A Promise of Forever (2 page)

She tried to get some work done on her laptop but quickly dismissed the idea; the words refused to flow.
She never had a problem with words before; words were her livelihood.
It had always been easy for her to put thoughts to paper.
When everything else in her life failed to make sense, she had always had the gift of pen and paper to see her through.
As she gazed out at the Manhattan skyline, she couldn’t quite believe the difference the missing towers made in everyone’s life.
What a travesty and waste of life.
New York City and its people would never be the same.
It took years before she could bring herself to recall what she had witnessed herself so vividly.

Trying very hard to push the foreboding thoughts from her mind, Katelyn glanced across the street and caught her breath at what she saw.
No, it can’t be.
Yet, there he is
.
She stared, mesmerized by the vision before her.

Her palms began to sweat as she watched him walk with two other men, almost in slow motion.
The three of them were dressed in suits; yet no man was quite like him.
He stood out in a crowd; it didn’t matter who he was with, he always stood out.
He had a presence that few men had but many aspired to be like him.
It came naturally to him.
His hair was jet black, except for the feathering of grey along his ears.
She wanted to feel differently toward him; she couldn’t hide what her heart was feeling, not from herself.
It was definitely Gianfranco Broccolini standing right there in front of her.
He was back in the United States; he’d vowed he’d never return.
Yet there he was, in the flesh.
It was then that he turned toward the car and looked in her direction.
Her stomach did flip-flops.
This was silly; he couldn’t see her through the smoke-colored glass.
He couldn’t possibly sense that she sat in the stalled limousine.

“Is something wrong, madam?” the driver asked with a note of concern.
She realized then that she must have blurted some kind of outward response, seeing Gianfranco.

“No, I’m fine; it’s just the traffic.”
Who am I kidding?
I’m not fine.
He is no longer a phantom in my life.
He is here in the States and he is just as handsome as I remembered.
Katelyn felt a horrible stab of pain pierce her heart as the car came to a halt directly across from where he stood.
He looked even more distinguished and sexy than the last time they’d seen each other, if that were at all possible.
No matter how many times she tried to blink away his image, it was impossible.
It became more uncomfortable seeing him; she felt as though he was the one watching her and she was suffocating.

“Excuse me, Miss Donavan, would you like me to call ahead and let Mr. Taylor know that we’ve run into a bit of traffic?” the driver queried.
Then, as if Gianfranco himself willed it to be so, the traffic suddenly opened and granted them access to continue.

“I guess there won’t be any need of that now,” she said.
“By the way, I never asked you your name?” she murmured, thinking that she had been so preoccupied with her own thoughts that she hadn’t talked to the driver at all.
It wasn’t like her to be so dismissive.

“Martin Burke,” he said, pleased that she had bothered to care to inquire at all.
Mr. Taylor barely spoke three words to him on any given day.
“You seem upset; is it your meeting that’s bringing about those frown lines?” he asked seeming genuinely concerned.

“I’m afraid my problems are a little more complex than this meeting.
I’ll be fine Martin but thank you for asking,” she added with a smile.

Martin continued to speak to Katelyn and before she knew it she had found out that Martin was married for thirty-five years and had two children.
He had a boy, James, who was away at Boston College, and a daughter, Emily, who would graduate this year from high school.
He told Katelyn that as much as he sometimes hated his employment, he couldn’t afford to give up this job.
He wanted his children to succeed and he would put up with whatever was necessary to assure that he made that happen for them.

Katelyn hadn’t given her meeting with Jack Taylor too much thought until now and suddenly found herself wondering what it was he wanted to see her about.
She was confused over the secrecy of the meeting.
She still hadn’t been able to shake or dismiss the nervousness she was feeling but, being the professional she was, she put her fear aside and concentrated on what lay ahead.
She had to deal with this meeting but when it was over she would call and make travel arrangements to Montana, anything to take her mind off this latest development.

The car was beginning to slow and Katelyn realized that they were approaching the restaurant.
She thanked Martin for being so kind and caring toward her.
She could tell that he was shocked by the conversation.
Knowing Jack Taylor, she doubted that Martin had ever been treated decently before.

“It was wonderful meeting you, Martin.
I enjoyed our conversation and I wish your children the very best.
After meeting their father though, I don’t doubt they will succeed at whatever they choose to pursue.”

Katelyn arrived at the restaurant with barely seconds to spare.
If there was one thing Jack Taylor expected from his employees, it was punctuality.
Jack was already seated and waiting.
She had read somewhere about people like him; they purposely sat themselves so they could watch their prey and study them as they approached.
She was sure this was true of Jack Taylor.
He was definitely paranoid and egotistical, if it were possible to be both.
He seemed to enjoy those quiet moments of observation while his victims were unaware he was watching them.
He believed it told him a lot about the person because they would let their guard down during those rare moments of isolation.
Who was she to doubt his philosophy?
It seemed to work for him; he was rich and powerful because of the way he was.

