Her heart skipped a beat. Get a grip, she commanded it.

  “I’m able to give him the best. If so, doesn’t he deserve to enjoy the benefits of his father and grandfather’s legacy?”

  She put a hand on her hip. “Why does it sound like you’re saying you don’t want your son living in the ghetto? Or using hand-me-downs?”

  “Zacari,” he said in frustration. “Will you read something negative in everything I say?”

  She didn’t answer for a long time, battling with him in her mind but not out loud. She knew she was being unreasonable. He wanted to talk. She wanted to question his motives. Finally, she said, “How about this? We shop together if you intend to buy him something.”

  “And not when you do? No double standards or no deal.”

  Zacari sighed. “Look, I’ve already ruined a good thing for you with Debbie, I guess.” She wasn’t entirely sure Debbie was right for Keary, but whatever. He shouldn’t cut her off for Zacari’s sake. “There’s no reason you can’t still date her, and there’s really nothing much to do until the baby is born. You don’t have to be around until then.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong,” he announced and pointed to her feet. Zacari’s ankles were swollen chunks that only grew worse when she walked too much. On top of that, her feet ached.

  She drew back as if he slapped her. “I’m not very attractive right now. That’s what pregnancy does to you. I can’t help it.” Oh crap, I’m about to cry. Damn these stupid hormones.

  Turning her back on him once again, she prepared to run out of the room until she could pull herself together, but for the second time, he stopped her. “Zacari, believe me, I wasn’t criticizing how you look. You are still a beautiful and desirable woman. If it was appropriate right now, I’d show you.”

  She resisted lowering her gaze to his crotch, having the feeling that’s what he meant. But that didn’t prove she was still beautiful. He hadn’t seen her naked. Stretch marks spidered her belly, and her thighs didn’t bear glimpsing. In the shower, she avoided looking down, and the mirror was off limits beyond her neck. The only time she looked at her belly was when she had clothes on, and that was to stroke it knowing her son grew inside.

  Keary placed gentle pressure on her shoulders to make her sit down, and then he took the space opposite her on the coffee table. She gasped when he pulled one leg up to rest her foot on his lap. A squeak of protest left her lips when he removed her fluffy pink slipper. “Uh-uh, don’t pull away,” he instructed. “I can see your feet hurt. I know this will help.”

  His hands felt like heaven. Her eyelids fluttered closed before she forced them up. “You shouldn’t do that.”

  Keary ignored her. He continued to massage, from her toes, over her feet all the way up her calves. Thinking this was his way to get to her pussy, she opened her eyes, but his expression was calm not lust-filled. He worked his way down again and concentrated on the balls of her feet. This shouldn’t surprise her. The condition of her body wouldn’t drive anyone to desire.

  “Can you enjoy it?” he asked. “Even for a moment?”

  “You’re reading my mind?”

  He grinned at her. “I can almost feel you trying to decipher my motives. How about, whether they are good or bad, you just enjoy the pleasure. Is the ache receding? Does it feel good?”

  She moaned. “You have no idea.” Biting her lip, she said, “Can you do the other one?”

  His eyes sparkled. “Of course.”

  For the next hour, Keary rubbed her feet and calves while Zacari laid back enjoying it all. She didn’t care if he was trying to get on her good side, or thought doing it would help the baby. As he suggested, she just let it happen. When he was done, she curled up on the couch with a fist tucked beneath her chin. Keary watched her, the self-satisfied expression on his face amusing.

  When he crouched down in front of her, she half listened to what he said as she was falling asleep. “Zacari, I’m not waiting until the baby is born to be around. I’m going to be there every step of the way from shopping for his clothes, to giving you massages or back rubs, to picking out a crib.”

  She yawned. “Hm, okay.”

  “Zacari?”

  She dropped off to sleep, but just before she lost all consciousness to the world, she thought she felt Keary’s lips touch her temple. Warmth spread through her system, and her final thought was that she could fall for a man like Keary seemed to be.

