Accidental Pregnancy, page 3
“Very well,” I say with a sharp nod. “When would you like me to go over there?”
“Today,” my father says.
“I’ll go now,” I reply.
I turn and leave, not waiting for an answer. This is my big chance, regardless of how unfortunate it all looks on paper. I’ll show my father that I do have what it takes. No one is going to stand in my way.
Not even him.
Chapter Four
Lyle
I whistle as I make my way into work. Last night was amazing, the morning was great and, on top of all that, Amanda gave me her number. She obviously would like to meet again. I would very much like that, too. Amanda is beautiful and fun to be with. I would like to know much more about her.
“You’re in a good mood,” my secretary, Alicia Herman, notes as I approach my office.
“I had a good night,” I laugh.
“Considering how black your mood was when you left, it must have been an amazing night,” Alicia says with an amused smile.
I grin at her. A fifty-year-old woman with blonde-gray hair and a zesty attitude. Alicia has been my secretary since I took over the company, and she worked for my father before that. I hand-picked her from the advertising department. She’s quick, efficient and always ready with a joke. She was exactly what I needed when I was struggling to figure out what to do next.
Now, in a world where most people look at me and see the money and the company that I inherited, Alicia, who is down-to-earth and more than willing to slap some sense into me, is one of my closest friends. It’s a rare thing, these days, for me to have a genuine friend. It was one of the worst things about becoming a billionaire; it allowed me to strip away the masks of everyone around me and discover just who was only in my life because of what I would one day inherit.
I smile at Alicia. It’s been a long, hard road to get here, full of disappointment, heartache and panic. I was close to giving up so many times. But I’m here, now, and I’m well on my way to making this company my own, rather than just a legacy that was left to me.
“Yeah,” I admit. “I might have met someone.”
“Yeah?” Alicia asks, perking up in interest; she knows how hard it is for me to date. “Who was she?”
“We only exchanged first names,” I explain, and Alicia nods in understanding; I never give out my last name until I know a little more about someone. “Her name was Amanda. She was amazing. She was so much fun to be with.”
“Are you going to see her again?” Alicia asks, grinning.
I beam.
“She gave me her number,” I say. “I definitely want to see her again. I want to find out more about her.”
“Just be careful,” Alicia cautions. “Remember Fiona?”
I wince. Fiona was a girl that I dated for three months last year. She begged me to buy things for her, and to pay for expensive trips. Eventually, I figured out that she was just using me as a cash cow, and that she had two other guys on the side. It was an unpleasant experience and told me just how dangerous the dating world now was to me.
“I haven’t forgotten,” I assure Alicia. It was impossible to forget. “I’ll be careful.”
“Good,” Alicia says with a nod. “Now, not to burst your bubble, but the representative from Tech Square Inc. is on their way.”
My mood instantly plummets. Damn it, I’d forgotten about that.
“What would you like to do?” Alicia asks.
“Send Brandon to my office,” I say, making a snap decision.
Alicia nods and picks up the phone. I sigh and enter my large office. So much for my great morning. Being thrown back into the politics of my rivalry with Tech Square Inc. is one way to ruin everything.
Brandon Waters doesn’t take long to arrive. He’s a tall man with broad shoulders and a rough beard. He’s the head of my management team and he’s very good at both keeping everyone in line and making sure everyone knows what they need to know. His organization skills are second only to Alicia’s.
He’s the perfect man for the job.
“You wanted to see me, sir?” Brandon asks, frowning in confusion at being summoned.
“The representative from Tech Square Inc. will be arriving soon,” I explain. “Since Alan Simmons cannot be bothered to meet me himself, I do not see that I have to meet the representative in person. Would you be comfortable representing us for this deal?”
Brandon’s expression clears and he nods. We both know that this is the only way to remain on equal footing with Tech Square Inc. right now.
“I’ve looked over the current documents and plans with the management, so I know what we’re aiming for,” he says. “I’d be more than happy to represent us.”
“Great, thank you,” I say with a nod. “Please keep me updated, and I expect a full report at the end of the day.”
“Of course,” Brandon says.
He leaves the office and I lean back in my chair. I know I’ve done the right thing by sending a representative on my behalf, just as Alan has done, but it makes me twitchy to have to sit back in the shadows on the biggest possible alliance I’ve ever tried to make. Making a working alliance with Tech Square Inc. is something my father never managed; if I can do it, I can truly say I’ve earned ownership of his company.
If I can do it.
My phone rings and I jump. I’m on high alert now, especially knowing what’s about to happen within this building at any moment.
“Yeah?” I say as I press a button.
“Alan Simmon’s representative is here,” says Alicia. “Brandon would like to know if there’s anywhere in particular that you’d like them to go.”
“Wherever they can find a place,” I say.
“I’ll let him know.”
