s done.”
“How the hell did you manage that? You still haven’t told me your source.”
Scrubbing a hand over my jaw, I glance out the window at the castle again. “Confidential, Nico.”
“Even from me?”
I grin. “Don’t get your panties in a twist. Where’s the progress report on the design of the site offices? We need to break ground within weeks.”
Nico throws me a glance as if to say, I’ll find out your source eventually, which I ignore. He stalks out of the room and I finally release a long breath. My shoulders slump.
What will happen when Penelope finds out about the merger? Will she know I failed to tell her about my interest in Donovan’s company? Will she think I used her for information?
Did I use her? Have I done something wrong here?
Guilt tastes bitter on my tongue. I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve done something I’ll regret—but why would I feel that way? Penelope was clear that she couldn’t influence the approval of the project. We won it fair and square—all she did was tell me about the opportunity. She was also clear that she wanted to keep things professional between us…although our night in Roston wasn’t exactly following those rules.
She’ll find out about this merger, which means she’ll think I lied and used her.
I shouldn’t care. Normally, I wouldn’t. It’s business. Lies are part of the game. Using people is how you get ahead. This is how I’ve become successful, and it’s how I’ll prove to my father that I deserve to inherit the company.
Somehow, though, this feels different. I don’t want to treat Penelope the way I’ve treated others. She deserves better than that…better than me.
Work sends me to Roston as the preparations are made to start construction of the site offices, but my mind is in the capital with Penelope. I learn of an industry gala happening in two weeks’ time and hear a rumor that the Queen might attend. I immediately buy a ticket.
Those two weeks are spent thinking about the merger with Donovan Enterprises, and resigning myself to the fact that I’ll have to be honest with Penelope. I need to tell her about my father’s intentions to take over Reggie Donovan’s company. I need to tell her it was in the works long before she told me about his interests in Nord. I need to tell her the truth—the whole truth—and accept whatever consequences come with that.
She might hate me. She might never want to see me again—but I know I need to open myself up to her. She’s the only person who’s seen me as I am and accepted me. She deserves for me to be truthful to her. She deserves to know about the merger.
If she pushes me away, so be it. I never deserved a woman like her to begin with, so I know I’m on borrowed time. I’m not worthy of a woman like her, let alone a queen. The least I can do is be honest.
By the time the gala rolls around, it’s been three weeks since she stayed at my house in Roston. Three weeks of thinking about her night and day. Three weeks of staring at myself in the mirror and wondering what she saw in me that made her say I was beautiful. A gladiator. The man who walked through fire and lived. Three weeks of worrying I’ll never see that look in her eyes again if I tell her the
truth about Gerhard, Inc. and Donovan Enterprises.
Torture.
The gala is held in a big, glamorous convention center near the castle. It’s a fundraiser for some charitable organization or another. Wine to be poured, dinner to be served, and awards to be handed out. Boring as hell.
There are hundreds of guests, and more than a few eyebrows rise when I walk in the room. Gazes flick down to my neck, where I’ve made no effort to hide my scar. Why should I? I’m not ashamed of what happened to me. It’s like Penelope said—I’m a warrior. Whether that causes disgust, or awe, or strikes fear in the people in this room makes no difference to me.
She was right. I should be proud of where I came from. Proud of my scars because they made me who I am. If I hadn’t suffered those burns, would I have ended up like Logan? A coddled rich boy who expects the world to be handed to him on a silver platter?
The experience I’ve had can’t be traded for anything. I’ve built a reputation for myself despite the scars marring my body—not because of them. So I keep my head held high and resist the urge to touch my jaw and neck. I wear my scars like a badge, daring the other guests to stare. I feel oddly empowered, as if I’ve left the shame of my appearance behind, and I can finally show myself fully.
It’s…incredible. There’s a shift in the other guests, too. They no longer shrink away from me—many of them actually approach me and start speaking to me. A man introduces himself as the union leader for truck drivers. He shakes my hand and congratulates me on the approval of the mining project, then leans in and asks me for a meeting later in the week.
There’s no glance at my neck. No wrinkling of his nose. The only thing in his eyes is…respect.
Is this all because of the way I’m carrying myself? Or is it because of my association with the Queen?
After doing my first round of the room, shaking hands with a few union leaders and industry bigwigs, my heart starts to sink.
No Penelope.
I make it through the main course, craning my neck every time there’s movement near the entrance, and finally give up. Dejected, I head back to my hotel. My shoulders curve inward and it’s hard to keep the scowl off my face.
Am I really so desperate that I just want to catch a glimpse of her? That being in the same room as Penelope gives me a thrill?
It’s not like I can just march up to the castle and ask to see her. She’s kept behind a high fence with hundreds of guards around. I probably wouldn’t even be admitted onto the property, let alone be allowed into her presence.
She made it very clear what she wants from me—professionalism. Even after our night in the kitchen in Roston, she told me it was only for the night. We’d go back to being business associates by the morning. Why do I think I owe her the truth? She should understand if I don’t tell her about the merger. It’s not a lie or a betrayal—it’s just business.
Pressing the elevator button, I lean against the side of the lift and rest my head on its mirrored surface. A sigh slips through my lips as I’m taken up to my room on the top floor, and I manage to shake my head at myself.
Pathetic.
Of course she wasn’t there. Of course she didn’t want to see me. Who am I to her? A lover? Am I even that?
It’s sad, really. The first person who shows me a bit of dignity becomes almost an obsession in my mind. Am I really so deprived that all it takes is for a woman to notice me? All it takes is someone to touch me without recoiling? She tells me I’m special and I want to open my company’s deepest secrets to her?
