Taking Stock

By Tara Logan

When her hubby takes off with his junior
exec Twinkie, what’s a corporate trophy
to do? ... Take stock, even if it hasn’t
vested yet.

Perrin Douglas is not the gold digger
Cal Rega believes her to be. She’s been
screwed out of her share of a quarter of
a mill and isn’t about to let some bimbo
reap the rewards of what she suffered for.
So she’s suing her ex and the company
whose corporate policy designs soirees
where spouses are banned.

Cal, squashed by his own trophy, has a
jaded view of women. His ex cost him his
first company and he’s not about to give
a big payday to someone else’s via a lawsuit.
To thwart said suit Cal misrepresents himself
to get closer to Perrin and the two begin a
journey that can only end in victory for one.
But there’s more at stake than just a lawsuit.
A lifetime of happiness hangs in the balance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tara Logan
• Release date: Aug 12, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476193816

Book preview

Taking Stock

By Tara Logan

Copyright 2012 Tara Logan

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords License Statement

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

To my niece Tonja

May you find your happy ending.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Although I did a little research on Reno, I could not find a real place that would suit for the cabin. I needed just the perfect spot between Reno and Perrin’s parents who supposedly live a little over an hour away. Because of this I had to make up the tiny town where the cabin sits in its pristine beauty.

Thank you to my editor, Adrienne Jones

Prologue

It was an odd way for a married woman to spend her thirtieth birthday. Lavender candles sweetened the mutedly colored room while soothing instrumentals enhanced by falling rain melted away Perrin’s resolve. Relax. But how? Her naked body tensed more, so when his hands finally touched her, she was stiff as a cadaver long settled with rigor mortis.

It should have been her husband’s hands easing the tension from her body. She had expected them, anticipated them and the joy of becoming a mother. She’d waited so long and he had promised. Now here she was in an exclusive spa getting a massage instead. Hardly equitable, yet reminiscent of her twenty-third birthday when he’d alluded to an engagement ring then surprised her with a leather coat. Shock had been more like it. Yet over the years, she’d become immune to Gary’s letdowns. Six months later he came through with an ostentatious ring that overpowered her finger. Gary may consistently be a day late and a dollar short, but he’d come through again. A child would be hers eventually. Be more appreciative.

It had been her dream to come here and be pampered for a day; today wasn’t the day she had in mind. On the actual date of her birth she wanted to be with someone who loved her, not strangers even if it was their job to cater to her every whim - massage, mud bath, Pilate’s classes, workshops for the body and soul.

Yet her soul felt lost and her body wanting. After seven years of marriage shouldn’t he have known her well enough to plan the pampering for the weekend before or the one after? And this was going to cost him a pretty penny. A spa with the opulence of this one left a hole in the bottom of even the thickest pockets.

Strong hands stroked and stroked until finally they began to breathe life into her deadened body. Muscles gave way, became pliant, and thought drifted away like the knots hidden in her muscles. Yet there was something in the air, not just the scent of lavender candles and the musk of beefcake male, but the smell of impending change, significant change.

Chapter One

The five-bedroom house of Perrin’s friend Lana swarmed with clusters of gossiping women. An array of folding tables masked with linens and laden with costume jewelry transformed her modern sunken living room into an exotic marketplace. Unlike the potluck home demonstration parties of old many of their moms held, none other than Sacramento’s finest, Gustave, catered this Jewelry by Design party.

What are you planning on asking the fortune teller? Kathryn munched on a canapé and dabbed the crumbs away with a linen napkin.

Perrin’s chin dropped and she peered at her best friend. Right, as if she couldn’t guess. Oh, I don’t know; how about how much rainfall there’ll be in China this year?

Kathryn chuckled, That’ll be right after you ask how soon it’ll be before you get pregnant and if you should buy pink or blue.

I can’t help it, I just want it so bad and Gary’s been so, so . . . .

Selfish, Kathryn cut in.

Perrin sucked in air as if punched in the stomach. She hated the thought that her best friend didn’t like her husband. Kathryn, perceptive beyond belief, didn’t dislike someone without reason. Fear kept Perrin from admitting lately she didn’t feel particularly fond of her husband herself. To save face, she defended him. It’s not selfishness. He just wants everything to be perfect.

Kathryn stuffed another hors d’oeuvre into her mouth and mumbled, Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. Of course he does.

