Surrender to a Donovan (Kimani Romance)

by Arthur, A. C.

  “She’ll get a hefty raise to do the show,” Parker said. “She can use that for her child care.”

  Sean was already shaking his head. “No. I want this to be a separate contract, not attached to her employment at the magazine. So she’s not getting a raise, she’s getting an entirely different salary.”

  “Wow, being very generous with this one, aren’t you?” Parker asked.

  When Sean opened his mouth to speak, Dion held up a hand to halt him.

  “Before you say anything, you should know my wife came home last night rambling about this adorable little girl she watched for you. By the time I was in the car on my way to work, Mom was calling to ask if I could talk to you about bringing Tate and…what’s her name?”

  Sean sighed. “Briana.”

  “Yeah, Briana, to the house again. She made several more comments about when Lyra and I were going to give her a grandchild as precious as Briana.”

  Parker was smiling from ear to ear. Savian had the decency to put his hand up over his mouth, pretending to brush down his close-cut mustache to cover the fact that he was grinning as well.

  “I think we’ve already crossed the personal line,” Dion finished. “Just in case you were thinking about taking the denial route.”

  “No,” Sean replied automatically. “I wasn’t thinking of taking that route.” He rubbed his hands down his face and gave up the pretense.

  “We had a great time at dinner. Yes, I like her on a personal level. So yes, I’m trying to look out for her in the business arena as well. Satisfied?”

  “We can’t just give her whatever she wants because you want to sleep with her,” was Savian’s cool response.

  Sean’s icy glare was quick, his tone lethal. “I do not just want to sleep with her. And I can negotiate her contract any way I see fit.”

  “The board has to approve it,” Savian retorted, without even blinking an eye at Sean’s quick show of temper.

  “Time out,” Parker said, making a T with his hands. “He’s not asking for a million-dollar contract, Savian. She’s already getting health care within the scope of her employment here at the magazine. We can just include a clause that says if anything should happen to said employment, this contract will pick up full-coverage health care.”

  “And add child care when no one else is getting it? Is that fair?” Savian asked.

  It was Dion’s turn to intervene. “Nobody that we’re offering a television contract to has had child-care issues,” he told Savian. “We should continue to negotiate contracts on a case-by-case basis and not get into what we are and aren’t supplying for everyone else.”

  “If the company doesn’t pay her child care, I will.” The words were out before Sean could really consider them. He sat back in his chair and let them sink in. He never said what he didn’t mean. Ever. This time was no different.

  “It’ll be taken care of,” Dion said in a tone that ended any further argument. “Now, is she on board with this personal thing?”

  “She’s not exactly banging on my door to get to the second date,” he said with a wry chuckle. “The whole boss/employee thing seems to be an issue for her.”

  “As it should be,” Savian replied.

  “Savian, man, you need to get laid,” Parker said.

  Savian frowned at his older brother. “Unlike you guys, I have more important things on my mind.”

  “That just confirms you aren’t getting any.” Dion laughed.

  “I think she’s got some history that’s holding her back,” Sean offered, because these men were his closest friends. He could trust each of them—even Savian—and depend on them to be totally honest with him about anything.

  “Oh boy, history’s never good,” Parker said.

  “You should know,” Savian added. “That’s why you’re divorced now.”

  Parker didn’t frown and he didn’t take another jab at his brother. The subject of his young marriage and quickie divorce wasn’t one they broached lightly. And judging from the look on Parker’s face, they weren’t going to discuss it now.

  “What kind of history?” Dion asked. “Let me guess. Baby daddy?”

  “I believe so. I’m thinking about having Trent take a look into her past.”

  Savian shook his head. “Dangerous territory having a woman’s background checked out. Especially when it’s a woman you plan to sleep with and hire at the same time.”

  Nobody denied that. But Sean didn’t give a damn. For him, the end definitely justified the means.

  “She doesn’t have to know,” he said.

  Savian had another response, not that anyone was surprised. “That’s right, bring dishonesty into the new relationship as well. Why not just ask her what happened and be done with it?”

  “I tried that, and she clammed up. Twice. That’s how I know something’s going on there,” he told them.

  “That definitely sounds like she’s keeping secrets,” Parker said.

  “And she’s got her guard up so high I’m practically climbing walls just to get a smile.” But when he got one, he was blown away, every time.

  His desk phone buzzed and Sean pressed the intercom button. “Yes, Gayle?”

  “You wanted to know when Ms. Dennison came in. Her assistant just called to say she’s not coming in today—some type of family emergency.”

  His finger slammed against the button.

  “Guess that means we’re not meeting today,” Savian said with a sigh.

  Sean was already out of his chair, pulling his suit jacket from the back and slipping his arms in as he walked to the door. “I’m gone for the day. If you need me, call the cell.”

