Men of Power
Whatever madness had possessed him after Kenzie had left him five and a half months ago had disappeared now, and in its place was only the realization of Kenzie’s hatred, along with the knowledge that in his desire for revenge he had single-handedly destroyed any feelings she might ever have had for him.
All this time he had thought that was what he wanted, only to learn, once Kenzie had left him for good, that having her hate him wasn’t what he wanted at all…
No wonder Kenzie had felt sorry for him five weeks ago.
He would feel sorry for himself if he didn’t abhor self-pity!
Because he had been the fool, more of a fool than he could ever have guessed. But the realization had come too late!
‘I don’t think about fragility where your own family is concerned,’ he reminded her softly. ‘I seem to remember that I agreed to come to Kathy’s wedding in order to help you in your effort not to upset or distress your father after his illness…?’
Something flickered briefly in her deep green eyes, something so fleeting that it had come and gone before Dominick had time to analyse it.
‘For a price, Dominick,’ Kenzie said scathingly.
He frowned darkly at being reminded of that price. ‘I’m not responsible for the rift in the Carlton family, either—Caroline’s greed is responsible for that.’
Kenzie shrugged. ‘No doubt you made her an offer she would have been a fool to refuse!’
Yes, he had. And it was obvious what Kenzie thought of such a manoeuvre.
The self-disgust he felt was as alien to him as the self-pity.
His mouth tightened. ‘Carlton could always make me an offer I can’t refuse and buy them back from me!’
Kenzie gave him a searching glance, finally shaking her head in disbelief. ‘Just so that you could have the satisfaction of telling him no? I don’t think so, Dominick!’
‘Maybe I wouldn’t say no.’ He shrugged. ‘After all, I’ve achieved what I set out to do—’
‘Revenge on Jerome and humiliation for me?’ Kenzie cut in harshly, not sure how much longer she could continue this conversation. Her legs had started to feel decidedly shaky, and little flashes of light were dancing in front of her eyes.
It was probably because she’d had nothing to eat today, she thought. She had been too nervous about seeing Dominick again this evening to even contemplate the thought of food, and had actually been physically sick this morning due to her apprehension.
But her shakiness now told her that she should have forced herself to eat something later in the day, because she was definitely in danger of fainting at Dominick’s feet.
‘I didn’t—’ Dominick broke off his impatient reply, his brow creasing into a frown as he looked at her closely. ‘Kenzie, are you okay?’
‘No, I’m not okay,’ she answered irritably. ‘This situation is even more impossible than I thought it was going to be!’
He could see that by the pallor of her cheeks and the dark shadows beneath her eyes. And she was thinner than when he had seen her five weeks ago…
His frown deepened. ‘I think you need something to eat—’
‘And I think I just need you to leave me alone!’ she told him, agitated.
But he couldn’t do that now that he had seen her again, talked to her again. He didn’t know how he was ever going to let her walk out of his life again!
‘If you’ll excuse me, Dominick.’ Kenzie grimaced, determined that she wasn’t going to collapse; if she fainted at all then she wasn’t going to be anywhere near Dominick when she did it!
He reached out to touch her arm. ‘Kenzie—’
‘I need to go and powder my nose,’ she continued firmly, shaking off his restraining hand. ‘You’re welcome to join me, of course,’ she added derisively as she saw his frowning expression, ‘but I think it might look a little odd if you were to follow me into the Ladies’ room!’
Instead it was Dominick’s gaze that followed her longingly as she moved easily across the room, pausing to talk and smile with several of the other guests as she did so.
An elusive flame not just a shimmering one!
Well, what had he expected?
His behaviour five weeks ago had ensured that Kenzie would never willingly be in his company ever again. In fact, she had told him as much before she had left that day.
But after five agonizing weeks, when he had taken a good hard look at himself—and hadn’t liked what he had seen!—he knew that he was getting exactly what he deserved.
Even Kenzie’s relationship with Jerome Carlton was no longer so black and white to him as it had once seemed.
Kenzie had told Dominick that she loved him, but it was a love he had told her he was incapable of returning, so maybe it was his own fault she had turned to Jerome Carlton. Maybe he was responsible for pushing her into the arms of a man who did love her…?
