by Aubrey Rose
If only he could stop thinking about Kira and her inexplicable aversion to him. He’d never had to handle rejection from a woman he desired and he hated being thwarted. One taste of Kira could never be enough but if she hated him so much then what hell of a chance did he have with her?
Damn it to hell! He fumed as he downed his glass of wine. No woman was worth all this aggravation.
That was what Blake was telling himself when then the object of his dark thoughts walked in – but not alone.
Kira was in the company of the tall man whom he recognized from the party. Blake’s eyes narrowed into thin slits as his mood went from bad to murderous. What were the odds that they’d be in the same restaurant at the same time? He watched in irritation as Kira smiled up at her companion.
Blake felt irrational for thinking that she might have followed them. After all, this was a very popular cafe which was also close to the office. There was nothing to do but ignore them, he decided.
Obviously that wasn’t going to be so easy, especially with Brittany’s next words. “Ohhh, there’s your father’s secretary. And that’s her boyfriend, Terrence.”
“You know him?” Blake asked, despite himself.
Brittany shrugged disinterestedly. “I’ve seen him around a few times when I came by the office to see your father. He’s a reporter for one of those gossip rags. Not a bad sort actually.”
She smiled and then seemed to notice Blake’s deep scowl. Brittany’s mind went back to the party as she recalled seeing Terrence in attendance with Kira. She hadn’t forgotten how Kira had gone after Blake when he’d left the dining room in a huff. She’d wondered then about it, but hadn’t given it more thought. Right then however, she couldn’t help but notice the attention Blake was giving the striking couple’s table. Her instincts warned her there was more to the whole matter than met the eye and she intended to keep on the watch especially where her own interests were concerned...
***
Terrence picked that moment to glance around the tastefully furnished dining section and then murmured in surprise, “Well look who’s here!” he muttered theatrically. “If it isn’t the newest Mr. Eligible Bachelor with Ms. Glamour Girl!”
Kira smiled and looked up to see who Terrence was talking about. He was always one for dramatics. But when Kira spotted Blake and Brittany she almost choked on her salmon. Damn it! It was like everywhere she went, he showed up; first in the elevator and now here. She should never have agreed to meet with Terrence when he insisted he wanted to bring her to this pricey restaurant for lunch.
Seeing Blake with that pompous bitch Brittany had been more hurtful than Kira would’ve expected, back there when she’d seen the blonde get into Blake’s Aston Martin. They’d seemed like the picture perfect couple and Kira remembered grinding her teeth in part fury, part despair. She could keep lying to herself that Blake didn’t matter, but she knew in her heart that something real was blossoming against her wishes and she wasn’t sure how to stop it. Now they were here together and things couldn’t be more awkward.
Terrence was going on in his usual ironic tone, “Hmm...if they’re going to become an item it’s going to make gossip headlines. Maybe I should call a few contacts to keep me updated on who is screwing who where they’re concerned.”
“Hush!” Kira bit out. “That’s my boss’s son you’re talking about!”
“Hey, what?” Terrence said with a laugh. “What’s got you all fired up?”
Well, nothing actually, she thought, nothing but that sexy bastard who tries to soften me up one minute and the next he’s got Little Ms. Perfect on his arm. Whatever regret she’d felt when he’d walked out of the elevator had dissipated seeing him looking all cozy with Brittany. The urge to kill him still raged within her and it was all she could do to breathe.
“Look, I apologize,” she said to Terrence with a sigh. “I guess...I have been getting these funny twinges now and again. I feel a little off lately. Maybe I’m coming down with something.”
Which was the truth, actually. She’d been feeling under the weather for a few days and nothing she was taking for it seemed to be working.
“You look like you’re working yourself too hard,” Terrence said soothingly. “You’ve lost weight and your color seems a bit dull. You need a break, baby. I can’t have my girl pushing herself beyond endurance. That boss of yours is one hell of a slave-driver.”
Kira shook her head, smiling. “The last thing I need right now is a break, trust me.” One thing she wanted to avoid was anything that could give her the chance to think about Blake. Work kept her busy and sane. And once she got home she was too tired to do anything but tumble exhausted into bed.
“But you’re right about me taking it easy at least,” she added. “I’ll tone things down a bit at work from now on.”
“Thank you,” Terrence said feelingly, as if she’d just bestowed him a huge favor. And then he shocked her by adding, “Because I’d like you looking your delectable best when I take you down the aisle soon.”
“Aisle? What aisle?” Kira asked blankly, her mind refusing to understand what was being said.
Terrence sighed dramatically, a wounded expression on his face. “Kira dear, do you not know a proposal when you hear one?” And to convince her he wasn’t playing, he actually slipped down on one knee, dipped his hand in his pocket and produced a beautiful diamond ring. Kira gasped in appreciation and shock.
“Maybe this will clarify things.” Terrence murmured, for once looking serious. His dark brown eyes glimmered with depth as he told her softly, “I love you Kira. All these months with you have been the most special of my life. And I want to spend the rest of my lifetime with you. You’ll make me the happiest man alive if you agree to marry me.”
