“No. Actually, I’m not.”
“Business?”
“As always.”
“I was hoping you could go with me Monday to my first doctor’s appointment. I’m a little nervous and I need my best friend with me.”
“Of course I’ll go. What time is your appointment?”
“Eight o’clock.”
“I’ll pencil you in.”
“Thanks, Fiona. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Just as I ended the call, I looked up to see Nathan leaning against the doorframe of my office. Crap. He was so sexy, but I couldn’t deal with him right now.
“I love you?” His brow arched.
“I was talking to Lydia.”
“Are the two of you in some sort of relationship I should know about?” He smirked.
Bringing my forehead to my hand, I spoke, “We’re having a baby.”
“What?” he exclaimed as he stepped inside.
“I mean; she’s having a baby. But she’s like a sister to me, so we’re having a baby.”
“What about the father?”
“He’s a lying scumbag who wasn’t even from L.A. He lied to her, and then left and deleted his profile. Typical man.”
“How did they meet?”
“Tinder.” I rolled my eyes.
“Well, there you have it. Tinder men are all lying scumbags.”
“Correction, all men are as far as I’m concerned. Tinder or no Tinder.”
He looked at me with narrowed eyes. “What’s wrong? You’re in a mood.”
“Nothing.” I sighed. “Just another clusterfuck of a day at Winslow Wines.”
He looked at his Rolex. “The day just started.”
“And?” I arched my brow. “What are you doing here?”
“I bring to you my business proposal and the solution to all of your problems so you won’t continue to have clusterfuck days here at Winslow Wines.” He handed me a large envelope. “Look it over later when you have a clear head.”
“Thanks, Nathan.”
“You’re welcome. I have to go. I have a meeting to get to.” He walked over, kissed my forehead, and left.
The touch of his lips against my skin sent riveting pulses throughout my body. Seeing him in his designer suit, looking all handsome and sexy, made my day a little brighter. For a second, I forgot that my father stole the money from the employees’ pension fund.
“UGH!” I placed my hand on each side of my head.
“Fiona, are you okay?” Josh asked as he walked in.
“No. No I’m not okay, Josh. You know why I’m not okay. Do I look okay? I’m stressed. I could go to jail. This company could be shut down in a split second and I don’t know what to do!” I yelled.
“Calm down. You can’t make rational decisions by being so upset. Listen, take the rest of the day off. Go somewhere quiet where you can think.”
“Good idea.” I pointed at him as I grabbed my purse and the envelope Nathan handed me. “If anyone asks, I wasn’t feeling well.” I walked out and headed to my car.
As I climbed in and held the envelope in my hands, I decided just to look it over really quick to get an idea of what he was proposing. Pulling the thick stack of white papers out, I scanned the first few lines and nearly stopped breathing. Was he serious? Oh hell no! I punched in his building address on my GPS and headed straight to his office. Taking the elevator to the tenth floor, I stepped out and looked around.
“Excuse me,” I spoke as I stopped a nice-looking man in the hallway. “Where can I find Nathan Carter’s office?”
“Keep going straight and make a right. You’ll see his secretary sitting at her desk. She’s the redhead.”
Of course she was.
I approached her desk and looked at the nameplate that was sitting proud and center on the desk.
“Hello, Belinda. Is he in there?”
“Yes, but he’s—”
I didn’t wait for her to finish her sentence as I abruptly opened the door to find him and Will sitting at a round glass table.
“Fiona? What the—”
“Really, Nathan? You want to invest in my company and take controlling interest? Are you fucking serious?”
“Calm down.” He got up from his chair. “Will, we’ll resume this meeting after.”
Will got up and gave me a smile. A smile that I wanted to smack right off his face.
“Good to see you, Fiona,” he spoke as he walked past me and out the door.
“Have a seat,” Nathan spoke as he pulled out a chair for me.
“NO! I’m not sitting because I’m not staying. There’s nothing to discuss. You are not taking over my company! Investing is one thing, but to take controlling interest is absurd. How the hell do you even have time for that?”
“You need me and the bottom line is I need to do what’s best for me and for your company. I’m taking a huge-ass risk. You’re on the verge of bankruptcy and shutting down Winslow Wines forever. I’m simply trying to help you. I need to make sure that my money is well invested, and I can do that if I own controlling interest.”
“So you don’t trust me? You don’t think I can bring life back into MY company that MY father left me?”
“Fiona, face it. He left you in the red and with a shitload of troubles. You should consider yourself lucky that I want to step in and help. Not many other businessmen would want to invest in your company right now. And to be honest, you’ve never run a company before. But don’t worry, sweetheart, you’ll still be in charge. You’ll just have to run all decisions by me first.”
“First of all, asshole,” I pointed my finger at him, “don’t call me sweetheart. And second of all, I don’t have to run anything by you because I’m declining your offer.” I threw the stack of papers on the table. “I knew you were up to something, but I never thought you’d want to take over. I thought you genuinely cared about helping us, but I was wrong. You’re a snake in the grass just like every other asshole man out in the world.”
“Ouch.” He placed his hand over his heart. “You’ll sink without my help. Remember that.”