Except that Dominick didn’t believe Jerome Carlton was capable of loving any woman more than he did himself.
Jerome Carlton, he knew from enquiries five and a half months ago, was shallow and vain, and completely ruthless when it came to business—a trait Dominick recognized all too easily. His affairs were legendary, and the end of those affairs, when the woman ceased to be of interest—or use—to him, just as legendary.
But not his affair with Kenzie. At least, not yet…
Kenzie’s legs carried her only long enough to get safely inside the powder room before she collapsed down onto the side of the plush red velvet seat that dominated the centre of the elegantly marbled outer room, bending down to put her head between her knees as she felt the waves of nausea washing over her.
This was awful.
She had known tonight was going to be an ordeal, and had thought she’d been prepared for it—well, as prepared as she could be—and yet she knew she was still in danger of making a complete idiot of herself by fainting!
She wouldn’t faint. There was no way she would give Dominick that satisfaction.
Nevertheless, it took some minutes for the dizziness to recede enough for her to be able to go over to one of the marble sinks and splash some cold water on her face, Several other women came into the room in the meantime, and Kenzie smiled at their friendly enquiries as she assured them it was just the heat of the reception room that was making her feel slightly light-headed.
She was standing in front of the sink, checking her appearance in front of the mirror, when she saw Caroline Carlton enter the room behind her.
She stiffened slightly before deliberately looking away; the two women had never particularly got on before, and now Kenzie was all too aware that it was Caroline’s selling of her shares in Carlton Cosmetics that had put them all in this tenuous position.
Caroline pursed her lips as she joined Kenzie in front of the mirror. ‘I suppose you don’t like me very much, either,’ she mocked nonchalantly as she reached in her bag before replenishing her lipgloss.
Kenzie shrugged her bare shoulders. ‘It’s really none of my business what you choose to do with your own property, Caroline,’ she dismissed lightly, turning away with the intention of returning to the reception room.
‘Try convincing my big brother of that!’ Caroline muttered disgustedly.
Kenzie gave a rueful smile as she turned back to the other woman. ‘I’m afraid I don’t have that sort of influence with Jerome.’
Caroline gave a derisive smile. ‘That isn’t what Dominick thinks!’
Kenzie instantly stiffened. ‘Dominick…?’ she repeated awkwardly.
‘It really is rather greedy of you, Kenzie,’ Caroline reproved. ‘For months Jerome has been running around granting your every whim, and you obviously still have Dominick enthralled!’
‘I don’t think so somehow,’ Kenzie replied calmly. ‘On either count,’ she added firmly, a little tired of people making assumptions about her friendship with Jerome. And as for Dominick being ‘enthralled’ with her…!
‘Please yourself,’ Caroline drawled, obviously bored with the subject. ‘I only came in here to see if you’re okay, and you obviously are, so—’
‘Why on earth would you care if I’m okay or not?’ Kenzie frowned her surprise.
‘I don’t—but Dominick does,’ Caroline informed her cattily. ‘He sent me in here to check on you like I was some errand girl—’
Kenzie didn’t hear what Caroline said next as the light-headedness returned with a vengeance, all the colours of the rainbow seeming to dance briefly in front of her eyes before she was engulfed in total blackness.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
KENZIE felt totally disoriented when she woke up. She didn’t recognize the bedroom she lay in and she definitely didn’t have any idea how she had come to be here.
But as she began to look around the dimly lit room she did recognize the man standing so tall and forbidding in front of one of the windows as he gazed bleakly over the New York skyline.
‘Dominick…?’
Dominick turned sharply at the husky sound of Kenzie’s voice, his expression lightening as he moved to sit on the side of the bed. ‘No, don’t move,’ he instructed firmly as she began to push herself up. ‘The doctor should be here in a few minutes,’ he added with impatience.
‘But—’
‘Please don’t move, Kenzie.’ Dominick reached out to lightly grasp her shoulders as he gently pushed her back against the pillows. ‘We have no idea what’s wrong with you yet, and until we do I think you should just lie still,’ he advised softly, instinctively reaching up to smooth her dark hair away from her pale face. His hand dropped away, a nerve pulsing in his tightly clenched jaw, as she just as instinctively moved away from his touch.
