The Magnate's Tempestuous Marriage

by Miranda Lee

  She didn’t object, despite her skin crawling some more. He sat unnecessarily close to her, his expression full of feigned concern. He might have picked up one of her hands if they hadn’t both been cupped tightly around her coffee.

  ‘You don’t have to tell me what the problem is,’ he started straight away. ‘You’ve left your husband, haven’t you?’

  ‘I...yes... I did.’ Not a lie. She had. For a while.

  ‘I’m not surprised. You may or may not know this but your husband came to see me last week and made all sorts of vile accusations about some photos someone sent him. Photos of you and me at the Regency hotel that Friday lunchtime.’

  ‘He did tell me about his visit to you,’ Sarah admitted stiffly.

  ‘Did he tell you that he threatened to kill me if I came near you ever again?’

  ‘No, he didn’t,’ Sarah confessed, slightly shocked at Scott’s threat.

  ‘You’re well out of that marriage, Sarah. Look, I know that you didn’t come to work all last week and it worried the life out of me, thinking what that bully of a husband might have done to you. The thought of his abusing you in some way gave me nightmares.’

  ‘Scott would never hit me,’ she defended hotly, thinking that if Phil was so worried about her then why hadn’t he tried to call her?

  She understood full well why he hadn’t. First, he didn’t really care about her. And second, Scott had scared the living daylights out of him.

  ‘I wouldn’t be too sure of that,’ he sneered. ‘McAllister comes from a rough and tough background. He has violence written all over him. You could do so much better, my dear,’ he said, then actually dared to place his hand on her knee. ‘You deserve a man who would appreciate you as his wife, someone who would give you the kind of life to complement your beauty and your brains.’

  ‘And are you imagining that that man would be you, Phil?’ she asked him, struggling to keep the dislike out of her voice. She hadn’t set out to trap him into incriminating himself, but couldn’t resist the temptation.

  That disgusting hand on her knee actually moved in what he no doubt thought was a seductive circle.

  ‘You must know how I feel about you, Sarah,’ he murmured, his eyes locking with hers. ‘I’ve admired you ever since you came to work here. You are the kind of woman any man would want. When you married McAllister I couldn’t believe it. The man has no class, or culture. He’s nothing but a thug in a suit. But at least now you’ve seen the error of your ways and you’ve finally come to me. Finally,’ he repeated, that horrible hand daring to inch up onto her thigh.

  Sarah could not bear another second of his vile touch, slapping his hand away and jumping to her feet at the same time. ‘My God, you don’t honestly think I would leave Scott for you, do you?’ she threw at him, only just stopping herself from throwing the coffee at him as well. ‘Even if your rotten plan had worked and Scott and I broke up permanently, I would never turn to you.’

  He seemed totally thrown by her outburst, his massive ego clearly unable to take in exactly what she was saying.

  ‘But you said you left him,’ he blurted out. ‘You came to me and said you wanted a divorce.’

  ‘I did leave Scott,’ she countered furiously. ‘But we’re back together again now, stronger than ever. Your appalling plan didn’t work in the end. And I never asked for a divorce. I said I wanted some legal advice. So tell me, Phil, what would you advise a girl in my position to do? You do realise that Mr Goldstein is not too partial to claims of sexual harassment against his employees.’

  Sarah saw the instant fear in his eyes and knew Scott had his character pegged right. The man was a total sleaze and an out-and-out coward.

  ‘You have no proof of anything,’ he said shakily as he stood up. ‘It’s your word against mine.’

  ‘Is it just? Well, maybe my word might have more sway with the boss than yours.’

  ‘If you go to Goldstein, you’ll be making a big mistake,’ he spat at her. ‘My father is an important man, a senator and a very close friend of his. You won’t win.’

  ‘Oh, lovely. And there I was, thinking you must be mad about me to do what you did.’

  ‘I’m not that mad about any woman,’ he snarled, his handsome face twisted into an ugly mask. ‘Lord knows what I was thinking,’ he went on nastily, shrugging his shoulders and straightening his tie as he looked down his finely chiselled nose at her. ‘You might be beautiful, sweetheart, but you obviously don’t have any taste. Fancy taking up with that big lug when you could have had me. The mind boggles.’

