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The Tycoon's Blackmailed Mistress
Maxine Sullivan
What better revenge for betrayal than taking possession of the betrayer's wife?Rich, powerful Flynn Donovan had devised the perfect plan. Knowing Danielle Ford would have no other means of settling her late husband's debt, Flynn called in his loan.And blackmailed her into becoming his mistress. Then he discovered Danielle was pregnant…with his enemy's child.
The Tycoon’s Blackmailed Mistress
Maxine Sullivan
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
For Serena Tatti
Terrific Writer and Caring Friend
“One of the Best”
Contents
Chapter One (#u5e881abb-7158-5f48-8af9-d20335fa41a1)
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
Coming Next Month
One
“We meet at last, Mrs. Ford,” Flynn Donovan drawled, looking into a pair of heart-stopping, exquisitely arresting blue eyes. In that instant, he wanted her. With a passion as absurd as it was unexpected.
For a moment the woman appeared startled, then whatever she saw made her delicate chin rise and her delicious mouth tighten. “I’m sorry to disturb you…” she said coolly.
Disturb him? Hell, despite her poise, Danielle Ford radiated a sex appeal that reached out and grabbed him by the…throat.
“Mr. Donovan, you sent a letter demanding repayment of a loan my husband and I—”
Suddenly he was angry with her for being so damn gorgeous on the outside and so damn dishonest within. He knew her type. Robert Ford had said his wife was superb at acting and that her “innocent” look could hook a man until she got all she could out of him. He wasn’t fool enough to believe everything Robert Ford had said, but any woman married to that liar and cheat must be tarred with the same brush.
“Don’t you mean your late husband?” he snapped, flicking his pen on the desk.
Her slim shoulders tensed, even as her eyes reflected surprise at his tone. “My late husband, then.” She took a breath. “About the letter. It says I owe you two hundred thousand dollars but I have no idea what this is about.”
“Come now, Mrs. Ford,” he mocked. “What you actually thought was that you’d try and con your way out of repaying back the loan you took out from my company.”
She gasped, her thick lashes blinking in confusion. “But I don’t know anything about a loan. And certainly not for such an amount. There must be some mistake.”
And he was supposed to believe that?
“Don’t play dumb.”
A blush stained her cheeks, making her appear oddly vulnerable.
Or guilty, but then, a person could only feel guilty if they had a conscience. He doubted this woman had one.
“I assure you I’m not playing dumb, Mr. Donovan.”
His jaw clenched. “Is this the same assurance your husband gave us when he borrowed the money from one of my loan officers?” He pushed some papers across his desk toward her. “Isn’t that your signature alongside your husband’s?”
Her eyes clouded with apprehension as she took a few steps closer, before looking down at the paperwork.
Then she paled and sank onto a chair. “It looks like my signature but…” Her voice trailed away to nothing.
Oh, so that’s how she was going to play it. Robert had been right about her. She wasn’t about to admit to anything, not even when the evidence of her guilt was right in front of her.
“It is your signature, Mrs. Ford,” he said, ignoring her “helpless female” act. “And now you owe me two hundred thousand dollars.”
Her head snapped up, her eyes wide and panicked. “But I don’t have that kind of money.”
He knew that already. After some investigating he’d learned she had exactly five thousand dollars in the bank here in Darwin. The rest she’d flittered all away, as evidenced by a variety of empty accounts around the rest of Australia. He was beginning to feel sorry for that poor guy who’d married her. She’d turn any man’s head.
God, she was beautiful.
And that body…
His gaze slid down her simple pink dress and matching jacket that made a soft statement of style, to the slender legs revealed by the hem of her dress.
Nice.
Very nice.
They’d look really sexy in a tub full of fluffy white bubbles, one shapely calf raised as she smoothed soap over its silky length, the water’s edge just stopping short of covering her breasts. The image aroused him without any effort at all, sending the blood pounding through his veins, telling him he needed a woman.
This woman.
“Then perhaps we can come to a compromise?” he said, leaning back in his leather executive chair to watch her more closely.
Her eyelids gave the slightest flutter, before she angled her chin, as if daring him to take another look. For a moment he was tempted.
She pulled herself up straighter. “Maybe I can pay you back a little each week. It’ll take a long time but—”
“Not good enough.” There was only one payment he wanted now.
Her lips parted in surprise, their perfect bow shape too damn appealing. “Wh-what?”
“You’ll have to do better than that, I’m afraid.”
She hesitated, as if trying to understand. “I’m not sure—”
“You’re a very beautiful woman, Mrs. Ford.”
Her eyes held his for a heartbeat, then a pulse began to leap crazily in a tiny vein in her neck. “I’ve been widowed for two months, Mr. Donovan. Have you no sensibility?”
“Apparently not.” He wanted to place his lips on that neck and feel her heart beating against him.
She let out a sigh. “Then you must tell me how I can repay you. I can certainly do with some money at the moment.”
Ah, yes. Money is what it came down to with this woman. His gut knotted at the reminder of how mercenary she was.
“Sorry, sweetheart. You don’t get another cent from me until you pay back the loan. In full.”
Her cheekbones instantly reddened. “Oh, but I didn’t mean—”
“Yes, you did.”
She looked taken aback for just a moment, then quickly recovered. “Oh, yes, of course I did,” she said with sarcasm. “I’ll take as much money as I can get out of you. I’m good at that, you know.”
As a bluff, it didn’t work. He knew what she was trying to do. “Yes, you’re very good at that.”
She threw him a glare. “I’m glad you can read my mind. I hope you can read what I’m thinking right now?”
He felt a ripple of amusement. “A lady shouldn’t know such words.”
“A lady shouldn’t have to sit here and listen to you blackmail her, either.”
“Blackmail is an ugly word, Danielle.” He rolled the name over in his mind the way he wanted to roll her over in bed. “I merely want what is mine.”
