Hugging Asha to her chest, Isabella carefully navigated the stairs. Someone was ringing the doorbell like their life depended on it. Evan had gone out to run errands after their walk in the park. She had been about to give Asha a bottle and put the baby down for a nap.

She had a couple of client calls to return and reseach to do. She’d been thinking about taking some online nursing classes. Not finishing school was not something she wanted to regret in the future. Asha should have two role models to look up to.

The doorbell rang again and she rolled her eyes as Asha whimpered. Rushing into the living room, she laid Asha down in the empty playpen. Isabella did not like to answer the door with the baby in her arms.

“Just a minute,” she called out over her shoulder.

She had to get rid of the visitor before Asha realized her bottle had been delayed. Otherwise, she would cry the house down. Adjusting the straps of her top, Isabella turned towards the front of the house.

By the time she reached the door, she was ready to do some yelling of her own. Who the hell thought ringing the bell that many times did anything other than irritating the homes owners? Gripping the doorknob she yanked the door open ready to give them a piece of her mind. When her words caught in the center of her throat.

Tommy…

Every nightmare came crashing down at her as he grinned and pulled the sunglasses from his eyes. “Took you long enough, Bella.”

Shaking off the shock, Isabella tried to push the door close. Tommy slammed the flat of his palm down and shoved it back open.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

“Leave or I am calling the police.”

“I am the police. I came a long way to see you.”

Tommy hustled his way in and Isabella gave up on closing the door. Their alarm system would be triggered if left open for longer then five minutes. Besides she wanted the neighbors to hear if she screamed.

Like most cowards, Tommy would run if he thought he would get caught.

“You are trespassing on private land.”

He smirked and shoved a hand into the pocket of his faded jeans. The edge of his cotton button up were frayed. She did not remember him looking so shabby or so small. In her mind, he’d always been this tall muscle bound giant. He towered over everything and intimidated everyone.

He was still tall, but he didn’t tower. He still had muscles, but she knew that wasn’t everything. Her self-defense classes had taught her tactics to avoid the full impact of a hit. She wouldn’t curl up and wait for it to be over anymore.

“I just came to see an old friend.”

“We aren’t friends,” Isabella denied as she tried to remember where she left her cell.

She’d tucked it into Asha’s diaper bag when they left the house earlier. Evan hadn’t mentioned when he’d come back and their housekeeper had weekends off. She couldn’t risk leaving Asha alone downstairs while she ran to the nursery to get to her phone.

“That’s right,” Tommy reached out and tried to touch her arm, “we’re family.”

Stepping back, she tried to hide her shock. He couldn’t know about Asha. No one, but her and Evan knew the truth about her paternity.

“We aren’t anything. You are a mistake I will always regret making.”

Tommy shook his head and chuckled. “Is that what you told yourself when you left? Big bad Tommy deserves all the blame. Never mind the fact, you never could do anything right.”

Isabella huffed in disbelief. “I am not doing this.”

It had taken her months of therapy to see just how messed up she was. How ripe she was for a predator like him? Looking for love and acceptance after living in a home that had a short supply of both.

“How could you think I would let you walk away?”

“It isn’t about you. I didn’t need your permission.”

“You look good for a woman who recently gave birth.”

She eyed the alarm panel as a small red light started blinking. Their security team would make a routine check-in within two minutes. She just had to keep him in the front hall.

Asha picked that minute to start her plea for food. Tommy turned towards the noise and Isabella had never felt so scared in her life. He did not deserve to breath the same air as her daughter and he would have to kill her before he could spend any time with Asha.

“You need to leave,” Isabella repeated as she circled around to stand between him and the room Asha was in.

“You really thought you could keep me away from my daughter?”

“She isn’t yours.”

Tommy growled, “you were never a good liar.”

“Right. But I am a cheater, remember. My daughter is my husband’s. She has nothing to do with you.” Isabella saw the flash of anger in his eyes and the way his hands tightened into a fists.

He wanted to hit her and she wanted him to try. He would learn pretty quickly she wasn’t the same girl he terrified. She had something she wanted to protect more than she wanted to protect herself. Asha did not deserve a father like him.

Doubt held him back. She could see that to. He wasn’t sure Asha was his. He was fishing.

“Leave Tommy. You have no reason to be here.”

A SUV pulled into the driveway and two navy blue uniformed security guards stepped out. Isabella felt like she could breath again. First she would get Tommy out of the house, then she’d take Asha to Bianca’s and call Evan. Maybe she could talk him into going away for a few days?

Tommy looked down at her with undisguised contempt. “I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t care what you believe. DNA doesn’t lie. Do you really think a man like my husband, with the money he has, wouldn’t make sure the baby was his?”

She was lying through her teeth and she would probably pay for it one day. But she didn’t care. He had not business, standing there, demanding entrance into her life. He’d lost the right the first time he decided she needed to know what it felt like to be hit by a man.

“Mrs. Hunter?”

The guards stepped called out as they stepped onto her porch. She smiled and crossed her arms. He was going to leave this house one way or another.

“Leave Tommy. Or I will have security throw you out.”

Asha had one father. He rocked her to sleep and measured her food intake. He blew raspberries into her belly and read to her to sleep. He loved her and cherished her knowing she wasn’t his genetically. Most importantly…

He would die before hitting her. He wasn’t Tommy.

