Listening to Vincent tell his story, I feel like I’m living through it.
Vincent’s gaze is still aimed out the window. “Once I decided what I needed to do, I put it in motion. I had my lawyers draw up the paperwork and within 48 hours Renee signed over all parental rights in exchange for $500,000 and her signature on an NDA. My mom moved in with me that very same day. Two months later we left New York and moved back to Minnesota. I wanted to raise my daughter in the only place that’s ever felt like home to me.”
I can’t even imagine how life-altering that experience must have been for him. So I focus my question on Annie. “How was Annie? I mean, was she healthy?” Not sure how to ask if her mom’s abuse caused her to be addicted to drugs.
Vincent finally turns back to face me, the smallest smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. “She was perfect. The strongest little baby. Renee had only ever given her formula and she must have been clean enough for most of the pregnancy. There were no drugs anywhere in Annie’s system. She turned 6 months old the day the papers were signed. Renee had to have been a couple months along when I moved away. It had never been a consideration. We always used condoms, but clearly something failed along the way. She didn’t know who I was. Didn’t know I was rich. So I don’t think she intentionally got pregnant. For all that’s happened, I’ll be forever grateful that she found me. That she brought Annie into my life. My daughter might look like she only shares my eyes, but she’s so much like me it’s scary sometimes.”
“Annie is lucky to have you. And her grandma.” I pause. “How did she find you? Renee. If she didn’t know who you were?”
The smile leaves Vincent’s face and he grinds his teeth. “Randal.”
The anger is palpable in the way he says the name. I wait for him to elaborate.
“Renee’s twin brother. I didn’t even know she had a twin until the day she showed up in New York and Angelo ran a background check on her. The two of them were abandoned at birth and went into the system. They managed to stay together throughout their years in the system, and – apparently – they’d still been living together in Florida.
“Randal is a lot of things. He’s a paranoid sociopath with a multitude of disorders, but he’s also a skilled hacker. Somehow he was able to put the pieces together and track me to New York.”
“Where is he now?” I ask, feeling like there’s more.
“On the run.” Vincent shuts his eyes. “Around Annie’s third birthday I got word that Renee had died. It was ruled an accidental overdose. I don’t know what drugs she was on over the years, but it was heroin that killed her. I wasn’t surprised. Honestly, I was expecting it. And I’d be lying if I said I was sad.” He opens his eyes and looks right at me. “It might make me a monster, but with Renee dead it meant that no one could try to take Annie away from me. She signed away her rights, but there was always a chance that some judge would deem that she’d been unfit to make that decision at the time. And that might be true, but Annie was mine. Is mine. And no one will ever take her from me.”
“I understand.” I whisper. And I do. I hardly know Annie, but I would already do just about anything to protect her. I can only imagine the constant fear Vincent must have lived in, worrying that someday a judge would come and tear his daughter from his arms.
He must sense that I’m telling the truth, because he continues. “The first time I ever saw Randal in person was one month after Renee died. I was leaving a meeting, walking down the sidewalk with Angelo. As soon as I saw Randal, I knew who he was. We had his image from the background check, but I would have recognized him anyway. He looked just like Renee. Average height. Thin. Bright blonde hair. Pale blue eyes. The only difference is that he didn’t look strung out, he just looked crazy.
“He started shouting about how I killed his sister. How I gave her all that money knowing she’d use it to kill herself with drugs. He said I stole her baby and that she couldn’t live with the depression. I didn’t point out that she had never, not once, tried to see Annie. Not one attempt to call. Not one letter. But I didn’t say anything to Randal. I just called the cops and got a restraining order.”
“You said the first time you saw him. Was there a second?” I ask, already dreading the answer.
“The second time I saw Randal, I was sprinting across a parking lot trying to reach him before he disappeared with my daughter.”
I suck in a breath.
Listening to Vincent tell me the story of Annie’s near kidnapping has me swallowing down the urge to vomit. His tone is cool, but I can see that the retelling is costing him. If he hadn’t reached her in time… No. I can’t even think about that. I’m sure Vincent has played that scenario endless times; I don’t need to add to his torment.
“They never caught him?” I ask, not believing it.
“No.” I watch as Vincent’s fists clench on his desk. “I don’t know how he did it, but he slipped away. I knew him well enough by then. Knew he’d be monitoring the police stations, the information going in and out. So I flooded every precinct in the state with images of him ensuring he would see it. I offered a private reward to any officer who could find him. Had him officially labeled as a child molester. Randal might have thought he was clever enough to evade the system, but he knows what happens to perverts in jail. I had to make the risk greater than the reward.”
“That’s strangely brilliant.” I admit, a little in awe.
Vincent shrugs. “It was the best idea we had. After that, I moved to the apartment in the city with round-the-clock security. And when I enrolled Annie into a new school, I did it with the last name Mazz. I know it’s not enough to stop him, but I couldn’t just put her back out there without doing something.”
My heart drops. “And now I’m trying to take her public. Oh god, Vincent. I’m so sorry.”
