Maid To The Billionaire

The Tycoon’s Baby

By Holly Rayner

whole or in part by any means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying

and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the explicit

written permission of the author.

All characters depicted in this fictional work are consenting adults, of at least eighteen years of age.

Any resemblance to persons living or deceased, particular businesses, events, or exact locations are

entirely coincidental.

Also by the author:

The Billionaire’s First Christmas -

http://amzn.com/B00QSO9J36

The Billionaire’s Obsession – An Heir At Any Price Book One -

http://amzn.com/B00NR3JW2E

Table Of Contents:

CHAPTER ONE

VICTORIA

I looked at my watch. It was almost noon. Four hours to go and I could soak my aching feet. I was on
my fifth straight shift of the week and it had been a hectic one. Alexander Reigns, my employer had
simply lost his mind. That’s what I thought anyways. I didn’t blame him and I often felt bad for him…
but lost his mind he most definitely had done. Mr. Reigns was in the middle of a divorce. I had
worked for him while his wife lived in the mansion and within a few short weeks of working for them
I had come to several conclusions: Mr. Reigns was smart, respectable, kind and with the combination
of his dark brown hair and intensely sexy hazel eyes that were surrounded by ridiculously long lashes,
he was also drop-dead gorgeous. Mrs. Reigns on the other hand was petty, small, unkind and
fortunately for her since she really had no other likeable qualities, she was also drop-dead gorgeous.
The pending divorce hadn’t come as much of a shock to the staff. We had all discreetly heard the
arguments and watched the couple slowly growing apart. It was in my opinion, for whatever that was
worth, the best thing for them both since neither of them had seemed happy for quite some time. Not
that anyone was going to ask the upstairs maid for her opinion anyways. I had plenty of them saved up
however if they ever did ask me. Besides approving of the divorce, I’d very much like to voice my
opinion to my thirty year old employer that a man in his position in the community should not really
spend each and every night throughout the work week partaking of wild partying and loose women. I
could easily have these thoughts as I dusted the pictures on the walls and the vases on the tables
outside of the master suite, but I knew that if I were ever asked for my opinions, I would more than
likely keep them to myself. I could barely form two thoughts, let alone real words when he looked at
me with those incredibly sexy eyes of his.

With a sigh at that thought, I finished my dusting and began mopping the highly polished marble
hallway floor. Once I finished that, the only room I had left to clean before polishing the banister was
the master suite. I hadn’t seen any sign of Mr. Reigns this morning, so it was highly likely that he was
still asleep. Since the divorce, we had all been asked by the house supervisor Karen to wait for the
doors to be open before we cleaned or took anything into the suite. Mr. Reigns was prone to skipping
board meetings and sleeping until noon some days and as kind as he could be, you didn’t want to
wake the sleeping lion with a hangover; he was prone to hotheaded outbursts when he was under a lot
of stress and with the divorce and the pressures of running a multi-national corporation, the stress
was plentiful. I almost whined though when I saw them closed. I really wanted to finish up here
before I went to lunch. Because of his late mornings that turned into afternoons, I hadn’t been able to
get in there until the end of my shift the past two days and it really needed a thorough cleaning. I was
mopping past the closed door when I heard his voice.

“Please listen to me and hear me this time. I earned the fruits of my labor. I’m thirty years old. Since I
was eighteen I have either gone to school or worked twelve hours out of nearly every day to get
where I am. Being married to me and might I add, reaping many benefits while you were, does not
give you the right now to take what is rightfully mine thanks to all of my hard work.”

I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but he wasn’t whispering either. I assumed that he was talking to Mrs.
Reigns. It wasn’t the first time that I’d heard him tell her almost exactly the same thing. It seemed that
the woman wanted more and more from him. I shook my head, wondering how someone could
become so greedy. As I had that thought, the cell phone in my pocket vibrated with a message. I
stopped, leaned on my mop and pulled it out. I smiled when I saw that it was from my boyfriend,
Jason. I clicked open the message and as I read it, the smile quickly faded.

“Victoria, I’m not sure how to say this, but I’m sure you’ve noticed as I have that things between
us aren’t what they used to be. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and I’ve decided that maybe we
need to take a break. Maybe taking some time apart will help us decide if we want to move forward
with this, or if maybe we’re both wasting our time trying to make something work that just isn’t
there. I wish you the best and I’ll keep in touch.”

I stared at the phone for a long time. What did he mean a break? What the hell was that? What are the
rules when you take a break? Do we see other people? Do we just sit around and look inside
ourselves and try to decide if we’re really in love or not? I seriously have no idea what a break
means. He’s also acting like I knew there were problems. I had no idea there were problems. What
kind of problems? I thought we were doing fine. I’m such an idiot. A single tear slid down my face. I
was surprised until I tasted the salt at the corners of my mouth. I don’t know why I’m crying.
Obviously, he doesn’t think this relationship is worth more than a text message to just call an end to it.
We were supposed to see each other tonight. This couldn’t have waited? A steady stream of tears had
begun to make their way down my cheeks. I had to pull myself together. I was at work for crying out
loud! I prided myself on my ability to always maintain a professional appearance at work. My hair
was always up, I wore very little make-up, my hideously ugly and unflattering uniforms were clean
and starched and ironed… yet here I stood in the grand upper hallway of this beautiful mansion,
unable to stop the tears. I reached into my cleaning cart for a tissue and that’s when I heard the crack
of the door opening. I didn’t mean to look up, it was just an automatic response to the sound. But I did
look up and I hadn’t wiped my face yet and now I was not only crying at work… I was face to face
with my employer. Oh God I wish I could kick Jason’s butt right now!

“Victoria? What’s wrong?”

Alexander Reigns was looking at me with concern in his pretty eyes. He looked so sincere and
instead of making me stop acting like a sniveling idiot in his hallway, it made me dissolve into a
torrent of tears accompanied by huge gulping sobs and the whole bit. God, I wanted to crawl behind
the two foot tall priceless vase that sat just to my left and disappear.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Reigns,” I said between sobs. “I’m—I’m just going to go pull myself together…”

“No wait, Victoria, please.” He came towards me. Even in my current state I couldn’t help but notice
how the green of the shirt he wore matched the rim of green around the outside of his irises. His full
lips were set in a frown and his perfectly shaped brown eyebrows were drawn together in the middle
giving him a sexy, introspective look. Yet I still stood where I was, bawling like an idiot. He put his
hand on my arm. It was the first time he’d actually touched me. Electricity raced from the source of
that touch down my arm, causing my hand and fingers to tingle. What in the world was wrong with

me? This was my employer. The only reason he was touching me was because he found me crying in
the hallway outside of his room. I need this job. Stop crying Vicki. Stop it!

“Victoria? Come with me, let’s have you sit down. I’ll get you some water.” He was trying to steer
me into the master suite. I pulled back, softly, but enough to make him stop and again look at my face.

“I’m so sorry, sir. I’ll just go down to the staff restroom and clean up. I’m so embarrassed and I hope
you’ll forgive me.”

He smiled slightly and said, “What is there to forgive?”

“I’m being so unprofessional…”

He let the slight smile turn into a full one. His dimples showed on either side of his face and his full
lips framed a set of the straightest, whitest teeth I’d ever seen. He was so beautiful and I probably had
mascara running down my face.

“You’re upset,” he said. “You haven’t done anything to me so you have nothing to apologize for. I’m
sorry that you’re upset. Is there something I can do? Someone I can call for you?”

“Oh no sir, it’s so silly really. I don’t even know why I’m crying. It’s ridiculous.”

“What is, Victoria? What is it that upset you?”

I kind of laughed and snot came out my nose. I covered my face with the paper towel and literally
wanted to die. “I’m sorry,” I squeaked out again. This time he laughed and he took hold of my arm
again.

“Come with me. No arguments.” I followed him. He led me to the elevator at the end of the hallway. I
started letting myself think all sorts of crazy things like he was walking me out and he’d ask me not to
return for my shift tomorrow. I tried to imagine how I’d pay my rent. We stepped into the elevator and
he pushed the “B” for basement. The basement was his private domain. It was his personal
playground; he had a wet bar and a private theatre and a pool table and even a room with a bed. That
was where my luscious employer did his partying since his wife left him. I’d always appreciated it
for the simple fact that if he kept a woman over I didn’t have to come face to face with her outside the
master suite in the morning.

The doors slid open and Alexander held his arm out in a gesture for me to step off. I did. I didn’t
come down here often. Manny, one of the other house staff was in charge of cleaning this area during
his regular shift. I only did it on Manny’s days off. Mr. Reigns led me over to the dark cherry bar on
the far side of the main room and patted one of the deep red velvet seats.

“Sit down, Victoria. I’m going to fix you a drink.”

“Oh no sir! My shift isn’t over for a few more hours…”

Smiling again he said, “I’m well aware of when your shift ends. You can’t get fired for drinking with
the boss though, so I’m going to pour myself one too. Then, I’m going to sit down next to you and
you’re going to tell me what has you in tears.”

He was being so kind. It almost made me feel worse about my terrible behavior than if he’d just
yelled at me. He had his back to me but I could see his face in the mirror above the bar. He hadn’t
shaved today and dark stubble covered his chin and cheeks and across his upper lip. It gave him an
edgy, sexy look and it was contrary to his normal well-coiffed business look. His eyes were also
rimmed in red; a lack of sleep, I presumed. That added an element of vulnerability; it made him seem
more human. I liked it.

“What do you drink, Victoria?”

“I’m not a big drinker, sir. Usually if I have something, it’s just a glass of wine.”

“Wine it is then,” he said. “And stop with the ‘sir’ please. It’s Alex.”

I think I felt the color rush to my cheeks. There was no way I could call this man by his first name. I
looked at him as some kind of deity… it seemed sacrilegious for me to even consider it. He turned
back towards me and sat a chilled glass filled with a burgundy liquid in front of me.

“Thank you,” I said. I glanced in the mirror now that I could see myself. Luckily since I hadn’t worn
much make-up, none of it was streaked down my face. I just looked redder than normal.

“You’re welcome,” he said softly. Alexander poured himself a beer out of the tap and came around
and sat in the chair next to me. “Now, what has you so upset?”

CHAPTER TWO

VICTORIA

I sat at the bar in the basement on a plush velvet high back chair that probably cost more than my
month’s salary with my boss staring into my blue eyes with his hazel ones, asking me why he found
me crying in the hallway. This was not at all how I expected my day to go. What was I supposed to
say? I think I’d be too embarrassed to admit to my best friend that my boyfriend broke up with me in a
text message. How the heck was I supposed to sit here and admit that to Alexander Reigns, CEO of
Reigns Biotechnical Incorporated? Ugh! I want to die, I really do.

“I just got an upsetting text message.” I said that and then I remembered that Karen had put out a memo
over a month ago telling us that she “frowned” on our use of our personal phones during working
hours unless we were on a break. I wasn’t on a break… but apparently Jason and I are. Oh damn!
Now I’m crying again. I’m a hot mess. I sucked down the alcohol in the pretty glass in front of me,
barely tasting it. “Alex” was smiling at me.

“I wish you weren’t so anxious around me, Victoria. I’m just a regular person like you.”

Yeah, right. I don’t think so. “I’m sorry, sir.”

Laughing now he said, “Alex. What was the text message about? Is your family okay?”

My father took off for parts unknown when I was five. My mother was a pole dancer until she made
enough money to buy her own club and now she owns the poles. No, my family is not okay but I’m
sure that’s not what he meant. “Yes,” I said. Taking a deep breath I decided it would probably be
better to just get this over with and then maybe he would let me get back to my work and we could get
busy forgetting this ever happened. “My family is fine. Like I said, it’s silly really. I got a text from
my boyfriend. I feel really foolish because I had the impression that he and I were doing fine. I was
very wrong about that, I suppose. The text said that he thought we needed to ‘take a break.’ I have no
idea what that would even entail.”

He laughed again. This time it upset me just a little bit. He insisted I tell him and now he’s laughing at
me? “I’m sorry, Victoria. I’m not laughing at you. It’s not even a happy laugh. It’s just that it’s almost
exactly what happened to me. I had no idea that my wife was even considering a divorce until the day
I came home from work and she had moved out. Sometimes I think we are clueless because we want
to be… you know? It’s a defense mechanism, I think.”

“I suppose if I gave it some serious thought, I could find more than one reason why he’s right…
starting with the fact that he broke up with me in a text message.”

“Yes, I don’t even know him and he lost a lot of points with me for that one,” he said, with a wink and
a smile. Alexander picked up my glass and said, “Another?”

“I should probably get back…”

He waved his hand at me and got up to go back behind the bar. “This mausoleum is spotless, Victoria.
One unmade bed won’t make or break it.” I watched him pour us another drink. He sat the wine down
in front of me and said, “How long have you been together with your boyfriend?”

“A little over a year,” I told him.

“How old are you, Victoria?”

“You can call me Vicki,” I told him. “I’m twenty-three.”

“Is your boyfriend…?”

“Jason.”

“Jason. Is he twenty-three also?”

“He’s twenty-four,” I said.

“I remember twenty-four,” he said, as if he were an old man. “It’s that age when you start thinking that
you really need to settle down and begin getting your life in order. Some people don’t handle that
well. They panic and think they need to go have some fun… one last fling before they’re tied down
for the next twenty years or so.”

“I wasn’t pressuring him at all. We hadn’t even talked about marriage yet. We don’t live together.”

“That’s my point though. Does Jason have a lot of friends who are either married or engaged?”

“His best friend got married a month ago and their other friend from college just got engaged.”

He nodded. “I don’t know Jason and I don’t mean to put ideas in your head that aren’t fact… so take
this with a grain of salt, okay?” I nodded and he went on, “That’s probably where the pressure came
from… not you, Vicki.” I liked the way he said, “Vicki.”

“You think he’s afraid I’ll expect him to marry me?”

“Well, after a year of dating at your age, that’s the logical next step, isn’t it? Do you want children?”

“Someday, yes.”

“Does Jason know that?”

“Yes of course… he’s not that thrilled about the idea of being a father. Neither of us had the best
examples growing up. I think he’s always been a little concerned that we’ll mess it up too.”

Alexander surprised me then. He reached over and picked up a piece of my hair that had fallen out of
my bun and tucked it behind my ear. It was a quick, gentle touch but it seemed like such an intimate
one between an employer and employee. As soon as he drew his hand back I found myself wishing
that he would touch me again.

“You’re beautiful,” he said. I almost fell out of my chair. Instead, I picked up my wine glass and
drained it.

“Thank you,” I told him, finally.

He smiled. He was beautiful… incredibly so. “Again, I could be wrong and over-stepping but my
thought would be that he said ‘a break’ instead of ‘break-up’ because he knows what a fool he would
be to let you go, deep down. But don’t let him make all the decisions here, Vicki. Remember your
own self-worth. If you’re not truly happy with him, then spend your ‘break’ deciding what it is that
you want from him if you do take him back. Realize that by initiating this, he thinks he has the power,
but he really doesn’t. Your life and your happiness are in your hands, not his.”

I forced a smile. My head was buzzing. I really wasn’t much of a drinker and the two glasses of wine
had already gone to my head. “I will. Thank you. Is that what you’ve been doing?” That was such a
personal question. I wanted to take it back as soon as I asked it but Alexander didn’t seem offended.
Instead he looked embarrassed.

“No, I give great advice, but I don’t live it. What I’ve been doing, Vicki is avoiding it all. I don’t
want to fight over material possessions, yet I don’t want to give this woman I was married to for five
years everything I’ve worked for and amassed in my adult life. Does that seem selfish?”

“Not at all. I personally have always had difficulty with the idea of alimony. It’s 2015 and female or
not, I’m as capable of making a billion dollars as the person I decide to marry is. At least I hope I am.
Lately I haven’t been feeling very proud of where I am at this stage in my life. I have always intended
to do so much more. I want to give back to the community, you know? I don’t want to live in this
beautiful place surrounded by beautiful landscapes and only enjoy it. I want to be a part of the
solution to problems like homelessness and environmental issues. I mean… obviously I won’t do that
working as a maid, but I don’t intend to do this job forever… Shoot! I mean, I love my job, it’s
just…”

He laughed. “It’s okay, Vicki. I haven’t had a lot of opportunity to speak to you one on one like this,
but from what I do know about you, you’re much too intelligent to be doing physical labor your entire
life. I would be nothing but happy for you if a better opportunity comes along. What do you see
yourself doing someday?”

“I finished my prerequisites for the Physician’s Assistant program at UC Davis. I just took a year…
or two off to save some money.”

“Physician’s Assistant, huh? That’s admirable.”

I shrugged. “I’ve just always liked healing things. I had a stray animal hospital in our basement when I
was a kid.” I laughed at the memory of birds with broken wings and stray cats that had been in fights
and needed patching up. Back then I would tell my mom I wanted to be a surgeon. She would tell me
to “Marry one” instead. Gotta love my mom.

“So why a P.A. why not a physician?”

“Medical school is really expensive,” I said. “Plus it’s very intense. Even when I get into the P.A.
program I’ll have to keep working to support myself. I can’t see myself doing that and still doing well
in a medical school.”

“I admire your drive, Vicki. It was one of the many things that Cassandra and I fought about when she
lived here.” Cassandra is his wife and I had heard one or two of those fights as I kept my head down
and tried to pretend I didn’t. “She doesn’t have any at all. She never wanted to work, which I was
okay with at first. But I had pictured her heading up charities or at the very least having our children
and caring for them. As it turned out, she had no interest in any of that at all. She informed me two
years into our marriage that she wasn’t interested in being a mother. I can’t believe that I’m telling
you this,” he said suddenly. I realized he remembered who he was talking to. Not thinking I shot my
hand out and covered his with it.

“That had to be hard. Please don’t worry. I will keep your confidence. I appreciate you talking to me
about this so much. I know how busy you are and for you to take time out of your day like this for the
likes of me…”

He moved his hand, but he didn’t take it away. Instead, he wrapped mine up in it and looked intensely
at my face as he said, “Don’t do that, Vicki. Don’t say things about yourself like that as if I’m better
than you and I’m slumming by sitting here having a pleasant conversation with you. The things I just
told you about Cassie… they’re not things I shared with anyone else, except my attorneys, that’s why I
said I couldn’t believe I was telling you. It actually feels good to be able to talk to someone about it.”

I smiled and nodded. He was still gripping my hand. My heart was speeding up and I was suddenly
having a hard time breathing. “You can talk to me about any of it, sir. I won’t tell anyone.”

He grinned. “I really wish you’d stop calling me sir,” he said again. “Tell me about you, Vicki.
Where did you grow up?”

“I grew up in L.A. out near Glendale.”

“I grew up here too, in Orange County,” he said. Of course he did. I wasn’t certain of his background,
but it was obvious wealth wasn’t brand new to him. He wore it so well though. I’d never seen him be
haughty or arrogant about it, unlike his dear wife.

“I spent a lot of time in Orange when I was young,” I told him. “My mother worked in a place there
and I’d go out and spend time on the playground near the pier at Seal Beach or watching the sunset or

eating a burger at…”

“Ruby’s!”

“Yes,” I said with a smile. “I loved Ruby’s.”

“Me too, it was my favorite spot.”

“It was not!”

“Seriously, I used to sit at that booth in the far corner and play music on that little table jukebox and
watch the sunset nearly every Friday night.”

“I loved those jukeboxes and I loved that booth too! It was always taken. I think I only actually got to
sit there once.”

“It was probably me,” he said with a grin.

I smiled back at him, who could help it? It was funny to imagine our lives intersecting like that as kids
and us not even noticing. He was seven years older than me though. I was about twelve when I started
spending a lot of time down there. He was probably already in college. Still, it was nice to know we
had that in common.

“Thank you, sir,” I said. He’d taken my mind off of Jason and I was very appreciative.

He laughed and said, “You’re welcome… for what I’m not sure.”

“For making me forget my problems and remember being happy on the beach. Really, it was so nice
of you to take time out of your schedule for me, sir. I appreciate it.”

He suddenly had a look in his eyes that wasn’t amusement and his voice was husky as he said, “I
really wish that you’d stop calling me sir. I want to kiss you, Vicki… badly. When you call me ‘Sir’ it
reminds me that I shouldn’t.”

I was shocked, excited and scared all at the same time. I told myself to politely decline. I told myself
to go back to work, and then, I don’t know what came over me. Maybe it was because now he was
touching me. He’d let go of my hand and now his fingertips were lightly skimming along my bare arms
and sending delicious shivers throughout my body that landed in the deepest part of my belly. Or
maybe it was because of the intense way he was still looking into my eyes and I knew now that what I
saw there was desire. Maybe it was all of it. I don’t know. But I opened my mouth and as if I were a
bystander and not a participant, I heard myself say his name, “Alex.”

That was his invitation to kiss me. I’d meant it that way. He took it for what it was. He cupped the
side of my face in his hand and leaned in, placing his lips over mine. His lips were so warm, so full
and so soft and when his tongue snaked out, my own lips parted and allowed him the access he

desired. His wet tongue slipped into my mouth and explored every inch of it. My breath was
completely gone and I didn’t care. The kiss was so incredible; I was ready to keep doing it until I
passed out. This is how kisses are supposed to be. I loved the way he rested his hand on the side of
my face while he tasted my lips, and I loved the way he was demanding, but still sweet. It’s the kind
of kiss that you know you’ll never forget, even if he walked out right now and I never saw him again.
That was when I suddenly remembered who it was I was kissing. I pulled back and looked at him
while I tried to catch my breath. This man is more than hot. He’s perfect. He’s a work of art. He’s my
boss and I just kissed him. I was torn between being giddy over that thought and horrified. I felt like a
stupid teenager who’d just been kissed by the football star. I was gaping at him like a fool and I know
my eyes must have been as wide as saucers. What did I just do?

