Her Perfect Revenge (38 page)

It was the beginning of December and Christmas was in the air in New York City. Lights were up, stores were decorated, snow was falling and the mood was joyful. A year and a half had passed since that fateful night when Bill had thrown Christina out of his life. It had felt more like a lifetime to Christina.

But Christina was made of stronger stuff than even she would have believed. After she had lost the baby and knew there was no hope for reconciliation with Bill, she had picked herself up and moved on. Her survival instincts had kicked in as she had faced herself in the mirror and realized that she had to put this chapter of her life behind her and forge ahead.

So, she had buried all of her feelings for him, put the past behind her and started her life over again. What else could she do? She had cried enough tears to fill a swimming pool.

She'd spent too many days moping around her apartment; and too many sleepless nights thinking about him and what might have been.

No more.

The baby was gone.

He was gone.

And if she didn't start her life over again, she would spiral downwards into a hopeless pit of depression that she'd never be able to climb out of. And she wouldn't do that to herself.

What was done… was done.

It was over.

No more pity, no more regrets, no more sorrow. It was time to get on with the business of life.

Christina decided to focus on her career instead. That had always made her happy in the past. Photojournalism had been her passion and she would rekindle that passion and it would help her out of her sadness.

And it had.

Over the past year and a half, Christina had begun to take more and more assignments for Streetwise Magazine and had even begun to freelance for other magazines as well. Her job started to take her around the country as she'd begun to concentrate on the political scene in different states. Several of her photos had even been published in some of the more respected political magazines and she'd begun to make some decent money for a change. Her career was definitely on the upswing.

Because she'd been traveling so much for her job, she'd not been able to see Jenny as often as she would have liked.

But they still lived in the same apartment building and they still were the best of friends. If they couldn't see each other as often as they had before, they still constantly telephoned each other and were always up on the latest gossip in each other's lives.

Jenny still worked as the receptionist at Streetwise, and she and Jake Monroe had been dating for the entire year and a half. She'd fallen in love with him and he was in love with her. Little Taylor adored Jake and all three were now considering becoming a family and making it official.

The subject of Christina was still a bone of contention between Jenny and Jake, though. Even though Jenny had explained things to Jake about her friends' motives for her revenge plan against Bill and how she had been deeply scarred by their high school prank, Jake was still mad at Christina. He had seen the devastation she had caused in his friend's life and he couldn't forgive her.

Jake had met Christina a couple of times now—accidentally—when she'd dropped by Jenny's apartment and he'd been there too. Jenny had introduced them to each other and Jake had been very cool towards her.

After Christina had left, Jenny and Jake had had a huge fight. Chrissy was her best friend, she had told Jake and he'd better learn to accept that because she would never give up that friendship for a man. She had put her foot down and Jake had begrudgingly agreed to, at least, be civil to Christina from now on whenever they met.

Jenny had then privately apologized to Christina for Jake's rude behavior but Christina had told her not to worry. She understood the situation perfectly and didn't blame Jake at all. He was simply being a good friend to Bill and she, Christina, deserved his censure for what she'd done to his friend.

Still—Jenny had insisted that Jake's behavior was unacceptable and that he'd better learn to accept Christina if he wanted to continue to be in Jenny's life. Jenny could be just as tough as Christina when it came to what she expected from a man.

Christina encouraged Jenny to give Jake some time and after this first meeting between them, maybe the animosity would lessen? And it had—a little. The other times they'd met, Jake was more civil to Christina and that was fine by her. At least they managed to have a conversation together, even if it was only about the weather.

During this time, Jake had also introduced Jenny to Bill. They'd even all gone out to dinner a few times. When Jenny had told Christina that Jake wanted her to meet Bill for the first time, Christina had begged Jenny not to mention Christina's name during the dinner. Jenny hadn't wanted to promise because she still harbored hope that somehow those two belonged together.

But Christina had begged and pleaded, and Jenny had reluctantly agreed. She gave Christina her word that she would not bring up her friend's name but if Bill did it first, that was another matter. Then it would be open season and Jenny would sing Christina's praises to him.

Christina agreed to that. Jenny was her best friend and she trusted her with her life—and with her secrets. Jenny had never even told Jake about the baby Christina had lost, and never would, if that's how her friend wanted it. Some things were just meant to be between friends.

When Jenny had met Bill Havenwood again, she'd been impressed with him. She could see why Christina had fallen so hard for him. He was charming, smart and absolutely gorgeous—even more so than he'd been in high school. Brains and male beauty in a hot body was a lethal combination, and Bill Havenwood had it all.

Bill, too, had been impressed with Jenny and had remembered her from high school. And he was thrilled for his friend. Bill had never seen Jake this bewitched over a woman before and he could tell his buddy was in love. He was happy for him and wished him the best.

