Page 3 of Daigo

"We both want to be parents. You need heirs-"

"I need you." There was a finality to his deep voice that had her staring at him. "I won't lose you," he repeated. Putting the glass down, he glanced at his watch. "I have a meeting. I will be late getting home. Don't wait up."

She knew when she was being summarily dismissed, and it angered her. His words angered her and she wanted to argue, to rage at him. But the closed look on his face told her now was not the time.

"I'll see you whenever." Picking up the coat she had removed and her oversized purse, she made her way out, heels clicking on the tiled floor.

He stared at her for a minute, his expression brooding. She had that kind of walk that could turn a man inside out. Everything about his wife screamed sex on a rainy night. Shaking his head, he walked to his desk and sat there, staring at the glossy photo of her in the gold frame on his desk. Another photo was the screen saver on his desktop. This one was of her laughing, her hands thrown up, hair wild and untamed, the summer dress wrapped around her slender body.

Yes, he would grant her the wish, give her what she really wanted, but he was going to make it clear that he had conditions as well.

*****

Shelby loved her store. It was the only thing that had truly belonged to her before she met and married Daigo, before her life had changed drastically. Second Chance was more than just a building with heaps of treasures; it was her hard work and determination. She had slaved during the first three years, putting in everything she had scrimped and saved from her job as an accountant at a thriving software company, along with the loan from the bank.

A consignment store in the middle of the busy uptown area had been a novel idea, one that had taken off very quickly, so quickly it had her head spinning.

And it was just that, a second chance. Her clientele were mostly female: women who were going through a painful divorce and wanted to get rid of the evidence or the memories of the moment, and widows wrapped in grief and sorrow who could not bear to look at what they had lost. They were mostly wealthy women, and some who were down on their luck and looking to start over.

There were a few, like old Mrs. Pomeroy, who lived in mansions and wanted to let go of several heirlooms. She offered the added service of going to the residences and sorting through the piles. That kind of service sweetened the pot.

She loved her store, she thought as she stood in the middle of the floor and turned in a circle. She had time to simmer down some on the ride from her husband's office. He had pissed her off; his arrogance and selfish desires had made her so angry, she was steaming. She knew the main reason he did not want to even consider trying IVF. His wretch of a mother, Yuna Nakano. The woman had balked at the idea of her son hooking up with her.

Her best friend, Tammy, had warned her that with the mother not on board, the union wasn't going to be easy.

"Honey, think about it. The woman adores her son. He's the center of her life. He might stop shy of being a mama's boy, but he's very close to it. She's going to want to influence his every decision.

"You're going to have the woman in every area of your business. Decide now if that's something with which you can live. Not to mention the fact that he's made of money."

She had thought about it, mulled it over until it almost drove her crazy. She hadn't married him for his money, had even signed a blasted prenup, but that still had not endeared the woman to her.

The only good thing about it was that they had their own space. They did not live with her. And the loft was a good two miles away from her townhouse, which did not stop her from dropping by every now and again. She had wanted Shelby to give up 'her little store.' That was what she had called it.

"My dear, this little place does not fit in with the lifestyle you're going to be involved in from now on. You'll be entertaining for my son on a wide scale. You'll have functions to plan and the house to take care of. A good wife takes care of her husband and sees to it that she's looking fresh when he comes home from the office. And traditionally, a Japanese wife does not work. If you need something to occupy your time, there are a number of charities we're involved in. Pick one or two."

She had chosen to keep her independence along with her shop.

The woman had gone to Daigo about it, something that had pissed her off.

To her surprise and relief, he had stood up for her, telling his mother that he respected a woman who found her own way. At that moment, she realized that she loved him more than anything.

Two years, she thought with a sigh as she strolled over to the display of jewelry, music boxes, and globes from all over the world. She had come back when it was quiet to get some work done. It was true she didn't have to work. She owned designer clothes and expensive jewelry. She had money that had been put there by her husband. She never had to worry about money as long as she lived. It was something she was still trying to get used to.

Picking up the jewelry box made of cobalt glass, she rubbed her finger over the smoothness of it. Madelyn Simpson had brought it in along with several designer outfits and some killer shoes. The former actress and model had discovered recently that she had cancer, stage four melanoma. The proceeds from the sale of her things were going to a charity of her preference.

Putting the box down, Shelby wandered over to another display, this one of oil paintings. Her store was a hodgepodge of items, and it was here she had met the man she had fallen in love with. And yes, she was still head over heels in love with him. He had swept her off her feet and she was still spinning. He might resent the 'hold' she had over him, but she knew he loved her too. In a moment of passion, he had confessed that she was the first woman to get under his skin.

"Be proud of what you can do to me, Shelby-Anne. You devastate me."

He might not express his emotions often, or when they were not making love, but she knew what she did to him. And yes, it made her very proud.

Stepping into her office, she sat behind her desk and started to attack the paperwork.

*****

He had known she would come. The grapevine in the office never failed. And the news that his wife had been by for a visit would have reached her ears. His mother had her ear to the ground and knew everything there was to know about his life.

He admired her more than he loved her. And he supposed he did love her. She had shielded him from most of the pressures his father had put on him, taken some of the brunt herself. Yuna Nakano was a tall, slender woman with a proudly handsome face and a wealth of black hair drawn back in a severe bun at the nape of her neck.