by C. M. Steele
I knit my brows, wondering why she would mention it or how she knew about Rebecca. I’ve never mentioned her or any woman before. “What makes you think I have a girlfriend?” I ask skeptically.
“You were passing by on your cell phone with your mother, and you mentioned it.” I don’t recall talking to her at work, but these past weeks have been a blur. My mind wasn't in the right place.
“Oh, well no. I’m not,” I remark. I’m not going to tell her that I’ve been lying to my mother and my woman ran out on me.
“Same here. My boyfriend isn’t going to be able to make it,” she rambles. I didn’t know she had a boyfriend and I really couldn’t care less about it. I don’t want to be in my employee’s personal business unless it affects their work.
“Well, maybe next time,” I mutter abruptly, hoping she’ll get the hint to go and she does.
I’m looking over my emails, and I have one from my mom. I read it and don’t respond. She's ridiculously perceptive. She can tell the mood shift in me. Fuck, now I remember the conversation with my mother that I had in the office, but I swear I didn’t leave my office for it. She wanted more details on my woman, but I had nothing to give her. It’s hard to get any information on a woman I didn’t even know the last name of and her company wouldn’t give me her contact information. I tried to find a private investigator, but I didn’t know where to start.
I think about the fact that she left me that note. It sits in my wallet as a reminder not to give up. She rushed off in fear or at least that’s what I tell myself to make it through the day.
An hour later, I leave the office and make it to the party. I don’t want to be here. It’s not that I’m unfriendly with my employees, but my heart desires to be dancing around the room with Rebecca. It’s in full swing, and I sneak in unnoticed for at least a short time before Liz finds me. She’s drinking, and I can see her eyes are glazed. She looks like she’s three sheets to the wind.
“Wow, you made it,” she whispers, leaning into me a little closer than necessary.
“Yes, I did. How many have you had?” I question pointing, a finger at the glass in her hand. The company only gave out two drink tickets not because we were cheap, but we didn’t want anyone to get sloshed and something bad happening to them.
“Only two,” she says, but I don’t believe her. “Why don’t you dance with me, Robert?” she slurs, pressing her hand on my sleeve. I not so politely tug it away.
“I don’t dance. Excuse me, I need to speak with Ed.” I walk by her to Edward, my director of HR. I don’t have anything to say to him, but I’m sorely tempted to fire my best assistant because she’s coming onto me. I let it go because she’s shit-faced.
“Hey, Ed. How’s it going?”
“Okay, Rob. Are things okay with you?” He glances in Liz’s direction, but I don’t turn because I don’t want to give her the impression that I’m talking about her, or that I’m interested in her at all.
“Yeah, everything is good, but do you think that she’s been drinking more than the two drinks?”
“A couple of employees were tossing back a bottle outside before they came in.”
“That’s what I thought. Damn, I can’t do anything about it. It’s not against the rules or anything, but please let me know if you hear something wild happening. I’m going home before I fire her,” I grumble. “I’m going to call a cab for her. Tell her after I leave.”
“Sure, Rob,” he nods. We shake hands, and I sneak out.
Chapter 10
Rob
“What the fuck happened to you?” I ask Mason after I set my beer on the table. He looks like shit. We’re having dinner at the bar down the street from Oui. I want to check to see if for some reason she came back, but I know she’s not going to be there. This is an impromptu dinner because Mason asked for it.
Mason gives me a scowl, slamming down his beer on the table a little harder than normal. “Look who’s motherfucking talking. I doubt it’s the same problem I have, but if it is, then I must look like total shit.”
“You both do,” James mutters. He goes back to his food, shaking his head at us. One day he may understand.
“If yours is a beautiful blonde who ran off after giving you the best night of your life, then it’s the same problem.”
“No, I can’t get my beautiful blonde to talk to me. Please don’t tell me her name is Winter.”
“No, definitely not,” I mutter, shaking my head. That would be the worst possible fucking nightmare.
