by Dahlia Rose
Chapter Five
The Montcalm Hotel was one of pure luxury. In just the two days that she’d been there, Adira felt pampered by the staff and more so by Favian. Her nausea was the worst in the mornings and Favian had room service bring her warm ginger tea and crackers as early as five a.m. Lynette came to the hotel and crashed on the couch where she worked most of the day.
Adira noticed how Remy looked at her, the interest in his eyes. They seemed to connect over a conversation about terabytes and other computer jargon she couldn’t follow before Lynette became engrossed in her work and so did he. But she saw the underlying glances and smiles they gave each other.
The decision was made that her little apartment would be kept as is until she knew for sure whether or not she would be staying in America. Favian insisted on paying the rent for the entire year to make her landlord happy. They emptied the fridge and made sure all perishables went to Lynette’s place before she packed up her clothes and the things she wanted to take with her. Her passport was up and Favian’s friend in the American Embassy in London helped expedite everything and they would be leaving on Saturday morning.
Favian didn’t fly commercial. She came to find out he had his own Learjet. She and her boxes would be heading back to the United States in style. One would expect her to have stars in her eyes at all the luxury, but Adira knew how fleeting everything was and vowed never to let it go to her head. At the end of the day she had to be Adira Potts and teach her values to the child growing inside her.
“Let’s go out and sightsee.” Favian walked into the room, sliding his cell phone into his pocket. “Everything is good to go and I’m free for the rest of the day.”
“I could definitely use some fresh air,” Adira admitted.
“How about we all meet back here in the suite for dinner?” Remy suggested. “Are you game, Lynette?”
Adira looked over at her friend who was staring hard at her computer screen. Her tongue was peeking out of the corner of her mouth—one of the quirky things she did when she was concentrating.
“Lynette, dinner in the suite this evening?” Adira said loud enough to cause her friend to look up.
“Yeah, sure, it’s gotta be better than ramen noodles,” Lynette said.
“You know, you make enough money that you can buy actual food sometimes,” Adira pointed out.
“But then I’d have to cook it and all that stuff. Better to throw some hot water over a cup of noodles and call that wally, yeah?” Lynette said.
Remy laughed. “I think teaching you to cook may be a useless venture, right?”
“You’d be correct, sir.” Lynette grinned.
“Remy, do you want to join us for a bus tour?” Favian asked.
“It looks like it might rain and I don’t do the rain. I’ll stay in and get on the phone with Miles in R&D to see how they are doing,” Remy said.
As she and Favian stepped out of the hotel room and closed the door, he laughed softly and said close to her ear, “I doubt very much that it’s about work. More like he wants to hang around Lynette.”
“I heard them speaking computer earlier. I was completely lost,” Adira teased.
They took the elevator down to the first floor and were walking across the foyer when she heard someone call her name.
“Adira, is that you?”
She bit the inside of her cheek and turned around to see two people she had hoped she would never see again. Her stepfather, John Meres, and his obnoxious son, James.
“You know it’s me, John,” she said and noticed her voice was as dull as oatmeal.
He went to hug her and she stepped away. “What are you doing here, love?”
“None of your business and why do you care?” This time the bite was definitely in her voice.
“I am your stepfather.” John kept the fake smile in place. “Who is your friend?”
“Again, none of your—”
“Favian Rivera.” He stepped forward and answered.
“I know your name well. We’ve tried to do business with your company before,” John said. “Maybe we can grab a drink?”
“I think not. Obviously, Adira has an issue with you which means I do as well,” Favian said mildly. “If you’d excuse us, please.”
John laughed. “Adira has a longstanding childish angst against me.”
“If you call stealing my money while I was at school and while my mother was home sick and you not telling me she had cancer until she passed away, and then, to top it off, having her sign a new will while she was dying and in pain, teen angst, then, yes, I guess I’m still carrying it,” Adira snapped.
“Your mother did that of her own free will!” James said in a high pitch nasally voice.
“Is that really your voice?” Favian chuckled and then went serious. “You’re telling me while you were away at school they didn’t tell you your mother was dying?”
“I didn't know until the day of the funeral. Her lawyer called me because he had some sense of duty to inform me of their treachery even though he couldn’t stop it,” Adira explained. “These two then informed me that my schooling would no longer be paid for and to gather what I wanted out of my room and nothing more from the house I grew up in with my parents. They threw me out. I had to start my life over with only what I had in my savings account.”
“And you think that I would do business with people like you?” Favian scowled. “I should beat the crap out of you right here.”
“Y-you wouldn’t dare,” John stammered. James took the cowardly move to step behind his father.
“Of course not, but you won’t approach me again. Now that I know your name trust that I will destroy any future business you ever think to do in America. As a matter of fact, I can stop your transactions here in London as well,” Favian said with restrained anger in his voice. “You tried to destroy the mother of my child. Now I crumble you.”
“Well, Adira, it seems you landed on your feet, or is it on your back?” James snickered from behind his father.
Favian stepped forward, pushed John aside and grabbed his pale son with the wire-rimmed glasses.
“Favian, no, he’s not worth it!” Adira cried out.
