What? She fixed her glasses and sat straight. Had Galen discovered that she’d lied on her application about her age? He hadn’t noticed her all year and she did excellent work. Her evaluation said so. She hugged the paper to her chest and glanced up at him. “No, but as my boss you really don’t have the right to ask those questions.”
He smacked one hand to the other which was his habit in all negotiations. “Believe me,” he nodded. “I know. I like work to be professional, but it seems the clinic made a huge mistake.”
The clinic? This wasn’t about work? Had he seen her blonde hair under the wig? Her body buzzed with trepidation. “What mistake is that?”
Galen covered his strong chin and his eyes were wide as he finally looked right at her. She stared at him and couldn’t look away, especially when his cheeks held a faint blush. At the last second, he dropped his gaze and lowered his voice. “You were inseminated with my brother’s semen.”
The buzz in her veins turned to a jolt of electricity. Her mind scrambled as his words reverberated down her body. Her lips tightened. “No, I went for my yearly check-up.”
He shook his head, his expression pained. “The nurses mixed up the files with all the confusion this morning. My brother is already talking to his lawyers and his wife.”
A baby? The word caused her to jerk in her seat. She crumpled the pad of paper. “You’re joking. I’m not ready to be a mom.”
Galen stared at her hard and seemed like he wanted to bite his lip. But then his gaze changed and she felt awareness grow. He jumped off his desk and knelt in front of her. Alarm rushed inside her. “There is almost no chance considering your age, but… is your hair blonde?”
No, no, no. Her pulse almost skyrocketed to the moon in one shot. She glanced at the door and hopped up hoping to escape. “Oh goodness. Look, I’ll let you know when my period comes, but I should get back to work.”
Galen gently grabbed her wrist until she turned and looked at him again. “Ms. Parker, you’re not forty-six, are you?”
The lie was done. Her gamble over. She turned, then reached up and pulled her gray curly wig off showing her blonde ponytail. She took off her glasses and for the first time met his gaze without a disguise. “No, you’re right. I’m twenty-eight.”
His face went white as he stared at her harder than he ever had. Her own skin buzzed, but she stayed still. Then he reached behind him and picked up a box of tissues, handing them to her. “Let me see you without the makeup.”
Desire shouldn’t course through her veins at unveiling before him. This was nothing like her fantasy as she couldn’t stop her hands from trembling. She wiped off her lipstick that was purposefully smeared to hide her natural lip shape and wiped dark makeup from her eyes. She probably looked a disaster without her makeup remover, but once she was done and couldn’t see any more color on the white cloths she took a deep breath and lifted her chin. “This is the real me though I’d look better if I washed my face.”
He didn’t say anything.
If she stayed, she’d melt into the floor and dissipate. She pointed toward the office door. “So, I’m going back to my desk now.”
Without another word, she fled his office. Pretty women never lasted in this job and now her days were numbered. What Galen had just said about this morning and a horrible mix-up didn’t matter half as much as staying employed. How in the world was she going to pay for her mother’s cancer bills if she lost her job? This mattered more than any hypothetical baby.
Galen sat in his black leather seat behind his desk and rested his head against the back of the chair, closing his eyes. Natalie’s blue-green eyes behind the heavy black frames had always caught his attention, but how had he missed the obvious wig? Without the makeup and gray curls, she truly was stunning.
No wonder he’d acted like a stallion near a mare for the past year. His body knew what his mind hadn’t.
And she was having his brother’s baby when he’d literally had sex with the wrong woman last night at his other brother’s wedding.
Seriously, he needed a cigarette. He delved into his pocket and stopped. He’d already had one this morning and he wanted to break the habit—it was time.
His phone rang, and he opened his eyes, letting the pack go. He reached for the phone and saw it was his half-brother, Peter Morgan, again. He straightened in his seat and answered, “Hello.”
“Hey.” Peter immediately launched into his question. “How did the conversation go with your employee? Did you get her to sign the waiver?”
“I didn’t even ask her. I was too in shock.” Galen had been too busy trying to stifle his attraction to Ms. Parker. Peter didn’t want any Morgan scandal and was willing to pay top dollar to keep this quiet. He swallowed and explained, “Peter, Natalie is twenty-eight, not forty-six.”
There was a pause and then Peter asked, “Didn’t she have gray hair?”
“That’s a wig.” Galen closed his eyes and remembered the day Natalie had applied for the job—she’d worn a sweet floral perfume that she’d never worn to the office again. Now that he knew her secret, maybe she would.
“You only have five employees,” Peter said. “How did you miss that?”
His real estate business office in Miami didn’t require a lot of staff. The corporate office back in New Orleans hosted many more, but it was true. He’d seen Natalie every day and conversed with her over coffee, sat next to her in meetings and even shared a few office lunches at the same table. He shook his head and opened his eyes. “I didn’t want to see, clearly.”
Peter then said, “I’ll have my lawyers draft a contract for her then. I want my baby if she’s having it.”
No.Galen’s heart stopped. His lips pursed. He couldn’t let Natalie get run over for something she had nothing to do with. All of this was Jennifer’s fault for her lies this morning in the doctor’s office, but his family needed to back away from Natalie. She was innocent. “Natalie is one of the most efficient and honest women I’ve ever met. She’s nothing like Jennifer. I don’t know how she’ll take that.”
“Honest? She lied about her age.”
