Once Forbidden, Twice Tempted (The Sterling Wives Book 1)

by Karen Booth

  Grant’s eyes went wide. “I have one more for you.”

  “You do? Something bad?”

  “I need you to keep this between us, okay? Just for a few more days.”

  “Yes. Of course.” A shiver went down Tara’s spine. She didn’t like the sound of that at all.

  “Johnathon split his shares of Sterling Enterprises between the three wives.”

  If it wasn’t for the swift breeze that blew Tara’s hair to the side, she would have thought the earth had stopped spinning on its axis. “What? Why?” This made no sense. Miranda was the obvious heir to that stake in the company. She was going to be so upset when she found out.

  “He knew that you didn’t quite get your fair share when you two split up. Sterling never would’ve taken off the way it did if you hadn’t been there at the beginning.”

  That much was true, and she’d never really gotten over the way Johnathon had pushed her out. “Wow. So he actually acknowledged that.”

  “And Astrid was there for him when the company was growing so fast that he was hardly ever home. I think he always felt guilty about that. As for Miranda, that’s fairly self-explanatory.”

  The wheels were starting to turn in Tara’s head. She’d been so eager for a chance to pivot to something new and more exciting. To build something, not merely sell it and cash in. Her father had told her to stop waiting to be happy. Was this her chance to do exactly that? “It’s going to take me some time to sort out why he would do this.” A new wave of sadness hit Tara, washing over her. There was a part of her that would always love Johnathon, faults and all. “Did you two talk about it?”

  “We talked about everything. You know that.”

  “So you knew all along?”

  “Not about this.” Grant looked off in the distance, unknowingly flaunting his strong profile. “No. This, he kept from me.”

  “I’m sorry. That’s not right.”

  He turned back to face her. “You don’t need to apologize for him. I hope you know that by now.”

  “What happens next?”

  “Max will call a meeting with all three wives. Which is why I’m telling you ahead of time. I need to know if you’re going to be on my side.”

  Tara raised both eyebrows at him. What was he saying? “Your side?”

  “You know how hard I’ve worked. Sterling Enterprises should be mine to run.”

  Now she was starting to see where this was going. Grant was going to make a play for her shares, and possibly those of the other wives. She wasn’t about to commit to anything now. She needed time to think. “You know I adore you.” It was good to butter up a man.

  “I don’t actually know that.”

  “Well, I do. But I’m sorry. The only side I can promise to be on is my own.”

  Three

  Grant had spent days trying to figure out how this meeting with the three wives would play out, and he couldn’t imagine a best-case scenario, one in which they agreed to sell their shares of Sterling to him. His position was admittedly weakened by the fact that he would have to buy them out over time. A substantial chunk of money now, but he’d need time to raise the rest of the capital. He simply didn’t have that much cash lying around. His considerable assets were tied up in investments. He’d had no way of knowing that Johnathon would die. There’d been zero time to plan.

  Money aside, the personalities of the three wives were a huge X factor. Miranda was normally levelheaded, but understandably distraught. With the pregnancy complicating things, there was no telling where her loyalties would lie. Astrid was vengeful and angry over the secrets Johnathon had kept from her, and those feelings would likely only become more intense once she found out about Miranda and Johnathon’s baby on the way. Tara was her own wild card, even when she could certainly be counted on for smart and reasonable decisions.

  Tara was his most likely ally, but he had a real weakness for her. If anyone was capable of persuading him to do something foolish, it was Tara. Many times over the years, Grant would run into her and find himself searching for reasons to forget about loyalty, if only for one night. Yes, he’d promised Johnathon that he’d never go there. He’d kept his word. But his best friend was no longer here.

  Then there was the fact that Johnathon had essentially screwed him out of a chance at reasonable company control by dividing the Sterling shares between the wives. So how far did the promises they’d made to each other go, now that Johnathon was gone?

  “Are we ready for this?” Grant paced back and forth in Max’s sprawling office, lined with mahogany shelves stocked with law books. His hands were clammy. The back of his neck felt damp. There was no telling how this would go. Badly came to mind.

