Her Boss's One-Night Baby

CHAPTER TWO

SHOCKED, HANA WATCHED the father of her baby turn scornfully and leave her abandoned and alone on the Tokyo sidewalk.

Except Antonio hadn’t just left her.

He’d fired her.

He’d taken her innocence. He’d changed her life forever. And now, to add insult to injury, he’d kicked her out of a job she loved.

Shivering, she heard another low rumble of thunder, rolling above the city, making the glass and steel and neon tremble. She felt a cool breeze against her overheated skin, and looked up at the lowering gray sky as the drizzle turned to rain.

Obviously, Hana had known that Antonio wouldn’t react like the hero of a romantic movie, and kiss her joyfully at the news of her pregnancy. She’d known he didn’t want children, or the slightest commitment.

But she’d never imagined he could be such an utter bastard as this.

Trembling, she wiped her eyes as she felt the cold splatter of raindrops against her face. Why was she so surprised? As his assistant, she of all people had seen how heartless Antonio Delacruz could be, especially to his lovers. She’d seen him relentlessly pursue a woman until the thrill of the conquest started to wane. It never took long—a few weeks, or perhaps even just a single night, until he was bored, finished.

Hana had always been amazed at those foolish women who let themselves care for him, each of whom apparently believed, incredibly, that she’d be the one to finally tame the untamable playboy. Hana had pitied them. Could they not see how he turned on his interest and charm like a switch? One moment, he was a passionate lover, with all the intensity of relentless desire; the next, he was gone.

Although it wasn’t fair to say Antonio was just a plague to womankind. He treated everyone badly, men and women, though with men his ruthlessness was manifested by him taking their businesses if he wanted them—their businesses, and their girlfriends.

But Hana had thought she was special. For two years, she’d worked at his side, often twelve-hour days, seven days a week, and for the last few months, far more than that. She’d been inspired by him, challenged by him. His success was her success, and she’d given him every bit of her blood, sweat and tears to make CrossWorld Airways the global airline he wanted it to be.

She’d thought that they were partners of a sort, if not friends. But now she saw how truly unspecial she was.

You tried to trap me. Tried, and failed. Goodbye, Miss Everly.

The cold rain pattered the rhythm of his words against her, soaking through her dark hair and white suit. People stared at her as they passed by, all of them sensibly holding umbrellas to block the rain. She probably looked like a fool, standing there with her mouth still agape. She felt like one.

Antonio had made her one.

No, that wasn’t fair. Hana took a deep breath. She’d done this to herself.

Closing her eyes, she lifted her face up to the sky. But she’d never imagined in a million years that he’d fire her for being pregnant. However the world saw him, she’d thought, at his core, Antonio Delacruz was an honorable man. She’d thought, however badly he’d treated his other mistresses, he would never act that way toward her.

Hana’s eyes abruptly opened.

She, who’d always prided herself on being practical, clear-eyed and smart, had been the biggest fool of them all.

Traffic had increased on the busy street. Rain—only rain, not tears, definitely not tears—made her vision blurry as she looked down at her white suit, now plastered to her skin, gray as a dove in the wan light.

She’d devoted her life to him, been honest with him in spite of her fear, and this was how he repaid her?

He’d insulted her. He’d fired her. And worst of all: he’d coldly rejected his own child, now growing inside her.

A white-hot flame of anger burned through her. It grew inside Hana, grew and grew until it left room for nothing else in her heart.

She and the baby were on their own.

Hana lifted her chin. Fine. They didn’t need him. They’d be better off without him—soulless, heartless, backstabbing jerk!

Her hands tightened on the strap of her purse. Her satchel of clothes was unfortunately still in the back of the Rolls-Royce that had brought them from Haneda Airport. All she had in the small black purse over her shoulder was her passport, credit cards and a little bit of cash, a mix of yen, dollars and euros. But she was also in Tokyo, which meant she had something more.

Ren.

Her best friend, whom she saw just a few times a year. Just thinking of his kindly face made her want to get to him as quickly as possible.

