0-69 in 5 Minutes (18 page)

“
When was the last time
you slept with her?”

Her question stopped him dead in his tracks
and he hung his head. “The night she showed up bruised.”

Anger took back over. “Before you had dinner
with my family? That’s why you were running late!” She slapped at
his chest.

He blocked her hand. “I’d just met you. And
we were a business deal. She was broken, and I regretted it
immediately.”

She couldn’t argue with that. Still,
jealousy raged inside. Never had a man been all hers. She wanted
Noah to herself. “How long had it been before that night?”

He gently cupped her face between his hands.
“Months.” Hurt shined in his eyes.

“
Then it was that night or
it’s not yours.”

“
Val, is it possible she
could know after just two weeks?” He looked desperate for her to
tell him no.

“
It’s
possible.”

He dropped his hands. “Damn.” The word came
out with a gush of air.

“
What are you going to
do?” Pain laced his face and she ached to comfort him, but she
wasn’t calm enough yet.

“
Force her to pee on a
stick to make sure she isn’t lying.”

“
And if she’s
not?”

“
As long as there is a
chance the baby’s mine, then I can’t walk away.”

She caressed his cheek. “I’d never ask you
to abandon your child.”

“
Val.” He grabbed her
wrist. His mouth covered hers in a swift motion. Hungrily, he
sought entrance with his tongue. Fire and passion poured from his
lips and she burned from the flames.

Somewhere during his assault on her sanity,
she realized he kissed her with a desperation he’d never shown
before. She sensed a negative energy radiating from him.

He broke the kiss; both winded. “It means I
can’t abandon Bambi either.”

“
What?” She tugged free of
his hold. “Not abandon her how?”

“
She carries my child. I
won’t let my baby be born with addiction, complications or mental
handicaps if I can help it.”

“
But Noah, you can’t
control what she does.”

“
I have to try. At least
get her in rehab and work on things. I want to be a father. I’ve
wanted that for a very long time. And a part of that job is to
protect my child.”

“
I understand how you
feel. But how do you plan on accomplishing that?” After his shock,
he wasn’t being rational. She took hold of his hand. “Baby, if you
want to fight for full custody after the baby is born, I’ll stand
by your side.”

“
Do you know the damage
she can do in nine months to an innocent child? She had champagne
in her glass tonight for Christ sakes.” He started to pace again.
“I can’t take chances with my child. She doesn’t even have a place
to live. Until I can get her into rehab, I’ll have to move her back
in with me.”

“
I see.” Where had all
that passion come from? He hadn’t shared his desire to have kids
with her. Why should he have? They’d only begun a relationship.
There were so many things about him she didn’t know.

One thing was sure. This time the good guy
had broken her heart.

She gathered her gown up and walked
away.

“
Don’t go like this.” Noah
rushed beside her. “I feel horrible. Let me give you a ride
home.”

“
Stop.” She held her hand
up to halt him from getting any closer. “You can’t always play the
nice guy. You chose her. So go take care of her and let me take
care of myself.” She rummaged through her purse, scribbled out a
check and tossed it at him.

“
Damn it, Val, I don’t
want that.”

“
What do you want?” She
waited for him for say he wanted her; only her. Maybe she could
hang on a few days until Bambi was in rehab. It would be hard
having that woman and Tyler in her life, but she’d give it a try if
he would just ask. “Noah?”

He swallowed so hard she saw his Adam’s
Apple bob.

Silence ticked in her ears. “The job’s done
and I’ve paid you in full. You’re released from our arrangement.”
She hailed a cab sitting in front of the hotel. “6245 Oakwood
Drive, please.” The click of her seatbelt barely sounded before the
first teardrop slid down her cheek. Bad guy. Good guy. They were
all the same. Unfaithful. Untrustworthy. Undeserving.

She pulled her legs underneath her and let
the tears flow. Her plans had worked. Flaunt the guy in front of
her family and friends. Have a big fight and break up. She hadn’t
factored in a broken heart; didn’t think she needed to. Oh, how
she’d miscalculated the cost of her revenge.

