Or maybe my head was going to explode.
The legal jargon was making my brain hurt, and I looked at the notes I’d made. As the headache pounding at the base of my skull got worse, I grabbed a pen. There was only one way to proceed, really.
We needed to get a lawyer who specialized in this sort of thing to walk me through it. I made a note of that at the top of my list, and then after a moment added, call Tom.
He’d been with Cecily for so long, I imagined he had a good feel for all of this and if nothing else, he’d have a good idea of where to start. It'd be a lot easier if I wasn't trying to make it up as I went along.
The phone rang and I heaved out a sigh of relief when I saw the caller’s name.
“Hi, Fawna.”
“Why do you sound like a drowning woman?”
I’d taken over her position when I came to work for Dominic and while I was mostly doing okay, there were still times when I needed to call her with questions or just advice. Now that I thought about it, it probably wouldn’t hurt to bounce a few ideas about the charity concept off her while I had her on the line.
“Well…” I heaved out a breath. “Let me tell you what I’ve been doing.”
I gave her the short rundown. In the background, I heard the cute little burbles and coos coming from her grandson and the sound of it made me smile. I wanted to see the little guy. I hadn’t been able to get out there in a couple of weeks and I found myself itching to hold him again, to feel the warm, cuddly weight of him and smell that sweet baby smell. He'd been born premature and it had been touch and go for a while, but he was doing much better now.
When I finished explaining the idea Dominic had for the foundation and what I’d been doing, I held my breath and waited.
Fawna’s response was simple. “You need to get with a lawyer before you do anything else. The Winter Corporation does have a philanthropy arm. Just about every large business does. One of the attorneys there can help you get started.”
“Ah…well, yeah. I knew that.” I stuck my tongue out at the phone, rolling my eyes at myself, and I made another note on my list. Track down somebody at WC.
“Uh—huh.” She sounded amused now and I found myself smiling. “So how are you and Dominic?”
I knew without asking that she wasn’t asking about business things now, but personal matters. She'd been there for us when we'd first started figuring things out. In some ways, she was more Dominic's family than anyone else had ever been. I didn't know all of the details, but I did know she'd been his teacher once and she'd been one of the only ones who'd supported him through all of the shit he'd been through.
“We’re good,” I said, smiling. “It’s…a learning process. I guess that's the best way to put it. It’s not like relationships are his number one skill-set.”
“No. They aren’t. He’s got a big heart, but he hides it.” She sighed, sadness coming through. “I’m glad I brought you to him, Aleena. I’ll be honest, I was worried about this when he first told me about the two of you, but it seems to be working out well.”
“It is.”
I wasn’t so sure Dominic would like to know he’d just been described as being a big-hearted guy, but he was, whether he knew it or not. Somebody who didn’t care wouldn’t have searched so hard for his mother, or decided to invest his money in a foundation to help children. I thought maybe I’d tease him about it later. He didn’t always like it when I teased him. Sometimes it ended up with me over his lap. And I liked that. Either way, it would be a good thing.
“How are things going with Cecily?” Fawna asked.
That was harder to answer.
“Good, I think.”
Rising from the desk, I moved over to the window and stared outside. I was working from home today. I only went into the office with Dominic two days a week now unless there was something going on or he had meetings I needed to attend. I had his personal and business schedules synced down to the nth degree and as long as I kept him organized, things moved along fine.
The match-making agency was already a success from what I could tell, and the new branch he’d opened in Philadelphia just a few weeks ago was beginning to settle down under the new management.
Business-wise, everything was perfect in the land of Dominic Snow.
“And with Jacqueline?”
I had to grit my teeth to keep from saying any of the dozen uncomplimentary things that leaped to my tongue. Jacqueline St. James-Snow was a racist, elitist bitch, but she did love her son. So did I. That was one thing we had in common and because of him, I tried to behave myself. Even when I wanted nothing more than to give her a piece of my mind. Again.
