“We’ve both had our fair share of heartbreak and the loss we’ve encountered has drawn us to each other. I feel closer to you than any other woman I have ever known. And yes, I care for you very much.”
Mac pulled me into his arms and again I rested my head on his chest. He held me for a long time. Neither of us said anything as he stroked my arm with his hand. He had created the perfect evening and won more of my heart with each passing moment.
Chapter 12: Mac
It was getting late, so I kissed Natalie on the temple and said, “You better be getting home. It’s past your bedtime.” I flashed her a grin so she knew I was joking, but my resolve was weakening with each passing moment.
I wanted Natalie to stay the night with me so badly, but I knew waiting would ensure her that I was in this for a lasting relationship. That was at the top of my agenda—her falling in love with me, feeling loved by me. I had a ghost to live up to, in her perfect ex-boyfriend, who’d abandoned her. He had pushed too hard, been too selfish, stupidly lost her. I wasn’t going to make his mistakes. If there is one thing my dad always told me, “A happy wife is a happy life.”
I stood up, and held out my hand to her, helping her get up. I was secretly hoping she would protest, want to stay with me, but I wasn’t surprised when she didn’t. Just about every other woman I knew was more than content to go fast, but Natalie was unlike any other woman.
Her hand was intertwined with mine as we walked toward the front door and out to her car. When she looked up at me with her big blue eyes, I was a goner. Nothing was ever going to be the same again. I had given my heart to Natalie and the only way I was getting it back was if she broke it.
Kissing her goodnight was like savoring my favorite dessert. I wanted it to last forever, but I restrained myself before things became too heated, again. My hands, having a mind of their own, concerned me, so I gently ended our kiss.
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“I’d like that,” she said, leaning her body into mine.
She had no idea what she was doing to me. Maybe she did. Who knows the mind of a woman?
“I had a wonderful time tonight. Thank you for inviting me over for dinner.”
“It’s the first of many dinners and evenings together, I hope.”
Natalie looked down for a moment. When her eyes returned to mine, they were glistening with wetness.
“I hope so too, Mac.”
Natalie opened the car door and climbed in. We shared one more glance and she drove away.
***
I woke up the next morning with thoughts of Natalie flooding me. Another cold shower was in order as parts of me were very aroused from the scenes my mind was creating. I knew a plan was in order. Everything was better if I had a plan. Winging it wouldn’t sweep Natalie off her feet. Plus, I had really big shoes to fill with everything Neil had done to win Kate’s heart. He had done countless things that were considered seriously romantic. And, I thought, Natalie loved romantic.
Doing all of the standard flowers and candy wasn’t going to be enough, but that’s where I would start, until I had time to get creative. The good news was we would be seeing each other with Neil and Kate as well. The wedding and all of the festivities associated with it, were just around the corner. But, every great journey begins with the first step. I would send her flowers at work. It’s a typical thing to do, but none the less, it would demonstrate that she was special to me. All I wanted to do was bring a smile to my girl’s face.
I arrived at the office early, and as usual, my assistant was already there to greet me. Alice had been my father’s assistant and I trusted her with my life. She had been there for me through thick and thin. I valued her opinion, which I asked for frequently. When I asked what she thought of Cassie and she was hesitant to say, I knew it was time to break things off. Cassie just made it easier with her ultimatum.
“Good morning, Alice.”
“Good morning, Mr. Carter.” She wouldn’t call me Mac unless we were speaking outside of work. Maintaining her professionalism was of the utmost importance to her.
“I trust you had a good weekend with your friends?” she asked.
“I had an amazing weekend,” I said, barely able to contain the grin that spread across my face.
“So, where am I sending flowers to?” she inquired with a slight smile. She knew me too well.
“I need an incredible arrangement sent to Natalie Mason, at Nordstrom Fashion Valley, in the kids department.”
“I will get that handled. Email me what you want the card to state.”
“Will do,” I said, as I continued my way to my office.
My schedule was packed, but all I wanted to do was think about Natalie. With Cassie on the warpath last night, I was certain Natalie would bolt. But, my kiss made her stay. How I loved kissing her soft lips.
I was proud of myself that I didn’t let things go too far between us. I wanted her trust and I needed to know she was ready before anything actually happened.
“Mr. Carter, Harold Brody is here to see you,” Alice said via the intercom.
“Send him in,” I responded. He did all of the legal work for Carter Industries.
He came in with sunken in shoulders and I could tell something was weighing heavily on him.
“What’s going on, Harold?” I asked.
“I’ve done something that I am not proud of and it involves you.”
I stared at him, waiting for him to go on. “What did you do?” I finally asked.
“Well, as you know, the entire trust to your parent’s estate is to go to you on your thirtieth birthday.”
“Yes, I am aware.”
“What you don’t know, is there is a stipulation in the trust that you are married by then. Your parents didn’t want you to be alone if something happened to them.”
“Why am I just hearing this now? How long do I have before I have to be married?” I asked, my heart pounding rapidly.
“You have to be married before you thirty first birthday.”