Chapter 14

Judith ascended the long winding staircase.
The echo of her heels clicking on marble rang in her ears and
mimicked the beat of her heart. These trips to visit her father
were never pleasant. They were more of a cross to bear than
anything else.

She stood at the top of the stairs and took
a deep breath, steadying herself for the criticism undoubtedly
about to be hurled at her. Nothing she’d ever done was enough.
Nothing would ever be enough. Without a penis, she was second-class
in her father’s eyes. It didn’t matter she was the best damn
salesperson he’d ever had. The best marketing and advertising
executive. The best in every position she’d ever worked in.

Walking down the long
hall, family portraits of past patriarchs seemed to mock
her.
Ridiculous
.
I’m better than any of you at my
job and none of you have the balls that I do.

The huge Richardson Romanesque house had
been built by her great-grandfather, Lukas Zimmermann. A first
generation American, his parents had emigrated from Germany. He was
the only one she felt akin to.

She spotted his picture. It was the same as
the one hanging in her office at Zimmerman’s Furniture
Manufacturing. As CEO of the family factory Lukas had started over
a hundred years ago with his elegant designs, she’d made quite a
small fortune. But it was nothing compared to what her old man
Harald’s auto parts factory totaled.

Lukas’ smiling blue eyes gave her an
increased measure of strength to face the cold empty ones waiting
behind the massive oak double doors. Head high and shoulders
square, she pushed the doors open and entered the master suite.

The huge four-poster mahogany bed in the
middle of the suite only took up a fraction of the room. And the
old man laying in it seemed to shrink each month. His hair had
whitened years ago, but now it looked thin and wild, sticking up in
all directions. Cold, sunken eyes rested in a face hollowed by
time. The stout frame of his glory days had deserted him long ago,
leaving behind a sick man taken to his death-bed.

She forced her feet to move her unwilling
body until she reached the leather high-backed chair next to the
bed. His nurse stood next to him taking vitals and scribbling them
down in her father’s chart.

“
How is he?”

“
I’m not dead, if that’s
what you’re asking.”

His brash tone and words hadn’t been altered
the way his physical shape had. She repressed the urge to roll her
eyes as if she were a teen again. “I know Dad, I was just—”

“
My hearing’s fine. You
want to know if you still have time to produce me an heir.” He
coughed, and his nurse jumped to help him through his fit. Waving
his arms, he pushed the young woman away. “Leave me be. I’m fine.
Hell, one cough and you’d think I’d died.”

“
Dad—”

“
Hush up now. You’ve seen
with your eyes I’m still kicking. So go on and get out of here.
Come back when you’re holding my great-grandson. Then I’ll be able
to pass easy.” He waved the nurse back to shift his pillows and sit
him up a bit. “Those girls of yours knocked up yet?”

She forced down the lump that had formed in
her throat. “No, sir.”

“
Erin went and got herself
married. I’m expecting grandbabies from her anytime now. But the
proposition still stands. I’d rather the heir come from your blood
than hers. She never was very bright.”

“
Valerie is engaged. She’s
got herself a real fine man this time. She says he’s a
mechanic.”

“
Well, there’s some good
news for a change. But how much longer do I need to hang on
for?”

“
Don’t talk like that.
You’re going to live for a long time.” Though she didn’t know how
much more of his crap she could take.

“
Don’t lie to me, stupid
woman. I know you want your hands on my company. Always have. I put
you in charge of the furniture heap. You’re set for life with that
company. Damn it to hell, if you didn’t triple the profits, but you
always were like your ole man.”

Bile rose in her throat. She didn’t want to
be anything like him. But she knew more of his blood ran through
her veins than her mother’s; God rest her soul. Shifting in her
seat, she fought to regain her composure. “Dad, I can run the auto
parts factory and do the same for it as I did for Zimmerman’s.”