CHAPTER THREE

ALEXANDER

I just kissed my maid. It’s not that I cared that she was my maid. She’s an extremely desirable woman.
Today was not the first time I’d noticed. But talking to her today had put me over the top. She seemed
really intelligent and compassionate and just so different from the spoiled, self-centered women I was
used to. She was real, and about the time she got passionate about what she wanted to do with her life
and none of it had anything to do with marrying a rich man and taking him for all he had. I decided that
I liked her a lot. The problem wasn’t that she was a maid; I couldn’t care less about that. Who she
was as a person was so much more than that. The problem was that she was a maid that I employed. I
just broke all kinds of business commandments. I had honestly only started out to try and make her
feel better. Now she was sitting here looking at me with a confused, stricken look and all I can think
is that I really, really want to kiss her again. In fact, I was aroused to the point from that one kiss that I
wanted to take it further, desperately so.

“I’m sorry,” she said, putting her hand to her pretty lips. Her green eyes looked like saucers and I
could actually see the regret there. I felt like some kind of sexually harassing slime ball all of a
sudden… and she was apologizing to me.

“Don’t be sorry, Vicki. I initiated it. I’m sorry. I just really wanted to do that and I should have
stopped myself. I know I shouldn’t have. I hope you’ll forgive me.” She had tears in her eyes again.
Damn it! She stood up and looked like she was about to bolt.

“No, it’s really okay. You don’t have to apologize. I kissed you back… I should know better, how
unprofessional! This whole day I’ve just been such a mess.” She was crying again and I couldn’t
stand that now I was the cause of it. She was blaming herself when I was clearly the one who should
have known better. I stood up too and without thinking again, I put my arms around her and pulled her
into my chest. I realized as soon as her warm, soft body was molded into mine that I’d made another
mistake. But God, she felt so good. It was like she was made to be in my arms. Her light blonde hair
smelled so pretty and I was tempted to release the bun she had it in and wrap my fingers up in it. She
was shaking against me. I put my lips to her head, just trying to calm her down and whispered against
the side of her face.

“Please don’t cry, Vicki. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

She looked up at me. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly and her green eyes were a mixture of
sadness and something else. The something else was what I was focused on. If I was reading her
right, she wanted me as badly as I wanted her. Once again, I threw caution to the wind. I was going to
take this so far that if she was after a lawsuit, I was handing it to her on a silver platter. I claimed her
pretty, heart shaped mouth and as I did, I released her hair from its confines. I hadn’t realized how
long it was until masses of it cascaded down her shoulders and back. I didn’t hesitate to wrap my
fingers through it. It felt like silk and I thought if I’d ever seen it down before, I would have kissed her

a long time ago. I didn’t believe for a second that she was setting me up. I had initiated the whole
thing… but even if she were, I’m afraid this would be worth it.

The feel of her tongue in my mouth… tentative at first, but now passionate and urgent was going
straight to my head. I felt her shift her hips slightly and I knew that she could feel how much I desired
her. She wasn’t pulling away though, so I didn’t stop. Instead I let my lips slide down her jaw and
find her supple neck. I kissed her there and found the soft piece between her neck and shoulder and
took a soft bite. She moaned and I knew that if she didn’t tell me to stop now, I wasn’t going to be
able to stop myself. I let my hand slide down her back and cupping one arm underneath her bottom, I
picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. I sat her down on the bed and looked down at her.
Her pretty hair was across her face and she was looking up at me, breathing hard.

What struck me most was the intensity of her gaze. I know that women like to look at me. I’ve been
ogled since I was a teenager, but I’d never been so incredibly turned on just by watching someone
look at me. Just that simple look gave me an ache that I felt all the way to my core. It was more than
wanting her; it was a driving need to possess her suddenly. “If you don’t tell me not to, I’m going to
make love to you now.” She nodded and I took that as consent. I sat down next to her, drawing her
back onto the bed with me and crushed my mouth down on hers. I did my best to undress her as we
kissed, but reluctantly, I had to let her go so she could get that ridiculous uniform off. Why haven’t I
ever noticed how awful those uniforms are before? It must be something Cassandra came up with in
hopes that I wouldn’t mess around with the help the way she’d told me that her father used to.

When Vicki pulled off that horrible dress, I felt my mouth go dry. She was every bit as gorgeous
underneath it as I imagined she would be and then some. For all the drabness of the uniform, the
underwear she wore so well underneath it was soft and lacy and silky… and hot. I reached up and
grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back down to me. I let my mind flicker across all of the bad
things that could come out of what we were about to do… and then I tucked them away and I tasted
the kind of pleasure that even I had never tasted before.

***

I was twenty-five when Cassandra and I got married. Twenty-four when I committed to her and
stopped having one-night stands with a different girl every week… some weeks every night. I lost
count years ago of the number of women I’d been with, and if most of them walked right up to me on
the street today, I wouldn’t have a clue who they were. But I knew instantly that with Vicki, it was
going to be different, dangerous even. This was one woman that I would never forget and one
afternoon that could fodder my fantasies for a lifetime. I felt like a man utterly starved and suddenly
offered a steak. I’d had sex with someone last night and I’d already forgotten with whom. With Vicki
it wasn’t just her gorgeous body, or her beautiful face; it was the sounds that she made turned me on
and the looks that she got on her face and the deep, burning desire in her beautiful green eyes. By the
time we were both panting and sweating and clutching tightly onto each other… I already didn’t want
to let her go.

VICTORIA

When Alex collapsed on top of me and I got my breathing under control and I could put two thoughts
together again, all I could think was, “Dear God, what have I done?” and shamelessly, “Dear God, I
want to do that again.” What was in that wine? I’ve never had a one night, or afternoon, stand in my
life. I’ve always been a good girl… I’ve only been with three men in my lifetime. The first was my
“first love” my senior year in high school, the second was my boyfriend for two years in college and
the third was Jason who I had been with since. I’m not the one night stand type. Alex is. Dear God,
what is he thinking of me? I might know if I could see his face, but he’s settled into the pillow and
pulled my back up against him as if we’re going to spend the rest of the day cuddled here together, as
if we’re in love instead of employer and employee. Instead of billionaire and maid. He’s so warm,
and his breath on my neck feels so good. I can’t even let my mind begin to drift back to what just
happened between us because I’ll start shaking all over again. I honestly never knew that sex could be
like that. Maybe it was because he was so experienced… maybe it was because our afternoon tryst
was so taboo in my mind, but God it was amazing and Lord help me I really did want to do it again.

“Are you okay?” His voice had a sexy sleepy quality to it and that coupled with the heat of his breath
against my neck made me shudder. I nodded.

“Mm hmm.” I know it wasn’t a brilliant answer, but what was I going to say? I felt him let go of me
and I thought, “This is it. I have to get out of this bed naked in front of his eyes and put on that horrible
dress and do the walk of shame back out to where my mop is.” Alex wasn’t ready to get up yet though
and instead of letting me go, he turned me over so that I was now facing him. He put his fingers
underneath my chin and tipped my face up to his. He smiled so sweetly and then he lowered his mouth
down to mine and kissed me so tenderly that it honestly nearly made me cry again. If this was what
one afternoon stands were like… I think I’ll have another.

And I did… or we did and afternoon turned into evening and evening into night and I fell asleep in his
arms. He was so warm and tender and even my heart was smiling when I closed my eyes.

CHAPTER FOUR

VICTORIA

I woke up thanks to the early morning sun pressing its way into the room via the skylight. I think I was
still smiling. The glow from sleeping in Alex’s loving arms was still flowing warmly through my
veins. Then suddenly, the glow was replaced by panic. I sat up and looked around. He’d locked me
in… but he was gone. Oh Jesus! What if I’ve made a terrible mistake? I glanced over at the clock… it
was only six-fifteen. Thank goodness I woke up before Manny came in at seven! Coming face to face
with him, fully naked, would have been the icing on this already mortifying cake.

I gathered my clothes quickly and as I got dressed I wondered where Alex had gone and when. Did he
slip back to his own room in the middle of the night out of the fear that one of the other staff would
catch us? Did he have a date? Surely he hadn’t already gone into the office. It was so early. Then
again, he didn’t go in yesterday, that I knew for a fact. But today was Saturday; my day off, thank
goodness again. I wasn’t sure how I was going to face him. I wondered what he was thinking of me
and I couldn’t help but wonder what I’d just done to my job. I needed this job. I was set to begin my
online classes next semester and I had a big payment due soon. How could I have been so stupid…
and for sex? But it wasn’t just sex. I didn’t want to think that. I was trying hard to discourage myself
from thinking that but it was the truth. At least on my end, it wasn’t just sex. I’d felt a real connection
there, or had I just been stupid once again?

I got into the elevator and pushed the button for the upper floor where the master suite was located.
When I stepped off, the first thing I noticed was that my cleaning cart was still there. Alex… or
someone had moved it over to the side. The second thing I noticed was that the door to his suite was
open. I carefully moved across the upper balcony. All was quiet downstairs. Not even the cook came
in before seven. Alex liked it that way. Those were his rules. No staff between seven p.m. and seven
a.m. I got to the door and cautiously glanced inside. The bed was made and all looked neat and tidy. I
hadn’t made the bed yesterday… I wondered who did. Karen wasn’t usually in on Fridays, but what if
she’d come in for some reason yesterday? She liked me, but she was tough and that was why she had
the job of lead staff. I’d seen her fire people for less. I looked at the cart again and told myself that if
it had been Karen, she would have put the cart away downstairs where it went. Did Alex make his
own bed? I guess that wouldn’t be completely odd. He’d done it before.

“Alex?” I called out to the empty room. I advanced a little further inside. The little sitting room with
the big stone fireplace was empty as well and the door to the huge bathroom was open and that room
was empty as well. I looked at the clock. It was six-thirty now. I had to get out of here before the
other staff came in. There would be no logical explanation for me being here in a wrinkled uniform on
my day off. Besides, I thought, looking into the mirror on his dresser, I looked like I’d been having
wild sex all night. Or maybe that was just the invisible “Guilt” stamp on my forehead.

I guiltily retreated and headed for the elevator. I took it to the main floor and left through the locked
service entrance in the back of the large, gourmet kitchen, locking it again behind me. Taking a deep
breath of the fresh, salty morning air, I made my way to the employee parking area, got into my car

and snuck out like a thief. I realized when I got out to the main road that my heart was pounding hard
against my ribcage and my breathing was irregular. I made it home just short of hyperventilating and
held my breath even as I entered my own apartment, hoping my roommate Liz had gone to work. I
wasn’t going to be that lucky. She was sitting at the little dining room table enjoying her coffee as I
stole through the door.

She grinned broadly and said, “Well hello. You look like you had a good night.” I imagine that in my
anxious state my cheeks were probably flushed and since I was still wearing my uniform…

“Um… yeah, it was okay,” I said. “How are you?”

She raised an eyebrow and stood up. “I’m going to pour you a cup of coffee while you change. Then,
you and I can talk.”

“Talk about…?”

She took a cup out of the cabinet and turned around and looked at me again. She ran her eyes over my
uniform and my disheveled state and said, “Why you were out all night and you’re still in your
uniform…”

“Oh, that!” I said, trying to sound sincere. I’m a terrible liar, but I was going to give it a shot. “I didn’t
have any clean clothes at Jason’s, so I just put this on.”

“I’m shocked,” she said.

“That I didn’t have any clean clothes?” She shook her head. “That I stayed at Jason’s?” She shook it
again. “That I’m lying?” I asked, chagrined.

She nodded then with a smile. “Go change and hurry back, I can’t wait to hear all about it.”

I changed into a pair of cutoff sweats and a t-shirt and washed my face, brushed my teeth and pulled
my hair back into a ponytail at the nape of my neck. I didn’t feel any better, but I at least looked
human. I met Liz back at the table and sat down, taking a sip of coffee.

“That is so good, thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she said. “Now, tell me where you were all night.”

“I was at the mansion,” I said. I took another sip of coffee. It really was good. “How did you know I
wasn’t with Jason?”

“He came by on his way to work this morning.”

I almost spilled the coffee, sitting it down too hard on the table. “What did he want?”

“He just wanted to pick up the jacket he left here a few days ago. Your bedroom door was closed and
I thought you were in there sleeping. I started to go get you but he said to let you sleep, he’d talk to
you later. Imagine my surprise when I saw you pull up out the window and then come slinking in here
looking all guilty.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. At least Jason didn’t know. Not that it should matter to him since we’re on
a “break.” But still, I wasn’t sure what I thought of myself at the moment. I was really unsure of what
everyone else would think of me. Liz looked amused so far.

“I was really at the mansion all night,” I said again, praying she would leave it at that.

“I thought that yummy boss of yours had a no staff after seven p.m. rule.”

“He does.”

“Then pray tell what were you doing there all night, and don’t leave out any details.”

I stood up and went over to top up my coffee. “You want some?”

She laughed. “You’re bright red. You slept with your boss, didn’t you?”

I looked away and said, “Of course not.”

Still laughing she said, “Look me in the eye.” I turned slowly and looked at her and she laughed even
harder. “Oh my God! You slept with a billionaire hunk! Go Vicki!”

“Stop it,” I said, mortified once again. “It wasn’t like that.”

“What was it like?” she said. “Oh please tell me. I haven’t had a boyfriend in three months and I’ve
never had anyone like Alexander Reigns.”

I sat back down and said, “Jason broke up with me yesterday in a text message while I was at work.”

“That snake! I always knew I didn’t like him. Oh Vicki, I’m sorry.”

I tried to smile and say it didn’t matter, but the words wouldn’t come out. Instead, I said, “In his
defense, he didn’t really say break up. He said, take a break.”

“Same thing,” she said. “Slime ball.”

“Yeah, I guess. I was really upset and I just lost it and I couldn’t stop crying. Alex…”

“Alex, huh? Cozy.”

“Do you want to hear this or not?”

“I do. I’m sorry, I’ll be good.”

“He saw me and he was so sweet. He fixed us a drink and…”

“A drink?”

“Liz!”

“Okay, okay. Go on…”

“We talked. It was really nice. He’s really just a normal guy. It’s easy to forget they’re human, you
know? The elite. The ones we wait on and clean up after. But he really is just normal like any other
guy.”

“Alexander Reigns is a God. Ask the cover of any tabloid in the city. And since his wife left him, he’s
been seen in the company of more than one model.”

“I know. I’ve seen him in the company of them first-hand. But he wasn’t like that with me.”

“I’m not being facetious now honey but he obviously did talk you into something. Am I right?”

“It wasn’t like that though. We talked and I had two glasses of wine and he was just so sweet. He
kissed me and then he actually apologized. He told me he would stop there if I wanted him to. I didn’t
want him to…”

“Wow, and you spent the whole night?”

“Yeah, I fell asleep in his arms. It was sweet and romantic though, Liz. It wasn’t sleazy at all.”

“Oh honey of course not. I know you. I’m having a hard time imagining you sleeping with him at all…
but I know that you wouldn’t have done it unless there was some real emotion there. I just like to
tease. You know that.”

“I know. I’m feeling a little sleazy myself actually and projecting that on you I guess. When I woke up
this morning, he was gone. Now I’m scared to death. What if I screwed up my job?”

“Why would he fire you? He came on to you, right? You could easily sue him for sexual harassment.”

“Oh I wouldn’t ever do that. That wasn’t how it happened. It was completely consensual.”

She smiled, “I can tell that by the way you’re defending him. My point is that I really think even if he
didn’t want to pursue this any further he wouldn’t be willing to take that kind of risk. The wrong
person in that situation could take him for millions.”

“I never thought about it that way. I hope he knows that I’d never even consider anything like that.”

“I don’t know how well your boss knows you, but those of us who do know you well enough know
that. I am a little worried about your heart though.”

“Why?”

“You seem awfully sad that he left during the night.”

I shrugged, trying to be nonchalant about it. The truth was, just talking about it brought a deep ache to
my chest. “I’m sure he had business to attend to or something. I hope.” Liz smiled and reached over to
pat my hand. It’ll be okay, honey. You want some breakfast?”

“No thank you. The coffee was great. I’m going to shower.”

“Don’t worry yourself sick over this.”

“I won’t. Thanks Liz.”

“Thank you. Your night at the mansion is the most exciting thing that’s happened to me in months.” I
laughed, hugged her and headed for the shower. I got really lucky in the roommate department. When I
couldn’t stand living with my mother and her endless string of “dates” any longer, I answered an ad in
the Orange County Register for a female roommate. That was three years ago and Liz has grown to be
my best friend. She’s a little older than me. She just turned twenty-nine. She’s a beautiful woman with
shoulder length dark hair and really intense green eyes. She models for some local catalogs and she
does character work as a Princess at the major theme park in Anaheim. She broke up with her
boyfriend of two years a few months ago because she found out he’d been cheating on her for almost
an entire year. The first two months, she swore off men completely. I could tell now that she was
coming back around.

After talking with her and taking my shower, I felt slightly better. Then she did leave to go to work
and I was left with my own swirling thoughts in my head. By the end of the day I had myself not only
fired, but tarred, feathered and strung up in the town square with a giant “A” on my chest. After all…
even if none of the other sins were great enough to punish myself for, he was still legally married.

CHAPTER FIVE

VICTORIA

I woke up Monday morning with the largest butterflies in my stomach in history. I was due at work at
seven. I had no idea if I still had a job. I had no idea if any of the other staff knew about what Alex
and I had done, and I had no idea what he was thinking of me. How was I going to face him? I’d never
had to face anyone after an afternoon tryst that was going nowhere before. I didn’t have a choice
however. I had to go into work and face the music one way or the other. I was a big girl who had
made a stupid decision. Everyone does it at least once in their lives, right? I needed to suck it up and
if necessary, suffer the consequences.

I dragged myself out of bed and into the shower. I stepped in and stood under the showerhead, letting
the water beat down over me in steamy rivulets. I closed my eyes and leaned my head into the cool
tiles as the heat soaked into my skin. I tried to visualize the stress being washed off me and sucked
down into the drain… disappearing into the ocean somewhere and leaving me renewed. It didn’t quite
work that way, but by the time I was finished showering and I had dressed in my crisp uniform and
put my hair into a neat bun, I at least felt strong enough to face whatever came. I’d been through a lot
in my life. I could handle this.

When I got to work, I parked in the lot next to the cook, Gregory’s Mercedes. He was a retired Wall
Street millionaire who had gone to culinary school because he was bored. I only knew that because
Manny told me. He said that Gregory wouldn’t take any money for working for the Reigns. All he
asked was that he be allowed to take what was left over in the kitchen with him each day to share
with the homeless shelter he sponsored. Manny also told me that Alex not only agreed; he also gave
the shelter a monthly stipend of his own. That was another point in his favor, not that I was looking
for them. I knew rationally that our tryst was just that and even if Alex had wanted to make more of it,
I’m sure it would be completely unheard of and unacceptable in his position.

I walked into the service entrance, put my purse and sweater in the locker there and then went through
the kitchen on my way to pick up my housekeeping cart. I was stopped in my tracks at the sight of
Alex, sitting at the table doing some kind of drawing of a landscape on his laptop. Alex’s landscaping
designs were brilliant, and although his parents had been wealthy I read somewhere that the only
money he took from them was what he’d used to start his business. Since then, he’d amassed his own
fortune thanks to his hard work and talent.

He must have felt me looking at him because he turned all at once and smiled. “Good morning,
Vicki.” He was smiling. He was still calling me Vicki. My stomach stilled a little bit and against my
better judgment, my heart gave a little flutter.

“Good morning Mr. Reigns.” I wasn’t naked in his bed. I knew enough about professionalism to know
that during the day with the cook standing not three feet away now, he was no longer Alex.

“Good morning!” Gregory’s voice boomed as he stepped out of the walk-in freezer. “Are you hungry
Victoria? I was about to make Mr. Reigns some of my magic waffles before he leaves for his trip.”
His trip? He was leaving? Why did I care? Oh Vicki! Pull it together!

“No thank you, Gregory. I should get to work.”

“Aw, come on Vicki, I hate to eat alone. My room is pretty decent today.” Alex was still grinning at
me and his tone was teasing. It wasn’t unusual for him to invite any of the staff to eat with him. It was
well known around the house that he really did hate to eat alone.

“Okay sir, thank you,” I said. I noticed that today, he didn’t seem fazed at all by my use of “sir.” I
wondered if that meant he no longer had any desire to kiss me. I wished that I felt the same. I had to
keep reminding myself not to look at his lips. I sat down and Gregory brought me a cup of coffee.
Alex continued to work on his project as I tried to nonchalantly study his profile. He was so gorgeous
that it should be illegal. This morning he was clean-shaven and wearing a perfectly tailored dark gray
suit and light blue tie. He looked good enough to have for breakfast. When he seemingly finished what
he was doing, he looked at me and said, “So how was your weekend, Vicki?”

I glanced over at Gregory. He was running the blender and oblivious to our conversation. Not that we
were saying anything wrong, I was just still feeling a little anxious about it all.

“It was relaxing,” I told him. The truth was, I tried hard to relax but I hadn’t been able to. I’d driven
myself crazy over it all weekend. The good news was, I did a deep clean of the apartment and
everything was squeaky clean now.

“Good,” he said. “I worked all weekend. I’m going on a trip to Texas today. I’ll be gone for at least
two weeks, maybe three.” I hated that my chest hurt when he said that. What was wrong with me? We
had sex, Vicki! We’re both adults. Get over it!

“Texas? That sounds fun.”

He laughed. “Not really,” he said. “It will be lucrative though. My company won a contract to design
a large public garden there. I’m going to go down and get them started. The whole job is likely to take
a few months, but my part should hopefully only be a couple of weeks.”

Gregory served our breakfast then and while we ate, Manny came in and Alex invited him to join us. I
was both happy and confused. I was happy I still had a job and that Manny was doing the job now of
keeping the conversation going. I was confused that Alex hadn’t alluded at all to our time together on
Friday, or why he’d just left Saturday morning with no word. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad,
but I tried to make myself believe that since I still had a job, it was the best possible outcome.