And she was one of them.
Her lips pressed together briefly before she answered, “No, you want revenge. I’m sorry, but I can’t be blamed for my husband’s mistakes.”
Flynn stared hard. “What about your mistakes, Danielle? You signed for the loan, didn’t you? Therefore you are just as liable to pay me back.”
“With my money or with my body?” she scoffed.
He arched a brow. “I wonder how many hot tropical nights two hundred thousand dollars is worth?” He thought for a moment, then answered his own question. “Hmm. About three months, I’d say.” Expensive, yes, but he knew he’d pay that for just one night with this woman.
Her blue eyes turned disbelieving, as if only now realizing he was serious. “Three months! You expect me to sleep with you for three months?”
His gaze lingered on her mouth. So perfect. “I didn’t say anything about sleeping with me, though I guarantee it wouldn’t be a hardship,” he said, as her surprisingly sensual fragrance wafted across the desk and slid into him, stirring his blood. “No, I have a lot of engagements coming up and I could do with a…mistress to accompany me.”
Awareness flickered in the back of her eyes, then was quickly blanked out.
She got to her feet. “Mr. Donovan, you’re dreaming if you think I’ll give my time…or my body…to a man like you. Let me suggest you wake yourself up and find a woman who would actually welcome your company.” With those words, she spun on her heels and left the office.
In cynical amusement, Flynn watched her go, then got to his feet and stood looking out the huge window of Donovan Towers to the sparkling expanse of harbor spread before him. He rather liked her response. It was a far cry from some of the females he’d been out with lately, who’d left him cold with their easy acquiescence to anything remotely connected to bedroom games.
And then he remembered.
Danielle Ford was more sinner than saint. Her token resistance was only a game, one she’d already played with her late husband. From what Robert Ford had said, she’d taken him on a wild ride during their marriage, though he doubted Robert had needed any encouragement. They had obviously deserved each other. No, he wouldn’t forget she had belonged to Robert Ford and that the two of them had reneged on a loan. A pair well-matched.
He muttered a swearword and turned back to his desk, knowing he had a morning of video conferences with personnel in Sydney and Tokyo ahead of him, yet for once the thought of work didn’t appeal. Not even the promise of a particularly satisfying takeover tomorrow.
He preferred instead another sort of takeover, with a woman who had gorgeous blue eyes and golden-blond hair and a willowy body.
Despite her protestations, he would make her his mistress. No doubt she would sell her soul for a chance to rub shoulders with him and his billions.
After catching a taxi home, Danielle still trembled from her encounter as she let herself into her air-conditioned apartment. She’d come to love living in this tropical paradise…this vibrant capital city at the top of Australia’s Northern Territory…but now there was a serpent in paradise by the name of Flynn Donovan. God, he had to be deranged if he thought she would pay off her debts with her body.
Her debts.
She swallowed hard and sank down on the gray leather sofa, her knees suddenly weak. What had Robert been thinking when he’d forged her signature on that document? Because it was a forgery, that was certain. She even remembered when he’d tried to get her to sign some paperwork. He’d said it was a business deal and he needed her signature as a witness. Only she’d felt uncomfortable and accidentally misplaced it. She heard nothing more about it from Robert. Pity she hadn’t read it before she’d thrown it away.
Two hundred thousand dollars! For what? It made her wonder what else he had done. Had she known her husband at all?
Not that Flynn Donovan would have believed her if she’d told him the truth. He clearly thought she was as guilty as her husband and any further attempt to refute that would have been met with suspicion.
She blinked back tears. This was supposed to be a new beginning for her. After three years of being smothered by Robert and his mother, she’d finally broken free after his death and moved into this luxury apartment. Living with her mother-in-law had been hard enough during her unhappy marriage, but since Robert’s death, Monica had been trying to manipulate her, just as she had her “Robbie.” And feeling sorry for the other woman’s loss, she had given in too many times to count.
But eventually she’d had enough. A Realtor who’d been an acquaintance of Robert’s had offered Danielle this penthouse at minimal rent. Signing the lease had lifted a lead weight from her shoulders. The place was beautiful and made her happy. She loved the spacious living room and open-plan kitchen, and the glass doors leading to the balcony looked over a wide expanse of ocean. Being surrounded by such beauty made her feel as if she could breathe again. It had been exactly what she’d needed, and better yet, it was all hers. For a year, anyway.
And now this.
Now she owed Donovan Enterprises a large sum of money and had no idea how she was going to pay it back. And pay it back she would. She just wouldn’t feel right about it if she didn’t. Robert had taken the money and she was Robert’s wife and, as much as she wanted to walk away from it all and say it wasn’t her problem, she couldn’t. It was her problem.
But the five thousand dollars she’d managed to save from her part-time job was woefully inadequate. Besides, she wouldn’t give that up. Couldn’t give it up. It was her security blanket, held in an account Robert had known nothing about. Thank God. He hadn’t wanted her to be independent, and she’d fought hard to hold on to her job during her marriage—against both Robert’s and Monica’s wishes. If she’d given it up to become a lady of leisure the way they’d wanted, then somehow she may as well have given up on herself.
No, she’d just have to find another way to pay the money back. And not through sleeping with Flynn, either, even though she couldn’t deny her heart had skipped a beat over him.
The tycoon had definitely been at the front of the line when they were handing out good looks, with the sort of handsome features that stole a woman’s breath and curled her toes.
Strong, silent and sexy. With broad shoulders more than enough for one woman to caress, not to mention the kind of thick dark hair that invited a woman’s hands. She could imagine feeling its shining silkiness beneath her fingertips.
Perhaps some would call her crazy for refusing to go to bed with a man with such remarkable dark eyes and a sensually molded mouth. She called it survival.
