I was still in my office when they arrived. Spencer was pale and disheveled, ugly stains ran the length of his shirt. He was leaning heavily on India's arm.
"Wait for us in the boardroom, India?” I asked her as gently as I could manage. "We need a moment."
She raised her eyebrows, but closed the door behind her. And louder than was necessary. I watched as Spencer winced.
"They're all waiting in the other room." I stood, tapping my fingertips on the wood of my desk. "I'm giving you a chance to tell me now. I haven't decided yet if you deserve it." I took a deep breath and let it out. "What the hell's going on, Spencer?"
"I didn't get to Wyler before he left the country, Jack. I fucking tried, but I was too late. He never signed it, boss. I'd already fucked up so much," he hiccupped and wiped his mouth. "He was going to sign. He'd told me… and you. I know it was wrong, but he was going to sign it anyway. I just didn't think…"
"You fucking forged a signature on a legal contract…?" My voice was quiet, but my heart was pounding in my chest. "You put my family's entire future on the line to cover for fucking up? I would have taken the contract to him myself, Spencer. There was no goddamned reason…"
"I'll admit it, Jack. I'll tell all of them what I did. I'll resign…
Fuck, you can fire me if you want to." He ran his hands through his stringy hair. "It all got away from me somehow… I lost control… But I'm ready to tell the truth. I need to get this off my chest…"
The phone on my desk buzzed. I picked it up and hit the button. It was India's voice. "They're all here, Jack. Ed's on speaker… But there's one more thing…"
"Tell me."
"Your ex-wife is here, Jack. She just came in and sat down." I could hear the exasperation in her voice. "She says, as a stockholder, she's got the right."
"Goddamn it, Elaine, this isn't the fucking time or place for whatever demands you've got now."
I'd left India to babysit Spence as I pulled Elaine into the empty hall.
"This merger affects my interests as much as yours, Jack," she sniffed. "The divorce gave me forty percent of your holdings. It's my right."
It gave you fifty percent of my bank account, too, I thought.
"Besides, I wanted to be here for Spencer… as moral support." She picked at a long, pointy nail. "We're friends, Jack. And everyone needs someone… You certainly didn't waste any time."
Blake stuck his head into the hall. "We're ready." He looked from me to Elaine… then back to me.
I followed him in with Elaine on my heels. She sat down at the far end of the table. I didn't have the time to process what she'd just said. And she'd planned it that way. Her smile was serene. It was the way that she locked eyes with Spencer that struck me. That, and the look on his face when he saw her.
"Ed, thank you for this," I spoke to the room, but my words were sincere and directed only to him. "The board is here. Spencer too. Bill Jackson's listening in." I wanted to make it easier… the whole fucking mess was awkward enough. "There's been a mistake with the contract. The one we have here… I know you never had a chance to sign yourself." I turned to look at Spencer. "Mr. Pierson-Ellis and I have discussed this. I believe he has something he wants to say to everyone here."
Spencer stood unsteadily, grasping at the edge of the table for support. I'd have had some pity for the man, if what he'd done was in any way forgivable. But he'd betrayed everyone in the room. And it could have even cost us the company. For hell's sake, he'd put Warner in jeopardy as well.
"I… I… " He swallowed hard, his eyes darting around the room. "I never wanted to hurt anyone. It got out of control, is all." His eyes locked onto Elaine. "This wasn't how it was supposed to happen." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I signed it myself. I forged the signature.
It was just because we needed a little more time…" He looked down at his own hands, the words were coming out faster and faster. "I'll face whatever consequences you choose. It was my mistake. Only mine." He looked across the long table. "It was never supposed to be like this…"
40
Libby
"Come on, sweetie… up… up." I patted the bed, but her little legs were too short. I picked Moki up and put her in the middle of the bed. She had her favorite chew toy with her… a yellow rubber ducky. I squeezed it for her and she attacked, settling in to gnaw its orange beak. I smiled and leaned back against the headboard. For the last two hours, I'd carried the envelope with me everywhere. I tapped it against my thigh… held it up to the light… The paper was thick, expensive. I couldn't see a thing.
I would have called India… or even Vivian for advice. But more than anything, I wished Jack was with me. A year ago, I might have just thrown the envelope away, sure that I already knew the truth. That Mom didn't want me, and that I'd grown up strong enough not to need anyone. But now…
Jack's company was in jeopardy, and his whole family was pulling together. They'd welcomed me with warmth and kindness. With every passing day, I was learning more and more, how wonderful it felt to have Jack beside me. Safe, dependable… and loving. Moki crawled into my lap. For the first time, I was learning, not just how much I needed to be loved, but how much love I had to give. It was like a dance… a give and take that only found its balance somewhere in between us…
If I read the letter, there was no going back. Whatever it said would be part of me forever. Good or bad…
Or I could burn it. Toss it into the lake and watch it sink. I could pretend it hadn't ever even existed, and then nothing would change…
Moki barked, sharp and high, her tiny ears perked toward the drive. Jack's car was pulling up the drive and she bounded off the bed, heading down the stairs at a run to meet him. I sat up and smoothed my hair, thinking back on his promise for tonight. My husband had wanted to give me all the answers I'd never had before. He'd given me choices I'd never had before. He'd done it all because he loved me… because he wanted a life with me.