  “I was ready days ago. You’re the one who asked for a delay. And I only obliged you in that request because we’ve known each other for so long. The wives should have been notified about this right away. I should have told Miranda at the hospital that her husband pulled the rug out from under her.”

  “Her husband had just died, for God’s sake. Is that really the lasting memory you wanted to plant in her head? That in this instance he shorted her on what was rightly hers?”

  A knock came at the door. Max’s personal assistant stepped inside. “Mr. Hughes, the Sterling wives have arrived.”

  “Thank you.” Max rose from his seat and buttoned his suit jacket. “Show them in.”

  Grant stood back, not wanting to appear as the orchestrator of this meeting. This was Max’s show, and as far as he was concerned, Max could take some of the heat for what the wives were about to be told. He was certainly paid well enough for it. Still, it was impossible to stay put when Tara was the first through the door. He reflexively propelled himself toward her. Perhaps it was the promise of her embrace, the chance to distract himself with her perfume.

  “Tara. Looking gorgeous, as always,” Grant said. It wasn’t merely a requisite compliment. She looked so beautiful he could hardly think straight—exactly why he needed to keep her at arm’s length.

  “Thank you.” Delivering a skeptical smile, she steered him into a corner. “I’m guessing you didn’t tell Astrid and Miranda?” she muttered under her breath.

  “I never intended to. That’s Max’s job. Not mine.”

  Her sights narrowed on him, seeming suspicious. “So why tell me at all? Why not make me wait?”

  He didn’t have a good explanation, other than the fact that he’d needed to unburden himself from the secret. The funeral had been overwhelming. “We’ve known each other for a long time. I couldn’t keep it from you.”

  “What do you have up your sleeve, Grant?” she asked in a whisper. “Are you planning on disputing this part of Johnathon’s will?”

  “No. Of course not. I’ll explain it all as soon as Max has said his piece. I promise you it’s nothing bad. This is a windfall for you, right?”

  “I certainly never expected anything from my ex-husband. Max made sure of that in the divorce.” She cast a look over her shoulder.

  “You’re on my side, right?”

  “Yeah. Sure.” She surveyed the room. Astrid and Miranda were noticeably not speaking to each other. “In addition to being on my own side, of course.”

  That wasn’t exactly the answer Grant had wanted. Now he had to hope that money would speak the loudest, and he could get what he wanted—primary control of Sterling Enterprises.

  “Ladies, let’s go ahead and get down to business,” Max said. “Please. Have a seat.”

  Miranda and Astrid were already occupying two of the chairs in front of Max’s desk. Tara took the third, which was in the middle. It was a fitting spot for her. Grant saw her as the bridge between everyone here. Astrid still wasn’t speaking to him, as she had rightly figured out that he’d known all along that Johnathon had kept his new marriage a secret from her. But Astrid needed to fall in line at some point. Gr
ant knew things about her relationship with Johnathon that he was certain she wanted kept private.

  Grant didn’t bother taking a chair, instead leaning against one of the bookcases near Max’s desk. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, his pulse picking up again.

  “So, as you three likely know, all of Johnathon’s personal assets have been left to his wife, Miranda,” Max began.

  Astrid noticeably shifted in her seat. “Then why are we even here? Did you bring us here to insult us?”

  Max peered at Miranda over the top of his reading glasses. “You’re here because Johnathon’s ownership of Sterling Enterprises was shifted into a separate trust after he and Miranda got engaged. He wanted his fifty-one percent stake of the company to be equally divided between the three of you.”

  Astrid gasped. Tara pressed her lips together tightly, but didn’t say a word.

  “Excuse me?” Miranda blurted. “How did I not know about this? How am I just finding out about this now?”

  Grant had worried about this sort of reaction, but he kept his thoughts and emotions to himself.

  Max held up both hands in an attempt to calm the situation. “The business was already a separate entity when you married. It’s in your prenuptial agreement that Johnathon’s disbursement of his shares of the company were at his sole discretion.”

