Money Man's Fiancée Negotiation (10 page)

Ash’s hands curled into fists at his sides, and had he been standing within arm’s reach, he might have actually slugged Brock. “The idea that you would accuse Melody of all people of corporate espionage is the most ridiculous, not to mention
insulting,
thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Considering the way she took off, it just seemed a plausible scenario.”

“Yeah, well, you are
way
off base,” Ash said, taking a step toward him, all but daring him to disagree.

Brock put his hands up in a defensive posture and said, “Whoa, take it easy, Ash. I apologize for offending you, but put yourself in my position for a minute. Like I said, I
had
to ask. There’s a rumor that she didn’t leave on the best of terms, so I figured—”

“So we’re listening to rumors now? So should I assume that you’re screwing your assistant?”

Brock’s brow dipped in anger and Ash had the distinct feeling he’d taken this argument a step too far, then Brock’s attention shifted to the door.

“Mother, would it really be too much for you to knock before you enter a room?”

Ash turned to see Carol Maddox standing in the now-open doorway. Small and emaciated but a force to be reckoned with nonetheless. And oh, man, she didn’t look pleased. Of course, as long as Ash had known her, disappointment and contempt were the only two expressions that had ever made it through the Botox. In fact, he couldn’t
recall a single incidence when he’d seen her smile. She was probably one of the unhappiest, nastiest people he’d ever met, and seemed hell-bent on taking everyone else down with her.

“I need to have a word with you, dear,” she said through gritted teeth, or maybe the Botox had frozen her jaw. Either way, she looked royally pissed off and Ash was in no mood to get caught in the crosshairs.

“I take it we’re finished here,” he said, and Brock nodded curtly.

As Ash sidestepped around Mrs. Maddox to get to the door, he almost felt guilty. The remark about Brock sleeping with Elle didn’t seem to go over well with good ol’ mom. But that was what he got for accusing Melody of all people of leaking company secrets.

Even if Ash had told her about the campaign—which he definitely hadn’t—she was not the type to go selling the information to Maddox’s rival. And somewhere deep down he would always resent Brock for even suggesting that she would.

Wait a minute…

He gave himself a mental shake. Wasn’t he being a touch hypocritical? Why was he so dead set on defending the honor of a woman he planned to use, then viciously dump? This was the evil Mel they were talking about, right?

Because, although she may have betrayed Ash’s trust, it would be against everything he believed to castigate someone for something they didn’t do. And for this, she was completely innocent.

When he reached his office Rachel greeted him anxiously. “Oh,
there
you are. I’ve been calling you. Miss Trent called.”

“Sorry, I forgot my cell in my desk. What did she want?”

“She said she needed to talk to you and she sounded frantic.
Completely
unlike herself. She asked to have you call her immediately on her cell phone.” Melody
wasn’t
the frantic type, and that alone alarmed him. “Did she say why?”

“No. But I’m worried. She acted as if she’d never spoken to me before.”

That was because, as far as she knew, she never had. “I’ll call her right away.”

He stepped into his office, shut the door and dialed her cell. She answered before it even had time to ring on his end, and the stark fear in her voice made his heart drop.
“Ash?”

“It’s me. What’s wrong?”

“I need you to come get me,” she said, her voice quivering so hard he could barely understand her. His first thought was that maybe something had happened and she needed to be taken to the hospital.

“Are you hurt? Did you hit your head?”

“No, I just need a ride,” she said, then he heard the sound of traffic in the background and realized that she must not be at home. She’d said something about taking a walk when he left for work. Had she maybe walked too far and couldn’t make it back on her own?

“Mel, where are you?”

“The Hyde Street Pier.”

The Hyde Street Pier? That was
way
the hell across town from their condo. There was no way she could have walked that far. “How did you get over there?”

“Can you just come?” she asked, sounding desperate.

“Of course. I’m leaving right now. I’m ten minutes away.”

“I’ll be in front of the Maritime store right on the corner.”

