Master of Fortune (12 page)

“Yes, he’s fine. He has asked me to check up on you and your brothers face-to-face to see how things are progressing.”

“Then you’ve seen the report I sent on the groups we’ve signed and our projections on how well they will sell.”

“Yes, we received it. I hear you were at Madejski with your brothers this weekend.”

Henry leaned back in his chair. What was the point of Edmond’s visit? Was he here to warn him about Astrid again? He didn’t want to be curt to the older man—Henry was aware that Edmond was Malcolm’s eyes and ears. Whatever he said to Edmond would make its way back to Malcolm.

“We did. I prefer you call Geoff and Steven the other heirs. We weren’t raised as brothers.”

“That always pained your father,” Edmond said.

Henry shook his head. “How can you say that with a straight face? Malcolm barely knew we were alive.”

“That’s not true,” Edmond said. “But you have your version of your life.”

“Tell me one time…
one thing
that Malcolm did for me or Geoff or Steven.”

Edmond stood up and walked over to the plate glass windows looking down on the Thames. “He attended your rugby matches when you played with the London Irish.”

“Bullshit,” Henry said. “I think I would have known if he was there. The media would have gone crazy like they did when he attended Geoff’s polo match.”

“They were nuts about that, weren’t they?” Edmond said. “We learned our lesson on that outing. After that Malcolm learned to be more circumspect when he attended functions for you boys. It wasn’t easy for him. He’s not a man given to that type of behavior.”

Henry approached Edmond, laying a hand on the other man’s forearm.

“Why are you here?”

“To check up on you. There was another photo in
Ok!
of you and that girl. Do you need our help in dealing with her?”

Henry shook his head. “I haven’t needed you or Malcolm my entire life. Why would I need you now?”

“You might benefit from the experience he has.”

Henry shook his head. “I know how to end relationships and this one with Astrid is fine.”

Malcolm’s advice might have been helpful when it came to business when he’d first started here, but he’d found his own way. Which Henry acknowledged was the way he preferred to work. He always had. He liked doing things his own way.

“I think Malcolm should stick to business in his communications with me. We are launching one of our artist’s newest CD this afternoon at the Everest Mega Store. You might want to stop by there so you can see how I’m running things”

Edmond turned toward Henry. “Fine.”

“I can’t tell you how relieved I am,” Henry said, then realized he was letting his own feelings of resentment toward Malcolm get the better of him. “I’d never deny a child of mine.”

“Malcolm didn’t either.”

“We’ll have to disagree on that. I’m glad you stopped by. If you need anything else, my assistant will take care of it for you.”

Edmond nodded. “Good day, Henry.”

“Good day.”

Edmond left and Astrid came into his office. She closed the door behind her. She smiled at him. “Is everything okay? Isn’t Edmond Malcolm’s right-hand man?”

“He is. Everything’s fine. Malcolm just sends Edmond out to check up on me—something he hasn’t done since I was a kid.”

Astrid walked behind his desk and leaned back against it. He had sat back down in his executive chair so he turned to face her.

“There’s a note in your voice,” she said. He snagged her waist and drew her to his lap. “Why don’t you like Edmond?”

His arms tightened around Astrid and he drew her close. just let her presence soothe those long-ago feelings of resentment Edmond always stirred up.

“Edmond is fine. I don’t like that he is always standing in for Malcolm.
Gordon
is more of a father to me than Malcolm was, and I know that’s the way that some men are. But every time I see Edmond, it just reminds me of all the times Malcolm wasn’t there.”

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“It’s okay,” he said. “I know it sounds like I’m complaining, but I’m not. I always wished he’d just stay out of my life for good instead of dancing around on the fringes.”

“Why didn’t he?”

“Who knows,” Henry said. If Edmond was right and Malcolm had attended his rugby matches, then there was more to the enigma of Malcolm Devonshire than Henry had previously suspected.

“Is everything on schedule for this afternoon?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said, trying to stand up, but he held her close and claimed the kiss he’d been wanting since she walked into his office.

He was quickly realizing that having an affair with his assistant was very distracting. Astrid was temptation incarnate. No matter how many times he had her, no matter how often he felt her silky legs around his hips, he always wanted her again. He craved her.

He let his hand caress her body as he deepened their kiss.

“I want to lift you onto my desk and take your panties off,” he whispered.

“Yes,” she said, reaching for his belt, opening it and finding his erection—hot, hard and ready for her.

“Make love to me, Henry,” she said.

And he did. Taking her on his desk and making her completely his. He knew that no matter what else he thought about Malcolm Devonshire, without his father he wouldn’t have found Astrid, and that was something he didn’t know if he could have lived without.

