“Everyone unfamiliar with LA’s CFO, this is Dana Whalen,” he introduced before returning to his seat.
“Okay now Cab, you were saying?”
Cab’s heart slammed away hard in his chest, and just like their first encounter, he had difficulty pulling his eyes away from her. Thoughts of that night still caused an intense tightening in his chest and a definite hardening in his pants, and he couldn’t remember a woman ever affecting him so intensely. The way they tore at each other’s clothing was a major turn-on in itself, and when their body made that connection, he couldn’t help feeling that he had finally found the woman that he would spend the rest of his life with after just one night. To this day he still didn’t understand what had come over him. They had made incredible, smoking hot love all night long, never bothering to come up for air. Or at least that’s how it was until he awoke the next morning and discovered that she was gone. Now he knew why. It turns out that she was just as he predicted she would be; just another unscrupulous woman. A grumble rose up from somewhere deep inside his throat as just the thought of her leaving him without so much as a single word still got to him. Suddenly remembering where he was, he cleared his throat and forced his focus back onto the meeting before continuing to speak.
“As I was saying, I foresee many firms interested in the new program…”
“I agree one hundred percent Duke,” Dana interjected. “The program covers everything from statistic to simple addition. My staff can’t sing its praises enough.”
“Are you prepared to be present with Cab at his seminar in the morning?”
“Yes. The presentation is clear and concise, and every numbers geek in the business will be highly impressed with its functionality. The only part I need play will be to be available for the demonstration after the presentation.”
Cab watched her as she spoke and the sound of her voice was like a thousand pins piercing his heart. He couldn’t miss the swell of her belly and she wore pregnancy exceptionally well. He’d loathe to admit it, but Dana looked good; hell, she looked beautiful.
“Great,” Duke said before continuing the meeting.
Dana exhaled. So far so good. Pressing some keys on her laptop, she sent an instant message to Diz.
“Hey big boy, want to have dinner with me and the baby? We are starved!”
Diz looked over at her and grinned before typing on his own keyboard.
“It would be my pleasure. Where?”
“Anyplace that sells shrimp. That’s what my little angel has a hankering for.”
“LOL. Well then shrimp it is.”
Cab watched as Diz and Dana kept smiling and looking at each other, and wondered what the hell was going on between the two of them. Just then his stomach knotted painfully. Was Diz her knew conquest? He scowled at Diz, hoping his brother wasn’t stupid enough to get caught in Dana’s web. As he sat there watching their interaction, he was so intent on his brother, that he didn’t know that Duke adjourned the meeting until he noticed everyone starting to rise, and Diz move over to Dana to help her from her chair.
“Duke, Dana and I are going for shrimp, care to join us?”
“You two go right ahead; Cat and I are honeymooning tonight, and I just know that she’s got something wonderful planned,” he said, smiling as he quickly left the room.
Cab stood at the end of the table watching as his brother talked easily with Dana. Just whose side were his brothers on anyway? He knew that he disappointed them, but they couldn’t possibly believe Dana’s lies, could they? He also noticed that from the moment she stepped into the room, not once had she bothered to look his way.
Diz lifted her laptop from table. “Come on Dee, let’s get you and this little angel some shrimp,” he said, extending his hand to Dana, but seeing them turn to the door walking hand in hand was a little more than Cab could take.
“Diz, can I see you before you leave?” Cab called out gruffly.
Diz looked at his brother and then turned to Dana. “Be right back,” he said.
Walked over to Cab and the second Diz stood in front of him Cab went ballistic. “What the hell are you doing?” He hissed, trying hard to keep his voice down but failing miserably.
“What are you talking about?” Diz asked.
“Why are you hanging with the woman who was trying to push her kid off on me?” Cab said, this time loud enough for Dana, and just about anybody else, to hear.
When she heard her name spoken, Dana turned and looked at the two brothers.
“Because someone in this family needs to be there for her since the father of her child is just too damn ignorant and stubborn to step up!” Diz murmured. “And keep your voice down; I will not have you disrespecting her again.”
“The hell with that Diz. You are supposed to be my brother, and yet you believe her over me?” Cab was shouting now, and he didn’t care who heard what at this point.
Dana could feel the tears burning at the back of her eyes. These two men were family and she did not want to come between that.
“I think Cab that you are in denial,” Diz tried to reason with him. “If you just think about the…”
“She was screwing her boyfriend too!” Cab yelled.
“I told you that the next time you disrespected her I was going to punch you in the face,” Diz said through clenched teeth. “Don’t make me Cab, please don’t make me…”
“I can’t believe that you’re going to let that woman come between us!”
Dana had seen and heard enough. Although she faced Diz and refused to look at Cab, she rushed over and stood between the two men with tears welling up in her eyes.
“Diz he’s right,” she said, trying her best not to break down. “You are his brother and you should stand beside him no matter what. Thanks for being a friend and I really appreciate your concern, but I have Dell. Promise me you won’t let this come between you.”
“Dana you shouldn’t…”
“Promise me!” She yelled as her voice cracked. She blinked once and a pair of tears rolled down her face. “Promise me!”