  “And he told me I was getting everything.”

  “Unless it’s on paper, I know nothing about that. But I can tell you that he left a note, which he asked me to read.”

  Now it was Grant’s turn to object. “Hold on. I didn’t know about a letter.”

  Miranda pointed at him accusatorially. “But you knew about the rest of it?”

  “Not until the day we lost Johnathon. I assumed it would all go to you, I would become CEO, and that we would simply move forward in a partnership between the two of us.” He turned to Max. “You never told me there was a letter.”

  “I’m following Johnathon’s wishes. He wanted this read to the wives. I didn’t really see how it was your concern. Honestly, I’m not sure you should be in the room right now.”

  “Grant should stay,” Tara said. “He was Johnathon’s right hand. And he’s still going to be CEO. Nothing will change that.”

  “This had better be good. That’s my money. That percentage of the company is rightly mine.” Miranda crossed her legs, and then her arms, in a huff.

  Max pulled the letter from an envelope, unfolded it and began reading. “Dear Miranda, Astrid and Tara, I’ve asked Max to read this in order to explain my decision to leave my shares of Sterling Enterprises to the three of you. For Miranda, I realize this might come as a disappointment, but I believe that the fortune I have left behind will last far beyond your lifetime. I know I have provided well. As for Astrid and Tara, the truth is that Sterling never would have become what it is today without their help and support. They shared in some of my success during our marriages, but the company has really taken off since Astrid and I divorced. It only felt fair that everyone share in it. Miranda, you have my undying love and devotion, but I have never stopped caring for Astrid and Tara. They will be a part of me forever, as will you. I hope you can all understand that my heart led me to this decision. It might seem unusual, but it makes perfect sense to me. All my love, Johnathon.”

  Grant was doing his best to gauge the reaction of the wives, but it was a tough read. The room was eerily quiet. None of them was moving or uttering a peep.

  “Leave it to Johnathon to make a big show of things from beyond the grave,” Tara said, breaking the silence.

  Miranda shook her head. “I can’t believe he did this to me.”

  “It’s not like you need the money,” Astrid mumbled.

  “It’s not like it’s any of your business,” Miranda answered.

  Grant had to intervene before this became even more contentious. He pushed back from the bookcase and approached the wives. “Astrid. Miranda. Tara. Please. Let me just try to help you all with this.” He took a seat on the corner of Max’s desk. “I think the reality here is that what’s done is done. I don’t like this any more than Miranda does, but none of that matters. It was Johnathon’s decision to show his appreciation to Tara and Astrid, just as it was also his decision to put me in charge as CEO of the company.”

  He drew in a deep breath, knowing that years of hard work and his entire future were on the line here. Any one of these women could make a choice that could hamper his ability to seize control of Sterling. He had to forge ahead with his plea, even when it might not work. “My twenty percent stake of the company does not comprise a majority interest, nor do any of your individual stakes, which I believe, if my math is correct, work out to be approximately seventeen percent of the company for each of you. Since I am already slated to take over as CEO, I would like to propose a buyout of your shares. Enough to give me the same fifty-one percent that Johnathon owned. That will put me in a position to run the company exactly as he did.”

  “What makes you think I want to do that?” Miranda asked.

  “Shush. I want to hear Grant’s offer,” Astrid interjected.

  “Don’t you dare shush me,” Miranda shot back, delivering a harsh stare to Astrid, then turning her attention to Grant. “Maybe I want to run Sterling. It doesn’t matter that Johnathon named you CEO. Maybe I want to buy out the other wives. It’s about who owns the biggest piece of the pie.”

  Grant’s heart was racing. Were his years of hard work about to go down the tubes? “Nothing has to be decided tonight.”

  “Grant’s right.” Tara slid him a look that suggested she might still be on his side. He clung to the idea. It was his only lifeline.

  “We shouldn’t make any decisions right now,” she continued. “I think the wives and I need to have a meeting on our own. Talk over our own objectives and goals. And see how Sterling does or doesn’t play a role in that.”

