Married by Midnight (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series, #12) (13 page)

“Thanks, bro.”  Reed sighed then as another thought crossed his mind he lifted his head and stared at Max through narrowed eyes.  “Mom and Dad, they don’t know about this, right?”

“Not unless you told them,” Max said.  “They got nothing from me.”

Reed nodded.  “Good.  Since this wasn’t one of my proudest moments let’s keep it that way.” 

***

“N
o,” Golden sobbed.  “No.”  She put her fingers to her lips, fighting to keep the sobs from turning into wails.  Her worst nightmare had come true.  Claire had suffered a massive stroke and it was all her fault.

Golden lowered her head as she sat by the hospital bed holding Claire’s limp hand.  She’d gotten the call from the nursing home early that morning.  Apparently, Claire had given them her contact information, probably telling them that Golden was her emergency contact person.

Without hesitation she’d dropped everything and gone straight to the hospital.  Workday or no workday, she had to be by Claire’s side.  She would just have to catch up on her assignments some other time.

But now that she was here there was nothing she could do but sit.  And wait.  And worry.  What if Claire never regained consciousness?  What if, God forbid, she passed on?

At the thought, Golden’s lips began to tremble again.  No, that wouldn’t happen.  It couldn’t.  She didn’t know how she would bear it.

What made it worse, it was because of what she’d done that Claire lay there suffering.  If only she hadn’t tried to be her savior.  If only she hadn’t meddled.  It must have been the stress of her fight with Marjorie that had taxed her system.

Marjorie.  As her thoughts turned to Claire’s daughter Golden had to wonder why Marjorie wasn’t there.  She could only guess that when Claire had given them her contact information she had removed her daughter’s.

And now she was faced with another dilemma.  Should she leave things as is and keep Marjorie in the dark or should she call her and sink back into the troublesome role of meddler?  Golden didn’t know what to do, not when it was her meddling that had brought this on in the first place.

A
fter an exhausting day and night at the hospital it was with relief that Golden finally witnessed Claire open her eyes.  Quickly, she got the nurse who wheeled Claire into an examination room where the doctors ran a battery of tests before announcing that she was on the road to recovery.  They admitted that she’d pulled out of the crisis a lot better than expected with no sign of any permanent damage.  It was this pronouncement that made Golden feel confident enough to leave.

As tired as she was, Golden had no choice but to head for home where she showered and dressed and then headed straight to work.  She had already missed a full day at the office and her conscience would not allow her to take any more time off.  Feeling like something Sir Winston had dragged in from the gutter she stumbled to her car, blinked then set off down the road.

To Golden’s surprise, Reed was in the office when she arrived.  At the sight of him all traces of her exhaustion vanished and her body perked up, attuned to his presence.  In fact, much to her astonishment and confusion, her nipples went hard inside her bra, making her drop her gaze nervously, wondering if he had seen the hard buds beneath her blouse.  She would just die if he had.

Thankfully, although he was now standing across from her desk, he didn’t seem to notice.  In fact, not only did he not see what was going on inside her blouse, it was apparent that he was not even noticing her at all.

Golden had expected a little excitement upon Reed’s return or even some level of interest.  She had missed him so much when he’d been gone. Hadn’t he missed her?

Apparently not.  Today he seemed so cool, so distant, that she began to wonder if she’d done something wrong.

And then she realized what it must be.  She’d not shown up for work the day before and she hadn’t called to report her absence.  She should have, she knew.  She should have made a report to the human resources department.  Yes, she should have done all that but in her distress she’d totally forgotten about office protocol and now he was cross with her for it.

“Reed,” she said, her voice hesitant, “I have to apologize.  Yesterday when my best friend was rushed to the hospital I ended up spending all day and night there.  I didn’t make it to work and I didn’t call in.  I’m so sorry.  I’ll work this weekend to make up for it.”

He waved a hand as if swatting at a buzzing bee and turned his attention back to the file in his hand.

Golden frowned.  It almost seemed like instead of appeasing him all she’d done was annoy him.  Had she made things worse?  Lately, it seemed like that was all she was good for.

