He was disgusted with himself. He'd taken advantage of a vulnerable woman who knew he had the power to destroy her.
He was disgusted with Bella too. If she'd put up even the slightest hint of resistance he would have stopped. Was she so afraid of him, of his relationship to Tarrant, that she didn't dare say no?
She'd said no to his kiss in the cab.
Then again, he'd said no to his father's offer of the company, or any of its juicy component parts. That didn't mean he didn't want them. He just didn't want to owe Tarrant anything.
He marched across the marble lobby toward the bank of elevators. He itched to own that chain of stores he'd lost to his father. He'd had the future of each store plotted out, right down to the inventory and staffing needs, only to see Tarrant sneak them out from under his nose.
He pushed his thumb hard on the button for the executive floor.
Hardcastle Enterprises didn't seem to have any plans for the stores. Tarrant was just sitting on them like the proverbial dog in the manger. When he was dead, it wouldn't be too hard to convince his successor to part with them.
When he was dead.
His gut clenched. He didn't want Tarrant to die.
The odd realization came as the elevator opened onto the executive office floor.
"Dominic!" Samantha spotted him from where she stood chatting with the receptionist. Tarrant's third wife was younger than he. Her pale blond hair fluttered as she sprang across the carpet and kissed him on the cheek. Only once, thank God.
"Tarrant hasn't stopped talking about you. They're going over sales projections for the next quarter. Totally over my head, I'm afraid, but I know he wants you in there."
Dominic had reluctantly agreed to come to the annual board meeting, and Tarrant was almost tearful with gratitude. His own motivation had been learning insider information about the company that he might exploit to his advantage.
If he felt at all bad about that he just had to recall the memory of his mom cleaning people's houses after work to make ends meet. Removed guilt pangs like Lava soap on grease.
But now he was late because he'd gotten held up screwing a key executive. An executive whose main goal in life was to screw Tarrant over.
"Something came up," he muttered.
Her bracelets jingled as she pressed a hand on his arm. "Oh, he won't mind that you're late. I know he's dying to introduce you to everyone." Her expensive scent assaulted his nose.
"No, I mean I won't be able to make the meeting. A problem cropped up, I need to get back to work."
Her carefully made-up face crumpled. "Oh, Dominic. Please do go in, just for a minute."
He steeled himself against her pleading expression. "I have calls to make."
She grabbed his arm with a force that got his attention. "Come with me." She tugged him down the hall and into an empty conference room. He was too startled to resist. That, and her manicure was close to drawing blood.
In the room she let go of him and put her hands on her skinny hips. A stray image of Bella's glorious full hips crept into his mind and he tried to shove it away.
"Let's not kid around. I know you're probably disgusted that your father not only abandoned you and your mother but now he's married to someone like me. I know I'm young, that people think I'm just a gold digger trying to get rich by marrying a sick man."
Dominic struggled to keep his expression blank.
"I love your father. I really love him. He's made a lot of mistakes but he's a good man." Her eyes grew moist. Dominic braced himself against the possibility of tears, but she seemed to get herself under control. "Nothing matters more to him than finding a successor, and you are the ideal person to take over Hardcastle Enterprises. With your retail background you already have the skill set and the knowledge required to-"
"So he told me. But from what I hear, I'm not Tarrant's only bastard child, so I suspect he'll come up with another heir who fits the bill."
His blood boiled at the reality that other kids had suffered the same treatment as he and his mother. Let one of them have the company.
"I know it's an awkward situation. You have every right to feel bitter about how you've been treated. Tarrant is the first to admit he was wrong. He knows he only has a short time to live and a lifetime of wrongs to right, but he's doing his best."
Dominic scowled. "Wrongs to right? You can't rewrite the past."
"He wants to make amends." She drew in a shaky breath. "He went down to Florida last week to see your mother."
"What?"
"He signed papers affirming paternity, and paid a full eighteen years of inflation-adjusted child support."
Dominic realized his mouth was hanging open and he snapped it shut. "Very useful now, when she doesn't have a child to support."
"He also offered her a million dollars in company stock, but she wouldn't take it."
"I don't blame her."
Anger crackled through his muscles. They didn't need anything from the man who'd pretended they didn't exist. He could take care of his mom now.
"Tarrant will never know what my mom went through trying to raise me alone."
"She did a great job."
Silence hung in the air.
He forced a sarcastic smile. "Gee, thanks."
"You don't have to like me." Her eyes were a fierce blue. "You don't even have to like Tarrant. He certainly doesn't expect you to. But please … "
She grabbed his arm again. The pressure of her fingers and her pleading gaze should have annoyed him, but instead they touched something in him.
"Please at least consider Tarrant's offer. Stay long enough to get to know the company. Hardcastle Enterprises employs thousands of people, all of whom need a strong leader to keep their jobs and livelihoods safe. Go into the board meeting, even if only for a minute. He's a dying man." Her voice rose as she pulled out all the stops, one by one.
Dominic got tired of his heartstrings being played like a harp. "Okay." He could sit through one more meeting to get Tarrant's wife off his case.
She heaved a sigh of relief and a huge smile spread across her face. "Thanks, Dominic."
"He should put you in sales."
She laughed, but she did escort him all the way to the door of the boardroom. Maybe she thought he'd try to make a run for it.
Maybe he would have.
Dominic's muscles cramped as he sat there surrounded by people who breathed, lived and loved Hardcastle Enterprises. Any of the company men and women at the table would probably have been happy to take over the CEO role, and from what he could tell, most of them would have been at least competent. But Tarrant wanted him, because of a blood tie he'd once rejected as meaningless.
Dominic shifted in his chair. He wished he thought it was meaningless, but he knew deep down it wasn't. At least not to him.
If he wanted revenge, he could take over the company then defy his father's wishes by selling it or breaking it up. He could reduce the proud Hardcastle Empire to a handful of dust and memories.
Which, of course, he would never do in a million years. His mom hadn't raised him that way.
Sometimes a deep sense of honor could be a real pain in the ass.
"And nothing makes me prouder than being able to share our best quarter ever with my son."
Tarrant's emotion-laden voice boomed along the walnut table. Dominic snapped out of his trance. Best quarter ever? He really should be listening.
The words my son rang in his ears. He smiled to the polite applause of the gathered Hardcastle executives and the bigwigs from other companies who sat on the board.
Was this some kind of call to arms? A test to see if he could show the family loyalty his deadbeat dad never had.
What would Tarrant do if he knew his "son" was sleeping with the enemy?
Dominic agreed to accompany Tarrant to his favorite cigar bar for a celebratory round of drinks after the meeting. When the doors to the elevator opened, he saw Bella inside.
Heat flashed over his skin and made his tie feel tight.
Tarrant ushered him and the other executives into the narrow space. "You've met the lovely Bella Andrews, haven't you, Dominic?"
"Yes."
Her fitted dress-only slightly the worse for wear from being crushed under their two sweating bodies-still clung to her enticing curves. He could imagine only too well what she'd look like without it.
Now his pants felt tight.
"Bella, my dear, we're going for a drink, why don't you join us?"
"I'd love to, but … " She shot a glance at Dominic. He saw her swallow hard. "I have a lot of work to catch up on. I'm just going to get a coffee, then head back to the lab."