I kept wondering when conception might have happened, and there was one night that stood out in my mind, when Cane had come home from a work trip, and I was feeling extra frisky. It was about two weeks after Belize, and neither Lora or Mrs. Cane were home. Cane came up to the room, and the first thing I did was help him out of his clothes. From that moment on, we couldn’t be stopped…and of course he didn’t pull out. He hardly ever did anymore. I guess he assumed we were safe, after spending so many years together and me not ending up pregnant.
Perhaps we thought wrong.
Chapter 6
CANE
Hell no, I wasn’t calling Eden back.
To be frank, I never wanted to hear from that woman again after I left college. As soon as I was off my flight, I hopped into my car and had Neo take me home. Of course my phone rang again during the ride. One thing I remembered about that woman was her persistence. I knew she wouldn’t stop calling, even when I got home, and the last thing I wanted to talk about with Kandy after not seeing her for three days was another woman calling me.
I groaned, head shaking as I lifted the phone. How in the hell did this happen? How was she a sponsor for Tempt, and I didn’t know it? With a sigh, I finally answered.
“Eden,” I answered coolly.
“He lives,” she chimed, and I could hear the amusement in her voice. Already, she was getting a kick out of this.
“How did you get my number?”
“Oh, I have all of my clients’ numbers.”
“Client?” I questioned. “Since when did I become your client? I don’t recall signing any deals with an Eden St. Claire.”
“That’s because you didn’t.”
“Explain now, before I hang up.”
“Oh, boy. Still so harsh.” She made a tisk noise. “Well, you may recall meeting a Gerald Miller?”
“Yes. He owns Paradise Golf Club.”
“Well, I take care of the ground work for Mr. Miller’s sponsorships. He invested a great deal into one of your Tempt stores in Charlotte, correct? I’m the woman who comes out to make sure our sponsorship banners, wording, and liabilities are correct.”
Shit. I did not see that coming.
“I’m also the one who gets to decide if a sponsorship continues after twelve months or dies. Tempt already doesn’t seem like it will be worth our time later.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Oh, no. No threats, love. Mr. Miller is very interested in having his club endorse the Tempt brand. I also hear you have a shipment coming in for the club—free bottles of wine for our members. Great way to rope him in.” She laughed. “You were always good at that.”
“Eden, what the hell do you want?”
“I just wanted to inform you that I take my job seriously. When I come to Charlotte, I like to see our banners in a spot that many others can see, even from a distance. We will not have our name hidden in corners, or in the dark. We want to be where everyone can see us, so they know that our club is the place to go. I’ll be arriving this Friday. I’d like to schedule a sit-down meeting with you to go over some paperwork.”
“Then call my office and speak with my assistant. She handles my schedule.”
“No, Cane, I don’t think you’re listening to me.” Her voice was tighter. “I am coming on Friday and will be showing up at your office at ten in the morning, with my paperwork for you to sign. No sooner, no later. See, the thing about my position is that I can yank this sponsorship away from you so easily that it’ll be gone before you close your fist around it. I can make you look like a fool to Mr. Miller, just like you made me look.”
My fist clenched in my lap.
“Friday at ten. If you have me wait, I will leave and let him know you weren’t willing to work fairly with us.”
“You do realize that Mr. Miller came directly to me and asked to be a sponsor? Though we can utilize the money, it’s not like I begged for it.”
“Yes, I realize that, but let’s just say that Mr. Miller has a lot of pride and is very easy man to tick off. If I tell him you weren’t willing to take a moment to sit down with me in regard to his club and all his sponsorship entails, he won’t be a happy man, and he won’t be quiet about it. The negative buzz will spread like wildfire.”
“I don’t like your tone,” I hissed.
“And ever since my sophomore year in college, I don’t like you, so I guess we’re even.”
I breathed hard through my nose. Neo was pulling up to my house, and I was sick of this bitch.