He was one of those men who expected everyone to do his bidding. She’d spent three years being smothered by a man who’d fought to control her and she wasn’t about to step back into another relationship like that—no matter how much money Flynn Donovan said she owed.
Two
The next day Danielle had just bent to pick up some broken glass when the doorbell rang, making her cut herself on one of the pieces. Sucking in a sharp breath, she quickly drew back her hand, relieved to see the cut was only small. She already had a lump on her head where the heavy gold picture frame had toppled onto her as she’d been adjusting it.
But all that was forgotten when she opened the door and found the stunningly virile Flynn Donovan standing there, dressed in a dark business suit that fit his body as if it were a labor of love.
“I heard breaking glass,” he said without preamble, his gaze taking in her orange-burst silk tunic over white pants, down to her white sandals, as if looking for injury. There was more in that look than necessary and she fought not to react. But her skin quivered anyway. That look was too seductive…too physical….
And then she remembered who this man was and what he wanted from her. At the very least he wanted money.
At the worst…
She forced aside her apprehension and shot him a cold look. “How did you get in the building? We have a security code, you know. It’s supposed to keep out unwanted guests.”
“I have my ways,” he said, dismissively, with all the arrogance of someone rich enough to get anything he wanted. “The broken glass?” he reminded her.
She raised one slim shoulder. “A picture frame fell off the wall.”
His eyes sharpened with a concern that was at odds with the forbidding set of his jaw. “Are you hurt?”
For a moment she was tempted to lie. “A small cut, that’s all.” Nonchalantly she lifted her finger to show him, but when she saw how much blood covered the tissue, she gasped.
He swore. “Danielle, that is no small cut,” he muttered, reaching for her hand, his touch scorching her. She tried to pull back…tried not to welcome the feel of his skin against hers…but he held firm.
To counteract the effect, she glared at him. “I wouldn’t have cut it at all if you hadn’t rang the doorbell just as I was picking up the glass.”
“Next time I’ll leave you to bleed to death,” he said brusquely, undoing the tissue to reveal the injured finger. He scowled as he examined it. “There’s a lot of blood, but I think you’ll get away without stitches.” He raised his head, his dark eyes stabbing her. “Any other injuries I should know about?”
Tell him no.
But the truth slipped out. “Only a bump on the head.”
“Show me.”
She winced where she felt the lump. “It’s nothing, really. It’s—”
“Bleeding,” he growled, moving in closer, touching her head.
She swallowed convulsively. “I’ll be fine.”
“Where’s your first-aid kit?”
“In the kitchen, but—”
“Right.” He cupped her elbow and started her forward with him. “Let’s take a proper look at it.”
Her skin continued to scorch where he touched. “Mr. Donovan, I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than play doctor with me,” she said as they sidestepped the broken glass.
He shot her a masculine look that coiled tension inside her. His thoughts didn’t need to be said out loud to fill the silence between them.
As soon as she reached the kitchen, she quickly moved away from him and took the small box out of a cupboard to place on the bench. He followed her, then began searching through the contents. Taking advantage of the moment, she stepped back, grateful the kitchen was large and airy and far less intimate than two people standing in a doorway.
“Move that stool over there and sit under the light,” he ordered. “I’ll be able to see better.”
That was what she was afraid of. But, her heart thudding against her ribs, she did what he said anyway. Better to get it over and done with so he’d leave sooner rather than later.
He came toward her, the ball of cotton in his hand contrasting with the tan of his skin. And then he stood behind her, bringing a very male scent with him. She’d noticed it when he’d walked in but now the scent intensified like a potent wine, ready to lull her into blissful surrender.
She jumped when he brushed a lock of her blond hair aside and began dabbing at the cut. His touch was gentle yet probing, the way a man’s touch should be. Would he be the same in bed? Oh, yes, he’d know how to turn a woman on.
“Mr. Donovan—”
“Flynn,” he suddenly said in a rough voice.
She ignored that. “Mr. Donovan, I think—”
“How long will it take you to pack?”
That pulled her thoughts up short. “Pack?”
“For Tahiti. I have to go there for business. My jet’s on standby. We can leave within the hour.”
“Tahiti?” She spun to face him, barely wincing as his fingers brushed her scalp. Dear God, what was he saying?
His dark eyes watched her with a knowing look in them. “I have a house there. Our privacy will be assured.”
It fell into place then. He expected her to go away with him as payment for the loan. God, did he really think she would do such a thing?
“I don’t need any privacy,” she choked, strangely hurt. “I don’t intend to go away with you.” A burst of anger hit her. “Anyway, just who do you think you are? You snap your fingers and I’m to drop everything? Sorry. Your women friends may do that but I have a mind of my own.”
His eyes hardened. “Oh, come now, Danielle. Who are you trying to fool?”
She straightened her shoulders. “The only fool around here is you.”
His face tightened, making her aware of the firm thrust of his jaw and the broad plane of his forehead. “Don’t underestimate me.”
A frisson of fear slipped down her spine. This man had wealth, power and the right connections and he believed she’d done him an injustice. As much as she wanted to deny he could make life uncomfortable for her, she knew he would do it if pushed. She couldn’t afford that. There wasn’t only herself to think about now.
She moistened her mouth and tried to be conciliatory. “Mr. Donovan, please…I don’t sleep with men I barely know.”
“That isn’t what your late husband told me.”
She felt the blood drain from her face.
“I see you don’t like being caught out,” he mocked, seeming to watch her more closely.
Pain squeezed her heart. Robert…her husband…the man she’d been married to for three years…had told Flynn Donovan such lies about her? Why?
“Um…” She cleared her throat. “What exactly did Robert say?”
“That you married him for his money. And that you slept around and spent it all,” he said bluntly.
It was just as well she was sitting on the stool or she may well have fallen. How could Robert have said those things about her? She’d thought she’d loved Robert when she married him. And she never, ever slept around and she’d never wasted his money. Never.
