The Billionaire's Secretly Fake Bride (MANHATTAN BACHELORS Book 3)

by Susan Westwood

  “You want to tell me the story?”

  “First off, how did she get this information?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I was a juvenile when it happened. Those records are sealed.”

  “Tory knows some influential people. I’m sure she did something bad to do it. So it’s true?”

  Violet swallowed again. “Yes it is.”

  “Tell me what happened?”

  He put a hand on hers. She needed his warmth. He didn’t seem mad, only curious. She licked her lips. Here goes. “My boyfriend robbed a convenience store. I had no idea he was going to do it. He said he was stopping to get a soda. I was waiting in the car. I was driving because I had just gotten my license.”

  “He robbed the place. Was he an adult?”

  “He was eighteen at the time.”

  “You must have been scared,” Amedeo said.

  “I was. My mother had no money for bail so I spent two weeks in the juvenile detention hall.”

  Amedeo wasn’t mad? He squeezed her hand. “What happened to the guy?”

  “He went to jail. I never saw him again. I never wanted to. That time in jail scared the crap out of me. I wasn’t going to depend on a man.”

  “Ironic that you have to depend on me,” Amedeo said.

  He sipped his wine. Violet watched as his Adam’s apple went up and down.

  “Yes it’s difficult.”

  “You can stop worrying. I believe you. I’m going threaten Tory with a restraining order to leave us alone,” Amedeo said.

  Not only had he believed her, he was siding with her. Tory was going to be history. Violet let out a breath. The food settled in her stomach. She smiled at Amedeo. “Thanks for believing me.”

  “Not a problem. You haven’t lied to me yet.”

  She nodded. “Shall I do dishes?”

  “I have something better in mind.”

  He led her to the bedroom. Her body was ready just thinking about it. He undressed her like a fragile doll. No one had ever seen her that way. She felt cherished as he kissed her up and down. He lit fires as his lips touched her.

  “You’re so soft, Violet,” he whispered.

  His voice came out ragged. She liked that she could do that to him. She had barely touched him. She took his erection in her hand. He gasped. He was hard. “You’re so hard, Amedeo.”

  “Then things are as they should be,” he said, chuckling.

  “I can’t wait any longer. Get inside of me.”

  He braced himself over her the slid into her. She arched up to meet him. This man who was powerful, but so vulnerable when she was naked. She knew he couldn’t resist her. “I want to be on top.”

  He rolled them both so that she was straddling him. She set up a slow, torturous rhythm. His eyes fell closed. She couldn’t help smiling. Then she was close. Damn. She’d done that. He lifted his hips to meet hers, but she was in control and her orgasm was just on the horizon.

  She had her hands on his chest her hips moving up and down, faster now that she was close. He put his hands on her to move her fast. She fell off the cliff as he scrunched up his face and followed her. She slumped onto his chest.

  They were so good in bed. How would she ever leave him?

  ***

  Amedeo left Violet sleeping in his bed. He liked that she would be there when he returned. He shouldn’t get used to her being there. Her presence was temporary. He had to remember that. Not that he would fall in love. He doubted he’d ever love anyone again. Not after how Tory had treated him.

  He had to insist that she stop harassing him. He had his driver take him to her apartment. This was done. After his visit, she would either agree to leave him alone or he would get a restraining order. He didn’t want to see her again and he didn’t want Violet to be upset. Not in her condition. He wanted his child happy and healthy.

  Tory coming around wouldn’t help that. Besides, Violet had a job to do. Amedeo didn’t want her distracted.

  Tory lived in a cottage on her parents’ estate outside of Princeton. They’d met at a Christmas party three years ago. Her parents and his mother had nudged them. He’d been attracted to her, but it took him awhile to really get to know her.

  Tory worked at a public relations firm her father had started fifteen years earlier. She’d never had a job that her father hadn’t gotten for her. That fact had never bothered Amedeo until now.

  Violet got through life on her own. Tory didn’t know how to stand by herself. The woman had done him a favor when she broke the engagement. She might have been too clingy. She might never have appreciated how much he worked.