  Her mind certainly did. God, the arrogance of the man! And the sheer vanity.

  ‘Scott is more of a man than you’ll ever be,’ she stated firmly. ‘What’s laughable is that I used to like you. I thought you were my friend, someone I could turn to for advice. I couldn’t believe it at first when Scott said you’d set me up so that I would look like a cheater. But I soon saw that he was right. Though he was wrong about your motive. You never really wanted me, did you? You just wanted to cause trouble. To make me miserable. It was all because I’d bruised your male ego.’

  His laugh was scoffing. ‘Well, it certainly wasn’t because I couldn’t live without you. But I was sick to death of your complaining about hubby going away all the time, so I decided to give you something to really complain about. Which reminds me. Your husband could be having an affair with his PA, for all I know. I didn’t have him investigated at all. That was just an excuse to get you to go to the hotel with me. My main aim was for your stupid husband to think you were having an affair. I figured if in the fallout I managed to get a bit of that delicious arse of yours then I’d count that as a bonus.’

  Sarah managed somehow not to reel back. ‘Scott was right,’ she said coldly. ‘You are disgusting.’

  Fear zoomed back into his eyes. ‘You can’t prove anything.’

  ‘Maybe not, but mud sticks, Phil.’

  ‘It sure does. What if I say you did sleep with me that day? That you told me you loved me and you were going to leave your husband for me, but I told you I didn’t love you back—that everything you’re now saying is just the revenge of a woman scorned.’

  Sarah shook her head. Scott had been so right. Leighton was a slimy bastard who wasn’t to be trusted. For a moment she felt rattled, but then she reminded herself that she’d faced slimier men in court.

  ‘I’d say you’d be wasting your breath,’ she returned coolly. ‘Because I’m out of here as of now. You’re not worth the hassle of a law suit. Or anything else. Time will take care of you. I just wanted the opportunity to see you face-to-face and tell you what I think of you before I resigned.’

  ‘You’re resigning?’ he asked, his mouth dropping open.

  ‘I sure am. And I won’t be back.’

  ‘But what reason will you give for resigning?’

  Her smile was a little wicked. Let the creep worry.

  ‘Oh, I’ll think of something,’ she said airily, and with that she whirled and marched over to the door, flinging it open to find Janice standing right next to the door, obviously listening to what had gone on. The girl’s face was flushed and she seemed quite upset. Sarah, however, had never felt better. There was something very cathartic about having some revenge, no matter how small, on the man who’d almost ruined her marriage.

  ‘I’d stop sleeping with him if I were you,’ Sarah called over her shoulder as she strode off, tossing the half-drunk coffee in a nearby bin on the way. ‘The man’s a total sleazebag and a big-time loser.’

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  SARAH’S SMILE WAS wide as she walked the three blocks to Scott’s office. God, but it felt so good to be out of there, and not just because she’d escaped Phil’s toxic presence. Sarah hadn’t appreciated till this moment that she hadn’t been overly enjoying her job for some time. She’d liked some of her clients and cases, but not the constant pressure of having to win. Goldstein & Evans had a ‘win at all costs’ policy, which could be wearing after a whi
le. They also expected you to work long hours, without getting paid overtime. Which had been fine by her to begin with. But it wasn’t the sort of workplace she envisaged enduring once she had a baby.

  Whilst Sarah didn’t want to abandon her career entirely for motherhood, neither did she want to be one of those mothers who gave over all the caring of her children to nannies and day-care centres. That wasn’t the kind of family life she craved. If she expected Scott to stay home more, then the same should apply to her. Sarah believed in equality in a marriage.

  Sarah didn’t ring Scott to tell him she was coming, keeping the news of her resignation as a surprise. He was going to be so pleased, she thought as she rode the lift up to his floor. Her smile was still in place as she pushed open the door that had McAllister Mines written on it in silver lettering.

  ‘Hi, Leanne,’ she said happily to the forty-something receptionist. ‘The boss in?’

  ‘Sure is.’

  ‘Great. Looking good, Leanne. New hairdresser?’ Leanne was sporting a chin-length honey-brown bob with blonde highlights, which was more youthful than her previous style.