Jen A. Durand

Completed Works

Secrets, Lies, & Betrayal Series:

Wintr’s Homecoming: Secrets

The Virgins Club:

The Planner

The Fixer

The Dreamer

Lipstick Diaries:

Solo Romances:

Things We Left Unsaid

Stuck Between Two Millionaires

Twins For Christmas

Lasting Kind Of Love

True Match Arrangements:

Billionaire’s Perfect Bride
Billionaire's Contracted Family

The Young and The Powerful

Witch’s Reflection

5

Ari dropped to her knees and crawled under the desk to check the wires of the server located there. Her boss had submitted multiple complaints about a loud noise. She was more of a programmer than a technician.

Kyle, the world’s biggest coward and the only supervisor over her, insisted she be the one to go. Everyone else was afraid of Mr. Devon Montgomery. He was well known for having a wicked temper and a forthright personality. She was the sacrificial lamb.

Mr. Montgomery was tall, dark, and handsome. Smooth umber skin, muscular build, and rich. He made even the gay males in the secretarial pool drool when he walked by. When they weren’t trying to avoid looking bored or incompetent.

Biting her lip, she used a screwdriver to pull off one of the protective wall casings. She had already turned on the server and hadn’t noticed any excessive noise.

It wasn’t as if she did not have anything better to do. Her morning had been light, she’d spent most of it trying to decide whether she should take a break from seeing Grant for a while.

This weekend had been fun and normal for them, but it also threw her heart for a loop. They’d fallen into a routine and while her mind understood she was not the one for him. Her heart was starting to write checks it could not afford. Especially now that she had Sofia.

Seeing him cradle the puppy to his chest brought up unwanted images of other little things he would look hot cradling. Ari knew being “Friends with Benefits” with her best friend was dangerous.

But her best friend was also a reasonably well-endowed stud who loved her and would do everything in his power not to shatter her heart.

Purposely…

Of course his breaking her heart was inevitable if she let herself imagine something more significant then friendship.

* * *

Devon walked into his office to find the unexpected, but definitely welcome, sight of a wiggling round ass in a skirt beneath the side of his desk facing the door. His day was looking up, Devon thought with a smirk before clearing his throat.

He heard a slight gasp before the wiggling increased and the most purposely frumpy person he had ever seen reveled herself. Her glasses were huge. Her suit was fitted, but was an unflattering shade of navy and at least three years old.

Her hair was pulled back into a low bun, but there were slender tendrils of curls framing her round face. She nervously brushed at her skirt before clearing her throat.

“Mr. Montgomery.”

“What were you doing?”

“I was sent to look into your complaints about the server. I was checking into the wiring.”

Devon nodded. “And?”

She smiled. “Nothing so far. I could replace the server, but the requisition would take a few days.”

The buzzing from the server was annoying, but being disconnected from the network for a few days was not in the cards for him. Eyeing the girl he walked over to his desk and dropped the file in his hand.

She stood to the side waiting for him to dismiss her. Devon unbuttoned his black blazer and shrugged it off. He could take pity on her and send her away.

He had things to do. Clients to call. But she looked did not look as scared of him as most of his employees did. It was intriguing.

“What’s your name?”

“Ari Carter.”

Ms. Carter… She nervously pulled on her sleeves and took a step back. He smirked. His brother, Fin, always accused Devon of focusing to hard on work. Not looking for the fun in life. Maybe, he was right.

“How long have you worked here?”

“Two years.”

Devon took a seat and eyed the chair across from him. The look of horror on her face was comical. It was obvious she wanted to bolt for the door. She wouldn’t do it though. No one was that brave.

At thirty years old, Devon was the CEO of this company because he had a reputation for making money and cuts. He was well aware of the fact most of his employees lived in fear of getting on his bad side and losing their jobs.

Ari sat down and tucked her legs together. A tense smile on her lips as she looked at him attentively.

“What do you do for the company?”

“I am a full time programmer and a part time tech. At least when it comes to you.”

“Just me?”

“You have managed to put the fear of impromptu firing in minds of most of the IT department.”

“Except you?”

“I’m good at my job.” Ari remarked with a dispassionate shrug.

Devon smiled at the bold statement. “Good to know.”

The smirk she gave him brightened her entire face. Though she tried to hide it, she was beautiful. Ari toyed with the edge of her glasses.

“I should get back to my work. If you have any more problems with the server. I will put in the forms to replace it.”

“Okay.”

Giving him another tense smile, she stood up. “Have a good day.”

“How about making it a good night as well?”

She looked surprised by the offer. Devon stood and circled the desk to look down at her. He had a feeling Ms. Carter, all cleaned up, would be a heart stopper.

“Let’s have dinner.”

“Does this count as sexual harassment?” Ari asked with a mischievous look in her eyes.

“Maybe inappropriate behavior.”

“HR is going to hate having to process those papers.”

Devon respected her lack of fear and knew she was enjoying this as much as he did. Taking a step back he offered her a smiled.

“They love me up there.”

“I don’t mix business and pleasure.”

Devon chuckled. “At least you think it would be pleasurable.”

“Well, I think that speaks more of my own self confidence than yours.”

Surprised, Devon laughed in a short bark. Ari turned and walked out of his office. He’d been looking for a new distraction and she was just what he needed.