Drawing The Line (Mistaken Identity Series)

by Sylvia Hubbard

  The senator looked a little curious on this, but he didn't say a word about what Paul had said.

  Shane asked her father, "Aren't you afraid they might tell your secret, sir?"

  "My children have lived in a political family their whole life. They fully understand what is discussed or revealed in my home stays there."

  "Although jealously will make those rules null and void if Rachel learns the truth," Andrew pointed out.

  Shane noted that Rochelle had brought him a glass of vodka and water, but he chose to not touch it. Whenever he had an inclination to reach for the glass he would glance at Shane and then stop himself.

  She was confused about his motives, but didn't say a word as Paul explained to the senator how he met Shane.

  "I never understood your reasons for working at McDonald's, part time Shane. You could have made more than enough money working part time as an agent as you went through school," her father noted.

  "Aunt Bethany did anything and everything she could to make my life miserable. I figured if she thought she was succeeding I could secretly do what I needed to do in order to show her I could still triumph despite all she has done to me. I wanted a chance to look her in the eyes and say I won."

  "All this over a house?" her father asked incredulously.

  "It's called pride," Paul answered, squeezing her hand in affectionate support. "Shane's got a lot of it and from what I perceive with all the Meadows have done to her - in particular, her aunt - Shane just wants to let them know their negativity never conquered her beautiful spirit and determination."

  Shane smiled brilliantly at Paul because she couldn't have said it better. His insight to people was amazing, but she had a little doubt about matchmaking her with Andrew.

  "Shane," her father said, drawing her attention to him. "You know you have my support in anything that you do, but I doubt that Bethany will leave peacefully the way you are imagining. I really think you should let Aldridge handle this as soon as he gets back from the important business in New York after the New Year. You could be done with them in less than thirty days."

  She knew her father was probably right, but in a way, Shane had this hang up about treating family right no matter what they did and deep down she wanted to believe her aunt would accept the money and do as she promised. Once Shane had the house to herself, she would redecorate it and rent it out to a nice family since her plans of staying in it had changed once she met Paul. "Bottom line, I don't want the Meadows to have the home and I will gladly wait for the six months that Bethany has agreed upon if it means no more trouble from them. At the end of these six months, they will be out of my life for good and that's worth the wait, sir."

  "Do you think they'll cause trouble if you don't do this amenably?" Paul asked concerned.

  "I think when my aunt doesn't get her way, she will resort to illegal means in order to get what she wants." She began to explain her doubts about Derrick's death.

  "If you want I could have someone look into it," her father offered.

  "I don't want to have the law coming in until I know I can get them out the house. I don't want her to make trouble for me so soon when I'm so close to graduating," she said.

  "What if I get a private investigator to pull a few hospital strings and get some lab reports to some medical people who could make a determination?" Paul suggested.

  She still looked a little worried, still a bit unsure.

  "We can just say the hospital became a little suspicious," Andrew suggested. "That way the finger doesn't point at you and you should have nothing to worry about."

  Shane nodded her agreement. This would be fine as long as Aunt Bethany didn't find out that she was involved.

  Rochelle came up with a light brunch and a special tray for Paul. Shane watched for the first time as Paul took several pills and liquid medicines before drinking what looked like almost a pitcher of water. The others were use to it, but with it being her first time, she came to the realization that Paul was really sick.

  Her father decided to change the subject and discuss Tyrex. Shane was glad for the subject change and detailed her knowledge to him about what Jeremiah had helped her find out. She told him about the safe deposit box with the copies, but she purposely avoided letting the table know she had a key to the box. Excusing herself for a brief moment, she went and retrieved the papers for the senator to look over. He was very excited about the findings.

  "So what are your plans now that you have Tyrex by the balls?" Paul questioned.

  "I'm going to allow them to continue to blackmail me and think that they have the upper hand," the senator said.

  "How are they blackmailing you?" Shane asked.

  "They know about you. I don't know how they know, and I'm not going to speculate how they know, but unless I pull out of the Senate Hearings with them they said they would reveal the information to the press." Her father took her hand in his. "It's not that I'm ashamed of you, Shane. You know this?"

  She nodded honestly. "It's a political year, sir. It would be selfish of me not to know you need a clean campaign in order to make it easier for you to get re-elected so you can continue your efforts to shut Tyrex down."

  The senator smiled proudly. "Spoken like a true politician’s daughter." He endearingly caressed her cheek. "You remind me so much of your mother, Shane. So smart and so understanding."

  "So you plan to go on television and publicly pull out of the hearings?" Andrew asked.

  "I plan on telling them the hearings will be put on hold. If all this is fact and I plan to go to the site myself and check it out, then I want to flash this in Tyrex face and see them go down," Senator Payne said.

  "Can I ask you a personal question, sir?" Shane asked.

  "Yes, anything Shane," he said gladly.

  "Why are you so bent on taking Tyrex down? I'm sure there are other companies that are doing the same thing that you could push your efforts towards, aren't there? I mean I know they made a lot of people suffer because of their stupidity and carelessness, but so have other companies."

