“Wonderful. Let’s have decadent amounts of pasta and good wine.”
Pierce woke up and reached for Naya, ready to make love to her again. He was relishing the idea of her finally being in his bed when he woke up. But the cold sheets where a warm body was supposed to be woke him immediately. Sitting up, he looked around. When Naya wasn’t in the bed, nor was she in the bathroom, which was dark, he tossed off the sheets with a furious curse.
“Damn it, not again!” He stormed into the shower and got ready for work. Or more specifically, he got ready to give Naya that spanking she’d more than earned over the past week! Hell, for the past two months!
By the time he reached Naya’s office, he was in a raging mood, ready to roar with frustration. That mood was made even worse when he walked into her office only to find it empty.
“Where is she?” he demanded of someone walking down the hallway. He really needed to reel in his temper, since the innocent bystander cowered in the hallway.
“I don’t know, sir. I’m sorry, sir. I can find her, if you’d like?”
Pierce rubbed his forehead, impatient with not having his prey readily available. “Find her and tell her to report to my office immediately!”
A moment later, he was stalking out of the marketing department, almost tearing the door off its hinges as his temper fired up several more notches.
Chapter 12
Naya stared up at the apartment, wondering if her mother would be there. Was this the day? Was this the time when Naya knocked on her mother’s door and discovered her mother was gone? Vanished into the universe once again?
She certainly hoped not. Because she really needed to talk to her mother today.
Stepping out of her car, she looked around and breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted her mother’s car parked several spaces down. “Good,” she whispered.
Before Naya had made it up the stairs, the door to her mother’s apartment flew open and Jessica stood there, staring at Naya with big eyes. “What’s wrong, honey?” she demanded, pulling Naya inside and slamming the door.
Naya looked around, startled to see colorful, cotton bags stacked up, ten or twenty high, in various spots around her mother’s apartment. “Wow! You’ve made so many bags!”
Jessica nodded with pride, hands on hips as they stared at the piles of reusable bags she’d sewn over the past few days. “Yeah, it’s gotten easier. I sold a whole bunch of bags last weekend at the open air market, as well as a few to people over at the bottling factory, and that gave me a bit more confidence.” She turned to look at Naya with an almost shy grin. “Those sales gave me a few extra bucks to buy more fabric and a better cutting tool.” Jessica’s excitement seemed to escalate as she continued talking. “That tool allows me to work a bit faster. Plus, Genie, my neighbor, mentioned that there’s a wholesale cotton warehouse over in the next county. The prices were half what I was paying!” she explained. “And the signs you made for me? They’re great! I sold so many bags at the market that first day that I ran out! People were asking if I’d be back again with more bags and I told them yes, but it might be a few weeks for me to make the stock.” She laughed, clapping her hands together. “I made over two hundred dollars, Naya! Isn’t that grand?”
Naya laughed as she nodded her approval, excited for her mother. “That’s really great, Mom!”
Jessica’s smile faded as she looked at her daughter. “Honey, what’s wrong?” Jessica took Naya’s hand and pulled her over to the sofa, the only space that wasn’t filled with fabric bags. “Tell your momma what’s going on.”
Naya sighed, wishing that she could give her mother some good news. “I just…I’m…” she blinked back the tears, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. “I’m pregnant,” she admitted. “I met a man in a bar a couple months ago and…well, he was a really nice guy and I sort of did something stupid.”
Jessica was stunned for perhaps thirty seconds, then her face lit up into a huge grin. “You’re…pregnant?”
Naya nodded, twisting her fingers on her lap nervously. “Yeah. I’m pregnant and…well, I just…I don’t know what to do.”
Jessica placed both of her hands over Naya’s, stopping their nervous twitching. “Honey, that’s wonderful!”
Naya laughed, but it was more of a sob. “Not really, Mom. I’m going to be a single mother.”
Jessica waved the issue away. “Honey, you’re gonna be a momma!” She paused, then let loose with a loud laugh. “And I’m gonna be a gramma and we’re going to raise this little baby up right!”
