by LeCoeur, Ami
"Continue," I demanded, struggling to process this new information.
"When he told me I had a sister, a half-sister, I really hated him. For what he'd done to my mother, to our family. I'd always hated being an only child. And since he was always gone, Mama and I were really close. At least we had each other."
He paused for just a moment. "I resented anything that took away from that. He'd always said there was nothing more important than family, and now he was admitting to having a child with someone who wasn't my mother. I vowed I would never forgive him."
"But you kept your word to him," I said.
He nodded. "When he told me about the affair, I didn't want to hear it. I told him he was vile and heartless. But he was my father and he demanded that I listen. He said I was headed down the same path and if I didn't pay attention, I'd be no better than him. He used my own anger against me, in a way that really was for my own good.”
He looked at each of us and then at the ceiling as if he were asking for divine guidance.
"He told me about the sweet woman he had met, the innocent young girl who had stolen his heart. How he'd broken it off because he didn't want to involve her in the tangled up nastiness his business and life had become. That woman was your mom."
My sweet, always-be-responsible, be-a-good-girl, Mom who I'd modeled my own little-miss-straight-and-narrow behaviors after? Having an affair with a married man? I looked over at Maria. She didn't seem nearly as shocked as I felt.
"Then she came back to him, about a month after he'd broken it off, telling him she was pregnant. He offered to help her take care of it, to 'get the situation handled' as he put it. She refused, saying she couldn't do that. To her this was a child born of love, and she was going to make sure the child had a chance."
I looked at my sister.
"And you're okay with this… this… revelation?" I stared at Maria, still not certain what to think.
"I wasn't sure how I felt at first, but I've had a little longer to think about it," she said, looking over at Antonio, shrugging. "It's not so strange, really. And it does answer some questions."
"Did Conner verify this?"
"Not in so many words. He said the records of my birth had been lost or misplaced. So except for the certificate you found, there's nothing to go on."
"But what about their anniversary? They always said they were married a year before you were born… that's why we celebrated on the same day."
"Mr. Conner says the adoption happened right after the marriage. That was something he could verify. So they just told us it was a year earlier."
I shook my head. It was too much at once. Too many thoughts tumbling over each other in my mind. Too many new things to process.
"Forgive me," I said. "Maybe it's the strain of everything, but I'm having a hard time reconciling all of this."
"I thought you might," said Antonio. "And I'm sorry to hit you with everything all at once. I wish I could have told you sooner. You made it really hard for me to keep my mouth shut. Especially after I stopped fighting my feelings for you. You probably have a ton of questions. Just ask me anything. I don't have to keep anything from you any longer. Now I'm free to answer anything you ask me."
He was right. I had a ton of questions. My world had pretty much been turned upside down. But for the moment, the only thing I could think of was…
"So, what's going to happen now?"
Antonio and Maria exchanged glances.
"Ultimately, that's entirely up to you. But, we have some other things that need to be settled up. This is the first one."
He handed me a large envelope with my name on it. I tore the flap open and pulled out the weighty document. Then I gasped as I scanned the front page quickly. I looked over at Antonio as I handed the document to Maria.
"Sis!" she nearly squealed with glee. "Our mortgage!"
"In both your names," said Antonio, watching my face melt into tears. "It was the least I could do. You've held up your end of every agreement I've asked you for, Angela. And you've stuck by me even when I gave you serious reasons not to."
I couldn't speak. Now the house was ours. Fully ours. I wouldn't have to worry about me or Maria being homeless again. Maria wheeled over to where I sat, throwing her arms around my neck, and we sobbed on each other for a few moments as the reality sank in.
"Thank you," I finally managed, grabbing a napkin to blow my nose. "But what about the store?"
"Well, of course, I hope you'll keep your role with the store. But Ange, that's entirely up to you. I consider your obligations fulfilled."
"Why are you doing this… Antonio?" I had to ask.
His eyes softened. "I never met your mother, Angela, but if you are anything at all like her, then I finally understand what it must have been like for my father. Because the same thing's happened to me."
My insides went all mushy at that. It was just about the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me. "I guess this means you forgive your dad?"
He laughed a gentle laugh deep in his throat. "I do. I have."
"Good," I told him. "The last thing we need are ghosts from our past chasing us around and messing with our future."
"Does that mean you're willing to help me build a future worth having?"
"Oh, yes," I told him, a grin spreading across my face. "You need me. Who else knows how to handle Carlo and Poula?"