“Thank fuck for that.”
“So both of you are miserable over women that want shit to do with you. That blows,” James remarks, taking a long pull from his beer.
“She’s not the only woman problem in my life. My assistant is pushing it,” I complain.
“Damn, is she getting more obvious?” Mason asks.
“Yes,” I admit begrudgingly.
“I told you to fire her when I was at your office. That woman hangs on your every word,” Mason adds, grabbing his beer and tipping it back for a long drink. I flip him off because he was right, but she’s a great assistant. Well, she was until last night.
“So what did she do? Show up sprawled on your desk in some sexy outfit?” James teases.
“No, she was drunk last night and said some less than professional comments to me. I stepped away and warned my HR person to give me the heads up. He called me to say she left an hour after I did with one of the mailroom guys in the cab I called for her.”
“Well, maybe he made her forget about you,” James offers.
“I hope so. I’d hate to lose such a fantastic assistant. She managed everything so damn well without complaint,” I sigh. This is added stress I didn’t need.
“Yeah because she was hoping you’d give her one hell of a raise,” Mason jokes, taking another drink.
“Maybe you need to lay off the booze,” I caution.
“Nope. I’ve called a cab to come get me. I’m having dinner with the Grable’s tomorrow to discuss the sale. We’re a bit closer, but I’m having huge motherfucking doubts. Talk about a woman who is blind to the truth. Grable’s daughter makes your assistant look innocent.”
“Really? It’s that bad?”
“Yeah and my woman works for them.”
“Damn, well maybe you can get the company and the girl at the same time. Two for the price of one,” James laughs, eating his steak without a care in the world. His life is all good, and he doesn’t have some woman destroying it.
“That’s what I’m hoping for. If not, I’ll just take her. Fuck, I’m ready to kidnap her pretty ass and tie her to my bed.”
“Man, great minds think alike. Only if I could find my woman,” I grumble. It’s not as if I have a clue even where to start.
“Hell, can’t you look her up online?” James asks.
Regrettably, I admit, “I only have her first name.”
“Wow,” Mason blows out. “Then hire a private investigator. If you took her to your place, get the footage off the cameras and give it to them,” Mason adds.
“I seriously considered it, and it sounds like you did too, but the movie There’s Something About Mary goes through my head when I think about hiring someone. And I can’t stand the idea of another guy getting that close to her.” As much as I hate it, hiring a detective may be my only recourse.
“What’s her name?” James questions, and just before I’m about to answer our waitress appears.
“Hey fellas, do you need another round?” our new waitress asks. She’s in her fifties and doesn’t give us that flirty tone. She’s friendly and pleasant without looking for more than a great tip.
“One more please,” Mason says, but James shakes his head.
“We’re done. The check please,” I say.
“It’s my turn anyway,” Mason argues.
“I’m not in the mood to party.” I pull out my wallet and drop the tip. “Are you sure you’re good to get home, Mason? You could spend the night at my p
lace.”
“I think I’ll take you up on that,” he slurs, handing the waitress his card.
We finish off our drinks, waiting for her to bring back the card. Once she does, we’re out. James heads to his car then Mason, and I stumble back to my place.
“You can take the guest bedroom down the hall,” I tell him as he kicks off his shoes and nearly tumbles. Damn, I am that bad, but I’ve taken my pain out at the gym.
“Claim her as soon as you can. Don’t take no for an answer,” I add before walking up the stairs to my bedroom.
Chapter 11
Rebecca
The shot comes out of nowhere, and James throws both of us to the ground before another round of shots rings out. We’re behind our gate and in front of our truck, but we’re not out of danger just yet. I’m scared, but my brother has all the calm of a soldier. When it lets up for a minute, he moves us into the garage that he opened with his phone. He ducks us to the side and closes the garage. We rush into the house and lock it down. I can’t believe that anyone would open fire on us. I don’t have enemies, and despite my running off from Rob, I can’t imagine him going from a sweet, passionate lover to psycho killer in a flash.