  Chapter Five

  Zacari strolled into the office with her comfort bag slung over her shoulder, a simple dress, and flats on her feet. She made a beeline for her desk, hoping to avoid anyone. Early mornings, she was grumpy as hell because she couldn’t drink coffee. As soon as she sat down and powered up her computer, her phone rang. She glanced at the display and saw that it was Debbie. Great.

  Mid-ring, the phone made another sound alerting her that a second call was coming in. Debbie’s name disappeared on the display to be replaced by Jack’s. Her stomach tightened, but right now, Zacari’d much rather talk to him than Debbie, so she answered.

  “Hello, Jack, how are you?” She loved working in the twenty-first century when most company employees called their bosses by their first names instead of mister or ms.

  “Good morning, Zacari. How’s your day going so far?” While he maintained his usual pleasant tone, something told her Jack’s mind was busy. Jeb was there in the office with Jack all week for meetings, so she knew he wasn’t calling looking for her boss.

  “It’s fine so far,” she answered with caution. “I just got in.” Zacari quickly looked at the time on the bottom right of her computer screen. She blew out a breath. She wasn’t late for a change. The last few months had been a trial. “Is there anything I can help you with? Did Jeb forget a file?”

  “No.” He grew quiet. Zacari felt her throat closing. “Keary told me about the baby, that it’s his.”

  All the strength left her body. She had to hold onto the edge of the desk so she wouldn’t topple sideways and land on the floor. Before she could utter a word, across the wide open space where Zacari’s desk was situated, Debbie came charging out of her office with a look of irritation marring her beautiful face.

  “Did you hear me calling you for the last ten minutes, Zacari!” Her voice was too loud and too shrill. Maybe she didn’t see the phone line leading up to Zacari’s ear, or it could have been the fact that she was pissed off and hadn’t had her coffee either.

  Either way, Zacari didn’t appreciate the attitude. She was seconds close to snapping at Debbie to back off, when Jack spoke in her ear. “Please tell Debbie you’re talking to me and you’ll get back to her shortly. Let her know I need to call her later about the Shore Project.”

  “Jack says…” she began and relayed the rest of the message. The way Debbie paled, Zacari had a hard time not smirking. With a brief nod, the woman scurried back to her cave, tail firmly between her legs.

  “Now about the baby,” Jack continued. She could only imagine what he would say. Maybe that no son of his was going to have a baby with a black woman. Or it could be that his plan for Keary’s life didn’t include children out of wedlock. Zacari had always thought it was awesome how much Jack had made extra sure Keary was educated in the ways of his business and could handle anything. There was nothing wrong with that, but looked at from another perspective, Jack talked a lot about what he wanted for Keary and how he’d orchestrated this and that. Zacari was sure nothing like this was in the plan.

  She’d always assumed that Keary was independent, especially since she’d seen him only once or twice in the New York office before that night in the limo. But now she wondered if Keary did whatever his father wanted. If Jack pressured Keary to get rid of her, would he? Despite the pleasant smile and kind eyes, Jack was a powerful businessman.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “The baby.”

  “I want you to come to New York to talk about it,” he said.

  She didn’t think she had a choice, but voiced her feelings anyway. “I don’t really fly because the morning sickness never left after the first trimester. It’s just dizziness and feeling ill hours afterward that I can’t handle.”

  “Keary has made the preparations already,” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “He will escort you, and we can talk on Wednesday.”

  “Wednesday? Jack, I—”

  “It’s settled then. Have a good day, Zacari.” He hung up.

  Zacari fumed. Did he think he had her in the palm of his hand because he could fire her any time he wanted? Well she wasn’t the one. Just like she found this job, she could find the next, and besides, she’d kept up her studies. In a few months, she would have her Bachelors degree and be much more marketable.

  She had a few minutes to sit there and rethink the whole flying off the handle for one conversation. Jack hadn’t been mean. He wasn’t rude. She was a subordinate in his company, and just because her relationship with him had just gotten a lot more personal, didn’t mean he would automatically not behave like he would with her in the office, and that was tell her what to do. They would both have some adjustments to make.