He laughed and took my hand. “Very true, I can’t think of anyone more capable to handle that particular task. But," he said, eyes twinkling, "I just thought of something else I'm sure you'll want to take care of, considering we're talking about things that need to be handled.”
I lifted an eyebrow, wondering what it was. "I thought you said I'd fulfilled my agreements?"
He smiled. "Well, this one is voluntary, but I think you'll want to take it on."
I leaned back in my chair, arms folded across my chest. "Oh yeah? What makes you so sure?"
"Because I know you. And I know what you like."
I narrowed my eyes at his comment. He seemed awfully confident, almost arrogant. This was more like the Antonio I knew. But then again, he'd certainly gotten my curiosity stirred up.
"So long as it has nothing to do with the store. And so long as I don't have to worry about it being finished right away, then I might be interested in hearing more. But I want at least a week off before I have to seriously consider anything new."
He leaned forward, "A week you say? That's an interesting thought."
The way he looked at me gave me butterflies, and I shifted nervously in my seat. His eyes flickered to my lips before once again rising to meet mine. "Angela, do you realize that you and I have never had an official 'first date' yet?”
I burst out laughing. He was right. Together, Antonio and I had been through hell and back… but all under the umbrella of our ‘agreements’.
"What are you proposing?" I asked, trying to be snarky, but nearly cringing when I realized my choice of words. Embarrassed, I blurted, "And at this point it better be pretty good."
"I propose we take that week you just asked for, and go away to a cabin in the mountains. Just you and me."
"Just you and me?"
"Just you and me."
"No gambling, no charity events? No business meetings? No gallery openings? Sorry Maria," I said with a wink. "Just the two of us. Alone?"
"I promise," he said.
"Hmmmph. That sounds awfully forward for a first date. What kind of girl do you think I am, anyway?" I challenged him with a grin.
He laughed as he stood and held out his hand toward mine.
“Okay, Angela, first things first. Would you please have dinner with me tonight?”
Taking his outstretched hand, I hesitated only long enough to pull myself up and into his strong capable arms. Right where I belonged. Then, I grinned. "Thank goodness. I thought you'd never ask."
>>>>End Book 5<<<<
High Stakes Seduction
The Series
&
nbsp; Book 1 - US -- UK
Book 2 - US -- UK
Book 3 - US -- UK
Book 4 - US -- UK
Book 5 - due out November 21, 2014
Connect with me on Facebook
Subscribe to get an email as soon as the next series is available.
Favorite my Amazon Author Page for an Amazon notification when new books are released.
Special Thanks
No project is ever successfully completed without the help of many others. For this reason, I wish to thank the following people for their generosity, support and constructive suggestions while getting this serial completed.
First, to my husband for offering suggestions when I was stuck on some of the details. And especially for fixing me dinner all those nights when I was busy writing.
To my wonderfully thorough and creative book editor Lynette Patterson.
To my fellow authors and beta readers Bev Prideaux, Ruth Harding, and Helen Page
To my supportive author friends M.S. Parker, Eve Carter, and Elle Dawson.
To Shannon Hunt at Once Upon An Alpha who helps me manage the details of promotion.
And to my special support team of Advance Readers at Ami's High Stakes Seductresses (I love you all!!).
Thank You - You Have My Deepest Appreciation
Thank you for purchasing this book. I sincerely hope you enjoyed discovering the characters as much as I did while writing their story.
If you enjoyed this book, I'd love for you to leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads.
Please feel free to contact or friend me on facebook at Ami LeCoeur Books and to follow me on twitter @AmiLeCoeur.
To be notified as soon as the next book is available, sign up on my mailing list. You can find out more about my books at http://AmiLeCoeur.com.
As a new writer I don't have a lot of books to offer you at this time, but don't let that stop you from contacting me with your feedback and ideas!
xoxox
Ami
About the Author
Like most romance writers, Ami LeCoeur is a romantic at heart, but in her heart it's the classic Romanticism of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
She is also a painter, glass artist, and award winning poet, as well as a writer.
When she isn't traveling, she lives on California's Redwood Coast with her husband and two kitties. She loves her wonderful ocean view, and when the fog comes in—as it always does—she's either curled up with a good book, or busy writing.
If you like Ami's stories, please leave a review and let your friends know.
Table of Contents
***
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty -Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
About the Author
PUBLISHED BY:
Career Life Press
Copyright © 2014
Ami LeCoeur
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior written consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events, is entirely coincidental. All names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and situations are either the product of the author's imagination, or used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real.