He stood and welcomed her as she approached his table.
“Miss Donavan, I’m glad you could join me.
Before I tell you the reason I invited you here, let me congratulate you on the Matlin story.
It was your best work yet.
I don’t think I need to tell you; I’ve always been impressed with your work.”
He held her chair for her as she sat and Katelyn became skeptical.
What does he want to talk to me about, if not about the Matlin
story?
He ordered a drink for himself and asked if she would like to join him; she declined and asked the waiter for a de-caffeinated tea instead.
The conversation suddenly changed course to a subject that she found infuriating.

“I wanted to talk to you about Adam.
It was necessary to use the Matlin story as a cover so that my son wouldn’t ask me why I wanted to see you.”
He reached for his drink and raised a brow, as if she understood he was warning her that they keep this meeting confidential.

“I fail to see the reason for the secrecy but whatever it is we need to discuss privately shouldn’t cause either of us any unnecessary embarrassment.” Katelyn gave him a look of uncertainty as she waited for his reply.

“I agree with you and, by all means, correct me if I’m wrong, Miss Donavan.
You strike me as the type of woman who likes all the cards on the table, figuratively speaking, of course.
I’m sure you’re aware that Adam is my only child.
I mean no disrespect to you by what I’m about to say but the idea of my son marrying a woman with a child is simply ludicrous.
Adam is the only heir to the Taylor fortune and, as such, so are his children.
He has informed me that, should you marry him, he wants to adopt your child.
I know things are different these days but I’m old-fashion.
I’m not thrilled about the prospect of a match between the two of you and neither are my attorneys.
I cannot stand idly by and allow this union to happen, whatever it is that is developing between the two of you.
This relationship has to end.
I have no intention of allowing this child, your bastard child to inherit one dime that belongs to me and mine,” he stated deprecatingly.

She watched him; disgusted by the way he had just described her child.
No one had ever called Jenny a bastard before.
Though the definition by all sums was correct, it was degrading and demeaning to them both.
He tried to diffuse the situation immediately when he saw how irate she had become but his poor choice of words did little to alleviate her mood.

“I’m not here to insult you.
As a matter-of-fact, under different circumstances, my feelings toward you would be quite different.
I find you to be a very attractive woman with the good fortune to have the brains to go with your looks.
I’m not at all surprised, after working with you through the years, that you’re as successful as you are.
However, I find it hard to understand how you got yourself into this predicament in the first place,” he added so nonchalantly.

Unlike his usual followers, Katelyn didn’t sit idly by while he insulted her and her child.
She stood up as if gesturing to leave, which was what she wanted to do desperately.
Escaping seemed the best solution for all.

He immediately caused her to stop in her tracks when he added, in a commanding voice, “The Roe vs. Wade decision came into effect long before your child was conceived.
You could have gotten rid of
it
then and we would be having a very different conversation.
I would have gladly welcomed you into my family had we not found ourselves discussing this child from your past.”

This is incredible
.
She wanted to take the glass of water sitting on the table and pour it over his head.
What an arrogant ass
.
Could this conversation get any worse?
And why, pray tell, am I still standing here listening to him?

Katelyn knew the answer to that question.
It was simple.
She had a daughter to support and the only way she could do that was to keep her job.
Jack Taylor was her source of income, the source of her paycheck.
He grabbed at her wrist as she turned to leave and Katelyn couldn’t help but feel skeeved by his touch.
“Please sit down, Miss Donavan.
I may have come up with a solution to both our problems.
A last resort if you will,” he added without any sense of wrongdoing.

“I don’t need to tell you that when Adam announced his intentions towards you, I had your background thoroughly checked.
I understand you have a brother, Kevin, I believe his name is?” he queried.
He opened a folder; a dossier of sorts and continued to read from it.
“I’m aware that your brother and his wife have been unable to bare children. I also see that he’s an attorney and, from what I see here, quite successful.
He’s wealthy enough so that any family of his would be well taken care of.
I understand he already loves your daughter as if she were his own child,” Jack added, as if that would somehow make what he was stating less vulgar to hear.
He couldn’t even bring himself to recognize Jenny as her child and instead addressed her as this child from your past.

Katelyn couldn’t believe it; she could feel the bile rising from deep within her throat.
What is he suggesting?
Is he proposing that I give my daughter away
?
Jenny was her life, her blood, her reason for getting up in the morning.
Not to say that she didn’t believe that Kevin and Sylvia would not be great parents, they absolutely would.
She had spent many a night praying that they would conceive a child of their own.
“I don’t believe we need to be having this conversation, Mr. Taylor.”
She felt open hostility for the man sitting across from her.

