Billion dollar baby bargain.txt

by Неизвестный

I’m afraid the first words out of my mouth were to get rid of you. The rest, unfortunately, he didn’t hear

  because the connection was severed. By the time I returned to the hotel and discovered the

  misunderstanding, you were gone. I had no luck tracing your whereabouts. In fact, I’d given up ever

  hearing from you again until you called.”

  She stared at him in disbelief. First, she couldn’t believe he’d actually admitted his wrongdoing. Second,

  she couldn’t fathom him looking for her afterward. It sounded suspiciously like he genuinely regretted

  what had happened.

  “I don’t get it,” she said with genuine confusion. “Why couldn’t we have just been adults about it? Why

  was it so important to you to get rid of me? I realize it wasn’t an ideal situation, but it was an honest

  mistake. Neither of us knew who the other was or God knows I wouldn’t have gone to bed with you that

  night.”

  “Then I guess it’s a good thing you didn’t know who I was,” he said softly.

  She looked down at her belly. “Yes, I don’t regret it now at all.”

  “Did you then?”

  He didn’t look offended, only genuinely curious. He’d been honest with her so far, so she couldn’t be

  anything other than completely honest with him.

  “No. I didn’t regret our night together.”

  He seemed satisfied with her answer. “To answer your question, it wasn’t personal. What I mean is that

  it’s not as if it was something you did. I have a strict policy about allowing anyone to work closely with

  me who has had any sort of a personal relationship with me. It’s a necessary rule, unfortunately.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “You say that as if you were once burned.”

  “In a manner of speaking. My brother’s personal assistant was enamored with him, but she was also

  selling company secrets and framed my sister-in-law.”

  “Sounds like a soap opera,” Jewel muttered.

  He chuckled. “It seemed like one at the time.”

  “You could have simply told me. You owed me that much given the fact we had spent the night

  together,” she said, pinning him with the force of her gaze. “If you’d been up front with me, none of this

  would have happened. There would have been no misunderstanding.”

  “You’re right. I’m afraid the shock of finding out who you were made my judgment particularly bad.

  I’m sorry.”

  His quietly spoken apology softened some of her anger. If she was honest, she still held resentment for

  the easy way he’d summarily dismissed her from his life. Not that she’d expected undying love and

  commitment, but hadn’t the night meant something? Even enough to rate a personal dismissal instead of

  the job being handed off to a stooge?

  Still, if this marriage was to be anything short of difficult and laced with animosity, she knew he had to

  let go of some of that resentment. Be the bigger person and all that jazz. Funny how taking the high road

  was never particularly fun.

  “I accept your apology.”

  Surprise flickered in his dark eyes. “Do you really, I wonder?”

  “I didn’t say you were my best friend,” she said dryly. “Merely that I’d accepted your apology. It seems

  the thing to do in light of our impending nuptials.”

  Amusement replaced the surprise. “I have a feeling we’re going to get along just fine together, yineka

  mou.” His gaze dropped to her stomach. “That is if you’re telling me the truth.”

  For a moment, pain shadowed his eyes, and she wondered what sort of hell occurred in his past that

  would make him so distrustful. It went beyond mistrust. He didn’t want to be the father of her child. He

  wanted her to be a liar and a deceiver. It was as if he knew how to handle those. But a woman telling

  him the truth? That was the aberration.

  She must be insane to walk into this type of situation. There was every way for her to lose and no way to

  win.

  “It does me little good to tell you that you’re the father when you’re determined not to believe me,” she

  said evenly. “We’ll have the paternity tests done and then you’ll know.”

  “Yes. Indeed we’ll know,” he said softly.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go dig out my laptop,” she said as she rose from her seat. “I need to send

  an e-mail.”

  “And I have arrangements to make for our wedding.”

  She nodded because if she tried to say anything, she’d choke. Not looking back at him, she hurried to the

  doors and went inside. Piers hadn’t told her which bedroom was hers, but she’d find it easily enough.

  She hit the stairs, and after going into three rooms on the upper level, she found her bags lying on the

  bed.

  She unpacked her clothing first and put everything away before settling back onto the bed with her

  laptop. She checked her e-mail, but didn’t see anything from Kirk. Not that she expected to. Sometimes

  they went months with no communication depending on his assignment and whether she was in a place

  she could e-mail him. Still, she felt like she owed him an explanation, and so she spilled the entire sordid

  tale in an e-mail that took her half an hour to compose.

  When she was done, she was worn out and feeling more than a little foolish. There was no advice Kirk

  could offer, but she felt better for unloading some of her worries. He’d know better than anyone her

  fears of marriage and commitment.

  Leaving her laptop open, she leaned back on the soft pillows to stare up at the ceiling. Contemplating

  her future had never been quite so terrifying as it was now.

  Piers walked up the stairs toward Jewel’s room. She’d been sequestered for two hours now. Surely that

  was enough time to have completed her personal business.

