by M. O. Kenyan
* * * *
Idiot! Rich cursed himself as he stepped into the office. He had run away from Catalella and here he was in her domain. Catalella was spearheading the campaign and there was no way to avoid her now. They would be working closely together. He had received a notice from Harold that the signing of the contracts had been postponed. He thought he would have to convince his godfather not to drop Ross and Kent as their potential legal representation, but the old man hadn’t suggested it. He was about to chicken out of this meeting, but when he found out Michael Mathews was part of the firm and was trying to sabotage Catalella he had to go.
Rich saw Catalella from the corner of his eye and froze for a second. She seemed to be fuller in a way…healthier. She had a smile on her face as she spoke with Dennis Kent. But when she turned to face him, her smile froze and the files in her hand almost dropped out of her grasp. In a second she had regained her composure. She walked out of the office and headed toward him. Rich was nervous—he didn’t know exactly what he would say to her.
“Hi,” he said once she stopped in front of him.
“Funny, I thought you would be heading in the other direction,” Catalella said, the animosity in her voice obvious as she pointed towards the elevator. Rich sucked in a breath. She had seen him. There was nothing as embarrassing as being called out on his cowardice.
“Mr. McCrery,” Dennis announced as he shook Rich’s hand.
Shit! Rich thought. A new reason for his little orchid to resent him, as if leaving her alone in bed and running away from her wasn’t enough. He hadn’t told her of his true identity. He saw the shock in her eyes but, just like that, it had disappeared. The business side of her appeared as she escorted him to the conference room.
“If you don’t mind me asking, why are you handling this account?” Rich tried to sound as inoffensive as possible but the anger in Catalella’s eyes told him he had missed his mark.
“That’s what I keep asking. I’m Michael Mathews.” Michael chuckled as he shook Rich’s hand.
He realized the fool hadn’t recognized him. He was a charmer and if he hadn’t known his true nature and seen what sort of a slime ball he was, he would have fallen for that trust-inspiring grin.
“My name is on the door. Catalella Ross,” Catalella announced. “Now, gentlemen, if we can take our seats. Michael, I’m sure there is an ambulance out there waiting for you to chase it.”
Rich tried to hide his laugh with a cough. He was proud of his little orchid for putting Michael in his place.
“I thought I could sit in,” Michael retorted.
“I’d rather you didn’t. Mr. McCrery has some private information he would like to share, and since I’m going to be his counsel—”
Rich realized she had left the statement hanging for him to pick up. He was angry that she had pulled him into her squabble and left him to deliver the final blow. He was trying to look professional in front of Harold and being unprofessional wasn’t going to help his cause.
“Please excuse us, Mr. Mathews.” He issued the dismissal and took a seat as far away from Catalella as possible.
* * * *
“Let’s begin,” Rich barked as he took his seat.
Catalella noticed that there was coolness in Rich’s tone that she had never heard before. Granted, she hadn’t known him that long—they had only had three encounters. But his voice never sounded that cold before. At first she wanted to ask him what was wrong, but then she remembered that he was the liar in the room.
“Right,” Catalella began, using the authoritative voice her father had used in this very same room. Rich had seen her at her most vulnerable moment but she didn’t want him to think she was weak. “How should I address you?”
“Mr. McCrery is fine.”
Power trip. Catalella chuckled to herself sardonically. This was the real him. Forget the T-shirt, jeans and sneaker guy. The man in front of her, the one in the power suit, was the real Rich. No, not Rich, but Ethan McCrery.
“Ethan, then.” Catalella ignored Dennis’ and Harold’s questioning gazes. “I would like to point out that there was nothing wrong with the first draft that I sent you. But since Mr. McCrery is here, I thought I could convince you to sign with Ross and Kent as a permanent client.”
“Why?” Rich leaned back in his chair, his fingers locked and his hands on the table. The angry look still claimed his face.
“Because I am the best and Ross and Kent is the best firm in New York,” she stated in a matter-of-fact sort of tone.
“I knew your father. I actually know Dennis here. We have a lot of history,” Harold began, then leaned in towards her before he went on. “It’s the reason why I picked this firm. I understand loyalty is important to you. But I also know your father got the job done, emotions aside. I need a bulldog, not a poodle.”
Catalella’s lips twisted into a grin. She turned her focus back to Rich, wondering what exactly he had told his partner. But she wasn’t weak and she wasn’t about to let anyone hire her out of pity. Catalella stood up and handed the files to the three men. She then took the power seat at the head of the table. She was showing her authority, just as he father had taught her. But she fought hard to keep the steel out of her voice when she said, “Emotions are for the weak and I am the biggest dog you will ever find out there.”
She stood up and headed towards the door, taking the decision away from Rich and Harold. “I hope I will hear from you by the end of the day. That way we can start the process of acquiring that factory. I also have some other acquisitions you may be interested in. If I don’t hear from you I’ll take the offer to my other clients. Good day, gentlemen.”