She hangs up. Now that the representative is here, I have to fight the urge to go down there myself. This isn’t right; Alan and I should have been the ones talking this out and hashing out the deal. Try as I might, I just can’t figure out why Alan hasn’t come himself or invited me over there if he was worried about being in enemy territory. I know it’s common to send representatives at the beginning of dealings like these, but surely it would be better to go straight to the top for something so damn important?
Well, there’s nothing I can do about it now. I turn my computer on. Like every morning, I have several emails awaiting my attention. I still have other work to do, so I need to focus on that for the time being and forget about Brandon and the representative meeting right now downstairs. Brandon will give me a full report later, and I just need to wait until then.
Try as I might, however, I can’t focus. I try to read my messages and reply to them, but after the fifth mistake in the first reply, I give up. I’m not going to get anywhere until I’ve got a feel for what’s going on and what the representative is like.
Alicia looks up as I leave my office. There’s a knowing look on her face.
“They’re in the boardroom on the third floor,” she says.
I try to remember which one that is.
“The one with the glass walls?” I ask.
“That’s the one,” Alicia replies.
My staff know me far too well. I give Alicia a brief smile and then head to the elevator. The fact that the room has glass walls means I can’t get too close. As much as it irritates me to skulk around my own company, I don’t want the representative to catch sight of me in case they’ve seen me before.
The third floor is the advertising department, where Alicia used to work. Several people are rushing back and forth, though many of them either nod on their way past or pause to greet me briefly. With the advent of our newest venture into cell phones, each department has been thrown into disarray as they struggle to make two different plans; one depending on a collaboration with Tech Square Inc. and the other assuming there is no alliance.
The boardroom is at the south end of the floor. I can see it as I get closer, and I stay with a group heading the same way, hiding among them. Brandon is sitting at the table with someone, but I can’t quite see them. I do hear laughter, though, which is a good sign; it means things are going well.
Then I get closer and see the representative.
I almost stop. Common sense catches me at the last moment and I keep moving with the group, sweeping past the boardroom. I can’t take my eyes off the woman sitting at the table, eyeing her familiar long black hair and striking green eyes. I know I’m gaping, making several of the employees I’m walking with glance at me in confusion, but I can’t help it. My heart is thumping.
The Tech Square Inc. representative is Amanda.
As soon as I’m able to, I break from the group and dash toward the elevator. Several of my employees give way when they see me rushing forward. Normally, I would have waved them on, content to wait for the next elevator. Not today, though.
I wait, jittering, as the elevator takes me up to the top floor, fidgeting at each stop it makes. By the time it reaches the top, I’m the last one there, and I step out onto the floor. Alicia looks up with a smile that falls as she gets a look at my face.
“That bad?’ she asks sympathetically; she knows how much this deal has meant to me.
But suddenly, the deal is the last thing on my mind. I collapse into one of the waiting chairs, stunned and horrified.
“Do you know the name of the representative?” I ask hoarsely.
“The name?” Alicia asks, confused. “Ah… One moment. Yes, here it is. The representative is Alan’s daughter, Amanda Simmons…” She trails off and stares at me. “Oh my.”
“Oh my,” I agree.
The woman here to work on the collaborative deal with my company, the representative that has been sent from Energy Plus Co., is none other than Amanda, the same woman that I danced with and then slept with last night. The woman whose number is currently in my phone.
Oh my, indeed.
Chapter Five
Lyle
I have no idea what to do now.
“How the hell does something like this even happen?” I ask with a groan.
“It does seem a little like the plot of a movie,” Alicia agrees. She shakes her head. “I can’t believe you slept with Alan Simmons’ daughter. He’s going to murder you.”
“Not if she doesn’t first,” I groan. “Fuck, how could I not know what Amanda Simmons looks like?”
“To be fair, she didn’t seem to recognize you, either,” Alicia points out.
“Unless she knew all along, and she was just using me to make sure this deal goes through,” I say grimly. “This could all be a plot by Alan to ensure our alliance succeeds.”
“Normally, I’d agree with you,” Alicia says with a shrug. “But Alan was completely against the deal, remember? Although, maybe he figured you’d find out and pull the deal out of principal.” She glances at me. “All this depends on whether or not Amanda knows who you are, though.”
“How do I find out?” I ask slightly desperately; Amanda had seemed so real and genuine, it wouldn’t be fair if she turned out to be just as manipulative and money-grabbing as everyone else.
“Message her,” Alicia suggests. “You have her number. See how it goes.”
“She’s in a meeting,” I point out.
“Then wait for a reply,” Alicia shoots back.
I frown. It’s definitely the best option. Does Amanda know who I am, and is that the reason she slept with me last night? I need to know, badly.
“Fine,” I say, folding. “I’ll message her.”
I pull out my phone and open a blank message. I stare at it for a moment, wondering what to say.
“What would you have said to her if you didn’t know who she was?” Alicia asks.
Well, that’s easy enough. I start typing.
“Hey! This is Lyle, just sending you my number.”