He shakes his head. “No, it’s the right call. It was only a matter of time. You were right on that. And I can’t force Annie to live her whole life in hiding. As much as I hate to admit it, she’s growing up. Before I know it, she’ll be wanting to date and drive a car. She’s already trying to get on every goddamn social media platform. Nothing short of committing multiple felonies will keep her hidden anymore.”
I almost laugh at the terrified look on his face. Heaven help whoever tries to date this man’s daughter. “You’re a good father, Vincent. She knows that you love her. That’s the most important thing you can give her. She trusts you, and she’ll come to you when she needs to.”
Vincent’s eyes show so much worry. So much turmoil. “Some days I feel like I know all the answers. And some days I feel like I’m fucking it all up.”
I stand and round the desk.
At my approach, he pushes back from his desk. Vincent knows what I’m about to do and welcomes me with literal arms open.
Settling myself onto his lap, I twist enough so I can wrap my arms around his neck in a hug.
Every interaction I have with Vincent has its own distinct feel. The lust-driven. The anger. The apology. The uncertainty. And now, comfort. With our arms around each other, we melt into the embrace. Vincent didn’t have to tell me about Renee. About Randal. About his fears of failure. But he did. And that shows a level of trust that I wasn’t expecting from him. It doesn’t make everything perfect between us. And even with my forgiveness of his previous dickish behavior, it doesn’t lay out any expectations for what our relationship is going to look like. I don’t even know if what we have can be called a relationship.
Vincent loosens his hold on me and leans back. His eyes search mine, like he’s trying to find the right words to tell me. But I don’t want to hear them. Not now. Not when I don’t know what the outcome of his statement might be. So instead of listening, I lean in and press my lips to his.
As soon as our mouths meet, I feel a warmth spread throughout my body. This might be the first time I’ve initiated a kiss with Vincent. And I like the powerful feeling it gives me. From my perch on his lap, we’re eye to eye. Mouth to mouth.
I lean into the contact and a sound of contentment rolls around in my chest.
Not one to give up control easily, Vincent opens his mouth, invading mine with a sweep of his tongue. His beard scratching the soft skin around my lips, heightening my senses.
Vincent breaks the kiss, moving his attention to my neck. Tipping my head back, I allow him free reign. When his tongue licks my cleavage, I clench my hands into fist. Only then do I realize that my hands are gripping his hair. I almost let go before I remember this is Vincent. He likes it a little rough. So I pull on his hair again. A little harder. The feel of his tongue on my chest turns into scraping teeth. And his hands hold my hips still as he grinds up against my ass. His hardness is so close to where I want him. I groan and wiggle against his erection.
A knock at the door startles me out of my lustful haze. I try to pull back, but Vincent wraps his arms around my waist keeping me in place.
A glint in Vincent’s eyes tells me exactly what he’s going to do before he does it.
“Come in.” Vincent calls out in his serious business tone.
My head jerks over and I watch the door click open. Brent makes it one step into Vincent’s office before he raises his gaze and sees us.
Brent stops so suddenly, he almost trips. “Oh, um, uh, sorry.” His eyes are darting all over the place, but I don’t miss how they linger on our entangled bodies. “I thought you said to come in.”
“I did.” Vincent replies as though I’m not sitting on his lap, his hard-on still prodding me between my butt cheeks.
“Oh, well…” Brent clears his throat, a blush clear on his face. “Your next meeting is in 5. They’re all set up in conference room B when you’re ready.”
“I’ll be there.”
Brent spins on his heels and hurriedly shuts the door behind him.
“You are such a jerk.” I say, humor in my voice, as I smack Vincent’s chest.
The smirk he gives me is too adorable to ignore. Leaning forward I kiss him once more. A simple press of my lips to his. When I pull away, I watch his smirk turn into a full-blown smile. Rolling my eyes, I push off his lap.
Standing back, I take in Vincent’s ruffled look. He looks freshly fucked.
“What?” He asks, pulling his suit jacket back on.
I shake my head. “You should sell calendars. Looking all sexed up like that, you could make another million.”
“Why Miss Clark, are you saying that you find me attractive?” He asks, reaching out for me.
I smack his hands away as I go up on my tiptoes to help him smooth out his hair. “Oh, shut up.” Before retracing my hand, I pinch his nipple.
“Mmm, keep doing that and I’ll have to go to my meeting with tented pants.”
“Idiot.” I laugh out the insult as I pull open the door.
A moment later, Vincent strides out of his office with his usual straight-backed confidence.
In my mind, I had broken him into two categories. Mr. Mazzanti the ruthless CEO and Vincent the father. But I’m realizing that there are so many more layers to him. And it scares me, because the sum of his parts is a man that I could easily fall in love with. A man I might already be halfway in love with.
Brent’s grumbling voice pulls my attention away from Vincent’s retreating form.
He’s sitting with his chair pulled in so far his stomach is pressed into the edge of the desk.
“Why are you sitting so weird?” I ask with a tilt of my head.
“It’s your fault. You and Mr. Hot-and-Moody.” He glances around then shifts and reaches below the desk to adjust himself.
My brain is still a little slow because it takes me a moment to realize that our little show had quite the effect on Brent.
A loud laugh bursts out of me and the glare Brent gives me only has me laughing harder.
Walking away from Vincent’s office, I feel lighter than I have in days.