During that first dinner together, Jenny had been on pins and needles waiting for Bill to mention Christina's name and ask about her but he never did. And the other times they'd all met up together, he was equally silent.

Jake had later explained to Jenny that after Bill had come out of rehab, he'd never mentioned Christina's name again. It was a taboo subject and Jake had never pushed. If his friend wanted to talk to him about her, he would listen but if he didn't, that was fine by him too.

Jake didn't even know how Bill felt about Christina anymore. Her name was just never brought up again. The only time Christina's name was mentioned was when Jake had first told Bill about his relationship with Jenny, and that Jenny was Christina's best friend. All Bill had said to him was that wasn't a problem for him and if Jake was happy, then he was happy too.

And Christina's name was never mentioned again between the two of them.

Over the past year and a half, Jenny had provided Christina with some information about Bill that she'd learned by dating Jake. She had told her friend that after Bill had gotten out of rehab, he had not gone back to drinking again, as everyone had feared but had remained clean and sober, and had turned his life around. He'd resumed his position at the helm of the GME environmental group and had begun to run it with brains and boldness.

When the press had realized that William Havenwood's son had been the one causing problems for the billionaire and that he'd been thrown out of the Havenwood fold, a mini-scandal had erupted and Bill's picture had appeared in the media. That had garnered a lot of good publicity for GME and their name had become better known.

Not only were they now still taking on Williams' many companies for environmental infractions but the group began to go after other corporate polluters as well. As they garnered more positive press, donations began flowing in and their membership increased. And they actually began to make a difference as some of the companies they went after began to change their policies for the better.

Everyone was impressed with what a success the GME group had become and a lot of that was owed to Bill's smarts and initiatives. He had really come into his own as a leader and as a man. He wasn't his father's whipping boy any longer. He had taken charge of his own life and now had pride in himself and he'd begun to get the respect of others. As his and GME's good works began to be appreciated more and more by the public, Bill's name was even being bandied about as a possible candidate for Congress.

Christina had heard these rumors herself. As she'd become more involved with the political scene through her job, her connections had kept her informed about Bill's very good chances at winning a congressional seat, if he decided to run.

She was proud of him. He had moved on without her and he was succeeding. He was his own man now and she longed for him to be happy.

Yes—she was still in love with him—but it wasn't meant to be. She'd faced that months ago. Now, all she wanted was the best for him, even if that didn't include her. She loved him that much.

And now she was facing another Christmas without him.

Last Christmas had been a blur as she still had been upset over their breakup and losing the baby. But her life was back on track now—the sadness had lifted, she was moving on and it was time to celebrate the holidays.

And what better way to celebrate the Christmas holidays than with shopping.

Christina had spent all afternoon at Bloomindale's and had been able to cross off many names on her gift-giving list. She'd spent a month's salary but she'd managed to buy for her parents, some business associates, for Jenny and Jake, and of course, little Taylor.

Laden with packages and shopping bags, Christina was maneuvering herself through the Bloomindale's doors on her way outside. As she stepped onto the slippery sidewalk, her head was turned to the left as she was trying to look for a taxi and wasn't watching where she was going. Suddenly, she ran smack into someone that she hadn't seen coming from her right—a man.

Christina let out a gasp. As she careened into his large chest, her foot stepped onto a patch of ice, and because her arms were filled with packages, she lost her balance. She slipped, her purchases scattered and she fell flat on her back in a snow bank by the curb.

"Ohhh…" Christina moaned, as pain shot through her back.

"Oh, God I'm sorry," a male voice penetrated her senses.

As she opened her eyes, the male stranger was bending down over her—and she stared into his face. It was Bill Havenwood—her Bill.

"Bill!" she gasped.

"Christina!" he expelled, as he recognized her and froze.

The moment hung suspended in time as they continued to stare at each other, both dumbstruck by this incredible coincidence. How had fate arranged it so that they would meet like this—at the exact moment she was coming out of the store, he would be going in?

And what was even more ironic was that this was how they'd told William they'd met—that they'd crashed into each other as she came out of Bloomingdale's with packages in her hand. Stunned, they continued to stare at each other.

He broke the silence first.

"Oh my God, Christina, are you all right?" Bill came down on his haunches beside her and put his hands on her arms. Concern was etched in his face.

Christina was speechless. She hadn't seen him in person since that fateful night and she had to admit he still looked great—still handsome, healthy and hot.

"I… I… I…" Christina stammered, as she continued to stare into those gorgeous green eyes of his that had haunted her in many of her dreams. And that face—that perfectly proportioned face and that incredibly strong jaw—and those delicious lips of his. Yes, he was still movie star handsome. She hadn't imagined any of that—and the memories of them together came flooding back to her at breakneck speed.

"You… what? Are you in pain?" Worry crossed Bill's face as his eyes frantically roamed her body looking for clues if she was hurt.

