Secret Heir

by Victoria Pinder

  Galen winked at Tess. "So, what's it like to date my brother?"

  "What?!" Mitch’s body tensed.

  Damien laughed. "Galen, be nice. Tess looks as red as a tomato."

  Mitch turned toward Tess and saw how red her face was. He placed his hand on hers.

  Galen shrugged. "We can't ask the woman you brought home to meet the family for her opinion of you?"

  "That's not what you said, though." Damien looked at her. "Tess, let me rephrase. What could you possibly see in Mitch that is remotely attractive? He's a stuffed shirt who never leaves his desk."

  Tess lifted her chin. "There is nothing wrong with a good work ethic."

  Mitch’s estimation of Tess grew. It was a rare woman who could withstand his brothers’ impertinence. He rubbed his chin, trying to decide how to deal with his brothers. Revenge would be sweet.

  Galen's lips parted in surprise. "So that's what you find attractive about Mitch? His work ethic?"

  They heard the engines start as Tess glanced at him, then back at his brothers. "No. He's kind, caring, and really loves his family."

  Damien rolled his eyes as Galen stifled a laugh. He then said, "Love? That's such a...girly word."

  Tess tilted her head. "Girly? Love isn't a gender thing."

  Mitch patted her hand. "Our mother loved our father, but it caused her tremendous pain." And us.

  Damien and Galen looked at each other, then turned their seats forward. The brothers realized their mother had loved a man who had never respected her. Their parents had said I love you, but it was more like they were addicted to drugs they couldn't quit. It was why he'd never tell a woman he loved her. He couldn’t live with that kind of chaos.

  The flight attendant offered bottles of water for takeoff. Once they were alone again, Tess asked, "How does love cause pain?"

  "My father would never divorce his wife. Our sister disappeared without a trace, and reading what happened to Victoria Morgan, our half-sister, just made me believe our deceased father was involved in that. Our mother should have been stronger and walked away, but she wasn’t the most rational person."

  That was all Mitch could say. If he said any more, he'd tell her his father saw his mother as a possession, not as an amazing person. And half of her over-the-top behavior had always been to keep his father. All his life, he’d helped his mother get out of some mess or another. This time, she was taking him down with her.

  His lips pressed together as he remembered how often he’d found his mother on the floor, her face streaked with tears, after their father had stormed out of the room.

  Tess opened her water bottle and sipped. Once she was done, she said in a soft voice, "I don’t know about your sister and I’m sorry, but I am happy your mother raised you to be stronger than she was."

  "She had years to walk away, Tess." Mitch had spent almost thirty years of his life hoping she’d wise up. She made being in love sound painful. He'd rather do without. He opened and gulped his water as the pilot sent the plane speeding down the runway. "She chose to stay with a man who could never truly love her.”

  Tess’s cheeks turned red. "Have any of you met Isabelle Morgan?"

  Every cell in his body came alive. His mother intended to talk to Isabelle. "No. Why?"

  Tess bit her lip and her face pinched. She looked like whatever she had to say was a message sent straight from the devil himself. "She intends to come talk to you about a burial spot."

  Exactly what Fiona hoped to talk to her about. He took his hand away, lifting his chin. "Tell her to stay home."

  She crossed her arms and looked toward Axel, who wore his headset. "Don't ask me to interfere in the family feud. If you don't want her there, tell her yourself."

  Mitch placed his hand on her elbow. Sighing, she uncrossed her arms and placed one beside his on the rest. His heart beat faster as their gazes met. He wanted to kiss her. Instead, he traced her arm and took her hand in his.

  "Tess?"

  "Yes?"

  If they were alone, he'd kiss her. Right now, though, they were flying with his family to a strange place. A place he’d been banned from because he wasn’t good enough.

  "Can we do something tonight, just the two of us?"

  "Yes, absolutely." She swallowed and looked out at the sky beyond the small window. "I'll see you to your hotel first, of course." She turned toward him. "And then I'll go home, get ready, and meet you at, say, eight?"