“How is it that you’re just telling me about this now?” I asked with a gruff voice.
“This is the part I am ashamed of. Cassie found out about the marriage requirement in your trust. I don’t know how, but she did. Then, she blackmailed me to not tell you until your birthday was approaching.”
“How did she blackmail you?”
“Some creep took explicit photos of my daughter Rachel, and Cassie threatened to put them up on the internet if I didn’t cooperate.”
I rested my head in my hands. So that’s why she wants to meet for lunch. She thinks I’m not going to have any other choice but to marry her.
“So, are you supposed to be telling me this now?” I asked.
“Not exactly. But, when I heard you broke things off with her, I knew she would pay me a visit.”
“And?”
“She’s doing whatever it takes for you to marry her. She threatened me not to tell you, but I couldn’t keep this from you any longer. I feel just terrible about this whole damn thing.”
I shook my head. “Harold, Cassie is a master manipulator. Don’t feel bad. It took me two years to see the real her.”
“I know I’ve let you down and it kills me that she is doing all of this.”
No shit you let me down. You’re my lawyer, for Pete’s sake. That’s what I was thinking, but instead, I said, “Don’t worry, I’ll handle Cassie. I’ll also get back the pictures of your daughter.”
“I’m getting too old for this. I think it’s time to retire.”
Harold filled me in on the rest of the particulars. When he departed, I immediately called Neil.
“I need to talk to you ASAP.”
“What’s going on?” Neil asked me.
“Do you have time for lunch? I need to strategize about some new information regarding my trust.”
“I have a pretty full day, but if you want to bring sandwiches over, we can eat and talk in my office.”
&nb
sp; “Done. What time?”
“Noon.”
“See ya, then.”
“Alright, man.”
As soon as I got off the phone with Neil, I realized I wouldn’t be canceling the lunch appointment with Cassie. Getting Neil’s take on it would help me be prepared. His mind was cunning and that’s what I needed in dealing with her.
I was so pissed, I wanted to take out my aggression on the wall, but I had a feeling the wall would punch back as soon as my fist hit it. A broken hand wouldn’t do me any good. All I could do was keep busy, until it was time to see Neil.
Time moved at a glacial pace. My biggest consideration was how this would affect my relationship with Natalie. I didn’t want anything to get in our way. But, she may feel I tricked her into marriage because of the terms of my trust. Nothing could be further from the truth. I wanted her from the moment I held her on Thanksgiving. I was her moth and she was my flame.
I had Alice order up the sandwiches and picked them up on the way to Neil’s office. His assistant Laura ushered me in.
“I see Laura still dresses provocatively for work,” I said, as I motioned my hand toward her desk.
“Yeah, but I just try to ignore it.”
Neil got up from his chair and we sat at the table in his office. I broke out the sandwiches, chips, sodas. It was just like being in college again.
“So, what’s up?” Neil asked.
“You’re not going to believe this, but I found out my parents trust had a stipulation I wasn’t aware of.”
“Lay it on me.”
“I have to be married to keep control of the company. If I’m not married, the company will be divided amongst the shareholders.”
Neil’s brow creased as he processed the information. “Does that sound like your parents?” he asked.
“Not really, but who knows what was going through their minds at the time. Maybe they wanted to ensure I had a family life. They were so happy together.”
“How is it that you didn’t know?”
“Cassie found out, and blackmailed Harold by exploiting his daughter.”
“Shit. She’s crazy,” Neil said.
“How would she even find this out? I mean, the trust was sealed. I have to be married within a year after turning thirty.”
“Maybe she broke into Harold’s office and found your file. Maybe there’s more to the story than Harold is telling you. Hard to say.”
“What should I do?”
“For starters, Harold is going to retire. He and his daughter are going on a long trip. I’ll have Laura draw up the paperwork stating he is not to communicate anything about his retirement or whereabouts. You’ll have it waiting on your personal fax, before you get back to the office. If he doesn’t comply, then let Cassie do her worst to him.”
“Good, but he will still have the problem of her having pictures of his daughter. What if he won’t comply?”
“If he doesn’t agree to retire, you won’t give him severance, and you won’t pay for the extended trip.”
“He might go for it with that in mind.”
“I’ll get my tech guy to hack into her computer and find what she has on Harold’s daughter. He can send a virus to destroy all of her files so it doesn’t look like you did anything.”
“Again. You’re smarter than I give you credit for,” I said, feeling a little more relaxed since Neil had a plan.
“I’ve had my share of dealing with dishonest people,” Neil said.
“I also have to go to lunch with Cassie on Wednesday. She met Natalie last night when their paths crossed at my place.”
“You are going to have to keep your cool with Cassie. She’s unpredictable and you have no idea what she is capable of doing. Whatever happens during lunch on Wednesday, stay neutral.”
“Easier said than done, bro,” I chided. “I’m so pissed right now I could put my fist through the wall.”
“You losing control gives her the power. Somehow, you’re going to have to sit there and play nice. And under no circumstances, tell her that you are married to Natalie.”