  * * *

  Seeing yellow police tape hanging from the door of Tate’s apartment was not something Sean had anticipated. The swirl of anger settling in the pit of his stomach wasn’t either. Yet, as he walked inside the already-open door, he felt like he could hit someone. And that wasn’t a thought that crossed Sean’s mind on a daily basis.

  There was an officer in the living room, standing beside Briana’s playpen, and he instantly went into defense mode.

  “Where’s Briana?” he asked the officer.

  The female in uniform turned and looked at him. She had a notepad in one hand and a pen in the other, and she took a step closer to him. “And who are you?”

  “I’m Sean Donovan,” he said. “Where are Briana and Tate?”

  He looked around the room, and there didn’t seem to be anything out of place, nothing missing. Except for the two females who lived here.

  “And how do you know Ms. Dennison?”

  He could see the name “Raymond” printed in block letters just beneath her badge, and she had already written his name down and was waiting for what he would say next.

  “Ms. Dennison works for me at Infinity magazine,” he told her. “We had dinner last night and I dropped her off around ten-thirty.” Now, whether he was incriminating himself, Sean didn’t really care. It was the truth, and he was telling the officer all this in the hopes of getting her to reciprocate.

  “You’re that Sean Donovan?” was her reply.

  He wanted to sigh. The last thing he was in the mood for was someone falling all over themselves trying to impress him because he was that Sean Donovan.

  “Yes, whatever that means,” he said instead. “Can you please tell me where Tate and Briana are?”

  She used her pen to point. “They’re in the bedroom. Packing, I presume.”

  Sean didn’t allow her to expand on that. He was already walking through the living room, turning down the short hallway and heading toward the room next to Briana’s, which he assumed had to be Tate’s. All the tension, all the worry that had built up from the moment Gayle had given him the message that Tate was out washed out of him in
a gush of a breath. He inhaled again slowly as he saw Tate standing near the dresser gathering clothes and Briana sitting in the center of the bed bending into the suitcase trying to pull out everything her mother had just put inside. Tate was wearing jeans that fit enticingly over her thick thighs and her perfectly rounded bottom. Her hair was pulled into a messy ponytail that gave her a vulnerable quality that called for Sean to help her, be there for her, make this better.

  “Pretty little Briana, are you helping Mommy pack?” he said, trying to keep his voice as light as possible—even though anger was just barely simmering inside. What had happened here? Why was she packing, and just where did she think she was going?

  He was already on his way to the bed, arms extended to pick Briana up, when Tate jumped on the bed and grabbed her away from him.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, fear and confusion clear on her face. Both pissed Sean off even more.

  “I heard you weren’t in the office because of a family problem. I came to see if I could help,” he told her, standing at the foot of the bed.

  Her gaze darted around the room, then just over his shoulder as if she expected or needed someone else to be there. Sean tried valiantly not to take that personally.

  “What happened?”

  She sighed and sat down on the bed, keeping Briana in a grip so tight the baby squirmed to get away.

  “Somebody broke in last night. They came through the window in Briana’s room.”

  Hence the reason she was holding on to her baby as if both their lives depended on it.

  Sean moved slowly, coming to sit beside her on the bed. She moved over a little and he decided not to follow her any farther. Extending a hand, he touched Briana’s fingers, but he did not touch Tate. She was frightened. He understood that. Just as he understood that the moment he left this apartment he would be calling D&D Investigations to get to the bottom of this incident.

  “You got to her in time?”

  Tate shook her head, wisps of hair trailing along her cheeks and neck. “No. She’d been cranky all night. I’d gotten up a couple of times with her already. The last time, I figured I’d just bring her in here to sleep with me. Then I heard the window breaking.”

  “Did they catch the perpetrator?” he asked, already knowing the answer. If they’d caught him, there wouldn’t be a cop out in the living room and Tate probably wouldn’t be packing.

  “No,” she said in a low whisper.

  Briana reached for him, and Sean extended his arms to her. Tate hesitated, her gaze going to Sean’s.

  “She’s okay, Tate. I’m not going to hurt her or you,” he said solemnly.

  Her lips compressed and she closed her eyes, releasing her hold on Briana. “I’ve been a nervous wreck all day. The cops have been here since four this morning, dusting for prints and looking around outside. I thought they’d be gone by now, but they said since nothing was taken they found it strange that the guy would break a window to get in instead of picking the lock.”

  Sean nuzzled Briana’s neck, loving the feel of her baby-soft skin against his. “Impulsive, erratic—that’s what they’re probably thinking. Not something that was planned.” Sean was glad that the police were performing an in-depth investigation.

  “I don’t care if it was planned or not. It doesn’t make me feel better,” she said.

  “So you’re packing because…?” he asked.

  “One of the detectives said it might be a good idea to get away for a few days. I can’t afford to take a vacation, so I’m just going to find a hotel for me and Briana to stay at for a week.”

  Not if he had anything to say about it.

  “You’ll stay with me. Get your stuff together and we’ll pack up the cars and head over now.”

  “No!” she said adamantly, standing up to stare at him like he’d lost his mind. “I can’t stay with you.”

