Wife by Wednesday
Women are emotional creatures. Pregnant women more than most. She needed time to blow off some steam. He understood that, but she'd come back.
Yet as the minutes rolled into an hour and the one hour into two, Blake knew his omission weighed on his wife a lot more than he could imagine.
When his phone rang an hour later, he jumped to answer it.
"Samantha?"
"It's Jeff. Sorry, I can call back if you're expecting another call."
The last person he needed to speak with was his lawyer. Blake swirled the triple malt scotch around in his glass before tilting the amber liquid back in his throat. "What is it?"
"Are you okay? You sound like shit."
"Thanks."
"Okay, not in the mood for chit-chat. Just thought you'd like to know that my PI saw Vanessa corner Samantha in a department store today. According to him, Vanessa seemed a little aggressive, but instead of leaving angry, Samantha left upset."
Vanessa?
"Did your guy hear the conversation?"
"No. He doesn't get that close. Is everything okay?"
Blake's mind ticked. Vanessa must have known about the will… but how. So that's how Sam found out about the will.
Then the image of the woman in the picture swam in his eyes. "Fuck… the woman…"
"What?"
"In the picture with Vanessa… Leona… no, Neo… Naomi. Naomi something. Works as a fucking secretary for Parker and Parker." Blake slapped a hand to his forehead. "Vanessa knows the legal secretary for Parker, Jeff."
"Your ex knows the right hand to your father's lawyer?"
"Which means Vanessa knew all along about my father's will." No wonder the woman was so willing to be a duchess.
"You think she was behind the cameras in Samantha's apartment?"
"I'd bet good money on it."
"So what did she say to your wife?"
"Enough to make her leave." No use sugar coating the situation. It wasn't as if Jeff wouldn't be one of the first to know if there were legal trouble.
"Left? What do you mean?"
"Never mind. I'll get in touch in a few days. In the meantime, draft a letter to Parker dictating that a breach in confidentiality might render anything from his office null and void." Dammit. He was a tyrant. No better than his dead father. Even now, in the midst of losing his wife, his child, he thought about the eventual end.
"On second thought, do nothing. No, wait… I need you to do something else."
Blake spelled out his wishes, leaving no doubt what he wanted to happen.
An hour later, Blake found himself in front of his computer. He'd opened his browser expecting to see if Samantha had used it to find a flight to California.
When the history pointed to websites about condoms and pregnancy rates associated with them, he took a step back.
If Vanessa knew about the will, she knew about the need for an heir… Vanessa would have manipulated a pregnancy with him if she'd been given enough time. Thankfully, Blake had met Sam and put an end to his relationship with Vanessa. All that was left of that woman was the boxes of condoms she'd left behind.
"Sonofabitch!"
Blake shoved out of the chair and rushed into the bedroom. The box of leftover condoms in the drawer only had two in the box. He lifted a package to his eye, didn't see a thing, and then held it to the light.
Heat slammed into his chest when he saw a pinprick hole through the middle. Oh, God. "Samantha."
His wife must have found these and thought the worse of him. And why not? It wasn't as if he told her the condoms had come from an ex.
Dammit, what was she thinking? She probably thought he was worse than Dan, just another man in her life who let her down, one who lied to get what he wanted. He wanted to call her back, force her to listen to him. What proof did he really have?
The image of Vanessa shot into his mind and his pissed meter struck an all time high. The anger he had for his father was a walk in a meadow compared to his need for revenge on his ex lover.
Blake picked up the phone and called in a few favors.
"Carter… I need you to do something for me."
****
Twenty-four hours later Blake stood in front of the exclusive high-rise condominium complex, twisting his hands so hard Samantha would be proud. Not going to her had been hell. But he wouldn't confront Sam until Vanessa paid for what she'd done.
The sickly sick floral perfume that followed Vanessa wherever she went arrested his nose before he saw her. His heartbeat sped, not because of any residual feelings or desires for the woman, but with a deep-seated hatred. If she ruined his chances of a future with his wife, he'd find a way to ruin her. He made the promise to himself as he pushed away from the building and caught Vanessa's arm.
She gasped, twisted toward him, and then relaxed when she recognized the face behind the hand. "Blake? Darling, how are you?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Carter, who had several friends in the NYPD, and an undercover detective walk into the high-rise, completely undetected by the woman in front of him.
"I wondered if you had a minute." His skin crawled just thinking of being agreeable to her for the time it took the officers to search her home.
Her guarded expression shifted, as if she was unsure of what Blake was going to do. Their last encounter had been less than pleasant, but he didn't want her running off.
"I didn't think we had anything more to say to each other."
"I wanted to thank you for your warning," he rolled the lie off his tongue so easily even he believed it.
"Warning? About what?"
"About Samantha not being happy until she owned my soul. I thought I could do a nice quiet marriage, nothing packed with too much emotion or loyalties…" he let his words trail to see what Vanessa would do with the baited hook.