  ‘Yes. Yours. Thanks for the tip.’

  ‘My pleasure.’

  Sarah made her way down the corridor to Cleo’s door. When knocking elicited no answer, she popped her head inside, only to find the office empty. The door into Scott’s office was open, however, and what Sarah saw in there had the ready smile fading from her face. For there was Cleo, standing in front of Scott’s desk, wrapped in Scott’s arms. One of his hands rested in the small of her back, the other was stroking her thick dark hair with what looked like tenderness. He was murmuring something soft and reassuring, and Cleo... Cleo sounded as if she was crying.

  Instantly, the most horrible thoughts rushed through Sarah’s head.

  They are having an affair.

  It’s been going on for ages.

  Scott has just told her about the baby and Cleo is devastated.

  Sarah’s first reaction was to turn and run. Maybe she could hide in the powder room for a while and come back later. Pretend she hadn’t seen a thing.

  A few days ago, she might have. But not today. Today was the beginning of the first day of her new marriage, one which embraced honesty and total trust, not with wild bursts of jealousy.

  Taking a deep gathering breath, Sarah calmed her mind, letting common sense push aside those other hasty and quite irrational thoughts.

  Of course they are not having an affair.

  Scott loves you and Cleo isn’t that kind of woman.

  You have to trust him the way you want him to trust you.

  There is some other explanation for what you’re seeing.

  Swallowing, Sarah came forward to stand in the doorway to Scott’s office, discreetly clearing her throat so that they knew someone was there.

  * * *

  Scott glanced up over Cleo’s shaking shoulder, startled to see Sarah standing in the doorway. She’d said she was going to drop by at lunchtime so that they could go shopping together, but it was hardly that yet. He froze inside, aware that what she was seeing would not look good. No wife would be happy to find her husband with his arms wrapped around his weeping PA. Sarah wouldn’t be a typical woman if she didn’t jump to the wrong conclusion.

  But if she did, then everything they’d achieved over the weekend would be ruined.

  A fierce dismay was enveloping Scott when something wonderful happened. Sarah smiled at him, lifting her eyebrows in a way that betrayed irony rather than jealousy. She’d trusted him. Dear God, but it was an incredible feeling, bringing a lightness to his suddenly heavy soul that seemed almost miraculous. He smiled back, lifting his shoulders in a light shrug, suggesting that he was the innocent victim of circumstance here, not some dastardly bounder.

  * * *

  Relief claimed Sarah when he smiled back at her, not a smidgeon of guilt in his face. Thank God she’d trusted him and not fallen into that self-destructive trap of jealousy and false assumptions.

  ‘Hi there, darling,’ he said ruefully. ‘Cleo’s having a bad day.’

  ‘Oh, God, Sarah!’ the woman herself cried, wrenching away from Scott’s arms as if she’d been struck by lightning. ‘It’s not... You mustn’t think... Oh, God...’

  ‘I don’t think anything,’ Sarah immediately reassured her. ‘Honestly.’ Coming closer, she reached over to the box of tissues that Scott kept on his desk, pulled out a great wad and handed it to the still-sobbing woman.

  ‘It’s the anniversary of Martin’s death,’ Scott explained as Cleo mopped up her face. ‘But she forgot. Till just a minute or two ago.’

  ‘I see,’ Sarah said gently.

  ‘I’ve never forgotten before,’ Cleo wailed, sniffling into the tissues, confusion in her voice. ‘I always put flowers on his grave on the anniversary of his death,’ Cleo choked out. ‘I usually take his mother with me.’

  ‘No reason why you can’t still do that,’ Scott said. ‘Go ring Doreen now, and take the rest of the day off.’

  Cleo immediately brightened. ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Positive,’ Scott said firmly.

  ‘You are so good to me. Your husband is a wonderful man, Sarah. And a wonderful boss.’

  Sarah just smiled, still slightly rattled by her initial reaction to seeing Cleo in Scott’s arms. For a terrible moment there she’d let distrust raise its ugly head once more. Still, at least she hadn’t let it take root. But it had been a close call.

  ‘He certainly is,’ she agreed, and linked arms with Scott.

