by C. C. Gibbs
Her anger melted away like snow at the equator. Disappeared in a heartbeat. Abracadabra – poof – gone. Jesus, love was a goddamn, crazy inexplicable roller-coaster ride. But, honestly, no matter how angry she got, no matter how opinionated Dominic might be, it always came down to this: only he could make her feel this happy.
When she pointed, the young man set the vase on her desk, then stepped back, and straightened his shoulders as if he were waiting for a reprimand or about to be pinned with some really important medal. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, he opened his mouth, clamped it shut again, his face turned ten shades of red. Just as Kate was wondering if he was on drugs this early in the morning, he said in a rush, ‘I’m supposed to say, “I’m sorry”. He said you’d know what that meant.’ Then he turned and literally ran from her office.
Kate hoped Dominic had tipped the kid well because that little speech was way out of that youngster’s comfort zone. But Dominic’s sweet gesture warmed her heart. He was good at this or she was super gullible, or maybe this was what love was all about. Forgetting why you were angry in a split second; making concessions you never would have made before. Being thrilled about having a baby when babies had only been in your long-range plans … as in a decade from now.
Leaning forward, she lifted the florist’s envelope attached to the neck of the vase with a bow and pulled out the card. Contemplating Dominic’s uncharacteristically small script on the little card, she read:
A thousand apologies. I’m a total ass. I’ll spank you very, very softly tonight to make up for my bad behaviour.
Dominic had signed his name and added a happy face for the very first time in his life.
Katherine had no way of knowing he’d never considered the emoticon applicable before, but she smiled when she saw it.
She immediately texted him: Maybe I’ll let you. And added an animated happy face that not only smiled, but jumped up and down and waved its arms because that’s the way she was feeling. Super happy.
So … both of them faced the considerable duties of the day in good moods. Kate even gave a pass to a couple of young kids who were hacking way above their pay grade. Do this again, she emailed to their personal accounts, and I’ll have the police knocking on your door. No joke.
Dominic was so cheerful Max almost asked him if he was high.
‘I know that calculating look,’ Dominic said, smiling at Max across his desk. ‘Don’t ask.’
‘You can’t blame me.’ Max slid lower in his chair and gazed at Dominic from under his brows. ‘I’ve seen you like this … but not at the office.’
Dominic grinned. ‘Get used to it. Personally, it’s better than any eight-ball high.’
‘You’re completely gone then,’ Max said, drily.
‘Flying high, dude. I couldn’t be happier. I might even let fucking Larry off the hook for trying to screw me out of that office building in San Francisco.’
‘He’ll do it again then. He’ll figure you’re soft.’
‘Maybe I am right now.’
‘Hopefully not for long,’ Max muttered. ‘Or your bottom line’s going to suffer.’
Dominic leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms behind his head and gave Max an easy smile. ‘Don’t worry. I can screw Larry later. He’ll try it again. We both know that.’
Max slid upright, his worry frown gone. ‘Good. I thought I’d lost you there for a minute.’
Dominic shook his head, dropped his hands and leaned forward slightly. ‘I’m not that nice. You know that better than most. Although I’m going to have to alter some of my behaviour or at least be careful where and when I’m a prick. Katherine’s coming aboard, in case that’s news.’
‘I figured. When?’
‘Whenever I can convince her to quit CX Capital.’
‘Joanna has her cheque.’
Dominic’s brows lifted slightly. ‘Did she want much?’
‘Not really.’
‘Send her a thank-you cheque then. Twenty percent.’
‘That should bring a smile to her face.’
‘Not as big as mine when she tells Katherine she can buy her out.’
‘Then it’s happy times all around,’ Max drawled. ‘Since you’re in this don’t-give-a-shit mood though,’ he added more coolly. ‘Just a reminder. Don’t forget the video conference this afternoon.’
‘I’ll come back for it. Katherine and I have an appointment with a doctor at three thirty. A woman this time.’
‘Sounds like the gender matters.’
‘Yeah.’
That was the clipped, curt tone Max was used to. Unlike Dominic’s cheerful blue skies persona from a few minutes ago, where even Larry screwing him didn’t matter. ‘Do you want Helen to stay until your conference is over?’
