by Jennie Lucas
That kiss...
Antonio pushed away the memory, closing down his feelings, burying them along with the other things he didn’t want to remember.
All right, fine. She was leaving. He wouldn’t be a jerk about it. Hana had been a good assistant. He’d try to be happy for her. After all, she’d made it all too clear she wanted the whole domestic fairy tale someday—husband, kids, house. Damn it, he’d send her off with a wedding check big enough to pay for the kid’s college tuition. She’d been worth it.
He’d pay her off. He’d move on. And above all, he’d make damn sure he never let himself ask...
“Who’s the father?” he heard himself say, as if his mouth was no longer controlled by his brain.
She drew back, her lovely face incredulous. “Are you kidding? You know who the father is!”
“Do I?” He frowned, searching his memory. “I’m amazed, actually. How did you manage to sneak away for an affair, in the midst of our working twenty-hour days? Does the man work for me? A gardener? A driver?”
Hana’s face blazed with sudden fire. “Stop it, Antonio. Just stop.”
He stared, astonished to see her so angry. Hana never showed anger. She was always patient, kind, understanding. She was the kindest person he knew. “Why are you upset?”
“Because it’s you, you idiot! You’re the father!”
Antonio’s body felt the impact of the words before his mind comprehended them. He felt them like a blow. “What?”
“Of course it’s you!”
Stumbling a step, he instinctively reached a hand out against the column of the building. He had to. His legs were shaking.
“Do you really think I would sleep with someone else, after we were together?” she demanded. “I can’t jump in and out of affairs so quickly. Even if you can!”
If only. If only he’d been able to forget her. If only she meant nothing to him now. As the first raindrops fell from the gray sky, one fell against his cheek. Antonio stared at her, feeling sick and betrayed.
“I’ve been feeling out of sorts for the last month. I thought my cycle was messed up by too much work and stress and not enough sleep but...” She hesitated. “I bought a pregnancy test in Madrid. I took it on the plane, right before we landed. I’m pregnant.”
When Antonio still didn’t respond, Hana’s forehead furrowed. Her expression became almost bewildered.
“Look,” she said finally, “I know you’ve never been interested in anything like marriage or children. This was a surprise for me, too. We used a condom. It shouldn’t have been possible. But I thought you at least had the right to—”
“Enough,” he ground out. “Not another word.”
“Was I wrong to tell you?” Her eyes were luminous with unshed tears that seemed utterly genuine. He despised them. And her. Most of all, he despised himself for ever letting his guard down. For thinking she was different. For believing he could trust her, as he’d trusted no one else on earth. For resisting his desire for her, day after day, so they could maintain that precious working relationship, the closest relationship of his life.
And all along, she’d been sleeping with another man. And now lying about it.
Assuming she was even pregnant at all. It was possible that, too, was a bald-faced lie.
But either way, she must have planned this all along, from the moment she’d started working for him. She’d set him up, hoping to take a nice juicy portion of his fortune. And Hana likely would have succeeded in her goal, except for a vital fact that she didn’t know.
He couldn’t have gotten her pregnant. It was physically impossible.
Antonio’s body shook as he reached out to take the briefcase and files from her hands. He said abruptly, “Your services are no longer required, Miss Everly.”
Her luscious pink lips fell open. “You’re—you’re firing me?”
“You’ll get severance pay as your contract dictates. But I want you gone.”
“But—but why?”
“You know why.”
“Because I’m pregnant with your baby?” she cried.
“Because you lied to me,” he said harshly. “You tried to trap me. Tried, and failed.” He narrowed his eyes. “Goodbye, Miss Everly.”
Turning on his heel, Antonio went into the building, followed by his glowering bodyguard. He went through the swiveling door into the lobby where his team waited to help negotiate the Iyokan Airways deal. He left her standing alone on the sidewalk, shivering in the cold Tokyo morning. And he didn’t look back.
CHAPTER TWO
SHOCKED, HANA WATCHED the father of her baby turn scornfully and leave her abandoned and alone on the Tokyo sidewalk.
Except Antonio hadn’t just left her.
He’d fired her.
He’d taken her innocence. He’d changed her life forever. And now, to add insult to injury, he’d kicked her out of a job she loved.
Shivering, she heard another low rumble of thunder, rolling above the city, making the glass and steel and neon tremble. She felt a cool breeze against her overheated skin, and looked up at the lowering gray sky as the drizzle turned to rain.
Obviously, Hana had known that Antonio wouldn’t react like the hero of a romantic movie, and kiss her joyfully at the news of her pregnancy. She’d known he didn’t want children, or the slightest commitment.
But she’d never imagined he could be such an utter bastard as this.
Trembling, she wiped her eyes as she felt the cold splatter of raindrops against her face. Why was she so surprised? As his assistant, she of all people had seen how heartless Antonio Delacruz could be, especially to his lovers. She’d seen him relentlessly pursue a woman until the thrill of the conquest started to wane. It never took long—a few weeks, or perhaps even just a single night, until he was bored, finished.
