Forbidden Disclosure (A Billionaire in Disguise) (18 page)

Daniel got up at five the following morning, had breakfast with Rosie, and then left for work. Katherine was wide awake and waited until she saw him drive off the estate before throwing on her clothes. She fired up her laptop and searched for recording studios. Hopefully she’d find the one that Daniel had rented. Katherine was so excited when she recognized the name
Blue Nights
. She anxiously dialed the number.

“We’re not officially open yet,” said Warren.

“I have to have the CD for Christmas.
Please
! My boyfriend rented the studio but didn’t book a date. His name’s Daniel Giordano.”

“Is your name Katherine O’Brian?”

“Yes. Daniel rented the studio for me.”

“Well, why didn’t you say so? Come on down if you can. I have a group coming in at three-thirty so I’ll call and see if they want to reschedule. It’s pretty slow this close to Christmas.”

“Yes, I’ll be there shortly. Thank you!”

Katherine pushed the button that would alert Carl that he was needed.

“Miss Katherine, good morning. Did you need my assistance?”

“Carl, can you keep a secret and help me?”

“Oh my…Is it dangerous?” Carl grinned.

“Only the traffic, I think.”

“Do you need a driver?” Carl was feeling humored with the poor girl’s desperate facial expressions.

“I need a driver to take me into Manhattan. It’s for a Christmas gift, so everyone needs to keep quiet.”

“I’ll make sure the driver doesn’t ever disclose his whereabouts. When do you wish to depart and then return?”

“I need to leave now, and I’m not sure when I can come back.”

“Very well, gather your things and I’ll have the driver pick you up at the side entrance. This way you won’t have to go past Francesco’s study.”

“Carl, thank you so much!” She tip-toed and planted a kiss on Carl’s cheek. The red glow and smile on his face spoke volumes.

Katherine knocked on the studio door. Warren unlocked it and let her inside.

“It’s freezing out there, Katherine. I should have had the door unlocked. But this way we shouldn’t get interrupted. Do you have a song list? I have plenty of music here.”

“Yes, but I need to make four CD’s. Is that okay? I don’t need anything special, I just want my voice recorded.”

“That’s a lot of songs, but let me see your list and we can get started.” Warren smiled and hoped that she sang as beautifully as Daniel Giordano claimed. If not, it was going to be one hell of a long day.

After getting Katherine in the booth and explaining some things to her, he asked about the order of songs and which CD she wanted to do first.

“I want to do Daniel’s first. I didn't have much money of my own, so I thought if I sang him some love songs it would make a good gift.”

“Wow, that’s super sweet. There aren’t many women like you these days. This’ll be fun, Katherine, and I know it’ll be quite a nice Christmas surprise.” Warren walked outside of the recording room and found the first song.

When the music began, Katherine closed her eyes and pictured Daniel’s beautiful face. She sang like she’d been recording for years. Warren was absolutely stunned. He made a quick phone call and told his producer friend Luis Thompson about the amazing singer.

“I have a goldmine in the studio. Her voice is like no other.” Warren hung up and did his magic as he listened to this amazing woman. He’d never heard anyone sing with such passion.  Every single word she sang was felt by him as the goose bumps rose on his flesh.

Katherine finished the recordings. She sang fourteen for Daniel, three for her uncle, Rosie, and Francesco, and three for Carl, because he was always so kind. She took plenty of breaks to let her voice recover and drank lots of water. At five in the evening she walked to the door.

“Thank you so much for your help, Warren. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

“No, Katherine, listening to you sing was totally my pleasure. I have someone who really wants to meet you.” Luis walked into the room and offered Katherine his hand.

“My name’s Luis Thompson, Katherine. I was in the back listening to you singing. I’d like for you to consider something for me over the holidays.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know anyone else was in here.” Her cheeks flushed.

“Don’t be sorry, Katherine. Your voice is one that the whole world should hear. I would like to speak to you about a recording contract. I’ve been looking for a unique voice to sign and, thanks to you, I found it. I don’t need an answer today, but here’s my card. You can call me at your leisure and we’ll set up an appointment. You are utterly amazing.” Luis Thompson left the studio with a smile on his face.

“Katherine, this is the deal of a lifetime. You go home and research this man. You’ll see what I mean.”

“Thank you, Warren. My ride is here, and I have to get to the house before Daniel does.”

She doesn’t even know how good she is
. Warren smiled as he watched her walk out the door.

Katherine didn’t know what to think. Her hands were shaking as she held the four CD’s.
I hope these are good enough gifts.
But she would continue to worry.

Katherine ran as fast as she could in the side door of the mansion. She had to find a hiding spot. She rang for Carl and asked him to bring up some tape. If she taped them to the back of the nightstand, Daniel would never find them. Before she did, she looked at the plain CD cases.
Now what am I going to do?
Katherine tossed and turned most of the night. Her mind was spinning. But after many hours, an idea struck. Satisfied with her
new plan, she fell fast asleep.

Chapter 17

The next morning, Katherine waited until Daniel was gone, then summoned Carl.