This is why I turned to business many years ago. This is why I became my father’s best attack dog. This is why I don’t look for love in anyone else—because it does nothing for me except make me weak.
Tonight, at the gala, I saw the effect I have on people. I saw how little my scars really matter. I don’t need the Queen to kiss me and tell me I’m pretty.
No matter what my heart tries to tell me, I came to Nord to prove to my father that I’m able to fill his shoes. I should inherit the company. I can do more than bring our victims to their knees before we swallow them up in our own enterprise—I can lead the company. Me.
I came here because I wanted to prove, once and for all, that I’m worthy of inheriting the empire I helped to build. Logan has never managed a project this big. He’s never brought as much money as I have, and managing this diamond mining project will be enough to show my father that I’m the one who should follow in his footsteps.
And the Queen? She’s nothing. She’s a pawn I used to get information. She’s a woman with a warm touch who made me feel less alone for a night or two. It doesn’t mean I have to chase her around the kingdom. I should be focusing on what’s important—business. Proving myself. Making sure this project goes off without a hitch.
I should stick to what I’m good at.
Penelope’s role in all this is only to sign the papers that will allow me to do my job. I should remember that whenever the urge strikes to travel across the country and attend stupid galas I have no time for. I should definitely remember it when I feel like I need to tell her my secret plans to merge with other companies. She could ruin the whole thing; then where would I be? I’d fail my father, fail my company, and I’d lose everything I’ve worked to achieve.
Pulling a key card out of my pocket, I barely notice the two men in dark suits stationed at either end of the hallway. I enter my suite with nothing but a glance toward them, letting the heavy door close behind me. Movement catches my eyes to my left, and a gasp stays stuck halfway up my throat.
Penelope stands, her tight burgundy gown hugging every curve. Heat sparks deep in my stomach as my eyes drink her in. The delicate lace edge of her dress dips down her back, and her thick mass of blond hair is gathered in a neat twist. The sight of her skin makes embers burn in my veins, and all I want to do is run to her.
And I thought she meant nothing? Am I delusional? The mere sight of her makes me want to fall to my knees.
She dips her head, smiling. “I hope you don’t mind the intrusion.”
“You’re here,” I breathe. I’m still rooted in place by the front door. The Stirling skyline twinkles behind her, and in the warm, low light of the suite, Penelope looks like a goddess. She’s too good for this place, even though it’s the height of luxury. She’s too good for anyplace that isn’t as beautiful as her. Too good for me.
She tilts her head. “Yes, I’m here. Is that a problem?”
“I bought a ticket to that stupid gala because I heard you’d be there.” My words come out in a rush, and I blush. Me, Asher Gerhard—I actually blush. She tilts my whole world off-balance. I’m no longer the cold, ruthless businessman. I’m acquiring nothing here. The word ‘merger’ is meaningless when she’s standing in front of me.
Penelope laughs, the sound sending heat rushing straight to my heart. It thumps in response, and I find myself walking toward her. My body has a will of its own, and no matter what I told myself all evening, I know I’m powerless to her pull.
Sweeping my arm around her waist, I crush my lips to hers. Soft and sweet, she melts into my embrace and wraps her arms around me. My fingers find the edge of her lace bodice, feeling the skin of her back against my fingertips. It’s intoxicating, having her this close. It makes me forget who I am.
Pulling away, Penelope puts a hand to her cheek. She’s flushed. “I wanted to thank you.”
“For what?”
“For the interview you gave with Jacinthe Crawley, and the other press appearances you’ve made over the past few weeks. You’ve done a lot to silence the criticism I’ve been getting.”
“I only told the truth.”
“But you didn’t have to tell it, so I’m thanking you.” She smiles softly, staring at my eyes. I wonder what she sees when she looks at me. Does she see what the rest of the world sees? A man who’s shut himself off from everything except the thrill of the hunt? A man who hasn’t felt the touch of a woman—not like this—since…well, ever?
>
Or does she see something else? Maybe she sees the Asher Gerhard who lived in the room across the rooftop from her. She sees…me.
“Do you still enjoy fishing?” Pen’s lips tug at the corner.
I frown. “Fishing?”
“I recall many afternoons when we’d sneak out of the dorms and go fishing in the river by the school. I thought maybe you still enjoyed it now, as an adult.”
A chuckle slips through my lips. “That was just an excuse to skip class and spend time with you.”
“Well, maybe you can skip work and spend time with me again.” Her eyes twinkle, and her hands play with the collar of my shirt. She slides her fingers down, circling the top button. Her gaze climbs to mine, snagging for a moment on my lips before reaching my eyes. “I arranged for a week at the Summer Palace. It’s just a short drive from the Arctic Ocean, where the fishing is world-class. We could make a trip of it.”
A lump grows in my throat, and my grip on Penelope’s waist tightens. “You want to spend the week with me?”
“Is that so surprising?” She laughs.
My heart hammers as I struggle to swallow. I nod. “When do we leave?”
“Whenever you can get away from your work.”
“That’s the good thing about being in charge.” I grin. “We can go tomorrow. Tonight. Right now.”
Her smile is blinding. It sends a jolt straight through my chest, and I wonder how I could have possibly thought she meant nothing to me.
Going anywhere with Penelope is the exact opposite of what I should be doing, which is going back to Roston and being fully involved in the mobilization of staff and materials for the start of construction.
I should be staying far away from her, because she tempts me to tell her the truth about our merger with Donovan Enterprises. She makes me want to leave behind the ruthless businessman I am and become something else…someone else.
But her lips are so beautifully soft, and her body is pressed up against mine and…I’m weak. I want this warmth. Her smiles. Her laughter. I want to feel this heat coursing through my veins.
Ice Queen: An Accidental Pregnancy Romance Page 13