“Damn it, you’re bleeding, Becca,” he remarks panting as he calls 911. I don’t know what’s going on around us, but I’m starting to freak out.
“Yes, someone is shooting at us,” he tells the dispatcher and gives them our address. “Yes, my house is secure. They shot from outside the gate. I have to check my surveillance, but I think whoever it was is gone. Just hurry, and we need an ambulance for my sister. She’s been shot.”
“I’m fine,” I argue. He rushes and grabs a kitchen towel putting it to my arm. I look down and see the blood coating the towel. I swear I didn’t notice it until he pointed it out. And now the world is spinning around me.
The next thing I know I’m being carried on a stretcher into the ambulance. I hear them say it’s only a flesh wound, but they want to check me out because I hit my head when we landed on the ground.
Once they treat my injuries, they run through a gamut of questions, but only one takes me by surprise. “Could you be pregnant?” Suddenly, I’m super glad that my brother was out of the room since they wanted to look me over physically for any more abrasions. But the question is one I’m not sure of. Could I be? I know we were foolish enough not to use protection, but it didn’t hit me until this second that I could be. “Ms. Smith? Could you be pregnant?”
“There’s a chance.”
“What?” James roars from the other side of the curtain. It’s the first time I heard him make a noise behind it. “Mr. Smith, please give us a minute.” The nurse walks out opening the ER curtain. James is staring at me in shock as they lead him down the hall.
“Rebecca, I’m going to test your urine, and we’ll know very shortly.” As scared as I am about the truth, all I can think about is it gives me a reason to email Rob. I nod and sit on the bed and wait for them to hand me a jar, then they lead me to the proper bathroom. Time seems to stand still, but ten minutes later and the doctor comes back with my test results. “Ms. Smith, you’re pregnant, but we’re not sure how far along at this point. The hormone levels are just high enough to indicate pregnancy, but that’s all.”
“My period was just over a month ago. And well, it’s been almost three weeks since.”
“Then you’re about a month along.”
“Wouldn’t I only be three weeks?”
“It’s not how we measure it. Technically, the start of the cycle is the beginning process, but you can also count it from around the date of sexual intercourse. However, that means it’s only thirty-eight weeks instead of the forty from your last period.”
“You learn something new every day.”
“Well, it takes experience or reading up on the subject, but that’s what I do. And I have two little children, too.” I can’t think about anything but Rob. I know nothing about him, but the way he made me feel. I haven’t stopped thinking about him, but I’m scared. What if he doesn’t want to see me again? What if he was glad that I got up and left? It saved him the trouble of finding a way to shake me free. He’s probably going to be pissed when I finally email him about the baby.
“Knock, knock,” my brother says, tapping the curtain with his knuckles.
“Come in.” He enters, and I read the pity in his eyes. I can’t hold back the tears of embarrassment.
I feel his arms around me and whispers, “It’s okay, Becca. I’m here for you. This is my damn fault in the first place. I waited until you were old and aching for a taste of freedom. Don’t worry about the baby. I think I’ll make a great uncle.”
I chuckle just a bit. “It’s hard to believe it.”
“What? I think I made a decent surrogate father,” he boasts, missing my meaning.
I look up at my brother and nod. “You were. It’s not that. I can’t believe I’m pregnant. One time and everything has changed.” I drop my eyes down to my lap, thinking about how much of a fool I am.
“Speaking of…who is this fucker? I’m going to have to break his jaw,” he snarls.
“No. I’m not telling you who he is. I rushed out of his place after he stepped out for a minute. He didn’t walk out on me.”
“Oh. Still, he took advantage of my young, innocent sister,” he continues like any big brother would, I suppose.
“Well, he didn’t know that at the time.”
“I don’t care, but I’m not trying to stress you out. After all, you got shot on top of me slamming you to the ground.”