‘No. She can go home at five. It’s nothing I can’t handle.’
*
Dr Fuller was young, slim, boyish, her long brown hair worn in a ponytail, her toothy smile attractive. She greeted them at the door to her office and shook hands, with a firm, solid grip. Waving them to chairs in front of her desk, she took her seat behind it and smiled again. ‘This isn’t an emergency, I understand, but pressing.’ She’d been persuaded to make the time for this appointment by two prominent doctors she knew; Dominic Knight had been in a hurry and had called in some major hammers.
‘We don’t know anything about pregnancy,’ Dominic said, with a polite smile. ‘So we have some urgent questions.’ He shrugged faintly. ‘Or at least urgent to us.’ He glanced at Kate, lightly touched her hand where it lay on her chair arm; his voice took on a tender note. ‘Do you want to start?’
Kate smiled. ‘Sure.’
Nothing more was said, not another word exchanged.
But the doctor suddenly felt de trop at the open display of affection, startled as well with Dominic Knight involved. She’d met him once; he didn’t remember and she wasn’t surprised. Although she was surprised to see he was capable of tenderness. He had a reputation for something quite different.
Dominic noticed the doctor’s unease. H wasn’t embarrassed by his feelings and Katherine seemed unaware, but the doctor was waiting. ‘Ask your questions, baby.’ He touched Kate’s hand again.
‘Sorry.’ Kate started. ‘Was I dozing? Lord,’ she muttered. ‘That’s my first question. Is it normal to be tired all the time? Other than that, I feel fine. Well – except for some morning sickness.’ She grimaced. ‘It’s getting better but it’s not completely gone. How long can I expect it to last?’
The doctor answered Kate’s questions, then Dominic’s that had to do with Kate’s lack of appetite and his concerns about how much sex was too much sex. Neither of his questions garnered any hard or fast guidelines which wasn’t very helpful to his peace of mind. But the doctor added at the end, ‘You needn’t feel alone in your ignorance. Everyone does the first time.’ She smiled. ‘It’s quite a learning curve. Now if you don’t have any more questions.’ She waited a moment than came to her feet and waved towards the door. ‘Shall we?’
Dominic went with Kate into the exam room, standing beside her and holding her hand once she was on the examining table.
The doctor smiled at Kate. ‘Now, tell me if you’re uncomfortable.’ And she began the examination. ‘Everything looks normal,’ she said a few moments later and Dominic helped Kate sit up. ‘We’ll send you home with some vitamins and a pamphlet with suggestions for mitigating morning sickness. And sleep when you’re tired if you can. It’s nothing to worry about. Some women just need more sleep when they’re pregnant. And we’ll see you in a month.’
As the doctor left the room, Dominic leaned over and spoke to Kate. ‘I’ll settle up at the front desk while you’re dressing. OK?’
Quickly exiting the examining room, he caught up with the doctor in the hall. ‘I have a question I didn’t want to bring up in front of Katherine.’
Dominic Knight would have been a stunning man even without the trappings of wealth and power. Her brother-in-l
aw, who aspired to prominence as an MP in Parliament as well as sartorially, would have been in awe of Mr Knight’s exquisite tailoring. ‘Would you like to go back to my office and speak privately?’
Dominic shook his head. ‘This is fine. I just wanted to ask about the effects of Depo-Provera on the foetus. The information online is all over the place. Anecdotal and otherwise. Kate had the injection not long before falling pregnant.’
‘Then you know that some studies show no significant difference in birth weight, birth defects or mortality; others show higher risk. We just don’t know because we don’t have any controlled studies of the wider population even though the UK has actively promoted the drug as a contraceptive since 2008. Without undue problems, I might add.’ She smiled faintly. ‘I wish I could give you a more helpful answer. Obviously, this was an unplanned pregnancy. Is it a concern for you?’
Maybe it was her expression or tone of voice, but he recognized what the code word, concern, meant. ‘I’m not concerned except for the child’s safety. Unplanned or not, we’re both very pleased about the pregnancy.’
