“Okay,” I said reluctantly, getting up and lumbering into the living room where Danielle had built a pillow nest on the couch.
“Have you decided what you’re gonna do?”
“Not until I talk to him.”
“Well, you can’t very well do that if you keep ignoring his calls,” Danielle said evenly. She met my gaze as she reached for a beer and popped off the cap.
“I don’t feel like talking to him now,” I said.
Danielle rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she said. “Just eat some lo mein and don’t think about him. You’ll feel better in the morning.”
Except, I didn’t feel better in the morning. I felt worse. I couldn’t stop replaying the night of the party in my head. Emily’s perfect couture dress, her brilliant white teeth. The snarky way she’d condescended to me with every word out of her mouth.
There was no way I could compete with someone like that.
There was just no way.
Magnate Group was closed on Monday, and I spent the day in bed while Danielle went to work. I resolved to make up my mind about James – he was still calling and texting like crazy – but by the end of the day, I was no further to a decision. I knew that come Tuesday morning, I’d have to go into work and hold my head up and act like nothing happened. And that was just it – what exactly was I supposed to tell James, anyway? That his ex-girlfriend had acted like a crazy bitch? Or would that just make him think that I was the crazy one?
On Tuesday morning, I got up early and took a long shower, taking extra care with my hair and makeup. By the time I got to the office, the sun was shining in the sky and the Boston streets were bustling with people, all clearly well-rested from their Christmas vacation.
I went straight to my office and sat down behind my desk with a large coffee. There hadn’t been much social media activity over the holiday, but I responded to a few comments on Twitter and Facebook.
“Hanna?”
I looked up to see James standing in the doorway of my office. My heart skipped a beat and I felt my stomach twist into a thousand knots as he smiled.
“Hey,” I said softly.
“What happened the other night?” James stepped inside, his smile replaced by a look of concern. “I looked everywhere for you, but I couldn’t find you anywhere.”
This is it, I thought nervously as I twisted my hands in my lap. Time to be honest…or tell him the complete truth, even if it means that bitch, Emily, gets involved.
“I left,” I said simply. “I…I didn’t think I belonged there, James. And somehow, I think you know that.”
“That’s not true,” James replied. “Richard was very disappointed that he didn’t get to meet you.”
A hot rush of bitterness came over me and I bit my lip as I got to my feet. “That’s too bad,” I said. “Because your ex-girlfriend seemed to delight in the occasion.”
James’s face fell. “Which one?”
My jaw dropped. “Which one? Seriously, James? How many of those women have you gone out with?”
James gave me an exasperated look. “Hanna, be fair,” he said. “That’s been my social circle since, well, since I was a child. I’ve dated many of those women…not seriously, of course, but it has happened. I didn’t think that would be a problem with you.”
“It might have been nice to know before you asked me,” I replied hotly. “What did you think would happen?”
James’s cheeks turned pink and he looked embarrassed. “I’m really sorry,” he said. “That…that was a huge mistake on my part, Hanna, and I’m really sorry. You’re right – I should’ve been more upfront with you.”
“Yeah,” I said, shaking my head and sighing. “You should’ve.”
“What did she say?”
I rolled my eyes. “Her name was Emily, I don’t remember the six family names she trotted out after that. Tall, blonde. She was a real bitch to me,” I said. “And after she and her gang of femme-bots accosted me, I didn’t really feel like sticking around.”
James bowed his head. “Hanna, I’m sorry. I didn’t think anyone would be rude to you.”
I sighed. “I did.”
“And you were right,” James said. He stepped behind my desk and took my hand. “And now I need to know what it will take for you to forgive me. I mean, really forgive me.” His dark, intense eyes looked into mine and I shivered. Suddenly, I realized I was powerless to stop myself from falling for him. Here he was – gorgeous and kind and charming and funny.
“I don’t know,” I said softly.
“Hold on a minute,” James said. He squeezed my fingers, then took his hand away from mine. “I think I have something that you might like.”
I cocked my head to the side in confusion as James ducked out of my office. A few seconds later, he reappeared, his arms full of red, long-stemmed roses in a crystal vase.
“These are for you,” James said. He set them down on my desk and I couldn’t help but smile. The flowers were gorgeous and huge, and the scent was almost dizzying. The arrangement was so big that it took up over half of my desk and the edges of the petals brushed against my screen.
“Thanks,” I said softly. “They’re beautiful.”
“No,” James said. He reached for my hand again. “You’re beautiful. And please, Hanna, I want you to know how sorry I am.” He stepped closer and a wave of his musky cologne washed over me. “I was so worried this weekend…I thought I’d lost you forever.”
My breath caught in my throat. “How was your Christmas?” I asked.
James shrugged. “I got Chinese takeout and watched bad movies all weekend,” he said. “I barely even worked.” He turned to me with a smirk. “It wasn’t bad, actually.”
I burst out laughing. “My roommate and I did the same thing,” I said, shaking my head. “Actually, it was better than spending time with my family.”