Henry’s lovemaking was fierce and all-consuming as always, but afterward when they’d cleaned up, he pulled her into his arms. She knew they had work to do. There was a lot going on every day, but now he just held her and stroked her back.

She rested her head against his shoulder and felt the kind of closeness she’d never had with another person before. Any person. She looked up at Henry and realized it was long overdue for her to tell him about Daniel and everything that had happened.

“What are you thinking?”

“That you stopped asking me about my secrets. Does that mean you no longer want to know them?”

“Not at all. I just decided that when you are ready to talk to me about them you will.” He kissed her tenderly. “I think it’s time to get back to work.”

She nodded and stood up to leave. But she felt as though he’d pushed her away. She wondered if she’d gotten too close to him. She hoped not. She didn’t want to end up like Kaye Allen, clinging to a man who no longer wanted her.

“Your girl is nervous. She’s in the storage area pacing around. She even left her guitar in the cab.”

“Did you get it back?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll go talk to her,” Astrid said.

Astrid took the elevator up to the third floor and entered the storage area. Steph was indeed pacing around but she seemed fine. No nerves to speak of.

“Hello, Astrid.”

“How’s it going, Steph? Ready for today?”

“I think so,” Steph said. “This is how I always get before I go on. So don’t worry that I’m going to wig out on you.”

“I’m not worried at all. Do you know who Mo Rollins is?”

“I haven’t been living under a rock,” she said with a quick grin.

“He would say you are in great company based on your nerves. He always says the great ones worry they will never match the sound in their head and that’s why they are nervous before they go out and perform.”

Steph smiled. “Dang it, Astrid. I hadn’t even worried about that. I’m just nervous because BBC Radio One is here and they want to interview me when I’m done singing.”

“Didn’t the media coach get you ready for that?”

“Yes, but practicing at home is different than actually doing it. And I don’t want to sound like some kind of muppet.”

“You won’t. You’re smart and poised. And Henry would never have produced an album for you if you weren’t.”

Steph hugged her. “Thank you. My boyfriend is supposed to be coming today but he got stuck at work.”

“How’d you meet?” Astrid asked. The more Steph talked the more she relaxed. And a relaxed artist would perform better.

“At university. We were both in elementary ed.”

There was a rap on the door and one of the sound techs poked in his head. “We’re ready for you in five minutes.”

“Thanks.” Steph went to fix her lipstick and the door opened. Astrid glanced over her shoulder to see Henry and Steven enter, talking quietly.

Henry winked at her, but didn’t say anything as he went to talk to Steph. Astrid got a call on her cell from Rona that there was someone downstairs demanding to see Henry.

Astrid relayed the message. “I’ll go see who it is and let you know if you are needed.”

“Great. I’m switching my mobile to vibrate. Just send me a text, because I won’t be able to hear a call. I don’t like to be disturbed before a concert.”

“Will do. Good luck, Steph,” Astrid said as she walked to the door.

She stepped out onto the sales floor and saw that the Mega Store was impossibly busy today. Steven’s business unit had to be making a fair profit. What would that mean for Henry?

She took the escalator down to the first floor where Rona waited. She pointed to the area near the registers. At first Astrid didn’t recognize the woman, but as she got closer she realized it was Kaye—the woman from the rugby match.

“Hi. I’m Astrid Taylor, Mr. Devonshire’s assistant. What can I do for you?”

Kaye gave her a scathing look. “Nothing. I need to talk to Henry.”

Astrid tried to smile, but the other woman wasn’t having any part of her friendliness.

“He won’t have any free time today. If you give me your number, I’ll have him call you tonight,” Astrid said.

“He had my number,” Kaye said.

“Fine. But if you give it to me then he won’t have to search for it.”

The other woman took a card from her handbag and handed it over. “It’s urgent. I need to speak to him today.”

“Very well. I will give him the message.”

Kaye turned and walked away and Astrid watched the other woman go. She sent a text message to Henry informing him that Kaye was looking for him and giving him her number. She tried to shake off the negative feeling that meeting Kaye had produced in her. But it was hard.

She stood in the first floor crowd as Steph performed on the balcony area of the second floor. The acoustics in a retail shop weren’t the best for a live performance, but the genuine quality of Steph’s voice made up for that.

Astrid kept one ear on the music as she observed the people in the crowd. They really liked Steph’s sound, and Astrid noted that as the performance wrapped up the queue to meet her grew. Her CD sales had been steadily high throughout the day.

