A Worthy Heir

by Pat Ballard

  “Like what?” she managed without stammering.

  “Come into my office,” he directed, still clutching her arm and leading her to a door across the hall from Fiona’s office.

  “Oh, two offices in one morning! Don’t I feel special!” Pam tried to sound flippant as Reese led her into an office the same size as Fiona’s. This one definitely lacked any feminine touches. Instead, one wall was lined with shelves full of books, while the rest of the walls were covered with photographs of a wide variety of wild animals, birds, and creatures that Pam couldn’t name.

  “You should feel damn special,” Reese charged, as he closed the door behind them.

  Feeling a real battle brewing, Pam turned her full attention to Reese. “Meaning?” she challenged.

  “Meaning, I still can’t believe you’ve schemed your way into this house, and apparently, you’re actually getting to Fiona, which is hard to believe, since she’s so cold-blooded.”

  Remembering Fiona’s mandate to give Reese hell, Pam smiled sweetly at him. “And am I getting to you yet, Reese?” she asked, perching on the corner of his desk and looking coyly up at him.

  Swiftly he was there, wedging one of his legs between hers and penning her to the desk. If she tried to get away from him, she’d be sitting astraddle his leg.

  “Don’t play with me, woman. You’re just a little girl when it comes to men like me. And, besides that, I’ve already told you, you’re not my type.”

  “Have you ever made love to a real woman?” Pam dared to whisper, mesmerized by the closeness of his lips. Lips that were slowly lowering to hers.

  Pam melted against Reese’s broad chest as he pulled her close and formed his firm lips over hers, which were soft and supple. She felt her skirt slipping up over her thighs as he slid her off the desk to straddle the leg that was still wedged firmly between hers. She’d never known anything so erotic! She felt her excitement rising as Reese continued gently exploring her mouth. Her breasts heaved against his chest with each panting breath she took.

  “Oops!” The voice and the closing door brought the two people back to their senses. As they stared at the door, the cackling laugh drifting down the outside hallway told them who had caught them kissing.

  “Damn her!” Reese swore, stepping quickly away from Pam. She would have staggered if the desk hadn’t been there for support.

  “Well, it’s obvious by your reactions you’ve never made love to a real man,” he threw at Pam as he went behind his desk and sat down.

  Adjusting her clothes and her dignity, Pam turned to face him.

  “Did you bring me in here to maul me, or did you want to talk about something in particular?” she asked, proud of the seemingly undisturbed sound of her voice.

  With his eyes fixed on her, Reese leaned back in the huge brown leather chair and a crooked smile turned one corner of his mouth to an upward angle. In this light, his face looked like chiseled stone in which someone had stuck blue diamonds in the eye sockets. The brilliant blue eyes set in that tan, perfectly carved face gave him a surreal look. There was an untamed wildness about him that Pam had never noticed before.

  “You know, when I think about it, you and Fiona do deserve each other. You’re both bitches. I don’t know why I don’t just pack my bags and leave, and let you two have at it. But for some reason I can’t bring myself to make it that easy on the two of you. No,” he mused, steepling his fingers together in front of his mouth. “No, it will be a lot more fun to see this thing through. I can’t wait to see both of you squirming in defeat.”

  “Why do you hate your grandmother?” Pam’s question came unexpectedly to both of them. “I can understand why you’d resent me, but why your grandmother?”

  “I don’t hate Fifi. I really do love the old gal, but I have to stand up for what I believe, or I’ll wind up dead at an early age, just like my father.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “My grandfather, Earl Bainbridge, started Bainbridge Corporation when my dad was a baby. Granddad was a success in any business venture he tried, but Bainbridge Corporation was the success of a lifetime. As it grew, it added wealth to the wealth he had inherited from his father. But the long hours and stress put a strain on Granddad’s heart, and he died when my dad was in his late teens.” Reese paused, as if finished, but Pam sat expectantly waiting, and he continued.