Ash hung up the phone, grabbed his keys from his desk drawer, and as he passed Rachel’s desk he said, “I have to run out for a while. I’ll try to make it back this afternoon.”

“Is everything okay?” she asked, looking concerned.

“I’m not sure.” But he was about to find out.

M
elody didn’t have to remember her past to know that she had never felt so stupid or humiliated in her
entire
life.

She sat in the passenger seat of Ash’s car, wringing her hands in her lap, wishing she could make herself invisible. At least she’d stopped trembling, and now that her heart rate had slowed her head had stopped hurting, and she wasn’t dizzy anymore either. That didn’t stop her from feeling like a total idiot.

“Are you ready to tell me what happened?” Ash asked gently, looking away from the road for a second to slide her a sideways glance.

“You’re going to think I’m stupid,” she said.

“I won’t think you’re stupid.” He reached over and pried one hand free and curled it under his. “I’m just glad you’re okay. You scared me.”

She bit her lip.

“Come on, Mel.”

“I got lost,” she said quickly, immediately wishing she could take it back. But he didn’t chastise or make fun of her, not that she thought he would. It didn’t make her feel any less like a dope though. And to his credit, he sat there silently waiting for her to elaborate, not pushing at all.

“Remember I said I was going to take a walk?”

He nodded.

“Well, I felt so good, so full of energy, I guess I overestimated my endurance a bit. I got about a mile and a half from home—”

“A mile and a half?” His eyes went wide.
“Mel!”

“I know, but it felt so good to be in the fresh air, and it was mostly downhill. But then I started to get
really
tired, and the way back was all
up
hill. I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it back, so I got on a bus.”

“You knew which bus to take?”

“I thought I did. Unfortunately it was the wrong bus. It took me in the opposite direction of home, and by the time I figured it out I was
really
far. So I got off at the next stop and got on a different bus, but that one was going the wrong direction, too. It was such a strange sensation, like I knew deep down that I should know which bus to take, but I kept picking the wrong one.”

“Why didn’t you ask someone for help?”

“I was too embarrassed. Besides, I felt like I needed to do it on my own.”

“And they say men never ask for directions,” he said, rolling his eyes, and she couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“I rode around for a couple of hours,” she continued, “and finally got off at the pier. I had absolutely no idea where I was. I could have been in China for all I knew. Nothing looked familiar. And I guess…I guess I just freaked out. My heart was racing and I had this tightness
in my chest, like I was having a heart attack. Then my hands started going numb and I felt like I was going to pass out and that
really
scared me. That’s when I called you.”

“It sounds like you had a panic attack. I used to get the same thing when I was a kid, when I went in for my treatments.”

“Treatments?” she asked.

He paused for a second, then said, “Radiation.”

She frowned. “Radiation? What for?”

“Osteosarcoma,” he said, then glanced over and added, “Bone cancer.”

He had cancer? She’d had no idea. Well, she probably
did,
she just didn’t remember. “I know I’ve probably asked you this before, but when?”

“I was twelve.”

“Where was it?”

“My femur.”

“How long were you—”

“Not long. Eight months, give or take. They caught it early at my annual physical. A round of radiation and chemo and I was fine.”

She was pretty sure it hadn’t been as simple as he made it sound. Especially if he had been having panic attacks. “Do you worry…I mean, could it…come back?”

“If it was going to come back it would have a long time ago.” He glanced over at her. “If you’re worried I’m going to get sick and die on you, I’m probably more likely to be hit by a bus.”

“I didn’t mean that. I just…I don’t know what I meant. The question just popped out. I’m sorry.”

He squeezed her hand. “It’s okay.”

She could see that it was a touchy subject and she didn’t want to push it. She just hoped he didn’t think that
it would ever stop her from marrying him. She was in this for the long haul, until death do them part and all that. And speaking of marriage…

“I was wondering,” she said. “Is there a reason you wouldn’t tell people at work that we’re engaged?”

His shot a glance her way. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, when I called your office, and your secretary asked who it was, I said Ash’s fiancée, and she sounded really confused.”