  "Sounds perfect." He lifted her hand and kissed it. She sighed and sank into her seat, letting herself relax. He loosened his tie. With Tess, he felt confident and smart. Perhaps she was an angel in his life. He just hoped she’d forgive whatever his mother did at the funeral. At least Tess was not the target.

  9

  Tess held her stomach and hoped Mitch didn’t notice how nervous she was near him. The question that spun in her head was, Do I take his company from him? Business was business, but if she did to him what she intended, he’d never speak to her again.

  This was why Kevin had left her. She thought family was more important than money. She’d lacked the killer instinct which made her seem weak.

  The churning in her gut stopped when Mitch took her hand as the limo parked in front of the Biltmore Hotel. His brothers filed out, and she was suddenly alone with Mitch. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered this morning. He kissed her hand. She snatched it back, as if his simple gesture branded her.

  She fixed her glasses and nodded. "See you tonight. Meet in the lobby?"

  "Sounds perfect." Mitch didn’t move toward the door. Her lips tingled being this close to him.

  She took a deep breath. This wasn't the time or place to think about romance or spending a few days with the hottest guy she’d ever laid eyes on. Everything running through her mind was inappropriate.

  "The driver will see your mother to the burial site. Everything is set for tomorrow morning no matter what the final decision is."

  His face darkened and he exited the limo, to join his brothers waiting by the lobby with their luggage. He popped his head in the car again. "Tess?"

  Her heart beat faster. "Yes?"

  His gaze softened. "Look pretty. I want to take you somewhere nice."

  Absolutely. She nodded. His sparkling blue eyes haunted her during the ride home.

  Tess stepped out of the limo and climbed the stairs to the second floor of her cookie-cutter apartment community. She unlocked her door, swung it open, and shuffled inside. She dropped her small bag and wandered into the kitchen to grab the teapot. Her fingers trembled with emotion as she turned on the burner. “Calm down,” she told herself.

  A second later, someone knocked. Tess walked to the door and swung it open, hoping to see Mitch. She sucked in a breath. Her ex-fiancé, Kevin O'Malley, stood there wearing light brown pants, a polo shirt she’d bought him, and his Ray-Ban sunglasses.

  "Hey, babe. I wanted to talk to you."

  She froze in place though her heart beat faster. "Kevin, why aren't you in New York ‘pursuing a deal’?" He’d let her know in their break-up that his pursuit of new deals would be tainted by her failure.

  He took off his glasses and winked. "The deal I need is you."

  Now? After he’d left her like that? She clutched the door frame. "What? Why?"

  He lowered his head. "Tess, can I come in? It's hot out here."

  The humidity added ten muggy degrees to the already hot temperature. Kevin's hand brushed against her arm, but she felt nothing. She stepped in front of him to stop him from inviting himself in, but at the last minute she relented because of the heat.

  “Come in.” She closed the door behind him. "I don't want you to stay. I just didn’t want to talk in an inhospitable climate. Why are you here?"

  "I want you back." He didn't come closer, but he was still close enough that his fingers traced her arm.

  She jerked her arm away. "Excuse me?”

  "Look, I'm sorry I made your mistake at work personal.” He held her gaze as if he’d practic
ed the words. “I was in shock, and in that panic, I let the best person in my life go."

  A few months ago, that was what she’d dreamed he'd say. Now, though, she imagined Mitch and remembered how her body shivered when she was near him. Kevin hadn't ever elicited that response.

  She shook her head. "Kevin..."

  "Forgive me, Tessy."

  A sigh escaped her. This was what she’d wanted from him back then, when she’d dreamed he’d come back. She leaned against the closed front door, arms crossed in front of her. The pain of how he’d broken up with her while she’d been trying on her wedding dress stabbed at her heart. Her shame in leaving New York, fired. She began to shake and glanced toward the floor.

  "I can't forgive..."

  He took her hand. "Look, I'm staying in Miami for a while. I know I shocked you and you've just returned from a business trip."

  She pulled her hand back and her eyes narrowed. "How?"

