Justin was her kryptonite, and unlike Superman she was too stupid to stay away from him. One day when she least expected it, he’d destroy her. And probably the child too. She put a hand over her belly. Children were always collateral damage in their parents’ battles.
She dropped her gaze to stare at the bottom of the steering wheel. “I don’t want who you are to affect my career.”
“I don’t see how it’s related.”
He had to be joking, but maybe he honestly didn’t get it. Everyone knew he’d been hand-picked by his great-uncle to lead Sterling & Wilson. He’d been groomed from a very early age to be what he was today, and nobody whispered that the only reason he’d become Barron’s heir was dumb luck or anything other than his hard work and intellect.
“If I were a man,” Vanessa began, “who I was married to wouldn’t be a big deal. But for women, it is more important than what they accomplish. When a woman is discussed in a professional capacity, they talk about her marital status, whether or not she has children. If she’s pregnant, they discuss whether or not she’s taking maternity leave. It’s sexist and unfair, but that’s the way it is, and I have to work within that.”
She could never forget what Dane had said: It’s not like they’re hiring you for your brain. You can probably make partner without winning a single case, so long as you give them the Pryce family business.
She’d rather die than prove Dane right.
“If you’re worried about maternity leave…”
“It’s not the leave. If people see that I’m married to you, they’re going to wonder how much your name has affected the kind of cases, performance evaluations and raises I get. I made it clear to my firm from the beginning that I would never bring my family’s business to them, and I’ve worked very hard to nip any hint of favoritism at the bud. And so far, I think it’s worked. But you’re different.” She raised her chin. “When I make partner, it’s going to be based on my professional accomplishments, not because I’m married to you.”
“You’ve been at the firm for ten years, right?”
She nodded.
“I’ll wait until July. That’s when you have your eval, right?”
Her eyes widened. “How did you know?”
“You mentioned it once. I’ll wait until then, and if you make partner, great. If not…” He shrugged. “I won’t wait beyond that.”
“But—”
“No buts. This is non-negotiable.” His eyes were cold, and his tone even colder. She’d never seen him like this before, and his hard expression killed her objections. “You won’t be able to hide your pregnancy by then anyway. And we’ll be living together as a couple.” He put a finger on the tip of her nose. “Discreetly.”
“I’m not moving to Chicago,” she said quickly before she lost all control of the situation.
He shrugged. “That’s fine. I can be in L.A.”
“You don’t have an office in L.A.” Sterling & Wilson’s California office was in San Francisco.
“I am Sterling & Wilson, not some building.” There was a quiet surety and confidence in his voice.
Her mouth dried. “Are we going to Vegas?”
“Nothing as clichéd as that. Take next Friday off. I’ll send a jet to pick you up in the morning.”
“If you tell me where we’re going, I can arrange for my own trans—”
“Don’t. I’m meeting you most of the way, Vanessa. So humor me on this. Also we should go back to my place and get you fed and rested.”
“Can’t. I have tons of work to do, and I don’t want another associate to suffer because I’m not pulling my weight.”
“Felix Peck?”
She nodded.
“Fine. I’ll send you home on my jet then. And don’t even think about driving in this weather.” He pulled out a credit card and handed it to her. “Put whatever you need on this.”
She stared at the black AmEx. This was too fast, and panic knotted her belly. “What about London?” she said, desperate to throw up whatever obstacle she could manage.
“I’ll take care of her. All you need to do is show up.”