Blinking back hot, furious tears, she waved down a taxi. As one started to pull to the curb, she saw the driver hesitate, looking at her in the rain, obviously fearing she’d flood his upholstery given half a chance. But then he sighed and pulled his taxi over.

“Sumimasen,” she said over the lump in her throat, trying very hard to keep the wettest parts of her clothing off the seat. Holding her bag tightly against her chest, she gave him the address in Harajuku then stared out at the passing streets. Ren Tanaka. It was by sheerest luck that she’d had her heart broken in the same city where her best friend lived.

She and Ren had been friends since childhood, when they’d been pen pals as Hana traveled the world with her adventurous teacher parents. He was the only friend she’d kept in touch with, moving as often as she did, first with her restless parents and then later, working for an airline tycoon. Hana was an only child, an orphan now that her parents and grandparents had died, but somehow, in their frequent online conversations, Ren had become her family.

Although...

Unease went through her as she remembered the last time she’d seen him, on a brief business trip to Tokyo a few months earlier. He’d acted very strangely. It wasn’t actually what he’d said, so much as the way he’d looked at her. It had made her nervous.

Was it possible that somehow, after all their years of friendship, Ren could have gotten some crazy idea that he was in love with her?

Absolutely not, Hana told herself. Why would Ren imagine himself in love with her, when he had so many girls interested in him, right here in Tokyo?

He was her dear friend, like always. And he’d help her figure out what to do now. Hana tried to imagine what he’d say when he heard about her unexpected pregnancy—and how her boss had abandoned and fired her. Ren already disliked Antonio intensely, though the two men had never actually met. Her boss didn’t even know of Ren’s existence. Why would he? Hana’s childhood friendship had been entirely through letters, and even now it was mostly online.

As the taxi turned toward the hip, colorful street in Harajuku where Ren managed his family’s boutique hotel, she took a deep breath. She was not going to cry over Antonio. No way, no how. He wasn’t worth it. He’d proven himself totally unworthy of either Hana or their baby.

So she’d move on. Think only of the future. She’d put Antonio Delacruz behind her and never, ever think of him again.

But still, she heard the echo of Antonio’s sensual voice spoken into the hot, dark Spanish night.

There will be no romance, no marriage. No consequences.

And in spite of her resolve to feel nothing, Hana gasped out a sob, hating him with fresh, hot tears.

Liar!

“Possible?” Antonio choked out, dumbfounded. “What do you mean, it’s possible?”

“Just what I said.” The doctor looked at him gravely over his thick glasses. “We did the test, as you requested. And the results are conclusive.”

It was good Antonio was already sitting down. He felt sick and dizzy at the news. The minimalist decor and medical equipment in the examining room of the private clinic swam in front of his eyes.

“I don’t understand,” he stammered. “As I told you, I had a vasectomy eighteen years ago, at a reputable hospital—”

“Yes. It seems your body has healed itself.”

Antonio stared at the doctor in shock.

All morning, he’d felt his insides churn, in spite of his best efforts not to think about the lies Hana had told him on the sidewalk: pretending to be pregnant with his baby, clearly in an attempt to extort money or a proposal of marriage. Going to the top floor of the skyscraper with his team, he’d pushed aside the feelings of betrayal and rage, and tried to focus on the details of the business negotiation.

But the meeting had been a disaster. He hadn’t been able to find the right papers in the portfolio, or track down the points he’d previously marked to discuss with his lawyers before they formally presented the offer to Iyokan Airways. Hana had always been in charge of solving his problems, finding papers, sorting out details, arranging whatever he needed.

Now he was alone.

Abandoned.

Betrayed.

During the meeting, his lawyers and his Tokyo lead team had looked at each other worriedly as they were forced to repeat certain clauses in the contract multiple times to their normally razor-sharp boss. Emotion—rage and anger and, worst of all, hurt—had built inside him, until finally, it had exploded. He’d scattered the pile of papers in fury across the large glass table in his conference room on the top floor of the skyscraper, with its view of Tokyo.

