The Price of Seduction (16 page)

“Steph, I’m glad it’s you,” Bree said after she answered the call. “My phone’s been going berserk all morning. I’m glad you’re not another client who needs something yesterday.”

“No, but I
have to tell you something.”

Bree sighed. “
I’ve got so much going on at the moment with work and Conrad and Olivia.”

“Is she giving you a hard time again?”

“Not exactly. I’m more concerned with the way things are going with Conrad.”

“Actually he’
s the reason I called.”

Bree paused. “This isn’t going to be good, is it?”

“Look, I still don’t have anything definite but it doesn’t look promising for him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Did he tell you he spent all day yesterday with the police?”

“No.”

“There was a big teleconference with local police here and the authorities in the far north west as part of the investigation into the stolen rock art. We don’t know exactly what went on but we do know they kept Conrad in for questioning most of the day.”

“He didn’t mention it. That’s odd. He called me this morning but he was in a wonderful mood. He didn’t sound like someone who’d been under police pressure.”

“He told you he was successful with the purchase of Il Bosco, didn’t he?”

“Yes, we’re celebrating tonight.”

“Apparently the sale went ahead completely independently of any criminal investigation.”

“You’re ta
lking about the stolen rock art. Do you think the police suspect him of stealing it?”

“Like I said before, we don’t have anything definite. I don’t know if he’s guilty or not but he’s certainly a ‘person of interest’. That’s the official police term for it.”

“But he hasn’t been charged with anything?” Bree asked.

“No. Il Bosco will be our lead story tomorrow in the business section but I should tell you, my boss has started writing another story to keep on hold should the news break. That
item is about Eden Enterprises’s criminal involvement in the rock art theft. The story won’t be in the business section. It’ll be on the front page.”

Bree was silent. She didn’t truly believe Conrad capable of such a criminal act even though it was easy to see the possible motives.

He had the money to buy Il Bosco but no amount of money could buy the rock art on the property because according to the terms of the lease
that
belonged to the Aboriginal people.

She couldn’t let this rest. She picked up the phone and dialled Conrad’s number. Understandably he was surprised to hear from her again so soon.

“There was something I forgot to ask you earlier,” she said. “Has there been any word, any development on the stolen rock art?”

“Not that I know of,” he replied.

It was interesting that spending a whole day with the police didn’t even rate a mention. She’d specifically asked him about it and he was being evasive, playing down his part in the investigation.

Yet if the police
had taken up a full day’s time of an extremely busy man such as Conrad, there must be a very good reason for it.

Why would he lie to her about it? What was he hiding?

He didn’t seem particularly perturbed by any of it but then again he was used to making complex business deals and working with large government departments and big corporations. Perhaps if you could afford the best corporate lawyers in Sydney you didn’t have anything to worry about.

But Bree did.

She had slipped into love with a man so powerful she had no control and no way of stopping herself. She had serious concerns about his involvement in the stolen rock art, a criminal act.

Still,
she knew exactly where the night would end. In bed.

W
hat’s more, she didn’t want it to end anywhere else.

Two months later…

Looking out at the view from their table on the terrace at Bistro Sydney, Bree considered the stunning vista. They’d had a week of rain but today the sun had come out and though it was cool, the day felt fresh and new.

The harbour was glimmering, the swell
and movement of the small white-topped waves reminding her it was a real harbour, not a painting. The bridge was to one side, the Opera House to the other, and Circular Quay lay at their feet. She had the feeling she was being shown the sites of Sydney in one fell swoop. She felt like a tourist and allowed herself to be impressed by the sites afresh.

It didn’t feel real. It couldn’t be possible.

Her body was once again flooded with the same feeling she’d experienced two months ago when she and Conrad first started seeing each other. There’d been a sudden realisation on her part and the feeling that nothing would ever be the same again.

How true that was. She ha
dn’t
known
then. She’d only found out for certain this morning at the doctor’s surgery.

“Is something bothering you, Bree?” Conrad asked from across the table.

How could she tell him now when she hadn’t had time to get used to the news herself?

She
forced herself to smile. “I think I’m just hungry. I can’t wait until lunch arrives.”

“Would you like me to ask them to speed it up a little?”

She was well aware Conrad could arrange anything she wanted, a booking at any restaurant at any time, a table on the terrace because the sun was shining today.

“No, don’t do that,” sh
e said. “I’ll be fine.”

A waiter walked over to their table with an ice bucket and a bottle of Veuve, popping the lid swiftly before Bree could say anything. Conrad took the bottle from him and poured it himself.

“What’s this for?” she asked.

“A celebration.”

“Just a small glass for me.” She’d have a few sips but knew that champagne and sunshine weren’t a good combination for her. She never had more than a glass or two at the most at any time and that was just as well, knowing what she knew now. “What are we celebrating?”

“Yesterday was settlement day for Il Bosco. She’s all mine now and next weekend I think we should fly up for a couple of days, take advantage of the hot weather. The temperature is in the high thirties and we can go swimming again. You can bring your bikini.”

Bree smiled. “Or perhaps that wetsuit I forgot to pack last time.”

She had to tell him today. She may have only got confirmation of her pregnancy this morning but it was his baby too and he had a right to know, regardless of whether she’d got over the shock of the news.