Then she looked at Flynn Donovan. At that moment she hated Robert for his lies, but she hated Flynn more for his lack of compunction over her feelings. “I see. You obviously believed him.”
His lips twisted. “When he explained the reason for defaulting on the loan, I wasn’t actually concerned with character references.”
“Yet you lent the money to us based on character,” she said, her voice remarkably calm considering the turmoil inside her.
His eyes narrowed. “No, we based it on the fact that he was coming into money and would pay us back as soon as he received it. He seemed a good risk at the time. We didn’t take into account that you had the money spent before he could even get to it.”
Danielle remembered Robert mentioning something about coming into an inheritance from one of his aunts, but she hadn’t realized it was a large enough amount to serve as collateral for a loan. For him to have then spent that amount plus the two hundred thousand he’d borrowed from Flynn Donovan spoke of sheer irresponsibility.
And Monica? Had she known? Danielle didn’t think so. Her mother-in-law was well-off in her own right but had never discussed money and, in any case, she knew Monica had never suspected her son had a problem with money.
She certainly hadn’t suspected any problems, Danielle mused as she realized Flynn had walked over to the first-aid kit and was rummaging around in it. One thing was clear. No one would believe her if she chose to refute Robert’s claims.
“Why deny it?” Flynn said coldly over his shoulder, confirming her fears. “Your car alone cost fifty thousand dollars, not to mention your frequent European holidays and shopping sprees. Your credit cards were maxed to the limit, too.”
Credit cards? European holidays? Shopping sprees? She fought to take it all in. Had someone stolen her identity? It certainly hadn’t been her doing all those things. Robert had been the one to…
Oh, God. Is that what Robert had been doing on his frequent business trips? The ones where he’d wanted her to stay home as company for his mother?
As for the car, she’d had no idea of its cost. Robert had always seemed to have plenty of money and as far as she’d known, the car had been in his name only. He definitely hadn’t insured it. Or himself. If only he had, she could at least have paid back some of the money now.
And then something occurred to her. The holidays, the shopping, didn’t sound like something one did alone. Had Robert been unfaithful to her? Looking back, she knew he was selfish enough to want his cake and eat it, too. What sort of double life had he been living? And why didn’t that thought hurt as much as it should?
Suddenly she realized Flynn was in front of her, bringing her into the present with a rush. In that moment they were right back to one man, one woman.
Her heart gave a sudden lurch when he picked up her finger and covered it with the antiseptic cream before placing a plaster around it. The gentleness of his touch confused her. How could he be tender in one aspect and so hardhearted in another?
But she wasn’t about to show him her uncertainty. He would take advantage of it. “Mr. Donovan, you think I want you for your money, yet you’re willing to take me away with you? That doesn’t make sense.”
“It makes perfect sense,” he murmured, his throaty tone faint but potent. “We were meant to spend time together.”
“Of all the…” She almost jumped to her feet but that would have brought her closer to him and at the last millisecond she stopped herself. His eyes darkened at how close she’d come to being in his arms.
She leveled him a look. “Don’t let me keep you,” she said, but cursed her husky voice and refused to allow the tip of her tongue to moisten her suddenly dry lips.
He cupped her chin with his warm fingers, holding her head still, as if he wanted to wet her lips for her. “You won’t,” he said huskily, his eyes intent on her mouth.
His head began to lower. She lifted her face up to him…ready…ready to become his.
And then he moved imperceptibly closer, and the movement broke through the fog of desire that seemed to swirl around them.
His? Dear God, what was she thinking? She never wanted to belong to another man again.
And definitely not Flynn Donovan.
She pulled her head back. “There is no way I’m going away with you,” she murmured, shaken at how close she’d come to kissing him.
Something flickered far back in those dark eyes before they flashed a now-familiar display of arrogance. “Is that so?” To prove his point, he lifted some strands of her hair from her cheek and tugged her toward him.
She held her head still, refusing to wince at the slight pain, unwilling to let him force her into submission. She wasn’t going to become his plaything. She couldn’t, despite the desire coursing through her.
“Do you think you could leave now?” she said coolly, determined not to let him see his effect on her. “I’m expecting a…” She paused deliberately. “Friend.”
He let her strands of hair drop back into place and drawled mockingly, “You have no…friend.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Perhaps I’ve been checking up on you?” He smiled in satisfaction when she jumped. “But that’s not how I know. A man just knows these things. You tremble when I touch you….” He touched her cheek. “See.”
She jerked her head away. “With revulsion.”
He gave a hard laugh. “That’s a new one. No woman has ever told me that before.”
“Then you’d better get used to it.”
“Why? Do you expect I’ll touch you a lot?” he mocked but his voice had a raw edge. His eyes raked over her. “No, you had better get used to the trembling. I intend to make you…tremble…often.”
She inwardly trembled now. “Stop playing games.”
“Oh, but the games have only just begun,” he said silkily. “You owe me money and I will collect.”
“Wh-what? Now?”
He seemed to take inventory of each feature on her face. “No. I’d rather wait and savor you in my own time, at my own pace.”
She felt as if her breath was cut off. “I’m not a delicacy to be enjoyed.”
“Really? I think you’d be very good in small bites.”
She snorted. “I would give you food poisoning.”
“Aah, but I’d enjoy myself first.” A sardonic gleam of amusement entered his eyes. “Just like you. Spend now, pay later. That’s your motto, isn’t it?” Without warning, one brow lifted with cynicism. “I wonder how many other people you’ve tried to cheat?”
She went rigid. She’d never tried to cheat anyone in her life. She’d always considered herself dependable and loyal. Even with Robert, she’d stayed with him because she’d believed in her marriage vows.
Of course, she hadn’t known Robert had taken his vows less than seriously in return.
“Nothing to say?”
These allegations had gone on long enough. She had to make him see sense. Yesterday she’d been shocked by his accusations and hadn’t really believed he intended to make her his lover.