"Oh, Blake." She removed her sunglasses and sent him a pointed stare. She pushed out her lower lip with an expression that mirrored sympathy. "What happened?"
"I'm not sure. This pregnancy. I wasn't expecting it; it isn't like we weren't careful." He glanced around them, pulled her away from prying eyes, and lowered his voice for effect. "How can a woman get pregnant using condoms? I doubt it isn't mine… but…"
Vanessa hung her head. "Oh, my… I heard once of a woman tampering with the condoms to ensure a pregnancy. Do you think she'd do something that severe?"
Blake closed his eyes, thankful his sunglasses hid the majority of his expressions. Bile bubbled in the back of his throat. What a vengeful bitch. He sent a mental signal to whoever was watching for the men in Vanessa's apartment to hurry the hell up. Every second in this woman's presence was one Blake wasn't sharing with his wife.
"I can't imagine…" he said.
"I should be angry at you. After all you up and married her shortly after we'd…"
Blake sighed. "I…" the phone in his pocket buzzed. He shifted it to his palm and read Carter's text. Got her!!!
The lie he'd been about to spew died on his tongue. Instead, he let the truth sing. "I love her."
"What?"
"Love. Trust. Things I never felt with you."
Vanessa, who had moved closer than he ever wanted her to be again, shifted back. The color in her face drained.
"You just said – "
Blake removed his glasses, let the tightness in his jaw show as his eyes narrowed to daggers. By Vanessa's expression, she felt them deep into her core.
"We've named you Viper. Do you know that, Vanessa?"
"What?"
"Your venom has poisoned enough. Did you really think you'd get away with it? Right now, in your condo, the police have searched and found everything they need."
Vanessa started to edge back. Her stiletto heels caught and she nearly fell. As she righted herself, her eyes turned to pure hatred. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, I think you do."
Blake noticed a black and white pull up along the sidewalk.
Vanessa's eyes shot to the police and back to him.
"I did nothing illegal."
She'd hired people to do her dirty work. The man posing as a worker to plant cameras in Samantha's apartment. Taking illicit photos of him and his wife. He'd find whatever legal means he could to make her pay. "We'll let the courts decide that." She might not spend years behind bars, but Blake wanted every man who crossed the Viper's path to know what kind of snake she was.
****
Eliza had pushed her boyfriend out the door when she'd found him snooping through her files about the new female clients she'd rounded up for Alliance. That left room in Eliza's apartment for two brooding women who needed to spend their time discussing the merits, or lack thereof, of men.
Unlike any other time, Samantha wasn't able to do anything more than eat, sleep, and stare out into the courtyard and watch people walk by.
The first night back in California, she'd shifted a cot next to Jordan's bed in her room and did her best to sleep.
She'd screwed things up. She'd have the money to take care of her sister. But in the end, Samantha had a new responsibility. A child would come into this world, born of a selfish, domineering father and a mercenary mother.
What a pathetic pair they were.
And all for what?
Samantha could have made things work, could have managed to take care of Jordan without Blake's millions. But the simple way was to take his offer and color her life easier.
The bone-deep pain inside her chest simply didn't let up. At one point, she considered calling her doctor, thinking something must be wrong, but then she realized a broken heart held physical pain to the degree she hadn't felt since her mother's death.
Three days after her arrival home, Eliza had left Samantha alone to brood in peace.
When a knock sounded on the front door, she stared at it. She wasn't expecting anyone so she continued to sit on the couch without moving. The knocking continued until she forced herself to her feet.
Although she expected Blake at some point, seeing him standing in a worn shirt, faded tan slacks, and a five o'clock shadow cut open a weeping wound.
"What are you doing here, Blake?"
"We need to talk."
The tears were all dried up, and she refused to give their child any more stress than it had already been given.
"I don't have anything more to say."
As she started to shut the door, Blake's foot stepped over the threshold, stopping it. "I love you."
Samantha's hand hovered in the air. She shut her eyes against the pain his words evoked. Another day, another time, she'd have thrown herself in his arms with his confession, now they came too late.
Even if he did love her, it didn't change a thing.
"Did you hear me?"
"Why are you doing this to me?" The pain in her chest started to swell. Her breath caught and threatened to choke the air clogging into her lungs.
"Five minutes, Samantha. Give me five minutes. Please."
Had she ever heard Blake beg for anything?
She opened the door wider, and accepted his presence in the room.
He handed her a paper. "Look at page three."
"What is it?"
"Just look."
Samantha tipped the pages to where he directed and noticed a picture of the Viper and another unidentified woman being escorted into a police station. "What is this?"
"Vanessa used her friend at my father's lawyer's office to obtain confidential files regarding the will."
Which explained why the woman knew about the will and Samantha was left in the dark.
"So?"
"I found the condoms, Samantha. All of them."