Kira’s mouth had fallen open and she didn’t know what to say. She felt the eyes of everyone around now trained on her and she almost laughed out loud in surprise. Terrence, proposing? The idea was ridiculous though he looked really, really...sincere. She almost didn’t believe it and yet felt touched at the same time.
But could she do it? Could she really go through with it?
The more she gazed into his handsome face, the more the idea seemed like something she could warm up to. She liked him; he was nice to have around and he really cared about her. He wouldn’t have stuck around all these months if he didn’t. She was in her mid-twenties, more than ripe for marriage and it wasn’t like she had anyone else beating down her door.
But...Terrence? She’d kept him mostly at arm’s length all this while, her heart never really sure about letting him closer. There’d been none of that raging fire in her body for him and yet now that she was wiser she knew life wasn’t all about the flames and the passion. She needed a man she could trust and who would treat her with respect. Truthfully, that’s all Terrence had ever done; respected her as a person and a woman and she was incredibly grateful for that.
She could make this work, she thought once again. With a beaming smile, she held out her hand and said, “Yes. Yes, Terrence. I will marry you.”
She could hear the happy hoots and applause from the other guests as Terrence proudly slipped the beautiful ring on her finger. He told her with a happy grin that it had belonged to his grandmother, who’d given it to him for his future bride.
“I’m so honored you chose me, Terrence,” Kira said, pushing all doubt from her mind. She stared down at the ring and hoped the glitter in the diamond would put stars in her eyes. It must have, because Terrence beamed even wider and reached forward to kiss her on the lips.
Kira sighed, inwardly crossing her fingers as she hoped she was doing the right thing. She thought about her guilty little secret and pushed it to the back burner. That was in the past now. Maybe she’d needed that one shake-up to show her what was really important. And this time, she was going to stay true to herself and her man. She would never betray him again.
She chose that moment to steal a glance at Blake’s table, wondering how he’d re
acted to this unmistakable scene. And then she felt completely deflated to find that Blake and Brittany were gone; and had probably missed the whole proposal episode.
It didn’t matter. He’d find out soon enough, she told herself with a steadying sigh. At least now they were even. Nothing he would do could hurt her now.
Chapter Ten
This can’t possibly be happening to me, Kira thought to herself. She was barely two months into her engagement when it finally dawned on her that her consecutively missed periods weren’t due to stress. She had to be pregnant.
But how could that be? She’d been on the Pill for several months and took it the same time each morning. Or had she? She thought back to the morning after the party when she’d been so upset and frazzled by the events of the night before. Was it possible she had forgotten to take her pill before her morning run that day? She remembered changing into her jogging suit and running twice as long as she usually did in hopes of sweating Blake Carter out of her system. In her haste, had she forgotten to take her pill the one fucking time when she should’ve remembered?
It took five minutes and one pregnancy test kit later to confirm her suspicions. The first thing she did was sit down and try to catch her breath as a feeling of light-headedness overtook her.
Just one time.
Just one time in her life had she been so overcome by lust and passion that she’d completely thrown away all reasonable thought.
The single mistake of her adult life was simply not going to go away. It had come back to bite her in the ass, big time, just like she’d known it would. She’d screwed up royally and now she was going to have a baby.
Or wasn’t she?
Not that she was considering any other options. Even with the circumstances; even with everything that had happened she knew getting rid of it was out of the question. No, she’d go to the hospital, confirm her suspicions and then she’d take it from there. No matter what happened she was going to keep the little life growing inside her. She knew deep down that she would be a good mother, a great mother in fact.
And that was why she was going to have to break it off with Terrence. There was no way she could marry him now, not with this. It was bad enough having to keep the whole truth from him hoping to protect him. Marrying him had been a selfish, easy way out and she’d been sick with herself for so long.
She frowned, thinking about all the wedding plans they’d been making lately. He’d wanted it to happen as soon as possible, before she could change her mind he’d teased. Well, none of this could be helped.
But how on earth was she going to bring herself to give him the news that she could no longer go through it – and consequently end her very convenient engagement?
Very convenient in the sense that apparently once Blake got wind of the news that she was getting married, he’d stayed well clear. And yes, he had promised her as much back then in the elevator. But she hadn’t really believed it. Until the one incident that finally convinced her that he’d meant every word.
It was barely a week after the day they’d ended up alone in the same elevator. This time, they collided with each other just outside the door leading to his father’s inner offices. Blake had immediately righted her with impersonal hands on her shoulders. With a curt worded apology he’d released her almost instantly and then walked away without a backwards glance. No sign of recognition; not even a word. It had been impersonal to the extreme and Kira had felt half relieved, half sad. The dark warmth in his beautiful grey eyes had been replaced with ice-capped shields she could never hope to break through. And she’d told herself she was fine with that.