After breakfast, I wished him a good trip and went to work. As I cleaned his room, I tried not to
imagine myself someday sleeping in his arms in the giant California King bed. I tried… I didn’t quite
succeed. By the day’s end, I’d decided that him leaving for a couple of weeks would be good for me.
It would give me time to get back on track without having to see his gorgeous face every day. The

other good news was that with all of my confusion and angst over Alex, it had kept my mind off of
Jason.

***

Alex was gone for almost a month and by the time he returned I had myself completely pulled
together. On top of that, I’d not only accepted Jason’s “break” was a good idea; I was thriving on it. I
realized that without the pressures of a boyfriend who could be awfully demanding at times, I got a lot
more rest and I got a lot more done. I had started my online classes. I was taking medical terminology
and nutrition online. Those were the last two classes I would need to qualify for the program. I hoped
to have enough saved up by the next semester to apply.

I ran into Alex occasionally and our conversation had always been light and easy. I still wondered
sometimes why he never mentioned that day but Liz, always the voice of reason, had convinced me
that he probably realized what risky territory he had dived into. I could have cried sexual harassment.
I guess that I don’t think like a rich person, or a litigious one. He has to guard his assets because there
are always vultures circling. I’m not a vulture, but after the ordeal he was going through with his soon
to be ex-wife, who could really blame him for being cautious.

It was Saturday and I got up early because I had a nutrition quiz due by noon. I also woke up because
of some amazing smells wafting from the kitchen, down the hallway and underneath my door. Liz was
cooking. She’d told me not long ago that one way she dealt with her now five months of celibacy was
by cooking. She used to be overweight because back then, she dealt with things by eating. She found
out that she could deal with it just as easily by cooking yummy foods and just sampling as she cooked
instead of eating a full meal. I think I was suffering the most for it. I’d already gained three pounds
this month.

“Good morning. That smells amazing,” I told her, padding out in my robe and slippers. “What are you
making?”

“I have the works,” she said. “French toast, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit and fresh squeezed orange
juice.”

“You’re amazing. You’re my favorite roommate.”

“I know,” she said. “Grab some juice and have a seat, I’ll fill you up.”

I got my juice and sat down. Within minutes, my plate was filled with beautiful, fattening food. I
picked up the maple syrup and began pouring it onto my French toast. I love maple syrup, I usually
overdo it. That’s why I was surprised that as soon as the sweet, syrupy fragrance hit my nostrils, my
stomach lurched.

I put the syrup down, pushed back from the table and all but ran into the bathroom. I dropped to my
knees in front of the toilet and began to heave. I was shaking and I could feel sweat beading up on my
forehead and running slowly down the side of my face. I emptied my stomach and reached up to flush
the toilet before almost collapsing back against the cabinet behind me. I was light-headed and I could
actually see gray spots in front of my eyes. I’d never passed out before, so I wasn’t sure, but it felt
like I was about to. I leaned forward and put my head between my knees while I let it pass. In the

meantime, I heard Liz knock on the door.

“Hey Vicki! Are you alright? What happened?” I didn’t answer her right away so she pushed open the
door. When she saw me on the floor she sucked in a sharp breath and said, “Oh my goodness, honey,
what’s wrong? You’re so pale!”

“I’m not feeling so good,” I told her.

“Here, let’s get you up and back to bed,” she said. She helped me to my feet and I stood in front of the
sink and brushed my teeth and rinsed out my mouth. Then I mistakenly took a drink of water. As soon
as it hit my stomach, I was hanging my head over the toilet again. “Jeez, honey. You have something
bad. Have you been around anyone with the stomach flu?”

“Not that I know of,” I told her, starting the teeth brushing process over.

“What did you eat last night?”

“Just the pasta salad. The same as you.”

“Hmm, at least it’s probably not food poisoning. I had that once after eating some bad salmon. That
was the worst. It was even worse because my periods were spotty back then and I thought I was
pregnant.” I saw the question in her eyes before she asked it. I was trying to do the math in my own
head. When was my last menstrual cycle? Oh damn!

“I’m not pregnant,” I said, too quickly.

“Did you and Jason use protection?”

“Not condoms, but I was on the pill. We both got tested regularly for STD’s. Jason hated condoms.”

“Did you remember to take them every day?”

“Yes Liz. I’m not pregnant. It’s the flu.”

She seemed to accept that and said, “Okay honey, let’s get you to bed.”

CHAPTER SIX

VICTORIA

I lay in bed, grateful once again for Liz who brought me some saltine crackers and a seven-up and
then after putting a bucket by the bed “just in case,” she left me alone with my smelly misery. I
nibbled on the crackers and after a while my stomach began to settle down. I only took sips of the
seven-up, although I wasn’t nauseated any longer, I was still cautious of putting too much into my
stomach. I seriously despised throwing up.

By noon I felt better and I got up and took a shower. While I was standing under the soft spray, my
mind went back to Liz’s questions about the birth control had I remembered to take them every day?
There was one week, right before Jason and I started our “break” where I’d messed up somehow and
forgotten to take one. But I’d doubled up the next day and the gynecologist had told me once before
that was safe. I couldn’t be pregnant. I hadn’t had my period in almost two months, but that wasn’t
unusual either. My cycles were fickle and some months, if I was really stressed out, I wouldn’t have
one at all. I couldn’t be pregnant. I didn’t have the money to be a mother or the time. Babies are
expensive and daycare is even more expensive. What would I do about work?

I thought back to when I was a kid and my mother worked at that strip club just outside of Seal Beach.
I hadn’t told Alex the day he and I talked about it, but that was why I spent so much time there. She
would drop me off at the pier before she went to work from the time I was ten until I got to about
fourteen. When the sun went down, there was a little room in the back where I would watch television
until she got off at two. I was never allowed in the club area, but I heard a lot of “shop-talk” going on
between the strippers, since their dressing room was only separated from the room I was in by a
curtain. Over the years a few of the other women brought their kids too and we formed a little club
and called ourselves, “Seal Rats.” It was corny, but none of us had much at that point.

I love my mother and the older I get, the more I am beginning to realize and believe that she really did
do her best. But I always promised myself that I wouldn’t have a kid until my best meant a nice home
in a good neighborhood with plenty of food in the pantry and a mom who was either home, or could
afford excellent childcare for when she was at work. Of course, there was always a father in there
when I imagined it too. It wasn’t fair to give any less to a child. I didn’t want to bring a child into this
world and cheat them out of what they deserved. I wasn’t pregnant, that was all there was to it. I spent
the rest of that Sunday in my room. I watched a few movies and slept off and on. I considered going
and getting a pregnancy test but that would be a waste of money. I’m not pregnant.

Monday morning I woke up feeling good, even more convinced that I had been silly for even
considering I might be pregnant. I got ready for work and realized that we were out of coffee, so I left
a little early to go through the drive-thru and get one on my way to work. I went to my favorite little
hole in the wall shop down by the beach. They opened the drive thru early for the commuters and
surfers and I loved their coffee. I told the girl what I wanted over the speaker and then I drove up to
the window. As soon as she opened it and the smells of the fresh baked pastries wafted out, I knew I

was in trouble. I began to lurch and gag, handed her a twenty and told her to keep the change and then
drove around to the small parking lot.

I got out of the car and realized the sickeningly sweet smells were out here too, along with the smell
of the salty ocean. It all cumulated in me holding onto the front of the car and emptying my stomach
into the bushes. It was mostly liquid and a lot of it was bile. I felt really disgusting afterwards and
almost called in sick. I looked at the time and decided I had time to run by the 24 hour pharmacy and
get a toothbrush and paste. I could use the bathroom there. I really couldn’t afford to miss a day of
work.

I bought the brush and paste and went into the little bathroom. I brushed my teeth and as if incapable
of learning my lesson, I took a drink of water and I was back on my knees and heaving again in no
time. When I finished and cleaned up again, I took a long look at myself in the mirror. “You have to
take a pregnancy test,” I told the image in the mirror. “Fine!” she said back. “But we’re not pregnant.”

I bought one on my way out. I didn’t have time to do it now. I was already running late for work. I got
to work five minutes late and of course, ran into Karen in the locker area. My luck had just been great
lately.

“Good morning, Victoria,” she said, glancing at the clock.

“Good morning, Karen. I’m so sorry for being late. The traffic was bad today.” I stuffed my big purse
with the test in it in the locker and closed it. I turned and she was smiling at me.

“Please, Victoria. If all of the staff were as conscientious as you, my job would be a breeze. I think
all the time you get here early and stay over late can make up for five minutes.”

“Thank you,” I said, smiling back.

“Are you okay though, hon? You look a little peaked today.”

“I’m fine,” I told her. “I was a touch under the weather over the weekend, but much better today.” I
was still fighting the waves of nausea that hit every five minutes or so but I wasn’t going to tell her
that.

“Okay, well you have a good day. But Vicki if you start feeling poorly again, let me know, alright?”

“I will Karen, thank you.” I went through the kitchen and said good morning to Gregory and while I
was talking to him, I saw Karen come out. “Oh darn, I forgot to get some towels for my cart.” I went
back in and got the towels and the test out of my purse. I put it under the towels and made my way
back through the kitchen and into the storage area to get my cart.

When I got upstairs, Alex was just emerging from his suite. He again looked incredible. He smiled at
me and the dimples creased and my heart raced, as usual. “Good morning, Vicki. How are you
today?”

“I’m good. How are you, sir?”

“Rushed, as usual,” he said, still smiling. “It would be nice to have a minute to breathe.”
“You should take one sir, before your life passes you by,” I said. It was something I’d say to anyone,
but not something I’d normally say to my employer. He didn’t seem offended though. Instead, he had a
kind of wistful expression on his face.

“I’ll keep that in mind, Vicki. You have a great day.”

“You too, sir.” I turned back to my cart and busied myself until I heard the elevator doors close. Once
he was gone, I fished the test out from between the towels and took it into his bathroom. I’d never
used a bathroom in the house besides the staff one before, but I couldn’t risk getting caught. I closed
the door, quickly read the instructions on the test and did the deed. It was one of those instant ones,
but I couldn’t bring myself to look at it right away. I sat it on a tissue on the counter and wiped and
flushed and washed my hands before I looked. Dear God, it was positive. Oh damn! What the hell
was I going to do now?

I wrapped the evidence all up in a towel and just as I opened the bathroom door, I heard the elevator
open. Damn! I sat the towel back down on the counter and turned to pretend I was cleaning the sink.
Alex walked back in the room. “Hi,” I said. “Did you forget something?”

“My phone,” he said, sounding frustrated. “There it is.” He scooped it up off the dresser and then
looked around the room. “You know Vicki; it looks pretty good in here. Can I ask you to change your
routine a bit and do me a favor today?”

My insides were shaking. I was pregnant… most likely with this man’s baby. “Sure,” I said, hoping
my voice didn’t sound shaky as well. “What do you need, sir?”

“I’m having some friends over this weekend and I’d really like to entertain out by the pool. Could you
clean the pool house really well for me and make sure there are fresh linens out there and soap, that
sort of thing? Stock the refrigerator with water also.”

“Of course, I’ll do that right away.”

“Thank you so much. Have a good day.”

“You too, sir.” I followed him out of the room and rode down in the elevator with him. I was halfway
finished cleaning the pool house when I remembered the test. Damn! I’d left it wrapped in the towel
on his bathroom counter. I felt sick again. Oh God, I had to get that before he came back or someone
else found it. I was about to leave the pool house and go do that when I saw Karen headed out
towards me.

“Hey Victoria, I have to take off early today. When you finish out here can you make sure the plants
are watered in the sunrooms?”

“Of course,” I told her.

“Thank you. How are you feeling?”

“I’m as good as new,” I lied. I still wanted to throw up. It wasn’t the morning sickness any longer; it
was the stress of the situation.

“Great! I’ll see you tomorrow then.” I watched her go and then I headed for the house. As I got close
to the kitchen door I heard Gregory talking to someone. I was horrified when I stepped inside and saw
that it was Alex.

“Just lie flat on your back sir and make sure the room is completely dark. It’s the best way to get rid
of a migraine,” Gregory said.

“Thanks, Gregory. I’ll try anything at this point.” I realized that Alex must have one of his migraines;
at least every other month or so he got one that would keep him down for the entire day. I felt bad for
him, but I felt worse for me. He was going to lie down in his room and I wouldn’t be able to get the
test out of there. I watched him get on the elevator with the sick feeling in my stomach becoming more
intense by the second. My head was spinning and I suddenly thought that I was going to either throw
up or pass out right then and there.

“Victoria, are you okay?” I looked up and realized Gregory was looking at me. I nodded.

“Just a little under the weather,” I said. “I’ll be fine.” I went back to the pool house and finished my
job there. Then I watered the plants in both sunrooms before I took a chance and rode the elevator up
to the master suite. The door was closed and there was no light at all coming from under the door.
Alex was asleep and I briefly wondered if I’d be able to sneak inside and get into the bathroom, get
the test and sneak out before he woke up.

I let myself imagine the worst case scenario. He would wake up and find me in his bedroom while he
was sleeping and he’d think because we’d had sex already I was a creepy stalker. I’d be fired and
would be humiliated to boot. Not a fun scenario at all. I imagined leaving the test where it was. Alex
would find it, ask about it and I would tell him that yes, my boyfriend and I are having a baby and
apologize profusely for leaving it there, explaining that my mind was a little foggy in the mornings
because of the hormones. I finally left for the day with scenario number two as the winner. Maybe I’d
get lucky and he’d sleep through the night and not find it at all… just maybe.

CHAPTER SEVEN

VICTORIA

When I got home Liz was in the living room, painting her toenails. I sat down next to her on the couch
and just blurted it out, “I’m pregnant.”

She stopped, put the polish down and held her arms open. I fell into them and with my head on her
shoulder I cried. I don’t know how long we sat there like that, but when I finally pulled myself
together I pulled myself up and said, “I’m sorry.”

She smiled. “I’m sorry for you, honey. I know you’re not ready for this. What are you going to do?”

“I’m not sure, Liz. I know for sure I could never have an abortion, so I suppose I’m having a baby, but
beyond that, I just don’t know.”

“Don’t get mad…”

“I won’t. I’ve already considered that it could possibly be Alex’s baby. I won’t know for sure until I
go to the doctor and find out how far along I am. God Liz, I’m such a mess.”

She put an arm around me and said, “You are not. Lots of pregnancies are mistakes. Mistakes happen
and sometimes beautiful things are born from them. If you keep the baby, I have no doubt that you’ll
be an incredible mother. If you decide to put it up for adoption, I’ll be here with you for it all, okay?”

I nodded. “You’re a great friend. Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Do you think Alex will think I did this to trap him? You know, to get his money… I mean, if the baby
turns out to be his.”

“Without really knowing him, I just couldn’t say. But I will say that rich people think differently about
things than we do, so it’s possible.”

“Maybe I should just tell Jason it’s his and leave Alex out of it.”

“Is that a better option though? Have you even talked to Jason?”

“No, not since the text that day. But, I wouldn’t be asking him for anything… I wouldn’t ask either of
them for anything. It would just be less complicated if everyone thought the baby was Jason’s.”

“Probably, but tell me something…”

“What’s that?”

“How strong are your feelings for Alex?”

I thought about trying to lie to her, but it never worked. She knew me too well, so there was no point.
“They’re there,” I told her. “And they’re strong.”

“So maybe he feels the same and he’ll be thrilled about the baby.”

“I’m the maid, Liz.”

“So what? You have to stop putting yourself down. You’re an amazing person. You’re beautiful and
smart and funny… I count myself very lucky to be your friend.”

“I wish you were the father,” I told her. We laughed and I cried again. Finally, I fell asleep on the
couch and when I woke up a few hours later, Liz had covered me up with the afghan and left me a
note telling me she’d gone out with some girls from work. She was such a worry-wart that at the
bottom of the note it said, “Do Not Hesitate To Call If You Need Me!” She really is a good friend. I
got up and went in to do my nightly ritual of face washing and moisturizing etc. The whole time, I kept
wondering if I should call Jason and at least feel him out about the baby. Like I said, I wasn’t
expecting us to get back together and I wasn’t going to ask him for anything, but I had this silly idea
that if I told him, he’d be so happy that he’d want to be a part of it and then I wouldn’t have to think
about giving him or her away to strangers. I’d known I was pregnant for less than twenty-four hours
and that thought already made my heart ache. That maternal instinct thing is strong.

I went out to the living room and picked up my phone. I quickly rang Jason before I changed my mind.
He answered on the first ring. That was a good sign, he wasn’t screening me out.

“Hi Vicki! I was just thinking about you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’ve been meaning to call and see how you’re doing with all of this. Work has just kind of
been a nightmare. You know how that goes.” More so than he’ll ever know.

“Yeah, how are you otherwise?”

“I’m doing okay otherwise. What about you?”

“I’m hanging in there…”

“You’re not mad at me?”

“I was at first,” I said. “Mostly I was hurt. I would like to believe that I deserved a little more than a
text message break-up, you know?”

“It wasn’t a break up. I just thought we both needed some time.”

“Time for what exactly, Jason?”

“Time to decide if us being together for the long run is what we both want. I know too many people
who get married and a year or two later they’re divorced. I don’t want to go through that, Vicki and I
don’t want you to have to go through that either.”

“So what have you decided?” I asked him. I was stalling. Maybe telling him wasn’t such a good idea
after all. He’s such a selfish jerk sometimes; I did have to wonder what kind of father he would make.

“I love you, Vick. I always will. I hope you know that.” He said that so sweetly that in spite of myself
it made me feel warm inside. I started to say it back… out of habit if for no other reason, but I didn’t.

Instead I said, “But not enough that you wanted to be with me?”

“It’s not always just about love babe. I don’t know how to explain it. You do everything right. You’re
perfect. I just wasn’t happy.”

That was a fair, honest answer. It might hurt, but he can’t help how he feels. “Thank you for
explaining it to me, Jason. It helps a little bit. I actually called you for something else and got
sidetracked into that.

“So what’s up?” he asked.

“Um, this is weird and hard… I’m pregnant, Jason.” There was a long, awkward silence. I could hear
him breathing, but nothing else.

Finally, just as I was about to forget the whole thing and hang up he said, “Oh wow, yeah, that is
weird… I um… I thought you were on the pill…”

“I was. I am. Nothing is a hundred percent though and I’ve been really sick in the mornings so I took a
test.”

“A test… like from the pharmacy, over the counter, that kind?”

“Yeah, I bought it this morning…”

“Those tests aren’t always accurate I hear. A buddy of mine had a girlfriend who took three one time
and they all came back positive. She went to the doctor and she wasn’t pregnant.”

“Oh, yeah? I was planning on making an appointment; I just haven’t had time yet.”

“Okay, so let me know how that goes. Take care, Vicki.” I was left staring at the phone. Was he

serious? “Let me know how it goes.” I put the phone down and lay back down on my bed staring at
the ceiling. Maybe it was what I deserved. After all, I wasn’t even sure the baby was his. Ass or not,
Jason was right. Before I made any big decisions, I should go to the doctor. I will call first thing in
the morning to make an appointment.

***

The next morning I awoke to the thought that this was a new day and I was going to face it as such.
When I had my break I would call and schedule an appointment with my gynecologist. Until then, I
was going to try and keep a positive outlook. Maybe I wasn’t really pregnant, and maybe if I was,
things wouldn’t turn out quite as badly as I pictured them. I’m more capable than I give myself credit
for, considering all I’d already gone through in my life. If it comes down to it and I had to deal with
this all on my own, I can do that.

I was sick again, but with the idea in mind that it was probably morning sickness, I pushed on and
finished getting ready for work. I passed on my morning coffee, knowing I’d probably have a
headache later, but I wanted the nausea to be long gone before I got to work. I took a package of
saltines and munched on them on my way. When I got to the gates of the mansion, my whole world
blew apart.

Normally there was one guard at the gate that greeted people and buzzed the main house if need be.
Today there were three very large gentlemen. None of them were the friendly Gus who gave me a
donut three times a week, or Haskell who liked to tell me jokes and the latest baseball scores. I didn’t
recognize these guys, and none of them looked like they had a sense of humor. I pulled up and stopped
and the biggest of the three motioned at me to roll down my window. I did, and as he approached me,
I felt a wave of nausea just from the intensity of his glare.

“I.D.” he said, abruptly. I took out my I.D. and handed it to him. He looked hard at it and motioned the
other two guys over. They both glared at me and it. What was going on? Finally, he handed it back to
me and said, “Miss Hart you are no longer employed by Mr. Reigns. You aren’t to report here again
or go near any of Mr. Reigns' properties. If you have any personal property inside the mansion, it will
be sent to your last known address. Do not contact Mr. Reigns by phone or electronically, nor by mail
of any kind. If you have anything you would like to say to him, you can say it through his attorneys
who will be contacting you.”

“I don’t understand. What do you mean that I’m no longer employed? I’m fired? He fired me and hired
some ape to tell me that?” I was livid and I wasn’t thinking that here I was addressing said ape in this
fashion. I wanted to jump out of the car and run up to that stupid giant house and pound on the door. I
wanted to demand that at least one man in my life should have the balls to tell me something to my
face for a change! I was so sick of men turning their backs on me. First my father, then Jason and now
Alex. Did I have a stamp on my forehead that said, “Please don’t waste your time treating me
decently, I’m not worth it!?”

“Yes Miss, you’re fired. Your final paycheck will be mailed to your last known address.”

“Stop saying that! Why are you saying ‘Your last known address?’ It is my address. I’m not a terrorist
for crying out loud.”

“You need to go now Miss or you’ll be escorted back to the main road.”

“Escorted? You would be very sorry if you put your hands on me in any way!”

“I won’t,” he said, still stone faced. “But the police are standing by.”