She moistened her dry lips. ‘What happened? One minute I was talking to Caroline, and the next—Where am I? More to the point, how did I get here?’ She frowned her confusion.
‘I’m staying in the hotel, so I brought you up to my suite,’ Dominick explained before standing up to walk away, still having no idea what was wrong with Kenzie, but very aware that his close proximity wasn’t helping her to feel any better. ‘As for how you got here, I carried you—’
‘But I was in the ladies’ powder room when I fainted!’ Kenzie protested as memory began to come back to her.
Dominick gave a rueful smile. ‘I guess I followed you into the ladies’ powder room after all. And you were right about it causing a sensation,’ he acknowledged dryly. ‘Although the fact that you were unconscious when I carried you out of there was probably the reason for that!’ he added grimly.
Kenzie closed her eyes briefly as she easily imagined the commotion that must have caused. So much for wanting everything to run smoothly this evening. Jerome was probably having an apoplectic fit at Dominick having whisked away the face of Carlton Cosmetics in this high-handed way!
‘Why on earth did you bring me up to your hotel suite, of all places?’ she protested impatiently as she began to sit up.
‘I told you to stay put!’ Dominick rasped as he came back to the bedside.
Her eyes flashed a dark shade of green as she looked up at him. ‘I’m sure you think you acted for the best when you brought me up here, Dominick, but don’t let that give you the mistaken impression you have the right to tell me to do anything!’
His mouth tightened. ‘Maybe not,’ he conceded bitterly.
‘Definitely not,’ she told him with finality. ‘Now, if you will excuse me, I have a job to do—’
‘You aren’t going anywhere until a doctor has seen you,’ Dominick insisted grimly.
Kenzie sat up to swing her legs off the bed and onto the floor. ‘I don’t need to see a doctor,’ she said determinedly. ‘I’ve been—too busy, to eat today, that’s all—’
‘You mean your anticipation of seeing me again this evening was such that you didn’t feel like eating!’ Dominick guessed, knowing exactly what that felt like—he hadn’t been able to eat today, either. In fact, he couldn’t remember when he had last had a decent meal…
Kenzie gave him a scathing glance. ‘Don’t flatter yourself, Dominick,’ she scorned. ‘I haven’t thought about you enough in the last five weeks to care one way or the other,’ she added coldly.
‘No?’ he sneered to hide the fact that her barb had hit home—he had thought of nothing but her for the last five weeks!
‘No!’ she said firmly. ‘Now, if you wouldn’t mind getting out of my way I need to go back downstairs to try to repair some of the damage you did with your heroics earlier—’
‘You would rather I had just left you on the damned floor, is that it?’ he grated impatiently.
‘I believe I told you I would rather you just stayed away from me altogether!’ she snapped. ‘Go and find Caroline—I’m sure she will be more than happy to see you!’
‘Caroline…?’ Dominick frowned. ‘What the hell does Caroline have to do with anything?’
‘You came with her, didn’t you?’ Kenzie reminded him, with a scowl.
‘She came with me,’ Dominick corrected. ‘She telephoned me earlier today and asked if she could.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes—really!’ he confirmed in frustration as he ran a hand through the dark thickness of his hair.
‘And you were only too pleased to say yes!’ Kenzie accused.
‘No, I—’ he broke off impatiently. ‘What the hell does it matter to you who I came here with, Kenzie?’
Yes, why did it matter to her? Kenzie asked herself.
Seeing Dominick again, and talking to him, had shown her that her feelings for him weren’t dead, after all. They were only hidden in the dark recesses of her heart where they couldn’t hurt her any more. Where Dominick couldn’t hurt her any more.
Over the past few weeks, she had channelled all her emotions into remembering the anger and disappointment she had felt for Dominick when they had parted, but all that had changed when she had seen him arrive here this evening with Caroline Carlton…
She had been jealous of that other woman clinging so intimately to his arm!
Caroline Carlton, of all women.
A woman she had never liked. A woman she would never like now.
But it was still jealousy. After all that had happened, after all the pain they had deliberately inflicted on each other, she still loved Dominick, and that was why it mattered to her that he had come with someone else.