“What did she say?”

“She said,
Ash’s what?
and I said,
Ash’s fiancée, Melody.
I got the distinct impression that she had no idea we were engaged.”

“We just haven’t officially announced it,” he said. “I asked right before you left on your trip, then you didn’t come back….” He shrugged.

“So you didn’t say anything to anyone.”

“It was the last thing on my mind.”

“Well, I guess that explains the pictures and the videos.”

“What about them?”

“I noticed that I wasn’t wearing my engagement ring in a single one. So now I know why.”

Melody looked over at him and Ash had a strange look on his face, as if he felt sick to his stomach or something.

“Is it okay that I said something to her? I mean, we have no reason not to announce it now. Right?”

“I’ve just been so swamped since we’ve been back, with everything at work, and the doctor’s office. The truth is, it completely slipped my mind.”

“But it is okay.”

He smiled and squeezed her hand again. “Of course.”

“Oh, good,” she said, feeling relieved. “Since I kind of
already did. To your secretary anyway. Do you think we should plan some sort of engagement party? Or at least call the wedding planner?”

“I think you shouldn’t worry about it until you’ve had more time to heal. There’s no rush. Look at what happened today when you got too stressed.”

He was right. She knew he was. It was just that she felt this need to get on with her life. This deep-seated urgency to move forward.

Give it time,
she told herself.
Eventually you’ll be yourself again.

When they got back to their building, instead of pulling into the underground lot he stopped at the front entrance.

“You have your key?” he asked.

She pulled it from her jacket pocket and jingled it in front of him. “You’re not coming up?”

“I really need to get back. You’re okay now, right?”

Sort of, but she wasn’t exactly looking forward to being alone. But she couldn’t be selfish. “I’m okay. Maybe I’ll take a nap.”

“I’ll call you later.” He leaned over and kissed her, but not on the cheek or forehead. This time he went straight for her lips. He brushed them softly with his, and she could swear her already shaky knees went a little bit weaker.

“I’ll see you later.” She got out and shut the door and watched him zip down the block and around the corner. Incidentally, she didn’t see him later. Well, not for more than a few seconds when he roused her with a kiss and said good-night.

From the light in the hallway she could see that he was still in his suit, and he had that fresh-from-the-office smell clinging to his clothes, so she knew he had just gotten
home. She peered at the clock and saw that it was after midnight.

At least tomorrow was Saturday. They could finally spend some quality time together. Maybe they could take a walk down by the water and have a picnic lunch at the park. She wondered if they had ever done that before. She drifted off to sleep making plans, and woke at eight feeling excited.

She got dressed and as she brushed her teeth she caught the distinct aroma of coffee. She had hoped to be up first, so she could surprise him with breakfast in bed. Looked as though he didn’t sleep in on the weekends.

She expected to find him in the kitchen reading the financial section, but he wasn’t there. He wasn’t in his bedroom either. Where had he gone?

She grabbed her cell off the counter and dialed his cell. He answered on the third ring. “Where are you?” she asked.

“Just pulling into the lot at work. I thought I would get an early start.”

“It’s Saturday.”

“And your point is?”

“I just…I thought we could spend some time together today.”

“You know I have a lot of catching up to do.”

“What about tomorrow?”

“Working.”

He was working on
Sunday?

Or was he? What if all these late nights and weekends, he was actually somewhere else?

“Ash…are you having an affair?” The words jumped out before she could stop them, and the second they did she wished them back.

And Ash responded just as she would have expected.
Bitterly. “That’s really something coming from…” He suddenly went dead silent, and for a second she thought the call had cut out.

“Ash, are you there?”

“Yes, I’m here, and no, I’m not having an affair. I would
never
do that to you.”

“I know. I’m sorry for even suggesting it. I’m just…I guess I’m feeling insecure, and lonely. I never see you.”

“I missed more than a week of work.”

Which was her fault, so she shouldn’t complain. That was more or less what he was saying. “I know. You know what, forget I said anything.”

