by Lisa Lace
“Mia?”
She looked up from the folder on her desk. Steven was talking to her, but she couldn’t hear him. She felt the heavy beating of her heart and heard only the rushing of the blood in her ears. She watched his lips move but didn’t try comprehending his words. He rushed to her and knelt by her side. When he took her hand, she felt herself come back to reality.
“Mia, what is it? What’s wrong?”
“What?” She turned toward him, a sick feeling surrounding the contents of her stomach.
“Are you feeling okay? You’re white as a ghost.”
She shook her head, screaming inside. Why couldn’t she talk? Why couldn’t she tell him what was happening? She put her hand on the documents, sliding them toward him. He picked them up, his eyes scanning what she was still trying to soak in. She used this time to collect herself.
“That conniving, arrogant, selfish son-of-a-bitch. I knew he was no good.”
“And you didn’t say anything? If you had reservations about the guy, why didn’t you tell me?”
When he took in a deep breath and sat down across from her desk, she knew he was about to come clean on something. She didn’t like the feeling.
“I knew who he was when you said you were dating Eddie.”
“And you let it continue?” Mia’s head pulsated. “How could you?”
“Honestly, I didn’t think it would come to this. I only knew he was a Donovan.”
“And that should have been enough. Instead, you kept it from me. For what reason?”
“You were so happy. I truly didn’t think he was anything like his father. I wanted to believe what he said. I wanted to believe that he was good, especially after the way I saw him look at you.”
“I don’t believe this.” She pushed away from her desk and turned toward the window, disgusted.
“Mia. I wanted to give it time to unfold on its own. I had planned on telling you after the meeting with him, but everything seemed to be working out, so I left it alone. I had no idea he would do this. I never would have allowed it to continue if I had any clue. I’m sorry.”
She sat silent and motionless.
“Mia? Please.”
“What am I supposed to think, Steven? You knew I was sleeping with the enemy, and you said nothing?” She spun back toward him, her arms still crossed. “Nothing at all?”
“You were so happy.”
“And now I’m not, and we have no company.”
It was Steven’s turn to sit quietly.
“Nothing to say now?”
“I didn’t do it to intentionally harm you. I thought I was doing the right thing.”
Her phone went off, and she glanced at it before picking it up.
I can’t wait to see you tonight. I want to concentrate on us. No business talk tonight.
Her stomach lurched.
“Is that him?”
Mia looked up at Steven. “Why? Do you need to withhold more information from me?”
“Mia, don’t do this. You know me.”
She did. She didn’t mean to be so hard on him. She knew he meant well. “Yeah, it’s him.” She picked her phone up, her fingers running over the keys. Change of plans. Don’t call me. I’ll call you.
She wasn’t sure why she’d sent such a bold text. It left too much unanswered. She could beat around the bush all day long, ignore his texts and calls, but until he knew exactly why she left him hanging, he wouldn’t stop trying. And, sure enough, her phone went off again.
Mia? Has something changed since I left there?
Mia went through the motions of ignoring the text, even though she kept glancing at her phone, waiting for it to go off again.
He called her. She let it ring. He called again. She hit the ignore button. Then another text.
Mia, what’s wrong? What happened since I left you a few hours ago?
“I’m going to go.” Steven stood up abruptly. “I have a feeling you’re going to have a visit if you don’t answer him.”
“Then I’ll tell him face-to-face.”
“Tell him what?”
“Exactly what he can do with his takeover.”
“I’m going to make some calls, see where we stand and what our options are.”
Mia picked up her phone when it rang again. She didn’t give him a chance to say anything. “You want to know what happened? Let’s see, I guess I figured out just how much of a fake and a phony you are. I should’ve stuck to my guns from the beginning and told you just what I thought of you instead of waiting.”
“If you told me what you honestly thought of me from the beginning, we would still be in my bed.” His voice was deep, demanding.
Mia felt her muscles contract between her legs, her mind going back to what he’d done to her in that bed. “No!” She shook the thoughts from her mind. “How dare you! You think you’re such a player! Go to hell!” She ended the call and slammed it down on her desk, writhing from the heated conversation. Her phone went off.
I’m coming over.
Mia felt her heart palpitate out of her chest, and it was harder to take a breath. She didn’t want to confront him, and she didn’t want to admit that he had control over her. She grabbed her phone and texted back, I won’t be here, so don’t bother.
I will be at Caledonia tonight, around 7. I want to see you. Don’t stand me up. I will not let this go, Mia.
Her initial thought was to stay as far away from Caledonia as she could get, but she knew it would play on her mind. She tapped her foot, anticipating what he’d do if she didn’t show. She felt a tingle between her legs and silently cursed her body for defying her.
Mia. Tell me you will be there.
She tried ignoring her phone again, her heart and body constantly reminding her he meant what he said.
Mia. Don’t make me ask again.
Fine! Yes, I’ll be there.
Good girl.
Damn him. She gathered the paperwork in front of her and placed it back in the folder. She wondered if she could glue it to a brick and throw it at him when she returned it.