James nodded. “So, Hanna – will you have dinner with me tonight? Please?”
I bit my lip. “Okay,” I said, nodding slowly. “I think that could work.”
James grinned, a crooked smile that melted my heart. “Good.” He leaned down and kissed my cheek, brushing his stubbly jaw against mine. A shiver went down my spine when I thought of pushing myself into his arms and kissing him deeply.
“I have a meeting,” James said as he pulled away. He winked at me. “Think of a place, and call my secretary – she’ll make reservations for us.”
“Anywhere?” I smirked.
“Anywhere,” James echoed.
“What if I want McDonald’s?”
The look on James’s face was priceless and I burst out laughing before waving my hands in the air.
“Kidding!” I exclaimed. “Obviously!”
James snorted. “You’re a trip, Hanna,” he said, shaking his head. He was still chuckling to himself as he walked out of my office and closed the door.
Alone with my flowers, I sank down into my chair and inhaled deeply. I couldn’t believe it, but I was already starting to feel better. Knowing that James didn’t want anything to do with Emily helped…but his heartfelt apology had helped a lot more. He’d seemed sincerely sorry, and I believed every word that he’d said.
I started humming to myself as I opened up my browser and began checking the social accounts once again. Twitter was dead – I figured everyone was still celebrating Christmas or preparing for New Year’s Eve – but there was a new Facebook message that had popped up while James and I had been talking.
When I pulled it up, I frowned. It was sent from what appeared to be an anonymous account – there was no profile photo, and the name ‘Mary Smith’ was anything but unique. It’s probably just spam, I thought as I rolled my eyes. It was unbelievable how many spam messages the Magnate Group social accounts attracted.
But when I began to read, I knew this was anything but spam. As I read on, my hands grew cold and clammy and my heart began to race. No, I thought as I read over the brief message for the second time. This can’t be happening!<
br />
Hot fury and anger coursed through my body and I started to shake. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the computer screen. It was like a nightmare, except that I was painfully aware of the fact that I was awake.
I got to my feet and grabbed the crystal vase filled with expensive roses. For a moment, I thought about tossing it at the wall. Instead, I stalked out of my office and ran up the steps leading to the executive floor.
James’s office door was open and he was talking and laughing – laughing! – on the phone. Just the sight of him filled with me with rage. How dare he, I thought as I stormed inside and stood in front of his desk, panting and clutching the heavy vase.
“Hanna?” James got to his feet and frowned. “What’s the matter? Did you think of a restaurant yet?”
I stared at him, so angry that I felt frozen in place.
“Hanna,” James said slowly. “What’s going on?”
As hard as I could, I threw the vase of roses at his head. James yelped and ducked as the crystal crashed into the wall and shattered into a million pieces.
“Hanna!” James yelped. “What the fuck?”
“What the fuck,” I repeated angrily, stepping forward and putting my hands on his desk. “You seriously want to know what the fuck, James?”
James’s mouth was hanging open.
“There’s some woman in Britain – some Mary Smith in London! – who messaged the Magnate Group to say that she’s fallen pregnant,” I said hotly. “With your baby!”
“What?” James squinted. “Hanna, look, it has to be a—”
“Shut up!” I yelled. Tears sprang to my eyes and I shook my head angrily. “So, you really missed me over the year, did you? Enough to get another woman pregnant?”
“Hanna, I—” James pleaded, but I cut him off with a brisk wave of my hand.
“I don’t want to hear your pathetic shit,” I said. “I’m leaving.”
And before he could stop me, I turned on my heel and ran out of the office, sobbing the entire way.
Chapter Eleven
James
As Hanna stormed out of my office, I stood there blinking and trying to make sense of what had just happened. My heart was pounding a wild tattoo in my chest, and for a moment, I felt like I was going to pass out.
My secretary, Maggie, rushed in with her hands twisted in front of her. She gasped when she saw the shattered crystal vase on the floor.
“Oh my, Mr. West! What happened here?”
“Nothing,” I said. “I need you to call the cleaning crew, and please get me access to the company’s Facebook page.”
“Do you want me to call Ms. Parker, the social media girl?”
“No,” I said sharply. “I want it myself, Maggie.”
Maggie looked at me expectantly.
“And quickly!” I added sharply. “Move!”
Maggie darted out of my office with all the speed her geriatric body could handle. When she returned twenty minutes later, she handed me a piece of paper with the Facebook login information, a cup of coffee, and a fresh shirt.
“Here,” Maggie said. She clucked her tongue and shook her head. “You’d better change, Mr. West – your shirt got all wet.”
“I know,” I said drily. “Thanks, Maggie. That’s all for now.”
Maggie returned to her desk and I shut my office door before shrugging out of my wet shirt and pulling on the dry one. As I sat down at my computer, I was nervous. What the hell was going on?
It didn’t take long for me to find out.
