by Adams, S. C.
He grins and drops another kiss on my nose.
“I completely agree, baby girl. Those folks are practically running a scam, charging interest like that. Come to think of it, maybe I should get into the business, seeing how well-paid it seems to be. But anyways, the whole point of this was to call bullshit on you, sweetheart. I know it feels like you wouldn’t be able to manage a child right now, but that’s not true. You’re organized, dependable, and you have the heart of a mother. My guess is that if you were expecting twins at this very moment, you’d be able to manage just fine.”
My cheeks flame.
“I would not!” I gasp. But internally, the thought of twins with this man turns me on. Oh my god, could I do it? Could I have not one, but two babies with this incredible billionaire? Something inside me goes hot and wild, and I kind of want it, to be honest.
Carter grins again.
“Besides, no child of mine will have to worry. I’d pay all of his or her expenses, and baby girl, you wouldn’t have to quit your job. We’d find childcare of some sort, whether a nanny, a live-in nurse, an au pair, or whatever you like. If you want me to move your parents next door so that they can see their grandchild and help with babysitting, I’d be more than happy to. I made all this money, and what use is it if I don’t spend it on my family?” he asks rhetorically. “I don’t want to die the richest man in the cemetery.”
I nod, but I’m not ready to give up yet.
“Carter, we just met,” I say firmly. “You can’t say all this without really knowing me.”
He merely drops another reassuring kiss on my nose.
“Again, sweetheart, it’s my job to know people and I can read personalities quite well. You’re responsible, loving, and so sweet. You’d be a perfect mommy, Abby.”
I stare even as my breath goes fast. Oh my god, it sounds like he wants me to get pregnant. Am I imagining things? I have to ask.
“Do you want me to get pregnant?” I venture slowly. “Are you looking to become a daddy?”
“No,” he says, to my combined relief and disappointment. “I’m just saying that it’s not the end of the world, and there’s no need to panic. We have plenty of resources at our disposal, and I’d consider it a good use of my money to raise a child.”
I nod. Carter’s got a point, but this conversation is also being simplified, and I need to hash out some of the nitty gritty.
“But what about your time?” I ask slowly. “How would that work? You travel the world non-stop on cruise ships, and dock in exotic locales, but a baby can’t really do that. A baby needs stability and both of his parents, so I’m not sure how that would work out.”
He nods, looking serious.
“You’re right, sweetheart, and I haven’t thought about this in detail yet. But maybe for the beginning, you and the baby could travel with me? I don’t know. I’m just throwing things out there for us to consider because really, anything is possible. Money is no object.”
My heart thrills because it sounds like he wants a future with me. Could that be possible? It seems crazy, seeing that we just met, but suddenly the idea of cruising the world with Carter by my side, and his baby in my arms appeals to me. It’s the ultimate luxury, not to mention having this gorgeous man every night and a child suckling at my breast.
“Okay,” I say, taking a deep breath. “There would be a lot of details to work out, but let’s not worry about that now. I think we both agree that it’s just way too early to even think about getting pregnant. I mean, Carter, we just met. Like a few days ago, so I don’t think either of us is prepared to join ourselves together for life by sharing a child. And that is a permanent attachment, no matter what.”
He looks very serious.
“Of course it is, sweetheart, and I would never deny a child of mine.”
My eyes go wide. Wow, there is something so sexy about a man who takes control and who acknowledges his responsibilities. Compared to the boys I used to date, this man is a true alpha male who provides for his family, instead of the irresponsible teenage boys who touched me with clammy hands. Eew. How could I ever have been attracted to them where there are men like this in the world?
“Okay, so we’re agreed. Well, sort of. I’m not sure,” I finish with confusion. “But let’s just say we’re going to use birth control. What type do you want to try? I’m okay with anything as long as it doesn’t hurt.”
Here, the billionaire grows serious.