The rest of her afternoon was counterproductive. The only thing on her mind was her dinner date with a man she thought she was in love with and now despised with every fiber of her being—except for the aroused, tight muscles between her legs.
Waiting outside, she wanted to be late. She kept looking at the clock on her phone as the minutes ticked by. Why did she get there before seven? She would have to stand outside for twenty minutes to be late enough to have an impact. Changing her mind, she swung the front door open and walked inside. The faster she got this over with, the better.
Edward didn’t appear to be there yet, which made things worse. She’d look like she was waiting for him. What if he was late? Maybe she could take a walk.
She turned to go when her eyes met his. Her body stopped, frozen in place. She wished she’d never sent that text, never met Edward Donovan. How was it that she wanted him out of her life, yet in her bed? She wanted to slam the folder in his face and slam her body into his. She wanted to slap him on her way out the door, hoping he would follow her and dominate her the way he did in his office. But she stood there, unable to move, Edward glaring at her as he moved closer.
“Are you going somewhere?” His voice was rugged, dangerous—and effective.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and shook her head.
“Shall we then?” He motioned her toward a table and pulled her chair out until she sat down. “Two glasses of chardonnay, please?” He spoke to the bartender, then sat across from her at the small round table barely big enough for them both.
The air between them grew heavy, awkward, and miserable the moment he sat down. He didn’t say a word to her until the drinks were delivered. He only watched her, making her second guess herself and kick herself for even entertaining the idea she could go through with this.
“Will there be anything else?” The bartender set the drinks down and clasped his hands together.
/>
“No, thank you.” Edward didn’t take his eyes off Mia. When they were alone again, he leaned back, crossing his legs and placing his hands in his lap. “So, tell me what you meant by your rather disturbing text this afternoon.”
What could she say? She wanted to say a lot. She wanted to scream it all out at him, to slam the brick-filled folder in his face, to make him feel as bad as he made her feel. But she didn’t. She pulled the folder out of her case and set it on the table, pressing her lips together and looking away.
“What is this?” He picked it up and looked through it. Mia watched his face intently. “Where did you get this?” He looked upset, disturbed.
“I know I shouldn’t have taken it, but I needed to know. And now I do.” She sounded more sad than angry, not her intention.
“I don’t know where this came from.”
“Really? It was in your case, Edward. You can’t play dumb. You’re not very good at it.”
He looked at every page in the folder, scrutinizing every word.
“You study it as if it’s the first time you have seen it.”
“That’s because it is. I don’t know what this stuff is. I assure you it’s not my doing.”
“And I’m supposed to believe that?”
“Yes. You are. Mia, I’ve been honest with you from the beginning.”
“No, I don’t think you have been.”
“Name one incident I’ve lied to you about.”
“Eddie, really?”
“Well, except for that. That was different.”
“Of course, it was. The only thing I have had to go on with you is your word. When I see something like this, what do you expect me to do?”
“I expect you to come to me, not play these childish games.”
Mia bowed her head, her thoughts cloudy. “I don’t know.”
He set the copy of the check in front of her. “I assure you, this is not my signature. I’ll get to the bottom of this. I know right where to start.”
Edward
Edward pushed his anger down, grabbing his phone and pulling his brother’s name from his contacts. “Give me a minute.”
“No. I’m done, Edward. I’m not going to do this any longer. I don’t even know why I agreed to meet you tonight.”
“Because I asked you to.” He began to worry that he was losing her, and he wasn’t even sure why yet.
“No. I know now what your plans are. You can’t sweet-talk your way through this one. It’s all right there, Edward.” She stood up and reached for her case. “I can’t believe I ever trusted you. You’re just like your brother, and your father, for that matter.”
He felt the anger push through him as she rushed past him toward the door. He pocketed his phone and ran after her, grabbing her jacket as they reached the street. “Will you stop being so childish and listen to me for just a minute?”
“Me being childish? You’ve been playing me from the beginning. I can’t believe I was too blind to see what you truly were.”
“I don’t know where anything in that file came from. It’s all fictitious and made up to obviously sabotage everything I’ve been working toward, including our relationship. You were meant to find it, Mia.”
“No. I don’t believe you.” Yet she wanted to. He saw that in her eyes. She was scared and becoming more confused as time went on.
“Mia. Listen to me.” He held onto her arms and pulled her close. “I admitted that I hacked into your company and erased everything, but I also put it all back. I admitted my feelings for you. Everything I have told you is the God’s honest truth. That folder, I don’t know where that came from. It isn’t my work.”
She was fighting it. He saw it in her eyes. When she reached up and slapped his face, he knew he had lost. “I can’t afford to make a mistake. Everything that’s happened points to you as the bad guy. I don’t know what to believe, but I’m running out of time, and I have to save my company—if it’s not too late for that.”
“Let me help you, Mia. Please. You have to trust me.”
“I can’t. I can’t handle your mind games. I don’t know if you and your brother are continuing some sort of lifelong war, but I don’t want to be in the middle of your battlefield. I won’t be.”
She stood in front of him for another moment or two before turning and walking away. She didn’t look back once.