The police? What did they think I did? Was something missing? Do they think I stole something? Oh
God, I’m going to be sick! I put the car into reverse and nearly drove right over big and ugly’s foot
before he jumped back out of the way. I went backwards all the way to the main road and then when I
got there, I had to put it in park, get out and vomit on the side of the road. As I was standing there,
heaving my guts out, I caught sight of them watching me. Dear God, what was going on? Losing my
job was one thing, but being considered some kind of criminal was entirely another. I wiped my
mouth on the sleeve of my ugly uniform. It didn’t matter; I wasn’t going to need it any longer
apparently. Before I got back in the car, I threw a gesture at big and ugly at the gate. His expression
still didn’t change, but it made me feel a little better nonetheless.

CHAPTER EIGHT

ALEXANDER

I stood in my bedroom and watched what was going on down at the gates on the security monitors. I
could see the stricken look on Vicki’s face and God help me all I wanted to do was call down there
and tell her there had been a terrible mistake and they should let her through. I didn’t though. Like a
coward, I watched a stranger tell her that she was not only fired, but banned from the estate. Then I
watched her drive backwards… and somewhat recklessly back to the main road. I took out a pair of
binoculars that I used for horse racing and went over to the window. She stopped at the road and got
out of the car. She barely made it to the front of the car before she started throwing up. I felt like a
weight was sitting on my chest all of a sudden and I could hardly breathe. I did pick up the phone then
and I called down to the gates.

“Yes sir?”

“Michael, she’s sick. Go help her.”

“She just flipped me off and got back into the car, sir.”

I laughed. “She flipped you off?”

“Yes sir.”

I laughed again. “Sorry about that.”

“I’ve been flipped off before sir.” I’ll bet that he had. Michael was my most humorless, almost
robotic employee. The attorneys had purposely handpicked him for this sort of thing.

“Okay then. Thanks.” I hung up and stood looking around the massive suite I now stood in, alone. I
was always alone. I went into the bathroom and looked at that stick that was now wrapped in a Ziploc
baggie. The lawyers wanted it, but I told them I’d thrown it away. Anyone who knew that I’d kept it
might think I was being ridiculous. The fact was that when I’d first discovered it, I was thrilled. I’ve
always wanted a family… a big one. Cassandra told me that she did too at first. Two years into our
marriage I discovered she was using birth control. We had a big fight and she told me that she wasn’t
going to ruin her “perfect” body having a bunch of brats. Her “perfect” body was “perfect” because I
bought and paid for it. She’d asked me when she was twenty-five, a year after we were married, if
she could get her breasts enlarged. I didn’t see any harm in it and I said yes to make her happy. She
got addicted after that and I lost count of the procedures she’d had. After a while it was like touching
a Barbie doll… she was plastic.

I thought about the day Vicki and I made love in the basement. She was so warm and so real and I just
couldn’t get enough of her. I had to force myself to get out of bed at five a.m. that morning and go for a

run to keep from attacking her again. Just the smell of her hair was intoxicating. When I got back, she
was gone. I’d been disappointed and hurt that she hadn’t at the very least left me a note, or anything.
When she came in on Monday and I looked into those gorgeous green eyes, I saw anxiety there, laced
with the same warmth as before. I realized she was probably embarrassed, although God knew there
was no reason for her to be. That day was the first day in a very long time that I’d felt needed and
loved. I wanted it to last forever. I had decided that it wasn’t fair to start something with her while the
divorce was still hanging over my head but I intended to, as soon as Cassandra was finally out of my
life.

Then yesterday, I walked into my bathroom with the intentions of getting a warm rag to put on my
forehead to try and stave off the horrible migraine that was setting in. What I found was a pregnancy
test… a positive one. I held the little baggie up to the mirror now and looked at the plus sign. I
wondered what was going through her mind when she saw it.

I’d panicked when I first found it. I started to call Vicki, knowing it had to be hers. The only other
staff on at the time was Karen who is fifty-five, Gregory and Manny. I actually had the phone in my
hand and I was primed to push her number when thoughts of Cassandra crept back into my head. The
day she’d left me, I’d gone to the hotel where she was staying to confront her. When she opened the
door to her suite she’d said, “I’m not coming back, Alexander. I hate it there. I hate that house and I
hate you.”

Although I think I’d fallen out of love with her years ago, her words still felt like someone was
stabbing me in the chest with a knife. “I bought that house for you, Cassandra. You let me buy it with
the idea in my head that we would have children to fill it soon.”

“I never put that idea in your head. That was all you. We should have a modern house in the hills
where we can throw fabulous parties. Instead we live in a stuffy old house that looks almost identical
to the stuffy old house your parents live in. I’ve tried to bring life back into it, but there’s no point. It’s
like living in a museum.”

“If you would have told me that, I would have sold it for you. But you’re also saying you hate me.
Why? What did I do?”

“Nothing, Alexander. That’s the problem; you do nothing any more except go to work.”

“One of us has to,” I’d told her.

“You have more money than God. Give it a rest and take me on vacation. Have a party. Go to a club.
Hell, have an affair! Anything to put some life back into you. You’re a thirty year old man and you act
like you’re fifty.”

She had a lot more to say that day and I listened. When I left, I called up a few friends that I hadn’t
seen in a while and that night I had my first party in the basement. The next morning when I woke up
next to some model that was as plastic as Cassandra, I realized that I wasn’t any happier, but maybe
at least people wouldn’t think I was old and stuffy. So, I kept up with the parties and the women. I

thought maybe one of them would turn out to be different and I could finally meet someone who would
love me for me and not the fact that I had billions of dollars in the bank. That didn’t happen either.
They were all more than willing to do whatever I wanted them to do and they all had one end goal in
mind; bag the billionaire. I was cautious and made sure I used protection when I had sex with them. I
let them get drunker than me and then after we’d had wild sex, I poured them into a car and had them
taken home. I never let them see my house beyond the basement and I never shared anything personal
with them. Then I found Vicki crying in my hallway that day and my mindset totally changed.

I was pissed off at Cassandra that day and when I first saw her I thought, “Oh great, another needy
woman.” I almost left her there and walked on by. But when her eyes met mine and I saw the genuine
pain in them… the first genuine feelings I think I’d seen from any woman in such a long time, I
couldn’t resist. I thought I’d take her downstairs and we’d have a drink or two and I could get my
mind off of Cassandra and her nonsense. Once we were down there and we started talking, I was
hooked. I had always thought she was beautiful, but I wasn’t going to cheat on my wife and I wasn’t
going to come on to the staff. But that day it was different. Cheating on my wife was removed from the
equation and suddenly Vicki was more to me than just “staff.” She was a vibrant, emotional,
intelligent, funny, gorgeous woman and I would have had to be dead to not be affected by her. That
day and night were the best of my life so far and every time I think about it now, I still get a warm
feeling that floods my entire system. I still want her and every time I’ve seen her since, I’ve ached for
her.

When I told my attorney about the pregnancy test and he asked me how the “affair” happened… I told
him it was all me. I came on to her. I saw the surprise on her face that day. I saw that she wanted me
too, but she was scared. I was the aggressor. I took advantage of her and if she had sued me for sexual
harassment, I wouldn’t have been surprised. But she didn’t and she didn’t say another word about it.
She was willing to leave it be and let me make the next move if there were to be one. I told him all of
that, and his conclusion for her leaving the test for me to find it was “blackmail.” He said she was
blackmailing me and she wanted me to offer her money to give up the baby… he’d actually said,
“abort.” That word made me sick and I told him not to use it again. If she consented to “give up” the
baby, it would be only to me. I would make sure of that.

I’m a smart man, some say a brilliant businessman, but I am not well known for my social skills or my
ability to maintain relationships. I give away too much of my money to charity and just to anyone who
I think needs it, at least I used to. My father hired Noel to oversee my legal affairs before he and my
mother retired to Tuscany. He said I was “too soft” and that anything that even smelled like a legal
issue should be handled by Noel. So, when I found the test, I called him and now here we are. I want
Vicki. I want the baby. I want a family. Noel says I can’t have that and keep my money. The truth is, if
I knew for sure that he was wrong and that Vicki wasn’t doing any of this for money, I’d gladly give it
all away and take her and the baby instead. I can make more money. I doubt that I’ll ever meet another
woman that makes me feel the way that she does.

CHAPTER NINE

VICTORIA

I had to stop two more times before I got home from the mansion to throw up. My head was pounding
and I felt like my heart had just exploded in my chest. I couldn’t believe this. If there wasn’t
something missing from the house and they suspected me, then the only other reason for this would be
that Alex found the pregnancy test. But to have me fired over it, and not even speak to me himself…
was I that wrong about him? I’d seen him as a man of compassion, kindness and honesty. Could I have
misjudged him that badly?

As I had these thoughts, I pulled into the lot in front of my apartment complex. I parked in my usual
spot and made my way around towards the door and that’s when I saw them. There was a large, black
car and more men in dark suits. They were parked directly outside of my door. What the hell?

“Excuse me, you can’t park here,” I said.

“Victoria Hart?” a small, balding man with glasses and a suit that was too big asked me.

“Yes.”

“I’m Noel Parker. I’m Mr. Reigns' attorney of note and I’d like to come in and speak with you.”

“What about?” I asked. How dare Alex send first a security officer and now a lawyer to speak with
me? How dare the coward not come speak to me himself?

“I’d rather not do this in a parking lot.”

“I don’t really care what you would “rather” do. I’d “rather” not have you in my apartment and you
can tell your cowardly boss that if he wants to talk to me, he can do it himself.” I started to walk
away.

“Miss Hart, Mr. Reigns is not going to come and see you himself if that’s what you’re holding out for.
I’m prepared to offer you a settlement…”

I turned on the little man and got into his face. Through gritted teeth I said, “A settlement? You’re
talking about money? Is nothing sacred that you people think even a life can be bought? You tell your
boss he makes me sick and he’s a bigger coward than Jason. I don’t want his money and I will not be
forced to do something against my own principles because it’s what he thinks is best.” I turned and
started in again.

“Miss Hart.” I almost didn’t turn back around, but there was some small, pathetic part of me that
wanted to believe Alex was in the back of that car and about to step out and tell me this had all been a

big mistake and he wasn’t trying to pay me to get rid of our baby. The baby that I wasn’t even sure I
had yet since I hadn’t had a chance to even call the doctor thanks to this circus.

“What!”

“You’ve been served,” some younger man in a suit said, holding out a manila envelope. I looked at it
like it was a snake about to bite me.

“I don’t want that,” I said.

“I served you, Miss. You can take them or leave them here on the sidewalk. Either way, the court
process will go on the same, with or without you.”

“The court process? What the hell?” I grabbed the envelope and then as quickly as I could, I unlocked
the door and went inside, slamming them out. I threw the envelope down on the coffee table and
dropped to my knees in the middle of the room and sobbed. Why was my life such a mess? Where had
I gone so wrong? I’d been working so hard, going to school and I’d been faithful and loving to my
boyfriend and I pay my bills and I abide by laws… why was this happening to me now?

After about half an hour of feeling sorry for myself on the floor, I got to my feet and went into my
room. I left the offending papers where they lay for now. I washed my face and changed into a pair of
sweats and then I called the gynecologist. I made an appointment for the following morning for a
pregnancy test. Then I made a cup of tea and finally, settled onto the couch and once calmer, I ripped
the envelope open. I pulled out what was inside, and in my hand was a pile of legal forms. I was
being sued by Alexander Reigns for: Breach of Contract-In my contract at work it stated that I was not
to engage in any type of personal relationships with any members of the household. That clause was
meant for relationships amongst the staff, or visitors that might come to the house on occasion. I
suppose it was also meant for my employer. The words went on and on in legal jargon which in my
brain translated to mumbo jumbo. The gist of it was that if I were to agree to “terminate” the
pregnancy, I would be paid the sum of one hundred thousand dollars and of course, Mr. Generous
would pay for the abortion. Was he kidding? Who pays someone to terminate their pregnancy?

I was suddenly sick again. I ran for the bathroom and emptied out the contents of my stomach once
more. Not that there was anything there but acid and bile at this point. I just sat there on the floor for a
long time wondering what I had done to make Alexander believe I would be a disgusting enough
human being to take his money in exchange for killing my baby. I was appalled. Actually I was
beyond appalled. I was sickened by it, and I was even more sickened by the fact that I’d actually
thought I had feelings for this man.

I pulled myself up off the floor once more and went for my phone. I needed an attorney. I wasn’t going
to sit idly by while this man tried to pressure me into doing something I don’t believe in and
blackballs me across Los Angeles as well so that I’m not even able to get another job. He was the one
who took me to the basement. He was the one who poured me those drinks. He seduced me. He chose
not to wear a condom and now he wants to erase it all… including our child and pretend like it never
happened. I wasn’t going to allow that. It happened and the life growing inside of me was proof of

that. I don’t want his money, what I do want and I believe I deserve, is for him to look me in the eye
and apologize for hiding behind it.

I called the only person I knew that might be able to help me, Jason. No, that wasn’t really true. My
mother could probably help me and when she heard who the father of the baby was, I’m sure she’d be
more than willing. She would expect me to take him for every penny he had because that was the way
my mother operated. I wasn’t going there. Jason’s best friend is an attorney. The best I can hope for is
a discount since I was now unemployed.

“Hey Vicki! Did you go to the doctor?” That was how Jason answered the phone. Did anyone
genuinely care about me at all?

“Not yet. Jason, I need an attorney. Do you think Paul might be willing to help me out… you know
with payments or something.”

“An attorney? For what? Did you hit someone’s car?”

With a sigh I said, “No Jason. I got fired.”

“For…?”

“Alexander Reigns found the pregnancy test I did at work yesterday. He thinks the baby is his.”
I heard a long pause and then, “Is it?”

“The day you broke up with me, I slept with him. I’m not going to apologize, Jason. You left me
devastated. I shouldn’t have done it… obviously, but I did, and here we are.”

“Wow, so he thinks you’re pregnant with his kid and he fired you?”

I sighed again. I really only wanted an attorney. “Yes. He served me with a restraining order and an
offer for money if I “terminate” and a bunch of other stuff I don’t understand. That’s why I need a
lawyer.”

“Wow,” he said again. This conversation was going nowhere.

“Okay Jason, anyways…”

“Wait, I’ll talk to Paul, Vicki. Of course I will. I’m sure he’ll be willing to help you. I’ll call him
right now. Then stay there, okay? I’m going to come over and bring you lunch. It sounds like you’ve
had a horrible day.”

Lunch? Jason was worried that I had a horrible day? What the heck was this about? “Yeah, okay. Will
you just have Paul call me?”

“We’ll get you an appointment with him first thing tomorrow,” he said, confidently.

“Okay, thank you. But, I have an appointment with the doctor to have the pregnancy test at eight.
Should I cancel that?”

“No! No, don’t cancel that babe. That’s important. If you’re pregnant, you need to know now. I mean,
so you can start taking vitamins or whatever to make sure the little guy is healthy.” The little guy?
Was this Jason I was talking to? “I’ll be there within the hour, okay babe?”

“Okay Jason. Thank you.”

***

Jason was on my doorstep within the hour with a box of Chinese take-out and a bottle of sparkling
cider. “Wow, um, this is really nice,” I told him. I was slightly suspicious of his intentions, but I
really did need someone in my corner today.

“Like I said on the phone, Vick, you’ve had a horrible day. I want to make it better.” I let him in and
he put the food and the cider down on the table. Then he shocked me by turning around and taking me
into his arms. He pulled me into him so my head was against his shoulder and he said, “I missed you,
Vick.”

“Really?” I asked, taking a step back.

“Yeah, really. Of course I missed you.”

“You broke up with me and just yesterday you were telling me we weren’t good for each other. What
changed?”

“Nothing really,” he said. “I just heard your voice today and you sounded so distraught. It tugged at
my heart and I realized how badly I wanted to be here for you. I didn’t want you to be alone. I wanted
to wrap you up in my arms and hold you and make it all better.”

“I don’t get it,” I said.

He kind of laughed and said, “You don’t get what, Vick?”

“You’re not angry that I slept with Alexander and that I’m not sure if the baby is yours or his?”

He pulled me into him again and said, “Everything that happened between you and him was that one
day, right?” I nodded and he said, “It was my fault. That’s why I’m not mad, Vick. I pushed you into
his arms. I doubt that the baby is mine since you and I weren’t doing so well for a few weeks before
we took our break, remember? We hadn’t really been having sex.”

I thought about it then. He was right. If this was his baby, I’d be close to three months along at least. I
don’t think I could be that far along and not be showing any other signs, could I? “Jason, I’m sorry that
I got you involved in any of this. I just didn’t know who else to call. You’ve always been there for
me…” He kissed me on the side of my head and shushed me.

“Don’t apologize for calling me, babe. I will always be here for you and the little man, mine or not,
okay?”

I wanted to ask who he was and what he’d done with Jason. I couldn’t believe he was being so easy-
going about any of this. He stepped back and looked down at my face and I said, “Thank you. I don’t
mean to seem ungrateful, I’m just a little confused.”

“I understand,” he said. “Let’s get some food in you and then we’ll take a look at those papers. You
need to keep your strength up.” I wasn’t sure if I could eat, but I was willing to try. My poor stomach
was bone dry.

We sat down and ate and drank cider. I thought it was thoughtful of him to bring something without
alcohol or caffeine. Maybe he really did care… just a little bit anyways. When we finished eating he
helped me clean up which was also out of character and then he said, “Okay babe. Where are these
papers?”

We went over to the couch and sat down, side by side with our knees touching. I hadn’t really thought
much about Jason lately, not until I called him about the pregnancy. I thought I’d lost all feelings for
him, but it was nice today, him being here like this. I didn’t know how badly I needed someone to
lean on until he showed up.

I handed him the papers and he read through them. Jason was a physical therapist; not an attorney but
he was a smart guy. After a few minutes he said, “Yep, basically what he wants is for you to agree to
an abortion and to never speak to anyone about this… so a gag order to all parties involved. In
exchange for that, he wants to pay you a hundred thousand dollars. It’s a bunch of crap.”

“I’m glad someone else thinks so. I’m not having an abortion.”

He kissed the side of my face again. It was really nice. “Of course not, babe. I know you don’t
believe in that. Had it turned out to be mine, I would have never asked you to do that.” How did he
suddenly know for sure it wasn’t his? My hackles were back up just a bit. “But he’s not even just
asking, he’s pressuring… almost blackmailing. He doesn’t want to take any responsibility for this. He
wants to hide behind his rich boy shield and let you take all the heat for a paltry hundred grand. Vicki,
do you know what this guy is worth?”

“A lot,” I said.

“Yeah babe but really, do you know how much?”

“No.”

“Forbes magazine estimated his net worth at two billion last year.” I nearly spit out the cider I was
drinking.

“Damn! How does a thirty year old man make that kind of money?”

“For one thing, he started with money. But he’s an astute businessman too. He started making
investments when he was still in college, the article says. He owns a piece of every major electronics
company in the world. Every time someone turns on their cell phone or computer, he gets a check,
basically.”

“Oh, wow. I knew he was rich, but I guess I just can’t really wrap my head around that kind of

money.”

“He owns houses in Europe and two more besides the one he lives in in the U.S. He has a private jet,
a helicopter, seven luxury cars, a yacht…”

“Why are you telling me all of this, Jason?”

“Because I want you to see how ridiculous it is that he is offering you a hundred grand. That would be
comparable to me handing you a dollar and saying, “Here, now go away.” He not only wants out of
this, he wants out of it cheaply. It makes me furious.”

“Why?”

“Because baby, you’re worth so much more than that. How dare he insult you that way by insinuating
that not only you, but your child is worth so little to him? Disgusting!”

I hadn’t thought of it like that. I suppose Jason was right and that was exactly what he was suggesting.
I didn’t know what to do about it. I really didn’t want anything from him, but I suppose the hundred
grand would at least help me get started.

“So you think I shouldn’t take it, or I should?” I wasn’t quite sure. Jason was talking about all his
money and saying he should pay, but thought the amount was too small. Was he suggesting I ask for
more?

“No, you should definitely not take it. You should go to every tabloid and newspaper in this city with
these papers and let them publish this. Let them show the world what a cheap, uncaring bastard
Alexander Reigns really is.”

“I don’t want to do that, Jason. Then my own name will be dragged through the mud too. I want to
finish school and get a job and set up a practice, that would hurt me before I got started.”

He put his arm around me and pulled me in for another hug. Then he said, “You’re right, babe. I’m so
angry with him, I wasn’t thinking. But you know what we can do?”

“What?”

“We can have Paul file a countersuit. You go to the doctor and get this pregnancy verified and then
we’ll file a counter suit asking for all your medical expenses to be paid for, a nice house for you and
the baby to live in, enough cash to finish school and start your business and enough to ease the pain
and suffering that he’s put you through today. This number should be in the millions at least.”

I sat up and looked at him. “Millions? Are you crazy?”

“Do you know what it takes to raise a child, Vicki? There have been studies done on middle class
American families that say it takes two hundred thousand dollars to just get a kid from diapers to

college. That’s with no fancy clothes and no private schools and no vacations and ski lessons. Don’t
you want your child to have all of that?”

“Well, I hadn’t really thought that far ahead.”

“But you do want him to have the best, right?”

“Yes, of course I do.”

“Then millions is what it’s going to take. Look Vicki, this is not about me at all, it’s your decision and
your life and your baby. I just want to help you.”

I was suspicious, but I had to take what he said into consideration. Jason and I weren’t together, so
what would he really be getting out of this? Could it be that he was really this concerned about my
child and me? The more he talked the angrier I got at Alex, that’s for sure. It still wasn’t about the
money, but as I listened to Jason go over the papers I just couldn’t help but wonder what kind of
heartless bastard creates a life and pays someone (not very well according to Jason) to terminate it? I
was so wrong about him and that thought brought tears to my eyes.

Jason looked down at me and said, “Don’t cry beautiful, we’ll fix this.” Then he brought his lips
down to mine and kissed me, softly. It was the sweetest kiss Jason ever gave me. His kisses were
usually urgent and fueled by his need for sex.

When he pulled back I said, “Thank you, Jason. It means a lot to me that you’re here.”