“Are you open to taking the pill?” he asks in a low growl. “There’s a doctor on board, and I can get him to prescribe a pack immediately if you want.”
I shake my head.
“First of all, it’s not that easy. If I start the pill, I have to start it at the beginning of my next cycle, which isn’t for two weeks or so. This cruise will be over before then, so I don’t think that’s going to work.”
“How about Plan B?” he asks thoughtfully. “That’s over the counter, isn’t it? So you won’t even need a prescription. If we don’t have it on-board, I can always have a helicopter fly it to us.”
I stare.
“Um, no need for a helicopter,” I manage in a choked voice. “That’s okay, because my second point was that I don’t really want to take chemical birth control. The truth is that my body functions just fine without any sort of interference, so I don’t really want to pollute it by pouring on the hormones.”
Carter frowns.
“Sweetheart, birth control doesn’t mean that you’re pouring on the hormones.”
I shake my head.
“Yes, it does. They dose you with all sorts of chemicals so that you’re basically tricking your body into thinking that you’re pregnant. It’s crazy, and I can’t do it to myself, not when my body has served me so well.”
His face falls, and those handsome eyes brood for a moment.
“I didn’t want to say this, but I don’t love condoms and diaphragms,” he says slowly. “I can always feel the latex, and it’s distracting. Not only that, but I sometimes can feel the diaphragm inside you too because I’m so big. It really ruins the mood, if you get what I mean.”
I nod, but my expression is firm.
“Yes, it kind of ruins the mood but what’s important is that we’re safe. I can see how diaphragms wouldn’t work given your enormous length,” I manage in a stammer. “So how about rubbers? We’ll use those, okay?”
But Carter’s expression is still troubled.
“Sweetheart, I just don’t love how they feel on me. I like my women sweet and natural, and totally bare too. It turns me off with that disgusting plastic smell, and it’s killed my desire in the past. Let me ask you a simple question: would you be okay with me pulling out?”
I stare at him, hardly able to believe my ears.
“You mean, when you’re about to come, you’ll pull out at the last moment?”
He nods, his gaze never leaving mine.
“Yes, that exactly. I know I sound like some ridiculous teenage boy, but it’s the best method for me if we don’t use the pill. And I swear I can do it. You’re not the first woman I’ve been with who’s said no to hormonal birth control, and I don’t have any children so far. Yet,” he adds with his hands up.
I stare at him.
“But you know even one drop inside me can get me pregnant,” I whisper. “We’d be playing Russian Roulette.”
He nods.
“I know, but I think that’s what would work best for us. Every method has its pros and cons, and baby girl, I just adore being inside you skin to skin. You’re so hot, tight, and wet, and the latex really blunts that sensation. Given what we’ve talked about in this conversation, would you be okay with pulling out? I promise, I can do it.”
I stare at him some more before taking a deep breath. Pulling out is risky, definitely, because all it takes is a small spurt, and I’d be pregnant. Yet, inside there’s a warm flush of heat because I trust Carter. Maybe we only just met but something about the billionaire puts my mind at ease, an
d I trust him with all my heart.
“You promise to pull out in time?” I ask in a soft voice.
“I promise,” he manages in a low growl. “You won’t regret it, I swear.”
With that, I loop my arms around his neck, smiling into that handsome face.
“I’m so happy with you, Carter, and I know we can make this work.”
“I know it, too,” he rumbles while those blue eyes pierce mine. “But I want to give you something to show you just how serious I am, Abby. Would you like to go to the jewelry store on board and we can pick something out for you?”
I gasp at him.
“Are you serious?”
He nods, those blue eyes fanning the flames of my heart.
“Yes, baby girl. I want to make you feel like a princess because you are a princess, sweetheart. You’re everything that I’ve dreamed of, and you deserve a gemstone to demonstrate my appreciation.”
I blush.
“You don’t have to,” is my whisper. “Gemstones and precious metals aren’t what I’m about. You know that,”
He nods, those blue eyes serious.