“Reschedule,” he’d growled, and stalked out, knowing they were probably wondering if he was drunk, or if he’d lost his mind—or his nerve. His business rivals would smell blood in the water. He himself had always enjoyed attacking the businesses of weaker opponents. He’d never experienced what it was like to be on the other side of it. Not since he was young, when he was helpless and alone—

He pushed the memory aside. This was Hana’s fault. His secretary had betrayed him at every level. Personally. Professionally.

He never should have slept with her. The success of his company was far more important than any sexual desire. CrossWorld Airways was the only thing that mattered. Once he expanded routes into Asia, he would build to Africa and South America. He would have the first truly global low-cost airline. His company was his family, his lover, his religion and meaning. His company was his soul.

So why had he done it? Why, when she’d kissed him, that night in Madrid, hadn’t he had the strength to push her away?

Yes, Hana was beautiful. But he’d ignored beautiful women before. It was something more. She’d been different. Pure fire. And when she’d kissed him, he could have no more pushed her away then he could have stopped breathing.

He’d wanted her then. He wanted her still.

But she’d been setting a trap for him, all along. Playing him for a fool, luring him in with her innocent beauty and apparent warm heart. All so she could seduce him and claim to be pregnant. He could hardly believe he’d been tricked so thoroughly.

But that was the problem.

The whole thing was hard to believe.

And the more Antonio had thought about it during the business meeting, the more distracted he’d become, obsessing over a single question.

How was it possible everything about Hana was a lie?

For two years, she’d worked at his side. She’d been hardworking, loyal, honest to a fault. How could anyone maintain an act like that so well, and for so long?

Antonio couldn’t understand it. And every time he’d tried to focus during the business meeting, he’d seen the eviscerated look in her eyes. You’re firing me? Because I’m pregnant with your baby?

And he’d felt his heart, his guts, every part of his body twist like a rag wrung dry.

Stalking angrily from the meeting, he’d grimly arranged to see the best fertility doctor in the city. Just to prove, once and for all, that Hana Everly was a liar. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He was the victim here.

And now this.

He’d come to the clinic for reassurance, not to discover his worst fears were actually true. He’d never expected he’d be told it was possible that he’d fathered Hana’s child!

“No,” Antonio told the doctor hoarsely. “I had a vasectomy!”

The other man stroked his white beard thoughtfully. “You had the procedure when you were very young. Sometimes the body heals itself, as I said. It’s rare, less than one percent of cases. But it happens.” He paused. “We can book an appointment to redo the procedure...”

“What’s the point of that now? It’s already too late!” With a low snarl, Antonio rose to his feet and stormed out of the clinic. All he could think about was the stricken look on Hana’s face when he’d left her standing alone on the sidewalk. The shock in her brown eyes.

If she was really pregnant with his child, and he’d treated her like that—

Antonio pushed the thought away ruthlessly. It wasn’t his fault. How could he have possibly known the vasectomy he’d had as a teenager would fail nearly two decades later? Of course he’d assumed Hana was lying. How could he think otherwise? People had always proved themselves worthy of his worst assumptions.

Everyone except Hana. But he’d been all too ready to believe the worst even of her. Because it scared him, how much he’d come to trust her.

As he stepped out of the medical clinic, Antonio saw the rain had lightened to a drizzle, with flashes of sunlight like silver breaking through the clouds.

You’re firing me? Because I’m pregnant with your baby?

He felt another twist in his gut.

“Mr. Delacruz, if I may speak freely...” His longtime bodyguard Ramon Garcia, who’d been waiting in the lobby, followed him toward the waiting car. “Señor, I think you’ve made a mistake about Miss Everly. She’s a good person. She didn’t deserve to be treated like that.”

Perfecto. This was just what he needed. One more person judging him. And now that Antonio knew he was indeed in the wrong, he really didn’t want to hear it. “It’s none of your business, Garcia.”