I smiled and listened to him downstairs as he lavished his love on our puppy. His voice was so warm, so kind. The voice of the very best man I'd ever known. I headed down the stairs, my heart full of love and my body tingled with anticipation… The decision had made itself.
And I went to greet my family.
"What happened?" I looked up into his velvety brown eyes as he wrapped his arms around me. "Did the merger go through?"
Jack scooped Moki's dinner into her bowl and closed her safely into the kitchen.
"Wyler faxed it back with his signature today. We're safe… Mason's safe." He touched his fingers to my lips. They were warm… rough… He led me over to the sheepskin throw by the fireplace and lit the fire. "I'm going to have to let Spencer go… He could have cost us everything… there isn't any other choice." He ran his hand behind my head, threading his fingers through my curls. He tugged slightly, tipping my head back. "You look more delicious than ever, sweetheart…" He kissed me right below my ear. "I think I need to find out for myself…"
"I've been waiting all day… and I think it's your turn," I teased, tugging at his belt. He was already huge, aching to be set free. I unzipped him. "I think there's someone here who didn't get any attention this morning…" His cock sprang free.
We had each other undressed in seconds. I ran my hands over him, his chest… his abs. He was all muscle, huge next to me. Then I kneeled down in front of him and felt his heat, his rock-hard length in my hands and I tasted him. His balls lifted and swelled. I took his whole head into my mouth.
"Oh, fuck," he gasped the words and his body swayed. "God, sweetheart… your mouth… so… fucking… good…" He caught my shoulders and rocked his hips. Each careful stroke made him longer, even harder. His head was at the very back of my throat. I swallowed hard, purposefully, and he gasped.
I ran my hands between his legs pulling him to me, unwilling to let him back away. He'd made me come in his mouth, I was determined to give him the same pure pleasure. I spread my hands to cup his ass and worked hi
m with my tongue, sucking and swallowing. I could feel him getting close. I was dripping wet and it ran down the insides of my thighs. "I need to be inside you, sweetheart… I want to come in your sweet fucking pussy. Let me… Libby… let me…"
I would have sucked him off anyway, if my own body hadn't been screaming. But I let him go, shifting fast. I was on hands and knees, poised with my ass high, my knees spread apart. I let my nipples graze the furry rug beneath us and offered myself up to him. "Fuck me, Jack," I begged over my shoulder. "Come in me… hard…"
He was inside me with a single, powerful thrust. There was no time to adjust to his size, he was stroking me fast and hard, just like I needed. I was jolted with every move he made. He was churning my body, driving me hard, driving himself deep, pushing and pulling… giving and demanding… He leaned into my back and cupped my swinging breasts tight. Then he shifted his hips up higher over mine. The head of his cock was right in my sweet spot. Every thrust was an explosion of its own, like one long, unending orgasm that would never, ever end…
He came as my pussy clenched down on him. I bucked as he rode me. I could feel his seed hot down my thighs. And still he pumped into me. Neither of us could get enough. We didn't let go until we finally collapsed together. It was as if, by joining together we created something even more. Something bigger and more powerful than either of us alone. He wrapped me in his arms, resting his head on the pillow of my breast. I stroked his hair until we both dropped off to sleep.
"I love you, Libby. I wonder if you'll ever know how much…"
"I do know…" I turned in his arms to see the morning light on his face. "For the very first time…" I tried to smooth his hair. He smiled and pulled me closer and kissed me long and slow. He took my hand and put it on his chest. His dark eyes were serious.
"I haven't been able to stop thinking about the letter, sweetheart. If you've read it… or if I never should have searched into your mother's past…" He shifted and my nipples rested against him. "Was it a mistake?"
I wrapped my leg around his, pulling his hips closer, and felt him begin to stiffen again. "Nothing's been a mistake," I whispered. I looked up at his beautiful face, full of love and the heat of desire. "I put it away, in the top of the closet. I almost read it… I wanted to… until I realized I already have everything I need. Right here, with you…" I kissed him, letting it deepen until I was aching again inside. "The past is gone. And we have a future to look forward to… a family of our own, someday."
He rolled over, trapping me deliciously underneath him, his eyes shining.
"I think I'm more than up to it, Mrs. Mason." He slipped his fingers down to tease my very ready clit. "And I promise to devote myself to the job… no matter how long it might take…"
41
Jack
All I wanted was to spend the day with Libby in my arms. But work didn't end with the merger's success. It was really all just beginning, and there was still Spencer to deal with. Bennett and Dad were working out the details of his severance package and I knew it would be generous, in spite of what he'd done. He'd given the company a hell of a lot of good years. I still had trouble believing his judgement had failed so badly.
I revved the engine, just as the light changed. No, it was hard as fuck to imagine what the hell Spence had been thinking… I turned the corner and headed into the parking garage. And all morning, there has been something else preying on my mind… something I couldn't quite place. Something just...wrong.
