CHAPTER NINE
Tina
I’d gotten home that night, exhausted from the convoluted turn of events. I was obsessed … with my sister’s fiancé. We were all going to be step-siblings. And Jake’s charmer of a brother, Matt, had been flirting with me all night.
Fortunately, there wasn’t really anything there. Matt is a good-looking guy, but not quite my type. But boy, does that man have some down-home country charm that sizzles.
“Sister, your plaid dress is just my thing,” he complimented. “I’m a farm boy, you know, from rural Wyoming. Perfect if you want to take a trip out there.”
Keep in mind that this banter was taking place in front of our families. And don’t get me wrong, I was flattered. Flattered that someone obviously sexy, charming and handsome was interested in me, going so far as to jokingly act on it in front of an audience. But was I interested? No. Despite my threats, Matt just wasn’t competition for his brother. Jake was arrogant, domineering, totally controlling … and absolutely irresistible.
I knew I needed to tell Jake about the baby though. I was about four months along and still relatively normal looking, my tummy protruding slightly but not obscenely. I’m a curvy girl, and a little extra here or there isn’t going to stand out. Plus, who’s going to notice when you’re having a quickie in the restroom? There was no time to check out my body inch by inch.
But I was still freaked out about the prospect of confronting Jake because I’ve already decided that I’m going to be a mom. The baby was just too precious, and I was getting older – I might never have another chance at motherhood.
So my mind was made up but the repercussions terrifying. As I gazed at myself in the mirror, I let my mind wander to possible outcomes. On the one hand, Jake could be okay with it and he’d let me lead my own life, maybe seeing the baby once or twice a year. Although disappointing, I recognized that that was a very real possibility. Not everyone wants to bother with the pitter-patter of tiny feet.
On the other, it could be utter disaster. Jake could demand that I have a second-trimester abortion and I’d have to fight him about it. I’m not sure where the law stands on this issue, but I was almost too frightened to look it up. There were just no good outcomes in this scenario in any way, shape, or form.
But I shook my head, mentally trying to rid myself of any misgivings. Today was the day I was going to Jake’s office to break the news, and I hoped the professional atmosphere would restrain him. Surely, he wouldn’t break into a rage in front of his employees? He would maintain his composure, maybe give me a tongue-lashing privately behind closed doors, but there would be no yelling or public scene … I hoped.
I did one last check in front of the mirror and sighed. It would have to be enough. Money was tight and I didn’t have the funds to splurge on a fancy outfit, so I’d gone with a khaki dress that was plain but appropriate. I tried to cinch the cloth belt a little tighter, but the canvas was snug against my burgeoning tummy and I sighed again. Well, at least today was a good hair day, my curls glossy and shiny.
Pulling into the parking lot of Sterling Pharmaceuticals, there were a lot of fancy cars, but at least there wasn’t a sports car with the license plate “1 CEO 1” or anything like that. I would have died if Jake was that type of guy … the new money dude who buys flashy toys for himself right and left.
“Hi, I’m here to see Jake Sterling,” I mumbled to the receptionist. But I stopped myself. The shy pansy act wasn’t going to cut it and I needed to display some courage, if only by speaking louder. “Ms. Walsh to see Mr. Sterling please,” I announced assertively.
“Of course,” said the receptionist. “Please make yourself comfortable and I’ll see if he’s available.”
I took a seat in the lounge, prepared to wait ten or fifteen minutes if necessary. But to my surprise the receptionist called immediately.
“Ms. Walsh, Mr. Sterling is ready to see you now, please follow me.”
I grabbed my purse and trailed her to a surprisingly nondescript set of doors. The paint was grey and there was nothing indicating that it might belong to a powerful executive. But once the doors swung open … I saw that the plain exterior was just a ruse.
The office inside was three times the size of my entire apartment. There were gadgets everywhere, plus an entire wall devoted to cabinets, the niches filled with knickknacks and multitudes of awards. But before I could get a closer look, Jake strode forward, his giant form intimidating, his blue eyes sweeping over me, not missing a detail.
“Thank you, Mary Beth, please bring some coffee for our guest,” he rumbled.
“No coffee, just water, thanks,” I interjected quickly. My quick response surprised the man.
“Can we offer you something else? Soda? Tea?” he asked, one eyebrow quirked.
“No thanks,” I replied faintly. Pregnant women can’t drink caffeine and I guess this was the perfect opening but somehow I couldn’t say anything. Instead, I waited until the receptionist left to turn back to the massive man, his big form now leaning casually against his desk.