But now…today…with him coming here…with his jet ready for Tahiti…she couldn’t let this sham go on.
Yet, dare she tell him? Would it make him even angrier with her when he knew he couldn’t have her? Why he couldn’t have her? Would he get spiteful, the way Robert used to when he didn’t get his own way?
She drew herself up without actually getting off the stool. “Mr. Donovan—”
“Flynn.”
“Flynn,” she said, conceding just this once. “I’m sorry, but there is no way I can share your bed.”
“You can’t, eh? And why would that be?” Thankfully he moved back to lean against the sink, but the sheer insolence in his stance made her heart dip. It was obvious he thought she was just being difficult for the sake of it.
Still, she had to try. She slipped off the stool, automatically arching her spine, her silky top a river of orange as it flowed into place over her white slacks. Her back was aching a little lower down but she hoped that was to be expected.
Then she heard him suck in a breath. “My God! Are you pregnant?”
Danielle straightened, shocked that he’d guessed the truth even though she wasn’t showing. And suddenly she was aware that her actions had spoken louder than words. Perhaps that wasn’t a bad thing. Hopefully for him to see that she was going to be a mother would be more effective than all the words in the world.
He raised his eyes to her face and there was a terrible pain in them that tugged at her heartstrings. She wasn’t sure why, but her hands went to her stomach, protectively. “Um…that’s what I wanted to tell you.”
He stood there for a long moment. Staring…And then he pushed himself upright and away from the sink, his body rigid, his mouth curling with contempt. “Now I see what this is all about,” he rasped. “No wonder you wouldn’t fall into bed with me. You wanted more, just like your husband said you did with him.”
She blinked. “More?”
“A marriage license to be exact.”
Shock ran through her. “You’re crazy,” she managed to say, if a little unsteadily. She wouldn’t be thinking about marriage again. Not for a long time.
“You’ve gone through one husband’s money—” the words hit her like bullets “—and now you’re trying to tie yourself to another. What better way to get sympathy than to play the grieving but pregnant widow without a penny to her name? Poor, beautiful Danielle,” he sniped at her in a harsh voice. “Most men would give up their freedom to possess you, and being pregnant makes you even more attractive to some. There’s something dignified about having a wife with child.” His angry gaze swept over her. “Is it even your husband’s baby?”
She felt sick with the horror of it all. “I resent you asking, but, yes, it’s my husband’s baby.” His mocking words echoed in her mind. “Or should I say my late husband’s baby.”
“Did he know?”
It wasn’t any of Flynn’s business but she inclined her head anyway. Robert had been ecstatic, for which she was grateful, no matter what she was finding out about him now. She hadn’t wanted a child until things had improved between them, but somehow she must have missed taking her contraceptive pill one time and she’d fallen pregnant.
Naturally she’d been fearful at first, not because the child would go unloved, but because Monica and Robert loved in a smothering way. But she knew she was strong enough to keep that in check and she had even begun to welcome her pregnancy. Her baby would bring some happiness back into their lives.
And it still would, she told herself, feeling Flynn’s eyes burning into her.
Ignoring the pain of insult, she raised her chin. “Mr. Donovan, let me make one thing clear to you. I have no intention of looking for a surrogate father for my baby.” She paused for effect. “And even if I was, I’d never pick someone like you. My baby deserves more than someone with a checkbook for a heart.”
He walked toward her, his dark eyes without a glimmer of kindness. “Don’t presume to know me, lady. If that was my child growing in your belly you wouldn’t have a choice.” With those words, he stormed past her and out of the apartment.
Eyes misting over, Danielle just stood there as the door slammed behind him, a terrible ache in her breast, her thoughts in turmoil. Never in a million years would she have believed all this could be happening to her.
Yesterday morning she hadn’t even met Flynn Donovan. She’d assumed his letter about the money was a mistake. Now she’d been accused not only of cheating on her husband and abusing his money, but of being a calculating schemer who wanted nothing but a rich man to play father to her child. It was clear he had far from a high opinion of her.
Well, she didn’t have one of him, either. He may be one of the richest men in Australia but as far as she was concerned he could keep his money and his private jet and…and…
She swiped at her tears. What did it matter now, anyway? The way Flynn had stormed out of here left her in no doubt he wouldn’t be back. No, he’d be putting the debt collectors onto her now. They’d be hounding her like a pack of dogs after a bone.
She took a shaky breath. He needn’t bother. She’d find a way to pay the money back. How could she enjoy her independence knowing that her late husband had “stolen” the money, not just from Flynn but from Donovan Enterprises, as well?
And she had too much to lose if she didn’t.
Oh, God. Suddenly it hit her that the debt collectors would go talk to Monica. And if the older woman became aware of the loan, she would use it to get custody of the baby. Oh, dear God, she would. Danielle was never more certain of anything in her life. Her mother-in-law wanted…no, needed someone to replace her son…and who better than Robert’s unborn child?
And if Flynn Donovan believed she’d defaulted on the money, then Monica would, too, and could make a case for Danielle being an unfit mother, and probably with Flynn’s help. After all, how did she prove that it hadn’t been her signature? Her mother-in-law only needed a sympathetic judge…or a corrupt one.
Danielle’s heart squeezed so tightly with pain it felt as if it had wedged under her rib cage. She couldn’t take the risk of losing her child, no matter how slender.
Three
Life rarely took Flynn by surprise anymore, but when it did, he didn’t like it one bit. Danielle Ford was pregnant. Hell! He didn’t want to get involved with a pregnant woman. Anything could happen to a woman when she was pregnant.
It had happened to his mother.
He could still remember his mother’s voice calling to him where he’d been playing in the backyard under the mango tree with his friends Brant and Damien…. The same mango tree that still stood a few suburbs away from here. He’d come inside the house and found her on the floor, covered in blood.