Hana had always been amazed at those foolish women who let themselves care for him, each of whom apparently believed, incredibly, that she’d be the one to finally tame the untamable playboy. Hana had pitied them. Could they not see how he turned on his interest and charm like a switch? One moment, he was a passionate lover, with all the intensity of relentless desire; the next, he was gone.
Although it wasn’t fair to say Antonio was just a plague to womankind. He treated everyone badly, men and women, though with men his ruthlessness was manifested by him taking their businesses if he wanted them—their businesses, and their girlfriends.
But Hana had thought she was special. For two years, she’d worked at his side, often twelve-hour days, seven days a week, and for the last few months, far more than that. She’d been inspired by him, challenged by him. His success was her success, and she’d given him every bit of her blood, sweat and tears to make CrossWorld Airways the global airline he wanted it to be.
She’d thought that they were partners of a sort, if not friends. But now she saw how truly unspecial she was.
You tried to trap me. Tried, and failed. Goodbye, Miss Everly.
The cold rain pattered the rhythm of his words against her, soaking through her dark hair and white suit. People stared at her as they passed by, all of them sensibly holding umbrellas to block the rain. She probably looked like a fool, standing there with her mouth still agape. She felt like one.
Antonio had made her one.
No, that wasn’t fair. Hana took a deep breath. She’d done this to herself.
Closing her eyes, she lifted her face up to the sky. But she’d never imagined in a million years that he’d fire her for being pregnant. However the world saw him, she’d thought, at his core, Antonio Delacruz was an honorable man. She’d thought, however badly he’d treated his other mistresses, he would never act that way toward her.
Hana’s eyes abruptly opened.
She, who’d always prided herself on being practical, clear-eyed and smart, had been the biggest fool of them
all.
Traffic had increased on the busy street. Rain—only rain, not tears, definitely not tears—made her vision blurry as she looked down at her white suit, now plastered to her skin, gray as a dove in the wan light.
She’d devoted her life to him, been honest with him in spite of her fear, and this was how he repaid her?
He’d insulted her. He’d fired her. And worst of all: he’d coldly rejected his own child, now growing inside her.
A white-hot flame of anger burned through her. It grew inside Hana, grew and grew until it left room for nothing else in her heart.
She and the baby were on their own.
Hana lifted her chin. Fine. They didn’t need him. They’d be better off without him—soulless, heartless, backstabbing jerk!
Her hands tightened on the strap of her purse. Her satchel of clothes was unfortunately still in the back of the Rolls-Royce that had brought them from Haneda Airport. All she had in the small black purse over her shoulder was her passport, credit cards and a little bit of cash, a mix of yen, dollars and euros. But she was also in Tokyo, which meant she had something more.
Ren.
Her best friend, whom she saw just a few times a year. Just thinking of his kindly face made her want to get to him as quickly as possible.
Blinking back hot, furious tears, she waved down a taxi. As one started to pull to the curb, she saw the driver hesitate, looking at her in the rain, obviously fearing she’d flood his upholstery given half a chance. But then he sighed and pulled his taxi over.
“Sumimasen,” she said over the lump in her throat, trying very hard to keep the wettest parts of her clothing off the seat. Holding her bag tightly against her chest, she gave him the address in Harajuku then stared out at the passing streets. Ren Tanaka. It was by sheerest luck that she’d had her heart broken in the same city where her best friend lived.
She and Ren had been friends since childhood, when they’d been pen pals as Hana traveled the world with her adventurous teacher parents. He was the only friend she’d kept in touch with, moving as often as she did, first with her restless parents and then later, working for an airline tycoon. Hana was an only child, an orphan now that her parents and grandparents had died, but somehow, in their frequent online conversations, Ren had become her family.
Although...
Unease went through her as she remembered the last time she’d seen him, on a brief business trip to Tokyo a few months earlier. He’d acted very strangely. It wasn’t actually what he’d said, so much as the way he’d looked at her. It had made her nervous.
Was it possible that somehow, after all their years of friendship, Ren could have gotten some crazy idea that he was in love with her?
Absolutely not, Hana told herself. Why would Ren imagine himself in love with her, when he had so many girls interested in him, right here in Tokyo?
He was her dear friend, like always. And he’d help her figure out what to do now. Hana tried to imagine what he’d say when he heard about her unexpected pregnancy—and how her boss had abandoned and fired her. Ren already disliked Antonio intensely, though the two men had never actually met. Her boss didn’t even know of Ren’s existence. Why would he? Hana’s childhood friendship had been entirely through letters, and even now it was mostly online.
As the taxi turned toward the hip, colorful street in Harajuku where Ren managed his family’s boutique hotel, she took a deep breath. She was not going to cry over Antonio. No way, no how. He wasn’t worth it. He’d proven himself totally unworthy of either Hana or their baby.
So she’d move on. Think only of the future. She’d put Antonio Delacruz behind her and never, ever think of him again.
But still, she heard the echo of Antonio’s sensual voice spoken into the hot, dark Spanish night.
There will be no romance, no marriage. No consequences.
And in spite of her resolve to feel nothing, Hana gasped out a sob, hating him with fresh, hot tears.