  "Your mother never told you?" he asked amazed.

  Shane frowned wondering why he was so shocked. "Told me what?"

  "Lillian use to work for Tyrex. That's how I originally met her. She knew she was getting sick and she filed suit against them. When they told her she was crazy and said all her wild ways were the cause of her spleen being removed and her spine deteriorating your mother contacted the Attorney General's office, which in turn contacted my office. I was working on the environmental committee for the state at the time and I was quite interested in her findings. She had been researching what Tyrex had done for a long time especially with past employees who became sick and had gotten several lawyers to back her until Tyrex paid them off. When she started opening her mouth they blacklisted her from getting any kind of work and they made it extremely difficult for her to survive. I know to her it was a miracle when she found out she was pregnant and wouldn't abort the fetus like the doctors told her to. Having you almost killed her, but I know she wouldn't have done it any different."

  Shane remembered Lillian on her deathbed saying, "No regrets, Shane. I don't regret a single moment of living or the choices I made in life. No matter what you hear or what you discover about my past, I never regretted a second of life, because I lived to the fullest, partied until I passed out, and sang to the heavens drunk, and loved like no other woman could love a man."

  "She loved you so much, didn't she?" Shane asked the senator.

  "I don't know." He looked a bit distant. "She would never tell me she loved me. I think that was her punishment to me. I would never know the truth of her feelings because I was married to another. I think she knew I would leave my wife, sacrifice my career to be with her if I had known."

  "She did. She used to tell me the greatest love in her life was my father and that I would be great because he was a powerful man with lots of money and he would always take care of me whether he was around or not.
I never understood her ranting, but I assumed it was all because of her drinking and drug use in the past."

  Stiffly, the senator said, "A lot of people assumed that, Shane, but don't feel bad. Lillian had meaning to her madness, but she did a wonderful job raising you."

  "If you win this suit for Tyrex, what will happen?"

  "They have to pay billions in lawsuits that will prove they were connected to the chemicals that contaminated a lot of workers and communities."

  "So if you have this information, why don't you get it out of the way?"

  "I want to be sure. I want to make sure we burst their dam of secrecies wide open. Just don't believe what you will hear on the news in the upcoming weeks and just hope that we can get this over and done with," he assured her. "I'm going to have someone working on it immediately."

  Shane decided to excuse herself and gathered the tray despite Paul's protest to allow Rochelle to do that. She just needed to get away and take a breath from all that had happened this day.

  Chapter 27

  Going to the kitchen, no one was in there and this gave her enough time to get her head together on the day’s events. Knowing that Paul would assist her in finding out about Derrick would be useful to her. She would make sure Bethany received her money, along with the contract by the early morning and she would make sure the documents were sealed some place special.

  If Bethany were searching for those papers Shane had gotten from Derrick, Shane would make sure she could get those insurance papers in Paul's hands very soon. By giving her aunt the money, Bethany’s guard would be down making investigating Derrick’s death easier.

  "Can I help you?" Rochelle asked coming up beside Shane.

  Shane shook her head. "I'm fine, thank you. I was just bringing down this tray."

  Rochelle took the tray and began to remove the items and place the dishes in the washer. Shane stared at the back of the older woman for a long moment.

  "You don't like me do you, Rochelle?" Shane queried defensively.

  Rochelle didn't even turn to address Shane as she said, "Whether I like you or not, has no bearing on my job as Paul's nurse."

  "And when I'm Paul's wife, will your feelings for me change?"

  The announcement made the nurse pause in her work and look at Shane. "Is this why you were ignoring, Mr. Watkins advances?" Rochelle asked. "Because Paul was the boyfriend you were telling me about?"

  "Yes," Shane answered. She wasn't going to say she didn't know at the time they were brothers.

  "It is rather soon for him to marry you. He hasn't known you that long," Rochelle protested quietly.

  "Paul says he just knows its right."

  The nurse smiled to herself. "He was always the hopeful romantic. Will you be good to him?" she asked circumspectly.

  "Yes, no doubt, despite his illness, I feel I can make Paul very happy," Shane assured her.

  "I hope so." Rochelle dried her hands and left out of the kitchen, leaving Shane alone once again.

  She looked down at the counter and straightened up the regularly used spices in her reach to keep her mind deep in thought about everything.

  Warm lips pressed against the back of her shoulder and she had no doubt in her mind that it was Paul as his arms circled around her waist and pulled her against his body.

  "Are you okay?" he whispered in her ear.

  Taking a deep breath and relaxing in his arms she shrugged her shoulder as he planted kisses up her neck and tickled her ear. "Rochelle will always dislike me," she announced.

  "She's just protective, but trust me if she's said more than two words about her feelings to you, she must like you a little. She'll come around," he assured her turning Shane around in his arms.

  She accepted the warm kisses, and loved the way he explored her mouth thoroughly with his tongue igniting her passion. Soon, they were in a lustful embrace as he raised her up to sit on the counter and he pushed up the skirt she wore when he moved his hand up her thigh, tore at her stockings and pushed aside her underwear to smoothly slide his finger deep into her warm dampness.