“The baby’s coming,” she’d said, her face screwed up in pain. “Go get Auntie Rose.”
More terrified than he’d ever been in his five-year-old life, he’d run next door with his friends as fast as his little legs had allowed. After that it had been a whirl of people running and sirens screaming. And all the while, he’d stood in the background, watching his mother’s life slipping away…away from him.
He hated thinking about it, and as always he shut his mind off and pushed aside the past. He had to concentrate on the here and now, and that no longer included Danielle Ford. She could forget about the money she owed him. Forget about it and go find some other poor sucker to con with those “come-to-bed” eyes and that “give-me-your-money” mouth. As far as he was concerned, Danielle Ford no longer existed.
It was just a pity that spending the following weekend in Sydney at his apartment overlooking the million-dollar view of the Harbor Bridge and Opera House wouldn’t be enjoyable. Something was missing.
Or someone.
Dammit, he’d never let a woman get under his skin before. Not like this. He’d had women friends who’d tried every trick in the book to get him to marry them, but Danielle Ford had chosen a different way of getting his attention. Unfortunately for her it had the opposite effect to what she’d wanted. The one thing he wouldn’t let himself do was get involved with a pregnant woman.
Not that pregnant women weren’t beautiful. He’d seen some stunners in his time and thankfully none had been his responsibility, but he’d decided years ago he’d never put any woman’s life at risk with a pregnancy.
So why couldn’t he get this one woman out of his mind, especially since he hadn’t taken her to his bed?
Or perhaps it was because of that?
Yet she was only one woman. There were plenty of others to choose from. But those women would only have been a poor substitute for a sexy sorceress…a witch…but a cheat, he reminded himself.
He had to stop thinking about a certain long-legged, blue-eyed blonde stripped naked and in bed….
His bed…
He wasn’t surprised the following week after returning from a business lunch with the Lord Mayor when his personal assistant followed him into his office, an angry look on her middle-aged face. Connie rarely lost her cool. It was one of the things he appreciated about her. She kept calm under the most trying of circumstances.
Usually.
“This was delivered downstairs at reception,” she said tightly, slapping an envelope down on the desk in front of him. “It’s for you.”
He leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing, not sure what it was about. “And?”
A disapproving motherly look puckered her lips. “It’s from Mrs. Ford.”
“Danielle?” he said, tensing, and caught the suddenly watchful look in his assistant’s eyes at his slip of the tongue.
“Yes.”
He wondered what Danielle was up to now, even as mild surprise at Connie’s reaction filled him. “You didn’t like her?”
A soft look filled her eyes. “Of course I liked her, Flynn. She’s lovely. So well-mannered.” Then her expression tightened again as she shot him daggers. “You had better read the letter, that’s all I’m saying.”
Hiding his wariness, he merely inclined his head. “Thank you, Connie. Just leave it there.”
She looked as if she was going to say more, but then obviously knowing how far not to push him, she left the room, closing the door behind her.
For a moment Flynn just sat there, marshaling his thoughts. He stared at the open white envelope. His name had been written on it in a soft style that bespoke of femininity and charm. The uppercase initials of F and D fashioned with little curls tugged on something inside him, as if it were an echo of her voice wanting him.
God, he could still hear the throaty sound of her voice back in her kitchen when he’d been administering to her injuries.
Didn’t this woman know when to give up?
Never one to shirk anything unpleasant, he seized the envelope and pulled out the folded piece of paper inside. He began to read.
Dear Mr. Donovan,
Please find enclosed a check for one hundred dollars as first payment on the outstanding loan of two hundred thousand dollars that my late husband and I owe your company. I apologize if this is unacceptable, however due to my pregnancy I am unable to take a second job at this stage. Please take this as official notice that I will repay the loan as soon as I can.
Yours sincerely,
Danielle Ford.
Flynn threw the letter on his desk, his lips twisting at the word sincerely. No wonder Connie had been upset with him. Danielle’s words might have been businesslike in tone but it made him sound like an ogre who was insisting on his money, come hell or high water.
Obviously this was the way she worked. And now the pregnancy angle had added a whole new avenue to her manipulation skills. She’d certainly hit the jackpot with that one.
As for her “supposed” job, it was probably some sort of volunteer work she did once a month at the hospital. Something that made her look respectable without getting her pretty little hands dirty, he decided, tearing up the check and dropping the pieces in the wastepaper basket.
No doubt once he ignored this, they wouldn’t be hearing from her again. Her little ploy for sympathy would soon die a natural death once she realized he wasn’t about to come running with a magic wand in one hand and an unlimited checkbook in the other.
Then the same thing happened the following week. A check arrived, but without a letter this time.
“Another check,” Connie said tightly, slapping the envelope down in front of him, as if everything were his fault. She smacked another piece of paper on top of it and blurted, “And here’s my resignation.”
His head snapped up. “Your what?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “What the—Why?”
She straightened her slim shoulders, color coming into her cheeks. “I’m afraid I can’t work for you anymore, Flynn. Not like this.”
He exhaled an impatient sigh and leaned back in his chair. This was Danielle Ford’s fault. Damn her. And damn Danielle’s flashing blue eyes, those enticing lips above the intimate underside of a chin that more often than not was raised in the air at him.
“So you’re going to throw away five years of working for me because some…” he hesitated to say lady “…woman owes me money?”
“Yes.”
From his experience he knew females were often unpredictable, but he’d never actually thought of Connie that way. She’d been his right-hand man, always on top of things, never one to pull these kinds of tricks.
“She’s not worth it, you know.”
Connie met his gaze levelly. “I think she is. She’s a real lady, Flynn. Classy. She deserves better than this.”
No, Danielle was just good at fooling people, though he had to admit that not many people fooled Connie. And that just went to prove that his assistant wasn’t infallible.