It was more than the growing concern I'd had ever since Libby had told me she wasn't pregnant. It's rare for a woman to conceive on the first try. And she was young and healthy. I wasn't worried about her… But since she'd told me the test was negative, a deep fear, an older fear had been growing inside me.
Elaine and I had tried for two years to have a child. She'd had frequent check-ups with her own doctor, always assuring me there was nothing wrong. No reason to think it had anything to do with her. She'd even demanded more in the divorce settlement as compensation because I hadn't given her the children I'd promised…
I'd just told myself it was because we weren't meant for each other. Because I'd been so busy with work… and she'd had so many separate interests of her own. Neither of us had had much time to devote to each other. And long periods of time had passed without anything between us at all…
It was all so different with Libby, from the very beginning. At first, it had been the most powerful attraction I'd ever felt in my life. But in no time, it had deepened into the kind of love I'd never even dared hope for. It was as if the feelings we shared were more than we could even contain within ourselves… that surely it was inevitable that it would blossom into a new life… a baby. The physical reality of our love…
But it hadn't happened. And in all those years with Elaine, it hadn't happened either. The cruel words she'd spit at me so long ago came back to me now, and they shook me to the core.
Did you ever think for one fucking minute that it just might be your fault…?
Spencer was due in my office by nine. I threw back the last of my cold coffee and paced the room. It was grey outside, the sky sullen. It matched my mood, at least. I hated this fucking kind of thing.
I'd looked over the severance papers, added a few notes of my own. I knew it was the only choice, to let him go, but something still nagged dully at the back of my mind. None of it made any sense. But Spencer had straightforwardly admitted to what he'd done. Forging a signature to meet a deadline. A deadline he'd already kept pushed back more than once…
I could still see his face, white and damp. How his eyes had darted around the room. We needed a little more time, he'd said. It was my mistake. Only mine.
And yet his eyes had rested on Elaine…
She'd looked cool, poised… Not at all like a woman who was concerned for her friend, or even her own selfish interests in my company. Elaine had worn precisely the same expression as the day she'd told me she wanted out of our marriage, and that she wanted what she'd earned by staying… She had looked cold, calculating… satisfied…
… We… needed more time, Spencer had said.
We...
He was sober, at least. And his suit was clean. But Spencer was still pale, and his hand shook as I handed him a cup of coffee.
"I think you'll find it more than fair," I said, pushing the stack of papers across my desk. "I think it goes without saying… how unfortunate it is, for things to end like this." I leaned back. "I trusted you like family, Spence. All those years…
In spite of everything, I can honestly say I'm sorry to see you go. I can't in good conscience offer you a reference… Hell," I dragged a hand through my hair. "It's only because I considered you family, that we're not pressing charges. That, and the fact that the merger went through successfully and neither company is in jeopardy now… But for Christ's sake, Spencer. What the fuck were you thinking? Where the hell did all those years of good judgement go…?
I trusted you. All of us did."
Spencer's hand shook until his coffee threatened to spill. He put it down and pulled awkwardly at his tie. I could see I was getting to him. So was his own fucking conscience…
"We spent years building Mason back up from the ruins, Spence. You and I. We saved it, made it strong enough to survive into the next century. For Fletcher… for Vivian. For all of us.
It made you a very rich man. With a secure future…," I paused, watching the nervous movements of his mouth. "You'd have never wanted for anything… I don't understand why, Spence. There won't be any consequences worse than you're facing now… I'm willing to do what I can to protect you…
But only if you tell me the truth…"
42
Libby
"Dr. Tiller's office, confirming your appointment tomorrow at ten," the receptionist sounded young and energetic. "She asked me to request you bring with you a list of any concerns, any unusual symptoms you've noticed in the last year. And any issues with family health history," she co
ntinued. "Mother, sisters, aunts… any relative who had issues with reproductive health or infertility." I caught my breath and there was a pause. "Did you have any questions?" she asked.
"No… no. Nothing, thanks. Of course… I'll be there," I answered. "Thank you…"
Sisters… or aunts… I'd never even thought about the possibility… It was only my mother I'd focused on… ever wondered about. And I knew virtually nothing about her, except that she'd been able to give birth to me…
I wanted time. Time to consider all my options, time to weigh the benefits against the risks. The report on Dorothy was right upstairs, in a box at the top of the closet. What chance could there be, that it held any information that might help me become a mother. And Jack become a father. All I knew was that time was the one thing I didn't have. And that I owed it to Jack, to both of us, to do anything I could…
I grabbed the phone and tapped the screen. "India?" My heart was pounding. "I need you…"
"Are you okay, Libby? You sound funny… Is it something with the baby?" Her voice was so sweet, so concerned. I felt a lump in my throat. How had I never realized what an amazing and loyal friend she'd always been?
"I'm fine. It's nothing like that," I swallowed hard. "All my life, I've tried not to ask anyone for help… I thought I could do it all on my own.
There isn't a baby, at least not yet," The words were pouring out now. "But there's nothing I want more, India. Jack and I… it's real. We're real. I want us to have a baby more than anything," I stopped to press a cool hand against my forehead. "But there's something I need to do… and I don't know if I can do it alone…"
"Are you sure you don't want Jack…?"
Little Sister Next Door Page 30