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Read on for a sneak peek at Modern author Jennie Lucas‘s new book, Her Boss’s One Night Baby – out now!
*
“Hana?” her boss demanded acidly beside her in the back seat of the Rolls-Royce. “Hello?”
“Yes,” she said. Numbly, she looked down at her notes. “You want the SWOT analysis for the expansion into Australia, the numbers from the Berlin office, hire a new housekeeper for New York and arrange the after-party in London.”
He stared at her for a long moment with his deep black eyes, and she felt a shiver of fear. But not even Antonio Delacruz, the fearsome billionaire with the mysterious past who’d built a worldwide empire from nothing, had the ability to read minds.
At least she prayed he didn’t. Otherwise, she was in big trouble.
“Good,” he said grudgingly. He looked back at his laptop screen. “And contact the lead architect on the new first-class lounge design for Heathrow…”
As the chauffeur drove them north toward the Marunouchi district, she fought her despair as she looked out at the glittering skyscrapers. She had visited Tokyo many times since she was a child. She loved this city, the place where her grandmother had been born before she’d emigrated to America. Her best friend Ren lived here, and the sakura season, or cherry-blooming season, was the most beautiful of the year.
But for once, the sight of Tokyo Tower, which looked like a bright red Eiffel Tower overlooking the city, did not make her heart rise. Even the lushly blooming trees did not cheer her. She was lost in her own panic.
There will be no romance, no marriage. No consequences. Neither of us will ever speak of this again. Even to each other. Do you agree?
Yes.
She’d never imagined their one night together could lead to a child. What should she do? Should she tell him? Could she?
Hana had only found out about the pregnancy a few hours ago, when she’d taken the test on their private jet from Madrid. But already, this child felt real. She placed her hand wondrously over the curve of her belly. A baby.
“What’s wrong, Hana?” Antonio demanded beside her. “Why are you so distracted?”
Looking up with an intake of breath at the handsome Spaniard sitting beside her, she choked out, “Antonio, there’s something I need to tell you.”
The local driver and Ramon Garcia, the bodyguard who usually traveled with him, glanced at each other in the front seat. None of Mr. Delacruz’s employees would dream of calling him by his first name. Aside from their night in bed, Hana had never taken such a liberty before. At least not out loud.
He looked at her coldly. “Yes, Miss Everly?”
His husky, slightly accented voice put her firmly in her place, reminding her—if she needed reminding—that she was his employee, nothing more.
Hana’s soul quailed. They were nearly to the Marunouchi district, where a critical business negotiation waited. She and Antonio, along with the rest of the Tokyo-based team, had been prepping for this for months. Antonio was obsessed with negotiating a codeshare with Iyokan Airways, an important regional airline that would gain them routes to Tokyo, Osaka and beyond.
Maybe she should put off telling him about the baby for now.
Maybe she should put it off forever.
She pushed the traitorous thought aside. Even if Antonio rejected her and the baby outright, didn’t he have the right to know? Didn’t her baby at least deserve the chance to have a father?
“I need to tell you something,” she whispered. She glanced uneasily toward the two men sitting in the front seat, who were pretending not to listen. “About…that night.”
Antonio looked at her, his dark eyes like ice. “Which night is that?”
Did he truly not remember? His handsome face was so arrogant and cold, she almost wondered if the night he’d taken her virginity had been a dream. But the pregnancy test had left no doubt.
Hana lifted her chin and said clearly, “Our night together in Madrid. Two months ago.”
*