“I’m going to be here for you baby. I’m going to help you through this. We can do this… together.”

CHAPTER TEN

VICTORIA

I called Liz earlier in the day and asked her if I could come over. I had news that I wanted to share
with her. It was good news for a change. I parked on the street since this wasn’t my home any longer
and walked up to the front door. Maybe I should say waddled. I hadn’t really gained that much
weight, but my belly seemed to protrude a little further out every day. I was five months along now
and definitely showing. My balance wasn’t what it used to be and I know I had to look at least a little
funny when I walked.

It had been three months since I was served with papers by Alexander that said I had no rights to any
of his money or anything in his estate. I really couldn’t spend much time dwelling on it because it only
served to make me angry all over again. I didn’t want his money or his estate and I was appalled to
believe he thought I did. It had been two months since I moved out of Liz’s apartment and in with
Jason. He’d offered to help me save money since I had no job and an army of lawyers to pay. He was
being so sweet and supportive that I thought it was a good idea. It wasn’t. Jason was still Jason and
supportive or not, I’d probably made a mistake. It had been a few weeks now since I’d run
completely through my savings though, so moving out at the moment was not a real viable option. I
was twenty-three, pregnant, unemployed in the middle of a court battle and I’m pretty sure my
boyfriend is cheating on me… again.

I pressed the doorbell and a woman about my age with pretty brown hair and giant blue eyes opened
the door. “Vicki?”

“Yeah, hi. You must be Gloria.” Gloria was my replacement. Liz’s new roommate. I felt a pang of
irrational jealousy in my chest every time I thought about it. I’d left her high and dry. Of course she
needed another roommate to help her pay the bills.

“Come on in, Liz is expecting you but she just got home from a run so she’s in the shower. You want
some coffee, or tea?”

“No thanks,” I said. Caffeine was not on my list of approved food items. I was doing my best to
follow a strict, healthy diet. If nothing else good came out of this mess I was in, I at least wanted a
healthy baby in the end.

“I almost didn't recognize you from the photos Liz has of the two of you. Your hair is different, I
think.”

“I’ve been out of work for a while and with the baby coming I’ve been trying to save money wherever
I can,” I said. I was embarrassed to admit it, but I wasn’t going to lie. I knew that I didn’t look my
best. I had to have priorities though. “I started playing kitchen beautician. It’s awful.”

“Oh no it’s not!” Gloria said, sincerely. “It’s cute. You’re gorgeous, so I doubt it would matter if you
shaved it all.”

Great, she was nice too. Now I couldn’t even hate her for taking my place in my best friend’s heart.
“Thanks,” I said with a smile.

“Hey! Is that my former roommate I hear?” Liz was coming down the hallway. She stopped when she
saw me and cocked an eyebrow.

I knew exactly what she was looking at… my hair. “Stop it, I was just telling Gloria that I know it’s
awful.”

She laughed. “It’s not… awful…” She tilted her head to the side to look at it from another angle.

I laughed too. Liz was the only one who could insult me and make it fun. “I took a little too much off
the top.”

“We can fix it,” she said, confidently. “Gloria, would you mind getting our customer set up in one of
the kitchen chairs with a cup of juice or something disgustingly healthy? We have to take care of the
bun in the oven too. I’ll grab the supplies.”

“Not at all,” Gloria said with a grin, “Right this way.” Shaking my head and smiling, I followed the
pretty brunette into the kitchen. I took the seat she offered me and chose apple juice from her list of
“healthy” drinks. She tied a towel around my neck and a few seconds later Liz appeared with a small
box in hand.

“What’s in the box?” I asked her.

“It’s better if you don’t know,” she said in a conspiratorial tone.

I laughed again and said, “What makes you think I trust you to do this?”

She looked at my hair with the eyebrow cocked again and said, “At this point, honey I think you’d
trust my Uncle Bernie.”

I guess I couldn’t argue with that. She went to work on me. She touched up my roots and had me rinse
and blow dry before beginning the cut. While she was cutting, Gloria brought out her gel nail
manicure set and went about doing my nails. “So where is Jason today?” Liz asked me while she
worked.

“He had a thing at his friend’s house out in Santa Monica,” I said.

“A ‘thing’?”

“I don’t know a barbecue or something.”

“Why aren’t you with him?”

“Um… I just wasn’t in the mood…”

“Don’t lie to me,” she said. “I always know when you’re lying.”

“I’m not lying.”

“Your nose is a foot long, Pinocchio.”

I laughed, and then sobering quickly I said, “He is uncomfortable explaining the baby.”

Liz sighed and rolled her eyes. Gloria looked up from my nails and started to say something, but
changed her mind. “You can say it,” Liz said. “Vicki knows how I feel about Jason. You may as well
join me.”

Gloria smiled sadly and said, “I was just going to say that I’m sorry for you that he feels that way. I’m
sure you don’t like being hidden away.”

“I don’t think of it like that,” I said. “He’s a professional and most of his friends are young up and
comers. They’re married with kids of their own. Here I am carrying my billionaire boss’s illegitimate
child.”

“Jason broke up with you and forced you into Alexander’s arms. Then, Alexander didn’t want any
part of taking responsibility for his part in this. You’re the only one here stepping up and they both
need a kick in the pants.” Liz’s face was red. She got passionate when she was defending someone
she cared about. More than one boyfriend had also burned her over the years, so men were not high
on her list at the moment.

“I’m stepping up because no matter what part either of the two men played in this, I played mine as
well. I’m choosing to have this child, not to punish either of them, but doing that anyways in a way.
Jason’s been way more supportive than most men would be in this situation, I think.”

Liz snorted again and I saw Gloria bite back a smile. She stuffed whatever she had left to say on the
subject. I was sure it was plenty and I loved her for caring so much. “There,” she said. “Finished.
You are so pretty, Victoria. And you know what else?”

“What?”

“You’re smart and funny and resourceful and you have a great heart. Neither of those jerks deserve
you if you ask me.” Okay, she didn’t completely stuff it.

“Thank you,” I said. She waved a hand in front of her face.

“Stop it, you’re going to make me cry.”

I laughed, “You started it.”

“I know. I’ll stop. Go look at yourself.”

I went into the bathroom and was shocked by what I saw. My hair is naturally a dark blonde. I’d gone
lighter over the years when I was able to afford to have it done. Liz had lightened my roots and put
some gold highlights in it. She’d also layered it softly around my face to get rid of the bluntness that I
had put into it when I tried to do it myself. It was all even and soft and pretty now. I loved it. Her face
appeared in the mirror behind me and I smiled. “I love it! Thank you.”

Liz hugged me and said, “I love you and remember that you’ll never have to put up with a man if you
don’t want to. This will always be your home. I will gladly clean out my crafts room today if you
want to move back in.”

Still smiling but with tears in my eyes I said, “And you’ll listen to a baby screaming at three a.m.
every night in a few months, or try and have a date while he eats mashed peas in his high chair?”

She nodded, “All that and more, gladly… wait… he? You’re having a ‘he’?”

I smiled, “That’s the reason I stopped by,” I said. I turned to the mirror and fluffed my hair and said,
“I didn’t know I was going to get the beauty treatment too. I got the ultrasound yesterday. It’s a boy.”

Liz grabbed me and we hugged again. “Yay! I’m so happy, Vicki. I know things are hard right now,
but I’m so proud of you for following your heart. Just promise me that you won’t raise him to be a
man.”

I laughed again, “I’ll see what I can do,” I told her. It was so nice that someone was happy. As it
would turn out, Liz was the only one in my life who felt that way. I was so grateful for her. I was even
more so about an hour later as I sat in the booth of a downtown diner across from my mother.

“Your hair is… interesting,” she said as I sat down.

“Hello to you too, mother.” My mom is forty-six. She looks like she’s twenty-five. She has the same
blonde hair I do but she has hers professionally lightened and styled. She never misses an
appointment, even when I was young and we were struggling financially. She said her looks were her
only asset. She tried to make me believe the same thing but I’ve resisted that notion so far. I’d hate to
think that all I was good for was to look at. My mother wasn’t growing old graciously either.
Everything about her had been lifted, tucked or sculpted. The picture left is beautiful, but you really
don’t want to peel the canvas back and see what is underneath.

“Don’t be snippy!” she said. “You just look… motherly with that haircut.”

“Well I guess it’s good that I’m about to be a mother then,” I said.

“It will be, when you can get that cheap bastard of an ex-boss of yours to pay up.”

She was team Jason on that point although there was no love lost there either. “Mom, are you not even
a little bit happy that we’re having an addition to the family?” I asked her. I knew she wouldn’t be
happy about a baby. She wasn’t the grandmotherly type… or the motherly one.

She frowned and said, “You’re broke and unmarried. I’m too young to be anyone’s grandmother.
What is there really to be happy about, Vicki? I’ll be happy if that bastard pays you what he owes
you… unlike your father who got away Scott free.”

She was hopeless. My father and the men she danced for and now served had ruined her outlook on
family and love a long time ago. We ordered our lunches and when I asked for the club with avocado
on sour dough she frowned again. At least I’m assuming the face she kept making was frowning.
She’d had so much Botox that it was hard to tell. “What’s wrong now, mother?” I asked.

“I’m just hoping you know that weight’s not going to drop off by itself when you have that kid. I was
out of work for six months after I had you just trying to get my figure back.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ve gained ten pounds mom and I’m more than halfway through my pregnancy.
Besides, I’m not a pole dancer.”

“Ten pounds can make all the difference,” she said, taking a sip of her lemon water.

With a sigh I almost asked her, “What difference?” but I didn’t. I knew it would have something to do
with me catching a man who could “support” me. She was an independent businesswoman… albeit
the owner of a strip club. She should understand that all women do not want to be “taken care of.” No
matter how good she looked or how hard she tried, she’d never achieved it even at almost fifty. I
simply said, “Thanks mom, I’ll keep it in mind,” as I did with so many other things.

“I have a client who is looking for a housekeeper if you’re still looking for a job.”

That got my attention. I definitely needed a job. I’d spent so much money on this lawsuit that I wasn’t
even certain that I wanted to pursue any longer that I was having trouble paying my own bills. It was
one thing I had to be grateful to Jason for… at least I had a roof over my head and food in my belly.
I’d feel so much better though if I were contributing to that. Plus, my lawyer wasn’t going to take my
I.O.U. much longer. But this was one of mother’s “clients.” I was a little concerned about that.
“Someone you know well?” I asked her.

She shrugged and said, “We had a brief affair a few years ago but then his wife found out…”

“Yeah, thanks Mom, but no thanks,” I said. I’d met a few of her “clients” over the years. I’d fought off
advances from a few of them as well. Not upstanding citizens in the least. She just rolled her eyes at
me. “I found out that I’m having a boy,” I told her, trying to change the subject and hoping to get some
kind of emotion out of her about the baby.

“Hmm,” she said. The waitress had just brought our lunch and left. She had taken one bite of her
salad. “This salad dressing tastes like it’s loaded with calories. I don’t think that porky waitress gave
me the light stuff…” And that was how the rest of our meal together went. I left there with most of the
happiness I’d had when I left Liz’s house gone.

I left the diner and went to the one place I’d always felt good, Seal Beach, to the pier. I browsed
through a few of the small shops, but mostly I just stood on the edge of the pier and looked out at the
ocean. The sea was an unbroken, calm underneath the gentle sun. The small ripples of water that lay
across it were sprinkled with millions of light fragments; each one tiny, but together they were intense
and beautiful. I slipped out of my shoes and stood there like I did when I was a kid, with the feel of
the rough wood underneath my bare feet and began to feel nostalgic. My life had never been much to
be excited over but it had never seemed as lonely as it had since Alexander turned his back on me. I
know that we never had a real relationship, but before that day we spent in the basement, I was able
to look forward to at least one smile or one kind word from him almost every day. He was never
anything but kind and respectful and I missed that. Jason wasn’t mean or abusive, but I always get the
feeling that he’s never harbored much respect for me either. When we were together before any of this
happened with the pregnancy he was always quicker to point out my flaws than he was to say anything
kind. Usually, he just said nothing at all and he touched me even less, that’s what led me to believe
maybe there was another woman in the picture. Maybe I’m wrong… either way; I was beginning to
quickly recognize that moving back in with him had been a mistake.

The sun was beginning to get low in the sky and I still had some things I needed to do before nightfall.
I turned and began heading back down the pier towards the lot where I parked my car and in the
distance I saw the shadow of a man who looked very familiar. He was strolling along slowly,
dropping pieces of sourdough for the pigeons and seagulls and every so often stopping to look at
something that had caught his eye out in the water. It was Alex. The direction he was facing put his
eyes looking directly into the sun. I hoped that also kept him from being able to see me. As much as I
wanted to see him, I was sure he wasn’t interested in running into me. I put my head down and walked
quickly on the far side of the pier, I passed him and continued to head for my car. I was almost to the
end of the pier when I felt a strong hand on my shoulder. I knew it was his before I turned around.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

VICTORIA

I stopped walking and took a deep breath in before turning around to face him. Alex was looking at
me with those intensely sexy hazel eyes and his brown hair was blowing in the breeze. I watched as
his eyes traveled down to the bulge in my belly and back up to my face. His expression didn’t give
away what he was thinking, but I would have given a million dollars to find out what it was. He was
dressed casually in a white cotton shirt that buttoned up the front and rippled across the muscles in his
chest and arms in the wind. He had on blue jeans, which was unusual, but he wore them well.

“Hi,” I said, not knowing where else to start.

“Hello, Vicki.” I loved the way he said my name… still. God, what is wrong with me? This man fired
me. He’s suing me. Why does he still give me that warm, tingly feeling all over?

I needed to not be here, with him standing here looking at me. It didn’t help my thought processes at
all. It only made me want to kiss him although I should be kicking him instead. “I was just leaving…”

“Please don’t go,” he said. I felt a pain in my chest. I’m not sure if it was fear or excitement. Either
way, I was screwed because I knew that I wouldn’t leave. “Sit with me for a few minutes. I’d like to
talk to you.” Damn it! My lawyer has strongly advised me against this. I’m positive that his had too.
The way that my stomach felt and the pounding in my chest were probably good reasons why. I was
already willing to forgive and forget and he’d barely said hello.

“Okay, just for a minute,” I said. We walked silently to a wooden bench in the center of the pier that
looked out over the ocean. It was another of my favorite spots when I was a kid.

We sat down and he said, “How are you feeling?”

“I’m doing well,” I said.

“And the baby?”

“He’s good,” I told him, automatically putting a protective arm across him.

“He?” he said. “It’s a boy?” I nodded. I wondered if he was being polite or if he was really
interested. “When is he due?” he asked. He seemed genuinely interested.

“In August,” I said.

I heard him sigh heavily and I chanced a glance at his face. He looked sad and I was suddenly
overcome with the need to tell him everything that my lawyer told me not to discuss. “Alex?” He

looked at me. God, it was hard to think when those eyes were on my face. I swallowed the lump that
had built up in my throat and I said, “I didn’t leave that pregnancy test there for you to find.”

He wrinkled his brow and stared at me for the longest time before he said, “Why did you leave it?”

Taking a deep breath I said, “I’d been really sick in the mornings. I thought I just had the flu. My
cycles hadn’t been regular and my doctor changed my prescription… my roommate was the one that
suggested I might be pregnant. I had woken up that morning obsessing over it. As you know, Jason had
just broken up with me and I wondered what I would do and what he would say if I were pregnant. At
that point… since you and I had only been together that one time… I just hadn’t considered it may be
yours. I bought the test on my way to work. I was a nervous wreck and I thought you were gone for the
day so I used your private bathroom so that I wouldn’t get caught. Karen called me away from my
work and then you came home early and I was just never able to retrieve it.”

“How do you know that the baby is not Jason’s?” he asked me. It was a fair question.

“For a couple of months before you and I were together, Jason had been really stressed at work… at
least that was the excuse he gave me. I was super busy with work and school… It had been at least
two months since we’d been together in that way by that day that you and I were. I would have been
further along if it was his. I only really realized that later on, after you served me with the papers and
locked me out of the mansion.” Okay, the last part was intended to wound. He’d hurt me and I wanted
to strike out just a little. It hit its target, he winced.

“So you didn’t intend on telling me at all?” he asked.

“I don’t know, Alex. I didn’t have the chance to get that far. Your reaction was quite unexpected…
and frankly, insulting.”

“Insulting?” he asked. Did he really not understand how it could be?

“Of course. Wouldn’t you be insulted if someone accused you of blatantly laying a trap for them and
trying to milk money from them?”

“Women do it all the time.” That statement annoyed me. He was right, but men did things that weren’t
okay either and you couldn’t hold it against them all collectively.

“Maybe,” I said. “But I’m not one of those women. I never wanted anything from you, Alex. That day
we spent together was special to me and I held it… I still hold it in my memory as one of the most
special days of my adult life. But, I did not initiate it. I never would have. I’m not saying I’m without
responsibility here but I’m willing to shoulder my part of it. I’m willing to raise this child and do
whatever it takes to give him a good life. If you have no interest in being a part of that, I would never
force it.”

“What about the lawsuit?” he asked. “You’re asking for a lot more than just child support.” I could
see that the wheels in his brain were turning, but I couldn’t tell from his questions where they were

leading him.

“You brought that on. After I got the papers, Jason told me that since you’d taken away my livelihood
I should counter sue. He made it about the baby and how he deserved to be taken care of… I honestly
never wanted to do it this way. I hate this. I was just so hurt and angry and Jason was the only one
being supportive so I listened to him. Of course the lawyer I saw thought it was a great idea too...
Men,” I said, to make my point that it wasn’t only women who were greedy. “I really do hate all of
this.”

“I do too,” he said, sadly. I was surprised. Not necessarily because he hated it, but that he was
willing to admit that he did. “I’m a good businessman,” he said. “Some might even say brilliant. But
as you have borne witness to I’m sure, I’m not that astute when it comes to personal relationships. My
wife… when she planned to divorce me, was trying to take me for everything I had. The only thing
stopping her from doing that was the great legal advice and maneuverings of my family lawyers.
When I found the test, I consulted one of them about what to do. He told me not to worry about it; they
would handle it, so I let them. It all got so out of hand.”

“I’m glad to know that,” I told him. “I’m glad to at least know you don’t believe in your heart that I
had any sinister intentions. Alex, all I ever wanted from you was my job. I think you would even have
to admit that I was good at it. I will need a way to support my child. If you can find it in your heart to
allow me to come back…”

“Victoria, my wife and I are back together.” That sentence was like a knife slicing straight through my
heart. If all I wanted was my job, then it shouldn’t, I know. The truth was, I would probably never
stop wanting Alex… but it was never about money. Not even for a second. I could see how me being
in his home working every day, pregnant with his child while he was trying to make things work with
his wife wouldn’t be okay.

“Oh… okay. Well, I should really be going.” I felt embarrassed and ashamed for asking him for my
job, yet here I was, pregnant with his child and he was willing to let me do without even that. My
head was so confused, bouncing from one emotion to the next. My stomach felt sick and I needed to
get out of here. I stood up and so did he.

“Victoria…”

“Yes?”

He took me by the shoulders and then leaned down and pressed his lips to my forehead. That simple
kiss sent waves of shock racing through me. “Take care of yourself,” he said. “And the baby.”

I just nodded and took a step back before turning and quickly walking away. I didn’t want him to see
the tears in my eyes.

ALEXANDER

I stood on the pier and watched Vicki go. I had to wonder if I was making the biggest mistake of my
life. She’s pregnant with my child, my child… a little boy. I let her step off the end of the pier before I
put my hands in my pockets and began walking in the same direction. The lawyers tell me that there is
no way of knowing yet. If I want a relationship with the child, I can have them order a DNA test after
the baby is born. If I want a relationship with my own child? What kind of man would I be if I didn’t
want that? When I say I do want a relationship with my child, they start talking about money again.
What kind of man worries more about money than the woman who is bringing a new life into this
world? This was done all wrong and I’m just not sure how to fix it. I know now that what I should
have done was talk to Vicki and asked her about the test. I should have kept the lawyers out of it. I
should have followed my gut instincts about her and trusted that she wasn’t out to get anything from
me. But I’d trusted my instincts about Cassandra too and look how that turned out. It was an ironic
thought, considering that I was going home to her.

About a month after I found out about the baby, Cassie had come to me and said she made a mistake.
She said that she loved me and she wanted me back. My suspicions were that she finally realized that
she wasn’t going to get anything more out of me than the original pre-nup had designated. Getting back
with her was something my lawyers had pushed for because they were actually worried if she got the
right judge, she might. I don’t love her anymore, but I did let her come back. If I analyze them now, I
know it was for a few reasons. The first one was that as a man who ran a multi-national company, I
was forced to attend a lot of benefits and dinners and social gatherings. I’m ashamed to admit it, but
since Cassie grew up in a similar world as I had she fit in at those things and she knew how she was
expected to act. The other reason I took her back was my own behavior. When I was doing the
partying and sleeping with different women every night, I knew that it was detrimental to my
wellbeing. But that had been an easy way for me to deal with being alone and the stress of the
divorce. Taking Cassie back would solve both of those problems. The third, and probably the most
realistic reason that I allowed her to come back was because I wanted Victoria. I wanted her so badly
that I’d lay awake at night thinking about her… I’d catch myself sitting in meetings thinking about
her… I’d look for her everywhere I went. I almost didn’t believe it was her today, I thought I’d seen
her so many times before. I’d let my attorneys convince me that she was a gold-digger and I’d
convinced myself that she was no good for me. Being with Cassie would be another deterrent to me to
keep me from pursuing her.

Seeing her today brought all of those feelings rushing back. I didn’t just want to be a part of my
child’s life… I wanted his mother. What I was supposed to do about that, I wasn’t sure.