Over the past weeks things had improved to perhaps a few cool glances and ever fewer, more frigid curt words whenever he had to come up to see his father about something. She knew he’d long moved out of the Carter villa and into his own house across the city. Kira also kept wondering if he’d also moved on in his ‘relationship’ with Brittany if it could be called that. But then she called herself a fool for giving either of them a thought. As far as she was concerned they deserved each other.
And then the enormity of her situation suddenly really struck her and Kira’s heart went cold. Could she ever bring herself to tell Blake the truth? She wasn’t ready to think about what his reaction would be. She’d convinced herself that all he must have wanted was a fling; how would he feel about Kira now carrying his baby?
Getting pregnant by her boss’s son had definitely not been in her job description, Kira thought with a wry sigh. But she was adult enough to face the outcome of her own foolishness. She had no one to blame but herself and it wasn’t as if Blake had forced her. She’d succumbed willingly and now she wasn’t about to expect pity or handouts from anyone. She’d been burned by passion and now she was going to have a baby soon to show for it.
Once she’d taken more time to think, Kira realized exactly what she should do. A fresh start; that was what was needed in the situation. She’d begin a new life somewhere and build back her life again. She felt sorry about the way she was going to disappoint Mr. Carter, her boss. He’d given her an opportunity not many people would have. She remembered being fresh out of secretarial school and had shown up for the interview with other, more experienced applicants. Some had looked far more suited to the esteemed role of secretary to Bretton Carter. But in the end he’d picked her, out of all the others and she’d never forget how wonderful that had felt. She would be eternally grateful to him for that.
Now she was going to leave it all behind. She would have to think up a good excuse for her boss why she was leaving and she hoped his normally astute mind wouldn’t guess at the truth. It had been hard enough having to face him every day knowing her ‘crime’, cringing when she wondered what he’d think or say if he ever found out. Thankfully, now she’d never know.
Sighing deeply, Kira left the bathroom feeling strengthened that finally, she was going to take full charge of her life and her responsibilities. No more regrets, no going back. She had a child to think about now and nothing would prevent her from doing her best by it.
***
It was over a customary dinner with his father that Blake was told of the upcoming wedding taking place in just three weeks. Kira was getting married.
He looked up from his plate, finding the mere act of swallowing had become a herculean task. “What did you say?”
“The wedding. Kira and Terrence. You must have heard of the engagement,” her father said mildly over the rim of his water glass. “I’m proud to say I’m an honored guest at the occasion.”
Blake’s lips tightened fractionally. “I see. How nice. And there I was thinking you didn’t approve of the chap. What did you call him again?”
“Terrence,” Bretton said and then shrugged. “Well he did strike me as someone not to be taken too seriously. But since he’s the only one I know willing to do the honorable thing and marry the young woman, I’m bound to give him my good wishes.”
Blake wasn’t insensitive to the hidden barb. Obviously he was the one not willing to do the honorable thing. It infuriated him how easily it was for others to think the worst of him. Even Kira had believed that all he wanted from her was her body and had never given him a chance. She would never know that sex hadn’t been the main thing that kept him thinking about her; day in and out even months after that one time together. No other woman seemed right for him and he’d since given up on dating or finding someone new. Perhaps deep down he’d hoped...
Furious with himself and too angry to even finish his meal, Blake left for his place immediately after dinner. In bed later that night he tossed and turned. Thinking about how this time next month, Kira would be some other man’s wife. The very notion ate at him so bad he couldn’t see straight. How could he have been so wrong about them? He called himself all kinds of fool for nursing any expectations where they were concerned.
He had kept up an icy wall each time they’d crossed in the past several weeks. He’d had his pride to think of and
hadn’t been ready to face another rejection. Instead, he’d been so sure she’d come to her senses eventually. How could she even think of marrying someone else? He refused to believe he’d only imagined what had surged like wildfire between them. In a flash it had turned everything else around them to dust until no one or nothing even mattered but the force field of passion that had surrounded them. There’d been more than just a joining of bodies. She’d given herself to him like she’d done with no other man. And now she was going to throw it all away. The thought of her in bed with another man made him physically ill.
All these weeks he’d kept his true emotions hidden but each time he saw her it seemed to grow deeper and stronger. He’d tried to deny his own heart but it hadn’t worked. He’d only wanted her all the more.
And that was why he’d stayed on in that stupid job of his. He could’ve left any day he wanted but he’d stuck around just to be close to her, hoping to get his chance. He’d been so sure she was with Terrence just to spite him, but now he knew better.
Blake knew he’d fallen hard for Kira but it was obvious to him at this juncture that she didn’t give a damn about him. How could he have been so delusional thinking she might secretly feel the same way? He’d tried to understand why she was coming from but by now it was getting damned hard to figure out.
He’d been with a number of women; all beautiful, glamorous, from around the world. But with Kira it had felt different; like he’d found his way home. As brief as the encounter was, it had been powerful enough to influence a major part of his life. He’d not only worked to patch things up with his dad, but he’d let go of a lot of bitterness and pain he’d felt over the loss of his mother. And now he’d lost Kira too – even before he’d even truly had her. The finality of that thought made him want to smash his fist through something.