“Okay Dana, I promise, but you promise me if you need anything, you will let me and Duke know!”
“You’re so sweet Diz. I promise,” she said as she leaned up and kissed his cheek. She then moved away and pulled out her cell phone, telling her driver to meet her out front.
When Diz was sure that Dana was gone, he pushed Cab away from him.
“You’re an asshole brother, and I just hope you don’t live to regret what you are doing. She has a lot going on in her life right now and you’re just adding to her stress.”
“What I want to know Diz is just when did you and Dana become so friendly? Look, I just don’t want you getting caught up in that baby’s daddy drama and her lies.”
“That baby, as you so heartlessly put it, is yours. That bastard that was claiming your baby as his, tried to sue her for full custody, and even slandered her online to prove his point. She took an early paternity test that could have put both her and the baby at risk just to disprove his claim. He’s not the father.”
Cab scoffed. “So I guess that just leaves me, huh?”
“What the hell do you think Cab?” Diz said angrily before walking away from his brother. Suddenly, he stopped walking and turned around to address Cab one last time. “I’ll be around to help you when you’re ready to pull your mistrusting head out of your mistrusting ass, and see Dana for the good and honest person that she is. I suggest that you do it before it’s too late and you wind up blowing it all.”
Cab rubbed his hand down his face. Is it possible? Is the baby that Dana is carrying mine? His mind now a jumbled mass of confusion, Cab snatched up his laptop and left the room.
Cassandra put her best seductive smile on her face as she stood in the lobby of the convention center admiring the men as they walked by and admired her beauty. She sent Raini to find a restaurant that was not too expensive because her money was now very low, and she didn’t want anyone to see her
scanning the menus outside of the restaurants. She couldn’t help feeling it was fate that led her to LA where she ran into Cab Howard again, and after all these years, she was sure that he had forgiven her for hurting him. They had a strong lustful sexual relationship, and poor Sonny never did live up to Cab’s prowess. But at the time, Sonny was useful, and she was angry at Cab for retiring and wanting to take her away from the limelight of being a baseball player’s wife. She craved this lifestyle, and if she couldn’t have it, she would have a man with money so that she could live happily in the spotlight with loads of money, and Cab Howard was that man. Now all she had to do was find him and start the wheels turning towards her future.
She tapped a slender finger on her lip, and frowned when she saw her unpretentious sister Raini walking towards her. All she ever wore was long skirts and plain Jane tops that were usually some dull, unattractive color. Despite her constant complaints concerning her dowdy sister, Cassandra wasn’t sorry that she took Raini in after their mother died. She did after all have her uses, and Raini being at her beck and call day and night, certainly had it benefits. Besides, now that money was at a minimum and she was currently without a benefactor, someone was going to have to get a job.
“Hurry up Raini!” Cassandra hissed, motioning for her to be quick about it. “What did you find?”
“There’s a moderately priced restaurant at the food court,” she reported.
“What kind of food?”
She shrugged. “Steak, seafood, pasta… the normal stuff.”
“Alright, let’s go, and make sure that you walk behind me,” Cassandra ordered.
Raini fell in behind her sister, and when Cassandra suddenly stopped walking, Raini had to step to the side to keep from running into the back of her.
“Hey Raini?” She said, curious about something that just crossed her mind. “If you wanted to locate someone at a convention, how would you go about it?”
Raini thought about it for a minute. “I guess you would go to the concierge and have them paged,” she answered.
“There, you see? I knew you were good for something. Alright, so where is the concierge?”
Raini looked around. “There’s one right over there,” she pointed out.
“Well, don’t just stand there looking stupid, come on!”
After Cassandra ordered the page, she stood outside the most expensive restaurant and waited. She had the concierge tell him to meet the person there, but after some time had passed, she was starting to wonder if he was going to show. She was just about to give up when she saw him sauntering in her direction. Trying not to look over-anxious, she smoothed her dress before checking her breath, and prepared to give a performance worthy of an Oscar.
Cab stopped walking and looked around. The concierge had said for him to meet his brother Diz at the front of the restaurant, but Diz was nowhere in sight.
With her plan now in full swing, Cassandra put on her widow’s face and waited for Cab to move into position. When he passed her by while looking for his brother, she gasped loud enough to draw his attention.
“Cab? Cab Howard? Oh my God, it is you!” She screeched.
Cab was stunned to see Cassandra Kendall. In fact, she was the last person on earth that he had expected to ever see again.
“Hello Cassandra. How are you?” Cab asked.
“Oh I’m coming around. I’m just trying to take it one day at a time,” she said sadly.
“I was sorry to hear about Sonny,” he said genuinely.
“I know we had our issues, but Sonny never once stopped believing that you were his friend,” she said with the sniffles, trying to make herself look and sound as miserable as possible.
“So Cassandra, what brings you to the sports convention?” Cab asked. He had to admit that she still looked good, and since he had long since been over her, maybe he could counteract one cheating woman with another cheating woman to help erase a particular cheating woman from his system. Hell, the one good thing that he remembered about Cassandra was that she was very inventive in bed, and he was in need of any kind of distraction that would turn his thoughts from Dana Whalen.
