Burning Up: Firefighter Contemporary Romance Series Box Set

by K. C. Crowne

  And now I’d lost her too.

  “I’m prepared to offer you a generous severance package,” I said, speaking slowly.

  Julia sobbed, “Please, Madeline, don’t do this.”

  I continued, closing my eyes to not see the tear stained cheeks of one of my best friends.

  “In exchange for your signature on a non-disclosure agreement, and your immediate resignation, I will give you three month’s salary for you to get back on your feet. And I won’t take you to court to sue you for breach of your former NDA with me.”

  “Madeline, no, please,” she said.

  My eyes popped open, and they were stinging with tears of my own. I managed to hold them back, but just barely.

  “Have a lawyer look everything over, Julia, and let me know if you’re willing to comply. You have one week, or else I will assume you’d rather handle this in court, which I’m more than willing to do.”

  Julia wiped at her eyes, mascara ran down her cheeks. She nodded, not even looking at me. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the paperwork. There was no more fight left in her. Either she knew I wasn’t going to fall for her theatrics, or she knew she wouldn’t win with me. And she was right.

  I was my father’s daughter after all. Sometimes that was a good thing. Other times, not so much. I wasn’t sure if it was a good time to be like him or not, but I was proud of myself for holding it together.

  At least until she left the apartment. Once the door closed behind her, I leaned against the door and slid down to the ground. Hugging my knees to my chest, I let it all out. Everything came out all at once.

  The end of my relationship with Derek. Having such an amazing time - and having to end things with Jax. And now this. It was like I had no one.

  Except I still had Allison. She was in Australia still, for only another week. But soon, she’d be home, at least for a bit. I checked the time in Australia, feeling the urge to call her, but that urge passed. I didn’t want to bother her. She had a lot of work to do. Either she was working or sleeping these days, and we hadn’t had a chance to talk since I found out I was pregnant. I still had to break the news to her.

  I decided that it would have to wait. Maybe for when she got back into town. Yes, better to tell her in person that she was going to be a Godmother and that she needed to start planning a baby shower. There was a hint of happiness there, at the thought of how excited she would be. At least I hoped she’d be excited for me. We had never talked about having kids or anything like that. For being my best friend, we were pretty distant those days.

  And if the mess with Julia taught me anything, it’s that you never fully know someone until you need them the most. I had faith that Allison would come through for me, though.

  I had to.

  ooo000ooo

  “Madeline, we need to talk,” Derek’s voice sent a shiver down my spine.

  I had just gotten into work the next morning, opened my office door, and there he was. He was sitting at my desk, as if he owned the place. It was the last thing I needed. I’d been up all night either crying over my lost friendship or throwing up everything I’d eaten that day. Whoever had named it ‘morning sickness’ had been a damn liar. I wasn’t in the mood for Derek’s antics.

  “Get out of my seat,” I said. “You have a desk of your own, you know. This is mine.”

  Derek didn’t budge. He just stared at me with serious eyes.

  “Stop changing the subject, you know we can’t avoid talking about this any longer.”

  “Avoid talking about what?” I asked him, hovering over him since he wouldn’t move.

  “About us.”

  “There is no ‘us’ anymore, Derek. I already told you, we’re--”

  “I know you’re pregnant, Madeline.”

  Of course he’d read the article. Everyone in New York had apparently read it and knew about my personal life. I rolled my eyes, “That magazine is trash,” I said. “Don’t believe everything you read.”

  “I know you, Madeline,” he said. “I know when you’re lying.”

  I bit my lip. He’d always been able to read me like a book. It was one of the things he was good at. I used to consider it a positive that we were so connected he could tell when I wasn’t being truthful. But now, it was just plain creepy and annoying.

  “What is there to talk about then? Even if I am pregnant, the child isn’t yours. It can’t possibly be yours, you know that, right?”

  He scoffed. “Of course I do. I’m not stupid. I know how these things work.”

  “So why do you suddenly want to talk about us, then? If I’m pregnant with another man’s child, why would you even want to be with me?”

  “Because we both benefit from this arrangement, Madeline,” he said. He said it so matter-of-factly, it caused the hair on my arms to stand on end. Leave it to my ex to turn everything into a business agreement. He leaned back in my chair and grinned at me. It wasn’t a friendly grin, and it left me feeling uneasy. It was a power play, and I knew it. He was trying to control me, to get me to play right into his hands.

  He continued, “Let’s face it, you need a baby daddy, someone to care for you and the little munchkin, and I really need to keep my position next to your father. I know you want to be CEO one day, but do you really see that happening once you’re a mother, Madeline? Do you think you’ll have time for everything, especially if you’re a single mom?”

  “Go to hell,” I said. I wanted to leave, to walk right out on him, but it was my office. He needed to leave. I wouldn’t bow down to his power plays. “I don’t need your charity, Derek.”

  “No, but you do need someone to step in as daddy for that child. At least where the media is concerned,” he said. “Unless, of course, you want them to report on how you got pregnant in the first place - with some random stranger you met in a bar.”