“Carl, I need you to take a picture of me. I want to wear my beautiful blue coat and go down by the horses. Can you do that and not tell anyone?”

“Of course, but I’m not very good at taking pictures. I’m sure there’s a camera around here someplace.”

“Okay, you go look for the camera, and I’ll try and make myself look pretty!”

“Katherine, you don’t have to try.” Carl smiled and closed the door.

An hour later, Carl knocked on Katherine’s door. She opened it and stood in front of him.

“How do I look? Is this okay?”

Katherine’s strawberry blonde hair was loose and flowed down her pretty baby blue coat. She was wearing just a hint of soft makeup, and her eyes looked so incredibly green.

“Katherine, if you were my daughter I’d never let you out of your room. You are simply the most beautiful young woman that I’ve ever seen. We should hurry up though; Rosie is in the shower and will tend to the horses soon.”

“Okay let's go. Carl, thank you.” Her slight blush made her even more breathtaking.

Katherine had the photos sent to a computer that Carl had taken her to. She was able to create a beautiful border and write on the covers. She trimmed them up with scissors, slipped them in the cases, and then carefully wrapped them up. This would be a Christmas she would either be very happy with her gift idea, or scared to death that maybe her voice wasn’t good enough to be recorded. She didn’t know which. But it was all she could give. She couldn’t believe that she’d gone as far as to title Daniel's CD the way that she did.

What was I thinking? Maybe it’s too soon. Maybe Daniel will be offended with my words. I can't believe I asked him to marry me on a CD case! If he doesn’t say yes, I’m going to feel like a fool. I shouldn’t have written titles on the cases.

On Christmas morning, Daniel thought he woke Katherine up, but she’d been lying there awake for hours. Her stomach was a wreck. Katherine’s mind was swarming with second thoughts.

“Merry Christmas, my love.” Daniel kissed her face.
Today’s the day! God, I hope she says yes…Maybe it’s too soon for her though.

“Merry Christmas, sweetheart. You look so cute when you wake up on Christmas morning.” Katherine kissed the tip of his nose, then climbed out of bed. She walked over to the dresser to pull some clothes out.

“No, no, no. On Christmas morning we all go downstairs to the tree in our pj’s. None of us get dressed until after breakfast. It’s tradition!”

“I love it!” Katherine put her clothes back up and  grabbed a pair of pj's out of the drawer. They certainly couldn't go down there as they were.

“Come on, hot stuff, let’s go on downstairs. My father is always the first one awake. He still gets up to turn on all the lights, and you’ll soon see that he acts like a little kid on Christmas.” Daniel laughed and thought of his father with love.

“Okay I’m all set to go. I just want to brush my hair real quick.” Katherine went inside the bathroom and shut the door. She had hidden the wrapped CD’s in the cabinet, underneath some towels. She slid them in her pocket.

Daniel was waiting by the door for her. He took her hand, discretely felt for the box in his robe pocket, and then led Katherine down the steps.

Rosie had made the coffee, and she greeted them with just as much excitement as Francesco did when they came down the stairs. The tree was so elegantly decorated and huge. Francesco had soft carols playing, and a toy train was circling underneath the tree. There were lots of lights everywhere.

"Merry Christmas, my family!" Francesco's voice boomed loudly. "Sit down, my sweet Rosie. I have something for you."

Rosie sat down on the sofa and patted the cushion for Daniel and Katherine to come sit beside her. Francesco handed her a beautifully wrapped present.

"Francesco, this is so elegantly wrapped." She slowly took off the paper, trying not to tear it. She opened the hinged case and saw a breathtaking sapphire and diamond necklace with matching earrings. Rosie sucked in her breath. "Francesco..."

"Rosie, I have something else for you too!" Francesco reached under the tree and picked up an envelope with a bow on it. He handed it to Rosie.

She opened the envelope carefully and pulled out its contents. "Francesco, I don't understand."

"Rosie, that's our itinerary for Paris. I thought you'd enjoy going to France with me. I want to show you the world and this is the best place to start!"

"Francesco! This will be so exciting! But you spent way too much money on me..."

"You are the light of my life, my sweetness. I'm allowed to spoil you as much as I want."

Rosie threw her arms around Francesco and held him a moment before bending down and picking up two boxes for him.

Daniel had to smile, as Francesco had the biggest grin. He did indeed resemble a little boy. He wasn't as slow and careful at unwrapping his presents. Rosie had knitted him a navy blue pullover sweater that looked professionally made. She had also given him two pairs of blue jeans. In the second box was a pair of sneakers.

"Rosie! I don't have things like this! I'm going to put this sweater on right now!" Francesco did just that. He also took off his slippers and put the sneakers on. Everything fit perfectly. Daniel smiled at his father as he stood there in bright white sneakers, the new knitted sweater, and black silk pajama bottoms.

Daniel stood up and walked to the tree. He pulled out a couple of boxes for his father and handed them to him. Inside were two flannel shirts and a nice camera.