She’d been stressed out before, with Claire’s sudden illness and her watchful waiting by her friend’s bedside but somehow, even though that had been a terrible experience, Reed’s dismissal felt even worse.  She was being a perfect ninny to even worry about it but right then she felt so deflated she was actually close to tears.

The rest of the day was even more difficult for Golden.  Where Reed had started out cool and aloof by the middle of the day he’d started barking orders and then he’d gone into his office, snapping the door closed behind him.  She didn’t hear from him again for another two hours. 

When she did hear Reed’s voice again it was to receive his command to come to his office immediately.  “Goodness,” she muttered under her breath.  “What now?”  She grabbed her iPad and hurried into her boss’s office.

He didn’t even give her a chance to sit.  “We have a lot of catching up to do,” he said, not bothering to glance away from his computer screen.  “I need you to work late tonight.”

“Okay,” she said, but she was frowning.  This was not the Reed she knew.  The Reed Davidoff who had left for the United States just a few days earlier had been gentle and polite and charming.  This man who had come back to England was nothing like the man she’d grown to admire.  This man was acting like a jerk and whether he liked it or not she was going to tell him that.

“Mr. Davidoff,” she said, her voice quiet but firm.

That caught his attention as she’d known it would.  His eyes narrowed as he looked away from the computer screen and stared at her.

“Reed,” she said this time, now that she had his undivided attention, “I don’t know what I’ve done to offend or annoy you but I would appreciate it if you would tell me what I’ve done wrong.”  Her brows fell. “I would appreciate it a whole lot more than this cold shoulder you’ve been giving me all day.”

He sat back in his chair and now his stare had become a glare.  “What?  Because I asked you to work late?”

“No, it’s not that, and you know it.”  He hadn’t offered her a seat but, invited or not, she sat.  She stayed rigid, her back straight, her face serious.  “It’s not what you said it’s how you said it.  All day you’ve been a boor, either ignoring me or biting my head off.  Why are you being so mean to me?”

He flinched as if her words cut into him and she was glad.  Maybe now he would be conscious of how much his impolite behavior hurt her.

To Reed’s obvious surprise and even her own, Golden got up and looked him straight in the eyes.  “I think you owe me an explanation.  Until you’re ready to tell me what’s going on, I’ll be at my desk.”

Without another word she turned and walked out of his office and this time she was the one closing the door smartly behind her. 

***

D
amn.  She’d certainly told him off.  Reed stared at the closed door and shook his head. He would never have imagined that Golden had it in her.  The girl had just reprimanded her boss.

He grimaced, knowing that he totally deserved it.  His trip back to the United States had been a dismal failure and he’d come back to England and dumped his anger and frustration right in Golden’s lap...and she wasn’t having it.

The really frustrating part of it all was that he’d been deliberately keeping his distance, ditching his previously friendly demeanor for a more serious approach, mainly because he was finding her presence so bewitching.  He was doing everything in his power to keep their relationship on a professional level, even going overboard with this cool and detached act, but it wasn’t working.

Even as his brain branded him a fool his heart kept pulling him toward her.  God, it didn’t know when to give up.

It was no use.  There was nothing he could do to stop wanting Golden.  He could never be satisfied with just having her as an employee.  He wanted a whole lot more than that and somehow he would have to make that happen.  Whatever it took, he would have to find a way.

But first, he would have to make things right.  He had to go to her and apologize.

When Reed got to the outer office he found Golden sitting at her desk, staring intently at the computer screen, pretending she didn’t notice him approaching.  She didn’t look up and she didn’t give him her usual smile, not today when he’d pissed her off.  He would have to make it up to her.

Reed walked over to her L-shaped desk and half sat, half leaned on one end, making sure she couldn’t ignore him.  “Miss Browne,” he said and when she looked up quickly he smiled.  He’d used her tactic, inserting formality into the situation, knowing it would get her attention.  “Golden,” he said now that she was looking right at him, “I owe you an apology.  My behavior was inexcusable.”

“But...why?”  She tilted her head as she regarded him, a tiny furrow between her brows.  “You’ve never been like this before.”