  “As soon as my dad was out of college, Fifi bullied him into taking over the running of Bainbridge Corporation, even though he desperately wanted to pursue another course in life. His dream was to be an airplane pilot. He was fascinated with flying, but to my knowledge, he never got to take a single lesson.” Bitterness edged Reese’s voice as he warmed up to unpleasant memories.

  “So what happened?” Pam prompted.

  “Every night, he came home unhappy and miserable. So many nights I would lie in my bed and listen to my mother cry and beg him to leave this town and pursue the dream that would make him happy. But he just couldn’t stand up to Fiona. So my mom left instead. She said she couldn’t stand to stay and watch him die a slow death.”

  “She just left? She left you, too?” Suddenly, Pam had a small insight into part of the reason Reese seemed so bitter.

  “She promised she’d come back and get me after she got settled down, but fate had a different plan.” Now, sadness replaced the bitter note in his voice.

  “What happened?”

  “Two months after she left, she was killed in a car accident.”

  Pam wondered why Reese Bainbridge was sharing his life’s story with her, but she didn’t have to wait long for the answer.

  “My dad really threw himself into his work, then two years later he had a heart attack, just like Granddad, and died.”

  “Oh, Reese—”

  “No! I’m not looking for your sympathy. I’m simply explaining to you why Fiona’s and my relationship is as it is. Why she has supposedly disowned me. You see, after my father died, I made a promise to myself. I vowed that I would never, and I mean never work at Bainbridge Corporation. And as you might guess, that didn’t set too well with Fiona. She was determined that this was a family-owned and family-run business. She said that if I didn’t promise to work for the business, she wouldn’t put me through college to get a degree in something that I wasn’t meant to do. So I told her, in no uncertain terms, to run the business herself, and I proceeded to work my way through college and get my degree in journalism and photography.”

  So that’s what all the photos are, Pam acknowledged to herself.

  “Every time I come home for a visit,” Reese continued, “we have this knock-down and drag-out fight about me ‘quitting my roaming all over the world and coming home and doing what I was born to do.’ So the last time, I told her I didn’t know if I would ever come back again until she was dead.”

  At Pam’s gasp, Reese fastened his eyes on her. “Does that sound harsh to you? Well, I’m sorry, but until you’ve had Fiona constantly nag at and harangue you for years, you really can’t judge me, can you?”

  Not knowing what to say, Pam sat just sat and looked at him.

  “So, Pam, what I brought you in here to say this morning, is that you were right.”

  “About what?”

  “I have been hurt by the only two women that were ever important in my life. One left me and the other one has turned me against her. I’d never really thought about it until you mentioned it the other night.”

  “So that’s why you don’t like women?”

  “I never said I didn’t like women. Women have their uses. But I don’t think I’ll ever give my heart to one. I plan to take real good care of my heart and live a lot longer than my father and grandfather did. So you’re wasting your time if you think I’m going to fall for your little flirtatious acts.”

  Pam was taken off guard by Reese’s swiftly turning the attention back to her. Before she could think of an answer, he stood and motioned for her to do the same. As she rose from the chair, Pam looked up to
catch Reese’s eyes glued to her breasts.

  Realizing he’d been caught, the lopsided grin came back on his face. “You do have some interesting assets, I’ll have to admit.”

  Pam brushed quickly past him and left the room, slamming the door closed behind her. She had to get away from this place for a while. This morning had been an emotional roller coaster and she needed to go somewhere and try to sort her thoughts out. She’d find Tom and see if he wanted to go to the park with her.

  Back in his office, Reese tilted back in his chair.

  Damn! Damn Fiona for discovering his number one and maybe only weakness and bringing her to live right here under his nose. Damn Pam for being so soft and sexy. And damn his mind and body for craving her on his every waking moment since he’d met her. This was going to be the hardest battle he’d ever fought, and he’d fought some tough ones.