"Oh, Daniel, thank you!"

"You're welcome, Father. I can show you how to work the camera this afternoon. He stood up and took Rosie by the hand. “There's something I want to show you.” Daniel held her hand and led her to a room down on the main floor that had been kept locked. He slowly opened the door to reveal a beautiful sewing machine, a nice work table, and everything she’d need to do craft projects.

“Daniel! Oh my God…”

“I did it for selfish reasons too. Now you can make many quilts and be comfortable doing so.”

Rosie walked around the room and touched her new machine and the beautiful oak work station. The walls had rows of thread, yarn, and everything else she’d need. Tears slid down her face. Daniel hugged her again and wiped the tears off her cheeks.

"Daniel, thank you."

"You're more than welcome. You're going to be my mother soon so you better get used to being spoiled." Daniel winked and kissed her cheek.

"Being a mother to you will be my honor."

Rosie walked around in the room for a bit longer as Daniel, Francesco, and Katherine watched her. After softly wiping her eyes, she went next to Francesco and held his hand.

"Francesco and I have something special for the both of you."

"Yes, children, come outside." Francesco was grinning and could barely contain his excitement.

He let Rosie lead him and Katherine out the door.  She looked back over her shoulder and nodded at Carl. He smiled, then turned to leave.

She instructed Daniel and Katherine to close their eyes and then led them out the front door. “Are you two ready?”

“Yes, but it’s chilly out here!” Daniel laughed. It really wasn’t too bitter and there wasn’t a wind. After being told to close their eyes again, she led them around the side of the house to the barn.

Rosie and Francesco were both holding back excitement. She walked them over to the fence. 

“Okay, open your eyes!”

“Merry Christmas! The solid black horse is for you, Daniel. She's five years old and her name is Lola. Katherine, the one with the white star is yours. She's seven, and her name is Clementine. There are saddles in the barn and we've arranged for riding lessons for the both of you. I'll teach you how to take care of them."

“You guys got me a horse!” Daniel was absolutely elated.

"I've wanted a horse since I was a little girl!" Katherine was beside herself.

Daniel and Katherine hadn’t even noticed that they’d been standing outside for an hour in the cold.

“Can we ride them?” asked an excited Katherine.

Daniel, having never ridden a horse before, just stared.

“Kids, let’s get back inside. I’m old!” Francesco laughed and hugged them both as they headed back in the house.  

They gathered around the Christmas tree, and just when Katherine was getting ready to give her gifts, she was stopped. Daniel looked at her beautiful face and gently lifted her chin with his hand. He kissed her softly on her forehead, then her lips.

“Katherine, I love you beyond words. I have no doubt in my mind that you’re the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. Your Uncle Andy was right when he said we shouldn’t waste time with the one we love. I know what it was like not to have you, and I never want to experience that again. The day you opened your heart up to me was the happiest day of my life.” Daniel stood up, smiled at Katherine, then got down on one knee. He pulled the box out of his pocket and opened it up. It was a beautiful three carat diamond with a special golden band, which Daniel had worked with the jeweler to design. It had two gold strands woven together that wrapped around the beautiful band, to represent each other. Daniel slid the ring on her finger. “Katherine, will you marry me?”

Katherine couldn’t speak for a moment. She just sobbed and didn’t even think about who was there. “Daniel, there is no one else for me. Yes, I would be honored to marry you!”

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. He smiled at the ring’s perfect fit. Daniel wanted to wait and let her find the engraving on her own. The cheers from Rosie and Francesco made the moment a true celebration. After lots of hugs and kisses, she knew her turn had come.

“I’ll admit that there wasn’t any way I could afford to match any of the gifts you all have given to me. Daniel, this is for you.” She handed Daniel the wrapped box. Inside was a CD case with a picture of her standing in between Daisy and Patches.

Daniel’s breath caught in his throat. He read the title, smiled, and looked into her eyes. “Yes, Katherine, I will marry you.” He carefully opened up the case and, with a huge smile on his face, walked over to the sound system. He knew she had purchased him a collection of love songs and probably spent her last dime on the CD. He put the disc in and turned it on. He certainly didn't expect to hear Katherine’s sweet voice flow through the room.
She sang for me.
Daniel closed his eyes when they threatened to spill over with emotion. He slowly walked over to Katherine, held her close to him, and danced with her through the entire song. Francesco and Rosie, caught up in the beautiful moment, stood up to dance too.

“Do you like it?” Katherine whispered in Daniel’s ear.

“Besides you, this is the best gift I’ve ever received. You will have my heart forever, Katherine.”

When the song ended, she turned off the CD and then handed a package to Rosie and Francesco. She picked out two beautiful songs for them from Italy, and two from the south. All were love songs, as a tribute to them both. Then she pushed the button and in walked Carl. She handed him a package. He looked puzzled, as Francesco had celebrated Christmas with the staff two days ago. He opened it and saw the beautiful young lady on the front. The CD was titled “For All You Do,” and she sang three songs from Broadway productions that he’d mentioned he liked.