“Oh, I know that,” Favian said mildly. He waved his hand and the manager came over. “These two are accosting me and my pregnant fiancée. I would like them banned from this hotel or I will close my account and find another hotel where my family is treated with respect.”
“O-oh, I am so sorry, Mr. Rivera,” the manager stammered. He spoke into a microphone he wore on his coat to call security. In a matter of seconds, John and his son James were being escorted out of the hotel and were permanently banned from the premises.
Adira and Favian left holding hands and she grinned when she saw John and James outside having trouble hailing a cab. They shot daggers of pure hatred at her, but she didn’t care. It was a small price to pay for watching their shame.
“Is it absolutely horrible that I enjoyed that way too much?” Adira asked.
Favian brought the hand he was holding to his lips and kissed it gently. “If you want me to, I’ll go beat them up a little more.”
“I don’t want you arrested over those two trolls,” Adira said.
“I wouldn’t be, mi amor. I have a few tricks up my sleeve,” Favian said mildly.
“Let’s just leave them to their misery and get on with our tour,” Adira said. “I’m sure the other tourists will be irritable if we keep them waiting.”
“Darling, it’s just us. I rented the entire bus for just the two of us,” he remarked as they walked down the street.
“You would, wouldn’t you?” she murmured and shook her head.
“Yes, ma’am.” Favian whistled as they walked along and her heart felt lighter just being with him.
* * * *
The tour didn’t last long. Her nausea started up and before they even got to Big Ben, Favian was getting her off the bus and into a cab to go back to the hotel.
; “I’m so sorry,” Adira said and leaned back against the seat of the cab. “The smell of the bus, the smell of everything lately makes me ill.”
He brought her head to his shoulder and then kissed her temple. “I’ve been to London a few times, honey. It’s okay. Let’s get you back to the hotel and get a cup of tea in you.”
Adira gave a soft laugh. “I think that even though I’m British, I’ve drunk so much tea in just the last two months alone, I may end up hating it after this is over.”
“We’ll find something else to help with morning sickness. We’ll get an in-house masseuse to work with you three times a week in New York,” Favian said.
“No, that’s too much. Other women have to deal with this, so I can manage too,” Adira said.
“Let me pamper you, mi querida. You’re carrying my baby.” He laced his fingers with hers.
“We’ll see,” Adira murmured, not wanting to make him upset by saying no again. The thought of all of his money being spent on her made her uncomfortable.
Favian chuckled. “I can see the gears whirring in your head, Adira. I know my money is not what you’re after and if anyone says anything, tell them off.”
She just nodded and closed her eyes, hoping to get back to the hotel quickly.
As soon as they got to the door of their suite, the illness she was holding in came back with a fury. Favian barely got the door unlocked before she was rushing past the living area to the bathroom. She closed the door and heaved into the toilet, spilling the contents of her stomach. She heard the door open and a cool washcloth was pressed against her forehead.
“My poor baby,” Favian’s deep voice soothed.
“Go away. I don’t want you to see me like this,” Adira moaned before another round of heaving had her clutching the edges of the toilet bowl again. “How can morning sickness last all day?”
“It’s only for the first trimester. Four months along and you’ll be feeling much better,” Favian said.
She looked up at him in disbelief. “How in the bloody hell do you know that?”
He grinned. “My family had more than one pregnant woman when we lived in Puerto Rico. After a while, the horror of what they were talking about wore off. Trust me, when you hear the words cervical mucus enough times, you build up a tolerance.”
“I’m sure,” she smiled as he helped her up. “I’m going to brush my teeth and lie down for a bit.”
“I’ll order you some spicy rice noodles and chicken for dinner.” When her face looked green he added quickly, “A little spice calms the stomach.”
“If you say so.” Adira put her hand over her stomach and walked across the room to crawl into bed. “I’m so tired.”
Favian pulled the blankets up around her and kissed her forehead gently. “I’ll take care of you, Adira. It’s my mission to make sure you’re happy.”
She went to sleep with that thought in her head and it warmed her heart just as the blankets warmed her body. It was much later when she awoke to voices coming from the other room.
Her stomach rumbled and instead of feeling revulsion at the thought of food, she actually felt hunger instead of nausea and was looking forward to eating. She lay in bed a few minutes more before getting up. She cleaned up in the bathroom and brushed her hair before heading out to the living area with the others. When Favian saw her, he stood up and rushed to her side. With his hand on her elbow, he led her to the soft plush chair at the large dining table.
“How are you feeling? Do you need some tea? Remy, bring that footrest so she can put her feet up,” Favian said all in a rush.
“Favian, I’m having a baby. I didn’t have major surgery,” Adira said in exasperation. “Quit hovering.”
“You even sound sexy when you’re irritated,” he said and kissed her cheek. “The dinner is on its way up, and then we can eat. We’ve been waiting for you.”
“You could have eaten without me,” she said.
There was a knock on the door and Favian moved to answer it, speaking at he went. “No, we were fine. I wasn’t allowing any food in here until mommy-to-be was present.”
Adira rolled her eyes in Lynette’s and Remy’s direction. “Really, he tried to starve you while I slept?”