Perrin stared at her friend trying to decide if she believed her. Their situations were very different. Kathryn’s husband was also in a high position at the same company as Gary, but she was a stay at home mom, with three beautiful children ranging in ages from six months to four years old. Her husband didn’t jet all over the place whenever the company needed a correspondent. But Gary, a shmooser of the first quality, was the perfect person to send anywhere for public relations. As Perrin’s mom once said, He could charm a snake. It was the takes one to know one, muttered under her breath that hurt though. Perrin’s family didn’t understand Gary. Although they were happy their daughter could live in style, they hated the thought that she wasn’t working in her chosen field and still hadn’t started the family she desperately desired.

Kathryn lowered her eyes and bit her bottom lip. When she glanced back toward Perrin she looked contrite and hesitated before she opened her mouth to speak. Before any sound could be produced Perrin changed the subject. So what do you want to know when it’s your turn to see the fortune teller?

That’s easy. Will my wonderful husband sucker his mother into babysitting for a long weekend so we can go away for our anniversary? I mean, I love the kids to pieces but with three at home and so few nights like tonight, I need a few days off. I want an uninterrupted night’s sleep where I don’t have to get up until I wake up on my own, and the opportunity to eat an entire meal while it’s still hot.

Is it okay if I envy you anyway? Perrin asked.

Your time will come, don’t worry. She glanced to the door as another friend of theirs came out of the next room beaming.

Eleanor ran up to her friends and squealed, Looks like we’re going to be neighbors after all. I was told a house in your area would unexpectedly go up for sale within the next few months.

Kathryn grabbed her friend’s hand and squeezed. I hope that’s true, but remember she’s had only positive things to say so far. She might just be figuring out what we want to hear. We don’t really believe she can predict the future, do we?

No, but it’s nice to have hope. That’s what this little soiree is all about, isn’t it? A group of friends buying hand made jewelry and being entertained by a psychic so we can share our hopes and dreams together. Now one of you go in.

Kathryn gave Perrin a little shove. You go next, let’s find out when you’ll join the rest of us and have a baby.

Perrin laughed and strolled toward her fate. In the next room, the woman seated at the card table didn’t look any more psychic than anyone else she knew. Exotic she wasn’t. Her light brown hair was cut short and stylish, and she wore minimal make-up. Glasses covered her brown eyes. No gold hoops hung from her ears. Maybe that was the point. If she had a scarf around her head and gazed into a crystal ball the group might have immediately thought her a charlatan, and the evening would have lost part of its mystique.

Have a seat, I’m Felicia and I’m just going to have you shuffle the cards on the table there and then cut them once with your left hand.

Perrin sat and pushed her chair closer to the table. She shuffled the cards, cut the deck, and placed them face down in front of the woman.

Slowly Felicia picked them up and began to place them on the table in a pattern that she seemed familiar with. She stared at the cards as if they told her a story, and then frowned while Perrin squirmed in her seat. Everyone else had emerged from the room bubbling; she knew that if this woman told her a good fortune she’d be lying. Her expression told all. What she had to impart wasn’t moonlight and roses. If there was a baby in the cards, it had two heads or was the spawn of the devil himself.

Can I ask a question before you begin? Perrin asked.

Ask away. Felicia folded her hands and waited without a smile.

Do you see a death or a serious health problem? Perrin tried to say it jokingly but trembled anticipating the response.

Felicia frowned again. Do you want to hear all that’s in the cards, whether it’s good or bad? Or do you just want to hear the good things?

If I ask for just the good things, will you have anything to say?

Felicia finally chuckled. It’s your wit that’ll get you far. I just asked the question because some people don’t want to know when something’s bad. The problem with that is, then you don’t get the big picture or the picture you do get doesn’t make sense.

What the hell, let’s see the whole mess so that maybe I can avoid whatever there is that’s making you frown.

Felicia ran her hand over a dark card a number of times almost in a caress. Has your husband’s job been taking him away from you more lately than not?

Perrin thought about the long hours he’d been putting in the past few months and the longer ones when they were overseas. She groaned. Don’t tell me, he’s going to have to do PR in another country again. Great, I just get to the point where I feel settled. That’s it isn’t it, why he’s been dragging his feet about having a baby even though he promised we’d start working on it once I turned thirty. He promised I wouldn’t have to wait much longer than that….

No. Felicia let the one word sit until she had Perrin’s full attention. You won’t be going overseas with your husband again. Well, at least not with this husband. And the other would be a long way away.

Flabbergasted, Perrin stared at her a few seconds with her mouth open trying to grab for air. "Excuse me, what did you say? Not with this husband? This husband is the only husband I plan on having. Are you trying to say something’s going to happen to him?" Her voice ended in a high-pitched squeak and her hands clenched on the arms of the chair.

