by Iris Parker
Well, no time like the present, Alton thought as he ducked behind the reporter and approached Helena.
"Looks like they're going to be a while. How about I steal you for a minute?" Alton asked with a wink, hooking his arm around Helena to take her somewhere with fewer microphones.
"Dominick told me you're incorrigible," Helena joked, more than willing to be whisked away.
Alton laughed. She did look gorgeous tonight, her protruding belly wrapped snugly behind a calf-length blue dress. If she hadn't been Dominick's girl, he would've been all over her—save for the belly, of course. Too much hassle, and Alton most definitely was not the family type.
"Dominick told you that? Is that boy going to spill all my secrets now?" Alton joked back.
"I could tell on my own, you know. Your feelings were pretty obvious even from the first time you saw me," Helena teased.
"Oh? And what were they?"
"Judging by the look on your face? You were thinking oh my god, what have you gotten yourself into, buddy?" Helena laughed. "But probably with a few more expletives."
"Just a few," Alton chuckled. What else was there to say? He'd been worried about his friend, as simple as that.
"But you still helped me," Helena continued. "And I never got the time to thank you properly. So thank you for that, Alton. You brought Dominick back to me and my children. I'll never forget that."
"Yeah, well…" Alton said, trailing off without finishing his thought. Helena had turned out to be pretty cool, at least. As was her daughter, and the baby would probably follow in their footsteps. Alton had to admit that, if Dominick was going to get himself bogged down with a family, he certainly could've done a lot worse. "He would've come back on his own, eventually. I just sped things up a bit."
Because Dominick had become an insufferable asshole and Alton had wanted his peace back, not for any other reason.
Of course.
"Still, Alton, thank you so much. No matter what you think, we owe our happiness to you. And you know what? I'll wish you the same happiness. Your turn next," Helena concluded with a wink and a wicked smile. Alton shivered, wondering again if love was contagious and whether or not Helena had just placed a curse on his soul.
Why had he thought that talking to her was a good idea, again?
"I am happy," Alton said quietly. "I'm a simple guy. Give me a six-pack, a couple of hot legs, some good music, and I'm set." Anything more than that was off-limits, reserved for braver men and fools.
Alton's eyes darted to Dominick, and he was relieved to see that the interview was wrapping up.
"If you insist," Helena said as Dominick waved them both back over. She hopped to him, her big belly leading the way. When she reached him, he wrapped his arms around her and she snuggled against his chest for a fraction of a second. It was almost unnoticeable, but Alton had seen it.
And goose bumps erupted all over his skin.
Again.
He looked down, surprised by the reaction. With a grunt, he pushed the ridiculous thoughts out of his mind, eyes scanning the room for something to occupy his mind. But there was no time to spare, really. The reporter that had been pestering Dominick was now making a beeline for Alton, which was perfect. His agent had actually talked to him about her before, some kind of publicity stunt for charity that WBSX had cooked up. Alton hadn't exactly been enthusiastic at the time, but he was grateful for the distraction now. He wanted something else to think about other than love and family.
Anything other than love and family.
A publicity stunt wouldn't be so bad.
And neither is she, Alton thought, smirking to himself as he got a good look at the journalist. Strikingly beautiful and dressed to the nines, the woman stood out in the sea of otherwise demure reporters and television executives. She looked vibrant and full of life, two things he loved in a woman.
Maybe tonight won't be so bad after all, he thought, taking a few steps towards her. But as their eyes locked, Alton's sense of unease only got worse. All the hair on his arm was standing straight up now, and he realized that he couldn't look away from the woman even if he tried. Deep and intense, her piercing gaze carried a sense of frantic urgency.
Alton swallowed hard, disoriented and queasy. Despite her immaculate hair and clothes, the professional makeup and practiced smile, something about the woman felt dangerous. There was a wild glint of distress in her eyes, her movements fluid and forced at the same time. Her body language seemed relaxed, but her face was full of hidden desperation.
With dread seeping into his bones, Alton forced a smile onto his face and tried to regain his composure before the camera started rolling. He was okay, he kept reminding himself, even as the feeling of unease threatened to ignite into full-blown panic. Whoever this woman was, Alton had nothing to do with her.
Alton wanted nothing to do with her.
Whatever her deal was, it simply wasn't his problem. Getting involved might've worked for Dominick, but that really wasn't Alton's style. He would finish this interview and bail at the first opportunity. With any luck, he'd never see her again, and he could go back to his simple life.
Free of worry, free of obligations.
Yeah, that was Alton's style all right.
And it always would be.
…but wait, what about Alton?
The conclusion to Alton's story is out June 2018, but keep reading for a sneak peak!
If you thought Helena's story was shocking, wait until you see Jessie's.
Not everything at the Bruins bachelor auction is as it appeared. The same chapter, seen from a different point of view, reveals new twists and unexpected troubles.
