The Virgin: Revenge (5 page)

I managed to keep my face straight as I ducked out of the room.

The cool peace of the ladies room closed around us and I let myself breathe a quiet sigh

of relief.

Mai shot me a wide grin. “And here I was thinking that was
my
line.”

“Three cups of coffee,” I lied, making a beeline for the nearest stall.

She chuckled and went to do the same.

The sound of her heels stopped just before I reached the door and I paused, looked back

at her.

She was staring down at the floor, a dismayed look on her face. “Oh. I think I just…how

embarrassing.”

A funny feeling settled in the pit of my gut. It only spread as she reached up and settled

a hand on her belly.

“Oh, no,” she whispered. “Shannon, I think I’ve got a bit of a problem. I think my

water just broke.”

Her eyes were dazed, confused as she looked up at me. “I’ve still got a month. How can

that happen?”

The demanding pang in my bladder subsided as I moved back to her side. “Well, like

you said earlier. You’ll leave when the baby is ready. I think the baby just decided he was

ready.”

“She.” She swallowed and went back to staring at the puddle on the floor. “The baby is

a girl.”

I reached for my phone. “Come on. Let’s get to the door and we’ll call…”

“Drake. Call Drake. He’ll get me to the hospital and I can call my husband on the

drive.”

“Drake, then.”

“I’m sorry, Shannon.” Her voice was thin and soft as she squeezed my hand. “I wanted

to make sure you were okay before this happened.”

Gallagher’s voice came on the line. “We need to get going, Shannon.”

“We have an…issue,” I said. It wasn’t a problem, really. The baby had just moved up

the timetable, right?

Two weeks into my job.

I lay face-down on my bed and decided this was the best way ever to make sure I was

cured of any sort of romantic inclinations.

When I thought about Drake Gallagher these days, I mostly wanted to have a picture of

him thumbtacked to my wall so I could throw darts at his perfect face.

My shoes, the cute pair of Jimmy Choos I’d bought as a treat for myself, and wore only

when I needed a pick-me-up, were still on my feet and I hated them. Kicking them off, I rolled

onto my back and stared up at the ceiling. There wasn’t a bone in my body that didn’t hurt.

My eyes were gritty from lack of sleep. He was indeed in the office most days by seven.

I was ready to leave my room by six thirty, because I didn’t trust him to not pull another stunt

like he had the day of the breakfast meeting.

He usually worked until seven or later. Typically, I took a sandwich with me, but ended

up eating on the go and that morning, a skirt that had previously fit me like a glove had fit a

little loose in the waist.

I wasn’t eating right and I couldn’t sleep. The nightmares had returned with a

vengeance; stress brought them on and I was most certainly stressed.

This job sucked and I still wasn’t certain just why I was doing this.

He didn’t remember me.

I don’t fuck naïve little virgins
.

Of course he didn’t. With a job like this, he probably didn’t even have time to

masturbate.

Grimacing, I sat up and stared morosely around the bland, beige-painted walls of the

hotel room. I hadn’t even had time to look for a place to stay, although that was on the calendar

for tomorrow. He was working from nine until noon, cutting off at noon sharp and I had to

remind him because he had an important personal matter.

And then I had freedom. Maybe even thirty-six hours of it.

Mai had offered to contact a real estate agent she knew. Gallagher had all but tried to

push several places into my lap. But he owned those buildings. I wanted my own place—

ideally, something he didn’t own. And most importantly of all, he wasn’t going to pick it out

for me.

I curled my tired toes, then stretched my feet and stood up. “I’ll start looking,” I

murmured. After I sat in the tub for a little while. Or maybe
while
I sat in the tub.

That, actually, seemed to be the ideal solution.

Wine, my tablet, a hot tub of water, and I could get a jump on this looking thing. I

already knew the general area I needed to look in. Mai was in the right area. Residential, quiet.

Probably a little pricier than I wanted, but as long as I was working for Gallagher, I could afford

it without even touching the money I had in the bank. Her building, while lovely, wasn’t

ultimately what I wanted, even though he had nudged me toward it, several times.

I wanted something simpler, plainer. Someplace I wouldn’t fall in love with. Something

that would never feel like home.

I hadn’t had a home since I’d been forced to leave mine.

I preferred to keep the status quo.

While the water was running, I went to get my wine, settling on a nice, sweet red.

Business dinners were a chore for me. They served wines that left me feeling like I’d shoved a

barrel full of crackers into my mouth, reds that were too dry left a horrible aftertaste. The only

wines I enjoyed were the sweeter ones, and the sweeter, the better. There was a lovely ice wine

waiting in the back for me, but I’d save that for a really bad day. Today had sucked, but it was

a seven on the suckage scale. I’d wait until I hit a nine before I broke open the ice wine.

In under ten minutes, I was in water almost up to my chin, a glass of wine on the side of

the tub, with my tablet tucked inside a protective case while I skimmed the local ads for an

available apartment.

Too big.

Too little.

Too pricy.

The price was right, but from what I could about the pictures, it was ugly. I didn’t want

a
home
, but I wanted to be comfortable.

More of the same…

Thirty minutes later, my glass of wine was empty and the water was cold, and I hadn’t

narrowed anything down.

I finished up in the bath, dried off and changed into a loose pair of pajama bottoms and

a tank top, leaving my hair to air dry. I debated on heading in to bed, but decided I needed one

more glass of wine. This was the closest to relaxed I’d felt in weeks, ever since I’d seen the job

opening.

With my wine in one hand, the tablet in another, I settled on the miniscule balcony.

But I didn’t start looking again.

From my position, I could see the sleek ivory and glass tower of Gallagher Enterprises.

Was he still there?

He had told me to leave a little before eight, when the phone had rang. I’d finished up,

and done just that as he took the call. Who was I to argue with the boss?