CHAPTER TWELVE

VICTORIA

When I got home from the beach, Jason still wasn’t there. I cleaned up the apartment some as I let my
talk with Alex run through my mind and then went online to do another job search. I applied for a few
positions in the city and even a few that were far out in the county. The trouble I was having was that
before anyone was willing to let you into their multi-million dollar estate as a service person, they
wanted to do an extensive background. If that were done in my case, they would easily find out about
Alex and the baby and the court battle. That would make anyone hesitant to let me into their home and
their lives and I wouldn’t blame them. I applied anyways. I wasn’t really qualified for anything else
yet. I’d taken the semester off of school to see what happened with the baby. It was likely that I
wouldn’t be able to go back for more than one. The baby would need me and I would have to work. I
clicked off the internet and sighed. I wasn’t quite sure how I got myself into these messes.

I made myself a cup of decaffeinated tea and took it out on the balcony of the apartment. I sat there
trying to sort out my feelings for Alex. There was no denying that I did have feelings for him.
Someone from the outside looking in might be prone to tell me that I’m crazy… he never cared about
me at all. He’s turning his back on both me and his child. But when I look into his eyes I see
something real there. I see something that for whatever reason, he’s afraid to admit… he’s afraid to
feel. But he was back with his wife, so what could ever come of it? Nothing. I could accept that, I
suppose, but I didn’t want all of this animosity between us nevertheless. I was already tired of
fighting. It wasn’t my nature.

I felt a raindrop fall against my skin, and then another and another. I sat there, unmoving, not wanting
to go back into the apartment and wait for Jason to decide to come home and admit that this is my life.
I finally moved my chair back so that the rain didn’t hit me directly and I sat there and watched it fall.
The moon hung full in the hazy Los Angeles sky and underneath the cloud cover I could almost
glimpse an eclipse of blazing stars trying to force their way out and be seen. That’s what I felt like
most of the time. I knew that I had it in me to shine. I knew that I had it in me to succeed. But
somehow I kept allowing the clouds to get in the way. I needed to start making some changes in my
life and when I heard Jason come in the front door I told myself that right now was as good of a time
to start as any.

I stood and went into the house. He looked at me curiously and said, “Why are you sitting in the
rain?”

I shrugged. “Just thinking,” I said. “How was the barbeque?”

“It was fun,” he said sitting down on the couch. “What did you do today?” I sat down in the chair
across from him.

“I saw Liz. She fixed my mess of a hair for me.” He looked at my hair, but he didn’t offer a response,
I guess a simple compliment was too much to ask for these days. I didn’t wait for it. I knew it wasn’t

coming. I went on and said, “I had lunch with my mother.” He rolled his eyes and smirked at that. My
mother and the fact that I’d continued to have a relationship with her had been the source of more than
one of our arguments over the years. He thought I should be ashamed of her and cut her off
completely. I thought that she’s still my mother in spite of her character flaws. I would probably never
completely cut her off. I really believed that in spite of it all, she did her best. I went on and said,
“Then I went to the beach for a while and took a walk on the pier.”

“Hmm,” he said, completely disinterested. Sometimes I wasn’t sure why he asked or why I bothered.
“Do you see the lawyers tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Are things progressing?”

I shrugged. “I wanted to talk to you about that. I saw Alexander today.” That got his attention.

He sat up off the couch and with his eyebrows pulled together he said, “Why? Didn’t the attorneys tell
you to stay away from him?”

“They did and I have been. I just ran into him and he wanted to talk.”

Jason snorted and said, “I hope you told him where to go.”

“No, I sat and talked to him for a while,” I said. He looked annoyed, but I went on quickly before he
could interrupt me. “He says that he never wanted any of this. He was confused like I was. Before he
even had time to think it all through, his lawyers took it out of his hands. His legal counsel is driving
this lawsuit…”

“Of course he said that, Vicki. This is exactly why you weren’t supposed to see him. He’s going to try
and make you think he’s the good guy here. You’re too naïve to deal with this.”

The naïve comment bothered me, but I let it go, for now. “He’s not a bad guy, Jason. This is just an
odd situation. I don’t think either of us meant to put ourselves here.” I know that I didn’t want to be
here and I’m sure from his reaction he didn’t either.

“That’s not the point. He was the smart one here. He should have known better than to dip his
wick…”

“Excuse me? He was the smart one?” First I’m naïve and now I’m stupid.

“You know what I mean. He’s the owner of a multi-billion dollar corporation. You’re the maid.”

I stood up, getting aggravated and beginning to feel angry. “Jeez Jason, why not just slug me in the
face. It would hurt less.” He was being as disparaging as Alex’s lawyers had been.

“I’m not trying to hurt you,” he said, simply. He didn’t apologize for it though, or take back what he
said. I think he truly believed I was too naïve to handle my own life… or stupid.

“I don’t think you’re ever trying to hurt me, Jason. I’m beginning to believe that you’re just really that
oblivious to my feelings that you don’t care either way. It’s like this lawsuit. It’s all you ever ask me
about. I went to the doctor yesterday; did you even bother to ask me about that? Did you know that I
had an ultrasound and found out the sex of my baby?”

He looked at me long and hard and then he asked, “What is it?”

“It is a baby, Jason. It is a child. It is a little boy and I’m his mother and I love him. I’m tired and I
don’t want to do this lawsuit any longer. I don’t want to fight any more for things that I don’t even
really want or need.”

He sighed like he was growing weary of indulging me and then he said, “You don’t want or need
millions of dollars? Wow, you’re a bigger person than most of us,” he said, sarcastically. I didn’t
care for his tone and again, it made me angrier. “Listen to me, Vicki. I am thinking of you and the baby
even if you don’t believe me. How are you going to support it?”

“Him Jason! Him! Stop calling my baby an it!”

“Okay,” he said with his palms up. “Jeez, calm down. You’re missing the point…”

“No, I get it, I do. You are worried I might ask you to support “it” if I don’t have millions that I won
in some stupid lawsuit that I don’t want to be a part of. I get it.”

“I wasn’t worried about you asking me to support… him, Vic. But you and he deserve more than to
just be ignored by the man who started all of this, don’t you think? Especially when a few hundred
thousand a month wouldn’t even faze the man”

“You know what, Jason? I do believe that he and I deserve more. I just don’t believe that a lawsuit is
the way to get what we deserve. I also believe that in time, Alex will come around and understand
that I was never trying to trap him.”

“You’re going to drop this suit, aren’t you?” He wasn’t annoyed any longer. He was pissed. It
suddenly set in that he didn’t care if I got any money or not. It was about what he might get out of all
of this. The slime ball.

“Yes, I think I am,” I told him. I wanted to smile. He looked deflated and then the anger kicked back
in.

He stood up and put his large frame in front of me. It was an imposing stance and I actually think it
was meant to intimidate. All it did was make me angrier. Who did he think he was trying to push me
into continuing a lawsuit I wanted no part of? A lawsuit that he had pushed me into in the first place
for his own personal gain while he tried to act like he was being supportive of me.

“You’re a fool,” he yelled at me. “How many times in your life will you be handed this kind of
opportunity?”

I actually laughed when he said that. He’s right. I have been a fool, but what made me one had been
trusting him, not dropping this lawsuit. “You call this an opportunity as if it’s a job or winning the
lottery. It’s taking money away from a man who worked for it. I don’t need millions to raise my baby.
All I need is a good job, desire and love. I’ve got all of that.”

“I can’t believe what an idiot you are and I can’t believe that I’ve wasted all of this time on you.”

In spite of the fact that I realized he was the one in the wrong here and what he thought of me really
didn’t matter, the realization that he was only with me because of what he thought he would gain in the
end, hurt. “I agree with you. Again, I’m a fool and maybe an idiot as well for trusting you. I’m
finished with that. I’m dropping this lawsuit.”

“Good luck supporting yourself and that brat you’re carrying!”

I smiled at him. “Thanks. I’ll do fine and we’ll be fine. I’ll have my things out of here tomorrow and
I’ll leave the key,” I said, taking my purse and heading for the door.

“Good riddance!” he yelled, as I went out and closed the door behind me. Good riddance is right.
Good riddance to fake relationships and silly lawsuits. Hello to my new life. I rubbed my swollen
belly. Our new life.

VICTORIA

I knocked on Liz’s door for the second time that day. When she pulled open the door and saw my face
she hugged me and then she invited me in. “Is it okay if I sleep on your couch tonight? I have to figure
some things out tomorrow about money but then I’ll rent a hotel room.”

“No, you will not. You’ll stay here like I told you earlier. I’ll clean that room out tomorrow and we’ll
set up the day bed. You can sleep on the couch tonight.”

“But what about Gloria?”

“She’s not going to mind,” she said, “And as much as I like her if she did, I’d still pick you. You’re
my best friend.”

I had tears in my eyes as I said, “I’m not sure how long it will take me to get back on my feet.”

“But you will. You’re going to have your baby and finish school and become a P.A. who makes a lot
of money and makes everyone feel better. Until then, if a best friend can’t help you, who can?”

“I’m not sure what I did to deserve you in my life. Thank you so much. I will pay you back for all of
this.”

“Friendship is not about keeping score or keeping a tally sheet.”

I knew she meant that. I might be striking out big time in the boyfriend department, but I did hit the
lottery when it came to friends. I hugged her tight and said, “If I didn’t have you, I don’t think I’d have
gotten through any of this.”

“You won’t ever have to worry about it,” she said. “I’ll make some decaf tea and you can tell me
what’s going on.”

She made the tea and we took it out on the terrace. The rain had stopped and the sky was clearer now
and the stars were able to take their stage. Once we sat down she said, “What did Jason do?”

I laughed. Taking a breath in and letting it out slowly I said, “It’s a little more than that, I guess. For
one thing, I’m dropping the lawsuit. I talked to Alex today.”

“You did?” she said, excitedly. It was what she’d been telling me to do from day one. She didn’t
know Alex and she was angry at what he was doing, but she could see that I genuinely cared for him.

“Yeah. I ran into him on the pier.” I told her about our conversation.

“You know you have feelings for him, right?”

With a smile I said, “Yes, I figured that out. But thanks.”

“Well,” she said. “Sometimes you’re a little hard headed. He must be a good guy if you feel so
strongly about him.”

“Maybe,” I said. “But look at Jason. My track record is not so good.”

“You never really thought you loved that guy, did you?”

I shrugged. “I suppose not love… but feelings nonetheless.”

“Oh well, we’re all entitled a mistake or three,” she grinned. “We live and learn, honey. All of us. I
personally think that you’re doing the right thing. Even if nothing ever happens with Alex, I believe
what I said earlier, you’re strong enough to do this on your own and I’ll help you in any way I can.
Jason is an opportunistic creep and you’ll be much better off without him.”

I nodded. She was right about Jason. I didn’t doubt that. I did hope that she was right about me being
strong. Sometimes I felt it and sometimes I felt like I was just faking my way through it.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

ALEXANDER

I was sitting at my desk, trying to get some real work done. The problem was I couldn’t stop thinking
about Vicki. “Mr. Reigns, Mr. Bronte is on line one,” my assistant told me. Bronte is the lead attorney
on the civil case against Victoria. I had left a message for him this morning, telling him I wanted to
drop the suit. Maybe after I talked to him, my frame of mind would be better.

“Herb! Thanks for getting back to me.”

“Alex, I got your message about dropping the lawsuit. I have some concerns…”

“Listen Herb, there’s no need to argue with me. My mind is made up. I want to drop this suit. It’s
ridiculous and should not have ever been started in the first place. I let other people do my thinking
for me. I don’t want to do that any longer.”

“Well, as much as I disagree with you and fear for your assets in this case, I won’t argue with you.
You’re the boss. I also received word from Miss Hart’s attorney this morning. She’s dropped her suit
as well.”

“Really? Did he say why?” I wondered if it had to do with our talk. That was what drove me to it.
Not so much her words, but the feelings she expressed to me in her eyes. She didn’t want this or
anything material of mine. That much I firmly believed.

“Pretty much the same silly reasons that you’re giving me. She told him it never should have been
filed in the first place and that she didn’t want a dime. Maybe we could still get her to sign an
agreement that states she doesn’t want anything and doesn’t feel entitled to anything and won’t sue in
the future for anything…” I hung up on him. I didn’t want to hear her called a gold-digger anymore,
even if it was in a roundabout way. For some reason, the news that Victoria had dropped her suit
made me feel ecstatic, like the stressors of the past several months had suddenly been lifted. It’s not
about the money; it’s about the fact that it proves I was right about her. I knew that she wasn’t a gold-
digger and I suspected she had feelings for me. I think this proved both of those things. Where to go
from here was still a question I’d have to give a lot of thought to but at least I had a starting point.

I dialed the staff number for my home and waited for Karen to pick up. “Reigns’ residence, Karen
speaking. How can I help you?”

“Hi Karen, it’s Alexander.” I’d known Karen my whole life. I felt comfortable with her knowing my
personal business. She never shared it. She was one of the most loyal and faithful people I’d ever
known.

“Well hello Mr. Reigns, what can I do for you?”

“I need you to get in touch with Victoria Hart and offer her job back.”

“Excuse me sir? Isn’t there a restraining order or something like that in place?” I knew that Karen
liked Vicki and all of this had been hard on her as well.

“Yes, there is Karen, it was all a mistake. Please notify the other staff of that before Vicki gets back. I
don’t want this to be unnecessarily hard on her. She’s pregnant, so I’m sure there will be some other
restrictions, but I trust you to handle all of that. When you talk to her, tell her that if she’d like to come
back, she can start the first of July. That will give me a few weeks to take care of the legal nonsense.”

“Yes sir.” She sounded pleased.

“Karen, be nice to her please. She’s been through a lot.”

“I like Victoria sir. I was very sad to see her go. I’ll be kind; you can be assured of it.”

“Thank you.” After I hung up with Karen, I called back the attorneys and we worked out what steps I
would need to take to get rid of the legal restrictions on her being at the mansion. They would actually
have to take the steps; I would just need to sign the paperwork. I told them to get on it at once and I
wanted something on my desk by tomorrow. Then I made the second to last call on my list, to my
wife.

“Alex,” Cassandra answered. She sounded like I was interrupting her.

“Are you busy?”

“In the middle of my massage,” she said. I wondered why she needed a massage every week when
she never really did anything. “Why are you calling in the middle of the day? Is there a problem?” She
could be such a witch.

“No, Cassie. I just wanted to tell you that I’ve re-hired Victoria Hart as the upstairs maid. She’ll be
starting back on the first of July.” I didn’t have confirmation that she would say yes… but I was
hoping and trying to stay confident.

“The blonde?” she said.

“Yes.”

“Why was she let go again?”

“There was a misunderstanding,” I said. I was hoping she’d leave it at that for now. I had yet to tell
her that Vicki was carrying my child. I hadn’t wanted to let her get involved in the lawsuit. She would
have been ruthless. Now that it would be dropped, I would tell her about it in good time. At least
before the baby came. I fully intended at this point to be a part of my son’s life. “It’s been cleared up

and we have had temps in and out of the house. I don’t like that. I prefer a stable crew.”

“Makes sense,” she said. “The one we have now is terrible anyways. I told Karen to tell the agency
not to send her back. She made the bed with no top sheet yesterday!” I rolled my eyes.

“Good then, it’s settled. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Looking forward to it,” she said. She didn’t sound like she really was, but she said things like that so
if I accused her of not being affectionate, she could throw it back in my face.

“Okay then, have a good day, Cassie.” I hung up with a smile on my face that my wife had nothing to
do with. I was going to get to see Vicki again every day. I hoped.

Lastly, I called the payroll department.

“Payroll, this is Lydia.”

“Lydia, this is Mr. Reigns.” Lydia is another loyal employee that had been with me from the
beginning.

“Good morning sir.”

“Good morning, Lydia. I need you to do something for me and I need it done quickly.”

“Okay sir.”

“Will you please figure up how many hours Miss Hart who was let go from my house staff in March,
has missed if she worked full time from the day she was let go until the end of June?”

“Of course sir.”

“Wait, there’s more. After you do that, cut her a check for those hours and have it sent to her address
by courier. I’d like it done today, and the sooner, the better.”

“Okay sir, I’m on it.”

I hung up with her feeling satisfied that I was at least taking steps to rectify the damage I had allowed
to be done to Vicki’s life. I didn’t take precautions when we had sex… I was more responsible for
this than she was. I was in a place of power and some might say I abused it. I had no intentions of
doing that, but I had done it nonetheless. All I wanted now was to fix it.

VICTORIA

I had to spend an hour at my attorney’s office signing forms to drop the lawsuits. They were not happy
with me. They kept repeating the same things to me about how he could blackball me in the
community and how I might not be able to get another job. They said I could sue him for harassment. I
had the proof in my belly. I didn’t want to hear any of it. I knew money was what they were most
concerned about and it was theirs, not mine. I still owed them close to a thousand dollars. They hadn’t
been all that worried about it because they assumed they would get their money from the billionaire
when this was all over and done with. I apologized profusely, but the bottom line was that they
couldn’t proceed without me. I assured them that as soon as I got a job, they would be first on my list
of creditors to pay. They didn’t seem impressed with that, but it was the best that I could do.

I went by Jason’s apartment after that. He was at work, but I had text to ask him if I could pick up my
things. He was curt, but he said that I could. I only really had clothes there. I had left my things in
storage when I moved in with him. I could get them out now and the storage bill would be one less
payment I had to worry about. God bless Liz.

I got back home around noon with my two suitcases and overnight bag. My dear Liz had the craft
room all cleaned out already before she left for work at ten a.m. She’s amazing. I was about to call
and find out how much it would cost to have a moving service pick up my things in storage and
deliver them with no idea how I’d pay it no matter what it cost when the doorbell rang. I went to
answer it and a young man in a blue polo shirt that said, “Anderson Couriers” on it was standing there
with an envelope in his hand.

“Can I help you?”

“Hi, are you Victoria Hart?”

“Yes I am.”

“I have a delivery for you.” I suddenly felt sick to my stomach remembering the service of the court
papers that day from Alex’s attorneys. I told myself if these were more of that, they wouldn’t have
come by courier.

“What is it?” I asked him.

“Just an envelope,” he said. He held up an envelope that looked like the one my paychecks used to
come in. Exactly like it. It was even marked with the Reigns logo and it said, “Payroll Department” in
the corner. “Can you sign here for it?” he asked me, holding out a clipboard. I didn’t want to. It was
either a mistake or a cruel joke. I was paid up to the day I was fired and even paid for my sick leave
and vacation time. What could this be? “Miss?” The guy was looking at me strangely. I must have
zoned out for a second.

Finally, telling myself to stop being a coward I took the clipboard and signed my name. He handed me
the envelope and I thanked him and went back inside. I stared at it for a long time. If it had been a
snake, it would have bitten me several times before I finally turned it over and began to rip it open.
My phone began ringing at the same time. I almost ignored it, but I worried that the lawyers may need
something else from me. I went over and picked it up. I felt like I was caught in an alternate universe.
The number on the phone was Karen’s office number at the mansion.

“Hello?”

“Hi Vicki! It’s Karen.”

“Um… Hi Karen.”

“How are you, honey?” She would know if she had bothered to call, was my first thought. My second
one was that I was being too harsh. She needed her job too. I shouldn’t even hint that she should have
risked it for me.

“I’m doing good Karen. How are you?”

“I’m well too, thanks. How is the pregnancy coming?”

I looked down at my big belly. “It’s fine. The baby is healthy. I’m huge.”

She laughed and said, “I doubt that.” Then she sobered and said, “I’m sorry I haven’t called to check
on you. Things have been strange around here to say the least. I’ve had to work twice as hard to keep
up without you. The temps they send are just not your caliber.”

I smiled. It was nice of her to say those things about me and it made me feel good. “Thank you, Karen.
I appreciate the kind words.”

“Are you working anywhere now?”

“No, unfortunately I haven’t found anything.” I was hopeful. Maybe she was calling to give me a
referral.

“Oh no, that’s very fortunate,” she said.

“I’m sorry?” I thought I’d misheard her. Surely she didn’t just say it was “very fortunate” that I hadn’t
gotten another job?

“I’m calling you on Mr. Reigns’ behalf to offer you your job back starting on July the first.”

I was suddenly shaking. Alexander wanted me to come back? Was that good? Bad? What about
Cassie? “Really?” I said, before I remembered who I was talking to.

“Have you ever known me to kid?” Karen laughed.

I laughed too. “No, I guess I haven’t.” Karen is a sweetheart, but a prankster, she’s not. “Thank you,
Karen.”

“Well, as much as I wanted you back, I can’t take credit for it. It was all Mr. Reigns. When you come
in we’ll talk about how your duties will change because of your pregnancy and also we’ll need to
discuss maternity leave.” I hadn’t thought of any of that. My thoughts were dancing… I have a job!

“Thank you,” I told her again. After I hung up, I did a little happy dance. I wondered if this was
because I’d dropped the suit. I wondered if that meant he’d dropped his? I looked at the envelope in
my hand again and finished pulling it open. Then I reached in and pulled out its contents. It was a
check for a lot of money. I stared at it for a minute and then flipped it over. The stub showed that I
was being paid for all of the hours that I hadn’t worked since I was let go all the way up to July. Alex
had to have authorized this check. If he were here, I would kiss him. I was so happy. It was so funny,
how life could change in an instant. I put my hand across my belly and said, “Things are going to be
okay little one. Mama loves you.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

VICTORIA

The three weeks between the day I found out I got my job back and the day I reported back to work
flew by. I was super excited to go back. I’d missed everyone. I had also missed having a job period,
and I hated to admit it but most of all, I missed Alex. I did admit it to Liz. I had to ask her if she
thought that was a really bad reason for me to go back, especially since he was back with his wife.

“Is that the only reason?” she said.

“No, not at all. I need a job and I really liked it there. My co-workers are great and the pay is good.”

“Then there is nothing wrong with accepting it. Honey, you can’t help how you feel. Your actions you
have to be concerned with. I don’t believe you would ever have an affair with a married man, so I
think you’re okay. Just watch your heart. Try not to let it get too broken or you’ll end up cynical like
me.”

