Daddy Plus One: A Single Dad Secret Baby Billionaire Romance

by Brooke Valentine

  I carefully constructed a message with very little detail of where I landed. I couldn’t risk any of this information falling into the wrong hands. I had gotten away from the nightmare and I had no interest in reliving the ordeal.

  I could smell the fresh paint on the walls. It was a good thing I wasn’t allergic to latex. It was a neutral color meant to allow the occupant to put their own touch on things. My analytical brain was more about functionality than style.

  I did have a pastime that I had never shared with anyone. Paint-by-number had given me an outlet for any kind of frustration. Not even Jason knew of the hidden spot in the basement of our two-bedroom home dedicated to my hobby. My pain was intricately splashed onto the canvas in bold black and red colors. It was a cathartic exercise and somewhat responsible for how I had finally cut the ties the puppet master was using to control me.

  I got dressed and twirled in place to see myself from every angle. The red high heels were to hopefully grab the attention of Mr. Snowdon. I wanted something unique without being a carbon copy of everyone else.

  “I know you can do this. Put one foot in front of the other and don’t look back. You can’t let Jason define you. No man should have the satisfaction of making any woman feel small and insignificant. I feel confident and self-assured. This is my job to lose. I won’t let some idiot with no brain in her head bump me out of the line. Nobody is going to intimidate me.” I kept repeating it like my own personal mantra. They were words to live by.

  I got into Lotus Position on my bed and closed my eyes to block out the ambient noises outside of the room. It felt good to be at one with myself. There were no obstacles I couldn’t overcome with perseverance.

  “I can’t go in there looking confused. My love of cars is going to give me an edge over the competition. The only stumbling block is my résumé. I don’t have any real experience. I will be able to convince them to give me a chance to prove myself.” I was breathing smoothly in through my nose and out through my mouth to get rid of all the bad toxins in my body.

  Living healthy wasn’t necessarily just about the body. The mind could get cluttered with nonsense. I was trying to avoid any unnecessary distractions. I was my own worst enemy. Sabotaging the interview would be easy if I found myself stumbling for words. Practicing was giving me the muscle memory to answer any of their questions.

  I could smell the coffee brewing and the necessary pick-me-up of caffeine was waiting for me. I had been trying to find a way to intravenously consume the caffeine without any hassle. Sipping it was taking away from my day. These were minutes I could’ve used in a more productive way.

  I looked around and felt at home. The exposed beams had this classic and modern touch. The iron railing leading to the second floor was a remnant from how the place looked back in the day. It was a mix of old and new coming together. I thought it was going to be awkward, but it wasn’t. I was content, but still not looking forward to the judgment looking across me at the interview. It was most likely my insecurities getting the best of me.

  I rummaged through my purse until I found my secret weapon. It was a subtle perfume not overpowering to the senses. It was a pleasure to inhale with a halo of the sweet essence surrounding me. I made sure to apply it to my neck and between my breasts as well as the inside of my wrists.

  My makeup was sparse. I felt it was unnecessary to paint my face like a clown or some common escort looking for her next John. I was ready for war. God help anybody who stood in my way. The confidence was building by the second.

  The frosted glass on the front door made it hard for anybody to see inside. I closed the drapes and looked at the bus schedule. It dawned on me that I could probably walk the few blocks to the office. I had not only chosen the place because of the architecture. It was all about location and how easily I could come and go as I pleased.

  I heard the clicking of my heels on the sidewalk and I stopped for a moment at the flower shop to inhale the fragrance of the many species. It was this cacophony of aromas that assaulted my olfactory sense. My favorite was the prerequisite red rose with all of its thorns. It reminded me of how I had shed two hundred pounds of dead weight from my life. Jason was the thorn and I was the bloom trying desperately to start over.

  I went a few more blocks and found myself staring up at a wall of windows. The best view was most likely at the very top. The ladder of success didn’t go any higher. It was a long way down. It was a lot of responsibility and no doubt strangled Mr. Snowdon on any given day.

  I straightened my back and walked with purpose. I took the elevator up to the necessary floor and found many applicants fine-tuning their resumes. It looked like a cosmetic doctor and his clientele had walked through the door. I felt a little overdressed. These girls were using the advantages God and plastic gave them.

  I took a seat and tried not to make eye contact with any of them. I concentrated my efforts on looking at the classic motif of black and white. You couldn’t go wrong with those two colors, displayed in everything from the floor to the furnishings.

  The seat was uncomfortable and made of some aerodynamic design. It was supposed to make your posture better. The black leather stuck to my legs.

  There was no girl behind the front desk. This process was what was going to fill that spot.

  “I don’t suppose you have a pen?” a girl asked me. She was my age of twenty-one, but she was clearly ready to break away from the control of her parents.

  “Keep it,” I said as I handed her one. “I have plenty more where that came from.”

  She was in no mood for idle chitchat. She went back to mumbling underneath her breath and scratching with the pen I had provided her with.