Reed grimaced then he expelled his breath.  He needed to give her an explanation but he would have to be less than honest.  He didn’t want to make things worse and honesty would send her running, he had no doubt about that.  “I had a rough time on my last trip,” he said.  “The deal I was working on, it fell through.  It threw me upside down and I took it out on you.  Sorry.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said, looking genuinely perplexed.  “It won’t affect your existing business, will it?”

“No, everything else is good.  It will be business as usual.”  He slid off the desk and thrust his hands into his pockets as he looked down at her.  “But I do need you to work a bit later this evening, if you can.  My four-day absence means I’m backed up on some of my projects.  Can you stay?”

“Of course,” she said, her face breaking into a smile.  “I’ll do whatever it takes to get you back on track.”

“Thank you,” he said, glad she seemed appeased.  “I just need a couple more hours today and then you’ll be free to go.”  Then he paused, wanting to say more but not sure how she would take his next suggestion.  There was nothing to it but to plunge in.  “I’d like to make things up to you,” he said then gave her a rueful smile.  “You know, for my bad behavior today.  When we get done here may I take you out for a quick dinner?”  When she raised her eyebrows in surprise he added, “Nothing fancy.  Just a meal so you don’t have to worry about fixing something when you get home.”

Her eyes twinkled as she smiled back at him.  “I would love that,” she said.  “I’ll just have to call home to tell Mother I’ll be late.”

After that it was smooth sailing.  Golden’s mood improved tremendously, as did his, and they ended up getting the work done earlier than he’d expected.  By six-thirty he was walking into Roka with Golden by his side.  There they enjoyed a meal of teriyaki chicken, shiitaki rice and roast ginger eggplant. 

When the dessert arrived he teased her about how funny she was, getting excited because they had crème brulee on the menu.  When she gave him a shy smile and then looked away it reminded him of how young she was.  “You’re twenty, right?”  He asked and when she nodded he continued.  “So when are you going to be twenty-one?  I bet you’re looking forward to that.  You’ll be a real adult, then.  No fake ID to get a drink whenever you visit Georgia.”

He was surprised when her answer was a slight grimace.  Somehow the idea of turning twenty-one didn’t seem to excite her.  In fact, he would almost describe the emotion that flashed across her face as fear.

“I’ll be twenty-one in a month and a half,” she said, the laughter gone from her eyes.

He frowned.  “You don’t seem happy about it.”

She bit her lip then sighed.  “I’m not,” she said finally.  “Before I reach twenty-one I’ll have to marry a man I hardly even know.”

“C
ome again?”  Reed stared at her, shock ripping through him like lightning.  “What did you say?”

“I have to get married,” she said, her face the picture of despair, “before I hit twenty-one.  It’s in my father’s will.”

“What the hell are you talking about?  That doesn’t make any sense.”  He reached up to rake his fingers through his hair.  “Not in this day and age.”

“Not to you, it doesn’t.  But to my father...” Her mouth twisted sadly and then she gave a sigh.  “Before he died my father told me that he’d arranged for me to marry a kind, responsible man, a good friend who he said would manage the money he’d left and take good care of me.”

“An arranged marriage?”  Reed could not believe what he was hearing.

Golden nodded, a pained expression on her face.  “My father was very old fashion.  You’d think this was the Victorian age, the way he carried on.  I loved my father but he was a bit...eccentric.”  She paused, her gaze unfocused like she was remembering her father.  Then she blinked.  “Father didn’t think women could manage money.”  She smiled wryly.  “His experience with mother was not very reassuring.”  She drew in her breath then let it out on a sigh.  “Anyway, the long and short of it is that I’m to marry Lord Mountbatten before I hit my twenty-first birthday. If not, the money in my trust fund goes to my mother and there’s no way I can let that happen.”

“Because?”

Her eyebrows flew up and she looked at him like he’d asked the stupidest question in the world.  “Because then it would all go to Manchester.  I can’t allow that.  He controls every cent my mother has now.  Can you imagine what he would do with another nine million pounds?”

“Nine mil...” Reed stared at Golden.  The girl had nine million pounds at her disposal but you’d never tell, not the way she carried herself so humble and reserved.  His mind homed in on her dilemma and he frowned.  “So you’re going to marry this man so you can inherit the money.”