  But he would win. Reese Bainbridge took after his grandmother in his stubbornness. He always won his battles. Fifi should know that by now, so why was she still pushing so hard? What motive did she have? Did she think he’d give in and go to work at Bainbridge Corporation just so she’d change her mind about disowning him? Surely she knew him better than that after all these years.

  Pam found Tom sitting in front of the laptop computer Fiona had furnished him to help him keep records for his work.

  “What’re you doing?” she asked, after coming through the open door.

  “Oh, just going over some figures from the company.”

  “Working on Saturday? You know all work and no play makes Tom a dull boy.”

  “So what am I supposed to play, Pam? Wanna take me golfing?” The words were the same Tom would have used a few weeks ago, but almost all the bitterness was gone.

  “I thought we might go to the park,” Pam answered, not wanting to get into another confrontation. Two in one morning were quite enough.

  “Thanks,” he said, smiling at her. “But Fiona gave me this graph to go over and asked if I could project the earnings for next year. I know you don’t want to hear this, but I really am grateful to her for giving me my job and, basically, my life back.”

  “I know, and although I feel she owes it to you, I’m grateful, too. But don’t let her take advantage of you,” she admonished, her mind still boggled from Reese’s earlier revelations.

  “I’m not. You want to know something?”

  “What?”

  “I always loved working at Bainbridge Corporation. It’s one of the largest tool manufacturers in the nation, and I believe we put out a quality product.”

  Pam watched Tom’s eyes light up just talking about his job, and realized for the first time that one of Tom’s problems with being in his situation was that he had missed his work. She watched an amused smile playing on his lips and asked, “What’s causing that ‘cat that caught the mouse’ look on your face?”

  “Fiona said the strangest thing when she gave me these figures to go over. She told me to familiarize myself with as much as I could, because someday I might be running the place!”

  “What did she mean?” Pam’s interest level had shot up two-hundred-fold.

  “I have no idea. When she said it, she was in the process of walking out the door, so I couldn’t question her.”

  “Hmmm, that’s really strange,” Pam agreed.

  “Anyway, thanks for the invite, but I’m in the middle of this and don’t want to quit.”

  “Okay. I know a brush off when I hear it. I’m out of here.”

  “Love you,” Tom called as she left the room.

  A warm smile glowed on Pam’s face as she walked outside onto the patio. It had been a long time since Tom had yelled “love you” to her when she was huffing out of a room. He used to always do that when he thought he’d upset her about something. Dear, wonderful Tom.

  “You’re looking real pleased with yourself.” Reese’s voice startled her out of her pleasant memories.

  He sat in a corner chair. Pam hadn’t seen him when she came outside.

  “Just going over ways to get under your skin,” she taunted him.

  “Don’t give yourself too much credit. As I said earlier, you don’t have a chance.”

  “Trying to convince me or you?” she slung over her shoulder as she went down the steps and headed for the pool.

  Since Tom wouldn’t go to the park with her, she’d just go for a swim instead. Swimming always helped clear her mind. In the pool house she searched through the courtesy bathing suits that were kept for guests who might need one. She found a two-piece that she thought would fit and put it on. The bottom was fine, but the top, as usual, exposed a large expanse of bare breast. Oh well, she thought, no one would see her anyway.

  She slid into the cool water and made several laps before stopping to take a rest. She was halfway up the steps that led out of the pool when she looked up and realized her nose was inches away from a pair of legs covered in a rug of curly dark hair. Sensing that she was staring at mid-thigh, she didn’t dare raise her eyes any further, but slowly backed into the pool before lifting her eyes to Reese’s blue challenge.

  “I’m sure you didn’t know that this is the time I swim every day, did you?” Amused sarcasm edged his voice.

  “Actually, I didn’t know you ever crawled out from under your rock long enough to get in the water.” Pam’s sugar-sweet voice belied the sting of her words.