  ‘Off you go,’ Scott told Cleo.

  ‘Yes—yes. Right. I’m off. See you tomorrow, then, Scott. I’ll just tidy up my desk and shut down my computer.’

  Sarah was glad when Cleo closed the door on her way out.

  ‘So, madame,’ Scott said as he turned her to face him, at the same time flicking her a questioning glance. ‘Are you early for lunch or did I lose track of time again?’

  ‘I am early,’ she told him smugly. ‘I’m also unemployed. I resigned this morning. And I refused to work out my notice.’

  Scott’s eyebrows almost hit the ceiling with surprise. Sarah noted, however, that behind the surprise lay a heap of satisfaction.

  ‘What happened? No, don’t tell me, Leighton hit on you and you lost your cool.’

  ‘Not at all,’ Sarah said, having resolved during the walk over to his building not to tell Scott about her confrontation with Phil. No way did she want him charging over there and threatening to kill Phil again. So she sidestepped that part and went straight to the reasons she’d given the big boss for her rather abrupt resignation.

  ‘From the moment I sat down at my desk this morning,’ she began, ‘I knew that Goldstein & Evans wasn’t the sort of place I wanted to work in either during my pregnancy, or after I have our baby. Not because of he-who-shall-not-be-named, but because it just doesn’t have a parent-friendly atmosphere. Being a mother has to be my priority from now on, Scott. Being a crusading lawyer will just have to play second fiddle till our children are well on the way to growing up. Not that I intend to give up my career, mind. I might apply for a job at Legal Aid, part-time. They do very good work and it’s not as though I need to earn a six-figure salary. Or do I?’ she asked with a sudden jab of worry. ‘You’re not on the verge of bankruptcy, are you?’

  Scott laughed. ‘Not just yet. God, but you’ve no idea how happy you’ve just made me. But what reason did you give for resigning? And how on earth did you get away with not working out your notice?’

  Sarah grinned. ‘I confess that I told a few little white lies. Though there was some truth in what I said.’ And there was. ‘I explained that I was pregnant, though I did let Mr Goldstein think I was a little further along than I actually am. I admitted that I didn’t have a sinus infection the previous week but had been suffering from shocking morning sickness. I just hadn’t wanted anyone to know I was pregnant just yet. I also said my doctor had advised me to give up work for a while
but I’d stubbornly refused. He accepted my resignation straight away and I came here to see you.’

  ‘You are a seriously naughty girl,’ he said, laughter in his eyes. ‘But a seriously brilliant one as well.’

  ‘True. Would you like to kiss me now?’

  * * *

  Scott would have liked to do more than kiss her. But Scott knew that Cleo was probably still in the outer office, tidying up and collecting her things. So he settled for just a kiss, after which he suggested they go have coffee then do some shopping.

  ‘So what are we shopping for?’ Sarah asked.

  ‘Your anniversary present. I was going to return your idea and buy you a lovely eternity ring. And I probably will still do that. But now that you’ve quit your job I’ve decided on an added gift.’

  ‘Oh? What?’

  ‘A second honeymoon,’ he announced.

  Scott loved the joy that filled Sarah’s face.

  ‘I know how much you like Asia,’ he went on, ‘so I was thinking of a stay at one of the luxury beach resorts in Thailand. What about Phuket? I saw an ad for this fabulous resort there during the long week you were away, when I had to resort to watching television into the wee small hours. We could leave ASAP. What do you think?’

  ‘Oh, I’d love it. But what about your business? Aren’t things a bit sticky at the moment?’

  Scott shrugged. ‘Things are going to be sticky in the mining business for a long time. Our relationship is far more important than work, Sarah. We deserve some time together after what we’ve been through.’

  ‘But what about this new business partner you’re supposed to be getting? What about your cash-flow problems?’

  ‘That’s not so acute now that my diamond mine is producing. I have enough ready cash to keep everything afloat for at least a month or so. As for acquiring a new business partner... Cleo can handle that whilst I’m away. She knows the business inside out. She’ll enjoy being the boss for a while. Besides, it’s not as though we’re going to be gone for all that long. Two weeks, max.’