  He pointed behind her. "The bag, that skirt..." Her face heated as he tilted his head. For years, that look would melt straight through her and leave her knees feeling like Jell-O. "I remember your raspberry shampoo. You don't have to give me an answer right now. When you’re feeling more like yourself, how about we go for drinks?”

  A memory of New York, when leaving their favorite restaurant he’d held the umbrella over her head so she didn't get wet in the rain, flashed in her mind. They had been happy. He’d hurt her so badly. A frown formed on her face. "I don't know..."

  "I'll call you after I finish work tonight.” Before he stepped away, he squeezed her hands.

  Her frown never vanished. This was what she’d wanted, but the image of Mitch fixed in her head. She had a date tonight, and it wasn’t with the painful past.

  She slipped her hands out of Kevin's and nodded. "We'll talk later. You should go."

  He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. She opened the door and ushered him out. "See you soon, Tessy."

  All she could do was blink. He walked down the flight of steps and left. After a second, she pulled her door closed and leaned onto the adjacent wall. It felt like cold water had been splashed into her face. Her kettle whistled.

  As she walked toward the kitchen, she thought of Mitch. Another one of his kisses would make her forget about anything else, including Kevin.

  She poured herself a cup of tea as her phone rang. It seemed today was one of constant interruptions. She placed the cup next to her laptop on the coffee table and returned to the door to grab her pocketbook.

  Looking at the screen of her phone, she answered. "Hey, Mom. How are you? How is Paris?"

  "I'm good. I’ll be back soon.”

  “How was your vacation?"

  “Amazing, but I heard you wanted information on Peter’s family?”

  Her mother, Tanya Taylor, the silver fox with a sharp mind, sounded like she was enjoying herself. The lightness in her mother's tone relaxed Tess. She curled up on the sofa and picked up her tea, dunking the bag in and out. Tess sighed. "Mom, part of me wished I wasn't there for our boss to meet his half-siblings at the funeral in New Orleans." It had been an odd job request.

  "I'm sure your support was appreciated."

  They had two different versions of the same boss. Or maybe Peter simply treated her mother like his own. Tanya had been his secretary for years.

  "Mom, how did you work for Morgan Enterprises all your life, specifically with Mitch Morgan, Peter’s dad?" Mitch the younger came to mind, his blue eyes bright.

  "That man was awful to his son." Her mother's voice became muffled from wind, but a second later, she was clear again. "Thankfully, I was never assigned to work with him directly, but it was strange being a secretary to a sixteen-year-old."

  Tess couldn't imagine how bizarre that must have been. She fixed her glasses. Maybe her mom didn’t know about Mitch and his brothers at that time. "So Fiona Dupree, the woman he had an affair with, loved Mitch and had children. Do you know anything about that other family?"

  "One minute. I need to close the door." A click on the phone rattled her ear. Tess opened her laptop. She had orders from Peter to draft the takeover, although the memory of Mitch's hand on hers still vibrated on her skin. Her mother finally came back. "Fiona Dupree and Mitch Morgan were very much in love, but from what I understand, his own father forced Mitch to marry Isabelle Marshall. Isabelle came with a fortune of her own."

  Tess uncurled her feet and set them on the floor. "So this was about money?"

  "The wealthy like to stay wealthy, so marrying each other is pretty common. Keeping the girl he loved on the side sounds like Mitch, although I doubt that man truly knew what love was. He said he did, so who am I to judge."

  The way she derided the word “love” made Tess almost spill the tea she had picked up. She put the cup down. "Mom!"

  "Until recently, I thought Peter was going to make the same mistake and marry someone to help him grow Morgan Enterprises. I was so happy when I heard about Belle."

  A sigh escaped her lips. She picked up the tea again and sipped it, then said, "She's my new boss."

  "She'll be tough, but good to work for."

  Belle would expect an immediate report for the merger. Tess centered the cup on a magazine on the table. "I guess."

  "So what's your issue, sweetie?"

  She lay back onto the couch pillows, getting comfortable. Her mother had always protected her. She put one hand behind her head. "I like Mitch, but I love my job."