  It was a perfectly sensible step forward. So why did it make Grant so damn nervous? Oh, right. Because she was suggesting a scenario in which he had zero control.

  Miranda cleared her throat. “Fine. I can live with that.”

  “Me, too,” added Astrid. “I’m not rushing back to Norway any time soon.”

  “Good, then. The three of us will meet tomorrow night. Is my house okay? Seven o’clock?” Tara asked.

  “Yes,” Miranda agreed while Astrid nodded.

  “And in the meantime, Grant, can you present us with an offer so we know what we’re working with?” Tara’s sights met his and he struggled to figure out whether his previous conclusion that she was on his side was indeed accurate. No wonder she was such a shark in negotiations. She did an excellent job of keeping her cool and remaining above the fray. He wished he didn’t find this quality so appealing. It might eventually sink him.

  “An offer as in one? Are you three negotiating together?” He hadn’t expected the wives would form a coalition.

  Tara glanced first at Miranda and then at Astrid. With a nod, they each agreed with her. Then she returned her sights to Grant. “Well, yes. I think so. It only makes sense. No need to hire three lawyers. It’s not like I don’t work on deals all day long. Or Miranda for that matter.”

  “I know what I’m doing, too,” Astrid said.

  “Of course you do.” Tara picked up her purse. “I think that’s all for now. I’ll see you both at my house tomorrow night.” Miranda and Astrid both made a break for the door, with Tara bringing up the rear.

  “I’d like to ask for one thing.” Grant was desperate to end this meeting with some input. “Can I make the offer in person? Maybe kick off your meeting tomorrow?”

  Tara smiled wide at him, but it wasn’t a warm gesture. “Grant. I see what you’re doing. You know very well that it’s harder to tell someone no in person.”

  “I think Johnathon would prefer it that way. I don’t want this to beco
me contentious.”

  “How about a compromise?” she countered. “Email us the offer, Miranda and Astrid and I will meet, then you can come over when we’re done and we’ll give you our answer in person.”

  Grant wasn’t much for compromises. He’d had to make too many of them when Johnathon was at the helm of Sterling. This was supposed to be his time to take charge and make decisions. Damn Johnathon and this decision he’d made to split majority interest of the company. Why couldn’t he have talked to Grant about it? Eyes on the prize. He had to deal with the circumstances right in front of his face—three women who held what he desperately wanted. “Yes. Of course.”

  Miranda and Astrid departed, but Grant had to make one last plea, so he grabbed Tara just outside the door. “Tara. We’ve known each other for so long. Please don’t treat me like I’m the bad guy.”

  Tara hooked her purse on her arm and looked him right in the eye. “Grant. Please. You have stunning puppy-dog eyes, but you won’t get my pity.”

  For an instant, he was too distracted by her comment about his appearance to think straight. “I’m not asking for that. You and the wives have my entire future in your hands and I’d like to know that I’m not going to get screwed over.”

  She kissed him on the cheek, leaving him to grapple with the resulting wave of warmth through his body. “You’re handsome and rich. No matter what life hands you, I’m guessing you’ll be just fine.”

  Four

  Tara hardly slept at all the night of the meeting at Max’s office, her head swirling with ideas. She’d gone in unsure of Grant’s plan, thinking he might merely be trying to keep the peace. As CEO, he needed the full confidence of a solid core of shareholders. She’d thought he might work on building an alliance. Instead, he was trying to divide and conquer.

  Which got Tara thinking about a coalition of her own. An unlikely one, for sure, but one that might free her from the shackles of her current career and let her pivot to something new. One where she could step in at a high level, determine her own destiny and bring her history with Sterling Enterprises full circle. She’d been there on Day One and unfairly spun out before things got good. It was only right that she’d step in after Johnathon’s death and make sure the company continued to thrive. Perhaps this new direction would bring her some of that elusive happiness, exactly what her dad had told her to stop waiting for.