Furrowing his brow, Daniel felt the loss of his mother and the loss of something else. Deborah's son, Josh, was his half–brother, one that he’d never gotten an opportunity to know outside of the boy's internships with the company.
“Deborah is a ticking time bomb because of your affair with her, which resulted in her son.” His heart raced. He didn't want to accuse his father of anything, but couldn't help but to name, label, and showcase the elephant in the room.
Vincent's eyes widened, and his mouth fell agape. “I didn’t… I never….”
Staring at his father, Daniel wondered how long the affair had lasted. Had he proudly boasted about sorted details and ruined her reputation?
“She was your secretary, someone whom you worked closely with before you threw her back into the secretarial pool, pregnant and alone.” Daniel's face twisted with disgust. “You were an authority figure twice her age, and you used her.”
Best friend or not, this wasn’t something Daniel would normally have shared with Scott. But Scott remained under oath to remain discreet about company issues, plus, he apparently knew everything about the sorted affair already. He probably knew more details than Daniel.
“This is why I wanted to visit with you in person. To explain everything.” Vincent's face grew red. “I helped Deborah. I made sure she had a job and every opportunity to find another one if she decided to leave the company. Besides, even if I had slept with her—which I didn't—how is that different from your revolving bedroom door and the younger women you carry on with?”
Daniel slammed his hand on the desk and glared at his father. “I've never slept with an employee who relied on me for her paycheck.” His jaw tightened. “You treated Deborah like a prostitute the minute you took advantage of her.”
Daniel wanted to scream, he wanted to beat his fist on the desk, he wanted to lash out and make his father pay.
For a man wheelchair-bound, Vincent pounded his hand against the armrest and, for a moment, resembled the I'm-the-boss-of-you-all force of his youth that needed to be reckoned with. “I most certainly did not.”
Scott raised his hand to calm Vincent. “Daniel, the affair wasn't between Deborah and your father. It was between her and Carl Weston, your uncle.”
Daniel's gaze darted to Scott and then back to his father.
He felt the muscles of his chest relax and he was able to breathe again.
Carl was his mother's brother and the co–founder of the company. He was an older man with a roving eye, and the rumors existed of him being quite the hound back in his day.
“You thought Deborah had an affair with me?”
Daniel heard the disdain in his father's voice.
Vincent shook his head and reseated himself firmly in the wheelchair. “I loved your mother and was always faithful to her.”
The expression on his father's face looked sincere and very hurt that his son would make such an accusation.
“How the hell do you know this, and I don't?” Daniel asked Scott.
Scott adjusted his tie and shifted in his seat. “When I assumed legal responsibility for the company five years ago, your father told me the entire story before he retired. Deborah had a one–night stand with your uncle, which resulted in their child, Josh. There was no relationship between the two, and she never asked for any monetary compensation.”
Daniel stared at his father, whose expression had softened with the truth now out.
Carl was more than twice her age. Deborah had been just a kid at the time.
God, that was disgusting.
Daniel thought of his uncle laying his hands on Deborah and nearly threw up. At least it hadn't been his father who had slept with her. No, it was his mother's older brother, who used women like Kleenex.
“Carl took advantage of her.” Vincent pointed his finger at Scott and then back at Daniel. “That man slept with so many of our employees, he needed to be on a leash. We only knew about the baby because your mother and Deborah’s mother were friends.”
Daniel’s gaze shifted to his father. “Mom knew Deborah's family?”
Vincent waved his hand dismissively. “Your mother was friends with everyone. Of course, not with the Baxter family after this mess came about. Your mother insisted we allow Deborah to find a place within our company if she chose to do so. She was given excellent compensation and bonuses, but we had hoped she would just leave. But then you chose her to be your assistant.”
Daniel sat straighter in the chair and leaned in toward them. “I chose her because… Because you told me to pick an assistant that I wouldn't be tempted by.” Daniel took a deep breath. “You said the best assistants were the ones with proven skills who wouldn't be a temptation. Legally speaking, you told me that you never wanted to invite a lawsuit or have a distraction like a romance to stand in my way, or in the way of this company becoming something great.”
“I didn't think you'd pick her.” Vincent shook his head and gave the slightest bit of an eye roll, one that said he still didn’t believe his selection. “Of all the employees to choose from… And I couldn't tell you not to pick her. I thought you'd select one of the older, more seasoned women. Or, even one of the men.” Vincent shrugged and gave a wry smile. “Not that many male assistants existed all those years ago.”
Scott lifted his hand and stopped the heated conversation. “Daniel, you're clearly attracted to Deborah, so why did you choose her be your assistant all those years ago?”
“I'm not clearly attracted to her.” Finding it hard to make eye contact, he focused on the items on his desk as though he were taking inventory. The recently discovered scholarship paperwork—that still needed signing—gaining most of his concentration.
“I've never…” Daniel started. “Well, I wouldn't have… She's a beautiful woman, don't get me wrong, but…”
“She's a beautiful woman you've fantasized about for months in your dreams.” Scott gently touched Vincent's arm. “Like I told you on the phone last week. Your son is in love with Deborah.”