  “You like Mitch?” Her mom sounded incredulous. “He’s dead.”

  Tess put her other hand on her stomach. “Mitch Morgan the Third. Fiona’s son.”

  “Your job is important. I put a lot on the line to help you. Don’t let me down, Tess.”

  Her mother, her own self-respect, these were good reasons to stay on her path and follow Peter’s orders about the takeover. Everything boiled down to how well she performed her assignment, but her stomach churned that she was going about this all wrong. “What if I’m giving up on a possible good guy because I have to do my job?”

  "Do what you need to do, Tess. Don't let one interfere with the other."

  Easier said than done. If she wrote the memo for the hostile takeover, was it a betrayal? Would Mitch ever speak to her again? She sat up and inched closer to the laptop. Her job mattered. She had to choose between a possible romance and reality. If she’d learned anything in New York, she knew she had to take care of herself. Her mind flashed to Mitch again, but she blinked away the image. Her mother was right.

  "Okay. Thanks, Mom. I needed the pep talk."

  "Call me anytime."

  The knots in her stomach stayed, but after saying goodbye, Tess texted her sister, Jess.

  We should get together soon. I miss you.

  I'll be back in Miami in a few days. I'll come over.

  Perfect.

  At least her sister would be home. Blowing out a breath, Tess opened up a new document.

  United Trust Takeover Action Plan.

  Hours passed as she typed. She glanced away from her laptop to see it was close to five PM. She pressed the SEND button, emailing Belle her plan for the hostile takeover, to be discussed before finalizing as she had a question regarding a certain monetary figure. Perhaps Mitch would agree this was business and not hold it against her.

  Her throat felt like she swallowed a jagged pill, but she stood and ignored her clammy skin, walking into her bedroom. In a few hours, she'd see Mitch. Right now, though, she needed a hot shower. It might help wash away the thought that she’d betrayed him.

  She clutched her hands at her sides as she eyed her clothes to find suitable ones for tonight. Even Mitch had said business and pleasure were separate. Her mother agreed. So she should not feel like she stabbed him in the back. She was only doing her job.

  10

  "Mitch."

  Tess’s gaze zeroed in on him as she walked into the lobby of the Biltmore hotel. She had chosen her Caro Soliz original from the House of Morgan—a s
ilver sparkled knee-length dress that Caro had made just for her. Somebody had even snapped her picture outside. Her Valentino shoes clicked against the marble floor as she weaved through the crowd toward him.

  When she walked up, Mitch immediately put his hand on her waist. As she gazed into his warm blue eyes, he said, "Tess, you look amazing."

  His tailor-made gray suit fit his muscled body perfectly. He winked as he lowered his hand and grasped hers. Her heart shifted as he guided her through the lobby.

  "Thanks. You look good, too." Someone's cell phone camera flashed in her eyes. She leaned close to Mitch and whispered, "Who are all these people?"

  Mitch frowned. "It seems word got out that my father had another family and we were here in Miami."

  The House of Morgan meant constant limelight. Whoever had leaked the information about Mitch’s family branch wasn’t playing fair. "I’m sorry."

  None of that made sense. She hadn't counted on the public watching them so carefully. He guided her toward the exit. "Keep your head low and let's get to the limo."

  This couldn’t be because of her memo, which was private between her and Belle. In fact, this exposure of them together for fun was the opposite of what she needed for work, but that was wrong to even think. She froze and tugged on his hand until he stopped.

  "Maybe we should just do something in the hotel, away from prying eyes.”

  He leaned closer, the smell of his cologne invading her senses. She inhaled and wished for another taste of him. "We should go out. If I take you to my room, your pretty dress will end up on the floor."

  The visual wasn't half bad...if she intended to see him again. Once he found out what she’d done, he might not want to be in her company. He could leave tomorrow and fly anywhere. One night with him might be all she’d ever have. Her mind told her to keep that lid closed and just relax, have fun, trust, and go with the flow.

  She moved slowly toward the door. "Okay, but I would prefer somewhere quiet where we can talk.”