“He isn’t talking to her a lot,” I confessed to Fawna. “He talks to Cecily several times a week, emails her. I think Jacqueline has called him two or three times, but he never talks to her long. This has driven a wedge between them.”
“She probably feels guilty,” Fawna said. “Jacqueline's not a woman who handles guilt well. I imagine she’s tried a hundred ways to shift that guilt to somebody else, but in the end…well, she’s not a fool. She knows Cecily, knows what the woman has done, and all because of the child she thought she lost. It must be a terrible burden.”
“Don’t make me feel sorry for that woman,” I muttered. Closing my eyes, I leaned forward and pressed my forehead to the window.
“You don’t have to like her to feel sympathy.” Fawna chuckled. “I imagine you already feel some, or you would have brushed my question aside.” She was silent for a moment and when she spoke again, her voice was softer. “I think I’ll call her. Losing my daughter…well, it’s made me look at life a lot differently. Maybe this was the wake-up call Jacqueline needed to shift her priorities around.”
I made a face, but didn’t say anything. It would take a hell of a lot to make Jacqueline wake up, but if Fawna wanted to try, who was I to stop her? Maybe she'd have a better shot than the mixed-race girl from small-town Iowa. Jacqueline tolerated me, that was about it.
Fawna changed the subject. “I’ve seen you and Dominic in the paper several times.”
That was enough to make me smile. “He keeps dragging me out on dates.”
“And you look so put-upon when I see pictures of you.” Fawna sounded dryly amused. “And Dominic, you can tell he’s not having any fun at all, the poor man.”
I snorted, because I’d seen a few of the pictures myself and in almost every one, Dominic had been looking at me, smiling. The look on my own face had been nothing short of smitten.
When Fawna and I ended the call nearly twenty minutes later, my headache was gone, but my belly was rumbling. Wandering into the kitchen, I opened the refrigerator and pondered the idea of making us dinner instead of heating up one of the entrees Frisco had put together for us over the weekend.
Before I had a chance to decide, there was a call.
“Miss Aleena, it’s Stuart.”
I smiled. Stuart was one of the doormen downstairs, and one of the nicest guys I knew. “How are you doing today, Stuart? How’s the baby?”
“Getting bigger every day, Miss Aleena. Listen, there’s a guest here to see Mr. Snow. I—”
“Would you please just send me up already?”
The woman's voice was impatient, annoyed. Definitely someone used to getting what she wanted, and I had no doubt a woman coming to Dominic's penthouse wanted only one thing.
Too bad there was no way in hell she was going to get it.
I used my best sugar-sweet voice. “It’s okay, Stuart. You can send her up. I’ll handle this.”
“Ah…” There was a world of nerves and reluctance in that one sound.
I smiled. “Trust me, Stuart. I can handle this.”
“All right, Miss Aleena.” He still sounded unsure. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“I'll do that.”
I answered the door wearing the exact same clothes I’d put on that morning, a pair of skinny jeans and a loose-fitting shirt that draped o
ff one shoulder. The clothes were casual and comfortable, and in no way did I look like a million bucks. That was fine. Over the last few weeks, I’d become more comfortable in my own skin, more confident. Most of the people Dominic knew were decent enough, if not somewhat shallow. The ones who looked down their noses at me…well, they were the ones with the problem, and even if I'd been wearing one-of-a-kind designer dresses and million dollar jewelry, they'd look at me the same way.
Again, that was their problem.
With a pleasant smile on my face, I opened the door and leaned against the doorway, looking up into the eyes of the brunette standing there with an expectant look on her face. She crowded in closer, clearly expecting me to let her in. I didn't budge.
“Can I help you?” I asked, my tone polite.
“I’m here to see Dominic.” She looked a little less certain when I didn’t back away and, after a moment, she took a step back.
Her nose wrinkled and she took a moment to look me up and down before pursing her lips. She’d slicked her pretty mouth with a dark shade of red and the effect was rather striking against her fair skin. Light brown hair was pull up into a high pony tail, revealing her bare neck.