Astrid went to the table where fans would be able to meet Steph and made sure everything was set up for her with bottles of water to drink, press photos to autograph. The digital photographer was there to take souvenir photos with any fan who wanted one.

Everything was perfect for the event and it cemented Astrid’s belief that she and Henry were good at working together. But his reticence about the message from Kaye had her worried. Aside from the passion that was between them…what hold did she really have on him?

Something that might involve Astrid. He didn’t want that. He liked what he and Astrid had going. She brought a peace to his life he’d never found in another person.

Kaye answered her cell phone on the first ring. “It’s about time you called me.”

“What’s up?” he asked her.

“I don’t want to talk about this on the phone. Can you meet me?”

“Now?”

“Yes, now? This is urgent.”

“Fine. Where are you?”

“There’s a Café Europa around the corner from the Mega Store. Meet me there.”

She hung up and Henry shoved his phone into his pocket.

“Everything okay?” Steven asked.

“No. I have to go take care of an urgent matter. Will you take care of Steph? Just get her down to Astrid and then she’ll take over.”

“I think I can handle that,” Steven said in that wry way he had.

“I know you can. Thanks.”

“No problem. Astrid is very efficient, isn’t she? Do you think she’d like to work in retail?” Steven asked.

“No. She wouldn’t like to work for anyone but me.”

Steven laughed. “That’s to the point.”

“Indeed. But seriously she’s interested in producing. I think she’ll stay at the label for a long time.”

“Good. I think she’s a definite asset for the Everest Group.”

Steven’s comments demonstrated that the other man was thinking globally, thinking of the entire organization. And Henry realized that he didn’t care quite so much about winning the chairmanship of the Everest Group. He liked running the record label. It suited him.

It was the first time in his life that he wasn’t lusting after the next big thing. Was part of it to do with Astrid? Or had he simply found the place where he belonged?

That was an exhilarating thought. He walked out of the mega store and onto the street. There was the usual bevy of photographers, but none of them paid much attention to him as he walked away.

He found the coffee shop where Kaye waited at a table near the back.

“Hello, Henry.”

He sat down next to her. “What is so urgent it couldn’t wait?”

“I’m pregnant,” she said.

Henry looked at her, trying to assess if she were lying. He was meticulous about birth control. Thanks to the circumstances of his own birth, he’d never wanted to have any kids without being committed to their mother.

“Are you sure?”

She gave him an exasperated look. “Of course I’m sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I have no idea. Look, sorry if I’ve offended you, I never expected to have this conversation. We were careful every time we were together,” he said.

He sat back in his chair trying to see signs of her pregnancy in her body. She did seem a little fuller than she’d been before, but she wasn’t thicker around the middle.

“How far along are you?” he asked.

“Four months.”

Well, the timing was right for him to be the father. “What do you want from me?”

“I want you to support the child. I think it’s the least you can do.”

“Very well. Just have a paternity test and then we can move forward. I’ll have my lawyers get to work on drawing up some kind of paperwork for this,” Henry said, running his hand through his hair. This he didn’t need, but he’d never deny a child of his own. He wasn’t going to make the same mistakes Malcolm had.

“I don’t see why we need a paternity test,” Kaye said.

“Because I’m a wealthy man, Kaye, and I’m not going to simply take your word. If the baby is mine we will move forward on my terms,” Henry said. “But I would never deny a child of mine, and I will be a father to this baby if it is indeed mine.”

“On your terms? I don’t think so. I don’t take orders from you.”

“When it comes to the baby, you will,” Henry said. “Together we’ll make the decisions for the child.”

“Fine,” she said. “I’ll arrange for the test to be done as soon as I can. Will you stop dodging my phone calls?”

“Yes,” he said.

Henry stood up to leave the café and walked back to the mega store with his mind in a mire of thoughts.
A child
.

He wasn’t ready to be a father, he knew that. There was a reason why he’d been waiting to settle down. And there was only one woman he wanted to settle down with. Astrid.

How was she going to take the news that he might be a father?

“Henry?”

Astrid waited for him right inside the door of the retail store. There was a long queue still in front of Steph. This at least had been a huge success.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. But we need to talk.”

“Now?”

The retail store was jammed with industry journalists and other insiders he should talk to. Did he put business on hold for a personal discussion?

No, he thought. This situation with Steph was easier to handle than talking to Astrid right now.

“No, it can wait until later,” he said.

Astrid looked up at him with questions in her eyes, and he had that feeling in his gut that he wasn’t meant to have the life he’d been wanting with this woman. If Kaye was pregnant with his child, he couldn’t be with Astrid.

Unlike his father, he would do the right thing.