It was Rachel’s 28th birthday and she was having the time of her life with her girlfriends who had organized a surprise birthday party for her at The Black Hat. It was a popular nightclub in town which she’d been looking forward to visiting but had never had the opportunity to, so she was delighted to find out that it was the venue of her party. She hadn’t planned anything special for herself for the day, and that was why this unexpected gettogether brought happy tears to her eyes. “You girls are the best,” said Rachel, emotionally. “I didn’t see this coming, but I appreciate your thoughtfulness and love. Thank you, babes.” “Hear, hear,” said Brittany, raising her glass with a big grin. She was the brain behind this surprise party and being an event planner, she had no problems setting up the little bash within two days with the help of her other friends. The four friends sat at one of the VIP lounges in the club, enjoying their drinks and occasiona

Derek found her excitement infectious and he couldn’t help but laugh. The ladies he usually brought home always did their best to act unimpressed whenever they came around, but he could literally see the effort it was taking them to maintain their composure. He liked how original Rachel was and how she was comfortable with showing her true emotions because that made him feel at ease. He didn’t even have to try to impress her and to him, that was the real definition of peace of mind.The elevator stopped in front of his penthouse apartment and they got out of the car with an equal measure of excitement. He couldn’t wait to show her around his place, while she couldn’t wait to feast her eyes on all of the beauty waiting inside. When they entered the huge four-bedroom apartment, Rachel was not disappointed. She oohed and aahed as she followed Derek around as took her on a tour of his home.“This place is phenomenal,” she remarked after they finished their tour. “I’ve never been inside a

As soon as Rachel left, Derek felt like an asshole. Why had he behaved that way like a jilted teenager? Ok, so it was shocking to him that she had turned down his offer to meet again, but so what? Men got turned down every day, so why did he think he was too good to be rejected? Because he had more money than most men?Disgusted with himself, he threw back the covers and got out of bed then marched angrily to the bathroom. Inside, he got a faint whiff of Rachel’s perfume and his gut tightened involuntarily. Perhaps it was just as well that things had ended sourly between them this morning because that woman was trouble, plain and simple. He didn’t quite believe in love, but Rachel looked like the kind of woman that might make him start thinking about that strong emotion.He had seen what love does to even the strongest and most level-headed men, how it turned them to mush and made them do stupid things. His father was an example of a victim of love – the older Fraser had made the mist

Six weeks later…Rachel blew out a shaky breath as she walked into the reception area of the office building. She had been psyching herself up for weeks before this meeting, still, she wasn’t ready for it but she couldn’t postpone it any longer.“Hello, how may I help you?” Asked the pretty blond receptionist with a bright smile.“Uh, hi,” said Rachel, uncertainly. Her heart was pouncing wildly in her chest and her palms were sweaty. “I’m here to see Derek Fraser,” she said, trying to match the receptionist’s dazzling smile.“Do you have an appointment?”“Um, no, but it’s very important that I see him today.”“I’m sorry, Miss, but that won’t be possible. You can only see Mr. Fraser if you have an appointment with him. If you give me your name and contact details, I can send them to his personal secretary and she might set up an appointment for you.”Rachel tried to hide her frustration but she knew it would be impossible to see Derek without getting past this receptionist first. It ha

“We are saying the same thing, my friend,” said Jonah, sympathetically.“Damn! This can’t be happening to me. I am always so careful. I let my guard down once, and boom, I’m being accused of pregnancy.”“ ‘Accused of pregnancy?’ Are you serious? You make it sound like a crime,” laughed Jonah.“This isn’t funny, Jonah. This is my life we are talking about here. My reputation is at stake. What if she goes to the press with this?”“As I said, getting a woman pregnant isn’t a crime, Derek. I’ve done it twice and I’m not in jail right now.”“You are married.”“And you could be too.”“Never! I’ve told you many times already that I will never get married. I will never give up my freedom and sanity for a piece of paper that will have me giving half of my fortune to some woman if she eventually decides to leave me.”“Marriage is more than just a piece of paper, Derek. It’s a union of heart, body, and souls,” said Jonah, seriously.“Miss me with that BS, Jonah. I’m not interested and that’s tha