  He cringed as he said those words, acting as if the entire act was filthy and scandalous, It almost made me laugh that he thought what I’d done was so much more egregious than what he’d been doing for years now, buying young whores on every trip he took.

  “Besides, isn’t the devil you know better than the devil you don’t? Sure, you can have Mr. Rando from the bar step in as daddy dearest, but do you know if he’ll be a good father? Do you know anything about him, Madeline?”

  “I’m not going to dignify that with an answer, Derek. Now please, leave.”

  “Think it over, Madeline,” he said, pushing himself up out of my chair at last. “Think about your future and everything you’ve worked for. If I become CEO, you will always have a place on the board. We can run this company together. Our relationship will be a business arrangement, nothing more. I’ll take care of you, you take care of me, and we both get to fuck whoever we want. You’re even free to keep seeing the baby’s father, if you like, as long as you’re more discreet about things than you have been.”

  The more he spoke, the more I wanted to punch him in his smug face. I walked over to my desk and took my seat back, gripping the desk with hands to fight the urge to launch my paper weight at his head.

  “You’re an asshole, Derek,” I said.

  He chuckled and shrugged. “Maybe, but at least you know what you’re getting with me,” he said. “No one knows you like I do, Madeline.”

  With that, he left my office, shutting the door behind him just as I reached out for the paper weight on my desk. Lucky bastard. He’d left just before the hormones got the best of me.

  I was seething, but surprisingly, I also couldn’t deny that he was right. I knew Derek, we’d been in each other’s lives for so long, I knew exactly what I was getting with him. He was a bit cold, and yes, an asshole of the grandest proportions, but he was also right about being the devil I knew.

  Especially after what had happened with Julia, I was beginning to think there was no one I could trust.

  God, I hated him. And I hated him even more for the fact that he’d gotten to me.

  ooo000ooo

  I�
��d told my father, but somehow, in all the commotion, I’d forgotten to tell my mother that she was going to be a grandma. Of course, she heard the news - just not from me. Which left her very unhappy, and she made sure to let me know all about it when she called me that afternoon.

  “Madeline, how come the press knew about your pregnancy before your own mother?”

  “I didn’t intend for the press to find out yet,” I muttered.

  “Well, you should have called still,” she snipped. “This is a big deal. My first grandchild! I can’t wait to make the announcement at your engagement party next week.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Yes, dear, your engagement party. You never really had one, and I think it would be a good thing right now. With the press swarming you about the pregnancy and Derek’s alleged affairs, it would be good to show them a happy couple.”

  “But we’re not happy and we’re not a couple, Mom,” I said.

  She tsked-tsked me over the phone. I didn’t have to see her face to know she was frowning.

  “You need to get over your little fight,” she said. “For the sake of the baby.”

  “It’s not Derek’s child,” I said.

  I had to hold the phone away from my ear as my mom screeched on the other end. She was having a fit, just as I figured she would. I suddenly remembered why I had put off telling her.

  “Madeline! I raised you better than that,” she said. “What does Derek say?”

  “It doesn’t matter what he says,” I said, leaning back in my chair. I rubbed my temples, trying to fight off the headache I’d been battling all day. It was always something with my family, always a bunch of stress. More than I should have to deal with on a daily basis, especially since it wouldn’t be good for the baby. It suddenly dawned on me that with all the talk about the media and PR, and no one had even asked about me or the child. I’d hardly had a chance to think of the child growing inside of me without worrying about my next move. My life just needed to calm down. I needed to think, to take time to breathe.

  “Madeline?” Mom said. “Are you listening you me?”

  “Yes, Mom,” I lied. I hadn’t heard a word she’d said, nor did I want to. “Listen, I have to go. I have a meeting to get to.”

  Another lie. I had nowhere to be. It was the end of the day and I was heading out of the office, away from the chaos and the drama.

  “Fine,” she said, sounding completely inconvenienced by my fake meeting, “But keep this Friday clear, Madeline. We need to have this party, to show a united front. I’m sure Derek will understand.”

  Yeah, he’d understand alright. He cared just as much about pretending like we were a couple as my parents did. No wonder they liked him so much. He thought just like they did.

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “No, Madeline. You’ll be there,” she said. “Even if you and Derek split up down the road, this will buy us some time. At least give us that. We have to think about this family’s reputation.”

  I rolled my eyes. No one cared about our family’s reputation more than my own family did. I wanted to tell my mom that no one really frowned upon rich, white women being single mothers, and that everything would be fine. Except, I didn’t fully believe it myself. There was part of me that still felt ashamed, and I hated that part of me. I was a modern woman, there was no reason I should feel bad about any of it, but all the pressure from my mom and dad and the cruelty of the tabloids made me think twice about it all.

  “Fine. I’ll be there, but it will only be for show,” I said. “Derek and I are not back together. The wedding will not be happening.”

  “Whatever you say, dear,” she said. “Enjoy your meeting.”

  She hung up, happy with our arrangement. She’d gotten what she wanted, now she was off to her country club ladies night or whatever the hell my mom did in her free time.

