“Thanks. It was love at first sight for both of us. He swept me off my feet with the first words that ever came out of his mouth.”
“And those words were?” I cocked my head.
“You have to be the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” She smiled.
My stomach churned and I felt the need to puke. I looked over and saw John approaching us with a panicked look on his face.
“Hello again, Fiona. What were the two of you talking about?”
“You.” I smiled. “Miranda was just telling me how it was love at first sight. I’m really happy for you, John.” I got up and placed my hand on his chest, wanting to rip his heart out right from his body.
“Thanks, Fiona. Can I talk to you for a moment? I have some business I want to go over with you.”
“Sure.”
He led me away from Miranda and over to a spot where there weren’t many people.
“I’m really happy with Miranda, and I don’t want you to screw things up,” he spoke. “You broke up with me, remember? You broke up over text. Do you have any idea how bad that hurt me? I was devastated for weeks. And just when I thought I could never get over you, I found Miranda.”
Holy shit! Was he for real? Who could just spew that kind of bullshit?
“Listen, John. I am really happy you found someone else. I was in a bad place and I just couldn’t be committed to a relationship. I’m sorry I hurt you.” The vomit started to rise in the back of my throat.
“Okay. I forgive you. Good luck with everything, Fiona.” He smiled as he walked away.
I was gripping my glass so tight, it felt like it was going to shatter in my hand.
“May I ask once again what that was about?” Nathan walked over to me.
“He forgave me for breaking up with him over text. I had a nice little chat with his girlfriend and it seems they have been dating for four months.”
“Huh?” Nathan cocked his head. “Wait a minute. He was seeing you, her, and the redhead all at the same time?”
“Yep.” I finished off my champagne.
“Damn.” He shook his head. “That guy sure has some balls. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I smiled. “You can thank him and my father for my mistrust of men.” I walked away.
Chapter 24
Fiona
My phone began to ding with messages for John from the redhead.
“I’m here, baby.”
Nathan looked at me and sighed. “Here we go.”
“Go find a good spot to sit and watch the show.” I smirked as I saw the redhead looking around for John.
I knew exactly where John was because my eyes never left him since I sent her that text message. I casually walked over to where the redhead was standing.
“Oh my gosh, hi!” I smiled as I placed my hand on her arm. “Do you remember me? We had a conversation in the bathroom at the casino a couple of months ago.”
“Oh, yes! Hi. Wow, what a coincidence. How are you, sweetie?”
“I’m fabulous. A lot better than the last time we spoke.”
“That’s great. Listen, I’d love to stay and chat, but I need to find my boyfriend. He’s waiting for me. Oh, I see him! We’ll chat later, okay?”
“Okay.” I smiled.
Making my way back to Nathan, I grabbed his hand and pulled him with me a few feet from the railing where John was standing alone.
“Pretend we’re talking.”
“You worry me, Fiona. I won’t lie.”
“Oh, please, Mr. I-want-controlling-interest-of-your-company. He deserves it and you know it.”
Nathan sighed.
The redhead walked up to John and gave him a big hug and kiss. The expression on his face was pure panic as he grabbed hold of her arm.
“What are you doing here?” he asked in a raging tone.
“What do you mean? You asked me to come.”
“No I didn’t! What the hell are you talking about? You need to leave right now!”
“But—”
I saw Miranda walking towards them.
“Oh shit.” Nathan looked at me.
I raised my brow as I took the glass out of Nathan’s hand and took a sip.
“John? What’s going on here?” Miranda asked. “Who is she?”
“I’m his girlfriend,” the redhead huffed.
“Excuse me? I’m his girlfriend.”
John let go of the redhead’s arm and threw his hands up in the air. The two women argued as John stood there in a pool of sweat.
“We’ve been together for eight months,” the redhead raised her voice.
“And we’ve been together for four. What the hell is going on, John?” Miranda shouted.
John saw me staring at him and a look of rage crossed his face as I smiled at him and held up my glass.
“YOU! YOU DID THIS!” he shouted as he pointed at me and both women turned around.
“Looks like you’ve been busted.” Nathan smirked.
“It appears so.”
Walking over to John and the two women, I spoke, “This man you both love so much is a cheating, lying bastard. While he was dating me, he was dating you.” I pointed to the redhead. “And while he was dating the both of us, he was also dating you.” I pointed to Miranda. “Three women at once, John? Are you trying to make up for your incredibly small penis or something?” I smirked.
“Why you fucking little bitch!” He lunged at me, I took a step back, and Nathan walked up.
“I suggest you back off right now before you end up in the hospital.”
“Mr. Carter,” he gulped.
“Fiona happens to be here with me tonight, so if you would like to settle this on the dock, I’d be more than happy to.”
“She’s with you?”
“Yes, and I know all about you and your little shenanigans.”
“So you knew about them when we were together?” John glared at me.
“I knew of the redhead over here.” I pointed. “I only found out about Miranda tonight.”
“You. You were the one who fucked up my car.” He shoved his finger in my face.