Not exactly… it appears the man you married is closely connected to another woman. I’d say the affair has already started and may have been going on for a while. But the cards say there’s a split in the near future. Don’t worry, there’s a man you’ve yet to meet….

Perrin bounced off her seat as if someone hit an eject button and blew out the door before the woman could continue with her remark. She slipped past a few of her friends in animated conversation and made a bee line for the bathroom where she locked the door and leaned up against it, eyes brimming with tears. She needed to get control of herself. Letting this woman’s accusations upset her was insane. This was nothing more than a parlor game. Or was it? Why was she the only one with bad news? Maybe she wasn’t. Maybe Felicia said things just as disturbing to some of the other guests but they had enough sense to not hide out and cry about it.

Leaning over to the sink, Perrin turned on the cold water and splashed it on her face. When she looked back at her reflection, her eyes didn’t look so red. She’d only need another minute or so to be completely composed and then she could go out, face the crowd, and lie her head off. This is exactly what she did, as her pulse beat like a countdown from one hundred while she remained strapped to the ticking bomb. As the numbers lowered and the explosion drew near, her frozen smile threatened to crack. She edged toward the door when Felicia appeared.

I’m so happy you announced Perrin here will be a mommy soon. It’s the news she’s been waiting for, Kathryn said pointing to Perrin.

Felicia looked at her questioningly and Perrin stared her down, daring her to deny what she told the others. Felicia smiled at them. It may not be exactly as she anticipated, but when she least expects it, it’ll happen. And I’ll go out on a limb and say it’s a boy.

Kathryn laughed. Gary will be so thrilled, now when you don’t want to go to a ball game, she said to Perrin, he’ll have someone else to take.

That’s exactly what I told her, Felicia said cryptically.

Well, I’m heading out now. I can hardly wait to share our chat with my husband. This last line Perrin directed toward Felicia. She hugged Kathryn and walked out the door before her eyes began to well up again.

Her keys dropped from her shaking fingers before she could open the car door. Searching along the darkened ground she choked back a sob. Don’t believe her. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Once found, the keys jerked in hands that robotically began the process of driving home. Body and mind worked as two separate entities. The body functioned physically enough to set en route from habit, the route conditioned, memorized. The mind chanted, don’t believe her while tears welled, blinding and unshed, until without conscious thought she pulled over to the side of the road to let loose.

Never any stinking tissue when it’s needed. Served her right for being so tidy, not even a napkin in the glove compartment. Remembering Gary’s gym bag lurked in the trunk, she rushed from the car, grabbed his T-shirt and blew her nose under the little polo player.

Her mind ran through clues like a laundry list; their distance from each other, the long work hours, the late phone calls, the lack of sex. The son of a bitch. Since the side of the road didn’t boast best place for an emotional breakdown, she started to drive again until a second flooding threatened. Her body shook as if chilled from fever and her head throbbed. If she could make it one more block to the Starbucks, she’d stop and compose herself. Sip something hot to calm her nerves, and then she’d be able to stop crying enough to go home and pretend. She had to make it go away, if she didn’t, the world would end.

*****

Colby salivated. Visions of a large cup of coffee plagued him for the last thirty-two miles. The Starbucks up ahead, a certain sign of divine intervention, welcomed him to Eden. His mouth watered once again in anticipation. The light turned red, taunting him, forcing him to wait only feet from his destination. His car jerked forward the second the light changed and barreled into the lot on two wheels. He parked crooked and didn’t bother to back out and align the car in the space. Anxious to get his hands on his drink, his long legs thundered across the lot. The rich aroma filled his lungs with a tantalizing foreplay.

The java, enticing as a new lover, controlled all thought and actions and his hand shook as he took off the lid so it would cool a little bit sooner. Pushing open the door he took a small sip before he even exited, and sighed. Nothing like coffee on a long drive. He’d only taken a few more steps when a soft body slammed into his arm and the liquid took flight, showering them both with boiling hot coffee. Although the expletives uttered would have made a drunken sailor proud, it surprised Colby that the string of curses slid with such ease from his lips. Normally he had more control, but then normally he didn’t sear like a steak on a grill. He popped the buttons off his shirt, tearing it open to get the saturated cloth away from his skin, stinging like a swarm of bees had made him their Jonestown.

The queen, commander of the attack, crouched on the ground sobbing and holding her arm. When his brain began working again, the whimpering made him realize he wasn’t the only casualty. Are you okay, Miss? He bent down to help her to her feet. She must have gotten it worse than he did. But her eyes held suffering more intense than hot coffee could cause. Emotional pain stronger than the physical reverberated.

