by Katie Dowe
“I will.” She touched his face gently. “You worry too much.”
“I will stop when this is all over,” he muttered.
“When I am done being pregnant, there will be four children to worry about,” she teased him.
“Please don’t remind me,” he said but there was a smile on his face. “How about some tea?”
“That sounds about right.”
*****
Yvette and Valerie stared at the woman curled up on the sofa in the living room in shock. It had been two days since Matthias had gone and as he had promised he had called her every chance he got to make sure she was okay. Her father had been very supportive, making sure that she did not lift a finger and had gotten her to eat as well as take her medication. Dr. Fritz had also checked up on her and had been by to see her which Caitlin had no doubt that it had been Matthias’ doing.
“You secretive bitch!” Valerie said getting up to close the door to the living room. Caitlin’s father had gone to his study to give them time by themselves, but she was making sure they were not interrupted. “You are pregnant with quadruplets for the billionaire you are working for! Who are you right now?”
“Honey, are you sure you know what you are doing?” Yvonne came over and sat next to her friend as if she was trying to decide if Caitlin was in her right mind.
Caitlin laughed ruefully. “I saw him for the first time and that was it for me. If he had asked me to carry sextuplets, I would have told him yes. I am in love with him in the worst way and each time I am with him it gets worse.”
“Do you have any idea how much work it will take to raise four children?” Valerie demanded, ignoring what she just said.
“We have every intention of hiring people to help out, Val,” Caitlin said dryly. “It is not like we are impoverished.”
“So, is he going to marry you?” Yvonne asked her.
“He is. But right now, I am so sick most of the time, I doubt that I will have the energy to plan a wedding.”
“Are you happy?” Yvonne asked her. “I never thought of you as wanting children, much more four of them.”
Caitlin reached over and closed her hands over Yvonne’s. “Before I met Matthias, I never saw myself as being a mother. I knew that eventually I would find myself a husband and have children, but I never thought it would be now. I saw him and I knew that it would be him.”
“You are really into this,” Valerie said slowly.
She smiled at the girl. “I am. I am scared as hell, but I am into it.”
*****
Matthias nodded for the cameras and made all the necessary responses as he went around the gallery. The event had been advertised for quite a while now and had attracted a great deal of attention. There were reporters from print and electronic media present and quite a few celebrities mixed in for good measure. He ignored the soft inviting looks from the women present and went around to make sure that everything was going according to plan. Maxine, his very efficient assistant wearing silver, with her soft blonde hair piled on top of her head, dealt mostly with the press and discreetly made sure that the champagne was flowing and that the caterers were doing their job. The opening was a tremendous success, but for the first time since he had gone into the business of living his dreams, he did not feel the sense of excitement he usually had. All he wanted to do was to be there with Caitlin in his apartment, holding her and making sure that she was okay. He forced a smile to his lips as one of the artists came over to him. Miriam Riley was into interpretative pieces and had surprised the art world with her instant success. Matthias had been the only one willing to take a chance on her and she had told him that she would forever be in his debt. She had also told him bluntly that the payment could be in terms of a physical relationship, but he had declined. He smiled in amusement as she came walking over, ignoring the interest of the press and the men staring at her slender body encased in see through silk. “Darling, you look so serious.” She linked her hand through his arm and turned as the camera flashed in front of them. She leaned into him and kissed his cheek. “I hope that damned lucky woman of yours is very secure.”
Chapter 10
Matthias shifted uncomfortably as Caitlin studied the photo of him and Miriam for several minutes. The entire opening had come out in the papers and the details of who had been there. There was a write up about Matthias Zeng and his contribution to the art world and highlights of his success as a man with a vision. The caption below the photo hinted at something going on between the enigmatic billionaire and the eccentric artist who he had discovered.
“You look good,” Caitlin said casually as she looked at him. He had come back just that afternoon and he had come straight from the airport to pick her up at her dad’s place and now they were in his apartment. She had gotten the magazine yesterday and had read it in its entirety. Her dad had seen it too but had made no comment. “Is that her nipple?” she asked as she looked closer at the photo. She had felt the shaft of jealousy as she stared at the photo and the feeling of possessiveness that had been new to her.
“I had no idea that she would be posing-” He ran his fingers through his thick dark hair and sat across from her. It was the third day of January and the publishing house would be open on Monday. She was feeling a lot better now and had every intention of going back to work.
“Did you sleep with her?”
He stared at her for a moment as if ascertaining that she was joking. “You know I did not.”
“I just had to ask.” She put away the magazine and stared at him teasingly. “You are actually embarrassed,” she said with a grin.
“I don’t much like the limelight,” he muttered.
“Says the man who is constantly in the papers,” she said wryly. “I missed you.”
He came forward then and sat next to her, pulling her into his arms. “I missed you too. And I am sorry I could not get away earlier.” He searched her face. “How have you been?”