“At least no one takes advantage of you,” I told her.

“Anymore,” she said.

“Thank you, Liz.”

“It’s what friends are for,” she said again.

I received papers about a week after that day saying that the lawsuit had been dropped on Alex’s end.
It was another thing I was apprehensive about. I kept wondering if bringing me back was some kind of
stunt for court. I didn’t want to be paranoid, but it had been a really hard few months. The papers
were filed the day I’d dropped mine. I guess we both had the same idea. I used the money I got to pay
off my lawyers and my storage. That left me a little to live off of and help Liz and Gloria pay bills
until I started back to work and got paid again. I had a check-up at the doctor and he said things were
going very well with the baby. My life was finally back on track and I couldn’t be happier about it.

I was a little nervous about going to work after what happened the last time I was there. I was
wondering how many of the staff knew what had really gone on. Plus, being seven and a half months
pregnant was a little different in and of itself. When I got to the front gates, the security man greeted
me warmly and welcomed me back. Karen hugged me and fussed over my tummy bulge and the cook
wanted to feed me. But best of all, Alex was at the kitchen table and when he heard the cook offer me
pancakes and eggs he said, “Yes Vicki. Please join me.”

I nervously sat down next to him and he looked at me with soft eyes and a smile and said, “I’m glad
you agreed to come back. We’ve all missed you around here.” It was kind of surreal. So much had
happened since the last time I’d sat at this table with him. The cook loaded me down with pancakes

laden with butter and syrup. As I took a healthy bite I thought: If my mother could see me now, she’d
have a heart attack and remind me how many calories were in what I was eating. I didn’t care. I was
happy and it was delicious. “So how are things with the baby?” Alex asked me.

“Everything is good,” I told him. “I’m taking a semester off school after he is born and I’m working
on finding someone reliable to watch him so I won’t have to take too much time off.” I had no idea
how to hire childcare; it was one of those brand new things to me. I’m sure I’d have a million more of
them before my baby was grown.

“Bring him with you,” Alex said, nearly knocking me off my chair. “You don’t want to leave an infant
alone with a stranger.”

“No I don’t, but… I mean…”

He smiled. “I’ll hire a nanny. We can go through the agency where they are all background
investigated and have references. We’ll make him a nursery. Please consider it,” he said. I was
considering how expensive that would be. I wondered if the cost would come out of my wages. He
looked like he was about to say something else but Cassandra walked in. In my mind it was like what
Dorothy must have felt like the first time she saw the wicked witch. Cassandra gave me a look that
said she didn’t approve of her husband eating with the help, but she didn’t seem jealous or angry at
all. I had to assume that for all Alex’s big talk about hiring a nanny and making a nursery, his wife
didn’t know the baby in my belly was his.

“I should get to work,” I said.

“Yeah, you probably should,” Cassandra said, dismissively. Alex glared at her and then he turned to
look at me and again he smiled.

“Welcome back.”

I smiled and nodded at him and as I was walking away I heard Cassandra say, “You didn’t tell me she
was about to pop. She’ll only be here a month and we’ll have to hire a replacement. What were you
thinking?”

I was too far away to hear Alex’s response, but I could tell that Cassandra’s attitude hadn’t changed
at all. As I was doing my work that day I thought about all of the times when I was a kid that I had
seen a house like this one and thought about how happy all of the people inside must be. I was sure
that with all of that wealth they couldn’t want for anything, but it was obvious when I watched Alex
and his wife together that they both wanted for a lot. Neither of them was happy and I couldn’t
understand why someone would choose to live that way, simply because of the money.

My days fell back into a routine easily. I knew the layout of the mansion like the back of my hand and
I knew how both Alex and Cassandra liked things done. Cassandra seemed to be around all of the
time to tell me in case I didn’t. In spite of that, I was still glad to be back. It was good to see my old
friends again too. Manny found out that I was having a boy and started a campaign for me to name the

baby after him. Every time I saw him, he’d present me with a different version of the name that I
could call my son.

“What about Manuel?” he said.

“Too ethnic for a blonde haired, blue eyed boy,” I told him. I honestly hadn’t thought about names yet.
I’d been too preoccupied with other things.

He laughed and the next time I saw him he said, “Manly.”

I cracked up and just said, “Um...no.”

A few days later I was cleaning the banister and he walked by in the foyer below and said, “Man.”

Laughing I said, “Too old for a baby.”

“Little man,” he said with a grin.

“I’ll consider it.” I had almost worked my way to the bottom when I saw Karen letting three men into
the front door. They looked like construction workers and were armed with tools and cans of paint.
They smiled at me as they passed me on the stairs and I watched as Karen led them up to the room at
the end of the hall from the master suite. On her way back down I asked, “Who are they?”

“They’re designing a nursery,” she said with a smile.

“Really? I thought he was only joking.”

Karen took my hand and said, “Let’s sit for a minute.” I’m not sure if she knew what she was asking
of a woman who was almost eight months pregnant. I had to squat and spread my legs wide and kind
of fall back onto the stairs. “I’ve worked for Alexander since he was twenty-two years old. This will
be my eighth year here. Before that, I worked for his parents for fifteen years so I’ve known him for
most of his life.”

“Wow, that’s great,” I said.

“I’ve noticed something about him lately, Victoria.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

I was assuming that she was going to say something about the baby but I was surprised when she said,
“In all of those years, I’ve never seen him look even a tenth as happy as he looks when you’re
around.”

“Um…” I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say to that. It made me feel good and bad at the same
time. Karen wasn’t looking for a response though.

Karen smiled. “Alexander is a brilliant man. His IQ is beyond genius level, did you know that?”

“No. I mean I knew he was smart, that’s obvious. I had no idea how smart I guess.”

“That kind of intelligence comes with a price. He’s been taught social skills. He was raised to be a
perfect gentleman, but when it comes to relating to real, live human beings on any kind of intimate
level, he really hasn’t ever had much practice at that. He worked to build his company for years.
When he turned twenty-five and had his trust fund at his disposal, he could have easily used that to
live on for the rest of his life. He chose only to use enough of it to expand his company and the rest of
what you see was all Alex’s hard work. Throughout all of that he didn’t have time to date or maybe it
was a shy thing, but either way, he just didn’t. I wasn’t surprised when the announcement came that he
and Cassandra were engaged. I honestly think he married Cassandra just because he’s known her
since he was a kid and it was easy. He lost his mind for a while when she left because he’d been too
busy in school to sow his wild oats before he met her. I could tell though that even that didn’t make
him happy.

What I am trying to say is what happened between you and him… he didn’t know how to handle that.
That’s why he turned to his attorneys. They only have an interest in his money. It’s their job and they
do it well. He even took Cassandra back, based on their recommendations. It’s obvious when you see
them together that it’s not where they belong. He was miserable when she first came back but then
suddenly you were back and he was designing a room for your baby. He’s happier doing that than I’ve
ever seen him. I would be willing to bet that he has no idea how to express any of that to you.”

“He hasn’t shared much with me on a strictly personal level, no. He does seem excited about the
nursery and hiring a nanny. I really appreciate his help.”

“He is excited. He’s excited about the baby. He’s not just doing this to help. He’s wanted one for a
long time. I can see the yearning in his eyes when he looks at other people’s children. Now you’re
giving him one of his own.”

“You know it’s his?” I had a feeling that she did, but I hadn’t told her so I wasn’t sure.

She nodded. “Alexander shared it with me in confidence. You don’t have to worry. I won’t tell
anyone.”

“I’m not worried,” I told her. “Just surprised.”

“He’s going through a lot and he doesn’t have many people he can trust to talk to. I’m hoping that by
telling you all of this about him you’ll keep it in mind and not get too discouraged while he’s trying to
figure all of this out. Keep in mind that he’ll have to deal with Cassandra and then stave off the
lawyers and then there would be his parents.” Karen obviously thought I expected him to marry me or
at least be in some kind of relationship with me.

“Oh Karen, I’m not thinking along those lines. I know Alex has commitments. I wouldn’t expect him to

give any of that up for me. We’re not anywhere near there.”

“He should be expected to change his priorities. He’s going to be a father,” she said. Karen was old
school and I didn’t doubt it pained her that I put myself in the position of becoming pregnant without
being married. She wasn’t being judgmental about it though and I appreciated that. “He needs to make
some changes. If not for you, then for the child you share, and I think he would even be willing to. I
think the nursery is proof that he’s considering it, but he’s going to have to do battle with a few
people before that can happen. I just wanted to make you aware. It’s scary to gamble with your future.
But, I think if you’re willing to wait for him Vicki, he wants exactly what you can offer him.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. She was in a long-winded kind of way, telling me that Alex has
feelings for me and the baby and that eventually he will be ready to tell all of the people who are
pulling the strings in his life that we are what he wants. I hope she’s right. I won’t let myself get too
attached to the fantasy, but I definitely have one. In it, Alex and I are together and raising our child
together, the way it should be. The way I think it should be anyways. The way I’d really, really like it
to be.

“Thank you, Karen.”

“You’re welcome. I’m so glad you haven’t given up on him yet. It had to have been hard over the past
few months.”

“It was, but as hard as it is to be looked at as a gold-digger it was harder being away from him.” I
couldn’t believe I’d just admitted that out loud to anyone other than Liz.

Karen seemed pleased by it. She gave me a one-arm hug and said, “I’m rooting for you. If it means
anything, you would be the last person that I would suspect of gold-digging.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

ALEXANDER

Having Vicki back in the house, for me changed the entire dynamics of it. I suppose because I hadn’t
had to do without her before I hadn’t realized just how much I needed her in my life. I realized how
valuable she was while she was gone. She was great at her job, but that wasn’t her only value. As a
matter of fact, to me, it was a small part of it. The real value was her smile every morning. It was
always so warm and genuine. People smiled at me all the time, but none of those smiles ever gave me
the same feeling. While she was gone I went around with an empty, lonely feeling in my chest. And
then there was the baby. I really tried not to get myself too excited about it. I tried to be willing to
allow Vicki to raise him and not announce or broadcast the fact that he was mine. I know that it won’t
truly be fact to anyone else until there is a DNA test, but in my heart somehow I know that he is mine.
To my lawyers, that made me naïve.

I’ve tried more than once to tell Cassandra about it. Every time I begin to broach the subject I imagine
how angry she’s going to be. Hurt, I could handle. I could profusely apologize and do all that I could
to make the hurt go away. But Cassandra wasn’t the type of woman that would get hurt over something
like this. She would get angry and she would be out for blood… mine, by way of my bank account.
She would also be angry with Victoria and that would be the worst part. She’d be out for her blood
too and I couldn’t just stand by and watch that happen. So, in order to stave off the drama, I just
haven’t told her… yet.

“Alex!” Speaking of Cassandra…

“I’m in here!” I called to her. I was in the nursery. It was coming along beautifully.

She stepped up behind me in the room I was having made into a nursery. I heard her snort. We’d
already had words about this and she didn’t know yet that he was mine. “This is a ridiculous
expenditure,” she said.

“You’ve already voiced that opinion, Cassandra, but thank you. I can afford it.”

“Who does this, Alex? Who makes a nursery in their home that they don’t need for the maid’s child? If
I didn’t know any better I would think she was your mistress.”

I turned to look at her. Each time I did lately and I saw the hatefulness that was set in the lines around
her eyes and her mouth, I wondered what I’d ever seen there in the first place. “What makes you think
she’s not?” I asked her.

She looked at me suspiciously for a few seconds and then she said, “Even you wouldn’t stoop low
enough to sleep with the help.”

I let it go for now. She was going to focus on Vicki being the help. It was going to make me angry. I

tried another tactic, guilt. “In my defense, I did believe at one time that I would need this. You let me
believe that.”

It didn’t hit the mark. She wasn’t going to feel guilty about it. I’m not sure if she even possessed such
an emotion. “Let’s not beat that old dead horse again, Alex. What time does our plane leave?”

“At four.” I had a meeting with an important client in Belize. Cassandra, of course, insisted on coming
along and making it a “vacation.” I am planning on using the time in paradise to let her know about the
baby. It had to be done. I didn’t want to do it here. Maybe she’d calm down before we got back.

“I don’t understand why we couldn’t have left earlier. You’ve wasted this entire day on this
ridiculous project of yours when we could be lying on a beach by now.”

“I’m not going to Belize to lie on a beach. I’m going to work.”

“Of course you are. That’s all you know how to do. I’m going to lie on the beach… all day, every
day.”

“We’re only staying until Friday.” It was Wednesday now. I didn’t want to be gone too long.

“Are you kidding? A day and a half in Belize? You’re crazy. I won’t have time to do anything. I want
to go shopping and have dinner in that little restaurant we found last time, right on the beach. A day
and a half? What kind of a vacation is that?”

“It’s not a vacation,” I said again. “It’s work, Cassie.”

“Fine. Then when you wrap up your business we can stay an extra week and that can be the vacation.”

She was on a permanent vacation. She could actually go anywhere she wanted to by herself. For some
reason, she wanted me on her arm. Maybe I was the trophy and not her. “I don’t have a week to waste
sitting on a beach in Belize, Cassandra. I run a corporation. I have to work. If you want to have money
to go on a vacation ever you’ll understand that. We have plenty of beaches around here if you want to
sit on one.”

She snorted. “Right, I’ll sit next to a couple of tattooed teenagers making out or a fat, middle-aged
woman chasing her dirty little brats around down at your favorite hangout. Jesus Alex, you’re a
billionaire. Act like it.” She was such an incredibly obnoxious snob that sometimes I could hardly
stand it.

I turned on her and said, “Exactly how should a billionaire act, Cassandra? Maybe I should be a snob
like you and talk mean about people and down to them?”

“He should act like he has some class. He shouldn’t be trolling nasty beaches and broken down piers
in Seal Beach. He shouldn’t be having breakfast with his maid and he really shouldn’t be designing
nurseries for her. It gives people the wrong idea. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but this has to

stop!”

“Or what, Cassie? You’ll leave me? Been there and done that, remember? You came back because
you can’t live off the paltry million dollars a year alimony you were ‘entitled’ to!”

“I shouldn’t have to live off of that. I’m entitled to a lot more and you know it.”

“No, I don’t know it. You didn’t work for any of this. Hell, even as a wife you’ve been sub-par! You
spend your days in pursuit of your own beauty and your own pleasures. None of it has anything to do
with me or you being my wife.”

“Oh really?” she said, with narrowed eyes. “So you’d rather have some woman who let herself go?
Some fat chick with dark roots and cellulite?”

“Jesus, Cassie. You’ve missed the point, which is that it’s not about how you look! It’s never been
about looks! I don’t want a wife that I can present to the world like a trophy for crying out loud! I
want a wife that I enjoy talking to. I want a wife that makes me want to come home at night. I want a
wife that will hold my hand and walk on the beach… my beach! And, most of all, I want a family…
something you refuse to give me.”

Rolling her eyes she said, “Too bad. You’ve got me and you’ve also got enough money to go to
Russia or China and adopt an orphan or something. Make sure you hire lots of nannies though because
I’m not taking care of them. This is like the time you insisted on getting that stupid puppy I didn’t
want. Maybe the kids will get ran over by a delivery truck too. I have to go pack.” She turned and left
the room, the same way she always did when we talked about having a family. She left me feeling
sick this time. She was a terrible person. I heard her heels on the tile floor and then I heard her say, “I
need my things packed before two. I’ve laid out what I plan on taking. Make sure it’s all packed and
handled with care.”

“Yes ma’am,” I heard Victoria’s voice. She must have been in the hallway while we were arguing. I
wondered how much she heard, and I wondered how many other times she’d heard us. When I think
about finally ending it with Cassandra and telling Vicki that I want to be with her and try and make a
life with her and the baby… I worry sometimes about some of the things she may have heard me say
to Cassandra. Between that and the lawsuit nonsense, I had to wonder what she must think of me.

VICTORIA

Alex and Cassandra were going on a vacation. That shouldn’t bother me. She’s his wife. I’m his
maid. I folded the third skimpy bathing suit she’d laid out and put it into her suitcase. I caught myself
wondering why she wore anything at all. None of the suits would leave a thing to the imagination.
Then I chastised myself for my own jealousy. I wasn’t jealous of the suits, or the vacation, I was
jealous that she was going to get to spend time with Alex and I wasn’t. Every time he went on a
business trip or a vacation, even before the baby, I missed him. Something about just knowing he’s
near made me all warm and tingly inside.

I’d heard them arguing earlier again. I’d felt a little guilty this time because I realized that she was
angry about the nursery. I know that I hadn’t asked him to do that, but the fact that he felt the need to
do this for me both touched me deeply and made me a little nervous about the future. He’d told me
that he wanted a relationship with the baby and I wanted him to have that. But given the fact that his
wife didn’t even know it was his yet and that she was already angry about him designing a nursery for
the “maid’s kid,” I had to wonder how it was all going to go.

And then there was the far future that I tried not to worry over. I know that I’d be much less stressed if
I stayed focused on the here and now but I don’t intend to be a maid forever. Once I’ve had the baby
and gotten back on track with my life I fully intend to continue to pursue my dream of becoming a
Physician’s Assistant. That was going to mean not coming here every day. By then, if Alex and the
baby have a relationship how will I take him away? Then there was the other sinister, ugly little
thought that seeped into my mind unbidden and unwelcome sometimes. What if he decided he wanted
the baby and he tried to take him away? I wanted to believe he’d never do that, but I’ve seen first-
hand how much control his lawyers have. The thought of Cassandra being my child’s caretaker made
me shudder. I would never let that happen, no matter how far or how fast I had to run.

“Hello Victoria,” I heard his voice behind me. I finished folding his wife’s black lingerie and put it in
the bag before I turned around.

“Hello,” I said. “I was just getting Mrs. Reigns’ things packed. Did you need me to get yours ready
too?”

He smiled. Something inside of me melted. “No thank you, Vicki. This is a business trip. I’ll just need
my suits which are already in the wardrobe bag. I can pack my own underwear.”

“Oh, I thought it was a vacation. I mean, I’m sorry. It’s none of my business anyways.” Embarrassed
and again chastising myself for being so forward, I turned back to my work. I felt a jolt of electricity
race through my veins, starting at the spot on my shoulder where Alex had laid his hand. I turned back
towards him, dangerously close to his face and those full, soft lips.

“Don’t apologize to me, Vicki. I know that you work for me, but I’d like to also think we’re friends.

Friends are allowed to make conversation with one another.”

I nodded, only because my mouth was too dry to speak. I was watching his mouth as it moved and I
barely heard the words because all I could think about was how badly I wanted to kiss him. I was a
mess. Maybe it was the hormones. Maybe once this baby was born I could stop lusting after my boss
and think about getting a real life again. I knew one thing for sure; when I looked at his face I didn’t
believe that he would ever try and take my baby… at least I didn’t want to believe it.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

VICTORIA

I woke up on Thursday morning having strange, tight feelings in my abdomen. It wasn’t really pain,
just a tightness that wasn’t there before. I took a long hot shower before getting dressed for work and
that seemed to relax it some. When I made it to the kitchen, Liz and Gloria were having breakfast.

“Good morning, sunshine. There is French toast and bacon on the stove.”

“Thanks, Liz. I think I need tea and crackers today.”

With concern in her eyes Liz said, “Why? What’s wrong? You shouldn’t still be having morning
sickness. You’re too far along for that.”

I smiled to alleviate her anxiety. Just as she was looking at me, one of the tight feelings turned into a
painful cramp. I willed myself not to wince. I didn’t want to worry her. “No, not morning sickness.
Maybe just a touch of a stomach bug or something… I’m sure it will pass.”

“I have to get to work, ladies.” Gloria got up from the table and took her dishes to the sink. “You girls
have a good day.”

“You too!” We both told her. I made my tea and when I sat down with it at the table, Liz was still
looking at me funny.

“What is it?” I asked her.

“Are you sure you’re alright? Are they working you too hard at the mansion? You shouldn’t be over-
doing it. You’re so close…”

Smiling I interrupted her and said, “The most stressful thing I’ve done all week is pack Mrs. Reigns’
expensive underwear and swimsuits. I’m fine, really.” As I assured her of that, my stomach clenched
again.

She made a face at the mention of Cassandra and said, “Where is she going?”

“She went to Belize with her husband.”

“He’s taking her on vacation when you’re so close to having his baby, really?”

“Liz, first of all, it’s a business trip. Second of all, she doesn’t know this is his baby. Third of all and
most importantly, she’s his wife, not me.”

“He’s really lucky this is you and not some other woman. Any other woman would have told his wife
by now and had this splashed all over the tabloids.”

“Maybe,” I said. “But I don’t think he deserves that. I honestly believe he is doing his absolute best
with all of this, just like I am.”

She snorted again and stood up with her dishes. I had a hand on my belly. “Are you sure you’re okay?
I can call in to work…”

“I’m fine,” I told her again. “You can’t call in. You’re a minion for the parade today.”

She laughed, “Yes I am. I’ll be stuffed tightly into a yellow suit gasping for fresh air all day. Whoo
Hoo! Love my job.” She was being facetious. She really did love her job. I’d gone and watched her
character stuff before at the theme park. She was great.

“I have to go to work in a few myself. Have a great day, okay?”

“You too,” she said, still with a worried look. “You call me if you need anything okay?”

“I will.” I watched her go, thinking about how lucky I was once again. After I finished my tea and
straightened up a bit, the tightness had completely gone away. I dressed and went into work and began
my day.

“Mando!” I was dusting the guest room furniture when I heard the voice. I looked up to see Manny
standing there. He had brought the workers up to do some more work on the nursery. I laughed.

“Man-Do? Really? Would you do that to your child?”

“I might,” he said. “But since I’m gay I may never get the chance to find out.” I tried not to look
shocked. I had no idea Manny was gay. I saw him suppress a smile as he said, “Are you going to
judge me now?”

“Have you judged me for being unwed and pregnant?”

“Not in the least,” he said.