“I’m not in love with…” He had been dreaming of Deborah for months, he just didn’t realize it.
“Bullshit.” Scott shook his head. “You should admit that you have feelings for her.”
Looking accusingly at his father, Daniel slumped back in his chair. “I initially picked Deborah to be my assistant because you said she was the best secretary you ever had.”
“She was until Carl stole her away from me to attend a conference with him.” Vincent eyed his son. “Back in the day, the company wasn't so well off. We couldn't afford for both of us to go to the meeting, so he went and took Deborah with him.”
A grimace crossed Vincent's face. “He hand–selected her for the overnight business trip. I don't know the details, just that she… Well, they were never a couple. She felt horrible for the one–night stand, but still reported the incident to human resources. That's how I came to know about the tryst.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, changing his voice to be more mellow. “She is a good Catholic girl, who made a mistake. She confided in me that she was never much of a drinker and had gotten drunk that night. She woke up the next morning not remembering a thing.”
Daniel’s heart went out to Deborah. She was innocent and sweet, and just a kid at the time. He thought back to how she’d refused to drink with him during their dates. She didn't want to make the same mistake with him as she had with his uncle.
But last night there’d been no alcohol. She’d willingly come into his bedroom and was the one to initiate their lovemaking. He hadn't taken advantage of her.
After a short silence, Scott said, “Even with the smaller company size back then, there must have been plenty of competent employees to choose from to be your assistant. Why pick Deborah if there wasn't something between you?”
Daniel's jaw tightened as he remembered the real reason he had chosen her. “She was a pregnant woman who I assumed was happily married. A perfect fit for an assistant because I figured she would
n't distract me.”
“And now, after all this time, you have feelings for her?” Vincent asked.
Daniel's raked his fingers through his hair and stared at the still closed drapes. Why couldn't they leave him alone?
“Deborah's in love with Daniel, too,” Scott said to Vincent. “Your son just doesn't realize it yet.”
Did Scott know about what had happened between them last night? Deborah wouldn't have said a word to anyone, except maybe Scott's wife.
Damn it.
He had forgotten about that little feedback loop. “Did Deborah say something to Caroline?”
“She didn't need to.” Scott stood and buttoned his jacket. “I'll be right back. I want to get something from my briefcase in my guest office.”
After Scott had left the room, Vincent leaned in closer to his son. “Your mother started the company's scholarship as a way of ensuring that her nephew would be able to attend college. She would have been thrilled that you gave the money this year to Josh.”
Daniel gazed down at the scholarship paperwork. “I didn't give it to him. He earned it.” God, he needed to fill the documents out. After spending a week hidden, he was lucky to have found it at all.
Deborah would have ensured that he saw the paperwork, placing it on top of his daily mail instead of letting it slip off the secretary desk and to the floor. He let out a deep sigh. He missed the way she ran the office.
Hell. He missed her. Period.
Scott reentered the office, this time carrying a small paperback book.
“You should read this.” He tossed the novel on the desk and sat down. “It's Deborah's latest release, and it's all about you.”
Daniel stared at the book that lay cover up, showing a man in a business suit embracing a beautiful brunette. “Deborah wrote this? I thought her writing was just a hobby.”
“She's quite good, too,” Vincent said. “When Scott told me about it, I picked up a copy for myself.”
“You read this?”
“I sure did.”
“Caroline did, too. She was the one who found it,” Scott said. “She was at Deborah's house, and her computer was displaying her author page.”
Daniel picked up the book and read the author's name. “Janine Gott.”
“She writes under a pen name,” Scott said. “The romance is erotic, and I don’t think she ever intended for anyone she knows to discover it.”
Daniel flipped through the pages, noticing the length of the book and that several passages were highlighted in fluorescent yellow marker. The novel was well over three hundred pages. “You read it?”
“God, no.” Scott shook his head and took his seat. “Caroline did—cover to cover. She highlighted the more…” he smirked, and then added, “Let's just say, she marked the more intriguing and revealing parts.”
The phrase “Of course, sir” repeated and highlighted caught Daniel's attention. In the margin, the phrase was translated in Caroline's handwriting as “I love you.”
It was Deborah's book. She’d written each word, had contacted an agent, and had had it published. Daniel stroked the book's spine. She had been in love with him since, at least, the start of writing it.
“This is her second book in a series of billionaire romances,” Scott said.
Good Lord. She had loved him since the start of the first book? Years. She had loved him for years.
Vincent pointed at the novel in Daniel's hands. “This is a woman who takes great pride in her work, is very dedicated, and extremely loyal.” After a brief pause, he added, “You can add talented, as well.”
“She is all that.” Daniel rubbed his brow and felt tiny beads of sweat. His mouth also felt dry.
She was more than that and he knew it. A true soul mate.
“Do you love her?” Scott asked.
Daniel swallowed the lump in his throat. He had never considered Deborah in such a way before, but a heaviness in his heart at the thought of her no longer coming into the office every day, of not seeing her… It felt too hard to bear.
He bit his lip as his brow furrowed. All he could think about was their night together and how right everything had seemed.