“I’m willing to supply an allowance for your daughter’s care.
All you have to do is legally sign adoption papers.
Your brother and his wife would make excellent parents.
It’s a win-win proposal; they would have the child they yearn for and you would have the opportunity to see her anytime.
It’s the only way that I’ll allow any relationship between you and my son.
The problem, as I see it, would go away and all would be forgiven.
This is my final offer,” he stated without feeling.

Too stunned to talk, Katelyn sat back down to relieve the jelly legs she had just acquired and rehashed what he had just openly suggested.
She couldn’t believe that Jack Taylor was capable of such cold, loathing thoughts.
Suddenly, she felt pity for Adam, the man who had professed his love for her earlier in the day.
Was this the kind of home he was raised in?
He didn’t deserve a father like this.
How had he escaped unscathed from that relationship?
Her voice quivered with anger as she gathered her thoughts to react.
“Let me make something very clear to you; my child is not for sale.
What you’re suggesting is something I would never consider.”

He seemed taken aback by her words.
It was almost as if he believed his son, who had never gone against his father before, would choose her and her daughter over money; she could see that realization frightened him.
“I want you to know that I will cut him out of my will if it becomes necessary.
I wonder, if it comes to that, will he seem as intriguing to you?”
Jack Taylor lifted his head and, for a moment, Katelyn thought he looked triumphant in his disguise.
She didn’t have the heart to ease his conscience.
She didn’t want to tell him that she had already decided to end her friendship with Adam for his own sake.

As she stared stubbornly, she impulsively added, “I don’t know where you gathered your information from but let me assure you that money means nothing to me.”
She wondered what the great Jack Taylor would think if he knew that Jenny’s biological father could buy Taylor Corporation ten times over and still not put a dent in his multinational conglomerate wealth.
She could have gone to Gianfranco when she found out about her pregnancy and he would have taken care of her and her child forever; she never doubted that.
Her child would not have wanted for anything in her lifetime.
But that was her secret and she would never divulge that to Jack Taylor.

“I’ll admit one thing to you, Mr. Taylor; I would love to stay at home and raise my daughter.
Nothing would give me more pleasure than to spend my days with her but, just so we are clear, I’m not willing to sell my soul to do it.
I would also like to tell you that your biggest oversight is that I never saw Adam as anything more than a friend.
Though, truth be told, you have surely made it tempting to do otherwise.”

Jack Taylor gestured for the waiter and watched as he approached them.
“Are you ready to order?” he asked, as if the conversation they just shared had never happened.
She was astonished at his audacity, though she shouldn’t have been so shocked by his behavior.

“No, I won’t be staying but don’t let me stop you from enjoying your lunch though,” she added with distain.
The waiter didn’t know what to do or say.
He offered to give them more time to look at the menus before disappearing.
She couldn’t help but feel sorry for the young man.
He had obviously overheard parts of their conversation and was embarrassed by it.
Katelyn couldn’t help thinking about Adam.
His father thinks so little of his own son’s personal happiness that he would deny his existence before allowing his money to be separated from the rightful blood heirs.

Just then, a child fell out of her chair while trying to climb up and her mother jumped from her seat to care for the child, who was apparently fine.
Katelyn was sure that Adam had never known that kind of love and protection from his own father.
Their family dynamic was based on greed.

“In a few days, Miss Donavan,
Glitz
magazine will be taken over by a larger more solvent magazine based here in New York City.
Glitz
may cease to exist as we know it.
When the merger is announced many of the jobs at
Glitz
will be eliminated.
I’m sure my son’s job will be the first one on the chopping block.
After all, who wants to keep dead weight around?
My son is weak, contrary to what people believe.
I can almost guarantee that this takeover will affect his career first and foremost.”
Pausing for few seconds, not sure if he wanted to divulge too much he added, “This takeover had to have been planned long ago because I had no time to react or to stop it, once the wheels were set in motion.
I assure you that it was by the shrewdness of one man who caught us at a weak moment.
I’ve since met this man, Miss Donavan, and I assure you he’s not the sort who makes mistakes.”

This meeting had suddenly taken on a new twist.
Jack Taylor had abruptly gone from being a man who seemed to enjoy playing with other people’s lives to a broken and beaten man.
She knew plenty of people with money; some had more than others, and none would have behaved as Jack Taylor did today.
Her first thoughts were of Gianfranco Broccolini, Jake Lonetree and Brody Calder.
All three men were men of means and none of them were without a conscience, like the man who sat across from her.

“You say that this man who outwitted you is ruthless and arrogant; I can’t imagine anyone being as cold or as uncaring as you have shown yourself to be today.
Good Luck with your plans, Mr. Taylor, and have a good day,” she snapped back proudly as she stood up and proceeded to walk toward the exit.

“I’ll see that my son is taken care of if you and this child are out of the picture.
It will be up to you to decide the fate of my son, Miss Donavan.
You have a good day,” he echoed dismissively.
His words sliced through the air just as he intended and Katelyn knew it was his attempt at getting in the last word but she decided foolishly to one-up him with her Irish temper.