  Shane moaned recklessly abandoning herself to his will wanting so much more and not caring where they were.

  A voice cleared at the door and Shane looked over to see the senator and Andrew standing there. She blushed so deep it was very evident on her face. Paul’s body was blocking exactly what his hand had been doing to her and Shane was very glad for that.

  "I just wanted a moment alone with Shane before I left," the senator explained clearly embarrassed coming upon them.

  Paul helped her off the counter and gave her a promising kiss before he let her follow the senator to the front foyer.

  "Have you lost your mind?" Andrew sneered at his brother.

  "What?" Paul asked innocently as he washed his hands. "You need to learn, Drew, with a woman like her, you need to take every opportunity she gives you and when you make her will your own, push her buttons to the fullest."

  With a frustrated sigh, Andrew said, "I can't be you, Paul."

  "I'm not asking to be me. I'm asking r you to find out what turns Shane on and take advantage of those weakened passionate moments to do what you want with her. Trust me, the venture will work," Paul guaranteed with a wicked wink. “Plus, she’s had a long day and there has been a lot going on. She needs to get a lot off her mind to prepare her for tonight. I needed to start as early as possible. You don’t wait until you get to the bedroom to start the lovemaking, Andrew. I’ll meet you in the bedroom.” He grabbed a chilled bottle of wine from the refrigerator before leaving the kitchen to go upstairs.

  Andrew sighed in frustration. Would he ever be able to please Shane like Paul could? Would he be able to turn her into a vixen and get her to respond to him as passionately as she responded to Paul?

  ***

  "Thank you, Shane, for giving me the opportunity to explain myself to you for all these years that I haven't been around," Senator Payne said once they were in the foyer. "I know you didn't have to listen to me."

  "I knew you had your reasons. Momma said I was a good kid and my daddy would be proud of me," she said.

  "I am." He hugged her briefly and kissed her forehead. "Remember what I said about any time you need anything." He pressed his business card in her hands and then left the house.

  Andrew came up behind her almost startling her with his presence.

  "I just wanted to let you know of my condolences about your nephew," he said.

  "Thank you," she said.

  "I saw the papers in the car and I know why you're suspicious, but do you really think she would kill her own grandchild for the money?" he asked.

  "Like I said before, I think Bethany will resort to any means to get money." She started to go around him, but he slightly blocked her way. She looked up at him meeting those beautiful mint green eyes that looked so different from the man she knew at the office. "What else Andrew?"

  "Are you always so strong and passionate?" he asked.

  She frowned not understanding the reason behind his questioning. "I don't think I try to be. I think it may just come naturally."

  "What I'm trying to know is your weakness, Shane."

  "Why?" Shane stepped back defensively.

  Andrew wasn't use to people asking his reasons behind his questioning so he couldn't answer her. "I just need to know, Shane. I'm finding myself in a strange predicament with you."

  "And what predicament would that be, Andrew?" she asked curiously.

  "I don't know and I don't understand."

  She smiled whimsically, feeling very powerful at that point. Placing her hands against his chest and said, "Well, when you find out what the predicament is, I'll answer your question." With a playful wink, she sashayed away from him, knowing he was spellbound by her newfound seductive ways.

  As she went upstairs to the white room, she knew she had Paul to thank for her new outlook. He had brought her feminine power to the forefront and given her a sense of confidence about herself.<
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  It wasn't that she thought she could conquer any man, it was the fact of knowing she had conquered the ultimate man, which was Andrew Watkins.

  Andrew watched her walk away, knowing she had won that bout, but he wanted to make her pay for her seduction. He wanted to make her beg. He would make it his aspiration to find out her weaknesses and prey upon them like a hunted panther until she was conquered.

  "You shouldn't be thinking what you're thinking," Rochelle said, stepping into the foyer with her bags in her hands.

  It was time for her to leave for the night. Andrew had forgotten she was in the house and looked disgruntled at her remark.

  "Maybe you shouldn't be so nosey, old lady," he said.

  Rochelle was never intimated by Andrew's constant personal orneriness. "She's going to be your sister-in-law and you need to respect that."

  "I feel what I like, Rochelle and I don't need you mothering me. I told you, I didn't need any woman trying to pacify me," he growled.

  "I never saw you wear your emotions on your sleeve so much, Andrew. You were cold as ice even when that hellion was here trying to mess the two of you over." Rochelle put her coat on and said, "Maybe you need to talk to your brother about your feelings."

  "Maybe you need to stay out of my business."

  Rochelle shrugged this off and left out the door. Andrew locked up and went upstairs.

  ***

  Paul greeted her as soon as she came in the room dressed in his black silk bathrobe. He had freshly showered and was holding a wineglass and she moved into his welcoming arms to receive a mouth full of the most delicious tasting wine that reminded her of last night and sent her senses whirling about what was to come.

  “You’ve had a long day, Shane,” he said sympathetically.

  She only nodded because she was mentally overwhelmed by everything that had happened and really needed some tender loving care.