“You already know the answer to that question, seeing that you have called me every few minutes,” she murmured as she snuggled against him. “You really do not trust me, do you?”
He kissed her lips lingeringly, his hands running over her arms. “I do, but I cannot help but be concerned.” His breathing had accelerated, and he knew he had to have her soon. He had been craving her ever since he had been away from her!
She lifted her hands and framed his face. “I did everything I am supposed to do and even ate quite a bit. Not to mention that Dr. Fritz came by twice. Your doing, I know.”
He smiled at that. “I am afraid that he is quite tired of me.”
“We have an appointment right after I get back to work,” she reminded him.
He frowned a little bit. “Are you sure you are able to go back to work?”
“I am going to work, Matthias, and that is not negotiable,” she told him firmly. “I will have to stop soon enough so do not tell me that I should do so now.”
“Can we talk about it?”
“No.” She started to move away, but he held her fast.
“Okay.” His mouth touched her cheek and wandered down to the side of her mouth. “I don’t want to fight.”
“What do you want to do?” she whispered raggedly.
“Make love to you. I have been wanting to do that since I have been away.”
“Then let’s do that.”
*****
They made the announcement at work as soon as the place was reopened after the holidays. The holiday excitement, the parties, and the launches were behind them, and both the Gothic series as well as the detective series were on the bestsellers’ list. The publishing house was thriving like never and offers had come pouring in, with investors wanting to become a part of something that was making a lot of waves. That, plus the announcement that the owner and the founder of the famous imprint were together and expecting, was something that had to be digested slowly. By afternoon, the entire publishing house staff had heard the news and the whispe
rs could not be stopped.
Steve voiced his opinion as she knew he would as soon as they sat down inside her office. “I knew there had to be a reason why you rejected my approach,” he murmured as he stared at her. “The boss man himself and quadruplets! Look, I know that you are my boss, well technically he is, but you are my direct boss and I happen to like you very much. You are a fascinating woman and a beautiful one and I must say that I took one look at you and wanted to get the job so badly that I would have done anything!”
She lifted her brows as she looked at him. “Is there a question there?”
“You are giving up a very lucrative career in publishing to become a mother! Are you sure that is something you want to do?”
“Not that it is any of your business, but this is something I want to do more than anything else. And I am not giving up my career.”
He stared at her for a moment longer. “You are going to be a mother four times over, when will you have the time?”
“I will find the time and Matthias happens to have more than enough money to hire help. Now can we do some work or do you want to know what I had for breakfast this morning?”
He grinned at her facetiously. “What did you have for breakfast this morning?”
She sent him a wry look and nodded at the device in his hands. “Give me the latest.”
Eve confronted her inside her office during the afternoon right after Matthias had gone out for a meeting.
“I thought I was your friend,” she said accusingly, closing the door behind her.
“Come right in, please,” Caitlin said in resignation. “It is not like after the holiday, we do not have a lot to catch up on.”
“Girl, we have been working in this place from the beginning and even though we are not bosom buddies, you could have said that you and the boss were tight like that! And you are pregnant with quadruplets! I sneaked in a little time and looked up the information on the internet. Do you know what you are getting yourself into?”
“Did you come in here to rain on my parade?”
“I came in here to offer my congrats and my concerns but mostly my congrats. You snagged a very hot guy there, honey, and I wish you all the best. So, when am I going to call you boss?”
“What?”
“Honey, I have spent most of the morning with your man and my boss while he had me calling his lawyers and have me preparing paperwork which says that he will be handing over the publishing house to you, sometime soon.”
“He has not said anything to me.”
“Maybe he wants it to be a surprise.”
“When is he coming back?”
“He has three meetings outside and please do not say anything to him. I value my job and I am not the one sleeping with him so that means I am replaceable.”
She gazed at her friend for a moment and nodded. “I will not say anything to him.”
*****
She watched him as he massaged her insteps when they went home that afternoon. He had insisted that they took off at six even though she had wanted to stay longer. There were piles of manuscript to wade through and she had discovered some viable ones she wanted to explore further. But she had listened to him and they had left together. She was practically living with him now because he had insisted on it and she did not mind in the least.
“I think we should get married right away,” he murmured, his long fingers easing the cramping in her calves.
“What does that mean?”
He looked over at her. “This weekend. I have already acquired the special license. You and me at the courthouse with your friends and Kane and Kelly could be in attendance.” He reached into his pocket and took out a small blue velvet box and opened it to reveal a set of stunning but simple diamond rings. “I figured you would not want anything ostentatious. I have noticed you from the moment I first came to Worldwide and admired your style and the way you manage to look elegant even in the simplest outfit.” He took out the engagement ring and slid it onto her finger. Caitlin admired the beautiful cut and the flash of the oval cut diamond before looking at him.
“This weekend?”
He nodded. “I don’t think we should wait any longer. I have called Monique Romano and explained the situation to her, and she has agreed to send over some dresses for you to select from. Anything, it does not matter the cost.”