"I…" Christina was still so shocked at seeing him that she couldn't get her mouth to form any words.

"Are you hurt? Do you feel pain anywhere?"

Bill was getting very worried as his hands began to roam over her arms and down her legs looking for breaks or swelling. And his heart was beating a mile a minute. Was it worry or shock at seeing her again? Both.

As Christina felt his hot hands on her body, her senses came back. "I… I'm okay. I'm fine." She tried to sit up.

"Don't sit up!" he shouted at her. "You could have injured your back. Stay still." He was more forceful than he should have been—but it was her! It was Christina! He still couldn't believe his eyes—and his heart was about to burst out of his chest.

Christina looked up at him again. "I'm fine. Now help me up," she commanded.

"No. And we're a calling an ambulance." Yes, he was going overboard and yes, he was making a big deal out of everything—but it was her! It was Christina!

She glared at him in response to his imperial tone. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm fine except for the frostbite on my backside from you forcing me to lie in this dirty snowbank for so long." Still stubborn as ever, was he, Christina inwardly fumed.

Bill paused. Still stubborn as ever, was she? Undecided about what he should do, he continued to stare into her beautiful, and getting-angrier-by-the-minute, face.

Christina's patience evaporated. "Oh, for crying out loud…" she mumbled and started to get up herself.

People were beginning to walk around them and were even stepping on her packages that were strewn all over the sidewalk.

"My packages…" she wailed, as she saw her shopping bag with her mom's crystal bowl kicked out into the curb. As she lunged for it, Christina felt a sharp pain in her back. "Ohhhh…" she grimaced, as her hand instinctively went to her sore tailbone.

"I knew it! You're hurt!" Bill was suddenly so worried by the look of pain that had crossed her face that he shouted the words at her more forcefully than he should have. He grabbed her arm and prevented her from getting up further. "And I told you not to move. If you have a back injury, you can make it worse." His face looked furious.

"I'll do whatever I damn well please! I don't need your bloody two-bit medical opinions, thank you very much," Christina shouted back, as she went to stand up, leaning heavily on his arm.

"Hard-headed as ever, I see," Bill gritted through his teeth, as he helped her up.

"And you're still a jerk!" she retaliated.

Christina was mad because he was mad. She had pictured an accidental meeting with him a thousand times in her mind—and it was nothing like this. In her imagination, he would say 'hi' and she would say 'hi'. Then he would tell her she looked good and she would say he did too. And maybe he would smile at her—and she would smile at him—and maybe he would ask her out for coffee and—maybe…

No, she'd never pictured this.

As Christina finally stood up, with his help of course, she tried to straighten her back. Suddenly another sharp, excruciating pain, radiating from her tailbone, shot through her body.

"Ohhhh…" She gasped out as her hand went to her tailbone again and she immediately hunched over at a 45-degree angle.

Bill grabbed her arms in the nick of time as she almost lost her balance again on the slippery sidewalk. God—was he ever worried now. His fear made him shout at her again.

"We're going to the hospital and that's final," he decreed.

Still hunched over, Christina turned her head to look up at him. He looked so angry with her—probably for having to meet her again—and she was so angry with him—because he was so angry with her.

"No, I'm going home and you're going to hell," she shouted back at him. "And maybe if you had watched where you were going, this would never have happened."

"Me! This wasn't my fault. You crashed into me. You should have watched where you were going but you didn't because you were foolishly carrying too many goddamn packages that were blocking your vision."

If they both hadn't been so angry at each other, they would have noticed that this was almost a replay of their first meeting when Christina had smashed her car into his. And they would have noticed how ironic this all was—and how funny—and how silly…

But they didn't.

He was so worried about her that it manifested itself as anger, and she was equally angry at him, because this wasn't how it was supposed to have been when they'd have finally met again.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever," Christina yelled back. "Why don't you do something useful and help pick up my stuff. Oh no…" she suddenly wailed, as she saw a passerby step on one of her bags, smashing it deeper into the snow. "That's Taylor's dress."

She went to reach for it and another sharp pain shot through her. She instinctively grabbed Bill's arm for support.

"That's it. I'm taking you to the hospital if I have to carry you there kicking and screaming the entire way."

Christina was in serious pain and she knew she'd have to go to the hospital—but she wasn't going with him.

"I'm not going anywhere with you. Just call me a cab," she demanded, still hunched over at an awkward angle.

"No, I'm not getting you a goddamn cab. You're coming with me," he shouted back as he steered her hands onto a mailbox for support before bending down to pick up her parcels.

Christina watched him as he brushed snow off of her bags and piled them neatly at her feet. If truth were told, she wanted him to be the one to take her to the hospital because she was suddenly scared. The pain in her back was getting worse and she couldn't straighten herself up—and she desperately needed his strong support, literally and figuratively. But she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of telling him he was right.