How had she let it happen? He’d let it happen too when they simply got lost in the moment, lost in their lust for each other. It was ironic that they’d been careful every single time they’d made love after that, not knowing it wouldn’t make any difference at all.

Her cycle had always been so erratic that she wasn’t worrie
d when her last period was early and very light and hadn’t lasted long. Only it wasn’t a true period. It was just some irregular bleeding.

She wouldn’t even have gone to the doctor if she hadn’t had stomach cramps one night. The pain wasn’t particularly severe but it felt different from anything she’d ever experienced before
so she’d had it checked out.

Was it possible it had only been this morning that she’d seen the doctor? She’d argued with him only to be told you can’t argue with a pregnancy test
and
a blood test.

Yet she had no outward signs of being pregnant. Her stomach was still flat and she’d experienced nothing unusual except for that one time. No morning sickness. No fluttering in her stomach. No swollen breasts. No one had told her she was glowing. She’d been a little tired but then that was only to be expected with the hours she’d been working lately.

Shouldn’t she feel something? There was a child growing inside her, the greatest miracle of life, but Bree didn’t feel suddenly empowered or overwhelmed. She didn’t even feel any different.

T
he full repercussions hadn’t hit her yet. She hadn’t begun to consider how Conrad might take the news, whether he’d be angry or disbelieving or overwhelmed with joy.

There was one thing she knew wouldn’t happen. Conrad wouldn’t jump down onto bended knee and propose to her, that was for sure.

He’d told her before that if he married it would be for love. A child wasn’t reason enough for him. After all, he hadn’t married his previous girlfriend Rebecca either and she’d been pregnant.

That was fine by Bree. Her standards were no lower than his even though she’d never stated it bluntly. She didn’t want him to marry her because he felt sorry for her, because of a child or because it was expected of him. She too would only marry for love.

Damn it, she loved him so much it hurt but that wasn’t enough, not when she couldn’t even bring herself to tell him so. How could she when she was certain he didn’t feel the same way?

Th
e thought that she might end up a single mother sent a shot of fear up her spine. That wasn’t the life she’d planned for herself either.

Everything she knew was in Sydney, her apartment, her career, her friends. She had friends who were both married and single and some had children but everyone had their own life and she suddenly felt very much alone.

It was her family she needed but they were in Melbourne, exactly where she left them all those years ago.

“How long have we been seeing each other?” she asked.

“I don’t know. A couple of months.”

“It’s not a long time.”

“Well, Bree, I’ve never been happier. Business is going well and as of yesterday Il Bosco is mine and I can start the redevelopment. That’s been a dream of mine.”

Sh
e wondered where she and a baby would fit into his hectic schedule. A knot formed in her stomach. Business was his life and it had been for more than a decade since he took over Eden Enterprises. Nothing would change that.

“So that’s what makes you happy?
” she asked. “Your dreams are all business dreams.”

“That’s a big part of who I am. I can’t deny it. But one of the reasons I’ve been so happy lately is because I have you in my life. I care for you very much, Bree.”

He’d given her a lifeline and she smiled. “It’s just that sometimes I wonder exactly what I mean to you. Two months is not a long time, not in the scheme of things, and I don’t feel I should expect too much from it but this isn’t how I thought it would be.”

Conrad reached across the table and laid his hand on hers. “And how did you think it would be?”

“It’s so strange that we’re seeing each other but I don’t see you at all through the week and then we have these highly passionate weekends together.”

“But we do see each other through the week. We have a meeting nearly every week.”

Bree glared at him. “Business meetings don’t count. That’s not what I meant.”

“Would you like m
e to drop everything and let business lapse? Is that what you’re suggesting?”

“No, it’s just… It’s been such a strange set-up. I feel like I’ve been a weekend girlfriend, like I’m not there until Friday night and then on Monday morning when we both go to work, I’ve disappeared again. It’s like I don’t exist during the week.”

“I can’t just forget about business. It simply can’t work that way. But there might be other ways. Do you think it’d work better if you moved in with me? Then we’d see more of each other.”

That wasn’t what she wanted to hear. Only discovering this morning that she was pregnant, Bree hadn’t had time to consider what she wanted from the relationship but she knew what she didn’t want.

She didn’t want such an unromantic proposition, that she move in with him because it was convenient. There was no mention of love or commitment or any kind of future together.

Bree looked down at their hands still intertwined. “I wasn’t talking about living together.”

Conrad let out a loose laugh. “Well you can’t have been talking about marriage.”

She hadn’t felt nauseous at all for the last two months but she suddenly felt sick to her stomach. It appeared the idea of marryi
ng her was so ridiculous it was funny enough to make him laugh. She wasn’t thinking about marriage and hadn’t brought the subject up because she hadn’t seen any sign that their relationship was heading in that direction.

Now she knew it definitely wasn’t
.

“I didn’t say anything about marriage and I can guarantee you I’m not some little gold digger out for your fortune.”

Conrad’s eyes narrowed. “But you were thinking about it, surely.”

“Not at all. I was thinking about the next two months and where we might be then. I was wondering where we might be in twelve months and whether you’ll still be as happy as you are now. But I wasn’t trying to marry you off.”

“Bree, I’ll make more time during the week, I promise. But other than that, why would we want to change anything? You give me everything I want from a woman. You’re intelligent and independent and passionate about your work. You know what you want.”