“I am quite capable of paying for my own dress, Matthias,” she told him huskily, looking at the ring again.
“There is something else.”
“Yes?”
“Worldwide is on the way to becoming the biggest publishing house in the country and that is mainly due to the work you have put into it.” He shook his head as she was about to say something. “I stepped in to avoid it from going under, but the real work was done by you. You have a knack for that sort of thing, Caitlin, you have a talent for sniffing out great writing and that is something that is innate.” He took her hand and stared at the ring. “When I just came here, I had no intention of staying. I was going to get the publishing house on its feet and put someone in place to run it. The first time I spoke to you, I knew it was you.” He smiled slightly. “Suffice it to say that I have changed my plans during the process. I am offering you the publishing house as a wedding gift.”
She stared at him for a moment and could not say anything for a little bit. “What does that mean for you?”
“It means that I will vacate that office I had decorated, and you become the boss.”
“And where will you be?”
“I will pop in every now and then but as my wife, you will be in absolute control.”
“While you go off to rescue some other gallery or museum or another publishing house?” she persisted.
“You are asking me if I intend to leave?”
“Yes, Matthias, that is exactly what I am asking.”
“I already told you that I want a family and that is the most important thing to me. I can stay anywhere and run my holdings. I have a very efficient assistant who anticipates my every need and is familiar with everything that I do.” His hand tightened on hers. “I have no intention of leaving you and the children we are going to have. I promise to be there every step of the way.”
“That’s good because I don’t think I can handle four children on my own,” she said tremulously. “I am going to need a lot of help.”
“And that you will have.” He lifted her hand and kissed it gently. “Thank you.”
“You are most welcome.”
*****
The ceremony was simple and did not last long. It started at ten in the morning and was over by ten-thirty with her becoming Mrs. Matthias Li Jing Zeng with their vows to love, honor, and respect each other repeated solemnly. Kane had suggested earlier that they go over to his restaurant to have a celebratory lunch before the couple went back to their apartment and got ready for the trip to New York where Matthias planned on showing her his corporate office and maybe take in an opera and have dinner at one of the trendy restaurants there. They had to be back by Sunday night because they had a doctor’s appointment on Monday.
Calvin Sharpe hugged his beautiful daughter closely and told her that he was proud of her and was looking forward to his grandchildren.
Kelly Takahashi looking stunning in a teal blue Romano’s original told her that she looked lovely in her beautiful lace dress. “You will get a chance to meet the other wives at a later date, darling,” she added, giving Caitlin a warm hug. “Welcome to the family.”
Kane, more reserved, just clasped her hand between his and told her that she made a beautiful bride. “Matthias is more like a brother to me and I thank you for being in his life.”
They were treated like royalty at the exclusive restaurant and she looked at surprise at the two-tiered champagne cake that was wheeled out to their table when the meal was almost over, courtesy of Kane and Kelly. Somehow the press had gotten wind of the wedding and their photos were snapped as they were cutting the cake. But that did
not matter to Caitlin, nothing mattered but that she had married the man she loved and was carrying his children! He had not told her that he loved her, but she knew that he did from the way he treated her. He just had no idea how to say the words, but she had a lifetime to teach him how to.
He danced with her when the music started playing, holding in her arms gently, her head tucked onto his broad shoulder. He had worn a black tux for the wedding and looked so achingly masculine and handsome that she could not wait for them to get home and into his arms.
She looked up at him with a smile on her lips.
“What?”
She shook her head. “I have to remind myself that I am not dreaming,” she murmured.
“Why is that?” His intense dark eyes wandered over her chicly styled hair secured by a jeweled comb at the side of her head and the diamonds at her lobes that he had bought her.
“I don’t know.” Her smile widened. “Maybe it’s because I am married to one of the most eligible bachelors in the world and certainly the most handsome. This afternoon I became Mrs. Matthias Zeng and it is going to take a little getting used to.”
He bent and kissed her burgundy painted lips slowly, heating up her flesh. “For me too.” he murmured softly. “I promise not to annoy you very much.”
“I can take anything as long as I am with you.”
He looked at her strangely. “Are you sure?”
“Positive,” she promised him.
*****
His corporate office took her breath away! It was a towering glass enclosed building in the middle of Manhattan and rose majestically along the skylines. They had taken his jet and arrived there when it was approaching dusk. A car had been sent to get them as soon as they landed and whisked them straight to his building. The corporate office of Zeng’s Creative Holdings. Caitlin was used to seeing her husband in the publishing house and relaxed with his subtly expensive wear and laidback manner, but right there in that building with guards rushing forward to open the doors for them and greeting him in a respectful manner made her aware that the man she had married was a very powerful one! He held her hand as they took the private elevator up towards his office suite. The very efficient and professional assistant, Maxine, was waiting for them as soon as they got off the elevator, looking chic and professional in a lilac pantsuit.