“Tell you what, I’ll try to make it home in time for dinner tonight, okay?”

“That would be nice.”

“I’ll call you later and let you know for sure.”

“Okay. I—I love you, Ash.”

There was a sight pause, then he said, “Me, too. Talk to you later.”

She disconnected, feeling conflicted, asking herself the obvious question.
Me, too?
Given the situation, wouldn’t the more appropriate response be,
I love you, too?
Shouldn’t he be happy that, despite technically knowing him only a couple of weeks, she knew she loved him? Or maybe he thought she was just saying it because she was supposed to. Maybe that was his way of letting her know that it was okay not to say it if she wasn’t ready.

Or maybe she was just losing her mind.

She groaned and dropped her forehead against the cool granite countertop, which she realized was a really dumb move when her head began to throb.

Maybe the problem was that she just needed a purpose outside of Ash. She needed to get back to her education,
back to law school. She needed a life. Maybe then she wouldn’t care how little time Ash had for her.

If he really needed to be at work, why did Ash feel like such a jackass?

Mel was just going to have to learn that this was the way things were. The way it had
always
been. They had always led very separate lives. She was there when he had time for her, and when he didn’t she filled her days with school and shopping. And she had never had a problem with that before.

It made sense that being stuck at home would drive her a little nuts. What she needed was a car, and her credit cards back. That should make her happy.

He rode the elevator up to his floor, feeling better about the whole situation, and wasn’t surprised to see Rachel sitting there as he approached his office. She always worked half a day on Saturdays. Sometimes longer if there was a critical pitch in the works.

“G’morning, beautiful,” he said and she just rolled her eyes.

“Coffee?”

“Please.”

He shrugged out of his jacket and had settled behind his desk by the time she returned.

“How is Melody today?” she asked, setting his coffee in front of him.

“Better.” He’d given her a very vague explanation of yesterday’s event. He said only that she was out, and wasn’t feeling well, and didn’t think she could get back home on her own. Rachel hadn’t said a word to him about his and Melody’s supposed engagement. He didn’t doubt that she was simply biding her time.

“I’m a little surprised to see you here,” she said.

“Why? I always work Saturday.”

“Well, with Melody still recovering…”

“She’s okay. It’s good for her to do things on her own.”

Rachel shrugged and said, “If you say so.” And before he could tell her to mind her own business she was gone.

Melody was a big girl, and she had always been extremely independent. Once she had a car, and money to spend, she would stop giving him a hard time.

Instead of working he spent the better part of the morning on the phone with his regular car dealership, negotiating a deal. Because he was a regular and valued customer the salesman even offered to bring the model he was interested in over for a test drive. Unfortunately they didn’t have one in stock with all the options he wanted and had to ship it in from a dealership in L.A., but delivery was promised on Monday.

With that taken care of, he called to reinstate all the credit cards he’d cancelled when she left. With expedited delivery they would arrive around the same time as the car. By the time Rachel popped in at noon to let him know she was leaving, he was finally ready to start working.

“Stay home tomorrow,” Rachel told him. “Melody needs you just as much as these clowns do. Probably more.”

“Thanks, Dr. Phil.”

She rolled her eyes and walked out.

Not ten minutes later Brock rang him.

“I need you in the conference room now,” he said sternly. Considering his tone, this wasn’t going to be a friendly chat, and Ash was not in the mood to get chewed out again. He couldn’t even imagine what he’d done. Had Brock found something else to pin on Melody?

Dragging himself up from his desk, he headed down
the hall. The normally clear glass walls of the conference room were opaque, which in itself was not a good sign.

The door was closed, so he knocked.

“Come in,” Brock snapped.

Jesus, he so didn’t need this today. Ash sighed and pushed the door open, ready to tell Brock to go screw himself, and was nearly knocked backward by a roomful of people shouting, “Surprise!” at the top of their lungs.

He must have looked the part because after a beat, everyone started to laugh. They were obviously celebrating something, but he had no idea what. Had he gotten a raise that no one told him about?