“Then I’ll go down with the ship but on my own terms.” I turned on my heels and began to walk out.
“By the way,” he shouted, “if something happens to my car, I’ll know it was you.”
“UGH!” I stormed out.
Rage consumed me. It consumed me so badly that I couldn’t think clearly or see straight. I needed to go somewhere. Somewhere quiet to process everything that was going on and be alone where I could harvest my inner calm. Little Tokyo was the first place that came to mind. I drove to the Japanese American Cultural and Community center and made my way to the James Irvine Japanese Garden. It wasn’t anything big. Just a small garden lined with rocks, flowers, blooming trees, and a stream that flowed from a waterfall. It was the perfect place to sit down, relax, and gather my thoughts. Sitting on a rock, I took in the serene sound of the stream and began to calm down. If I could escape from my life right now and jet off to some island where corporations and asshole men didn’t exist, I’d be fine.
“Damn you, Dad, for dying and leaving me with this mess,” I spoke as I looked up at the sky. “Why did you do it? Why did you have to steal from your employees?”
Not only did we owe the pension fund fifteen million dollars, we also owed the vineyard two million, not to mention all the other creditors that were knocking on the door. Uncle Robbie told me that a bank loan was out of the question because my father tried a year ago and they turned him down. I was at a loss. With no grapes, there was no wine. No wine meant no sales and no sales meant no money. We’d be forced into bankruptcy, which would raise a red flag concerning the pension fund. An investigation would be launched and I’d be saying hello to my new jail cell.
Nathan and his damn proposal. Motherfucker. He was trying to take the company right out from under me. Swoop in and act like the hero he wasn’t. Deals always came with a price. Unfortunately, my price would be losing t
he company my father started when I was three years old. A company I wanted nothing to do with because I was so angry at him for betraying our family. But now that he was dead and left me in charge, I would have no choice but to make the responsible business decisions that he failed to do.
Chapter 20
Nathan
I didn’t think my proposal would go over well with her, but I didn’t expect her to storm into my office and call me names. Well, maybe I did. Was it wrong that I was turned on the whole time she was yelling at me? Regardless of what my feelings were for her, which, I’m not even really sure what they were, I had to make the best business decision possible.
“So, I take it she hated our proposal,” Will spoke as he stepped into my office.
“I guess so.” I sighed as I took a seat behind my desk.
“She’s a little spitfire, that one.” He smiled. “A very sexy little spitfire. I thought you had her under control. Maybe you should have waited until you fucked her a few more times.”
“I don’t think that would have mattered. She’s a strong woman with a strong personality.”
“So now what?” he asked.
“Give her some time. Let her calm down. Something was wrong with her when I walked into her office this morning. She was already stressed about something else and I have a feeling it was something serious.”
****
Climbing into the back of the limo after a late meeting with a client, I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed Fiona’s number. She had been on my mind all day and I wanted to make sure she was home and okay.
“Well, look who’s calling,” she answered. “The great savior Nathan Carter.”
“Fiona? Where are you? Are you drunk?”
“Maybe. Slightly,” she slurred. “Why are you calling me?”
There were loud voices in the background and music playing. I could barely hear her.
“Are you alone?” I asked.
“What’s it to you?”
“Answer the damn question, Fiona.”
“Don’t use that tone with me, mister. I’m out trying to harness my inner calm,” she slurred.
“Where are you?” I asked.
“Where are you? I have to go.”
She hung up on me, so I called her again. After the fourth ring, a man’s voice answered.
“Hello.”
“Who is this?” I asked in an abrupt tone.
“Joey, the bartender. Were you the one she was just talking to?”
“Yes. Where is she?”
“Sitting on a barstool in front of me at the Wolf and Crane Bar in Little Tokyo. She’s been here for four hours and she’s hammered. I can’t let her drive home. Can you pick her up?”
“I’m on my way. Don’t let her out of your sight.”
“I won’t.”
“And cut her off.”
“I already have, man, and she’s not happy.”
“I’m sure she’s not.”
I ended the call and looked at Jason.
“We’re going to the Wolf and Crane Bar in Little Tokyo to pick up a very drunk Fiona.”
“This should be interesting.” He smirked.
****
Fiona
“Come on, Joey. Fill it up. Please?” I whined as I leaned over the bar.
“Sorry, Fiona. I can’t. You’ve had enough. Listen, getting drunk because you had a bad day isn’t going to help you or anything. The only thing that’s going to come from this is a really bad headache in the morning and the feeling that you’ve been hit by a train.”
“Then I’m going somewhere else.” I haphazardly got up from the stool and fell back down onto it.
“Whoa.” Joey grabbed hold of my arm. “Sit tight and I’ll bring you another drink. But first, I have to take care of some other customers.”
“Okay.” I smiled as I laid my head down on the bar.
My head was spinning. The room was spinning and I felt a hand lightly grab hold of my arm. When I lifted my head, I saw Nathan standing there.
“Are you okay?”
“What are you doing here?” I slurred.
“Taking you home. You’ve had your fill for the night. Come on.”