“So Tina,” he said smoothly. “Here we are again.”
“Um yeah,” I mumbled, looking at the ground. Girl, this isn’t going to work, I reprimanded myself. Forcing my head back up, I met his eyes mischievously. “So were you able to handle those women coming into the bathroom at the restaurant?”
Something indescribable flashed through his eyes. “Was that your idea of a joke?” he rumbled. “Leaving me half-naked, not to mention in a compromising position, in the ladies’ room?”
“I knew you could take care of yourself,” I said breezily. “A guy like you knows women inside out, I’m sure you could handle yourself around a bunch of dowagers.” The women I’d passed coming out of the bathroom had been at least seventy, exactly the type to faint at the sight of a naked man.
“In fact, those dowagers, as you call them, are most appreciative of the nude male form,” Jake replied with a lascivious grin. “They’ve seen a lot and you’d be surprised at how difficult it is to startle the elderly.”
Hmm, I guess he had a point. I hadn’t heard a kerfuffle of screams upon my departure, and Jake had shown up intact minutes later, perfectly dressed, with no sign that he’d been naked doing the dirty just minutes ago. But then again, he was a master with women, right? I’d forgotten my opponent and mentally shook myself.
“So what was it you were here to talk about?” he said silkily, not moving from his desk. His long legs were crossed, seemingly relaxed, but something about his tone put me on alert. He had a brain like a steel trap, and I had to remind myself that this man was danger … someone whose savvy and intellect had launched him to the forefront of the business world.
“Umm, well, I just wanted to see how things were …” I trailed off. “And to get a look at your company,” I fibbed. “I haven’t had time to research Sterling, and I thought I’d take a look for myself at the mighty pharma outfit that’s ruling the markets.”
I could tell he didn’t believe me at all, but instead of probing, Jake went along with it. With a wry smile he said, “Well, let me show you some of the awards we’ve received,” he murmured again, long strides taking him over to the wall unit. The thing was massive, reaching all the way up to the fifteen foot ceiling, running the entire length of the room, divided into multiple niches and cabinets.
“Here, we have our award for best new HIV drug of the decade,” he said smoothly, picking up a small, clear plastic toy with Sterling’s logo embedded inside. “And here’s an award from JAMA for a breakthrough in diabetes treatment,” he continued. “I believe your grandmother uses it. Funny you haven’t heard of us before.”
But before I could get off a retort, the door opened and Mary Beth came in again.
“Your water,” she said, placing the glass on a coffee table. “And Mr. Sterling, there’s a package for you outside.”
“Can’t you sign for it?” he asked with an exasperated frown.
“Normally, yes,” said Mary Beth. “But you know how that new delivery service is. If it’s your name on the label, they won’t let me sign even though they’ve been here fifteen times in the past.”
“Dammit,” Jake shook his head in disgust. “These new start-ups … still fine-tuning their customer service. I’ll be back,” he said with a glance at me, and strode out of the office.
The door closed, leaving me in the cavernous space. I sipped the water and decided to take a closer look at some of these awards. There were so many, like little plastic tombstones five inches high. Most were clear with the company logo and some words etched inside, an announcement of Sterling’s latest achievement.
One tombstone caught my eye in particular. I scrutinized it and saw that it was for Sterling’s savvy marketing of the drug Pernacular. Hmm, my forehead furrowed. Where had I heard that name before? I’d been so busy with my own personal turmoil that I hadn’t been following the news recently.
All of a sudden, it dawned on me where I’d heard the name. In my legal ethics class. A company had purchased the rights to a drug which patent had expired long ago. Their business strategy was to act as a monopolist and jack up the price overnight. As a result, Pernacular had risen in price by 5,500% -- from approximately $13.50 per pill to almost $700.
The effects had been devastating. The drug was intended for pregnant women suffering from a parasitic infection. A rare occurrence, yes, but the drug was the only treatment which could guarantee the safety of the mother and her unborn child. And no one else would produce a competing drug because the market was just too limited, only five hundred women were affected each year, a number too small to incentivize competitors to action.
So Sterling had ruthlessly exploited the opportunity. As a single-source generic, Pernacular had patients in its grip with no alternatives, few resources, and only inferior, second-tier fallbacks. Worst of all, Sterling’s actions were perfectly legal. There was nothing that we could do as aspiring lawyers to combat this cold-blooded business decision.