  Before she could guess his intentions, Reese jumped into the pool quite close to her, splashing water into her face. She was busily wiping water from her eyes when she felt two strong arms circling her waist from behind, and Reese’s body being pressed close to her.

  “So you think you can taunt a real man,” his low voice vibrated close to her ear. “If you keep flaunting yourself in front of me, I might just show you how much trouble that could get you in.”

  “Flaunting?” Pam’s voice trembled, partly from anger, and partly from the reaction of feeling his arms on her naked midriff.

  “Yes, flaunting,” Reese said, turning her to face him.

  If having him this close from behind was disturbing, Pam realized, facing him at this close proximity was much worse. She watched his eyes settle on her exposed cleavage, which was even more exaggerated by the buoyancy of the water.

  “What do you mean ‘flaunt’? I was here first,” she shot at him, trying to push away and get some distance between them. But he held her close with his fingers laced together at the back of her waist.

  “Yes, but you knew I was coming,” he insisted.

  “You are the most arrogant, self-centered man I have ever met,” she almost shouted. Now she had her hands on his shoulders, pushing at him with all her might. As she watched the amused grin grow larger, spreading across his face, she realized that her pushing motions were just emphasizing her breasts.

  “Let me go!” she demanded between clenched teeth.

  “Why? I’m rather enjoying myself. That’s what you had in mind, wasn’t it? Showing me all you have to offer?”

  “Damn you!” she lashed out, not pushing anymore, but still having to rest her hands on his shoulders for lack of anywhere else to put them. “Why would I be trying to show you anything when you assured me I wasn’t your type? I’m not that stupid.”

  He could deny being attracted to her all he wanted to, but Pam was sure he was captivated by his view, and she was sure she was feeling him respond to her as their bodies pressed together under the water. Suddenly she was filled with a sense of power.

  “Or maybe,” she smiled sweetly, “you just don’t know what you really want.”

  “And maybe,” he answered, just as sweetly, “you’ve never been burned from playing with fire.”

  But Pam was already burning as he lowered his lips and claimed hers. Her hands naturally slid up his shoulders and buried in his dark hair as he pulled her close and molded their bodies together.

  Neither of them heard the cackling laugh nor saw the small figure watching from an upstairs window.
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br />   Chapter 4

  Fiona Bainbridge turned from the window and clasped her hands together in delight. This plan was coming together almost faster than she could keep up! Just possibly, the best thing she had ever done for Bainbridge Corporation and for Reese was to place that ad in the paper.

  Sometimes that boy just didn’t know what was best for him. Okay, so he wasn’t exactly a boy. But he’d always be that darling grandbaby who came into her life thirty-three years ago, and she wanted, whether he believed it or not, to see him happy before she checked out of this life. And she would even enjoy seeing a great-grandbaby or two.

  And she was determined to make sure that Bainbridge Corporation was left in good hands.

  This plan—this plan might just possibly make all of it happen.

  The blazing blue eyes illuminated her small face, making her look ten years younger than her seventy-three years.

  Pam quickly dried her hair, applied makeup, and dressed in a slinky purple pantsuit. Not bad, she thought, as she did a last minute check of herself in the full-length mirror that stood in her bedroom before she headed downstairs.

  Fiona had called for a “family meeting” to take place at dinner tonight. That probably made Reese do a slow burn, Pam mused as she entered the library, where they were told to meet before dinner.

  There were no lights on, and at first glance, the room looked empty. She must be the first one here.

  “That sure is a self-satisfied smile, Miss Spencer. You really think you’ve got it made, don’t you?”

  It took Pam a few moments to spot the location of the low, caustic voice, but soon her eyes stopped on Reese, kicked back in a recliner with a drink in his hand.

  “Meaning?” She wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of thinking she knew what he was referring to.

  “You know very well what I mean. You walk through this house just thinking about all you have to gain by being here.”

  “I thought the house was yours. Why would I think I could lay claim on anything in it? Won’t the contents go to you, too?”