  He stopped at her door and knocked softly, but he heard no answer from within. Concerned, he pushed

  open the door and stepped inside.

  Jewel was curled on her side, her head buried in the down pillows. Sound asleep. She looked exhausted.

  Her laptop was precariously close to the edge of the bed, and he hurried over to retrieve it before it fell.

  When he placed it on the dresser, the screen came back up and he saw that a new e-mail message was

  highlighted by the cursor. It was from someone named Kirk.

  With a frown, he scrolled down the preview screen to read the short message.

  Jewel,

  I’m on my way home. Don’t do anything until I get there. Okay? Just hang tight. I’ll be there as soon as

  I can hop a flight.

  Kirk

  Piers stiffened. Hell would freeze over before he’d allow this man to interfere in his and Jewel’s

  relationship. She’d agreed to marry him, and marry him she would. He didn’t question why it was

  suddenly so important that the wedding take place, but he’d be damned if he let another man call the

  shots.

  With no hesitation, he clicked on the delete button and then followed it to the trash bin to permanently

  delete it from her computer. Afterward, he pulled her e-mail back up and then replaced the laptop on her

  bed, making sure it was far enough from the edge so that it wouldn’t topple over.

  For a long moment, he stood by her bed and stared down at her sleeping face. Drawn to the pensive

  expression, even in rest, he touched a few strands of her blond hair, smoothing them from her cheek.

  What demons existed in her life? She didn’t trust him. Not that he blamed her, but it went beyond anger<
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  or a sense of betrayal. She wore shadows like most women wore makeup. Somewhere, some way,

  someone had hurt her badly. They had that in common.

  As much as he’d like to swear never to hurt her and to protect her from those who would, he knew that if

  she’d lied to him about the child, that he’d crush her without a second thought.

  Eight

  J ewel studied the unsmiling face of the man she’d chosen to represent her interests and wondered if

  any lawyer had a sense of humor or if they were all cold, calculating sharks.

  But then she supposed when it came to her future and that of her child, she wanted the biggest, baddest

  shark in the ocean.

  “The agreement is pretty straightforward, Miss Henley. It is in essence a prenuptial agreement which

  states that Mr. Anetakis’s assets remain his in the event of a divorce and that yours remain yours.”

  Jewel snorted in amusement. What assets? She didn’t have a damn thing, and Piers knew it.

  “What else?” she asked impatiently. With a man like Piers, nothing could be as simple as it appeared.

  There were strings, hidden provisions. She just had to find them. “I want a complete explanation, line by

  line.”

  “Very well.”

  He shoved his glasses on and picked up the sheaf of papers as he took his seat again.

  “Mr. Anetakis will provide a settlement for you regardless of the paternity of the child you carry. If

  DNA testing proves the child his, then he will retain custody of the child in the event of a divorce.”

  Her mouth fell open. “What?” She made a grab for the paper her lawyer held, scanning the document

  until she found the clause he referred to.

  “He’s out of his damn mind. There is no way in hell I’ll sign anything that gives up custody of my child.”

  “I can strike the clause, but it’s possible he won’t agree.”

  She leaned forward, her breath hissing through her teeth. “I don’t give a damn what he agrees to. I won’t

  sign it unless this so-called clause is removed in its entirety.”

  Furious, she stood and snatched the paper back as the lawyer reached for it. “Never mind. I’ll see to it

  myself.”

  She stormed out of the lawyer’s office into the waiting room where Piers sat. He was sitting on the far

  side, his laptop open and his cell phone to his ear. When he looked up and saw her, he slowly closed the

  laptop.

  “Is there a problem?”

  “You bet there is,” she said behind gritted teeth.

  She thrust the offending piece of paper at him, pointing to the custody clause.

  “If you think I’m signing anything that gives away custody of my child, you’re an idiot. Over my dead

  body will I ever be separated from my child. As far as I’m concerned, you can take this…this prenuptial

  agreement and stick it where the sun doesn’t shine.”

  He raised one dark eyebrow and stared back at her in silence.

  “You don’t seriously think that I would give up custody of my child, do you? If indeed it turns out I am

  the father.”

  She threw up her hands in exasperation. “You just don’t miss a chance to take your potshots at me. I’m

  well aware of the fact that you don’t believe this child is yours. Believe me, I get it. Reminding me at

  every opportunity just serves to further piss me off. And haven’t you ever heard of a thing called joint

  custody? You know, that thing called compromise, where the parents consider what’s best for the child

  and agree to give her equal time with her parents?”

  “If the child is mine, I don’t intend to see her on a part-time basis, nor do I intend I should have to work

  around your schedule. I can certainly provide more for her than you can. I’m sure she’d be much better

  off with me.”

  She curled her fingers into a tight fist, crumpling the document as rage surged through her veins like

  acid.