So she stood there, hunched over, holding onto the mailbox for dear life, watching him retrieve her parcels with an irritated look on her face. And she kept her mouth shut for a change.

When he finished, he came back to her.

"Don't move and I'll be right back with my car," he ordered, then gently began to brush snow off of her coat from where she'd fallen.

"I don't think I can move even if I wanted to, thanks to you," Christina threw back at him, as his gentle hands kept stroking the snow off her body.

He was so close to her now and she could smell his heavenly cologne, and she could feel the electrical heat that they'd always generated together, start to fire up. After all this time, and everything that had happened, it was still there.

And he felt it too, as his hands continued to touch her.

But Christina had to put a stop to her traitorous thoughts. What good was there in traveling down that road if nothing would ever happen between them ever again?

She looked up at him then, defiant. "I could sue you, you know, for bodily injury."

He stopped his ministrations to her coat and looked back at her. God—the way she'd looked up at him just now, with those spunky eyes of hers and that sweet, luscious mouth spouting off some dare—it was like they'd never been apart.

"You could," he quipped back. "But I have to warn you, I have no money now and you won't get much out of me. No more Havenwood billions."

Christina lowered her eyes. She still felt guilt about that since she'd been responsible for his father throwing him out. Her eyes came back up to his face and she saw he was watching her closely.

"Well, go get your damn car then and drive me to the hospital. It's the least you can do," she challenged back.

"Golly gee, now why didn't I think of that?" he sarcastically retorted.

He was still mad at her—because she was still so beautiful—and still so exciting—and he could still feel the sparks flying between them—and he still wanted her—and he still loved her—goddamn it all to hell!

Hanging onto the mailbox, Christina lifted her nose in the air. "So, what are you waiting for? A memo? Go get your damn car. I'm freezing out here."

Frustrated, he expelled an exasperated breath. "You are an impossible woman, you know that!" he shouted at her before stalking off down the street and around the corner to where he had parked his car. The woman was just so maddening—and he loved every minute of it.

Christina watched him go. This meeting him again and not having him, was sheer torture. Oh, why did this have to happen to her?

But now, that he'd gone to get his car, was her chance for escape. She hobbled as best she could to the curb and tried to hail a cab. But it had started to snow and the cabs that were whizzing by her were already occupied. Damn! Why didn't things work out the way you wanted sometimes? A few minutes later, she saw him pull up to the curb in one of those hybrid environment-friendly cars. That was a far cry from his Jag or Ferrari.

He got out and smirked at her. "No luck getting a cab?" he cracked.

Christina shot him a dirty look. "I don't know what you're talking about? I've been waiting here for you the whole time." Oh why, did he have to know her so well? Was she that obvious?

"Really?" he murmured, as he came to her side. He obviously didn't believe her.

Bill put his arm around her and slowly helped Christina into the passenger side of the car. To be this close to him—to have his arms around her and know that this was all temporary—was sheer agony for her. Oh why, did she have to meet him again?

She had been doing so well.

Bill drove Christina to the nearest hospital. Not much was said in the car between them on the way except for a few grimaces from her when he ran over some potholes and a couple of 'sorrys' from him when he heard her wince in pain.

At the emergency, Christina got lucky as one of the doctors saw her right away. She was taken down for x-rays and finally put in one of the cubicles to wait for the diagnosis. As she was sitting gingerly on the edge of a chair in order to get some relief from the back pain, she saw Bill walk in.

"I don't think you're supposed to be in here," Christina said.

"So, let them try throwing me out," Bill was still very worried about her and he'd spent the past hour pacing the waiting room until he couldn't stand the suspense any longer. "How's your back?"

"Sore."

"Did they give you anything for it?"

"Not yet. They wanted to wait for the x-rays first. So how come you're still here?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you did your duty. You brought me to the hospital. And I'm not exactly one of your favorite people, so I thought you'd left."

"Christina, I…" he paused as he stared at her—wanting to say more but not quite sure what.

"It's okay. I know I'm not on your Christmas list. You don't have to say anything," she returned, trying to sound tough but failing miserably. He still hadn't forgiven her. She could read it in his eyes.

At that moment the doctor walked in with her chart.

"Mrs. Matteo, you've bruised your tailbone. Luckily, there were no breaks. So I'm sending you home with some painkillers and you should be fine in a week. Try to get some rest but walk around too. Don't just stay in bed. Walking is very good for back injuries like yours but stay close to home for the week." He then turned to Bill and smiled. "And tell your wife no more shopping until this has healed, okay?"

The doctor was obviously assuming they were married and another type of pain shot through Christina, one that came from her broken heart. What she didn't know was that Bill had felt the same pain too from his own heartbreak.