“I’m here on behalf of Sonny’s agent, Byron Hickle. He wanted to have a small tribute to pay homage to Sonny at the baseball exhibit,” she lied, looking around the convention as if looking for someone. She spotted Raini standing across the floor from her and Cab, and gave her the signal.
“Really? That’s great,” Cab commented. “Sonny certainly deserves it.”
Raini rushed over right on cue. “Cassandra, Mr. Hickle sends his regrets. He called and said that he was still in a meeting and would be unable to join you for dinner tonight,” Raini lied.
“Oh man… okay,” she pouted.
Cab’s brow lifted when he looked at Cassandra’s lips. Oh yeah, those lips were exactly what he needed tonight.
“I have an idea Cassandra,” Cab said, coming up with a suggestion. “Since your dining partner has cancelled on you, how about I take you to dinner tonight instead?”
“I’d like that very much cab and this way we can catch up,” she said with a smile. “Where are my manners? I’m sorry Cab, this is my sister Raini, and she has been my rock ever since Sonny passed.”
Cab glance at her. She was a cute girl, but a little plain, and Cab extended his hand before taking her small hand into his own. He felt a slight trembling in her fingers, and when he looked up at her, she quickly lowered her eyes.
“It’s nice to meet you Raini,” Cab said smoothly.
She smiled shyly and nodded her head, but didn’t make eye contact.
“Join us for dinner Raini,” Cab invited.
“Oh no. I’m just going to have room service in the room,” she said softly.
“I insist you join us,” he coaxed.
Raini glanced over at her sister and could see the muscles in her jaw tighten.
“Actually I’m really very tired. I’m simply going to have a light dinner and go to bed,” Raini smiled.
“Well, if you’re sure,” Cab said.
“Yes, I’m sure, but it was very nice to meet you,” she said before quickly walking away.
Cab looked over at the lovely Cassandra. “Shall we,” he said presenting his arm. Cassandra slipped her hand through his arm and allowed him to lead her into the restaurant.
The next morning Dana called Duke to let him know that she would not be helping Cab with his presentation, but that she would send her assistant, who knew the software as well as, if not better, than she did. After assuring him, and then having to reassure him several more times that she was fine, he hung up. She rolled over rubbing her protruding belly, and wondered where her life started to go wrong? She was a happy go lucky woman with a sorry boyfriend that she tolerated, she loved her job crunching number, and up until her pregnancy, her life was full. Now she was a single mother to be, the father of her child thinks that she a liar and a whore, her sorry ass ex-boyfriend was trying to take her baby away from her, and she has become a major disappointment to her brother.
Dana wiped at her wet face. Here she was blubbering again. She could handle the changes that her hormones were putting her body and mind through, but she had heard every horrible word that Cab had said to Diz the other evening, and it hurt her to her core. In fact, it seemed as if he wanted her to hear. Dana sat there wiping at her face and thinking, but the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. To hell with Cab. She was made out of stronger stuff than that and she decided right then and there that she’d never let him get to her like that again. She was due to have dinner with Duke and his family tonight, and come hell or high water, she was going. Cab Howard was not going to stop her from enjoying herself tonight or any other night.
Cab stormed over to Duke. “Where the hell is Dana?” He asked angrily.
Duke’s eyes narrowed on his younger sibling. He knew all about what had transpired after the meeting last night, because Diz was fit to be tied when he came in later that evening,
and right now, he was just as pissed off at Cab.
“She not coming Cab and with good reason,” he said heatedly. Diz told me what you said about Dana last night, so let me say something to you and I’m going to say this one time. The family knows how you feel about the baby and Dana, and we are not going to sit by while you humiliate and disgrace her any longer. If you say the baby is not yours, fine. Shut the fuck up about it and leave her alone. She didn’t give you any nasty looks or make any snide remarks to you during the meeting last night. All she did was praise the work that you had done on your program. You see Cab? That’s the difference between you and her. She knows how separate personal business from professional business, and you need to learn. As far as your presentation goes, Dana’s assistant is here. He knows the material and is more than capable of helping you. One other thing. Tonight the family is having a small dinner party at the mansion, and Dana will be there. If you can’t handle seeing her, you don’t have to come.”
“I’ll be there, and I’m bringing guests if that is okay.”
“That’s fine, but I don’t want no shit tonight, understand?” Having had his say, Duke walked away.
Cassandra was pulling clothing out of the closet and throwing them on the bed in disgust.
“I don’t have a thing to wear,” she groaned.
“Raini, you didn’t pack anything decent. Why didn’t you pack the red dress?”
“Because you said you wanted to play the grieving widow and wanted everything black packed,” Raini retorted. She was really getting tired of Cassandra’s constant complaining.
“I said no such thing! I said pack my nicest stuff!” She yelled.
“You know what Cassandra? I’m getting tired of this. You should have packed your own shit,” Raini snapped before storming out of the room.
Cassandra gasped. “Did that bitch just curse at me?” She wondered out loud.
She turned to go after Raini and confront her, when her cellphone rang. She picked it up, and when she looked at the screen ID and saw that it was Cab, she took a deep breath and answered.
Cynical Heart (Heart Series) Page 7