“No!” I jerked my arm from him and fell over on the guy sitting next to me. “Oh, sorry.” I looked at him.
Joey walked over and looked at me. “Go home, Fiona, and get some rest.”
“How much does she owe?”
“One hundred fifty.”
“Jesus, Fiona.” Nathan looked at me and pulled out his wallet.
He threw some money on the bar, picked me up from the stool, and carried me to his limo. I was too tired to fight him and, at this point, I didn’t care. I just wanted to pass out. He slid in next to me and, instantly, my head fell onto his shoulder.
“I need to lie down,” I whispered as I lay my head across his lap.
His fingers brushed my hair from my face.
“You’re an asshole,” I slurred.
“I know I am.” He looked down at me. “Now be quiet and close your eyes.”
“Do you know that I hate redheads?”
“Why’s that?” he asked.
“My father’s mistress was a redhead before she changed her hair color to brown. The woman who John was cheating with on me is a redhead and a redhead got my promotion. Redheads have ruined my life.”
He lightly chuckled. “We’ll talk about the redheads another time.”
The way he was stroking my hair relaxed me as my eyes closed and I attempted to drift into a sound sleep.
****
Nathan
“Just drive home, Jason. She’s too drunk to be left alone.”
“Yes, sir.”
The only thing I could see as I stroked her soft blonde hair was the silhouette of her beautiful face as the moonlight shined through the window. She didn’t get like this just because of my proposal. There had to be something else going on and my proposal sent her over the edge.
Jason opened the door and I climbed out, picked her up, and carried her inside my house. She moaned as her arms wrapped around my neck and her head lay against my chest. Carrying her to the guest bedroom, I lay her down on the bed and removed her shoes. As I was unbuttoning her blouse, I couldn’t help but stare down at her beautiful breasts. Her eyes slowly opened and stared at me as she brought her hand to my face.
“Fuck me,” she whispered.
“If it were under any other circumstances, I would, but not tonight, beautiful. You’re too drunk and I would never take advantage of you that way.”
Her eyes closed and I removed her blouse and pulled off her skirt. Her body was perfection, a wonderland that I was desperate to revisit. My cock was twitching as I stared at her. Sighing, I got up from the bed and went into my room and grabbed a t-shirt. Lifting her up, I slipped it over her head and pulled the covers over her. Before I left, I softly brushed my lips against hers.
“Sleep tight, beautiful.”
Chapter 21
Fiona
Slowly turning my aching head, I opened my eyes, which felt like they were weighted down by heavy weights. Beige walls, fireplace, wall-mounted TV, two mocha-colored chairs that sat across from a beige-colored sofa, a square glass table and wooden floors were what my eyes saw. This was not my bedroom. Panic struck inside me as I lifted up the crème-colored sheet that covered me and stared at the black t-shirt I was wearing. Where the fuck was I? Oh my God, someone must have slipped me a roofie at the bar last night, brought me to his place, and had sex with me. I reached down and felt my panties were still intact. If we’d had sex, I would be naked, right? People who roofie other people don’t just casually dress them afterwards. My pounding head was racing with all sorts of thoughts. I had no memory of last night. The last thing I remembered was sitting on the barstool, telling the bartender about my shitty life and throwing back one drink after another. Shit. I couldn’t even remember what I was drinking.
I gulped as I slowly sat up. I could
smell the aroma of fresh brewed coffee. My stomach churned. I carefully got out of bed and tiptoed to the closed door, leaning my ear against it to see if I could hear someone. Looking over at the two door walls that sat in the corner, I walked over and stared out at the ocean. Wait a minute. This was Nathan’s house. Fuck my life. Walking into the bathroom, I stared at myself in the mirror and saw the mascara that was sitting beneath my red swollen eyes. Grabbing a washcloth, I ran it under cool water, soaped it up, and washed my face, hoping that somehow it would make me feel somewhat better. It didn’t.
Stepping into the hallway, I went to the kitchen, where I saw Nathan sitting at the island on his laptop.
“Good morning.” He turned and looked at me. “I’m sure I don’t need to ask how you’re feeling.”
“No. No, you don’t.”
“Go sit down outside. The fresh air will help you and I’ll bring you some coffee.”
“Thanks.” My lips gave way to a small smile.
Taking a seat in the lounge chair that faced the sand and the ocean, Nathan handed me a cup of coffee and took a seat next to me.
“How did I get here?” I asked as I slowly sipped from the cup.
“I picked you up and I felt you were too drunk to be home alone, so I brought you here.”
“How did you know where I was?”
“You don’t remember?” His eye narrowed.
“No.”
“I called you and you hung up on me, so I called back and the bartender answered your phone. He told me that I needed to come get you.”
“Oh. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Would you like to tell me why you got so inebriated yesterday?”
As I held the cup between my hands, I stared out as the waves crashed against the shoreline.
“I had a shitty day.”
“I know you did, but I know you being pissed off about my proposal was only half of it. What else happened?”
I looked over at him. “Did we have sex last night?”
The corners of his mouth slightly curved upwards. “No. Stop changing the subject.”
“How did I get in your t-shirt?”
“I took your clothes off and put it on you.”