Catalella stormed out of the room, making sure her back was straight and each stride she took showed her strength. She knew they would be watching her. According to her father, business men were vultures waiting for a sign of weakness so that they could attack. She had already shown Rich how weak she could be, but now he had to see her strength. She vowed he would never see her vulnerable again. But then where did it leave him when it came to the baby? Now that she knew how to find him, she had to make a decision whether she would tell him.
“Catalella, your father called.” Darcy stood at the door of her office with a paper in her hand.
Catalella didn’t stop. She grabbed the paper and walked into her office. She took a seat at her desk and then she saw her uncle escort Rich and Harold out. Rich didn’t even spare her a single glance. She looked down at the paper and the message was the same one she got from her father for the past four weeks: ‘Bring him home.’
Chapter Six
Rich could see it in her eyes. Catalella thought that he had told Harold her secrets. He could see her condemn him as the steel in her voice slashed through him. For a second he thought about reassuring her. But he was still trying to prove his worth to Harold. He was the custodian of the company and, to get it back, Rich had to show that he was a responsible grown up able to handle the business.
When Catalella gave him the ultimatum, Rich wanted to throw it back in her face but Harold was watching him. This was no time to throw a temper tantrum. He watched as Catalella walked away from him and for some reason it hurt him. The viciousness in it troubled him. He had done the same thing, walking away from her bed more than three months back, but he never thought she was still angry.
Rich held the folder in his hands as Dennis walked them out. She was angry and he was angry. But his latest project had already been pushed back a month. It was costing him money and time. As they reached the elevator he made a decision.
“Harold,” he said in his authoritative voice. “I think we should get this done right now.”
Rich had begun to walk back to the conference room when he met Catalella’s eyes. Grinning back with magnanimous scorn, he used his index finger to call her. He could see the heat of rage burn in her eyes and angering her made him even more satisfied. This time he sat in the power seat and watched Catalella’s shocked gaze burn h
oles in his skull for his bold move.
He didn’t say a word as he signed both contracts, one granting Ross and Kent power of attorney to handle their latest acquisition and one to become a permanent client with Catalella as their go to person. He pushed the contracts towards Catalella and she was next to sign. Once every copy had been signed and notarized, Rich stood up and walked towards Catalella. He stooped over her then said, “Now you are my bulldog. Fetch!”
He gasped in surprise then chuckled when the pen Catalella’s fingers were fisted on snapped in two. He wondered what she was picturing in her hand and, on instinct, his hands hovered over his groin as he grimaced in imaginary pain.
“What was that about?” Harold asked once they were back in the limo.
“She pushed me and I pushed back. Now I have the power,” Rich said with a smirk.
“Did you read the fine print?”
Fear had Rich’s spine rigid. What fine print? He didn’t put it past Catalella to do something that would harm him. Revenge…they do say that there is nothing as bad as the wrath of a scorned woman. In his haste to prove how much power he had over her, he had let his business sense slip. But Rich wasn’t afraid to push back. If whatever he had trapped himself into wasn’t to his liking, he would push back. Damn the consequences, even if those consequences involved not being able to make love to her ever again.
* * * *
“What was that about?” Dennis asked once they were alone.
“I pushed, he pushed back.” Catalella was angry with herself for letting him win. But she had the trump card. “But I happen to have the winning hand.”
“He’s our client now, not our enemy. We don’t want him to cancel the contract with us. So play nice, kitty cat.” Dennis chortled.
“I’m smarter than that. He can’t revoke the contract until a year has lapsed. It was in the fine print.”
“How fine?”
Catalella threw her head back and laughed. She was sure once Rich saw that she had trapped him for a year with the firm he would be pissed. But then the smile dropped and absolute terror filled her—would he think the same thing with the baby?
* * * *
Did you read the fine print? The question had played in Rich’s mind the whole day. The damn woman had trapped him. Although he wouldn’t be able to get out of the contract for a year he was going to give her a piece of his mind. It was already ten p.m. and he had been debating in his mind if he should go up to her apartment.
The memories of the last time he was in her building flooded his mind. It was lust and not fear that had him rooted to the spot in indecision. He took a step towards the front door, swearing to keep his hands to himself. He would dig them in his pockets the whole time he confronted her if he had to.
He made his way to her door—this time he didn’t get lost. He knocked a couple of times before he heard someone come to the door.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
Rich was about to answer when he saw how sexy she looked. Her hair was wild, and her baggy sleeping T-shirt hung low but barely covered her hips. He wanted to run his hands up those hips and under her shirt, and that was what he did.
He pushed his way into the apartment, his hands demanding every inch of Catalella. He thought she would resist him but she couldn’t, and when her arms wrapped around his neck that was all he could take. He kicked the door closed and lifted Catalella. He led her to the dining table and a wave of déjà vu hit him. Rich laid her flat on the table and released her lips so that he could take his jacket off. But, as he did, his eyes caught sight of the literature on the table.
At first he thought they were a bunch of novels until he saw the words ‘Your first baby’ on one of the books. He stepped back from her, releasing his mind from the hazy cloud of desire. He walked to the other end of the table and picked up the book.