‘I’m happy to hear that.’ Dominic Knight pleased about having a child was astonishing. He wasn’t known for his family values. She thought he might have been intent on an early appointment because time was an issue if he wanted a remedy for his fiancée’s pregnancy.
She’d first met Dominic Knight at a cocktail party. Her brother-in-law Ian’s parliamentary committee was involved in licensing Knight’s North Sea wind farm and Dominic was hosting the party in order to marshal votes for some concessions he wanted. He was working the room, a glamorous woman at his side. A blonde if she remembered. He’d charmed everyone, particularly the female MPs. The blonde, she suspected, played a similar role for the male guests. She’d never forget Dominic Knight’s eyes as she was introduced to him. The cool blue neutrality was marked, as though he was operating on autopilot at the thousandth business function of the year.
While he hadn’t remembered her, he was, of course, unforgettable even in a crowd.
Although he seemed unaware of his impact.
‘Is your fiancée worried?’
He looked startled, as if his mind had been elsewhere. ‘We haven’t discussed it. If she’s worried, she hasn’t said so.’ His mouth twitched faintly. I’d be surprised if she hasn’t already looked into this.’ He smiled. ‘We’re probably both avoiding the subject.’
‘Very sensible.’
‘My feelings exactly. Thank you for your time.’
‘My pleasure. We’ll see you in a month.’
Not if he could help it. His plane was at Heathrow, his pilots on call. He smiled. ‘I’ll make the appointment now.’
CHAPTER 11
Dominic’s London operation was in a typically Victorian grandiose mansion on the Thames that he’d bought strictly for the view. His office on the second floor faced the great sweeping curve of the river, the spectacular vista framed in floor-to-ceiling windows he’d had installed after he purchased the property.
There was a security guard at the door and a receptionist behind a counter in the entrance hall. And Dominic greeted them both with a nod and a smile as he escorted Kate to a caged elevator tucked into the curve of an impressive but strange art nouveau/Egyptian motif stairway sweeping up to the next level.
Kate smiled as he slid the wildly ornate and gilded black wrought iron door open for her. ‘This has to be original,’ she said, stepping inside.
‘Yup,’ he said, following her in. ‘We restored it. Expensively. We had to have parts retooled.’ He pulled the door shut, punched a button and the cage began to rise. ‘It’s no longer a deathtrap.’
‘Good to know.’ She gave him a teasing upward glance. ‘Was there a body count?’
‘There might be now.’ He faked a lunge, she squealed, he grinned. ‘Don’t fuck with the boss, baby. You’ll always lose.’
‘Hey, be nice, I like to fuck the boss,’ she murmured and took a step towards him. ‘It’s one of my all-time favourite activities.’ She reached for the elevator control board. ‘Let me press this little button here and—’
‘Uh-uh.’ He brushed her hand aside.
‘Why not?’ She was genuinely startled. She never had seen the Dominic Knight who turned down sex.
‘Because this is neither the time nor the place,’ he said, calmly.
‘What if I want it to be?’ she challenged, moving past startled to insulted. ‘It won’t take long.’
He gave her a cool, mildly combative look. ‘You don’t want to do this, Katherine.’
His rebuff was like a slap in the face. Stepping back, she said as coolly, ‘Unless you’re a mind reader how do you know what I want to do?’
The elevator came to a stop on their floor.
‘Maybe I’ll just wait outside in the car,’ she said, her tone between pissy and super pissy.
His nostrils flared. ‘I don’t want you to wait in the car.’
She brought her chin up. ‘You started it.’
‘Jesus, are you fucking five?’
‘If I’m five, you’re fucking four. So don’t bloody snap at me. And for your information, when you want to fuck …’ her green eyes glittered with temper, ‘I generally don’t refuse.’
True. So very true. Forcibly cranking down his temper, Dominic reminded himself that his former selfishness was no longer expedient, that this temperamental woman was the love of his life, the mother of his child and the virtual sun that warmed his world. ‘My apologies, Katherine,’ Dominic said with exquisite courtesy and minor restraint because it was all well and good to rationalize away one’s temper, but getting it to disappear completely was another matter. ‘If you’d give me a pass on having sex right now, I’d appreciate it.’ He blew out a breath. ‘I’d appreciate it a whole lot.’