  She’d talked about quitting her job and he hadn’t been able to talk her out of it. What would she do all day? She would shrug her shoulders. “Take care of you.”

  He didn’t know how much of that he really needed. Meals and that was it. He could cook so even those weren’t crucial. He had a cleaning person and someone to stock his refrigerator. Where would Tory have fit in?

  He didn’t know and it didn’t matter. Violet had fit seamlessly into his life. She would probably leave a hole when she left, but he couldn’t think about that. Her leaving was inevitable.

  They hadn’t resolved the issue of custody of the baby, but they had time.

  Amedeo’s driver took him past the main house on the estate. He hoped no one was looking out the window. He didn’t want Tory’s parents to know that he was visiting her. They might get their hopes up. They’d lobbied on their daughter’s behalf for him to take her back.

  He figured they wanted to be rid of her. A grown woman, living that close to her parents. He didn’t understand it. He loved his mother and he did see her once a month, but they had separate lives

  That’s how it was supposed to be.

  He knocked on Tory’s front door. She opened the doors dressed as if she’d just come from the office. She probably hadn’t, but that was how she looked. All. The. Time. She’d get up after sex and brush her hair.

  No snuggling. No afterglow. Just primping. As if having sex with him had been a chore. He hadn’t looked at it that way until his night with Violet. She’d stayed in his bed. She hadn’t seemed to care what she looked like.

  Of course, at that point, she hadn’t expected to see him again. Then again, she wasn’t self-conscious having sex with him.

  Her smile didn’t reach her eyes.

  “Amedeo. Come in.”

  She moved aside so he could enter. This wasn’t going to take long. He hoped at least. “We need to talk.”

  She grabbed his arm with both hands. “I’ve been hoping you would say that. I’ve been waiting for this.”

  He tugged his arm from her grip. “I’m sure I’m not going to say what you want to hear.”

  The smile fell off her face. “Why? Aren’t you coming back to me?”

  “No, Tory. I’m not. Please leave me alone.”

  “I think you still love me, Amedeo. I’m sure of it.”

  “I’ve already moved on, Tory.”

  She clenched her hands, then stamped her foot. She looked like a tall toddler. “You have not. I forbid it.”

  Damn. He’d forgotten how she insisted on getting her way. Always. If he didn’t give in, his life would have been Hell. What had he seen in her? Why had he wanted to marry her? Had he just been giving into pressure from her and her family?

  Never again. He wouldn’t marry. He wouldn’t love. No one. He’d lived so much of his life on his terms. Why had he stopped?

  Must have been the blow jobs. Tory was phenomenal at them. She’d managed to never mess up her hair when she did them.

  He sighed. “I have, Tory.”

  Should he tell her about Violet? Might get Tory off of his back. She’d be pissed.

  “I already have a new lover, Tory,” he said.

  Her eyes widened and tears moistened them. Were they real? He doubted it. Tory didn’t do anything unless it benefited her. Now would be no different.

  “That woman
I saw at your house? I bet she didn’t even graduate from college.”

  Violet’s education, or lack of, was not a concern for him or Tory. It was none of Tory’s business.

  “Yes. Violet is her name.”

  “Bitch.”

  “No, she isn’t a bitch. In fact, she is the mother of my child.”

  Tory gasped. “She’s pregnant?”

  “Yes, she is, Tory. And I’m happy about it. I’m looking forward to being a father.”

  “Don’t you see, Amedeo? She’s a gold digger.”

  “I’m a good judge of character, except for you, she isn’t. I’ve had her checked out.”

  “Then why didn’t you know she was in jail?”

  “Because that was part of her juvenile record. You had no right seeing that.”

  Tory shrugged. “Whatever. She’s going to take your money then run back to whatever hole she came out of.”

  “Either way, I’ve moved on. Leave me alone, Tory.”

  He left her standing in her living room.