  At least she’d be out of my hair for a while. I needed some time to think, everything was moving too fast. And not having my bestie in town made it even harder. I had no one to confide in. One more week and she’d be back, but God knew for how long. She was always on the move.

  At times like that, I envied her for that. I was starting to regret not following in her footsteps, since apparently making it to CEO of my dad’s company might forever be out of reach at this rate.

  Breaking News! Madeline Byers and Derek Savage Have Set a Date!

  I hadn’t even made it out of the office before the news hit. I stared at the headline, mouth agape, and wondering what the hell was going on. This time, the news was false, completely false. We had not set a date as there would be no wedding, but again, sources “close to the couple” confirmed that we were getting married at the end of April, just over a month away.

  I’d have called it completely fake news, except somehow, they also had information on the party my mom and I talked about.

  The happy couple would like to dispel all rumors of a split and are celebrating at Oak and Willow Restaurant on Friday evening.

  I always knew the press was ruthless, but this had gone too far. Suddenly, my entire life was plastered for the world to see. Where were they getting this information? My mom liked to talk to her friends at the club; it had to be one of them. Probably someone she’d included on the “very exclusive guest list” as the article mentioned.

  It became clear that I needed to be careful and plan every move and announcement accordingly. My parents had a PR firm for the family, which I rarely used because I’d never had a problem, but I was starting to think it was time to give them a call before this got out of hand.

  I pulled their business card from my purse. They were on call 24/7, ready to help with whatever we needed. So I gave them a call.

  A friendly, male voice answered on the first ring. “Liam Pemberton speaking.”

  “Hi Liam,” I said, “This is Madeline Byers.”

  “Oh Ms. Byers, it’s my pleasure to hear from you at last,” he chuckled. “I’ve been awaiting your call, actually.”

  “You have?”

  “Yes, I’ve seen the headlines, and it’s a mess right now. Your dad had called and expressed concern but having you on board means we can get things cleaned up even faster.”

  “So we can fix this?” I asked, nibbling my lip.

  “Already on it, sweetheart.”

  I wanted to tell him not to call me sweetheart, but I dropped it. It didn’t seem important enough to get riled up.

  “The engagement party was my idea, and I see the media has already picked up on that. That’s good,” he said. “And the whole wedding date deal, even better.”

  “But it’s not true,” I said.

  “Oh, Madeline, it doesn’t have to be true. It just has to be newsworthy and get some positive attention on you,” he said. “In a few months, you can call the entire thing off, if you’d like. But for now, with the baby and everything, being seen as a happy couple having a child together is much better than the alternative. This will do wonders for your family’s brand.”

  My family’s brand. I hated that word. Not just our name, but we were a brand. We were selling our souls to the American people little by little, or that’s what it felt like.

  “With the opening of Newman, we need all the positive publicity we can get,” he said. “Especially with new competition in the market.”

  “So this has nothing to do with protecting my reputation, and all to do with promoting my dad’s latest development?” I asked.

  “Hopefully the two goals are the same,” he said.

  “Hopefully?”

  “Madeline, your reputation - and your popularity on Google right now - has never been better. Your name is everywhere, and it’s all good. What more could you want?”

  Oh, I don’t know, some privacy maybe, I thought to myself.

  “Let’s meet for breakfast tomorrow, unless it’s an emergency, then we can meet tonight,” he said. “I’m always here for your family, no matter the time of day.”

 
“It’s not an emergency, I guess. You say everything is fine?” I asked.

  “Couldn’t be better,” he said.

  “Then we don’t have to meet, I guess,” I said. “But can I ask you one favor, Liam?”

  “Of course,” he said.

  “Please run any and all news stories behind me before leaking them, got it?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said. “Like I said, this will be so much easier now that we have you on board.”

  Was I on board, really? I still wasn’t sure. I had to make a decision sooner or later, but all I wanted was to buy some extra time. Getting off the call with Liam only made me feel gross, however. I thought it was a good idea, but I was having second thoughts when I hung up the phone.

  At least I had some answers about who was behind the leak to the press, at least as far as the engagement party. It still didn’t explain the story of Julia getting the pregnancy tests. I had to deal with the fact that one of my most trusted friends had betrayed me.

  Jax

  Confirmed: Madeline Byers is pregnant!

  My heart skipped a beat as I read the headline. Her name was trending all over the damn place now, legit news sources were reporting on the pregnancy, dubbing it “The American Royal Baby”. Madeline was the princess, soon-to-be queen, of her family empire and the media was eating it up.

  Problem was, they got it all wrong. They shared photos of Madeline with Derek, insinuating he was the father. Sure, maybe he was. Maybe Madeline had lied to me and they were still together at the time, but if my calculations were right - the child could also be mine.

  I couldn’t let that go. I had to talk to Madeline, to find out for sure. If she told me the timing didn’t add up, I’d probably believe her. But I had to hear it from her or else I’d always wonder if I had a child out there somewhere.

  First thing that morning, I texted her, only to see that my message was never received. When I tried to call her, my call wouldn’t go through either. She’d blocked me, leaving me with little choice but to show up on her doorstep.