The man’s accusing eyes met his. “If you didn’t intend to step up, you never should have slept with her—”

“Enough,” he snapped, causing his bodyguard’s jaw to set. Wonderful, another trusted employee enraged with him. Antonio’s shoulders were tight as he climbed into the waiting Rolls-Royce. Garcia got into the front seat without a word.

“Where to, sir?” the driver asked him after a pause.

“Just drive,” Antonio ground out.

Looking out at the soft drizzle in the spring afternoon, his eyes fell on the pink cherry trees. Hana had been so excited that the negotiations would be in Tokyo at the same time the trees were likely to bloom. They bloom for such a short time, she’d said. It’s precious and beautiful. You have to enjoy it while you can. Before it’s gone.

Just like their night together, he thought.

For years, almost from the day he’d hired her, he’d resisted seducing her only by an act of pure will, because of her importance to his company.

Then she’d kissed him, and all his self-control had exploded to dust, burned away by fire. For the first time in his adult life, he’d given in to the demands of his body, the demands of his heart, over the cold decision of his reason.

Antonio had tried to tell himself that bedding her could somehow be a good thing for their working relationship. That it could end his desire for her. He’d even extracted a promise from Hana that they’d both forget the night ever happened—a promise he knew he himself could not fulfill.

Useless, all useless. From the morning he’d woken up with her soft naked body in his arms, he’d discovered taking her virginity hadn’t lessened his desire, only increased it. His need for her had been a constant torment for the next two months as they’d worked together round the clock on the Iyokan Airways deal. Every time he’d felt her brush against him innocently as they looked over documents together, he’d grasp the desk, remembering how he’d held her virgin body naked against his in the breathless heat of passion. As he heard her speak of business details, he’d hear, against his will, her cry as she’d gasped out with pleasure, gripping his back so tightly, he could still feel the marks of her fingernails—not against his skin, but against his heart.

It had terrified him.

Antonio had known, if he ever touched her again, it would destroy everything he cared about. His company would be hurt by her loss, and he would certainly lose her. Their working relationship could perhaps survive a one-night stand, but not a full-blown affair. He never kept a mistress for long. And how many times had Hana told him that her biggest dream was to someday have a real home, commitment, marriage, children? All things he could never give, not to her or anyone.

So he’d done the impossible. He’d pretended their night together had been forgettable. That it had, in fact, already been forgotten by him.

He’d been the one lying all this time. Not Hana.

Staring out the window blankly as his chauffeur drove him through Tokyo, Antonio looked down and realized his phone was somehow in his hands. Without letting himself think, he dialed Hana’s number.

She didn’t answer.

He tried again.

Same result.

No wonder, he thought grimly. He’d fired her, hadn’t he? She was no longer obligated to pick up when he called.

“Find her,” he barked at his bodyguard.

Turning in the front seat, Garcia’s rough face lifted into a crooked smile. “Her best friend lives in Tokyo. If she’s not answering the phone, she’s probably with him.”

“Who is he?” he demanded in a strained voice.

“His name is Ren Tanaka. His family owns a hotel in Harajuku.”

A best friend? A man? Antonio didn’t know which surprised him more. But as his driver changed route through the crowded streets, he told himself he wasn’t jealous, just curious. Hana had been a virgin; of that, there could be no doubt. And it wasn’t like Antonio had any claim on her.

Except that she was expecting his baby.

A baby.

After everything Antonio had done to prevent fatherhood, he was going to have a child.

A lump rose to his throat as he looked out at the passing streets of Tokyo in the soft spring mist.

Hana would be better off raising the child without him, obviously. What did he know of fatherhood? He’d never had parents. Better to stick with the choices he’d made long ago—to focus on his company and his fortune. They were the only things that mattered.

He’d gotten a vasectomy for a reason. He didn’t have the capacity to commit to anyone for life. He wasn’t fit to be a husband or father. Hana wouldn’t be shocked by this. She knew him better than anyone. All he could offer was financial support. It shouldn’t be hard for him to convince her.