Chapter 12
Rob
“Thanks for the invite,” I say, walking in and shaking Mason’s hand. He invited me to Christmas dinner. The past few weeks have been utterly painful after losing my mysterious woman to the morning light, and I don’t have any reason to celebrate.
“Thanks for coming. Let’s introduce you to my fiancée.” We walk into the dining room where there’s a small party gathered at the table. Mason loses my attention instantly when my eyes land on the bright-eyed blonde sitting next to James. A blush steals over her face. Despite coming in from the cold, my cock is hard as fuck. It’s her. My anger is gone and full of twenty other emotions. She’s James’s baby sister. I can’t fucking believe it. That means she was the one who was shot at. That hits me brutally. All that matters is that she’s here and we have another chance to get our fucking forever. I’m not stopping until we do.
“Rob, this is James’s sister, Rebecca.”
I stretch out my hand and take it, bringing it to my lips. I’ve missed her so much. She smiles at me involuntarily. Good, because tonight she’s coming home with me. And no one is going to stop me. I sit down, letting the last three weeks of frustration and pain fall away, but in its place, anger starts to build. She does her best to act normal, and so do I. Dinner goes by without either of us making a scene, but it’s coming because I’m not leaving here without her. From the look on my face, I’m sure she’s well aware of it too.
After dinner, we gather around the tree with pie and coffee. I make sure to sit on the sofa next to Rebecca, James takes the large chair because his ass is stuffed and grumbling that he can’t even breathe while he reaches for some pie. She’s wearing a sexy white Christmas dress with red around the edges and a pair of candy cane striped leggings. She looks absolutely adorable. I lean over and whisper so only she can hear, “We need to talk and don’t think of pulling any bullshit with me.”
“I’m not.”
Then we’re interrupted when James loudly asks, “So Mason, since you’re not taking the deal with Grable. Are they going under?” I’m sure his ass did that on purpose.
“I’m not quite sure. I’ve cut all contact with them, but with the scandal going around, they might sell it to you at a fair price if you’re interested.” That company is how Mason met his soon to be wife. He was going to buy it, but then they were mean to Winter, so he said fuck them and left with Winter.
“Hey, I hear he’s fired his daughter and taking over until he can sell the company,” I interject, trying to stop myself from pulling Rebecca on my lap.
“Sounds good to me. She’s killing the brand,” James remarks, biting into the apple pie that Winter made. “Winter, this is fabulous.” The only pie I want now is Rebecca’s all over my fucking face.
“Thank you,” Winter says softly, blushing from the compliment.
“Are you interested in it, James?” Mason ask him.
“I’m not sure yet. I’m going out of the country next month for about two months and won’t be back until the middle of March. If the business is still hanging on, I’ll check it out. And I’m good at ignoring women like Ms. Grable.” James ignores all women. Sometimes I wonder if that’s the way I came off until I met Rebecca.
“Are you all available for New Year’s Day?” Mrs. Hunt blurts out. I feel like it’s coming out of left field, but I can feel Rebecca tense up next to me. I turn to look at her and see her hands messing with the hem of her sweater.
“We don’t have any plans.”
“Goodie. Mason and Winter are getting married here at the house, so we expect you to be here.” I laugh when Mason scowls at his mother. She put him on the spot, but it doesn’t stop her, she continues, “What? Mason, it’s only a week away. You need to invite people before it’s too late.”
“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Mrs. Hunt,” James adds.
“Same here, Mrs. H,” I say, and I’m answering for both Rebecca and I. There’s no way I’m letting her out of my sight until she has my ring on her finger and my baby in her belly.
“We’d love to have you all there,” Winter adds.
Mrs. H taps her boyfriend’s knee then stands and addresses us, “Great, now if you’ll excuse us ladies. We have to talk dresses.” She leads Winter and Rebecca out of the room, but not before I touch Rebecca’s fingers. She gasps, letting me know nothing’s changed.
“Wow, your mom is one tough woman,” James says, blowing out a harsh breath.