I remembered her, and I'd seen a hell of a lot more of her body than I'd ever wanted to.
Even if I didn't remember her, I wouldn't have had to guess why she was here. The snug fitting black leather dress made her intentions pretty clear. There was a front and back panel to the skimpy piece and the panels were held together by little leather straps that crisscrossed up and down her sides, leaving a lot of bare skin.
I thought about the moments I’d hidden in the shadows, watching as Dominic touched her, as he came inside her. Something twisted inside me and I pushed the memories away. That was the past.
“Is there something you need?” I asked when she didn’t answer me.
“Yes.” She smiled slowly.
I was pretty sure she'd just decided that I was the help.
“My name's Maya, and I know Dominic. From the Hamptons. I'm in the city for the day and stopped by to...see him.”
“Well, I’m afraid you’re out of luck, Maya.” I returned her smile even though it was a bit harder now.
“He isn’t in?”
“Well, there is that.” I shrugged lazily and continued to smile at her as something lit in her eyes. Speculation.
Then her gaze narrowed and she moved back toward me, closing the distance. She wore a pair of spiked stilettos which put her well above my own five feet, five inches. Now she tried to use that height to intimidate me. What she didn't know was that better and scarier people than she had tried and failed.
“Listen, darling,” Maya said. “I’m a special friend of Dominic’s. Now if he isn’t in, just say so. But if he is, I suggest you step out of my way.”
“Listen, darling,” I said, mocking her tone. “Dominic doesn’t have special friends anymore. He’s taken. Very much taken.”
Her mouth fell open. As she stood there gaping at me, I pressed the button located on the speaker just inside the door. Stuart’s voice came on. “Yes, Miss Aleena?”
“Maya will be leaving now if you want to send up the elevator. If she comes by again, she’s not to be allowed up.”
“You little—”
The elevator doors slid open and Maya spun around.
Both of us watched as Dominic stepped out.
Chapter 5
Aleena
Maya started toward him, but Dominic held up his free hand before she'd gone more than a couple of steps. There was a small, pale blue bag in his other hand, snowy white tissue paper spilling elegantly from the top. My gaze strayed to it even as his eyes slid from Maya’s face to mine, then back.
Maya stopped at his command without saying a word. She automatically lowered her head and clasped her hands behind her back. I managed not to roll my eyes at him as he cut around her and came to stand in front of me. The blue bag bumped against my knee. There was something hard inside it.
“You left work early to go shopping?”
“I did. And you…are you causing trouble?” he asked, his voice low and warm. But the look he gave me was cautious, easy to read. He was worried about what I was thinking.
I wasn't going to keep him waiting. I rose up on to my toes and lifted my mouth to his, waiting for him to close the rest of the distance to make it clear that we were equal in this. I made it a slow, deep kiss, nothing inappropriate or obscene, but enough to show how we felt.
I smiled at him as I broke the kiss, letting my fingers linger on the back of his neck. “I've been a good girl. I promise.”
His eyes darkened for a moment and then he turned to Maya as he slid his arm around my waist. Her confused gaze slid back and forth between us.
“I wasn’t aware you were planning to come by, Maya,” Dominic said, his voice polite, but cool.
“I…” She swallowed and looked back at me, a lost look coming into her eyes.
When she didn’t say anything else, I ran my hand down Dominic's back in a purposefully possessive gesture. “I was just explaining to Maya, that while she might have been…friendly with you in the past, the two of you won’t be having any more playdates, either here or in the Hamptons.”
I don’t know who looked more surprised by the matter-of-fact statement, her or Dominic. He slid me a questioning look and I lifted my chin, holding his gaze.
I didn't hesitate or say it as a question. “You’re mine.”
“Yes, I am.” A smile curled his lips and then he looked over at Maya. “It’s best that you go now, Maya.” His tone was gentle, but not caring.
I didn’t wait around to hear anything else.