  I had no doubt there were those who were ready to embellish the truth to suit their purposes. I was going to rely on my good sense and judgment to force them to look at me as a viable candidate.

  I heard two people talking, and I glanced up to see a handsome man with a buzz cut walking with the long strides of his six foot two, two hundred twenty pound frame. There was no wasted motion. He was still talking when we made eye contact. It felt like butterflies were trying to escape my stomach.

  He almost walked into a door, but somehow he avoided it like some unseen radar was directing his movements. He disappeared behind the closed doors of the boardroom. The air was ripe with tension as each person walked through to the other side. I could almost sense certain anticipation for what their boss was going to say next.

  I was in fear of being lost in the shuffle. I was going to have to stand out from the crowd. The only way to do that was to leave a lasting impression.

  I was impressed with their latest offering. It was a little pricey, but the money was inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. It was always about the first to market. Thomas Snowdon was known for striking when the iron was hot.

  He came out and whispered to the woman conducting the interviews in a loud enough voice to be heard by the other candidates. “I want to see her in thirty minutes.” He was motioning in my direction. I looked around to make sure I wasn’t fooling myself into thinking his interest was in me.

  The girl conducting the interviews didn’t look very happy with how he had suddenly taken control. It appeared he was going to personally sit in on the interview, which was only going to make me more nervous.

  I was fed up and my nerves were frazzled. Thankfully, I had something to take off the edge. It wasn’t some illegal substance. I had brought along a thermos of hot herbal tea.

  Chapter four - Tom

  I saw all of these blank faces around the table. They were listening to my every word about the next projected fiscal year. Their expressions told the story of how they were seeing dollar signs in their eyes. The table was surrounded by those with the intellectual know-how to get things done. The one plainly in his own world was Logan.

  He was the pretty-boy blond surfer able to weasel his way into any woman’s pants. His dimples made girls fawn all over him. I tried my best t
o separate him from those I was interested in. He never took things too far, but he came dangerously close to the invisible line drawn in the sand.

  “I think you can all agree this next year is shaping up to be a good one. If we all play our cards right there might even be bonuses at Christmas.”

  The new car coming off the showroom floor was getting rave reviews from those in the industry. It took a few years to complete the design, but it was ready to become a household name.

  I kept thinking about the girl with those eyes that burned right into my soul. One look was enough for me to want to know more about her. I was ready to find out if she would be the best fit. I was hoping there was more to her than her casual appearance. She didn’t look like a pin-up model, but I loved how she carried herself.

  The atmosphere changed with relief exploding from the faces of my personal collection of the best minds sitting around the table. The mood shifted from foreboding to one of exhilaration. They were congratulating each other. Their self-importance was galling.

  “I have to say I was skeptical, but you changed my opinion,” said Logan. “The name didn’t exactly jump off the page when I first heard it. I was worried we were putting our eggs into one basket. It was a risk, but it appears to be paying off in big dividends. I was instrumental in the design phase. I’m glad we waited until we could iron out the bugs. It would’ve been premature to introduce this car a year ago.”

  Logan had a keen insight, but his priorities were mainly on which woman was going to find their mark on his headboard. I had no interest in taking a survey to find out how many women in my employment had dipped into the company well. I wasn’t comfortable with his philandering ways, but he was the perfect wingman when I was looking to score. I had no designs on the white picket fence and the happily ever after.

  “This has been a team effort, Logan.” I pulled my thoughts together. “We’ve all done our part to give this new automobile the respect it deserves. We’ve already had several pre-ordered, with some from around the world. This is the next step in the evolution of how we perceive transportation.”

  I kept looking at the clock on the wall wondering how I was going to make a discreet departure. I had several interviews for a new receptionist on a temporary basis leading to full-time potential. I had seen some of them on my way into the boardroom. There was not one of them in the bunch that screamed a passion for the business.

  I was going to have to pick, but I was quite selective in who I was willing to work with. The one with the kind eyes kept coming back like this wonderful mirage.

  One of my department heads was saying, “I know the future looks bright for the company. We have you to thank for keeping us from losing our heads. It’s been a long couple of years with a lot of hiccups along the way. We need to give you a round of applause for how you have never lost faith. This has always been your baby.” They all literally stood up and made me feel like I was being singled out.

  They smiled, but I knew from personal experience each one was looking to stab me in the back when the first opportunity presented itself. The only one I could trust was Logan. He was charismatic and funny. He was my Trojan horse within the group.

  “You are embarrassing me. Get out of this room before I find a reason to fire each and every one of you.” I was only teasing and the smirk on my face gave them a reason to walk away still basking in the afterglow of this year’s projections.

  Logan stood and headed over to Jessica and Angela from the accounts department. He was making them giggle like schoolgirls. I couldn’t help but notice the way they were sizing him up. He wasn’t shy about sharing his affections with others.