  Zacari drew in a deep breath, gave Jack the benefit of the doubt, and blew it out. “Woosa,” she whispered.

  “What’s that all about?” one of her coworkers asked as she strolled by.

  Zacari wrinkled her nose. “Hey, it’s Monday. I have an excuse.”

  The woman chuckled. “I hear you, girl. Later, hope it’s all uphill from here.”

  “Thanks,” Zacari called. “I think.”

  The phone rang again. Zacari picked it up without looking at the display. “Are you free now?” She jumped at Debbie’s voice and snapped up a pen and a note pad. Zacari did not support Debbie at all, but it didn’t hurt to be prepared.

  “Yes, thanks for being so patient. What can I do for you, Debbie?” The pleasant tone she used grated on her own nerves. She knew it had to piss off Debbie, which wasn’t a bad thing. Zacari pressed her lips together to keep from laughing.

  “Come into my office, please.” The phone went dead.

  Zacari went in and didn’t wait to be asked to sit down. She slid into a seat opposite Debbie’s desk and waited. Debbie pretended not to notice as she read over a paper in front of her and then signed the bottom. She shuffled a few more items on her desk, and finally stood up to close the door. By the time she sat down again, Zacari was gritting her teeth with impatience. Something told her either Debbie knew about the baby or that she’d had dealings with Keary in the past, and she didn’t like it.

  At last, Debbie steepled her hands on her desk and leaned forward. Angry blue eyes bore into Zacari’s making her shift around on her chair. No, not blue—one blue, one green. So Debbie wore colored contact lenses. Zacari would never have suspected her of it. What else was fake on the woman? Against her will her gaze slid down to Debbie’s D size perky breasts.

  The woman’s eyebrows shot low like Zacari had accused her of something. “I wanted us to be honest with one another from the start,” she began. “Keary told me about the baby.”

  Zacari gasped. “Keary told you?”

  “Well, he told me that he thought we should wait awhile before we take our relationship to the next level while he took care of some personal business.” Her expression hardened. “A friend told me he spotted Keary coming from your apartment a couple days ago. Add to that, how you ran and hid like a scared rabbit when he came to the office, and he couldn’t stop looking at you when everyone was welcoming him home that first day. I put two and two together.”

  Dang, was nothing secret in this office? She scanned her memory to try to remember if any people from the office lived near her. She thought there was this one dude from shipping that she didn’t know but recognized. Still, it seemed unlikely that Debbie would even know the man. Then again, stranger things had happened. So she had a spy. That was just great. And she guessed everybody knew by now how much Debbie wanted Keary.

  Zacari straightened her back. “My personal life has nothing to do with this office. If you need me to help out on a project and I’m free, I’m sure Jeb will be willing to listen. What you have or don’t have with Keary is not my concern either. I’m doing my job.” Zacari struggled to her feet, annoyed that her clumsy movements didn’t punctuate her words like she wanted them to. “If that’s all…”

  “That’s not all!” Debbie surged to her feet, flinging her chair back. Zacari’d always known the woman had anger issues. In her emails to assistants here, more than one had complained about it. That’s why Zacari was glad she supported Jeb alone. He was the closest thing to Jack’s good nature—well his temperament up until now. The attitude Jack took when they met in person remained to be seen.

  Debbie jabbed a finger in Zacari’s direction. “I don’t know what kind of game you think you’re playing, pretending your baby is Keary’s, but I’m not dumb enough to fall for it. Keary’s not either. He’s going along with it now, but he already has plans to get a paternity test.”

  Zacari’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me, a paternity test. And when he finds out you’re nothing but a whore who probably doesn’t know who her baby’s father is, you’ll see all of Keary’s money go bye-bye.” She waved like a child, but looked stupid doing it.

  Zacari’s own temper hit the roof at that point. “Look here, I don’t know who you think you are, but I’m not the one to be talking to like that. As I said earlier who my baby’s father is, is none of your business.” She put her hand on the doorknob but turned back to Debbie. “Even at the risk of losing my job, I won’t do a damn thing for you. This conversation is over. Don’t say anything to me. Don’t even look in my direction as you walk by my desk. We’re done.”

