Loving Lana Ch. 2
“Hello Kitten.”
Lana shuddered as the voice of her nemesis struck her ear, his familiar address catching her off guard. You’re not a kitten anymore, she reminded herself silently. Be a tiger! She forced herself to reply in a detached, professional tone.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Wesley. I’m calling to set up a meeting to discuss your contract with Martin Interiors. I’ve been assigned to take over your account, and I see from your file that there are several upcoming events--”
“It’s Brad,” he interrupted coolly. “And I’ve arranged for dinner at Macintyre’s tonight at seven thirty. Don’t be late.”
Lana slowly replaced the receiver after the line abruptly went dead. She stared at the phone, trying to decide what to do, or even how she felt. Did he really think she was going to meet him at the same restaurant where he’d completely humiliated her? That he could just order her around, and then hang up on her? She picked up the phone again, and redialed his number.
“Wesley Investments, please hold.”
While she waited, Lana wondered if this was all part of some evil plan. He had to know that she wouldn’t want to go back to that restaurant. If she refused, it would imply that she still cared, that he still had the power to hurt her. She wouldn’t give him that, not ever again.
She placed the phone gently back in the cradle and sat back in her chair with a frown. She’d show up at the restaurant alright, show him that she’d moved past what had happened. I’m not the same woman you knew, Mr. Wesley. Closing her eyes, she remembered the last time she’d seen Brad, five years earlier.
It had been almost surreal, going to the restaurant to meet him that night, hoping, maybe even expecting that he would propose. There had been something important he wanted to discuss with her, and Lana had been giddy with excitement. She had barely sat down when he blurted it out.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant?”
His voice still haunted Lana. It had been so full of pain and anger, and Lana was shocked speechless. She felt pinned down under his cold stare, shivering under his harsh scrutiny.
“I—I’m not…” she stammered, fear flooding her veins with adrenaline. “Why would you think that I am?”
“My secretary saw you coming out of the OB clinic last week,” Brad said crisply. “I made a few calls to confirm your condition.” Lana opened her mouth, but no sound would come out. She was powerless to even wipe away the tear that had escaped down her cheek. Weren’t medical records private? Not that it mattered much now.
“You’ve known for at least a week, and I’ve been waiting for you to say something. You know I don’t want kids – were you waiting until it was too late to do anything about? Planning to get child support out of me – was that it? Or maybe force me to marry you?”
“No! Of course not,” Lana managed to whisper, her eyes lowered. “But I’m not--”
Brad shook his head, holding a hand up to silence Lana when she tried to speak. “No more, Lana,” he said firmly. “If you would have said something right away, things might have been different. But I can’t be with someone who would hide something so important from me. And I won’t—“
“Stop it! Just stop!” Lana remembered standing abruptly in the middle of Brad’s lecture, unable to hear anymore. She absently wiped at the tears on her face, embarrassed and humiliated that he had chosen to confront her so publically. “I’m not pregnant,” she said somewhat more quietly. “I never was, and never will be.” She watched as confusion played briefly over Brad’s face. “I never want to see you again – just stay away from me.”
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