Liar!
* * *
“Possible?” Antonio choked out, dumbfounded. “What do you mean, it’s possible?”
“Just what I said.” The doctor looked at him gravely over his thick glasses. “We did the test, as you requested. And the results are conclusive.”
It was good Antonio was already sitting down. He felt sick and dizzy at the news. The minimalist decor and medical equipment in the examining room of the private clinic swam in front of his eyes.
“I don’t understand,” he stammered. “As I told you, I had a vasectomy eighteen years ago, at a reputable hospital—”
“Yes. It seems your body has healed itself.”
Antonio stared at the doctor in shock.
All morning, he’d felt his insides churn, in spite of his best efforts not to think about the lies Hana had told him on the sidewalk: pretending to be pregnant with his baby, clearly in an attempt to extort money or a proposal of marriage. Going to the top floor of the skyscraper with his team, he’d pushed aside the feelings of betrayal and rage, and tried to focus on the details of the business negotiation.
But the meeting had been a disaster. He hadn’t been able to find the right papers in the portfolio, or track down the points he’d previously marked to discuss with his lawyers before they formally presented the offer to Iyokan Airways. Hana had always been in charge of solving his problems, finding papers, sorting out details, arranging whatever he needed.
Now he was alone.
Abandoned.
Betrayed.
During the meeting, his lawyers and his Tokyo lead team had looked at each other worriedly as they were forced to repeat certain clauses in the contract multiple times to their normally razor-sharp boss. Emotion—rage and anger and, worst of all, hurt—had built inside him, until finally, it had exploded. He’d scattered the pile of papers in fury across the large glass table in his conference room on the top floor of the skyscraper, with its view of Tokyo.
“Reschedule,” he’d growled, and stalked out, knowing they were probably wondering if he was drunk, or if he’d lost his mind—or his nerve. His business rivals would smell blood in the water. He himself had always enjoyed attacking the businesses of weaker opponents. He’d never experienced what it was like to be on the other side of it. Not since he was young, when he was helpless and alone—
He pushed the memory aside. This was Hana’s fault. His secretary had betrayed him at every level. Personally. Professionally.
He never should have slept with her. The success of his company was far more important than any sexual desire. CrossWorld Airways was the only thing that mattered. Once he expanded routes into Asia, he would build to Africa and South America. He would have the first truly global low-cost airline. His company was his family, his lover, his religion and meaning. His company was his soul.
So why had he done it? Why, when she’d kissed him, that night in Madrid, hadn’t he had the strength to push her away?
Yes, Hana was beautiful. But he’d ignored beautiful women before. It was something more. She’d been different. Pure fire. And when she’d kissed him, he could have no more pushed her away then he could have stopped breathing.
He’d wanted her then. He wanted her still.
But she’d been setting a trap for him, all along. Playing him for a fool, luring him in with her innocent beauty and apparent warm heart. All so she could seduce him and claim to be pregnant. He could hardly believe he’d been tricked so thoroughly.
But that was the problem.
The whole thing was hard to believe.
And the more Antonio had thought about it during the business meeting, the more distracted he’d become, obsessing over a single question.
How was it possible everything about Hana was a lie?
For two years, she’d worked at his side. She’d been hardworking, loyal, honest to a fault. How could anyone maintain an act l
ike that so well, and for so long?
Antonio couldn’t understand it. And every time he’d tried to focus during the business meeting, he’d seen the eviscerated look in her eyes. You’re firing me? Because I’m pregnant with your baby?
And he’d felt his heart, his guts, every part of his body twist like a rag wrung dry.
Stalking angrily from the meeting, he’d grimly arranged to see the best fertility doctor in the city. Just to prove, once and for all, that Hana Everly was a liar. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He was the victim here.
And now this.
He’d come to the clinic for reassurance, not to discover his worst fears were actually true. He’d never expected he’d be told it was possible that he’d fathered Hana’s child!
“No,” Antonio told the doctor hoarsely. “I had a vasectomy!”
The other man stroked his white beard thoughtfully. “You had the procedure when you were very young. Sometimes the body heals itself, as I said. It’s rare, less than one percent of cases. But it happens.” He paused. “We can book an appointment to redo the procedure...”
“What’s the point of that now? It’s already too late!” With a low snarl, Antonio rose to his feet and stormed out of the clinic. All he could think about was the stricken look on Hana’s face when he’d left her standing alone on the sidewalk. The shock in her brown eyes.
If she was really pregnant with his child, and he’d treated her like that—
Antonio pushed the thought away ruthlessly. It wasn’t his fault. How could he have possibly known the vasectomy he’d had as a teenager would fail nearly two decades later? Of course he’d assumed Hana was lying. How could he think otherwise? People had always proved themselves worthy of his worst assumptions.
Everyone except Hana. But he’d been all too ready to believe the worst even of her. Because it scared him, how much he’d come to trust her.
As he stepped out of the medical clinic, Antonio saw the rain had lightened to a drizzle, with flashes of sunlight like silver breaking through the clouds.