  She yanked the door open and let it bang the wall. All eyes in the outside area turned toward them, but Zacari held her head high and waddled to her desk. Not having had time that morning to unpack properly, she just powered down her computer, scooped up her purse and bag, and marched toward the elevators.

  “Tell Jeb I’m leaving for the day if he calls in,” she yelled to no one in particular and left.

  When Zacari got home, she paused at the entrance into the apartment complex and peered around the parking lot. No one was out at this time of day, but she still felt like eyes were on her. She hurried inside and shut the door. After removing her cell phone from her purse, she saw that Keary had called several times, and there were voicemail messages waiting. She rolled her eyes.

  The apartment phone rang, but she ignored it. Whatever they all wanted, they could wait until she felt like talking. She stripped and stepped into the shower, being careful to hold onto the rail on the wall. More than once, she’d almost slipped and fallen. It was high time she replaced those lilac flower shaped appliqués that had peeled up a few months ago.

  “Not risking you,” she whispered to her little one, “even if Keary is planning to ask for a paternity test because he doesn’t believe me.”

  She choked on the last of her words, and the tears she’d fought hard to hold back came streaming down her cheeks. Zacari knew she shouldn’t believe anything Debbie said, but she couldn’t help feeling hurt at just the thought. And hell, she couldn’t blame the man. He didn’t know her from Eve. She cried harder. They didn’t have a relationship before this all happened. It wasn’t like they’d been going out, getting to know each other, and then bam a baby.

  With her mind going ninety miles a minute, Zacari stepped from the shower, dried off, and headed into her bedroom to put lotion on. The phone rang, and this time she picked it up and then slammed it down. She prayed it wasn’t Jeb calling to see if she was okay. If so, she’d explain it tomorrow. By now everyone in the office already knew how whacked out her emotions were half the time. There was no excuse for them, but well, they knew.

  For most of the day, Zacari found things to do with herself like cleaning up, watching soaps and eating ice cream, and doing laundry. After a small salad at dinner time, she turned off all the lights, plugged her ears with ear buds to listen to music, and drifted off to sleep. At least the phone was silent, and she could think about facing the world tomorrow.

  * * * *

  At three in the morning, Zacari’s eyes popped open. She groaned at the stitch in her side. Her music had stopped, the iPod probably crushed under her big behind. She didn’t feel like finding it right now. The steady red light on her bedside phone caught her attention. Messages waited. She reached over for the phone and decided to check them.

  To her surprise none were from Jeb, but Keary had left five. The last said, “Zacari, I’m stuck in a meeting, but if you don’t call me by five, I will be banging on your door. I’m worried. Call me, damn it!” And he hung up.

  She laughed. Sweet, but he hadn’t come by. Had he? Or maybe someone told him about the blowup at work. Debbie could have told him lies about what Zacari said and did. She rolled her eyes. Playing these games was not her. While she pondered Keary’s thoughts, a powerful craving hit her. All of a sudden, she wanted a tuna melt with a side of coleslaw. She knew just where to get them, but the ride was a bit of a ways from her apartment.

  With the phone still in her hand, she bit her lip. Should she call Keary? He acted all like he would be there no matter what, and he didn’t want to wait until the baby was born. Cravings were a part of it. She dialed his cell. He picked up on the second ring, although his voice was thick with sleep.

  “Zacari? What’s wrong? Why didn’t you call me? Is the baby okay?”

  “Man, let me get a word in edgewise.” She chuckled low so he couldn’t hear. “I want tuna melts with coleslaw.”

  “Huh?”

  She explained, expecting him to tell her to wait until the morning.

  “Surely there’s no store open this time of night.”

  She flopped back on her pillows. The craving intensified. Her stomach growled since she’d eaten little at dinner. “There is a place I know of. If you’re not willing to go, that’s all right. I know how to get there. Don’t worry about it.”