As long as he didn’t touch her. Damn it, he was only a man. If he touched her, he would take her. Not just for a one-night stand. His repressed desire for her had become a ferocious beast, which if unleashed, would be unstoppable. He’d keep her as his mistress until his body was utterly satiated, whether that took days, weeks, or even months. For Antonio, sex was a physical thing, like eating or sleeping. But Hana’s heart was warm, not frozen like his own. All those months in his bed might lure her into blindly loving him. Then, when their affair inevitably ended, her love would just as inevitably turn to hate.

And perhaps she’d teach the baby to hate him as well...

No. He could never touch Hana again.

“We’re here, señor.”

Getting out of car, Antonio remembered Hana’s satchel in the trunk and got it out. He felt new shame as he remembered how he’d fired her, sending her off without even her bag of clothes. As he lifted it to his shoulder, a crack of sunlight burst through the clouds. Harajuku was very different from the financial district, crowded, lively and colorful. He looked up at the seven-story hotel silhouetted against the soft gray sky. Garcia started to follow, until he gestured sharply for his bodyguard to stay. He wanted to talk to Hana alone.

The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, or the baby. But he was a selfish bastard, and that wasn’t going to change.

And Hana would be an amazing mother. The baby would never even miss having him as a father. After all, what did Antonio have to offer a child, beyond his fortune? There was no question of Antonio being more involved than that. He’d give Hana an enormous financial settlement. They’d be set for life.

Now all he had to do was convince her of that.

Walking through the sleekly modern Japanese-style lobby of the hotel, he stopped a passing employee.

“Sir?” the man responded politely.

“Is an American girl staying here? A guest of Ren Tanaka?”

The employee looked Antonio over from his bespoke suit to his Italian leather shoes, then with a nod, motioned toward a quiet, darkened bar, separate from the lobby. “They’re in there.”

Glancing at the door, he set his jaw. Then he held out the satchel. “Make sure this is delivered to her room.”

“Of course, sir.”

Leaving the lobby, Antonio stood for a moment in the doorway of the darkened hotel bar. It took several seconds for his eyes to adjust. He blinked. Then blinked again.

Then he sucked in his breath when he saw Hana sitting alone at a table, across the empty bar. Her white skirt suit was edged with a sultry blue glow from the neon light on the ceiling. His body was instantly electrified. “Hana.”

Turning, she saw him. “Antonio?” She rose unsteadily to her feet. “What are you doing here?”

“I had to see you,” he said, searching her beautiful face.

She glanced uneasily at something on the other side of the bar. “Why?”

“I...uh...” Now that he was looking at her, all his carefully planned arguments flew from his mind. Against his will, his gaze fell to her trembling, deliciously full pink lips, and down farther still. Her breasts seemed bigger—yes—the top two buttons of her white fitted jacket were stretched about to burst. How had he not noticed that before today?

Because he hadn’t wanted to notice.

But he wanted her. Suddenly. Savagely. So much his hands shook with it. He wanted to grab her, push her back against the wall. He didn’t care what the cost might be to his company, to his peace of mind, to anything. He wanted to have her even if the cost was setting fire to the world.

“Delacruz. It’s you, isn’t it?”

Hearing a man’s low growl, Antonio turned and saw a young Japanese man, tall and handsome in a sleek suit, perhaps ten years younger than Antonio’s thirty-six years, approaching from behind the bar.

“Who are you?” he asked, though he’d already guessed.

The man’s lip curled. “My name is Ren Tanaka.”

Antonio’s eyes narrowed as he sized up the younger man. “So you’re her best friend.”

He lifted his chin. “And you’re her bastard boss who got her pregnant and abandoned her like a—”

He spoke a Japanese word that Antonio didn’t understand, but the meaning was plain enough. Tanaka looked as if he’d like to strangle him with his bare hands.

The feeling was mutual. As Antonio saw the other man gently hand Hana a glass of water, then step protectively in front of her—as if he were trying to protect her from Antonio!—his own hands clenched into fists.

Then he saw Hana’s face, her worry and fear as she looked between the two men. He saw the way her body, newly lush with his child, was trembling.