by Tia Siren
I walked to her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Hi, Grams. What are you doing in here?” I teased.
She loathed the silly chatter the ladies were prone to. “You know what. No lady friend tonight?”
I shook my head. “Nope. Not tonight.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve finally gone through all the women in Texas?” she teased.
“Grams, come on, I’m only doing what you taught me. I’m sharing my good looks and big heart with all the ladies on the planet. I’m not limiting all this to Texas.”
She chuckled and took a drink of bourbon. “Well, I guess you listened after all.”
“Always.”
My dad gave me the customary bourbon, and I took a seat on one of the leather couches. My dad and Mr. Wagner drifted across the study to talk privately, leaving me alone with my grandmother.
“What do you think about all this?” I asked her.
She rolled her eyes. “A lot of pomp and circumstance if you ask me. A man should marry the woman he loves, not the woman who’s been chosen for him because of her pedigree. You would think he was picking out a prized horse.”
I chuckled. “William could marry whoever he wanted. Our parents aren’t that archaic as to arrange a marriage for him.”
She scoffed. “Aren’t they?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “I think this is William’s choice. He wants to uphold the family name and marry well.” I leaned forward and lowered my voice. “I’m glad it’s him and not me.”
That made her laugh. “You were not meant to marry well. You’re the one who is going to marry for love, and I have a feeling the woman who finally manages to capture your heart is going to be a real spitfire. She’ll probably make your mother have a stroke, but as long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”
“Where is William?” I asked, wondering why he wasn’t in the study with the men.
“Oh, that girl keeps him on a short leash. He’s probably in the sitting room drinking wine or champagne,” she said, shaking her head.
I smiled. “And that’s why I’m choosing to stay single. I don’t want to be led around by the—”
I stopped talking, remembering who I was talking to. Grams laughed.
“Remember, dear, I’m the one who did most of the business dealings. I’m used to the way the good old boys talk.”
I nodded my head. “I’m sorry. It was inappropriate. How did you and Grandpa ever get together?”
She looked wistful. “He was the bad boy from the wrong side of town, and I fell head over heels.”
That made me smile, thinking of my grandpa as being a bad boy. He had always been the perfect gentleman. Money had changed him. It had refined him, but that didn’t mean he still didn’t like to kick up his heels now and again.
“How did he propose? Was it a fancy dinner party like this?”
She giggled. “Heavens no. My parents wouldn’t even let him in the door of the house. He dropped to his knee in the middle of the street one night when he was sneaking me back home.”
“Grams!” I said, shocked to hear she had been such a rebel.
She was grinning. “I was so in love with that man. I grabbed his hand, after saying yes, of course, and dragged him through the front door. I marched upstairs, opened my parents’ bedroom door, and told them I was marrying him and didn’t care if they disowned me. As you can see,” she said, waving one of her frail hands around the opulent study, “they didn’t. They came to love him as much as I did. My father gave him a job and came to rely on his keen business sense. My George’s head for business tripled the family coffers,” she said proudly.
“I’m glad it worked out. I’d hate to imagine this world without me in it,” I said cheekily.
She chuckled again. “I was always so worried you would feel inferior or have low self-esteem because you were the second born. I guess I never needed to worry. You have never been like your Uncle Tim. Thank God.” She muttered the last bit.
Tim was the black sheep. He was the second-born son as well. I considered myself the black sheep, but Grams always made me feel as if I were just as valuable as William.
My mother appeared in the doorway. “If you’d like to join us in the dining room, dinner will be served shortly.”
I put down my glass and took the glass from my grandmother’s hand before helping her stand. She was a spry seventy-five-year-old woman, but her back and knees often gave her problems. Together, we walked into the dining room where William and Tiffany were greeting everyone as if they were members of the royal family.
“Glad you could make it,” William said when he saw me.
“Of course, big brother. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
It was sarcastic, and he knew it. I didn’t care. William had always felt as if he were a prince regent and I was the lowly younger brother. I walked with Grams to our places farther down the table and helped her get situated before sitting beside her.
Dinner was served shortly after everyone sat. Grams and I mostly chatted with each other, occasionally joining in the conversation happening all around us. It was evident Grams was not all that fond of Tiffany. She was polite, but it was the cold politeness that had been ingrained in her from an early age.
After dinner and before dessert was served, William made his move. He stood and used a fork to tap the side of his champagne flute. He quickly delivered a dry, rehearsed speech about how much he loved Tiffany. Then he pulled a box out of his suit jacket pocket and presented her with a ring with a rock the size of an orange.
She, of course, said yes and burst into fake tears along with my mother and hers. In that moment, I felt sorry for William. He didn’t love the woman. He was only marrying her out of duty. I wondered if he would ever know what love was.
Hell, would I ever know?
“I’ll grab another bottle of champagne,” my mother said, standing and wiping her eyes before leaving the dining room.
Now came the part where we moved to the sitting room and pretended to be happy. I wasn’t up for it.
“Want to make a break for it?” I whispered in Gram’s ear.
She chuckled. “You know it.”