Samantha shook her head and lifted her uncertain eyes to Blake's. "All of them?"
"Vanessa wanted to trap me into marriage. She knew I needed an heir before I did. She concocted a story about a latex allergy and supplied me with condoms. I had no idea she'd altered every one of them. She went so far as to open the boxes and glue them back together."
Blake was standing closer now, his hands reached out to take hers. As the shock of his words washed over her, Samantha stared absently at his chest.
"Vanessa poked holes in the condoms?"
"It wasn't me."
Her mind clogged with the new information. Samantha backed away, dislodging her hands from Blake's and sat on the sofa. The picture of Vanessa surrounded by the police solidified Sam's belief that the woman was a snake.
"The police found files on Vanessa's computer, video files, of us."
The woman was sick. Blake was lucky to escape her clutches. But her actions didn't excuse his. "Why didn't you tell me about the will?"
Blake sat on the table facing her. When his hands came to rest on her knees, she jumped. A hurt expression flashed on Blake's face before he moved his hands away. "At first I wanted to see if there was some way around it. When my lawyer exhausted his resources, I planned to tell you. When I arrived home, I found you in the bathroom declaring war on the condoms. One day bled into the next and it just didn't seem important any longer."
"That's no excuse."
"I know that now. But it's the truth, Samantha. It wasn't until last week when I saw my father's lawyer that I thought I'd need to say something to you. The risk of losing you kept my lips sealed." Blake dared another touch, this time she didn't flinch. His pleading eyes sought hers. "I'm sorry. I should have done so many things differently. And if you'll give me another chance, I promise to never keep anything from you again."
Samantha's lip started to tremble, so she sucked it into her mouth to control it. Blake's explanation, his motivations, were understandable. But the truth was, their marriage was still one of convenience… destined to end in heartache. Now or later, but it had an end date on it. Living with that open-ended question wasn't something Samantha could do any longer. It wasn't fair to either of them… or the baby.
"Can you forgive me?"
Samantha closed her eyes and when she opened them, stared deep into Blake's. "I forgive you."
He started to smile, but Sam shook her head.
"Blake, wait. I can't do this. I thought I'd be able to play house, play wife and be able to leave after the year was up, but I can't."
"But – "
"No, wait," she cut him off. "I know you didn't want emotional attachment, but I couldn't help falling in love with you any more than I could stop breathing and survive."
This time when Blake lifted his lips into a smile that reached all the way to the sparkling grey of his eyes, there was no holding it back. "You love me?" he whispered.
"Which is why we need to end things now," she explained.
Blake closed his eyes, shook his head, and let out a gasp. "What?"
"It's hard enough being pregnant, this pain in my heart, the not knowing if you're going to decide to make good on the end date of our marriage contract, isn't something I can life with." Even looking at him now caused her heart to skip. How could she go through the next eight months thinking he'd ask her to leave?
"Did you hear me say I love you?"
"Yes but – "
Now he held up a finger to her lips and silenced her. "I love you, Samantha Harrison, and if you're waiting for the day I ask you to leave my life, you'd best be willing to wait a lifetime. I've already had Jeff draw up my will. The one that gives you and our baby everything if something were to happen to me."
"What?"
Instead of explaining himself, Blake bent down on one knee and lifted her hand to his lips for a tender kiss. "This might be ass backwards, but will you marry me? Not because of some contract, a will, or money, but because you love me and want to be my wife for now and forever?"
"What?" Her voice dropped a full octave, which for her was deep.
"You've made me a better man, Samantha. Say you'll marry me."
"Oh, Blake…" She knelt down beside him. "We're already married."
He smiled, caught her face in his hands. "Is that a yes?"
She loved him so much. Saying no wasn't an option. "Forever is a long time."
"A very long time. Some times are bound to really suck." His word reminded her of their previous conversation.
"Only you can't back out, no matter how sucky things get."
He placed his lips on hers, tender, caring. "Say yes."
"I thought I already did."
Blake caught her in his arms and deepened their promising kiss. The headache and heartache of the last several days started to fade and a flutter swelled deep inside her stomach.
Samantha gasped and pulled away from Blake's kiss.
"What is it?" he asked, alarmed.
"The baby. I felt the baby." She waited, placed a hand over her stomach, and felt the fluttering sensation again. She grasped Blake's hand, but knew the movement was too tiny for him to feel.
"I think it's her way of saying she approves," Blake said against Sam's ear.
"Her? You think it's a girl?"
"Women are emotional creatures. Taking this time to show herself is her way of telling us to stay together."
Sam laughed. "You think so?"
"Maybe, or it's a boy and he's trying to kick some sense into both of us."
"Boy or girl, with us as parents, this child is bound to be pushy to have their needs met."
"I love you, Samantha."
As Blake lowered his lips to hers again, Samantha's only thought was of her love for her not so temporary husband.