“She owes me a great deal of money,” he pointed out.
Connie continued to stand her ground. “I’m sure she had her reasons.”
His mouth thinned with derision. “That means she spent a great deal of money, or hadn’t you thought of that?”
“I don’t care. A pregnant woman shouldn’t have to worry about getting a second job to pay the bills.”
“Then maybe she shouldn’t have borrowed the money in the first place.”
Her expression was resolute. “That may be so, but she’s genuinely trying to pay the money back now.” A wave of concern crossed her face. “Look, her husband is dead, she’s pregnant and she has a debt that is obviously weighing heavily on her. It could affect her health.”
“No,” he growled. He wasn’t going to have that on his shoulders.
Connie hesitated for a second, then a determined look filled her eyes. “Flynn, I never told you this before but I was pregnant once.”
His brows met in a frown. They’d never discussed her private life. She worked long hours at times and had never complained, so he assumed she lived alone.
“You never mentioned being married.”
“I wasn’t.” Her eyes didn’t waver from his. “I hope that doesn’t change how you think of me.”
“That’s a fool thing to say,” he said brusquely. “Of course it doesn’t make a bloody difference.”
Her features relaxed with slight relief. “Thank you,” she murmured, but there was inner pain flickering at the back of her eyes. “Let me tell you a little about my baby. I lost him before he was born. You see, I’d been in poor health for some years, I had no family and the man I loved had left town before he even knew I was pregnant. I thought I was too proud to accept charity, but when you lose your baby…” her voice grew slightly shaky “…when that baby no longer warms your womb and you have nothing in your arms to hold…” She took another breath. “Accepting charity suddenly looks the better option.”
The world briefly shifted out of focus as memories of his mother rose to the surface again.
Then he looked at his PA. To think Connie had gone through a similar thing…
His mouth firmed with purpose. “Put your resignation away, Connie. I’ll go see her.”
Of course, he couldn’t just drop everything right there and then, but a few hours later after moving a mountain of paperwork, he eventually left to go see Danielle, the loan contract tucked inside his jacket. He knew he was playing right into her hands by coming to see her, but how to tell his PA that? The first check and accompanying letter had been a brilliant idea, but the second check was sheer stubbornness. It was obvious Danielle was determined to get his attention.
And he was equally determined not to give it. Not in the way she wanted, anyway.
Still, she wouldn’t be complaining too loudly once he’d finished talking. He was about to officially cancel the loan, thereby letting her walk away with two hundred thousand of his dollars. Not a bad day’s work for some.
However the first thing he saw when he turned his sports Mercedes into her street was the reckless idiot in a red sedan who cut across the road and slammed on his brakes in front of her building.
Flynn swore as he pulled up behind the car and turned off the engine.
Bloody hell! Danielle was in that car. In the passenger seat. He’d recognize her profile anywhere.
And then he saw the young thug in the driver’s seat next to her, his tattooed arm leaning out the window. Fear for her safety chilled his blood. The young man looked as if he’d just got out of prison, and the vehicle as if it had been driven by one too many drunks. The trunk of the car had a huge scratch down the middle and the back left-hand side had a dent in it the size of Kakadu National Park. There was a For Sale sign on its back window.
He swore again. Why on earth would she get into a car with such a man? She didn’t belong there. It made his skin crawl just to see her sitting inside it.
And why buy that piece of garbage? She lived in a lavish penthouse apartment for God’s sake, with a mesmerizing view of the marina and the vast Timor Sea beyond that. A view that even the most jaded would appreciate.
And then he figured out what she was really up to. She’d known he’d come here this afternoon and had somehow planned this, waiting in the afternoon heat and humidity, wanting him to feel sorry for her over the car and her condition. She’d probably counted on charming her way into his life. His nostrils flared with fury. She had about as much chance of that as of it snowing here in Darwin.
He was about to start the engine and go back to the office when he remembered his promise to Connie. If he went back now without speaking to Danielle, the older woman would hand in her notice. And then it would take too much time and trouble to find anyone half as efficient, let alone that he’d darn well miss her around the office.
Just then Danielle opened the car door and started to get out of the vehicle. Against his will, his pulse shifted upward when he glimpsed a pair of slim ankles encased in pretty white sandals more suited to getting out of a Mercedes than a run-down wreck. But it was the other car door being flung open and the jerky way the driver got out of the car that suddenly drew his attention.
Something was going on here.
Something not right.
Instinct told him this wasn’t part of Danielle’s plan.
Danielle had just been for the ride of her life. Not only was her stomach still trying to catch up from where “Turbo” had left it back there on a lonely stretch of the Stuart Highway, but her heart was still in her mouth. Living up to his name, he’d scared her half to death by crossing the other side of the road then coming to a screaming stop in front of her building.
Holding on to her stomach, she took a breath and opened the car door. Nothing would make her buy this car now, no matter how cheap. Her dear mother had always said you got what you paid for, and Danielle wasn’t about to use some of her precious savings just to drive her baby around in a bomb like this one. She’d rather catch the bus into the city center the way she did now, where she worked three days a week helping Angie in the boutique. Of course, once she had the baby she’d need to stop at the day-care center before and after work.
“I’m sorry, but this really isn’t what I’m looking for.” She pushed herself off the passenger seat, wanting to get out of the car and away from this man who was making her uneasy.
He hopped out of the driver’s side and looked at her over the roof of the car as she got to her feet. “I could probably take a couple of hundred off the price,” he said, desperation growing in his tone.
She didn’t want to think what he needed the money for. There was something about him that didn’t sit well now. Heavens, she’d been a fool to get in the car with him, no matter that Angie said he was a friend of a friend.
“It’s really not what I’m after, Turbo,” she said in a placating tone.