A smirk curved my lips and I tipped my glass toward the tower. “Here’s to two weeks.”

I didn’t know how long I’d make it.

So far, I hadn’t fucked anything up terribly bad, but this wasn’t a job I’d want for life.

I just wanted…

Closing my eyes, I lifted my glass to my lips.

Perhaps it was having the wine inside me, and next to no food. I hadn’t had dinner.

Lunch had been half of the sandwich I’d packed and nothing else. Breakfast had been a

Powerbar and a latte on the way down the elevator.

The wine made it easier to be honest and I really let myself acknowledge
why
I was

doing this.

I wanted Drake Gallagher. One time.

Just once.

I wanted what he’d teased me with all those years ago, before he’d pulled away and so

coolly dismissed me.

And I wanted to see the hunger in
his
eyes.

Some petty part of me wanted to find a way to destroy him, as he’d destroyed me. I was

in a position to do that, perhaps. But corporate espionage or anything else that truly
could

destroy him, that was nothing I would stoop to.

I’d settle for seeing the want reflected in his eyes. I’d like to make him burn for me.

Long for me. Ache for me. I’d like to make myself an addiction in his blood, like he’d been in

mine for all this time.

Then I’d satisfy that need, once. Only once, before I walked away. Maybe once I did

that, I could be…normal. Have those relationships that women my age were supposed to have.

Have a foolish fling, find a guy, fall in love. Just be
normal
.

But first I had to break through the wall that had been built that summer. If I had the

chance.

Somehow, I didn’t see it happening.

Perhaps there had been a time or two when I’d caught him watching me, when he didn’t

realize I could see him.

It was nothing he would act on, though. Interest wasn’t madness.

And it needed to be madness.

“I’ve enough madness for both of us,” I murmured.

I continued to sip the wine and brood, my eyes still on the tower.

The ringing of the phone woke me.

I came awake, offguard and cold. The temperature had dropped and I’d fallen asleep on

the balcony. Shivering as I searched for the phone, I spied it on the table through the open

door. I reached it just before it would have rolled to voicemail.

If that dragon was trying to call me into work
now
—

“Yes.” I’d tried to keep my voice cool, so I didn’t snap. I made it downright cold

instead and winced at the sound of it.

There was a pause. Then Gallagher asked, “Am I interrupting?”

“Hardly. I was almost asleep. How may I help you, sir?”

“I was just calling to let you know not to come in tomorrow.”

“Of course. Feel free to text me any time your needs change.” I grabbed a pen from the

table and gouged it toward my belly. I needed to learn to watch my mouth. Already realizing

this wasn’t going as I’d planned, I considered making him fire me. If he had to go through the

hell of finding another assistant…

“I prefer talking when possible. Voices are much more pleasant than words on a screen.

Get some sleep, Shannon. You sound like you need it.”

Making a face at the phone, I waited until I hung up before I muttered, “Thank you for

your permission.”

♦

Was it a good sign that I found an acceptable apartment within the first two hours?

There was even an agent available. Now that was luck beyond belief. I was able to do a

walk-through, ask all the questions I needed to ask—they wanted a six-month commitment and

that hurt, but even if things didn’t work out with Gallagher, this was a price I could afford for

six months, should I need to stay in Philadelphia. First and last month’s rent, standard. A

security check as well, which wasn’t an issue.

The only question was did I want it.

No.

The apartment I wanted was actually a street down from Mai’s, a charming little place

with a rooftop garden, a window seat where I could curl up and read and daydream. But it

could too easily become home.

Turning in the middle of the stark white kitchen with its polished chrome appliances

and shiny black accents, I looked at the agent. “I’ll take it.”

It was boring. It was sterile. In short, it was perfect for what I needed.

A place to sleep, eat and shower while I decided just how I was going to proceed, if I

was going to proceed, and how to back out of this if I decided I was just done.

My phone rang.

Looking down, I saw a familiar name on the screen.

A knot settled in my throat.

I hadn’t lied…exactly…when I said there was no family who would be disappointed if I

worked long hours.

My mother understood. I buried myself in school after we’d left Massachusetts, and

then I’d buried myself in work.

But she wouldn’t understand this.

Sighing, I answered the call as I headed down the sidewalk, not sparing a glance at the

apartment that would be mine within days. “Hi, Mom.”

“Shan…how are you, baby?”

“Crazy busy. How are you and Paul?”

“Wonderful. We’re taking a trip to Martinique this fall. If you can get the time off, you

should come. Paul would love to spend more time with you.”

“That’s sweet, Mom. But I just started a new job. It will be a while before I get any

vacation time. I do get a few days off at Christmas, so I’ll be sure to come to Virginia and visit

then, okay?” Mom had settled in Virginia five years earlier and not long after, she’d met Paul, a

retired OB/GYN. Not exactly the romantic sort I’d have gone chasing after, but he adored my

mom and he made her happy. After the hand life had dealt her, Mom deserved happy. She

loved him, his quiet, steady ways, the gentle humor. He took care of her and after a lifetime of

trying to keep up with a dreamer like my father, she deserved to have somebody take care of

her for a change.

“Why am I not surprised to hear this?” Mom sighed, good-naturedly. “Okay, tell me

about the new job.”

I did, giving her a skeletal outline that didn’t include the name of the company, my boss,

or anything that might give me away. “He works me to death, but the pay is wonderful. I

might buy another pair of Jimmy Choos in a week.”

“Considering how much you’re on your feet, you should get something more

comfortable,” Mom said.

“They are very comfortable.” I shrugged absently as I wandered down the street,

finding myself in a little shopping area. It would be nice, having something like this close to

home. A gift display caught my eye. A baby gift—a pretty little pink sleeper, paired with bibs,