I stood back, aghast. The father of my child was a tyrant? A man so hardened, so ruthless that he was indifferent to the plight of pregnant women? And not just that. Sterling had a bevy of successful drugs. Surely they could have carried off a successful IPO without making women and children suffer.
But a rush of understanding came over me. I’d been dumb again. I’d had my head in the sand like an ostrich pretending enemies didn’t exist, and Jake was a grade A predator, ruthlessly exploiting the weak, pressing every advantage that came his way. The signs had always been there, the question was why hadn’t I realized it earlier? Jake was a CEO, and people in top positions often have a merciless side to them, willing to stab their own mother if needed.
Bile rose in my throat, the bitter flavor choking me, the burning in my heart impossible to ignore. I couldn’t go forward with my plan to reveal the pregnancy. I couldn’t bring up a child with the “Bad Boy of Wall Street,” given the choices he’d made with respect to Pernacular. Yes, I appreciate what money can do, but the collateral damage was just too high. Women and children need to be helped, not harmed through the grinding of the capitalist machine.
I jerked as the door banged open and Jake strode in, jolting me from my thoughts. My emotions were swirling, confusion and distress clouding my mind, making me feel faint. But his long legs covered the space between us in mere seconds.
“God,” he muttered. “The incompetence of some of these new companies,” he said before sweeping me into his arms.
But I shrank away from him. The heat radiating from his body was intense and I was so tempted to throw my arms around him, to bury myself against his chest and forget what I’d seen, savoring the feel of his arms. But I resisted. There could be no peace, not with this man who had chosen to hurt nameless others. Instead, I held myself as stiff as a board and dodged his lips, that hot flesh branding me on every inch of skin it touched.
“No, Jake, I can’t,” I cried, craning my neck backwards. His arms were like steel bands around me and I was pinned in place, unable to move an inch, my breasts pressed against his massive chest. An unmistakable hardness had begun to rise against my thigh, his hips grinding in small circles against my softness.
“No Jake,” I said more forcefully, struggling against his muscular body, trying to free myself. “I can’t, I can’t,” I pleaded.
“Why?” he growled into my throat. “It’s not like I haven’t seen this show before,” he muttered, finally capturing my lips with his.
The kiss was searing. It was so good that I almost gave in right there, throwing caution to the wind, letting my inhibitions go. His tongue tracing the seam of my lips, covering mine in sweet, hot release, was so compelling that it reminded me why this man was CEO – because he was used to getting his way. And that included business dealings, where difficult, ruthless decisions were made every day.
“I can’t Jake,” I said, finally succeeding in freeing myself, his arms dropping to his sides, a bewildered look on his face. “I can’t,” I said with finality.
“Is it because of your sister?” he asked, giving me a sharp glance, his arms crossed over his muscular chest. “Because I’ve already decided to take care of that. Jenna isn’t worth anything, and I’m breaking it off tonight,” he said dismissively.
“Yes, yes, it’s Jenna,” I said hurriedly, my cheeks flushing, my tone rushed as I desperately clung to the most obvious excuse. “Even if you break up with my sister, I just can’t go through with this,” I said.
“Why not?” he asked forcefully. “Yeah, things have moved fast, but who cares? If I transition from Jenna to you, it doesn’t matter. No one would dare say a thing, and it’s not like we’d have to go public immediately. We could keep our little romance in the background until the time comes.”
That stopped me short. He was willing to break off an engagement for a “little romance”? What the fuck? Suddenly, I was so angry I could barely see straight, the ground physically tilting in front of me until I steadied myself on the back of a chair. Clearly, I had misjudged this man. I’d thought he was the answer for my prayers after years spent celibate, a man who was an emotional, physical and intellectual match for me, but I was wrong. He was a heartless bastard, one who prioritized money and success over everything, and his dalliances with women were clearly insignificant.
“I’m sorry Jake,” I said coldly. “I’ve just realized this isn’t right for me, and it’s not right for you either. Our “little romance,” as you call it, never got off the ground. I can’t tell you what to do with your engagement but I can’t be a part of this three-way twisted love triangle either. And for your information Jenna doesn’t suspect a thing, I haven’t breathed a word to her.”
The storm clouds on his brows were ominous and frightful, but I forced myself to ignore them. However much my heart and body yearned towards him, I couldn’t come clean to a man recently dubbed “Most-Hated Man in the U.S.” by Time Magazine. There was no amount of money, no amount of physical attraction, that could persuade me to cross that line.
“I’m so sorry for taking up your time,” I said stiffly. And turning on my heel, I made my way out of his office.