“But you said—”
“The lady said she’s not interested.” A hard male voice came out of nowhere, and Danielle’s gaze flew to the man standing a few feet away on the footpath. She sucked in a sharp breath, her heart hammering foolishly for one brief second. Flynn Donovan stood there, looking as if he wanted to do someone harm.
And that someone was probably her.
Turbo spun around, his mouth closing when he saw Flynn. All at once the young man appeared even skinnier and shorter, especially up against Flynn’s well-muscled body dressed in a gray business suit.
Funny, but she actually felt sorry for Turbo then. The tattoos, the pierced nose and the missing tooth were merely a front so that people wouldn’t notice his acne and too-thin body.
Flynn took a step closer and any suspicions she had about Turbo being up to no good disappeared under Flynn’s intimidating stance. She glowered at him. Couldn’t he see the younger man was nothing more than skin and bones?
“Flynn, don’t—”
“Forget it, lady,” Turbo interjected, his eyes wide with fright as he jumped in his car, gunned the engine and sped off, leaving behind a trail of exhaust smoke that sickened her in the humid tropical air.
But Danielle ignored it and glared at Flynn. “There was no need for that.”
Reciprocating anger flared in those dark eyes. “Of course there was.”
She bristled, half-afraid he was right but not willing to admit she’d acted foolishly. Not when she’d been trying so hard to do this all by herself.
Her chin tilted. “I could have handled him.”
He arched a brow. “Really? It may have escaped your notice but you’re pregnant.”
“I know a man’s weak parts as well as the next woman.”
“Obviously.” His mocking gaze traveled down the length of her floral shirt and white capri pants to the white sandals on her feet. For all his anger, she felt as if he’d just whispered kisses all down her body, right down to the tips of her toes.
Her hands balled into fists. “Mr. Donovan, just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean I’m helpless.”
“Glad to hear it,” he taunted.
She squared her shoulders. “Oh, I get it. You’re one of those men who can’t help but interfere in a woman’s business. Well, I’d appreciate it if you’d stay out of mine in the future.”
“Oh, I intend to.” He started walking toward her, a dark glitter in his eyes. “After this.”
She watched him warily. “What are you doing?”
Another two strides and he had her by the arm. “Getting you off the road before you get run over,” he muttered, then started leading her back toward the building. “Or is that considered interfering, too?”
She was about to reply with something equally sarcastic, but all at once a funny feeling washed over her. Her head began to swim and, just as she reached the footpath, she felt the blood drain from her face and her knees turn weak. She clutched at Flynn with her other hand. God, she felt strange. Very, very strange. It must be the heat.
Suddenly both fear and panic that she’d done something to hurt the baby came crushing down on top of her. She took deep, calming breaths. No, she and the baby would be all right. It’ll pass in a moment or two. She only had to wait.
“Danielle?” he said sharply.
She moistened dry lips. “I’m okay. I feel a little faint, that’s all.”
He muffled something under his breath.
“I should be fine now,” she said in a small voice, and pushed herself away from him, but was unsteady on her feet.
He swore again and slipped his arms around her waist. “Let’s get you upstairs.”
Swinging her up in his arms, he punched in the security code he’d memorized from his last visit to the luxurious penthouse and headed inside to the coolness of the building. The elevator was available and he strode over plush carpet and into it, the lump of fear in his throat almost strangling him.
It was her he should strangle, he decided, as she rested her cheek on his shoulder, the soft fragrance of her perfume surrounding his nostrils. She didn’t make a murmur.
Once inside her air-conditioned apartment, he laid her down on the leather couch in the living room, noting the faint sheen of perspiration covering her soft, almost translucent skin.
“Stay there,” he grated, and headed for the telephone.
She lifted her head off the cushion. “What are you doing?”
He began punching in the first digits of the phone number. “Calling my doctor.”
“What? Don’t you dare!” She started to sit up, and he slammed the phone down and strode back to her side.
“You need medical attention,” he growled, helping her to sit up fully. She was so light, even with the baby growing inside her.
The baby! Alarm rocketed through him again until he saw some color had returned to her cheeks.
“It was the smell of the exhaust fumes, that’s all,” she said, brushing some blond strands out of her eyes.
Powerful relief filled him, followed by a burst of irritation. How could she take this so casually? He hated to think what may have happened if he hadn’t decided to come here today. No one would have heard her screams if that thug had roughed her up a little.
Or a lot.
He straightened, then impaled her with a stare. “You were taking your life in your hands with that idiot back there.”
The pink in her cheeks reddened defensively. “His name was given to me by a friend.”
His lip curled. “Terrific. The police will know exactly where to go after they find your mutilated body in Darwin Harbor. That’s if the crocodiles don’t get you first.”
“Ever thought about writing bedtime books for children?” she mocked, sounding almost back to normal, if there even was such a thing as normal for her. She was the most ambiguous woman he’d ever met.
And he was in no mood to appreciate a sense of humor right now. “People don’t always go around with Murderer tattooed on their foreheads.”
She stirred uneasily, her beautiful face clouding over. “I wouldn’t have gone with him if I’d really felt threatened. I have my baby to protect.”
Flynn’s eyes were drawn to where her hand rested on her stomach. He swallowed tightly, his gaze moving up and resting back on her face as he squashed the urge to pull her into his arms.
“That guy wouldn’t have taken no for an answer,” he reiterated, knowing that if he got her in his arms he would shake her first. Then kiss her.
Fear came and went in her eyes. “I know that now.”
Some of the tension eased out of his shoulders but he still couldn’t let go of the suspicion that she’d do something foolish.
“Why are you here, Flynn?”
Absorbed in his angry thoughts, it was the sound of his name on her lips that broke through to him.
But it was her words that reminded him of the paperwork inside his jacket…Reminded him that she’d do almost anything to get his attention. This was all about getting her own way. She was definitely high maintenance—in more ways than one.
He smiled unpleasantly. “I’ve come to give you something.”
She blinked warily. “You have?”
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