“
Don’t you think I know
that?” He shook his finger at her. “I’m not dimwitted.” He poked at
his chest. “I made that company what it is. I took the idea from
that bastard and grew it from a heap of shit. That old fucker isn’t
going to laugh at me in the afterlife. So help me God. I’ll show
him.”

His eyes grew wild and colder than she’d
ever seen before. Colder than all the times he’d beat her with a
leather strap.

“
Mr. Zimmerman, calm down
please. You don’t want to bring on an episode now, do you? Not when
you have a guest.”

His nurse tried to settle
him down, but he’d have none of it.
Just
like the SOB to throw a fit up until the end.

“
Shut up, wench. I don’t
need you meddling in how I raise my son.”

The young aid rushed from the room.

“
Dad?” What was he talking
about?

“
You hush up, Harald!
You’ll show me respect, you sniffling little mamma’s boy. I’m going
make you into a man. It’s time you get off your momma’s tit and
toughen up.” He smacked the bed with the back of his
hand.

She sat silent in shock as he relived his
childhood. Her mother said Harald had a hard childhood, but she’d
never known anything more. Now she intended to learn all she
could.

“
Women will soften you,
boy, if you let them. Keep them in the bedroom and kitchen, but
don’t let them in your business. Spiritless and witless, the whole
lot of them. Ain’t good for more than ruttin’ and bearin’ sons.” He
grabbed a pillow and squeezed. “You hear me, boy?”

Before he said anything else, the nurse
rushed back in with two large men from the staff. Judith stood and
stepped back to give them more room. The men held her father down
while the nurse gave him a shot.

After a few minutes, he settled down and
drifted to sleep.

“
I’m sorry you had to see
that, Ms. Judith. His episodes have been coming on more frequently
these days.”

“
Don’t worry about it.”
She grabbed her purse. “Just make sure he rests well. I’ll be back
next month. Call me if anything happens between now and
then.”

Walking away from her
father, she carried a better understanding of him. In some ways she
sensed he
was
proud of her. But he had a yearning deep inside to have his
father’s approval. That she could understand.

He wanted a grandson. She wanted his
company. Somehow, she had to get one of her girls pregnant.
Fast.

* * * *

Three weeks had passed since the reunion,
and Noah didn’t know if he could handle another day with Bambi.
He’d called every rehab facility within two hundred miles and they
were all full with a long wait. He’d put her name on every list.
One facility had been nice enough to give him a directory of group
meetings while they waited for an open bed.

Dragging her kicking and whining, he’d
forced her to go to every meeting within a half-an-hour drive.
Still, she refused to talk and laughed at the people trying to open
up. She’d embarrassed him to groups, hospital staff and even family
members. Her behavior was one of a teenager rebelling. She didn’t
want to stop using, and his patience ran low.

He needed advice from someone impartial,
someone who wouldn’t judge him or steer him wrong. After a night of
drinking and crying in his beer about Val, he’d thought about the
night they’d met. The black-haired gypsy had surfaced to mind. Now,
he stood in front of her small cottage, gathering the nerve to seek
her services.

He entered the yellow block house into a
dimly lit room that appeared to be a store. Shelves held books,
candles, tarot card decks and Ouija boards. Spotting the short
counter, he made his way to it and dinged the silver bell.

The black haired medium he remembered as
Wanda came out from a side room.

“
Ah, yes, the handsome man
from speed dating.” She winked. “I had a feeling you’d show up
sooner or later. How can I be of service?”

“
I’d like a reading,” he
blurted it out before cold feet set in and he bought a candle
instead.

She nodded once. “Follow me.”

Back through the door she’d appeared from,
he obeyed and followed. It was a quaint room, decorated in yellow
and blue hues, stripes and floral patterns and wood and glass
materials. A couch ran the length of one wall and a small, round
table sat in the center of the room with a braided rug underneath.
Every square inch of wall was covered with antique pictures,
kitchen gadgets and anything else you could purchase at a flea
market and hang on the wall. Bookshelves overflowed with romance
novels. A couple of small tables held vases with fresh flowers and
the sweet scent filled the air.