“To whom it may concern:
I had a sexual relationship with Mr. James West from May through August of this year, and I’ve discovered that I’ve fallen pregnant. Mr. West and I have not been in contact since he departed London for the United States, and I wish to keep this baby at all cost. I am unwilling to terminate the pregnancy, and I demand a sum of six million dollars from Mr. West and Magnate Group for my silence, as well as regular child support payments totaling twenty million, all to be paid in a lump sum once the child is born. I have contacted my barrister and he is more than willing to aggressively pursue what I and my unborn child are entitled to.
Mary Smith”
I sat back in my chair and covered my face in my hands. There was no way this could be true – it was obviously bullshit. And even worse, as much as I wanted to run after Hanna and tell her just that, I knew I couldn’t. First, I was going to have to do damage control – major damage control – before anyone else saw the message, or else Magnate Group was in trouble.
My phone buzzed on the desk, startling me out of my dazed state. Without glancing at the screen, I swiped open the call and held it to my ear.
“Hello?”
“James, this is Andrew Barnes.” He paused. “Remember? The solicitor you hired in London.”
“Oh, thank god,” I said. “I was just about to call you.”
“Yes, well, I’ve received some rather troubling news,” Andrew continued. “A woman has come forward – at this time, she wishes to remain anonymous – but she’s begun spreading rumors that she’s carrying your child.”
A low moan of desperation escaped my throat and I closed my eyes, sinking against the leather back of my executive chair.
“And judging by your answer, I’m assuming that you knew this,” Andrew said. “James, is it true?”
“No,” I said quickly. “I mean, I don’t think it’s true, at least.”
Andrew sighed. “James, please,” he said.
“It can’t be true,” I said, shaking my head. “I only slept with a few women in London, and I used protection every time. I barely dated!”
“All it takes is one time,” Andrew said cautiously. “James, you’re going to need to lie low while we figure out how to deal with this…predicament. I don’t want you to do anything that will attract attention to the company, do you understand?”
I sighed. “Yes,” I said. “I understand.”
“It’s most likely a scam – either an attempt to blackmail you for an absurd amount of money, or to tarnish the reputation of Magnate Group.”
“I know,” I said crossly. “Trust me, there’s no way this woman is telling the truth.”
“Well, it will be nice when we have that certainty, won’t it?” Andrew asked sarcastically. “James, please – listen to what I’ve said.”
“I will,” I said. I sighed. “And how do you know this woman is even real? What if it’s some prank?”
“That’s a very likely possibility,” Andrew replied. “I’ll have a team of lawyers look into it in the morning.”
“Can’t you do it now?” I narrowed my eyes. “If it’s so pressing, I mean.”
Andrew cleared his throat. When I glanced down at the clock, I realized it was almost ten o’clock at night in London.
“Sorry,” I muttered. “Tomorrow is fine. Thanks for calling me, Andrew. I appreciate it.”
“Yes,” Andrew said stiffly. “And in the future, James, please be more mindful of the…company you choose to keep.”
I groaned. “Yes,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’ll be sure to do that.”
When we hung up, I folded my arms on my desk and rested my head on them. I had no idea how I was going to get out of this mess…but I knew that I had to, for my own sake as well as that of Hanna.
And god, Hanna! How on earth was I supposed to face her now, when she wouldn’t even feel like listening to me?
I swear, Hanna, I thought as thoughts of my own demise swirled around in my head. I swear, this isn’t the man I am.
***
The next day, I did everything I could to get Hanna to forgive me. I called, texted, sent flowers, even sent one of those gigantic edible arrangements of fruit and chocolates shaped to look like flowers. Of course, I knew none of those things could possibly begin to undo the hurt…but I had a feeling that once I got the chance to talk to her, she’d understand.
Or maybe she wouldn’t. Maybe I’d fucked up so royally that she’d
never give me the time of day ever again.
At Magnate Group, I went by her office. Hanna was sitting at her desk, working quietly. When I knocked on the door and stuck my head inside, her head snapped up. For a moment, I saw confusion in her bright green eyes. But that confusion was very quickly replaced by hot anger, and Hanna flicked her eyes back down to her keyboard and began typing away, pounding furiously at the keys.
“Hanna, please,” I said, stepping inside and taking a deep breath. “I really need to speak with you.”
“I’m really busy right now,” Hanna said. She didn’t look up. “Please, can you leave?”
“When are you free?”
Hanna shook her head. “I’m not,” she said curtly. “Please, James. I don’t want to talk to you right now.”
“Please, it’s really important.”
“I’m not interested in whatever it is you have to say,” Hanna said. She bit her lip and lowered her head. As I watched her face contort into an expression of pain, I felt like someone was reaching inside my chest and ripping my heart out. “Please leave.”
“Hanna, I would never have done something like that and kept it from you,” I said. “I swear – this isn’t true. Someone’s lying, or trying to get attention. Or get me in trouble.”
The Xmas Conquest Page 10