“I know nothing about that.”
“You’re a lying bitch,” he shouted.
“Takes one to know one, darling.”
“I’m calling the cops and having your ass thrown in jail for vandalism.”
Nathan hooked his arm around him. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, John. Unless, of course, you never want to work in this city or any other city again. Are we clear?”
“Yes, Mr. Carter.” He swallowed hard.
“Good. I’m glad you understand. Now, please leave my party and I never want to see you again.”
John walked away with his tail between his legs and left both girls standing there crying.
“I’m sorry, ladies, but you needed to find out what kind of person he was before you became too invested in him.” I walked away and headed off the boat.
“Where are you going?” Nathan asked.
“Home. I just need to go home.”
He caught up with me and lightly grabbed my arm.
“I want you to stay.”
“I can’t. Please, Nathan, just let me go home.”
“All right. Jason is down there. I’ll have him drive you.”
I gave him a small smile as I made my way to the dock and climbed into the back of the limo.
****
Nathan
I hated that she left. She was broken inside about so many things and all I wanted to do was fix her. I didn’t condone what she did to John, but at the same time, I was turned on by her fearlessness. If only she’d show that with her business. I gave her a way out and she didn’t want to accept it. I’d increase my investment to cover the money her father stole from the pension fund to save her and her company, but I wasn’t changing the stipulation of taking over.
The party was coming to an end, so I had Jason drive me home and then I hopped into my Rolls Royce and headed to Fiona
’s, unannounced. Stepping onto her porch, I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed her number.
“Hello.”
“It’s me. I’m standing on your porch.”
I heard a long sigh and then she opened the door.
“Have you ever heard of calling someone before you come over to their house?” she spoke as she stood there looking sexy as hell in her short silk blue robe.
“I did call.” I smirked.
“You were already here.” She sighed.
“Are you up for some company?”
“You mean sex?” She arched her brow.
The corners of my mouth curved up into a smile.
“No. But I won’t object if you want it.”
“Come on in.”
“I only came over to see how you were doing. You looked pretty upset when you left the party.”
“That was very nice of you, but you could have just called.”
“I could have, but I wanted to see with my own two eyes that you were okay.”
“Aside from my life being a complete clusterfuck, I’m good.”
“I can help you, Fiona.” I placed my hands on her shoulders.
“I know you can, but with a price, and that price being the takeover my father’s company.”
“It’s a business decision. It’s nothing personal. I make sure I keep those two things very separate, and I suggest you learn to do the same.”
“Give me a week,” she spoke.
“A week for what?”
“To decide whether or not I’ll accept your proposal.”
“All right. You have a week and that’s it. Any longer and I’m withdrawing the offer.”
“You, Mr. Carter, are nothing but a corporate ass.”
“I know.” I grinned. “Now, you were saying something about sex.”
She let out a light laugh and shook her head. Reaching down, I picked her up.
“That wasn’t a no, was it?” I asked as I carried her up the stairs.
“What if it was?” She smirked.
“Too bad.” My lips brushed against hers.
My hands tightly gripped her hips as she moved back and forth against my cock and a wave of warmth swept over me. Throwing my head back, I held her in place as I pushed every last drop of come I had in me inside her. She collapsed and I wrapped my arms around her, feeling her heart rapidly beat against my chest.
“That was incredible,” she spoke breathlessly as she rolled off of me.
“That it was, beautiful. Shit. I still feel like I’m coming.” I grinned as I looked over at her.
The happiness that was in her eyes a moment ago faded as she got up and slipped on her robe.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing. I’m just thirsty. I’m going to head downstairs and get a glass of water.”
Slipping back into my clothes, I went into the kitchen, where I found her standing over the sink with a glass in her hand.
“Be careful driving,” she spoke without looking at me. “Do me a favor and send me a text so I know you made it home.”
“I will.” I walked over to her and kissed the back of her head.
Walking out of the kitchen and making my way to the front door, I stopped for a moment and clenched my fist. I didn’t want to leave, but I couldn’t stay. Taking in a deep breath, I opened the door and walked out, shutting it behind me.
Chapter 25
Fiona
I set my glass down and went upstairs. I sat on the edge of my bed, never having felt so alone. I wanted him to stay the night, in my bed, holding me in his strong arms. The way he stood up for me against John made me feel good, maybe even special. No one had ever done that for me before. He wouldn’t have stayed anyway. It was something he didn’t do with anyone. He was a relationship-phobe, and I wanted to know why. I had good reason as to why I didn’t want to get involved with anyone. It was my mistrust of men. The feeling of being used, cheated on, and made to feel like I was nothing was too much for me to handle. I liked having sex with Nathan and no strings attached. The last thing I needed was to get involved in a relationship, give a part of my life to someone, and then have it come crashing down on me at any given moment. No thanks. I liked being on my own, doing things my way, and not have someone questioning me. But then, why did I feel so alone? I needed to talk to someone. A therapist, maybe. Someone who could shed some light as to why I was feeling this way. As I was pondering my thoughts, my phone dinged with a text message from Nathan.