‘It doesn’t,’ she lied. ‘I just thought you might have had better taste, that’s all.’
Dominick glowered at her. ‘I am not, nor have I ever been, involved with Caroline Carlton—’
‘I told you, it’s of no interest to me if you are!’
‘It doesn’t sound that way to me!’
‘I don’t care how it sounds to you—’ She broke off as a knock sounded on the outer door.
‘That will be the doctor now,’ Dominick growled. ‘At least let him examine you now he’s here.’
She could do that, yes, Kenzie conceded, dropping weakly back against the pillows as Dominick left the bedroom to go through to the sitting room to answer the door. She felt as drained by the argument they had just had as much as by her faint earlier.
Mainly because, in all honesty, she still felt extremely light-headed, and it would only have been sheer stubbornness on her part that would have got her on her feet and back downstairs.
But she was pretty sure the doctor was going to tell her that it was tension and lack of food today that had caused her to faint, so there really was no reason for Dominick to look quite so grim as the doctor came into the room and began to ask her questions.
‘Dominick, would you mind going into the other room?’ she requested coolly as the doctor expressed his wish for a more thorough examination.
Yes, he did mind, damn it, Dominick acknowledged with a scowl.
Kenzie could have no idea of his shock earlier, and his feelings of concern when Caroline Carlton had come running out of the powder room to tell him Kenzie had collapsed.
Nor had Kenzie seen the gentleness with which Dominick had gathered her up in his arms, harshly brushing away Jerome Carlton’s questions when he had emerged into the crowded reception room seconds later with Kenzie still cradled against him. She hadn’t seen him stride forcefully towards the lift while he barked an order at the flustered hotel manager to call a doctor and have him sent up to his suite as soon as he arrived.
She had looked so pale when Dominick had carried her along the corridor to his hotel room, her long dark hair trailing over his arm adding to that air of fragility. Kenzie had seemed to weigh nothing in his arms despite her tall stature.
So, yes, he did mind leaving the room because he wanted to know what the hell was wrong with her!
‘I think it might be as well if your husband stayed, Mrs Masters,’ the doctor told her with a smile. He was a short iron-grey-haired man who was obviously slightly in awe of Dominick glowering across the room at him.
Kenzie’s face regained some of its colour. ‘He’s not—’
‘I’ll go and stand by the other window if it makes you more comfortable, Kenzie,’ Dominick cut in on what he knew was going to be her protest at having him called her husband let alone finding herself addressed as Mrs Masters.
But that was exactly what she still was, he brooded as he moved to the other end of the bedroom, totally deaf to the murmur of Kenzie and the doctor’s voices.
Kenzie was Mrs Masters whether she liked it or not. His wife. As he was still her husband.
He had taken the divorce papers out of his desk drawer a dozen times over the last five weeks, not with the intention of signing and returning them, but as a way of reminding himself that, no matter how much he might have changed, Kenzie no longer wanted anything more to do with him.
He was vaguely aware now of Kenzie going into the bathroom, then returning a couple of minutes later, and the low whisper of voices as the doctor spoke to her again.
‘Well, I believe that’s perfectly in order,’ the doctor said as he straightened and turned to include Dominick in his smile. ‘Nothing to worry about at all, Mr Masters—’
‘Kenzie collapsed, so of course I’m worried,’ Dominic snapped.
‘Your wife only fainted, Mr Masters,’ the doctor assured him as he packed his things away in his bag. ‘It’s perfectly common at this stage of things, I do promise you. Of course, Mrs Masters will need to see her own doctor as soon as possible, and if these fainting spells continue I’m sure he will be—’
‘What-is-wrong-with-her?’ Dominick interrupted tautly, his patience having been tested beyond endurance.
‘I believe congratulations are in order,’ the older man beamed. ‘Your wife is in the early stages of pregnancy.’
Pregnant…?
Kenzie was pregnant!
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
‘I HAVE the distinct feeling,’ Dominick murmured as he returned to the bedroom after seeing the doctor out and found Kenzie glaring at him from across the room, ‘that if I were to even dare to question the paternity of your baby at this moment I might end up with more than I bargained for!’
‘Your feeling is correct!’ Kenzie bit out between gritted teeth, not even close to coming to terms with her pregnancy.