  ***

  Violet sat in the doctor’s office wondering where Amedeo was. He was supposed to meet her here. He’d gone into work and she’d slept in. She had her first appointment with the obstetrician who would deliver her baby. And they were doing an ultrasound.

  A nurse opened a door to the back. “Violet Taylor?”

  Violet glanced at the entrance to the office one more time before she rose to follow the nurse.

  “I need to weigh you. Do you have any idea what your normal weight is?”

  She told the woman before she stood on the scale. This might be the only time in her life she would look forward to being weighed. Gaining weight was healthy in this case. The nurse wrote down her numbers, then led her to an exam room.

  “Remove everything from the waist down. Here’s a paper to drape over your lap. Do you require a nurse with your during the exam?”

  “No.”

  The nurse left then Violet undressed. She sat on the exam table swinging her legs. She wished Amedeo was here. She was nervous and a little scared, not that she expected bad news.

  Someone knocked on the door. “Come in.”

  A smiling young woman entered with a folder in her hand. “Hello. I’m Doctor Baron. You must be Violet.”

  Violet shook the woman’s hand. “Hello.”

  “Well, so you’re having a baby. Do you have any idea how far along you are?”

  “I’m guessing eight weeks.”

  “Then we’re doing this ultrasound at the perfect time.” The doctor perused her chart. “Your blood pressure looks good. That’s important. You ready?”

  Violet nodded.

  “Lay back then.”

  She did as the doctor asked. On the ceiling someone had put cartoons about labor and pregnancy. Violet read them as the doctor readied the machine. “The wand will be put into your vagina and I’ll be able to see what’s going on in there. At this point, the baby doesn’t look like much, but it’s still a baby.”

  “Okay.”

  “You’ll feel some discomfort, but then it’ll be fine,” Doctor Baron said.

  The doctor looked at the screen as she inserted the wand into Violet. Her body adjusted to it inside of her so she was fine in a minute. She would have liked to have Amedeo here, anyway. Maybe she’d have a picture for him.

  “I have to look at a few things. I won’t be able to tell the sex of the baby yet. That’ll be during your next ultrasound in a few months. Do you want to know?”

  “Yes.”

  She and Amedeo hadn’t talked about it, but she wanted to know. Might make this all the more real. “Your husband couldn’t make it today?”

  “Uh, he got held up at work.”

  “That’s okay. Most men can’t see anything this time around. The next time it’ll be more important.”

  She still wished for him to be here, but then again she’d gone through so much of her life alone why should now be any different. She should enjoy getting the first glimpse of her child without him. His loss. Not hers.

  With that thought she smiled. “It’s fine.”

  “Okay. I’ve looked at all I need. I’ll print you a picture that the receptionist will have in an envelope for you.”

  “Thanks.”

  She removed the wand. “Now we’ll hear the heartbeat.”

  She took what looked like a radio with a microphone out of the cabinet. She put the microphone part on Violet’s tummy.

  “Listen.”

  There, she heard it. Her baby’s heartbeat. Suddenly it was all real. She had a human inside of her. She was going to have a baby. Amedeo’s baby. Her eyes moistened and she was overcome with emotion. Mostly good ones.

  “The heartbeat sounds great. So far your baby is healthy. The receptionist will have a goody bag for you and some recommended reading about what you can expect in the coming months.”

  The doctor put away the contraption that let her hear the baby’s heart. The sound still rung in Violet’s ears. She’d remember that sound forever. Her baby. Her child. She sighed.

  “You can get dressed. Make an appointment for about one month from now. I’ll see you again.”

  The doctor left. Violet dressed in a daze. This was all so real. Suddenly her life seemed so much better than it had ever been. Maybe she needed to think about keeping this child? Raising it with Amedeo in its life also.

  Still in a daze, she found the receptionist who gave her a bag and made another appointment for her. She left… only to find Tory waiting for her by the car. The driver gave her a look that said he’d tried to get rid of her.

  Not even this woman could kill her buzz right now. She was going to have a baby.

  “Violet. That’s your name?” Tory said.

  “Yes.”