  He gave them both a light tap on the butt on the way out. It was a wonder he hadn’t been issued a warning from the human resources department on sexual harassment. He made it seem perfectly natural. The girls liked the attention more than they wanted to admit.

  “I hope you were taking notes. Mark my words. They will both be lying in my bed before the end of the night. I’m going to be having a few drinks with them and you’re more than happy to come along. I will say my curiosity for having a threesome with them has been piqued.” I suspected his motives were purely selfish. The one button open on his shirt was enough to draw them to him.

  “I have no doubt they will easily submit to whatever nasty thought is brewing in your head. I’m going to pass on this one occasion. I still have a lot of work to do. I need some help to deal with the monotony of running the day-to-day of this business. It would help to have some pretty young thing to motivate me.” I had seen a couple of guys and I was willing to go along with the farce of the interview for the sake of appearances.

  “It’s not exactly a sausage fest out there. There are many with the fake credentials and the flotation devices to go along with the superficial look.” He was able to cut through the crap. “Don’t be fooled by those bending over to give you more than an eye full. I don’t want you to be saddled with someone who doesn’t have a sense of humor.”

  “Damn it. I almost forgot about the conference call with Greece. They are very interested in investing. The company is well respected. I know what I’m willing to give up for the chance to bolster our self-image.” The black eye of one of our cars having to be recalled was still very much something I was trying to live down.

  “I know we don’t need their money, but grabbing onto the coattails of their reputation would do wonders… I was meaning to ask how last night turned out. I probably already know the answer, but there’s going to come a time when you will be smiling.” Logan was exactly like me except that he could control the bear during the times when the full moon wasn’t present.

  “I will have to play back the tape, but the blackout and fuzzy recollection of events are the same. The day I find a woman I can be with, body and soul, is the day I finally open my eyes to the possibilities. It’s lucky the bear tries not to hurt them during moments of sweet and torturous release.” Even now, it was still hard to focus with the remainder of the bear’s adrenaline burning off in my veins.

  “Tom, I wish I could tell you it was going to get easier, but I can’t do that. I may put on a brave face, but I worry for the day when you call me in the middle of the night begging for my help again.” The blood on the sheets and the self-recrimination was hard to ignore. “There haven’t been any unfortunate accidents in this city, but it’s only a matter of time. We’ve already seen it happen in Chicago, New Orleans, Texas, London, and the list goes on.”

  I remembered each time like it was yesterday. Logan was there each and every time to sweep it under the rug. I never asked him how he got rid of the bodies. I really didn’t want to know. It was a matter of plausible deniability. “It does seem like a growing exercise in futility. Every time we get comfortable things unravel in front of our eyes. I’ve been given two warnings already from the Alpha. There won’t be a third. He doesn’t know half of the things we have covered up in the name of self-preservation.”

  He was getting good at using bleach to cover the stench of blood in the room. “We have talked about this for long enough. You have some things to do and I’m going to try to catch up with those two girls.” Nothing short of a ball-peen hammer to the top of his head was going to prevent him from letting his inner beast play outside the darkness of his soul.

  I gazed longingly at the woman sitting uncomfortably and looking around like she didn’t belong. I could see she was close to leaving without saying one word. There had to be a way for me to keep her there for a few more minutes until I was able to conduct my business with Greece. I walked out while at the same time clapping for their attention. They all looked up expectantly like little children in a classroom. I was going to break the tension.

  “I apologize for keeping you waiting, but business stops for no one. Some of you know exactly what I’m talking about. I’m going to need a few more moments, but I will be back shortly to conduct these interviews personally. Mrs. Wilson will be there, but ultimately it is
my decision whether or not to hire the proper candidate. Be patient a little while longer. These kinds of opportunities don’t come up often.” I was purposely looking at the one who had grabbed me by the throat, metaphorically speaking.

  I rushed down the hallway without running to find Constantine waiting on the phone. He was quite anxious and we discussed how we were going to bring him into the fold.

  “I have high hopes for this merger. I have been watching you closely for some time and you have my deepest respect. Tom, this is really an easy decision and I’m practically throwing myself at you. We have hammered out the details and the last thing to do is to sign the papers. I will get 10% in exchange for my expertise and influx of cash. This will help you to maneuver yourself to be one of the bigger players in the game.” Constantine was never going to know the true purpose for this merger. Time did heal old wounds, but it was better to surround myself with those with stellar reputations. I wanted to take full advantage of their PR department.

  “I feel we have only begun to reach our full potential. Two cars are nothing compared to what I have in mind for the future. I want you there to revel in the revenue of millions a year. That isn’t an exaggeration. It’s a fact.” I was giving him no reason to back out at the last minute.

  “It’s never been about the company. I value the person behind the name. My business is family owned and operated. I know nepotism is frowned upon, but I need to look after my family.” His dedication to his family wasn’t an issue. I could find a use for the family component.