“Yes, and that’s what I love about you, Abby. You’re not materialistic at all, which is relatively rare given the women I’ve been meeting lately,” he says with a half-smile. But then the handsome man straightens again. “It’s because you’re so true and good that I need to get you a piece of jewelry,” he says. “Now let’s go,” Carter winks and with a slap on my bottom, he directs me out of his suite and down the hall to where the elevators await.
I can’t help but flush with heat, even as my wide eyes meet his reassuring blue ones. Is this really happening? Is this handsome man buying me jewelry because he feels something for me? My heart melts, and I smile tremulously at him. I’m falling in love with this man, and things don’t get better than this.
15
Abby
I must be in a dream. That’s the only explanation for me walking down the carpeted hallway with Carter by my side, holding my hand protectively within his big one.
“You don’t have to do this,” I whisper again. “This is way too much and I don’t even know what to say.”
He merely shushes me while pulling me along with a determined look in his gaze.
“Don’t speak sweetheart. You deserve this. One thing I’ve never understood is why the girls who deserve it the most think they don’t deserve it. By contrast, the girls who least deserve it always want all sorts of knick-knacks and trinkets. It’s confounding and damn perverse, come to think of it.”
I nod, looking at the ground.
“I just never thought it would happen to me,” is my quiet reply. “It’s like a dream come true.”
He pulls me into his arms quickly, looking down into my startled gaze.
“Good,” he growls. “I want to be your Prince Charming, and I want to sweep you off your feet, Abby. I want you to live your happily ever after because that’s what cruises are about. Wish fulfillment and helping you reach that next tier of happiness.”
Tears come to my eyes because there’s no way Carter could possibly know how over the top this is. The old Abby dated guys, sure, but they weren’t exactly generous. The opposite in fact. One of my old boyfriends, Taylor, used to conveniently “forget” his wallet all the time, and he’d ask me to pay for all sorts of things. It wasn’t just a meal here or there, or a movie ticket to the latest blockbuster. He had me paying for things like his entry fee to a season of intramural soccer, as well as his cable and phone bills. It was awful, and I still remember it.
“Please Abby,” he’d whined. “Do this for me, okay? Just this once. My cell phone bill is due in two days and I can’t risk getting it turned off.”
I stared at him with my hands on my hips.
“Just this once? I picked up our tickets to your fraternity’s formal for us last week, and that was a hundred bucks. That’s a lot.”
He looked down at his hands with a pout.
“I know, but I don’t get my paycheck until the end of the month, and you know that. Can’t you just spot me? I swear, I’ll pay it all back, and you know how the phone company is. If you’re late, they start dinging your credit score and I can’t afford that either. It’ll just send me into a death spiral where I won’t be able to get a job when employers see that I have a terrible credit score.”
I squinted at him. I’m pretty sure that the phone company does not in fact report to the three major credit bureaus. Plus, I was pretty sure that a lot of employers don’t check your credit report. Isn’t that against the law? But I was too tired to put up a fight.
“Okay fine,” I said with an air of defeat. “I’ll cover your phone bill this once, but not anymore. And you have to pay me back for everything that you owe me because you know that I’m here on scholarship. I have loans too, you know.”
Immediately, Taylor’s face was all smiles and he was like a golden labradoodle, happy as can be.
“Of course,” he chortled. “As soon as I get my paycheck, I promise. You’ll have that money in no time.”
The problem was that Taylor never paid me back. I don’t even know what he did with the money, actually, but it doesn’t matter. After a few months of dating him I realized I couldn’t go on like this. I could barely manage a student lifestyle on my own, and certainly couldn’t afford to support a second person on my measly part-time job.
