Jennifer Probst: Heart of Steel

She stared at the diamond. Stared at the brilliant stone sparkling against the black velvet. Started at the symbol of marriage; love; commitment; trust. Stared at the man who swore he could give her it all, even though she loved a man who had betrayed her.

She willed herself to say the word.

Willed herself to step into the shelter he offered. She’d finally have a man who didn’t care about money. A man to offer her protection. She could leave all the heartbreak behind and start a new life.

All it took was one word.

“I can’t.” Her voice broke. “I can’t do this right now.”

Seconds ticked by. Slowly, he closed the case and slipped it back in his jacket. “I know you’re not ready yet. I know you have to deal with this thing Grant did to you. But I’ll be waiting. You’ll realize what life is really about, and then you’ll come to me.”

He rose from the couch and closed the door with a gentle click. Chandler sat for a while in her living room and watched the rays of light pour through the window. It was happening all over again. She could sit here while her future was played out in a corporate office, or she could get her butt down there and confront some very old demons.

Chandler grabbed her purse and walked out the door.

“I’m sorry, Chandler, he’s in a business meeting now. Do you want to take a seat?”

She flashed her warmest smile at the secretary. “No, I told him I’d drop by, Connie. If you look in the book you’ll see he’s meeting with my father. Alexander Santell.”

One manicured nail stopped at his nine o’clock appointment. “Oh, my goodness, I never realized you both had the same last names. Sure, honey, go right in. I’m sure they won’t mind. Are you okay? You look a little pale.”

“I’ll be fine. I just have to handle a few things and then everything will go back to normal. Thanks.” Turning from the secretary’s puzzled look, Chandler walked toward Logan’s office. Her hand paused on the doorknob as she experienced a flash of deja vu . With a deep breath, she opened the door and walked in.

A thick cloud of smoke drifted in the air. She took in the scene before her. Time melted away and kept her a prisoner of the past. Her father stood over Logan’s desk, puffing furiously on his cigar, his face set in a determined, stubborn way which many people said she inherited. Logan sat in his chair, relaxed and at ease as he listened to her father’s bellowing voice. As the door shut gently behind her, both men turned at the sound.

A deadly quiet settled over the room as they stared at her. Her gaze cut immediately to the man behind the desk, searching his eyes, seeing shards of ice reflected in their depth. A tight fist squeezed her heart but she showed only a deep calm that mocked her raging emotions.

“Hello, father.”

“What are you—”

“Chandler, I need to—”

She cut them both off with one swift wave of her hand as she made her way towards them. She glanced at the papers sprawled across Logan’s desk which spelled out exactly what her new husband would inherit the moment she married. Using their stunned silence to her advantage, she picked up the papers and scanned through them with interest, then tossed the contract back on the desk. A brilliant smile curved her lips but she knew her eyes glittered with a mixture of rioting emotions.

“Congratulations to both of you. It seems I’ve underestimated you, father, on your determination to finally pick the right man to head your financial empire.” She turned to Logan and bowed. “And you deserve an Oscar for such a riveting performance. You make Michael look like a bumbling acting student against your—how should I put it—experience?”

“Don’t.” Logan shot up from his chair. The word echoed like a gunshot.

“Now listen here, young lady,” Alexander Santell bellowed out to his daughter. “I’ve been trying to look out for your best interests from the beginning. For the last four years you’ve barely even taken my phone calls, but now I want you to listen to what I have to say.”

Chandler laughed, the sound brittle and cold to her ears. She pushed back her heavy mane of hair. “I don’t have to hear a word you say, father. You don’t own me anymore. I have my own life and my own business and my own money. I can even find my own men, which I will prove to you one day. Of course, I’m sure none of them will be as eager to please me as Logan. You see, he at least had the motivation of a million dollar empire.”

Logan’s voice was like a whiplash. “Don’t say another word. You’ll only regret it. And this time my retribution won’t be so easy to overlook.”

She stared at him in amazement. “Don’t you realize the game is over? As a rational businessman you should have learned when to cut your losses.”

His cold icy gaze suddenly turned hot and burned into her. A smile touched his lips. “As a smart businessman I also know when the other party is bluffing. Game’s not over till all parties throw in their cards. You may be angry as hell right now, but you can’t deny what happened between us and you know it.”

Her hands clenched in rage and frustration at his knowing look. She had to force herself to take long, deep breaths so she would ignore the temptation to hurl the nearest paperweight at his smug face. Even when Michael betrayed her she hadn’t felt this enraged. With Michael an icy shell had hardened her heart, and protected her from the swirling emotions now waiting to overwhelm her.

Her body still trembled just at the sound of Logan’s voice, the look in his eyes. The anger seething inside of her was on the edge of sexual desire, and she knew it could be turned with just a touch. The knowledge that this man had such great power over her even after she discovered the truth made her want to run from him as fast as she could. Where she would be safe.

But this time there was nowhere to run.

She drew on the deep well of control and discipline she learned throughout the years. “Nothing happened between us,” she stated calmly. “It was all based on lies. Therefore, it meant nothing to me.” Her eyes hardened with determination even though her lower lip trembled. “I never want to see you again, Logan Grant.” Chandler paused. “Ever.”

Tension and frustration coiled around his figure. “That’s impossible. We have a contract.”

Chandler gave a short laugh. “No problem. Funny, how the escape clause works both ways. I never thought I’d be using it in this capacity, but if you check with Harry I’m sure you’ll see it’s perfectly legal. I’m pulling my services from L&G Brokerage. Effective immediately.”

She turned on her heel and paused briefly in front of her father. She stared at the man who raised her, his elegant, stately figure, his mane of silver hair, his green eyes so like her own. For a moment she fought back tears, and then once again, she was back in control.

“You never did understand what I wanted. Power and money doesn’t mean a thing to me. Marrying a man who just wants to get his hands on the company you’ve built from scratch would be a negation of everything you worked to accomplish. All I ever wanted was for you to just be my father.”

Chandler walked out of the office with her head held high, leaving the two men staring after her in silence.

He would be coming for her soon.

Chandler stared out the window in her living room and tried to gather the last shreds of her self control for the confrontation ahead. After she left the office she headed straight home, knowing Logan would soon follow. She knew her lover well. He was going to do everything in his power to convince her he was innocent in the whole mess, and try to repair the damage. He would use whatever skills he could, and focus on every weakness to further his goal—mainly the traitorous response of her body.