“I had a candy bar and I shared with Remy before he chewed his own leg off to escape,” Lynette teased.
“I was trying to convince Lynette here that we should tie the bedding together, escape through the window, and go forage for food,” Remy said. “He’s been holding us hostage.”
“They are both being overly dramatic,” Favian said and brought her dinner over to her.
Adira watched Lynette make a motion with her hands of being handcuffed as Favian walked towards her and she bit her lip to hold back the smile. “What have you been up to...besides trying to escape? Sorry that I just rushed in earlier without saying hi. This baby meant business.”
Lynette took a sip from her Guinness bottle. “Oh, I’ve been chitchatting with Remy here and we came to the conclusion that, if in two years we’re both not hitched, we’ll get together and make a little us.”
Adira was taking a sip from the glass Favian handed to her and almost choked. “W-wait, what?”
She glanced at Favian who was staring at his friend with the same shocked expression on his face.
“What?” Lynette demanded. “He’s a bloody genius and so am I. Our kid would rock the world.”
Adira cleared her throat. “I’m sure it would, but doesn’t that sound more like a business transaction rather than making a family?”
Remy grinned. “I kissed her while you two were gone. We got some chemistry, but decided that now is not the time to act on it. We’ll give ourselves two years to sow our wild oats and if nothing sticks, we’ll tackle each other.”
“Well, you’re both adults,” Favian said and sat down with his own plate.
Adira laughed. “The two of you playing finding toes… Interesting combination.”
“Finding toes?” Favian said.
“It’s a game we played as kids, kind of like American spin the bottle,” Adira explained. “A bunch of friends get into bed together under the covers and the person who’s it has to catch another person’s toes with his or hers. When you get caught, you share a kiss.”
“Kinky,” Remy drawled.
Adira threw a napkin at him. “It was all in good fun.”
“Remind me to play that game just me and you.” Favian laughed.
“Oh, you flirt,” Adira said taking another bite of the spicy noodles. “These are actually very good.”
“How does your tummy feel?” Favian asked.
“Three bites in and my stomach hasn’t betrayed me yet,” she said with a smile.
“Thank my mama. We Puerto Ricans know a thing or two about taking care of our expecting women.” Favian grinned.
The rest of dinner passed with mild banter and good fun. Dinner stayed down and, amazingly enough, Adira felt great, so much so she wanted to grab a sweet treat.
“I think I’m going to go down to the sweets shop in the hotel lounge,” Adira said.
Favian, who had gotten a call during dinner, was on the phone. He covered the receiver with his hand. “Hold on, I’ll go with you.”
She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. It’s just downstairs.”
“But…”
Adira put her hands on her hips. “Favian Rivera, I’m not incapable of doing things for myself. I’ll bring back a box of éclairs for these two here who are talking computer gobbledygook and what shall I get for you?”
“Strawberry shortcake with fresh strawberries,” he replied. “Thank you, darling.”
“You’re quite welcome. Now finish your call,” Adira said.
“Charge it to the room…” Adira gave him a look and he had enough sense to shut his mouth and look chastised. “Sorry, mi querida, thank you.”
She grabbed her purse and closed the door to the suite. The short walk down the hall to the elevator was made with
her humming all the way. No nausea and she was enjoying the feeling to the fullest. Downstairs, she rounded the corner to where the sweets shop was located. There were two mini palm trees against the wall by the shop and, before she knew what was happening, she found herself being dragged behind the trees and slammed none too gently against the wall.
“Hello again, Adira.” John said, and any of the fake kindness from this morning was gone from his voice.
“I thought you were thrown out of here?” Adira looked up into his face with disgust.
“You think just because you got pregnant by a billionaire you’re now better than us?” James’ voice always made her skin crawl. It took her back to when she was growing up and he used to try to catch her naked in her room while she changed or when she was coming out of the bath.
“I was always better than the lot of you,” Adira snapped. “Just because you were able to con my mother of everything and then leave her to die in a hospice doesn’t mean you were anything but shysters.”
“I’ll tell you what you’re going to do. You’re going to get us some of that lovely money you’re sitting on with Rivera,” John said mildly.
“I will do nothing of the sort.” Adira raised her head and looked at him coldly. “Let me guess. You’ve burned through Mother’s money and neither of you have a pot to piss in.”
“Oh, you’ll do it, or James here will go to the tabloids and whisper of how you are using your pregnancy from another man as a way to swindle Rivera out of his money.” John’s smile was pure evil. “Eventually, it will be proven that it is his with a paternity test, but you’ll be hounded every day of your pregnancy and Rivera won’t want to keep a trollop like you around.” He ran his hand down the curve of her thighs and squeezed. “You could have shared in your mother’s wealth if you’d have just agreed to our terms.”
“I’d rather die than lay with the likes of you and that slime you call a son,” she said. “Let me go or I’ll start screaming at the top of my lungs.”
“Do it and I’ll punch you in the stomach. That child won’t have a chance. You think he’ll want you with it dead in your belly? Little bitch—”
Those were the last words he said before he was cut off. Her eyes widened and she saw Favian throw John against the wall. He snarled and turned on James and the punch he gave the little weasel of a man had him bent over gagging.