So we broke up, but not right away. I’m ashamed to admit it but I wanted Taylor to like me, and I wanted to be seen around campus holding his hand. After all, my so-called boyfriend was from a rich family, and looked like he was descended from the Kennedys. He had thick brown hair, startlingly blue eyes, and an athletic build that spoke of football games at Thanksgiving. For a girl like me from the wrong side of the tracks, it was nice to date a preppy rich boy. But unfortunately, my pocketbook couldn’t take it, and Taylor and I broke up after one too many arguments.
But now, with Carter, things are completely different. The billionaire wants to treat me, and I know he isn’t going to forget his wallet. Heck, he owns this entire ship, so it seems unlikely that he’d have to do anything other than wave his hand and say, “It’s mine.” How did I get so lucky? Another warm wave of happiness rushes through my form and I look up at him as we stop before the jewelry store.
“Thank you, Carter. If I don’t get a chance to say thank you later, I just want to say it in advance now.”
He leans down and presses a gentle kiss to my lips.
“Of course sweetheart. Anything for my best girl.”
With that, he ushers me into the brightly lit space and my mouth drops open with awe. It’s gorgeous inside the jewelry store. The walls are pale cream, with a fluffy pink carpet underfoot. Glass cases line both sides of the room, and gorgeous gems sparkle and twinkle beneath the spotlights.
“Hi, may I help you?” asks a friendly looking older man with bifocals and gray hair. “My name is Truthers. Is there anything you’re looking for specifically?”
Clearly, Truthers doesn’t recognize Carter, but Carter merely smiles at me. I know now that my man actually doesn’t love the mumbo jumbo that comes with being CEO. He’d much rather go unnoticed as one of the crew, rather than fawned over with every need met.
“Hi Truthers,” he says in a low voice. “We’re just looking for something special for this young lady here. Is there anything you’d recommend?”
Truthers looks at me, a kindly smile on his face.
“Is this for a particular event?” he asks. “A celebration? A birthday? A wedding anniversary?”
My cheeks flush and I jump a bit.
“Oh no, we’re not married,” I say quickly, glancing at Carter. “We’re just buying something for fun.”
But my man steps in again.
“But don’t hold back on the diamonds. I want to get something gorgeous for Abby, and she’d look so good in something with a lot of sparkle, don’t you think?”
I go hot all over again. Oh my gosh,
it sounds like Carter’s willing to spend the big bucks on this piece of jewelry and my mouth opens into a round O. Again, this is so unlike my past boyfriends that I’m not even sure how to behave. But Truthers takes the reins.
“Of course,” he says, bowing a bit. “May I show you some nautical-shaped trinkets? They are very popular with passengers these days, and we just got some new trinkets in from the manufacturer that have been selling like hot cakes. Give me just one minute,” he excuses himself.
The older man bows again and steps to the back, where he rummages with his keys before unlocking a drawer and pulling out several velvet trays. Carter and I look at each other with anticipation, although there’s a muted gleam in his eyes. I wonder what he’s thinking?
Truthers returns to where we stand, placing several velvet trays before us on the glass counter. I gasp. The trinkets are adorable. There are miniature anchors, miniature dolphins, whales spouting water, as well as starfish, hermit crabs, and even a tiny ship with a foghorn.
“Oh my gosh,” I gasp. “These are so gorgeous.”
“Yes,” chortles Truthers. “And you can link these charms to a filigree bracelet like so,” he says, pulling out a thin silver chain with circular loops attached every quarter inch. “You can wear as many as ten charms per bracelet, and we also have a necklace that serves the same purpose. The necklace is even better,” he says in a hushed voice, “because you can wear thirty charms per necklace, which is three times more than the bracelets.”
I nod, astonished at how beautiful the jewelry is. I’m just about to ask to see the little whale when Carter interrupts.
“I’m sorry, but why don’t we look at something a little more high-end too?” he growls in a low voice. “These are great and all, but sweetheart, I don’t want you covered in whales and dolphins. I want you to wear diamonds.”
“But there are diamonds on these,” I protest, pointing to the crystal sparkles embedded in each trinket. “See?”