Naya’s heart lifted slightly with her mother’s sincere excitement, but that didn’t abate her worry. “I never wanted to be a single mother,” Naya admitted sadly.
Jessica shrugged one shoulder dismissively. “Yeah, well, if I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that life never really turns out the way we want.” Jessica turned to more fully face her daughter, taking both of her hands gently. “But you’re not looking at the bright side of this, honey. A baby! You’re going to have a baby!”
Naya smiled and looked down. “Yeah, that’s pretty…exciting.” She took a moment to revel at that, but then her mind turned back to all of the issues. Money. Time. Changing a diaper, nursing her baby, feeding her baby, putting the baby furniture together, all of the clothes, maternity leave, and…she shook her head. “I’m so scared!”
Jessica’s hands shifted, pressing their fingers together. “Honey, I know what you’re feeling. I was single when I got pregnant as well. Your daddy married me as soon as we realized what had happened and it was the worst mistake of my life. But…back then, it’s what you did. Women just didn’t get pregnant without being married, honey. So we did and we fought all the time. Money was tight and I started drinking after you were born. I never touched a drop while I was pregnant with you, rest assured of that!” she said with emphasis. “But afterwards, life was pretty hard. Then your daddy left and…well, things just spiraled from there.”
Naya’s eyes lifted, looking into her mother’s almost identical green gaze. There was hope in her mother’s eyes. And that hope gave Naya something to hang onto, something other than the worry that had plagued her ever since she’d first found she was pregnant. “So…you think…?”
Jessica smiled gently at her daughter. “I think that you’re going to be a wonderful mother, Naya. You have a good job and an excellent reputation within the marketing community. I know you’re worried about what’s happening at work, but if you get laid off,” she reached up and touched Naya’s hair gently, “you could get a new job somewhere else if you needed to. And I know that you’re good, because I never would have sold as many bags if you hadn’t created that banner for me. It convinced people to give my bags a try. So yeah, you can do this.”
Naya smiled, leaning her head against her mother’s shoulder. “Thanks Mom. But…”
“Is the father not in the picture?”
Naya wasn’t sure how to answer that. Honesty, she reminded herself. Her mother could take the truth. “Actually, the father owns the company I work for. I haven’t told him yet.”
Jessica cringed. “Ah! More problems,” she replied, nodding sagely. Then her eyes shifted again, looking up at Naya. “But you’re strong, honey. You’ll make the right decisions.”
She laughed, thinking about how often she’d had a chance to tell Pierce about the baby. But she hadn’t been able to because…well, because he’d touch her and, after that, their interactions devolved from “important conversation” mode.
“And just so ya know, I still talk with my friend who got you into that boarding school.” Jessica sat up and looked for her purse, rummaging through the contents. “I’m going to call her…” she looked at the clock and chuckled, realizing how late it was. Office hours were definitely over by this point in the day. “Okay, well, tomorrow, I’ll call her, just to let her know that I have a Banks Baby on the way! I’m sure that your little one will be just as smart and will have the grades to get into that snooty b
oarding school.”
Naya was stunned for a long moment, staring at her mother as Jessica typed in a reminder on her phone. Her mother…? That’s how she’d gotten into The Burling School?! That’s how she’d met her best friends and learned so much about life and work and surviving?! Her mother…her very own mother had done that for her?
Surely, Naya had misunderstood. “Mom, are you saying that you got me into the boarding school in high school?”
Jessica finished typing in the message and tossed her phone back into her purse, shrugging her shoulder dismissively. “I have a friend who has a friend. I got your school transcripts and contacted one of the teachers over at the Burling School. A new lady…I can’t remember her name, but it sounded all snooty and annoying.”
“Ms. Dunworthy?” Naya offered, thinking of the pretty teacher Naya had met on that scary, first day.
“Yeah!” Jessica replied, looking up with bright, green eyes. “That’s her. She wasn’t snooty at all, except for her name. But then again, the school was located in the posh section of London, so I suppose everyone had that accent.”