“I’m home safe and sound. And look at that, you asked me to do something and I did. I didn’t forget because I didn’t want you to worry.”
A smile crossed my face.
“Thank you. I appreciate it. I’m happy you’re home safe.”
“Good night, Fiona.”
“Good night, Nathan.”
****
I grabbed my travel mug, climbed into my car, and met Lydia at the Los Angeles Medical Center for her first OB appointment. While we were sitting in the waiting room, I told her everything that had happened last night.
“Damn, I wish I could have been there to see that.”
“It was pretty funny. Especially when he came at me and Nathan stepped in.”
The nurse called us back into the room and had Lydia lie down on the table while she prepped her for an ultrasound.
“Good morning, Lydia.”
“Morning, Dr. Grant. This is my best friend, Fiona.”
Holy shit on a cracker! Dr. Grant was the hottest doctor I’d ever seen. Tall, blue eyes, military-styled hair, and a light stubble that swept across his jaw.
“Nice to meet you, Fiona. Now, Lydia, let’s see what’s happening in that belly of yours. You said you took four pregnancy tests and they all came back positive?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. We’re going to start with an ultrasound and then we’ll do some bloodwork.”
I grabbed hold of Lydia’s hand while Dr. Grant squeezed some gel on her belly and then slowly ran the wand across her.
“There’s your baby.” Dr. Grant smiled as he pointed to a small bean-looking thing on the screen. “And here’s the heartbeat.”
“Oh my God.” Lydia looked at me with tears in her eyes. “That’s my baby.”
I won’t lie and say tears didn’t fill my eyes, because they did.
“Yeah.” I smiled as I squeezed her hand.
“You are a little over eight weeks pregnant,” Dr. Grant spoke. “I’m going to write you a script for some prenatal vitamins. You are to take them every day and I will see you in four weeks. Am I to assume the father won’t be taking part in this pregnancy?”
“No. He won’t.”
“He’s a Tinder scumbag,” I spoke.
“Ah, yes, Tinder. I’ve been hearing a lot about that from my patients.” He winked. “Have a good day, Lydia, and go get those prenatal vitamins. It was nice to meet you, Fiona.”
“Thank you, Dr. Grant.”
“Nice to meet you too.” I sighed.
“Don’t think I didn’t notice you staring at him the whole time,” Lydia spoke.
“You didn’t tell me he was hot. Jesus, Lydia, how could you have him for a gynecologist?”
“I only saw him once when I switched birth control. His father was my gynecologist, but he retired three months ago and his son took over. I was just as shocked as you when he stepped in the room for my exam. I’m trying not to think about his looks. It’s awkward.”
“How can you not? Good lord.”
We walked to the parking lot and hugged goodbye.
“Thanks for coming with me.”
“Isn’t that what best friends are for? And don’t worry, I’ll be coming to every appointment with you.” I smiled.
“Down girl.” She laughed.
****
“Morning, Josh,” I spoke as I passed his desk and went into my office.
“Morning, Fiona. Three more vendors cancelled their contracts, bringing the total to over thi
rty stores that will no longer be selling Winslow Wines.”
“Great.” I rolled my eyes. “What else?”
“I got some info on each of the board members.” He smiled.
“Good stuff?”
“Yeah. I’d say some really good stuff.” He handed me the manila folder.
“I’ll look through it later and hopefully I will never have to use it.”
“Oh, Robbie wants to see you in his office.”
I sighed. “Do you know what about? Because I really do not feel like dealing with him.”
“I have no clue.”
“Thanks, Josh.”
I promised myself when I woke up this morning that today was going to be a great day. I was going to be positive and work my ass off to try and find a solution to Winslow Wine’s financial issues. Getting up from my desk, I went into my Uncle Robbie’s office.
“You wanted to see me?”
“Yes. Have a seat.” He sighed. “Has Nathan Carter given you the proposal yet?”
“He has.” I nodded.
“And?”
“I told him to give me a week to think about it.”
“A week? Fiona, what the hell are you waiting for? We need him to invest now!”
“He wants controlling interest.”
Leaning back in his chair, he interlaced his fingers. “Maybe that’s the best thing for this company.”
“Oh really? So you don’t think I can run this company either?”
“I didn’t say that, Fiona. So don’t put words in my mouth. The timing of your father’s death and the takeover of this company wasn’t a good one and we’re running out of time. If there’s a way to save this company, we need to jump on it.”
“And we will. I have a week to figure things out.”
“I’ve been trying to figure things out for the past two years since that bad business deal your father made. How are you going to do it in a week?”
“Well, sitting here and talking to you is cutting into my time.” I got up from my chair. “So, if you’ll excuse me, I have some things to figure out.”
As I lay my forehead down on my desk, I was interrupted by Josh.
“Taking a nap again?” he spoke.
“Go away. I need to think.”
“Your stepmother is on line one for you.”