“One glass of champagne and then we are out of here. Did your driver bring you?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yes. I was not going to rely on your father to get me home.”
“Good.”
“What about you, dear? Are you going to leave your car?”
I looked at her with a horrified expression. “Not a chance. I have ways of making it look like I’m downing the drinks without swallowing a sip.”
She chuckled. “Oh, I know you do, because I taught you!”
I laughed. “You’re right; you did. We better move and make sure we get seats near the door for an easy escape.”
I helped her up and escorted her into the sitting room. We took one of the small couches nearest the door, waiting for the others to join us. I heard high heels clapping against the marble tile and knew the ladies were descending upon us.
“I’d like to make the first toast.” My father’s booming voice cut through the silence.
My mother quickly filled glasses with expensive champagne. My dad said his bit, and there was the sound of clinking glass. I winked at Grams as I pretended to drink the champagne.
“I’ll finish mine and take yours,” she whispered. “I’m going to need alcohol to get through the next thirty minutes.”
I nodded my head and pretended to be smiling at the happy couple. Grams and I casually switched glasses, me taking her empty one and giving her my full one. Once she finished the second glass, she declared she was tired and wanted to go. I offered to escort her to the door and made my excuses to leave. It wasn’t like I was going to be missed.
“Good night, Grams,” I said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek and shutting the car door.
I hopped into my car and drove away from the family estate as quickly as I could.
Chapter Three<
br />
Amber
As much as I would have liked to hide in my apartment all day, I couldn’t. I had to go to work. Unlike the Martin family, I hadn’t been born into wealth. I had to work every day to keep a roof over my head. I had to be a grown-up.
“Suck it up, Amber. He was never yours. You can’t lose what you never had,” I reminded myself as I walked through the doors of the tall building that was home to Martin Inc.
“Good morning,” I greeted the various staff members as I headed for my cubicle.
“You look a lot better this morning,” one of the girls said.
I nodded. “I feel better. A little queasy, but I’ll be okay.”
I dreaded the moment I had to face William. I didn’t have to wait long. He wasn’t three minutes behind me.
“Hey,” he said, looking at me with concern.
“Good morning,” I said coolly.
“You okay? You didn’t say good-bye yesterday.”
“Yes, fine. I had a touch of the flu. I’m fine now.”
“I’d like a minute when you have some free time,” he said casually.
I looked him in the eye. “I’m busy this morning. Maybe this afternoon.”
He looked at me with shock. I never told him no. That had clearly been the problem. I should have kept telling him no. Instead, I had caved to his advances, and now I was regretting it.
“I have to make a phone call. Can you bring me a cup of coffee?” he asked politely.
I gritted my teeth. He only asked me to bring him coffee when he wanted some alone time. I considered saying no, but the other girls were listening. He was my boss, and fetching him coffee was something I usually did. It wasn’t exactly in my job description, but I had never minded in the past.
“Of course. I’ll bring it right in,” I said with a bright smile.
I turned and headed down the hall to the fancy break room with a variety of upscale coffees to choose from and several Keurigs. I was not happy with the Martin men right now, but they did treat their employees well. Of course, he benefited from the gourmet coffee as well.
I made the coffee and reluctantly carried it into his office.
“Close the door,” he ordered.
I hesitated but did as he asked. I didn’t exactly want the entire office to know I had been dumb enough to sleep with the boss.
“What do you need?” I asked.
“I think I may have given you the wrong idea.”
I glared at him. The hot coffee was in my hand.
“It’s fine.”
He reached out to touch me, and I flinched. “Don’t,” I warned him.
“Amber, this doesn’t mean what you think,” he said softly.
My mouth dropped open. He was a pig. How could I have ever thought he was a decent human being? Without thinking twice, I dumped the coffee in his lap. He yelled and shot out of the chair.
“Oops. I’m so sorry,” I lied.
“Amber,” he said, growling.
I put the coffee cup on his desk and left. I dared him to explain that. Explain why his faithful assistant of two years had dumped coffee in his lap.
I went back to work at my desk, doing my best to ignore the chatter around the office. Everyone was talking about the engagement and how gorgeous Tiffany was. I ignored it. She was pretty, but she wasn’t right for him. For one, she was an idiot and everything I wasn’t. I knew how hot I could make him. How could a man who had been so turned on for me ever get excited about Tiffany?
It was as if thinking about her conjured her. She breezed down the wide path that led to our cubicles and William’s office. Everyone stopped working and stared at her.
“Hi,” she said to me in her fake sweet voice.
I wanted to punch her in the throat. I knew it was wrong. I didn’t care. She was undeserving. The only reason William was marrying her was because of her name and how much money she had. I knew it wasn’t a match made in heaven.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
“Is William available? I wanted to surprise him and take him to lunch,” she said with a thousand-watt smile that nearly blinded me.
“Go right in,” I said with a smile.
She spun around and let herself into his office.
“I’m headed to lunch,” I grumbled and grabbed my purse.
I was meeting my mom and Courtney for lunch. They both knew about my affair with William. I needed to tell them what had happened.