“That’s how I feel about you being gay, Manny. It doesn’t change who you are to me. You’re my
friend. Your lifestyle doesn’t factor into that.” He smiled broadly then.

“Thanks, so Man-do?”

Laughing, I said, “No way.” He left to head for the basement. Now that Alex wasn’t having parties
down there every night, there was a lot less for him to do. I saw him a lot more. But that was good. I
liked him a lot. I finished the guest room and was passing by the nursery. I hadn’t allowed myself to
look at it… especially after witnessing more than one fight between Cassandra and Alex over it. I

wasn’t sure how I felt about it still. Too many conflicting emotions.

“Miss?” I stopped. One of the workers was calling to me.

“Yes?”

“I needed an opinion on something. I saw that you were pregnant… I’m sorry, I don’t mean to
presume…”

I laughed. “I am pregnant,” I said. It was so obvious yet he was afraid of offending me.

“Is this nursery for your baby?” he asked.

“Yes, at least for now. I’m sure Mr. Reigns intends it for anyone who needs it.”

“Oh, well since it will be your baby’s for now, maybe you could look at the closet for me and see if it
looks like it will work.”

“Um… sure,” I followed him into the room and stopped dead in my tracks. The walls were a pale
blue color… so pale they were almost white. The windows, two large ones, were trimmed in dark
blue and the seat cushions in them were a dark and light blue paisley. There was a white crib and
dresser, a changing table and a rocking chair… It was huge and it was beautiful and it was completely
furnished, right down to toys and blocks in the dark blue squares that hung on the walls. There was
even a bookcase filled with bedtime story books. I had tears in my eyes.

“Miss? Are you okay?” one of the workers said.

Embarrassed, I shook off my emotion and said, “Yes, it’s just so lovely. You’ve all done a great job.”

“Thanks, most of it was Mr. Reigns’ direct instruction. He didn’t get technical on the closet though.”
He pulled open the double doors of the closet and my jaw dropped. It was a walk-in closet with rods
above and below to hold clothing and a spinning rack for hats and shoes. I knew that was what they
were for, because they were both full. So was the upper rod. There were clothes and hats and shoes
and an entire wall filled with diapers. I’d bought him one or two things, but this was an entire
wardrobe. “You see this here?” he said, pulling a smooth oak table out of the wall. “It’s supposed to
be another changing space. It folds up out of the way here when you’re done with it. I’m just worried
it’s too tall. Mr. Reigns approved it, height and all… but I look at you and think you won’t even be
able to reach the baby.”

I walked over closer. He was right. The table came up level with my neck. I looked at him and said,
“How tall are you?”

“About six two,” he said.

“Will you stand right here?” I asked him.

He came over and stood next to the table. I knew what it was for. It was Alex’s table. It was where he
would put the baby when he changed him. The tears flooded my eyes again. He really was preparing
to be a father.

“You okay?” he asked again. I smiled and nodded.

“Just pregnancy stuff,” I said. “I think if that’s the way Mr. Reigns asked for it, he probably has his
reasons. I’d leave it.”

“Okay, thank you, Miss.”

“You’re welcome,” I told him. I took one last look at the beautiful room. Then I walked back out and
got my cart from the hall outside the guest room. I started to push it towards the master suite when I
suddenly felt a gush of warm liquid rush down my thighs and puddle on the floor. I looked down at it
in horror. Did my water just break? It couldn’t have… it was too soon. I took a towel off my cart and
draped it over the puddle in the floor. As I bent over a pain ripped through my stomach as if to prove
that too soon or not, this was it.

I made sure the puddle was covered so no one would slip in it and I waddled into the guest room.
Taking my phone out of my pocket, I called the front gates. The man on duty today was named
Raymond and he was always really nice.

“Hi Raymond, it’s Victoria.”

“Hello there, Miss Hart! How is the day going?”

“Well Raymond, I believe that I’m in labor.”

“What?” he sounded nervous suddenly. “What should I do?”

I smiled through the pain of the next cramp… or contraction I suppose it was. “I’m going to call an
ambulance Raymond. I just wanted to let you know so that you wouldn’t be surprised.”

“Miss Hart, you sure seem calm for a lady who is about to have a baby.”

“It’s a really good act,” I told him, honestly. “I’m a wreck.” I hung up with Raymond and called the
ambulance. I told them the address and that the front gate was expecting them. Then I hung up and
waddled to the elevator. I was getting nervous because the pains were becoming more intense. I
didn’t want to have the baby here. When I got to the main level I made my way to Karen’s office. One
look at me and she was on her feet.

“Vicki? What is it?”

“The baby is coming,” I said. “My water broke and I’m having contractions.”

“Oh no! How early is it?”

“About five weeks,” I told her. I was trying not to think about that. I was trying to stay positive. I think
Karen realized too that this was no time to worry. It was too late for that anyways.

“I’ll call an ambulance,” she said, picking up the phone.

“I did that already,” I told her. “I also let the front gate know they’re coming.”

She laughed. “Even in labor, you’re efficient. What should I do then? Should I call Alexander?”

“No! No, don’t bother him. I can do this. I’ll call my roommate. She’ll come be with me.” Karen
looked sad, but she nodded. I heard the doorbell ring and looked back at her and said, “Wish me
luck.”

“The best,” she said with a hug. “As soon as my shift is over I will be there. I can’t wait to meet
him.”

I put my hand over my belly and felt a flutter of anticipation. “Me too,” I said. My little man would be
in my arms by the end of the day. I refused to believe that anything could go wrong.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

ALEXANDER

I had just finished with my first meeting of the day when my phone rang. I looked at it and saw that it
was the house calling. I excused myself and stepped out into the fresh, salty air. “Hello?”

“Mr. Reigns, it’s Karen.”

I could tell by the tightness in her voice that something was wrong. “What is it, Karen? What’s
happened?”

“I’m not supposed to be calling you. She didn’t want to disturb you…”

“Karen, just tell me what is wrong.”

“Victoria’s waters broke. She’s on her way to the hospital.”

“Oh my God, alone?”

“She said she would call her roommate, but for now, yes, she’s alone.”

“Damn! Okay, thanks for calling me, Karen.” I hung up and called my pilot. “How long before you
could file a flight plan and get me home?”

“We could leave within the hour, sir.”

“Okay, but the sooner the better, alright? I’m headed to the airport now. Get everything ready.”

“Yes sir.”

I hung up with him and called Cassie. She was out of the beach, of course. “What is it, Alex? We
don’t leave until tomorrow. Why are you bothering me?”

“I have to go home,” I told her.

“What? Now? Why?”

“Victoria is in labor.” I heard the hesitation. All along I had wondered if she’d figured it out… or
heard the rumors.

“So why does that involve you?” she finally said. She sounded reluctant to ask, but it was a fair
question. This wasn’t the way I’d wanted to do this, but it had to be done.

“Cassandra, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this before.” I was already stepping into the back of the car
that would take me to the airport. “The baby is mine. Victoria and I were together one time…”

“You bastard! You cheating slime!”

With a sigh I conceded in my head she had a right to be angry. Taking another deep breath I said, “I
didn’t cheat. You and I were in the middle of divorce proceedings. I slept with her. She got pregnant.
I wish I could tell you I was sorry, so that you would feel better… but I’m not.”

The airport was only ten minutes away. We were already driving up to the hangar when she said,
“This is what that stupid nursery was about! You knew all along and you had ample opportunity to tell
me you lying, cheating bastard!”

I stepped out of the car and said, “You have a right to be upset, Cassie. But I won’t stand for you
calling me names. When you get home, we’ll talk about this and figure it out.”

“I’m not raising that maid’s brat!”

“You would never be expected to,” I told her. “Victoria will be raising her child and I will be there
to help her as much as she needs.”

“You’re insane! You’re married! Do you know what the tabloids will do with this?”

“I don’t care. I’ve thought about this a lot, Cassie. You know as well as I do that you and I are not
going to last forever. We may as well just cut our losses now. I want to try and make it work with
Vicki and our child.”

“You’ll be very, very sorry Alex! You’ll rue the day you met that manipulative little tramp!”

With a low growl I didn’t even know I possessed I said, “You can call me what you like. Do not ever
refer to my child as a “brat” again, or his mother as anything other than the beautiful lady she is.”
Before she was able to spew any more ugliness, I hung up. Strangely, I felt better than I had in a very
long time.

VICTORIA

The ambulance delivered me to the emergency room and from there I was taken to the OB/GYN wing
of the hospital. A lady with a clipboard came and checked me in and I did the best I could answering
her questions between my labor pains. When I finished with her, an elastic strap with a fetal monitor
on it was attached around my abdomen. The nurse started an IV in my hand and took my vital signs.

“Take deeper breaths, honey,” she said. I tried. It was hard to breathe when your insides felt like they
were being ripped out. She took the oxygen sensor reading again and still not satisfied she turned on a
small oxygen tank and put the tubes in my nose and said, “Just relax and breathe normally.” Sure,
relax… right. I wonder if she’d ever experienced labor. I wasn’t even that far into it and I was sure
that there was going to be no relaxing for me.

After she did all of that, she put on her gloves and said, “We’re going to see if you’re dilated.” My
feet were put into the dreaded stirrups and she did her checking. It was almost as uncomfortable as
the labor pains. When she was finished, she snapped off her glove and said, “You’re only at about
two. We’ll see how you progress. We might have to have you walk for a while to speed things
along.”

Walking sounded like torture at the moment. My belly seized up into another pain and this one
traveled across my back. The nurse watched me and looked at the monitor. “They’re about five
minutes apart. They’ll get closer as you progress and you’ll dilate more. Are you going to want the
epidural?”

“No,” I told her. “I want to do this all natural.” She raised an eyebrow but she didn’t say anything.
She fussed around me a little more.

“Okay, I’ll be back in about half an hour. Press the call button if you need me before that. Is there
anyone waiting that you would like me to send in?”

“No, no one thanks.” I hadn’t called Liz. There was no reason for her to leave work and sit here
worried. I would call her after.

“Maybe I could call someone for you? Dad?”

Dad is in Belize with his wife. “No thank you,” I said, simply. Her eyes looked sad, but I’m sure
she’d seen it before. She left and suddenly I was alone. I had another terrible cramp and I realized
that the little man was trying to tell me that I was wrong. I wasn’t alone and after today, I never would
be again. After the cramp passed I rubbed my belly and said, “You and me, kid. We can do this.
We’re going to be okay.”

ALEXANDER

The flight seemed to take forever. It was almost a five hours. I wondered if I would get there in time,
or if the baby would already be here. I wondered how much danger the baby was in by being a month
early. I kept thinking about her going through this all alone. I could hardly stand the thought of it. All I
knew of having a baby was what I’d seen in the movies and on television, but it looked very painful.
No one should be alone in that kind of pain. Vicki shouldn’t be alone… in pain or not. I was going to
do whatever I had to do once I got there, to make sure it never happened again.

I took out my laptop and typed in: premature labor and delivery. I read through a lot of medical sites.
None of them seemed to worry much about a baby that was born at thirty-five weeks. It seemed that
everything major would be developed and working by that time, the major concern would be weight
and developmental milestones. After that, I read through some of the testimonials of people who had
children born premature. One woman who’d had her baby at thirty-five weeks noted that at that point
the child wasn’t even considered premature, but “pre-term.” She said he was four years old now and
keeping up with his peers in both his growth and his development.

Another mother said her son was only three pounds at birth. The doctors thought he would be small
and sickly most of his life. He’s fifteen now, she said and over six foot tall. Reading all of that made
me feel better. It also made me feel strange. I knew I was getting attached to the idea of having a son. I
just hadn’t realized how attached.

I was thinking about things now in the future; when he learned how to walk and talk, when he started
school, when he had his first girlfriend. I wanted to be there for all of it. I wanted to be someone that
he could look up to and respect. I didn’t want to just be some rich guy who had a gaggle of lawyers at
his disposal that told him what to do and how to do it. I also wanted to be with his mother. I wanted
Vicki more than I had allowed myself to admit. I care for her so deeply that my chest physically aches
when I think about it.

Cassandra can take the money. The tabloids can have a field day. My parents can give me their
quizzical, disappointed look. I don’t care because I knew that this had actually worked out perfectly.
I’d fallen for her by accident and it took everything that happened in between to make me realize that
she was the one I’d been waiting for my entire life.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

VICTORIA

I realized as I was dilated to about eight and the contractions were about two minutes apart, the
reason God had invented the maternal instinct… if not for that, I may have just given up and said,
“Forget this, I’ve changed my mind.” But there was that instinct there that drove you on. You knew
that you had to do this and make sure this baby came safely into the world. I wanted that more than
anything at this point. I wanted him to be safe and healthy. While I lay there for the two minutes that
seemed to only be two seconds, between pains, I tried to imagine what he would look like. I hoped
that he had Alex’s eyes and maybe my blonde hair. He’d be gorgeous. I can’t imagine that he’ll be
anything else anyways. I often wondered if parents of unattractive children would even know if they
were unattractive. I doubted it and then I thought about my mother and her endless criticisms. I vowed
that no matter what, I’d never be like that. I was going to do my best every day to tell him something
good about himself. I wanted him to grow up knowing that anything was possible as long as he
believed in himself. I was finally beginning to believe that about myself, but it had been a long time in
coming.

“Victoria! How are you?” My doctor had arrived at last.

“Hi Dr. Patterson. I’m doing okay…” Another pain seized me. He watched the monitor as it did.

“I know you’re probably a little bit anxious because we’re a little early. But at this point, the chances
are you’ll have a very healthy baby. He will likely be small… but if we have to, we’ll keep him here
until he gains enough weight. His heartbeat is good and strong and you’re young and healthy, so all
should go well.”

I nodded, another pain was starting; I tried to breathe through it, but it was getting harder. I could feel
the sweat begin to bead up and roll down the side of my face. I was really glad I’d pulled my hair
back this morning or it would be a sticky mess in my face.

“They’re getting a lot closer. Are they harder too?” I nodded again. I’d barely begun to relax from that
one and another started. Involuntarily a little cry escaped my lips. “I’m going to have the nurse come
in and we’ll check you again. I think you may be ready.”

The nurse came in and together she and the doctor checked. He said that I was dilated to ten and
“fully effaced” whatever that meant. I didn’t care. I just wanted to get this show on the road. I
concentrated on the pains while the bed was broken down and moved around underneath me. I heard
the doctor say that he was “crowning” and I could push soon.

“Sir! You can’t just come in here!” I turned my head and thought I was hallucinating. Alex was
standing in the doorway and the five foot tall nurse was trying to block the big man’s way into the
room. His face looked more determined than I’d ever seen it.

“It’s okay. He’s the father.” She stepped aside. I think he would have stepped over her if she hadn’t.
He came up to the bed and grabbed my hand.

“Are you okay? Is the baby okay?”

With tears in my eyes I nodded. “We’re fine. What are you doing here?”

“Karen called me, thank God. I wasn’t going to let you go through this alone. Besides, I wanted to be
here. I want to see my son be born. I hope that’s okay with you.”

I felt a tear escape down my cheek as another pain hit me. I tightened my grip on his hand. It was
amazing how much it helped to have him to hold on to. When I could speak again I said, “It’s better
than okay. Thank you.”

He looked distressed, like he hated seeing me in pain. It made my heart feel good, especially when he
leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. When he stood back up, I had the worst pain I’d felt so far
and I felt an incredible need to bear down.

“Doctor! I need to push.”

He was doing something on his end and he said, “Hang on just a second Vicki, just one more
second…”

“No! I have to push now!” Alex still looked distressed, but he put his hand on my forehead and
brushed the hair there back and made shushing noises.

“You’re doing so good Vicki. I’m so proud of you. You can do this. Thank you for doing this. Thank
you for not letting anyone pressure you to do something you didn’t believe in. I’m so very proud of
you.”

“Okay Vicki,” the doctor said. “With the next pain, push as hard as you can.” I started to nod, but the
pain hit and I pushed. I felt like I was crushing Alex’s hand but he didn’t seem to care.

“You can do this. You got this. I can’t wait to meet our son.” It only took about three pushes and he
was out. The pain was over. I was shaking all over and my baby was crying… loudly. Alexander was
grinning from ear to ear and suddenly a wiggly, wet little baby boy was laid across my belly. I looked
down at him, all covered in muck and I knew that I would never see anything as beautiful again.
“Look what you did,” Alex said with tears in his eyes. “He’s beautiful.”

“He’s perfect,” the doctor said. “A little small, but not too bad. Dad, do you want to cut the cord?”
Alex’s eyes were a mixture of joy and terror.

Alex looked at me as if asking for permission and I said, “Go ahead.”

The baby’s cord was clamped close to his belly and the doctor handed the scissor things to Alex. His
hand trembled slightly as he snipped and once the baby was loose the nurse said, “I have to clean him
up and weigh him. He’ll be back in a minute or two.”

Alex was still staring at him in awe. “Hurry,” he said. He dropped down in the chair next to my bed
and lay his head down against me. I could smell his musky shampoo and I couldn’t help myself… I
ran my hand through his soft hair. He closed his eyes and just lay there for a few seconds and then he
lifted his head up and looked at me again. I saw the same awe and wonder in his eyes that he’d
looked at the baby with and it filled me up with such strong emotion that I wasn’t sure what to do with
it all… so I cried again.

***

The nurse brought our beautiful boy back to us, wrapped tightly in a blanket. He was all cleaned up
and his skin was pink and beautiful. He was so small that as I held him I was afraid he might break.
He was wearing a little stocking cap and Alex pulled it up and peeked underneath. “Blonde fuzz,” he
said with a grin. The baby had his eyes closed, so I hadn’t seen the color yet, but none of that
mattered. He was gorgeous and like the doctor said, “Perfect.”

“How much does he weigh?” I asked.

“Four pounds eleven ounces,” the nurse said.

“Wow, that’s incredible,” Alex said. “It’s amazing that something that weighs less than five pounds
can be such a perfect little person.”

“It is amazing. It’s also amazing that I already love him so much. My chest feels like it’s going to
burst when I look at him.”

Alex reached over and let his finger trace the round line of his tiny little face and said, “Me too.” I
looked up at him and I could see that he was as consumed by this child as I was. That did my heart
good because no matter what ever happened with he and I… anything or nothing, the baby would have
a father who would love him. “Do you know what you want to name him?” he asked me.

“No, not yet,” I said. I thought about Manny and all of his silly names. “What’s your middle name?” I
asked him.

“Michael,” he said.

“Hmm, I like that. What about Michael Alexander Reigns?”

He pulled his head up to look at my face quickly like he was afraid I was kidding. “Really?”

I nodded, “Yes, I like it, don’t you?”

The tears began to flow freely down his face and he said, “I love it. I didn’t think you would give him
my last name.”

“Is that okay?”

“I don’t think I could put into words how okay it is,” he said. He touched the baby’s cheek again and
said, “Hi there, Michael Alex. I’m your daddy.”

We sat there silently staring at him, watching him sleep, watching him breathe and finally I asked the
question that had to be asked. “What about Cassandra… and the lawyers… and the tabloids…”

He sighed and said, “Cassie will not be easy. She’s angry and I understand that she has a right to be.
But most grown-ups would take that anger and try to begin their own new life. Cassie is not most
grown-ups. She’ll come at me hard… and you.”

“I should probably not work at the house then…”

“Cassie’s not going to be at the house, Vicki. I’m going to finish the divorce. I don’t love her. I’m not
going to stay with her out of fear that she’ll take my money any longer. My attorneys can deal with her
and I’ll do my best to help them reach a settlement with her that she’s satisfied with. But I don’t want
to be with her any longer. We’re both miserable and it’s as unfair to her as it is to me.”

That news made me happier than I probably had a right to be. I felt a little ashamed that a divorce
made me happy. But I’d heard so many awful fights and I’d borne witness to the fact that he was right;
they didn’t belong together. “I want to share him with you, Alex… but please promise me something.”

“Anything,” he said.

“Please promise me you will never try and take him from me. I couldn’t bear it. I already love him so
much that the thought of being without him makes it hard to breathe.”

He shook his head and looked back down at our son. “I promise. I would never consider it. He needs
you and you need him and we need each other. We’re a family now. How ‘bout that, Michael
Alexander? You made us a family.” He looked up at me again. His long, dark eyelashes were wet
with residual tears and he said, “Vicki, I’m so sorry for everything. After we were together that day in
the basement… I was so confused. I didn’t understand why being with you had made me feel so
differently from being with the other women I’d been with since Cassie left. I was overwhelmed by
the emotional part of it and it scared me to death so I just tried to ignore it and pretend it never
happened. That was so wrong.”

I reached up with the hand that didn’t hold our son and touched his face. “It was a confusing
situation,” I said.

“Maybe,” he said. “But my behavior was inexcusable.”

“But not unforgiveable, and that’s what matters.” He brought my hand to his lips and held it there for a
few beats.

“Thank you,” he said. “I need to apologize for so much more… the lawyers, the fights with Cassie
that you had to overhear… I thought that I was grown up and a man of the world and then I slept with
my maid and realized I didn’t know anything at all.”

I laughed. “I think I have a lot of that growing up stuff left to do myself,” I told him. “Maybe Michael
can help us with that.”

“Vicki?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I hold him?”

“Of course.” I scooped the tiny little man with one hand under his bottom and kept the other under his
head as I handed him to Alex. Then I watched as the baby yawned and stretched and peeked open one
of his little eyes… his hazel eyes. He looked at his daddy and the look on Alex’s face was priceless.
They were bonding and I knew that my baby would never have to want for anything, most especially
love.

When Alex was able to tear his eyes away from Michael he said, “Michael and I were wondering if
his Mama might consent to having a date with his daddy when she gets out of the hospital?”

I laughed and said, “Mama would love that… but I don’t think I’ll be able to get too far from him for
a while.”

“That’s okay,” Alex said, looking down at his son. “He has a standing invitation.”

Holly Rayner

The sequel to this story is coming soon!

Document Outline

CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

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