Taking the book in his hands once again, he flipped through it. This time, he read the notes in the margins in more detail. A fancy dinner and an art gallery opening were commented upon. On the blank page in the back of the novel, some dates and what dresses the character wore in the book were written. In particular, a red, strapless gown was mentioned.
Deborah had worn such a dress on one of their dates. “What's all this?”
“That was my idea,” Vincent admitted. “When Scott and Caroline told me about the book, I suggested they somehow recreate the more romantic scenes to see if Deborah would admit how much she cares for you.”
“Caroline initially wanted to set you up on a blind date with each other…”
Daniel's gaze darted to Scott.
“Deborah’s clothes, the opera, the dinner… Caroline recreated all the romantic scenes as best she could from the book. You choosing Deborah to pretend to be your wife was the best opportunity we could have asked for. It set the stage so you could discover for yourself how deeply in love you are with her.”
His eyes narrowed. “What made you think I’d take the bait?”
“Oh, not to worry.” An evil smirk crossed Scott’s face, a smirk that reminded Daniel of their earlier working days together—when the two would target a failing company and go in for the kill. “I had an insurance policy.”
Daniel let out a deep breath. Scott knew him so well and understood what made him tick. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Ms. Ortiz.” Scott chuckled, and the smile that spread across his face told Daniel that he was pleased with himself. “I found the worst secretary at the temp agency and made sure she was assigned to you.”
Daniel bolted upright in his chair. “That incompetent gold digger was your doing?”
“Oh, she really is all that bad. I just made sure she was sent to our human resources department. Next, I called in a favor from Ravi.”
“Who’s Ravi?” Vincent asked.
“My doctor.” Daniel said the answer quickly and kept his gaze on Scott. “What did Ravi do?”
“I asked him to negatively highlight Ms. Ortiz’s lesser qualities so you could see how wonderful Deborah is.”
Daniel nodded his head in a critical way, with his arms crossed. “You know he slept with that piece of work on my plane.”
Scott cleared his throat. “Ravi went off script with that one.”
Daniel lowered his head and thought about the flight. A sinking feeling hit him in his gut. “What about the boy Evan? Did you arrange for him too?”
“The new hire?” Scott shook his head. “I haven’t met him yet.”
Daniel eyed Scott critically, but knew he told the truth. Evan was genuine, he was certain of that.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he slumped back into the cushion of his leather chair. They had set him up. His best friends and his father… They… He opened his eyes and glared from one man to the other, their hopeful expressions melting away any anger he felt. They knew him so well. How could he be upset?
And, he did care for Deborah. He gripped the book tightly and a warmth spread throughout his heart. “I do love her.” He heard the words as he said them and a tear welled up in his eye. “If I don't tell her soon, I'm going to lose her forever.”
He looked pleadingly at them. Knowing how terrible everything turned out after their night together, he confessed, “I've messed up everything.”
“You haven't, son.” Vincent pointed to the book, his face filled with fatherly love. “She loves you.”
Scott nodded. “She says so every time she speaks the words, 'Of course, sir.'”
The trigger phrase pulsed his heart rate faster. How many times each day did she say that to him?
He needed some air.
No, he needed her.
> “Read that novel,” Scott said. “It'll tell you everything you need to know.”
28
Deborah made herself another cup of coffee and stared at the bottle of brandy on her kitchen table. She’d bought the alcohol when her son left for college since she’d found that a nightcap soothed her in the empty house. The time was technically after high noon, so no one could claim she was boozing it, but it was still too early to drink.
“Alcohol isn’t going to solve your problems.” Her sister Sue walked into the kitchen and picked up the bottle. She tightened the cap back and studied the label before placing it back on top of the refrigerator. “I didn’t even know you had a bottle of Disaronno.”
Her one bottle of hard liquor. She glanced at the tiny bottle—the smallest one Disaronno came in—and noted the small amount of golden liquor gone. She had used so little, you could almost swear she had only now opened it.
“Why don’t you take a shower and we can go out to lunch?” Sue said, her voice too cheery for Deborah. “The sky is blue, and it’s a beautiful day.”
Was it Wednesday? Thursday? Deborah didn’t even know anymore.
Not that it mattered.
She slowly shuck her head and shuffled in her house shoes to the kitchen table where she plopped into a chair. She should try to get dressed today, she should get something to eat, she…she should have never let her sister in the door.
Running to her that first night was one thing, but Sue had called or come over every single day since. It was sweet of her to care, but it interfered with Deborah’s all-day crying plans.
“Deb, I’m concerned.” Sue scanned the room. “Sink full of dishes, your mail unopened on the table…” She now focused on Deborah and the sloppy atire she was in. “And you.” She took a seat next to her sister, her arm around her shoulder and her hand gently stroking her unkempt hair. “You’re a mess.”
A week had passed since Deborah had last seen Daniel, although he had called several times. Biting her lip, she kept her tears at bay. She didn't want to cry any more over something she never had. She certainly hadn’t expected Mr. Ellington to give up his carefree lifestyle to chase down a secretary.
Bachelor Heart Page 19