His heart ached. He needed to fix this. He didn’t want that moment to be the last moment he had with her. Walking back into the bar, he sat back at his table and called his brother.
“Hey, little brother! I was just thinking about you.”
“You didn’t meet me earlier.”
“Yeah, I got hung up. You know how it is.”
“I’m here now. Come out. Caledonia’s on Second.”
“You okay? You sound pissed off.”
“Meet me. I’ll explain when you get here.”
“Give me an hour.”
Edward clenched his jaw tight. He needed to play this right. Jack was behind this whole mess, he was sure of it. “An hour.” He picked up his wine and swirled the last swallow around the sides before tipping it back and swallowing it down. He should have left the bar and walked the city for an hour. He should have done anything else, rather than order a scotch. Mia messed up his head. He could no longer say he’d never let a woman get to him.
An hour and three scotches later, Jack walked in through the front door and ordered two drinks at the bar before joining him. “It looks like you could use a drink.”
“That’s the last thing I need right now.”
“Aw, come on. Brother to brother. For old times’ sake.”
“We’ve never had an old times’ sake.” He pushed his glass back and sat back in his chair. “I don’t want another drink. I just want to get this over with.”
“Get what over with? You okay, little brother?”
“Not really.”
“Here. Have one drink with me, and I’ll discuss whatever you want to discuss.” Jack set the glass of dark brown whiskey in front of Edward, holding his own up toward him.
“Fine. One. That’s all.”
“Here’s to new beginnings and fresh starts.”
Edward shook his head, looking up at him through squinted eyes. “You’re a piece of shit, Jack. Did I ever tell you that?”
“I’m offended you would say such a thing.”
Edward heard the sarcasm in his voice. He drank the whiskey down, leaving Jack with his drink still in the air. He held his breath until the burn dissipated to a bearable sensation. When he set his glass on the table, a folder laid there between them. Edward looked at him, already knowing what was inside. “You’ve always had to have the upper hand in everything, Jack. And when something finally goes my way, you can’t wait to squash it by any means necessary, can you?”
“I have done some beautiful work, haven’t I? You have to admit, it’s pretty impressive. Especially this last endeavor. I’m pretty proud of myself.”
“So, you admit it.”
“Oh, of course. Did you think I was going to sit back and watch you rip this deal out from under me without a fight? You still underestimate me, after all these years.” He pushed the folder toward Edward.
“We could have worked together on this.”
“No.” Jack shook his head, a more serious tone in his voice. “You know that’s complete bullshit. Sign the documents inside, Edward.”
“What documents?”
“You will be signing control over to me: all rights and stocks you currently own.”
“And why would I do that?”
“Because if you don’t, I will destroy you. At least this way, you’ll still have a position at Donovan.”
Edward put his hand on the folder and flicked the side with his finger. “You can use these documents to wipe your ass. It’s all they’re worth to me. I’m not signing anything.”
“You’re making a grave mistake.”
He saw the fire in Jack’s eyes,
but he was done cowering to him. “Answer me one thing. Why did you have to rip Mia out of my life, too? You knew how much she meant to me.”
“Oh, that was just a bonus. I didn’t try to do that. Okay, maybe I did.” He snickered and downed his drink. “Two more!” he shouted toward the bar. “Stick around, little brother. We have a lot to discuss.”
“I’m done here.” He ignored the folder and stood up to get away from Jack. A wave floated through him, pushing him back into his chair. He looked down at his glass and mentally counted the drinks.
“Damn. I never took you for much of a drinker. Stress getting to you?”
“No,” he snapped. “I only had a few.” He rubbed his forehead and ran his hands down his face, trying to wipe the feeling away. “What the hell is happening?” He tried focusing on Jack, but the harder he tried, the more his face contorted.
“I do believe you’re drunk, little brother. Maybe we should do this another time.”
Before he opened his eyes, Edward felt a deep dull throb in his skull. He groaned and rolled over, feeling the familiarity of his bed. At least I made it home, he thought. He cracked an eye open and peered at his bedside clock, the sun threatening to blind him from the window. It was pushing ten o’clock. What day is it?
It took him a few moments to recollect what had happened. “Jack.” He rubbed his head and forced himself to sit up. The events from the night before came back to him, and his anger grew as he remembered. Jack sabotaged his relationship with Mia. What was he trying to make him sign? Did he really think he would? He grabbed his phone with two unread texts. He opened the first one, hoping Mia had a change of heart.
Hey, little brother. Wanted to thank you for a good time last night. Maybe next time you can hold back on the liquor a little more.
“Asshole.” He hit the second text.
I almost forgot, thanks for deciding to help me out. Now I can get these documents filed and get this deal back on track. You’re the best, bro. I left your copies in your case.
“Documents.” Edward thought hard. The last thing he remembered was his brother trying to get him to sign. He’d refused. He remembered that he told Jack what he could do with those documents. Now they were signed? He jumped up off the bed, the throbbing in his head deepening. He tried to ignore it, and grabbed his case and rummaged through it. Original documents with a sloppy signature were slightly crumpled up but very legible. “There’s no way I signed these.”