When I walked into the diner my mom and dad owned, Courtney was already there, sucking down a chocolate milkshake.
“I need one, too,” I said, letting out a big sigh.
“Uh-oh. What happened?” my mom asked.
“I’ll tell you, but I need chocolate first.”
My mom quickly made the shake and then slid into the booth beside Courtney. I took a deep breath and unburdened my soul.
Courtney was shaking her head. My mom reached out and put her hand over mine.
“You can do so much better than him,” Courtney said.
I laughed. “Yeah, because there are so many gorgeous billionaires out there waiting for me.”
“It isn’t always about money,” my mother scolded. “Money doesn’t make you happy. Love does, and he doesn’t love you.”
“I think he does,” I argued.
“If he loved you, he would ask you to marry him and not this other woman,” my mother pointed out.
“It’s not that easy. His family is putting pressure on him to marry the right girl.”
Courtney rolled her eyes. “This isn’t the Dark Ages. Any man that has a pair of balls can tell his parents to suck it up and marry the woman he really loves. He’s trash. You don’t need him.”
I sighed. “Regardless, there is no way I can keep working there.”
“It will be awkward. You should look for another job. He doesn’t deserve to have you,” my mom said.
I smiled. “I agree with you on that. I can’t work for him and see that woman prancing around all the time.”
“You can find a new job, maybe even a better one,” Courtney agreed.
I sighed, thinking about what could have been. “He was so perfect. We were so happy.”
My mom smiled. “There are other men.”
I shook my head. “Not like him. He was everything I could have asked for. He was good-looking, kind, sweet, and doted on me like I was his princess. And did I mention he is really handsome?”
Courtney laughed. “I think you mentioned that once or twice.”
I thought about the time he had taken me to a black-tie event in New York. We had taken the company’s private jet. He had looked so good in a tux. I had felt so special wearing my borrowed diamonds and gorgeous dress.
“We literally danced the night away,” I mused aloud.
“What?” Courtney asked.
I told them about the trip. “He was so graceful, so chivalrous. We danced and danced. He was perfectly content to hold me close. I can’t explain it, but it felt so right. He is perfect in every way,” I said with a sigh.
“There is so much more than looks and money, Amber,” my mom said in her typical mother voice.
“I know, and he was so much more. You guys never got to meet him. He’s a really good guy. He’s smart and funny and actually likes talking.”
Courtney crossed her arms. “We’ll find you a new man, one who won’t be afraid to take you home to meet the parents. I’m sorry, hon, but it sounds like William values his money more than you. You don’t need that.”
I let out another long sigh. “I don’t know if it’s only the money he values. I think it’s his family. I couldn’t ask him to give up his family and money for me.”
My mother looked at me. “Amber, any family that makes that kind of ultimatum is not worth being a part of. There are plenty of men out there, literally millions. Dallas is teeming with gorgeous, young men who would treat you like a queen. Don’t let this one guy ruin your hopes for finding true love.”
&nb
sp; I nodded, not sure I believed that. I couldn’t imagine ever finding a man who came close to measuring up to William. He was everything I could have wanted. He told me how much he enjoyed spending time with me. The man doted on me. I knew he cared about me. We had never gotten to the point where we actually talked about our feelings. We never needed to. He enjoyed spending time with me, and I thought I had made it very clear I enjoyed being with him.
A sudden thought occurred to me. What if he didn’t know I loved him? I had to tell him. That would change everything. He probably assumed I didn’t want a real future with him. That wasn’t the case at all. I had been a fool for thinking I had time and could feel him out before I poured my heart out. I hadn’t told him, and now he was going to marry someone else.
I knew he would rather marry for love than convenience. I had to tell him before the whole engagement thing went too far. If I could tell him before it was officially announced in the papers, it would be much easier for him to break it off. Then, maybe down the road, we could announce our engagement. I smiled, thinking of becoming Mrs. William Martin. I could get used to that.
“Hello?” Courtney snapped her fingers in front of my face.
“What?” I asked, trying to pull my head back to the conversation and out of the nice fantasy I had conjured up.
“I asked if you were going to start looking for a new job.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. I like my job, and I am good at it. I make good money. I’ll try to keep moving up in the company faster to get out of this position. I’m not going to let him ruin my future personally and professionally.”
My mom raised an eyebrow. “And what if his future wife finds out you two had a thing? She isn’t going to want you working there.”
I shrugged. “I don’t think he’ll tell her, and I know for a fact there aren’t any rumors about the two of us.”
“I don’t know. I don’t think it’s going to be easy for you—and don’t you dare think about becoming his mistress,” my mom said, pointing her finger at me.
“I would never do that,” I stated firmly.
I had already made that clear with the coffee in his lap. I had made up my mind. I was going to tell him I loved him. Now I just had to find the right time to tell him. Scratch that. I couldn’t wait for the right time. That was what had gotten me into this mess. I needed to get him alone and put my heart on the line. I didn’t want to tell him at the office. Maybe I could call him and ask him to meet me for a drink.