  Chapter 10

  Why she’d even tried to argue, Tate had no idea. Sean Donovan was one stubborn man. As she’d argued with him, he’d calmly played with Briana while going from the baby’s room to the living room, transporting her toys and breaking down her playpen. After he’d simply stared at her and asked, “Are you finished?”

  No, damn it! She hadn’t been finished. She was willing to bet he hadn’t even been listening to her, as his mind was already made up.

  “This is not a good idea,” she said as they pulled up to a white gate and waited while Sean swiped a card and was allowed in.

  She’d left her car at the apartment—that was another argument he’d won. Sean had talked to the officer who was still at her apartment. He mentioned the break-in of her car the other day and how she thought they might be connected. So they left the car to make it look like she was still home, in the event the assailant came back. She supposed that was a good enough reason but really didn’t like having her independence taken away so blithely.

  “It’s the best option for right now. Relax,” he told her.

  How could she relax? She hadn’t lived with a man in a year, and that man had been her husband. Sean was not.

  “I can still go to a hotel,” she said as he parked the car.

  When the vehicle was stopped and Sean had clicked off his seatbelt, he turned in his seat to face her.

  “Look, I’d really like for you and Briana to stay with me. The attack on your car and the break-in must be connected, which means this person is looking for you personally. As your employer, I’m very concerned for your safety as well as the safety of Briana.”

  He sounded so sincere, so compassionate, and oh so smooth. If she kept staring into his soothing bedroom eyes, Tate was sure she’d strip right here for him if he asked. Instead, she took a steadying breath and tried to make the best possible decision for her and her daughter.

  “We’re not staying here long,” was her reply.

  He nodded and stepped out of the car. She carried Briana while he carried their other bags, saying he’d come down later for the rest.

  It was early afternoon and Briana hadn’t had lunch yet. So when they arrived at his door she was beginning to whine. Tate was cooing against her daughter’s ear when she walked through the door, telling her she was getting ready to fix her lunch and then she could have a nice nap.

  His home was beautiful. She shouldn’t have been surprised—he was a Donovan, after all. It didn’t have the grab-you-by-the-throat-and-strangle-you-with-hospitality-and-warmth feel of his parents’ house, or what they called the Big House. No, Sean’s home, from what she could see so far, had a more contemporary appeal. Without question, it said high-rise Miami Beach, with its floor-to-ceiling windows and crisp white-tiled floors. The walls in the foyer were also a brilliant white, which instantly had Tate worrying. Briana was at the age where she liked to touch things, and everything she touched inevitably picked up her smudged fingerprints. She could see these walls as a blank canvas for her inquisitive toddler.

  “The kitchen is this way,” he said, leading her down a long hallway.

  On the way there were open doors and more sunlight spilling in from windows. Her sandals clicked lightly on the floors as she followed him into a spacious kitchen decorated in muted colors. She noted that it was extremely orderly for a man who lived alone.

  “I’ll let you get her settled. I have some phone calls to make,” he told her.

  As he walked past, he rubbed a hand over Briana’s head. Almost like a father would do. When he was gone, Tate sighed and then slapped a palm against her forehead. Sean Donovan was just being nice. He was not, nor would he ever be, Briana’s father.

  Lord only knew where her father was.

  * * *

  “You’re right,” Trent Donovan said through the phone. “It’s got to be connected.”

  Sean had closed himself in his room and called Dion.
Once he told his brother what had happened, they’d immediately hooked Trent up on a conference call.

  “So somebody’s stalking her?” Sean asked, his throat constricting at the very thought.

  “I don’t know if you could say stalking, but somebody’s definitely trying to get to her. What else do you know about her past?”

  “Just that she just moved here with her daughter, and Briana’s father is not in the picture,” he informed them.

  “That’s not much to go on,” Dion said. “We can pull her personnel file to see what’s on her resume.”

  “I want security on her and Briana at all times,” Sean told them, but he was greeted by silence on the line.

  “She’s staying with you and you want security on her?” Trent asked.

  “He’s interested in her,” Dion offered.

  Sean let them take a moment to laugh and make their snide comments. He was probably the last Donovan they thought would fall for a woman with a kid, or any woman at all, since he’d remained focused on work and family for so long. No, Savian would be the absolute last. He felt a world better at that thought.

  “Look, I don’t want anything to happen to them. Is something wrong with that?”

  “No. Not at all,” Trent said. “Man, I’m just glad to see you taking action for a change instead of worrying and overthinking everything.”

  If he only knew, Sean thought. He’d been overthinking Tate Dennison since the day he walked into her office. And after their kiss last night, the one that neither of them had mentioned at all today, he knew he wouldn’t think of anything else but getting his hands on her again.

  “A friend of mine lives in the area. I’ll give him a call. If he’s available he’ll be in touch with you tonight. I presume you’ve got her covered for the night,” Trent said with a chuckle.