‘Oh God, I’m so sorry,’ Kate breathed, contrite and full of regret when she saw how generous Dominic was in accommodating her. ‘I’m such a selfish bitch harassing you when you have this business call on your mind and it’s already been a long day and really … I apologize. My temper is deplorable.’
‘My temper’s not any better.’ He dipped his head, held her gaze and smiled. ‘Look, let’s just get through this call and then we can fuck with each other in a good way. OK?’
She bit back her wisecrack remark and said, ‘OK,’ like a well behaved, understanding, compassionate adult.
‘Perfect.’ Drawing back the elevator door, he waved her out. ‘Take a left.’
The walnut panelled corridor was hushed, with the gold-framed maritime paintings she now recognized as Dominic’s preference lining the walls. A thick carpet underfoot muffled the sound of their footsteps.
‘This conference call might take a while. Feel free to sleep through it if you want. I wish I could. Here, this is it.’ Opening one of two decoratively inlaid doors, he ushered Kate into a large sunny office lined with bookshelves and furnished with two seating areas, one near a fireplace. There was a large library table with chairs centred on a floral Isfahan carpet. Across the large anteroom, another set of equally elaborate doors led to an inner office, its gatekeeper seated at her desk, regarding them through owlish dark-rimmed glasses.
Kate flashed a quick startled look at Dominic but he was smiling at the stout, grey-haired woman in a purple suit, her pursed lips glossed in startling magenta. ‘Afternoon Helen.’ He pointed at a vase of yellow daisies on her desk. ‘Are the flowers from your garden?’
‘Of course.’
‘I should know, right?’
‘It’s been ten years,’ she said, drily, her gaze shifting to Kate. ‘Now show me your manners.’
‘I was getting there,’ Dominic said with a grin. ‘Helen, meet Katherine. Mrs Langdon, Miss Hart, my fiancée.’
Dominic’s assistant masked her surprise at the word fiancée. ‘Please, call me Helen,’ she said with a smile. While Max had mentioned Dominic’s new status, she hadn’t believed him, mainly because during the last decade, a great
number of women had passed her desk – some introduced, most not. Julia was the only one who had stayed for more than a few hours.
‘Everyone calls me Kate.’ Kate did an equally good job concealing her shock at seeing the grandmotherly figure behind the desk. ‘Most everyone,’ she added, giving Dominic a teasing smile. ‘Dominic stands on ceremony.’
‘I’m surprised.’ The woman’s gaze slid to her employer. ‘He generally prefers informality in every aspect of his life.’
‘And Helen keeps trying to teach me manners.’
Kate grinned. ‘Really, you think he’s teachable? I haven’t noticed that trait.’
‘Ha!’ Helen exploded, jabbing a finger at Dominic, her purple nail polish with sparkles flashing in the light. ‘Now I have an ally.’
‘You and everyone else looking to teach me something,’ Dominic said drolly. ‘Go for it. Maybe I’m ready to change.’
If getting married was any indication, Helen thought, major change was already on board. ‘If that’s true, it’s about time,’ she said with a lift of her eyebrows. ‘I’ll say no more.’
‘I wish you wouldn’t.’ He held her gaze for a telling moment. ‘Seriously.’
‘Certainly, sir.’ But she took affront that he even considered she might disclose his private matters.
Oh shit, now she was pissed. Helen never called him sir. But he didn’t care; he didn’t want any gossip reaching Katherine.
A small silence fell.
‘No offence, Helen,’ he said smoothly, his voice the kind reserved for diplomatic impasses that required extraordinary tact. ‘You understand.’
‘Yes, of course. None taken.’ Her pride aside, she was gratified Dominic cared about a woman enough to be concerned.
Kate briefly wondered what the hell was going on. Was Helen some relative? Was she blackmailing him? Why was Dominic suddenly deferential?
‘Max told me to remind you that Hobbs has joined the consortium and he’s always touchy,’ Helen said, businesslike again. ‘And I’m telling you to try not to swear too much,’ she added in a brisk, motherly tone.
