The Tycoon's Paternity Agenda / High-Society Seduction: The Tycoon's Paternity Agenda / High-Society Seduction
was more than he could say for this situation, and the odd, longing sensation deep in his gut.
“Adam, you know as well as I do that despite all the background checks you can do, there’s no one you could trust as much as me.”
He hated to admit it—she was right. Despite their very complicated past and feelings of resentment over Becca, Katy would never do anything to put her sister’s child in harm’s way. But she could use the opportunity to try to manipulate him, and he never put himself in a position to lose the upper hand. Not professionally, and especially not personally.
Not anymore.
But this was the welfare of his child they were discussing. Wasn’t it his obligation as a father to put his child first, to make its health and well-being his number-one priority?
Katy squeezed his hand so tight he started to lose sensation in his fingers, and they were beginning to get curious glances from his employees.
He gently extracted his hand from hers. “Look, Katy—”
“Please, Adam. Please let me do this.” She paused, her eyes pleading, then said, “You know it’s what Becca would have wanted.”
Ouch. That was a low blow, and she knew how to hit where it really stung. The worst part was that she was right. Didn’t he owe it to Becca to let Katy do this for them? For the baby? Wasn’t he partially to blame for Becca losing touch with her family in the first place?
“Though it’s against my better judgment, and I would like to run it past my attorney before I give you a definitive answer … I’m inclined to say yes.”
Her expression was a combination of relief and gratitude. “Thank you, Adam. I promise, you won’t regret this.”
Impossible, since he regretted it already.
Katy left soon after, and Adam headed back up to his office, feeling conflicted.
On one hand he could see the benefits of choosing Katy as a surrogate. In theory, it was an ideal arrangement. But he knew from experience that things did not always go as planned, and what may seem “ideal” one day could swiftly be come a disaster the next.
Before he made any decisions, he would speak with his attorney.
His assistant, Bren, stopped him as he walked past her desk to his office. “Senator Lyons called while you were gone. He said he’ll be out of the office the rest of the day but he’ll call you back tomorrow.”
“Did he say what he wanted?”
“My guess would be a campaign contribution. Isn’t he up for reelection?”
“You’re probably right.”
“Also, Mr. Suarez needs to see you when you have a minute.”
“Call down to his office and tell him now would be good,” he told her. It was doubtful he would be able to concentrate on work anyway. Too much on his mind.
He stepped into his office, stopped at the wet bar to pour himself a scotch, then sat behind his desk and booted his computer.
“Hey, boss.”
He looked up to find Emilio Suarez, Western Oil CFO, standing in his open doorway.
Western Oil was in dire financial straits when Adam inherited it from his father, and Emilio’s financial genius had brought it back from the brink of ruin. Though he was from a Puerto Rican family of modest means, through grants and scholarships Emilio had graduated college at the top of his class, which was what had caught Adam’s attention when he was looking for a management team. Emilio had become an irreplaceable employee—not to mention a good friend—and worth every penny of his ridiculously exorbitant salary.
Adam gestured him inside. “You wanted to talk to me?”
He came in, shutting the door behind him, and stopped to pour himself a drink. “I got an interesting call from my brother today.”
“The federal prosecutor, the one in Europe or the other brother?”
The “other” brother was the family black sheep. A drifter who only called when he needed something. Money usually. For bail, or to pay off loan sharks.
“The prosecutor,” he said, taking a seat opposite Adam’s desk. “And if anyone asks, you did not hear this from me.”
“Of course.”
“You know Leonard Betts?”
“By reputation only.” He was a financial wizard and according to Forbes, the richest man in Texas. It had been said that everything he touched turned to gold.
“You ever invest with him?” Emilio asked.
He shook his head. “He always seemed a little too successful, if you know what I mean. Either he’s extremely lucky—and luck can run out—or he’s shady.”
“You’ve got good instincts. According to Alejandro, he’s been under investigation by the SEC, and it’s looking like he and his wife will be arrested and charged for a Ponzi scheme.”
Adam shook his head in disbelief. “His wife, too?”
“And her parents. Or at least, her mother. Her father died a few years ago.”
“So it was a family business.”
“I guess. I just thought I should warn you that, although it’s unlikely, there’s the slightest possibility that when the media gets wind of this, my name may come up.”
Adam sat straighter in his seat. “You’ve invested with him?”
“No! No, my market is real estate. This is more of personal connection.”
Adam frowned, not sure he was liking what he was hearing. It would be in the company’s best interest to stay as far removed as possible from this scandal. “How personal?”
“In college, I was engaged to Isabelle Winthrop. Betts’s wife.”
Adam’s jaw nearly fell. Emilio had never mentioned knowing her, much less being engaged to her. Or anyone for that matter. He was so fiercely against the entire institution of marriage, Adam wouldn’t have guessed that he would have been planning a trip to the altar with any woman. “I had no idea.”
“She dumped me for Betts two weeks before we planned to elope.”
“Damn. I’m really sorry, Emilio.”
Emilio shrugged. “Honestly, she did me a favor. We were young and stupid. We would have been divorced in a year.”
Something in his eyes told Adam he was making light of an otherwise painful situation. But he didn’t push the issue. If Emilio wanted to talk about it, he knew Adam was there for him.
“There’s no doubt she was a gold digger, but I’ll be honest, I never imagined her capable of helping Leonard bilk his clients out of millions of dollars.”
“Well, if your name does come up, we’ll use Cassandra.”
Cassandra Benson was Western Oil’s public relations director. For her, media spin was an art form. If properly motivated, she could make climate change sound environmentally beneficial.
“So,” Emilio said, leaning back in his chair and taking a swallow of his drink. “What’s this I hear about you and a mystery woman?”
“Wow, good news travels fast.” He should have taken Katy up to his office. It was just that the coffee shop seemed more … neutral. He should have known better and met her somewhere off campus and far from the building. Like California.
“The CEO can’t sit in the company coffee shop holding hands with a woman no one has seen before, and expect it to go unnoticed.”
“Well, she’s not a mystery woman. She’s my sister-in-law. And we weren’t holding hands. We were talking.”