  She’d told her that the first time they met. Violet crossed her arms wanting just to get this over with.

  “You’re pregnant. Amedeo told me last night. You know he’s going to take the baby.”

  “Huh?”

  When had Amedeo seen her last night? When Violet was sleeping? Had he gone out to see Tory? He hadn’t mentioned it. Why not? What had happened? Violet tried to keep a poker face on.

  “He’s not going to let someone like you raise this baby. No way. He’ll want to make sure this child has the best of everything. That won’t include you. You’ll be out in the cold.”

  Violet had dealt with mean girls before this, but never when she was pregnant. Tory’s words bothered her. They shouldn’t. The Amedeo that Tory was describing wasn’t the man that Violet knew. He’d taken her in. He fed her and made sure she was safe.

  Violet shook her head. She didn’t want Tory in her thoughts, but what the woman said cut her. Tory smiled then walked away.

  “I’m sorry, Miss Taylor. I couldn’t get her to leave,” the driver said.

  “Not your fault. Just take me to the office.”

  Violet settled into her seat, but Tory’s words rang in her head. They sadly replaced the sound of her baby’s heartbeat.

  Chapter8

  Amedeo went home at lunch time knowing he’d missed the appointment with Violet. He’d gotten caught up in something and couldn’t get off a conference call. He’d wanted to go to the meeting, but putting out a fire had taken priority.

  Sadly.

  He’d wanted to hear his baby’s heartbeat. He’d wanted to make sure that everything was okay. But business had gotten in the way. He had to make tough choices sometimes. Hopefully, Violet understood.

  She sat in his living room, staring at the gas fireplace when he arrived. That didn’t bode well. She was mad. Maybe she had a right to be. He put down his briefcase filled with work he planned on doing that afternoon.

  Violet was curled up on the couch. She hadn’t looked in his direction. He should have brought chocolate or something. He sat down next to her. She didn’t move or look his way. Her gaze stayed on the fake flames in the fireplace.

  “I’m sorry, Violet. I got
caught up in a conference call,” he said.

  “It’s fine.”

  He knew it was anything but fine. “You need some lunch?”

  She shrugged. Her eyes looked as if she’d been crying. Was something wrong with the baby? Could they tell this soon? He didn’t really know. He hadn’t read as much about pregnancy as Violet had. He sighed.

  “Please talk to me, Violet. Tell me what I can do to make this up to you.”

  “I’m not mad at you, Amedeo. Disappointed that you weren’t there, but not mad.”

  “Again, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

  “It’s fine.”

  She still didn’t look at him, which made him antsy about whether she had truly forgiven him or not. “Is the baby okay?”

  “Uh huh.”

  She handed him a piece of paper. He couldn’t identify what it was. “I’m stumped.”

  She patted a white lumpy thing in the picture. “That’s our baby.”

  He had to admit he was unimpressed. The bugger was pretty small right now. “That’s going to be a human?”

  “Yep.”

  She shot him a glance finally. He took her hand. “Wow. That’s pretty impressive that you’re going to grow this thing inside of you.”

  She shrugged. “Women have been doing it for years.”

  “Still. I’ve never known anyone who grew one of mine in them.”

  She didn’t laugh, just flashed him a quick smile. What was her problem? “Is everything okay with you?”

  “Sure.”

  “Did the doctor say something to upset you?”

  “No everything is fine with the baby.”

  He sighed again. “I’ll make us some lunch. Grilled cheese and tomato soup?”

  “Fine.”

  He left her, but he kept looking back at her. She didn’t move. He made them lunch then brought it to her. She ate, not devouring the food like she usually did. Something was definitely wrong. He would have to drag it out of her.

  He cleaned up from lunch then sat down with her again. “Please tell me what’s wrong.”

  She shrugged. “Not sure I’m ready to talk about it.”

  “I can give you space if you want.”

  “Please.”

  He left her to do some work, but kept checking on her. Finally he couldn’t wait any longer. He sat down. “Violet, what happened today? Why are you upset? Please tell me.”