She blinked away the tears that overflowed her dark blue pools and moaned as he helped her up and inadvertently touched the affected arm. It was bright red, the same as his chest. Come on, we’d better get inside and see what kind of help they can give us. She quietly followed him without a sound.

Uh, you can’t come in here without a shirt. The cashier glanced around as they entered, as if looking for reinforcements.

I was just in here a moment ago and wouldn’t be back if I wasn’t now wearing the hot coffee I intended to drink. We’re both burned and stinging. His words started the waterworks from the woman next to him and she sounded like she was going to hyperventilate.

Sit down, I’ll get the manager. We have some salve in the back that might help. He abandoned the young girl in the midst of training with a long line of customers while he sought the manager, who quickly emerged with cold compresses and some medicated lotion.

Doesn’t look too bad. The manager deftly applied the ointment to their burns. Neither one of you needs to go to emergency. How about a couple of coffees on the house? He seemed to want to smooth things over.

Make mine an ice coffee, regular, Colby said.

Perrin nodded in agreement. Same here, thank you.

The ‘thank you’ made Colby take notice. Another person might have carried on or threatened to sue. Not this woman. She was polite even when in obvious pain. Intrigued with her character, he now noticed the slant of her eyes, her perky turned up nose, and her lush but trembling lips. Noticing a woman like this made him nervous; women were trouble so he normally just steered clear. He might make an exception for Calamity Jane though. Was she naturally a walking disaster? The instant desire to protect her felt foreign to him. The burn must have dulled his mind because the last time he had the desire to take care of a woman, he really got burned.

A shiver went through him and he watched as she raised the coffee to her lips. That's when he noticed it, a rock sitting on the ring finger of her left hand and a gold band next to it. His opposing reactions were shock and confusion. One part of him felt punched at the loss of the first woman in years he had a reaction to, the other part of him rejoiced that he’d been spared. Should you call your husband? He might be worried about you. He shouldn’t have to remind her that drinking coffee with a shirtless stranger rocked the foundation of love, honor, and cherish.

Surprised, her eyes widened then her expression changed. The hurt intensified when he mentioned her husband. He knew the betrayed look; he’d worn it well for a long time.

You’re right, he’ll be wondering where I am, she said as if she didn’t mean it, and then rose to leave. He stood when she did. I’m sorry, she said, I don’t normally go around scalding people just so I’ll have a coffee buddy.

It’s okay. We’re both fine, that’s all that matters.

She nodded, allowed the corner of her mouth to rise in a half smile then turned and walked away. Colby’s heart started pounding in beat with his head. He wanted to stop her, induce her to stay, then cursed himself for thinking of ruining someone else’s marriage the way someone ruined his. It wouldn’t matter if she alone could raise his temperature while the rest of the female population froze him to ice; she belonged to someone else and for that reason alone, remained off limits.

*****

She’d ease into his infidelity. Lament about the accident, inquire about his day, discuss the jewelry party, and then casually ask who he was doing. But the second she walked into her bedroom and saw her husband dozing in bed, she picked up her pillow and started banging him over the head with it.

What the hell? … Perrin? ….

You lying, cheating son of a bitch, she screeched. The sound, like nails on a chalkboard, grated on the remnants of her nerves. This infuriated her more and she continued slamming him with her pillow. On the next hit he grabbed it away. Unable to stop swinging, she started flinging her tightly balled fists. Yanking her toward him, Gary rolled her to his side and quickly pinned her down on their bed.

Have you lost your mind? What the hell’s wrong with you?

She glared at him. Gary often bullied by bellowing. What was she thinking? He’d never admit to being with another woman. Do you know where I went tonight?

You said a jewelry party. Why? Did you go somewhere else?

This time she noticed his body stiffen and his voice quaver. Where were you tonight? she asked coldly.

He let go of her wrists, sat up and looked away. I met with a few people on my sales team at a little bar down on First. We had a few drinks and watched a little of the game. He stood up and stretched. "I came home when you said you’d be coming back. You’re the one who’s late." She hated that, the way he easily twisted any given situation to make it look like it was somehow her fault.

How long have you been seeing the bitch?

He noticeably paled on that tidbit and stood frozen in front of her. I don’t know what you mean.

There was a psychic there tonight and she said you were cheating on me!

The color started to come back to his face and he began laughing. The foundation of their life cracked and began to splinter while the son of a bitch laughed at her.

You can’t be serious. A psychic? He laughed again. "You’re not seriously going to believe that some voodoo lady