Turning on my heel, I moved back inside.
Dominic joined me in the kitchen a few moments later. I'd poured myself a glass of wine, but had left his empty. The wine was cool and sweet and I breathed out a little sigh of relief at the careful look on Dominic’s face. He wasn't annoyed or angry at how I'd handled things and I was glad, because if he had been, we would've had an issue.
Not that I was in a particularly good mood at the moment either. Sure, Maya had left and Dominic had made it clear that we were together, but there was still a part of me that got a bit nauseous when I thought about all of the women in Dominic's past. It didn't make it any easier that I'd had a front-row seat to some of that past.
“You know that I didn’t really have anything with Maya,” he said as he set the blue bag on the island that separated us.
I arched my eyebrow.
“Aleena, it was just physical. That’s all.”
Oh…he thought I was mad.
I met his eyes over the rim of my glass. The fact that he was worried about how I felt eased away the rest of my negative feelings.
“I know that. I knew it without you telling me.”
Setting the glass aside, I moved across the kitchen. The island still separated us and I leaned forward, bracing my elbows on it. He still looked like he wasn't entirely sure what to expect.
“It isn't you,” I said quietly. “It's her. She came here looking for you and she wasn’t going to get you. You’re mine.”
“So you told her.” A faint smile cracked his face and he moved a little closer, taking up the space on the island opposite where I stood. He pushed the bag between us. “I can’t say I’ve ever had a woman lay down a claim like that before.”
“Is there a problem?” I lifted my chin. He may have been Dominant in the bedroom, but I'd told him that wasn't going to be the case outside it.
He reached out and stroked his thumb across my lower lip, a thoughtful expression in his eyes. “I can’t say there is. If anybody else had ever tried to do it, I think I would have been pissed off. But Aleena…I am yours.”
“And I’m yours,” I said, curling my hand around his wrist, pressing my fingers against his pulse. I loved the fact that his heart sped up when I touched him.
“I bought this for you.” He nudged it toward me and
I looked down, eying the bag nervously.
Straightening from the counter, I reached inside the bag and began to take out the tissue paper, smoothing each piece before removing the next. Finally, I had it all out, revealing a blue box at the bottom, the same shade of blue as the bag. It was bound with white ribbon, almost as wide as it was long. It had some weight to it when I lifted it.
Slowly, I peeked inside and a gasp slid out of me as light sparkled off the diamonds that lay on the bed of deep blue velvet.
“I saw this piece and couldn’t help but think how it would look on you.” His voice was low.
Unable to speak, I touched the delicate work of silver and metal, running my fingers across the intricacy of it.
“It’s beautiful,” I said, barely able to find the words. I angled the box and the light overhead fractured in a hundred rainbows as it hit the diamonds. “The metal…it practically glows.”
“It’s platinum. Stronger than gold.”
I just nodded. It could have been made from aluminum and cubic zirconia and I would have felt the same, all because he’d thought of me. Carefully, I lifted it and the metal links slid fluidly in my hands.
“Let me.”
I looked up as Dominic came around the island and took the necklace. Lifting my hair, I let him put it on. It was a wide piece, probably close to two inches long and designed in a sort of cage-work design with diamonds worked into it. When he fastened it around my neck, the weight of it was solid against my chest.
No way I’d forget it was there.
He turned me around and I looked up at him, emotion choking me.
“I can only ask you to wear your collar in certain places without people asking questions or at least wondering,” he said softly. “But this one...the next time we’re invited to a formal event, you can wear this and when I look across the room and see it on you, I’ll remember this very minute. Remember giving it to you only moments after you’d made it clear that I was yours.”
“And I’m yours,” I said, holding his gaze.
“Show me.”
His mouth came down on mine and I moaned into his kiss, weakness and want turning my muscles limp. I clung to his neck as he scraped his teeth along my bottom lip, a moan escaping me. I made a surprised noise as he swept me up in his arms, but I didn't stop kissing him until he laid me down on the couch.