I nodded. Neil was right. He was always right. He had a clever mind for solving shit. “Okay, I’ll keep calm. What do I do after she lowers the boom and tells me about the trust? I’m assuming that’s why she wants to do lunch.”
“I would say something like…I’ll take that under advisement.”
“Alright. Stay calm and say as little as possible. But how do I tell Natalie about this? She’s going to think I tricked her in Vegas because I needed a wife. What if she doesn’t believe me? Neil, I’m crazy about her.”
“The last thing I would do is tell Natalie. That’s why I didn’t tell Kate about her and Elizabeth. I didn’t think she would understand. But, I figured once she was in love with me she would forgive me.”
“I hate keeping something like this from her, but you’re right. Last night when she met Cassie, she bolted for her car after Cassie left. I stopped her and convinced her to stay.”
“Natalie’s in a vulnerable place. Any false moves and she’ll be gone.”
“Yeah, it almost all ended last night. All I could do was kiss her and hope she could feel how much she means to me. After we got past Cassie, it was a great night,” I said, my mind wandering to the beautiful curves of her face and the feel of her body pressed against mine.
“Build on that, bro. I can tell she’s totally into you,” Neil said, nodding slightly.
“Alright. Then the next order of business is, will you take on me on as a client? My company also needs to hire your firm.”
“Consider it done. We’re brothers, man. I’ve got your back.”
***
I texted Natalie so she would have a message from me when she got off work. I wanted her to know I was thinking about her. Of course, the flowers would tell her that. Once we spoke on the phone, I’d invite her out to dinner if she was up for it. I wanted her just to come over and be with me, but I didn’t want her to feel like I only had one thing in mind. The essence behind my dad’s words, were to treat your woman well so she felt special…adored. That’s what Natalie deserved. All I could do was pray all of Neil’s advice would pan out the way he expected.
Chapter 13: Natalie
My body was at work, but my mind was a million miles away. I volunteered to do some pricing in the stockroom so I could be in my own little world. Plus, my coworkers knew me so well, and keeping my true feelings hidden was practically useless.
Maria’s voice startled me by calling out, “Nat, there’s a huge display of flowers that were just delivered for you.”
“Oh really?” I replied nonchalantly. I was hoping if I didn’t make a big deal about it she wouldn’t either.
“Sooo. What’s going on?”
“I met Neil’s best friend, Mac. He’s really great and we are kind of seeing each other.”
“What do you mean by kind of? Either you are, or you aren’t.”
“Well, it’s all so new, I’m exactly not sure. We’re taking things slow.”
“I can tell you right now, the bouquet of flowers that just arrived for you, do not say taking things slow. I’m thinking they are communicating fast forward.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at Maria’s enthusiasm. “Well, he’s a very demonstrative man, like Neil,” I replied, hoping to divert her interrogation.
“Neil pursued Kate pretty hard. They’ve only known each other since September and their already getting married. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m happy for her, but it did happen very quickly.”
“It did. But if you saw them together you would see they are the perfect match,” I responded, hoping the conversation would continue to be about Kate.
“When are you coming back to the sales floor? We’re all dying to know what the card says.”
“I’ll be up in a few minutes,” I said, wishing Maria’s questioning would dissipate. Even though she was inquisitive, I couldn’t help but feel loved by her. She and my other coworkers had
always been so supportive and caring.
“Great. See you in a few.”
I had never received flowers from anyone before. Mac’s gesture made me feel warm, as if I were wrapped in cashmere, and sitting by a toasty fire. My whole body heated, and my thoughts wandered to the prior night, sitting in front of his fireplace. Well, not the sitting part. I closed my eyes and could almost feel his lips caress mine. His tongue dancing with mine. I wanted him and there was nothing stopping me from having him. I just wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted from me. Waking up that morning, I considered that Mac and Cassie might have some unfinished business. Only time would tell.
I made my way back to the sales floor and was rendered speechless by the display sitting on the counter. It was extraordinary and must have cost a fortune. It was so big I didn’t know how I was going to carry it and see where I was going at the same time. I opened the card and smiled as I read Mac’s words.
Natalie,
Spending the last few days with you has meant everything to me. I’m looking forward to many more.
Mac
This card answered my question about what he was interested in. Maybe he really liked me and wanted to know me like he kept saying. Why was I so distrustful?
“Nat, you’re killing us here. What does the card say?”
I handed the card to Maria and she read it out loud. Brenda and Lori had gathered around, and they were all a buzz about Mac.
“So, Neil’s friend, huh? What’s happened the last few days?” Lori inquired.
I couldn’t hold back my emotions any longer. “I think we fell in love,” I said, surprising myself that those words came out.
My dear coworkers, whom I had worked with for so many years, all smiled at me. “Oh, Natalie. This is wonderful,” Brenda said. “We’ve all been waiting for this to happen to you. It sounds like Mac is a real catch.”
“He is,” I said, tearing up. I couldn’t form any more words. Waves of emotion crashed over me like the turbulent sea in a storm.
Beholden to You Page 6