“I thought you said you couldn’t get pregnant?”
* * * *
Catalella sat up, all desire fleeing her body and rigid shock claiming her. What was she going to say now? She got off the table and turned to look at him. Lie. That was her first thought. But what was going to happen after the lie? She needed to find out a lot of things from him, like his family medical history and if there were things that she should look out for.
“I wasn’t supposed to, but I am.” She labored, trying to find the perfect words, and then spoke in a rush. “It’s a miracle or a fluke. Before you came into my life I had accepted the fact that I was never going to be a mother. Then you came and we had sex, then you left me, leaving me with a note and…and a baby.”
“No!” His voice cracked with rage as a look of horror filled his eyes. “You said it was fine, that you couldn’t get pregnant.”
Catalella didn’t understand why he was so angry. She hadn’t asked anything from him.
“Is that why you put that clause in the contract? You wanted to trap me?” he accused.
“I don’t need your money,” Catalella responded with the same vehemence in her voice. “You aren’t the only one with a rich daddy.”
She regretted it the second she said it. She watched as his face twisted in pain, but then a shadow crossed his features and his expression immediately closed. Everyone knew that Ethan McCrery Senior had died of a heart attack some years back. She also knew, through the gossip columns, that Ethan didn’t get to say goodbye. He barely made it to the funeral.
“I’m sorry I said that. But I’m not going to feel bad about my baby. You can be angry for the rest of your life if you want to, but I’m happy for myself.”
“Are you going to keep it?” His voice struggled to sound out the words.
“I’m not going to have an abortion, and I hate you for even thinking I would.” Stepping closer, she said in a dark, urgent voice, “This is my baby—you don’t have to have any part of this pregnancy if you don’t want to. But I will not feel sorry that I am pregnant. That I finally have what I want. You wanted me to survive—well, this baby is the reason that I will.”
“I’m sorry.” His voice softened as he sank to the floor.
Catalella went to him, trying not to feel sorry for the picture of a broken boy in front of her. “If you want I can prepare some papers and you can sign over your parental rights. You don’t need to be part of this. This is my only chance. My one and only chance to be a mother. I can’t give it up.”
“You’re happy?” he asked and she nodded. “Well, then I am happy for you.”
Catalella watched as Rich stood up and left, leaving her alone to sort out the mess their lives had become.
* * * *
Rich got back to his loft apartment. There were no walls, only a wide space with his bed, desk, entertainment center and his motorcycle parked in the middle of the room. There was no room for a baby or Catalella. He regretted going to her apartment—it would have been better if he didn’t know. He'd lived this long without sorting out the mess of his previous life. But here was a baby reminding him that he needed to sort himself out, and he needed to start with Ava.
She was a girl he met at De Alma. He had bought the restaurant to impress her. She was so impressed that they flew down to Vegas in his private jet and got married the very same night. It was at the time he was going through his rebelling phase with his father. And when Ethan McCrery the fourth had heard what his son had done he died of a heart attack, or a broken heart. But not before he placed Ethan’s inheritance in Harold’s custody. So for their honeymoon Ethan was guilty and poor. Ava didn’t seem to like the combination and she left, without giving him a divorce.
Rich had tried to get the marriage annulled but Ava had disappeared. It was five years since he’d seen her. He was still married but had gained part of his father’s fortune. Harold had him working for the rest of it. He did the bare minimum until he met Catalella. She had described a man that he wasn’t and, all of a sudden, that was what he wanted to be. He wanted to make his father proud even though he was dead. But now he needed to work for h
imself, Catalella, and the baby on the way.
But there was no moving forward until he got rid of his past—he had to find Ava, divorce her then marry Catalella. His little orchid was solid and didn’t need his money. As she had pointed out, she had the money plus she was a partner at the firm. Her name was on the door.
Rich sat behind his mahogany desk. It was huge and had three computers on it and had been his father’s desk. Now it was his. The televisions mounted on the walls showed different channels and one was tuned in on the stock market. But Rich wasn’t interested in all that. He had a book in his hand. ‘Your First Baby’. He was going to study for the role—he was great at tests and an excellent student. He was going to learn a few things, even though he wasn’t exactly sure he was going to be part of raising the baby.
“What are you doing?” Harold stood over him, looking down at his book.
“I’m reading,” Rich said, trying to hide the cover.
But Harold had the sight ability of a hawk. He had already seen Rich’s choice of literature and a disapproving frown claimed his lips. “Is it Ava?”
“I haven’t seen the gold digger for five years.”
“So who is it?”
“A girl I met about four months ago.” Rich watched as Harold’s eyes widened in shock. He groaned, waiting for the old man to unleash his lecture about condoms, security and women who only wanted him for his money. Rich already knew all that. What he didn’t know was how to be a good support system, someone Catalella could depend on, a partner and, more so, a father. “I need my godfather right now, not the business tycoon.”
Harold called Rich over to one of the large leather sofas. “All right then, I’m listening.”
“I met a girl at De Alma—”