  “You sanctimonious bastard. Where do you get off suggesting that my child would be better off with

  you? Because you have more money? Well big whoop. Money can’t buy love, or security. It can’t buy

  smiles or happiness. All the things a child needs most. Quite frankly, the fact that you think she would

  be so much better off with you tells me you don’t have the first clue about children or love. How could

  you? I doubt you’ve ever loved anyone in your life.”

  Her chest heaved, and the paper was now a crumpled, soggy scrap in her hand. She started to hurl it at

  his feet, but he quickly rose and gripped her wrist, preventing her action. His eyes smoldered with rage,

  the first sign of real emotion she’d seen in him.

  “You assume far too much,” he said icily.

  She wrenched her hand free and took a step backward. “I won’t sign it, Piers. As far as I’m concerned

  this marriage doesn’t need to take place. There is no amount of desperation that would make me sign

  away my rights to my child.”

  He studied her for a long moment, his face as immovable as stone. “All right,” he finally said. “I’ll have

  my lawyer strike the clause. I’ll call him now and he can courier over a new agreement.”

  “I’d wait,” she said stiffly. “I’m not finished with my stipulations yet. I’ll let you know when we’re

  done.”

  She turned and stalked back into the lawyer’s office, only to find him standing in the doorway,

  amusement carved on his face when she’d sworn he couldn’t possibly have a sense of humor.

  “What are you looking at?” she growled.

  He sobered, although his eyes still had a suspicious gleam. “Shall we get on to your additions to the

  agreement?”

  Three hours later, the final contract had been couriered from Piers’s lawyer’s office, and she and Piers

  read over and signed it together.

  Jewel had insisted on an ironclad agreement that stated they would share custody of their child but that

  she was the primary custodian. She could tell Piers wasn’t entirely happy with the wording, but she’d

  been resolute in her refusal to sign anything less.

  “Clearly you’ve never learned the art of negotiation,” Piers said dryly as they left the lawyer’s office.

  “Some things aren’t negotiable. Some things shouldn’t be negotiable. My child isn’t a bargaining chip.

  She never will be,” she said fiercely.

  He held up his hands in mock surrender. “All I ask is that you see my side of the equation. As

  determined as you are to retain custody of your child, I am equally determined not to let go of mine.”

  Something in his expression caused her to soften, some of her anger fleeing and leaving her oddly

  deflated. For a moment, she could swear he seemed afraid and a little vulnerable.

  “I do see your point,” she said quietly. “But I won’t apologize for reacting as I did. It was a sneaky,

  underhanded thing to do.”

  “I apologize then. It was not my intention to upset you so. I was simply seeking to keep my child where

  she belongs.”

  “Maybe what we should be doing is working to prevent a divorce in the first place,” she said tightly. “If

  we manage to make this marriage a success as you have suggested, then we won’t have to worry about

  custody battles.”

  He nodded and opened the car door for her. She settled in but he stood there for a long moment, his hand

  on the door. “You’re right. The solution is to make sure it never comes down to a divorce.”

  He quietly close
d her door and strode around to his side. He slid in beside her and started the engine.

  “Now that the unpleasantness is out of the way, we should move on to the more enjoyable aspects of

  planning a wedding.”

  Thus began an afternoon of shopping that made her head spin. Their first stop was at a jeweler. When

  they were shown a tray of stunning diamond engagement rings, she made the mistake of asking the

  price. Piers clearly wasn’t happy with her question, but the jeweler answered her with ease. It was all she

  could do to scrape her jaw off the floor.

  She shook her head, putting her hands out as she backed away from the counter. Piers caught her around

  the waist and pulled her back with tender amusement.

  “Don’t disappoint me. As a woman it’s supposed to be ingrained for you to want to pick the biggest,

  most expensive ring in the shop.”

  “Indeed,” the shop owner said solemnly.

  “It’s not good form to ask the price anyway,” Piers continued. “Just pick the one you want and pretend

  there are no price tags.”

  “Your fiancé is a very wise man,” the man behind the counter said. Laughter shone in the merchant’s

  eyes, and Jewel relaxed at their teasing.

  Trying not to think about the fact that what one ring cost could feed an entire third world nation, she

  went about studying each setting. After trying on no less than a dozen, she found the perfect ring.

  It was a simple pear-shaped diamond, flawless as far as her untrained eye could tell. On either side was a

  small cluster of tiny diamonds.

  “Your lady has exquisite taste.”

  “Yes, she does. Is this the one you want, yineka mou?” Piers asked.

  She nodded, ignoring the sick feeling in her stomach. “I don’t want to know how much it cost.”

  Piers laughed. “If it will make you feel better, I’ll match the cost of the ring with a donation to the

  charity of your choice.”

  “Now you’re making fun of me.”

  “Not at all. It’s nice to know my new wife won’t break me inside of a year.”

  He was trying hard to keep from laughing, and she leveled a glare at him. She marveled at the ease in

  which he flipped his credit card to the cashier, as if he were paying for a drink instead of a ring that costs