Naya didn’t bother to tell her mother that the school hadn’t actually been in London, but had been on a massive estate in the country. It had been one of the most magical places she’d ever lived. She’d made friends with Ella and Cassandra and so many others. Of course, there’d been a downside. The ladies she hadn’t liked. But they’d eventually learned to coexist peacefully with only occasional pranks pulled on the enemy. But that school had taught her so much more than education. It had taught her to thrive!
“You did that for me?” she whispered, still stunned.
Jessica looked stunned…and a bit shy…as she took in her daughter’s surprise. “Yes, honey. It was the least I could do. At the time, I was trying to get sober again. I’d made it three months by that point, but I couldn’t come home and see you. I just…” she sniffed, tangling her fingers together nervously. “I couldn’t put you through another departure if I couldn’t stay sober. So I stayed away, but I did that for you. I got you into that school.”
Naya was so touched, she couldn’t stop the hug. She wrapped her arms around her mother’s shoulders. “Thank you!” she whispered fiercely. “That was one of the best things you did for me.”
Jessica hugged Naya as well, both of them fighting back tears. “Well,” she said when they pulled apart. “I think we should get some dinner. What are you craving?” she asked. “When I was pregnant with you, I was desperate for those McDonald’s egg McMuffin breakfast sandwiches. Which was all well and good until it was nine o’clock at night and I was trying to make one myself.” She made such a face that Naya laughed. “I couldn’t quite replicate the recipe. My efforts definitely were not the same as the real thing!”
“Actually, I could go for some Thai food. What do you think? Could you stand something spicy?”
“Yes!” she laughed and clapped her hands. “There’s a place right down the street that delivers!”
They ordered food, but instead of waiting for it to be delivered, Naya convinced her mother to drive over and pick it up with her. As soon as she had the food in her hands, Naya was too frantic for the spicy foods to wait until they got back to her mother’s apartment. She dove in while they sat in the parking lot.
“So spicy stuff, huh?” her mother laughed, nibbling at the drunken noodles. “I think you’re doing this pregnancy thing right!”
Naya laughed and the sound turned to a moan of pleasure as she took another bite. “We’ll see,” she muttered around a mouthful of spicy beef.
Chapter 13
Naya stood outside Pierce’s office door, pacing back and forth. For the moment, the evil gatekeeper was away from her desk, so Naya figured she could act as nervous as she wanted. And right now, she wanted to freak out.
Just a little, she thought as she paced again, trying to figure out what to say to the man she’d been with…three times. Good grief, she was pregnant with his baby and collectively she’d spent only a few hours in his company.
Okay, that wasn’t exactly right. She’d probably spent the equivalent of three full days in the man’s presence. Although, during some of those hours, they’d both been sound asleep.
Still…how did one tell someone, who was basically a stranger, that she was pregnant with his child? Good grief!
“Do you have an appointment with Mr. Danilov?” a sharp, female voice demanded.
Naya jumped and opened her eyes to find the evil gatekeeper glaring daggers at her. “No,” she replied automatically. “I just…I need to speak with Pei…Mr. Danilov.”
The woman caught Naya’s accidental use of Pierce’s first name, her eyes narrowing and she pursed her lips with disapproval. “Mr. Danilov has a very tight schedule today.” She walked over to her desk and pulled up his calendar on her computer. “Perhaps I can schedule an appointment with him. Tell me what this is about and I’ll see if he is willing to speak with you.”
Naya opened her mouth, scrabbling for a valid reason to speak with Pierce privately. “I just…need to check with him about a marketing issue.”
The woman, Naya still had no idea what her name was, scanned the meetings over the next several days. “Mr. Pierce has a marketing meeting scheduled for tomorrow at ten in the morning. I believe you are one of the meeting participants,” she commented, clicking on the meeting. “Yes. You are in that meeting. I’m sure, whatever is on your mind, you need to inform the rest of the marketing personnel.” She tilted her head and Naya just knew that she wasn’t going to like the woman’s next comment. “I’ve heard that there is a great deal of turmoil going on in the marketing department. Perhaps it is because not everyone is being informed of the marketing plans?”