It hadn’t even occurred to her—
She hadn’t thought—
She was expecting the baby she had so longed for six months ago!
Dominick’s baby…
That realization was enough to take her breath away. In fact, she was surprised she hadn’t fainted all over again when the doctor had announced his prognosis.
Pregnant.
But not, as she had always dreamt, within the confines of a close and happy marriage. She and her baby’s father didn’t even live together any more, and would be divorced as soon as possible after Dominick signed the papers.
She really was pregnant. With Dominick’s baby. And while it was something he didn’t want or need, Kenzie knew that she would love this baby enough for both of them.
‘I have no idea what you’re thinking now, Kenzie,’ Dominick said gruffly as he watched the emotions flickering across her face. ‘Although I could take a pretty fair guess!’ he added ruefully. ‘But whatever it is, I think we should hold off discussing—any of this, until after you’ve had something to eat.’
Inwardly Dominick wasn’t quite as calm. In fact, he had no idea what he was.
Kenzie was pregnant!
With his baby?
Or was it Carlton’s?
His heart constricted at that thought. ‘I’ll go through to the other room and order you some food while you put a call through to your parents—’
‘It’s far too early to tell them of the pregnancy yet,’ Kenzie instantly protested. She hadn’t got used to the idea herself yet, let alone sharing it with the rest of her family.
Dominick grimaced. ‘I wasn’t suggesting that you tell your family about the pregnancy,’ he assured dryly. ‘After your collapse earlier, and all those snap-happy reporters downstairs as I carried you up here, your parents may find some of the headlines in tomorrow’s newspapers a little—disturbing. It may be as well if you were to call them before that happens to let them know that you’re okay.’
Kenzie stared at him for several long seconds, surprised that he had even considered how her parents might feel.
‘Okay,’ she finally agreed quietly, feeling wary of Dominick in this mood.
Where was the Dominick she knew who wouldn’t have hesitated to make accusations and recriminations?
Maybe it was just that he was as stunned as she was.
‘Is a club sandwich okay or would you prefer something more substantial?’ he enquired with that same calm she was finding so disturbing.
‘A club sandwich will be fine,’ she answered slowly.
‘With coffee or juice? I really have no idea whether pregnant women are supposed to drink coffee or not.’ He grimaced.
‘Juice will be fine,’ Kenzie murmured, still eyeing him with unease.
He nodded. ‘I shouldn’t be long. If you would like to call your parents…?’ he reminded her before disappearing into the adjoining sitting room.
Kenzie stood rooted to the spot for several seconds after Dominick had left, still puzzled by his behaviour.
Five months ago, even five weeks ago, she would have had no doubts as to his reaction on learning she was pregnant, and would have known exactly how he felt about the prospect of fatherhood. Now she had no idea what he was thinking or feeling.
But that was probably because he didn’t know whether the baby was his or not, she instantly reasoned. Why should he? The two of them had made love once in the last five and a half months, whereas he thought she and Jerome were virtually living together.
That had to be the answer to his odd behaviour; Dominick wasn’t sure whose baby she was expecting.
Whereas she knew it couldn’t be anyone else’s but his!
Which put her in a precarious position. Did she tell Dominick the baby was his? Or did she let him go on thinking she might be pregnant by another man?
Whichever she decided to do, one thing she was sure of: Dominick wouldn’t want this baby to be his!
As Dominick put through the order for Kenzie’s food, his mind was whirring with questions.
He and Kenzie had made love five weeks ago, so depending on how pregnant Kenzie was, it could be his baby.
How did he feel about that?
He had no idea how he felt about the baby itself, and couldn’t even begin to quantify or rationalize emotions about something so far beyond his comprehension, but the thought of Kenzie being pregnant with his child was something else entirely…
If it was his baby—and it was a big if, he acknowledged grimly—then he wanted to be there for her, by his physical presence and support, financially, or in any way she would let him be there for her.
The question was, would she want him to be there for any of those things…?
‘Are your parents okay?’ he queried evenly, returning to the bedroom to find Kenzie sitting on the side of the bed beside the telephone.
She turned to him blankly, having been lost in thought. ‘Fine,’ she dismissed quickly as she stood up.