“You can start by calling her Donna,” he told them wryly.
“We'll try and remember that,” Talia said with a grimace.
*****
“I thought you would never get here!” Caroline pulled him into the apartment and closed the door behind them. She'd showered and changed into a cream silk lounge pant suit, her long black hair combed into an elegant chignon. She was a classically beautiful woman and a very smart one as well, who was the sole heir to her father’s software business. He shrugged out of his jacket and handed it to her, wishing that he was anywhere except in her elegant apartment.
“I have wine chilling and the maid made some kind of pastry. I ate already, since you told me that you were having dinner with your mother and sister.” She linked her hand through his arm as they went into the living room. “I wanted to be with you after the funeral, but you had the reading of the will and I had a meeting with daddy. Sit, darling,” she urged, indicating the cozy love seat that she'd just vacated. He ignored that and went to sit on one of the single sofas. Staring at him in puzzlement, she went to grab the bottle of wine in the bucket.
“I'm afraid we're going to need something stronger,” he told her grimly.
“Darling, what is it?” She left the wine and went to get a bottle of his favorite scotch and two glasses.
“This is the last time I'll be coming here.” He took the glass from her and tossed back the drink.
“What?”
“There's no easy way to say this Caro, except to just say it. I'm getting married in December.”
She stared at him in shock and then burst out laughing. “Darling, stop fooling around.”
“Have you ever known me to do that?”
She stopped laughing and stared at him in shock. “You're breaking up with me?
“I'm getting married. I wanted to tell you before you heard it from another source. I won't be allowed to take you to functions or have you be my hostess anymore.”
“Because you're getting married to some mythical woman?”
“I have to in order to inherit the title of CEO of Hoffman’s Industries.” Even just saying it aloud made him furious. “My father had a proviso in his will that dictates that I must marry a certain individual for a year or the title goes to someone else.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Caroline exclaimed sharply. “Your father knew about us and that we were on the verge of making our relationship permanent. He wouldn't have done that!”
“He could and he did,” Thomas said grimly.
“Who is this woman?”
“You don’t know her. She works at the company in the marketing department.”
“She's an employee... that's who your father insists you marry?” Caroline asked incredulously.
“Apparently he was close to her mother.”
“So the sensible thing to do would be to give her some money.”
“I thought so myself.”
“Darling, you have to fight this.”
“The will is ironclad, nothing I can do about it. I owe you the respect of telling you before it happens.”
“You're going to go ahead with it.”
“I have no choice.”
“There's always a choice, Thomas! I'm in love with you and thought we were going to spend our lives together.”
“I'm sorry,” he muttered as he finished the drink. He realized with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that he could not tell her that he loved her too because he did not! There was passion between them and mutual respect but as for love, it was not there.
“You're sorry?” she said with a hoarse laugh as she drank her scotch. “What am I going to say to people? That you dumped me for some woman at your company?”
“Tell them whatever you want. Blame it all on me.” He got to his feet and she surged to hers as well, standing in front of him.
“We could see each other still, be with each other, until this farce of a marriage is over and done with.”
He stared down at her and for a moment considered it. “It wouldn't be fair to you,” he told her gently.
“What wouldn't be fair to me is you leaving me altogether.” She spread her hands over his chest. “I need to be with you, Thomas. I refuse to let a sham of a marriage stand in my way.”
He tilted her chin up and kissed her briefly, stepping back when she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I will let you know.” He removed her hands and stepped back. “I am truly sorry Caro.” With that he turned and walked out of her apartment and out of her life. She stood there and felt the tears coursing down her cheeks.
He wasn't going to get rid of her!
*****
“I'm sorry, but I thought I heard you say that you're getting married and to Thomas Hoffman—our big boss Thomas Hoffman?” Andrea Coleman asked, staring at her friend in shock. “How? When?”
“You sound like an owl,” Donna said with a wry smile as she curled beneath her. She'd called her friend over as soon as she'd done her little pep talk and had told her because very soon it would be public news and she didn't want her to be blindsided. Andrea worked in finance and they'd become friends over the years, going out to lunch and bitching about some of the old-fashioned policies of the company. “You knew about my history with the father, right?”
“Yes, of course. Your mother saved his life and they became lifelong friends. I also knew that he was the one responsible for sending you to school and getting you the job in the first place. What does that have to do with this?”
“I have no idea. As far as I'm concerned, the debt he owed my mother has been more than paid.”
“You cannot put a price on a human life,” Andrea pointed out.
“Apparently not,” she said with a grimace. “I'm telling you this in complete confidence.”
“Don’t worry, I intend to keep my mouth shut. So, will you still be working at Hoffman’s?”
“I insisted on that.”
Andrea eyed her for a moment before she took several sips of her wine. “I know why he's doing this but why are you?”
“Why do you think?” Donna asked her casually.
Andrea stared at her. “Honey, I hate to state the obvious, but Thomas Hoffman doesn't give a woman like you a second look. You're beautiful and educated and have the most beautiful skin tone I've ever seen, but you aren't his type.”
“Maybe that will change,” she said with a shrug. “I have a year to make him change his mind and his way of thinking, Andrea.”
“I'm sure he's going to insist on separate suites.”
“And when he does, I'll be the one to enforce it.” She laughed at the confused look on the girl’s face. “I have no intention of letting on how I feel about him right now, Andrea. I'm going to pretend that I'm as opposed to this as he is.”
Andrea shook her head. “In the meantime, Calvin in finance is remaining hopeful that you'll go out with him.”
“I have never given him the slightest bit of encouragement.”
“He's still hopeful. Oh honey, I certainly hope that you don't end up heartbroken.”