Naya prided herself on trying very hard not to hate anyone. There were some enemies from boarding school that she still hated with a vehemence that shocked her. But otherwise, she liked just about everyone. But this woman…Naya knew that she would never like her. The woman was territorial in a way that came across as insecure and vicious. Which meant that Naya would never get along with her.
“You’re absolutely right,” Naya replied and forced a fake smile. “Please tell Mr. Danilov that I was here and that I’ll see him in the marketing meeting tomorrow morning. That’s a wonderful solution. Be sure and tell him that you suggested it.”
At that point, she spun around and…came to a screeching halt. “Tamara!” she gasped.
The assistant shifted to stand half in front of the exotic beauty, almost as if the assistant wanted to protect the visitor somehow. “Do you two know each other?” she demanded, glaring at Naya with obvious distrust.
Naya didn’t bother to acknowledge the assistant.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded.
Tamara flung her silky black hair back over her shoulder. “Naya Banks,” she muttered, her red lips pressing together. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”
Naya’s eyes narrowed as memories of the beautiful woman flashed back to her. It wasn’t that Naya hated her. It was just that…well, Naya and her friends had been the poor students at The Burling School. Tamara and her trio had been the ultra wealthy students. They’d never really connected during the four years in school. Although, Tamara and her friends, Lana and Willow, had stood up for Cassy one time against false accusations coming from the school bully. For that, Naya respected her.
“Yes. It’s been a while. How have you been lately?” Tamara asked, politely.
“Oh, everything has been good,” she replied awkwardly. “Well, I’m sure that you have things to discuss with Pei…Mr. Danilov, so I’ll let you go about your business. It was nice seeing you again.” With that, Naya walked around Tamara and the guy behind her, head held high. Naya told herself she wasn’t jealous. Just because the gorgeous woman was walking into Pierce’s office, that didn’t mean anything. It probably meant that they had a business meeting. That’s it. Nothing bad. Tamara had married some other guy! Why woul
d she be here with Pierce except for business reasons?
Nope, no jealousy here! Naya jabbed the elevator button with a bit more force than necessary, then stepped back in the empty elevator, crossing her arms and huffing a bit. It wasn’t a jealous huff though!
Tamara had been friends with that Greek woman, Lana, and the American during their high school days. Naya, Ella, and Cassy had been in the dorm room across the hallway from Tamara, Lana, and Willow. If Ms. Dunworthy hadn’t been such a skilled arbitration expert, the dormitory might have burned to the ground from some of their more-ill-conceived pranks. Some of the pranks between the two rooms had been epic.
The peaceful co-existence between the two groups had lasted for the duration of the four years until all six had gone off to college. But several times, Naya had wondered what had happened to the others from school. She’d heard through the news that Tamara had married some sheik guy, Lana was married to a shipping tycoon, and Willow…Naya wasn’t exactly sure what Willow was up to these days, but Naya was fairly certain that the gorgeous red-head would have snagged some wonderful man as well.
As soon as she got back to her desk, she grabbed her cell phone, typing in an urgent group message. “Emergency Meeting. Tamara el Hamid is here!”
She dumped her phone onto her desk and tried to focus on her work. But seeing Tamara here, and even worse, the beautiful, truly-royal woman standing just outside of Pierce’s office, wanting to speak with Pierce, she wanted to…scratch her eyes out!
Perhaps if Naya had run into Tamara in a social setting, or if she’d been with another man, not waiting to speak with Pierce, then maybe Naya wouldn’t feel this way. It had been years since they’d graduated. And Naya was NOT jealous!
But Tamara was too beautiful and she was here to see Pierce. What did that mean? Was he seeing Tamara? That would be horrible and something-that-wasn’t-jealousy seared her stomach! But…why Tamara?! She was so gorgeous and so amazing. Everything came easy for her!
Pregnant with the Tycoon's Heir (The Ladies of The Burling School Book 5) Page 11
