LITMIR.BIZ

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casual, as if he were doing her a favor. “She’d love to see you again.”

      Lily thought of Damon’s housekeeper with her bush of light brown curls and ready smile. “I’d like to see her again, too, but I’m pretty tired these days after work.”

      She was past the morning sickness stage and now the main side effect of her pregnancy seemed to be fatigue. Besides, she needed as much distance from Damon as she could get. Distance seemed to be the only effective strategy in resisting him, and even then its value was questionable. “I’d rather ring and have an early night.”

      Immediately, his expression morphed into concern and he swung around in front of her, blocking her path. “Are you getting enough rest?” He clasped her elbow. “Perhaps this job is too much for you in your condition.”

      Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she hooked the sides of her hair behind her ears and took a deep breath before answering. “Damon, I’m fine. I’m a little tired from the pregnancy, but nothing to be alarmed about. I’m more than capable of doing my job.”

      Though the thought had crossed her mind that if she was this tired at three and a half months, how would she cope at eight months? Or after the birth when she’d be struggling with disrupted sleep? She had no experience of babies, of motherhood, and that deficiency scared her.

      He considered a moment then nodded with deceptive slowness. “Fair enough. I’ll bring Melissa’s pasta to you. What time will you get home?”

      Her heart pinched tight. Despite his high-handed manner, it was nice to have someone other than her grandmother worry about her—even if it was only to guard an investment. So she smiled her gratitude even as she rejected his offer. “I’ll be fine. I made a big pot of soup last night and there’s some still in the fridge. I’ll heat that.”

      She sidestepped him and continued toward the restricted access area.

      Without missing a beat, he was beside her, matching her strides. “Soup? Does that have everything a baby needs?”

      A gallery staff member walked past and waved. Damon watched Lily wave back but felt her tense beside him and instinctively knew her reaction was about his question not the colleague. He frowned. She didn’t like him helping?

      She kept walking. “I appreciate your concern, but I can look after myself.” Her voice was calm and only a tinge of exasperation laced her words. “And now I have to go back to work.” They’d arrived at the doors to staff offices. “So if you’ll excuse me, I’ll call you tonight.”

      He nodded, watched her swipe her security badge and walk through the door.

      She was wrong. Someone needed to look after both her and his baby. And he knew just the person for the task.

      But for now he had to get back to work. There were many loose strings to be tied before he could leave for a week.

      Striding from the gallery, he headed for his Lexus, then drove the inner-city streets back to his company’s headquarters.

      His second-in-charge, Macy, greeted him outside his office door, her long brown hair drawn back, starkly emphasizing her sleek features. “Mr. Blakely, I have some good news.”

      “Come through.” Damon had first employed Macy for her outstanding business skills. But he’d since discovered her thinking and strategizing was eerily similar to his, making her indispensable.

      They walked through and Macy closed the door behind them. Damon rounded the desk, taking off his jacket and letting it hang on the back of his executive chair before sitting.

      Macy stepped forward and handed him a report. “We’ve secured another of Travis Blakely’s companies, Melbourne Brewing Limited.”

      Damon allowed himself a self-satisfied smile as he skimmed the report. “Good. He doesn’t know about this one, either?”

      “No, I bought the loan he’d taken out using MBL as collateral. Another one he’d taken without informing his attorneys.”

      Damon let his eyes drift closed to savor the rush. Revenge was oh, so sweet. He couldn’t wait for the day he told his evil excuse for an uncle that he’d bought all his assets out from under him. He’d vowed as a thirteen-year-old—black, blue and bleeding from being “disciplined” by his uncle’s fists—that this would come.

      Damon already held the deeds to the old man’s house—again Travis had used it as collateral on a loan to cover a business deal gone wrong. Damon simply bought the company that had given the loan.

      Travis’s main mistake had been in growing arrogant, in letting his ego make business moves his bank balance couldn’t match. And Damon had been more than willing to cash in on that slip.

      Though, Damon had used other tactics where needed. He’d acquired the mansion’s private gallery in a deal brokered by his man on the inside. Travis thought he was selling two paintings but instead had signed over the entire gallery for a song—all because he’d assigned the task to an employee whose loyalty Damon had bought for an absurdly high price.

      He knew Travis was only aware of losing two companies, ones where hostile takeovers had been necessary. And even with those, Damon had covered his tracks well enough by using companies within companies, so the only people who knew he was at the top of the chain were the two people in his office.

      He spared his 2IC an approving nod. “Good work. You’ll be getting a bonus.”

      Macy barely acknowledged the boon as she slid gracefully into the chair across from his. “That makes twenty-three companies you’ve acquired from Travis.”

      He threw the papers onto his desk and loosened his tie, righteous victory filling his chest. “Only five to go.” So close now.

      Macy retrieved the report, running a finger down a table of figures as if committing them to memory. “The most well-protected five, including—”

      “Including BlakeCorp.” He finished her sentence, stomach clenched. “I have a backup plan. You got my memo that I’ll be out of the office next week?”

      Macy nodded. “Do you need me to accompany you?”

      “Not this time. I need you here, running things. I’ll be unavailable some of the time—it’s not strictly company business.” A vision with silver-blond hair rose unbidden and he allowed himself a moment of appreciation before tamping down on it.

      Macy arched a brow and he knew what she was thinking. He was never away from the office for anything but work.

      He smiled. “Oh, I’ll be working on our objectives—I’ll be putting plan B into place in case we don’t get the last five companies in time.”

      Macy’s eyebrows drew together creating a tiny frown line between them. “I know I’ve said this before, but I’m not confident we’ll be able to get those last five. Especially BlakeCorp.”

      Deep down, neither was Damon. In fact, the task was close to impossible. But he wouldn’t stop before he owned it all. His pride demanded he take everything away from the uncle who’d treated a small child so shamefully, who hadn’t honored his dead brother’s wishes. That included Travis Blakely’s portfolio of assets, every last coin of his cash reserves, his home, his reputation … everything. He didn’t want to merely win, he wanted to see Travis destroyed, utterly and completely.

      He sank back into his chair, seeing Lily’s delicate beauty again in his mind. Her pure heart could never understand his black motives in his campaign against Travis. Wouldn’t understand the darkness that lived inside him every waking moment.

      But now that Lily was pregnant with his child, by God he’d make it a real marriage.

      Everyone wore masks of one type or another. He just had to ensure his stayed firmly in place.

      Three

      Three days later, Lily watched from her kitchen

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