“There,” I say. “She probably won’t reply for a while anyway. Then I’ll ask her some questions and try to figure out what’s going on.”
Alicia opens her mouth to reply. But then my phone rings out. Stunned, we both stare at it, and I open the message.
“Thanks! Talk later, in a meeting. So excited, tell you about it later so we can get to know each other!”
“Well,” Alicia says, blinking at the message. “Would she send that if she knew you owned the company she was here to meet?”
“I don’t know,” I confess. “It doesn’t seem like she knew.”
“Message her again later,” Alicia says. “Then maybe you’ll get some answers.”
I glance down at my phone.
“Maybe,” I say.
When Brandon comes up to my office, I’m waiting for him. Much of my work fell by the wayside today simply because I couldn’t concentrate on it, struck by the realization that I had slept with my rival’s daughter last night, and that she may or may not be aware of this.
“How’d it go?” I ask.
“Well,” Brandon says with a pleased smile, “the young man that Alan sent, Amanda, is bright, ambitious and willing to collaborate. With her at the helm, I believe we stand a much better chance of our collaboration succeeding.”
That’s great news. I only wish I could be happier about it. Part of me wishes that the deal would fall through, just so I wouldn’t run the risk of bumping into Amanda here.
“Great,” I say unenthusiastically.
Brandon frowns at me.
“Is everything alright?” he asks.
“Sorry, it’s just been a long day,” I tell him. “Thank you for doing that, Brandon. Will you be okay to continue representing us?”
“I’d be honored,” Brandon says, pleased.
He leaves the room and I sit back in my chair with a sigh, staring out the window. I still don’t have any idea what to do now.
Then my phone rings out.
I glance at the message. Of course it’s from Amanda. I don’t really want to read it. I feel odd, like I’ll be opening a Pandora’s Box if I do. But I liked Amanda from what I saw and experienced with her. I need to know whether that was all just an act.
“Sorry, meeting all done. I’m acting as a representative for my father in a hopeful alliance with another company. It went well so I’m hopeful!”
It definitely doesn’t sound like she knew who I was. Tentative hope starts to form as another message pops up.
“Want to get coffee? We owe each other an actual date ;)”
I can’t help but laugh. Damn, this woman is going to be the death of me. Every part of me knows that it wouldn’t be a good idea to see Amanda again. If she doesn’t know who I am, I certainly can’t tell her now, which would mean keeping that a secret. On top of that, I’d be putting the very deal I’ve been aiming for over the last few months in jeopardy.
But…
I remember Amanda’s smile and the way she laughed. Everything about her is magnetic. I was drawn to her from the moment I saw her. I don’t want to walk away and forget the night we had. I want to know more about her, make her laugh again and tell her about myself in return.
Can I do it? Can I get to know Amanda and keep my identity secret for a while, until I know for certain that she really does just like me for me? I would have to tell her eventually, of course, but maybe I can do this without letting her know just yet.
It feels dishonest and stupid. Dating the daughter of my rival when she doesn’t even know who I am? It sounds like a recipe for disaster.
On the other hand, I really liked Amanda. There has to be a way to do this where we can all win.
I look down at the message again. My fingers start moving without permission.
“Coffee sounds great. When are you free?”
Amanda replies almost immediately.
“Saturday afternoon? Around 2?”
“Sounds great,” I type back. “See you then.”
This is not going to end well, I think grimly. If Alicia was here, she’d definitely tell me how stupid this all is. I can’t believe I’m even contemplating it.
All I can do now is hope, really hope that it doesn’t all backfire on me.
Chapter Six
Amanda
I grin at the return message. I hoped that, in the light of day, Lyle would still want to see me. I was so happy to get his message earlier that I replied straight away, hiding my phone under the table like I was a schoolgirl again.
Now he’s agreed to meet me for coffee. This day couldn’t be going better. I met the representative of Energy Plus Co. (it didn’t surprise me, at all, to see that they sent a representative too), and he was kind and interested in making this collaboration work. At the moment, the contracts are in the beginning stages, but we listened to each other and everything looked hopeful for our next meeting.
I know I should return and tell my father all about it. But it’s late, so he can just wait until tomorrow to get a report. He’ll be expecting me to write something up, anyway, so I’ll do that tonight and give it all to him tomorrow. He probably won’t be happy to hear that the first day went so well, but I couldn’t care less. This is my job now, and I’ll do what I feel is best for the company.
I drive to my mother’s house. She and my father divorced when I was quite young, but they’ve always remained amicable for my sake, politely nodding or making small talk when they dropped me off at each other’s houses. Tonight, my mother has invited me for dinner, and I have quite a bit to tell her about.
When I get there, I rap smartly on the door, and beam at my mother when she opens it. Marie Sanders was once a national model, and she won many beauty contests in her youth. Now she runs a tiny, successful business of her own, carving and knitting projects that she then sells on, and occasionally taking commissions. She does well for herself and she’s very happy with her life.