Alton's Secret Baby
Prologue
Jessie
A frenzy of camera flashes lit up the two masculine figures as they climbed out of the limousine. They were both impossibly large and muscled, making the oversized vehicle seem small and dainty by comparison. The other reporters didn't waste any time before shouting out a flurry of questions. The two men moved through the crowd with a pace that bordered on arrogance, completely ignoring the attention. Not that I was surprised—it was easy to be confident when you looked like Alton Greene.
I took a deep breath, bracing myself for what was to come next. If I tried hard to ignore what was at stake, I could almost pretend like this was business as usual. That these were just two more important-looking, tuxedo-wearing guys in a sea of black and white.
And red, I corrected myself with a wince, noting the vast expanse of voluptuous red carpet that separated me from my goal. I'd never been a fan of the pomp and cults that built up around famous people, and tonight was no exception. I was a bona fide investigative journalist and political analyst, not a celebrity reporter.
I was supposed to be delving into corruption and scandal, not reporting on the Boston Bruins and their annual charity dinner. Undercover and low-key was my usual style, but not tonight. I was as far from subtle as you could get, with a floor-length dress that skirted the line between professional and downright in-your-face sexy.
Or maybe it actually crossed that line, I thought, looking down at my shamelessly exposed cleavage with a twinge of guilt in my stomach.
Not that I could afford to care about any of that.
There were more important things on the line tonight than a bruised ego.
I took another deep breath and finally stepped forward, venturing closer to the two men. I couldn't let fear, pride, or anything else get in my way tonight. Everything hinged on this moment, a single meeting where all the long sleepless nights would either pay off or fail.
It wasn't just the most important moment of my life—it was the most important moment of Ezra's life.
I stepped out in front of the two Bruins players with the biggest smile I could muster. Dominick Henderson was still the nation's sweetheart of course, and no amount of hiding from the public eye was going to change that. His friend Alton Greene, on the other hand, hadn't been hiding at all. He was
the same playboy as ever, the star of countless dreams dreamt by countless women.
And lately, he was the star of all my nightmares.
Despite the guilt, the nerves, and the horrifying thought that I could actually fail, I was eager to finally get this damn plan started.
The other reporters kept haranguing the men with endless questions. It wasn't exactly a surprise—after Dominick's recent accident and the shocking revelations about his life, he was the pièce-de-résistance for any journalist here tonight. They swarmed him like ants on spilled honey, and of course I would need to join them myself soon.
But it wasn't Dominick that I was here for.
Luckily for me, I'd be able to get that part over with quickly. WBSX had a long-standing close relationship with the Bruins, and so I wasn't worried about landing an interview with Dominick. Even Alton would probably give me at least a short pre-dinner chat, which gave me an opening. I'd stacked as many cards in my favor as I could tonight, and all I could do now was hope that at least one of them would pay off.
Because in truth, I was here for Alton.
Only Alton.
Of course, deep down—beneath the fake confidence and the overpriced gown I'd bought just for this—I was terrified. I thought I'd covered every possible detail, right down to the scandalous amount of cleavage I was showing, but what if I had missed something?
What if all of this was for nothing?
I pushed away the dark thoughts as the crowd of reporters broke, and I spotted the two familiar figures emerge from a haze of flashes. Plastering on a big smile, I greeted Dominick with all the fake enthusiasm I could manage. It felt strange to sound so optimistic and happy when deep down, I knew that I was drowning in desperation.
Dominick flashed me a beaming grin, leaning on his cane for support as I closed the distance between us. Even though Alton was standing right there, I clenched my teeth and did my best ignore him entirely and focus on Dominick.
"Our viewers are dying to get some good news, and we've gotten hundreds of emails and tweets about you. Tell me, what's life been like for you since the accident? How is your recovery going?" I directed the mic close to Dominick Henderson's face, rattling off a bunch of questions I didn't care about.
Ignoring Alton was harder than I could've imagined, and my heart pounded in my throat as I struggled to avoid looking at him. Mercifully, he wasn't paying any attention to me—not yet, anyway. That made it easier in some ways, but harder in others.
Doubt filled my chest, cold feet threatening to steal the little calm I had remaining.
"It's going well, thank you," Dominick started, and I forced myself to concentrate on his words. It got easier after a few seconds. Despite all my fear and my worry, I knew I couldn't jeopardize my job—not when money was a huge factor in Ezra's treatment.
But eventually, the longer Dominick talked about his own recovery and the new baby gracing his life, the more I struggled with maintaining my composure. Alton had wandered off entirely, chatting instead with the woman who had captured Dominick's heart. Even watching him out of the corner of my eye, it was obvious how handsome the man actually was. I'd always assumed the photos of him were heavily edited, but that was clearly not the case.
Alton Greene really was that gorgeous.
Eventually the interview ended, and my morale soared. Once I tracked Alton down again, it would finally be time. It didn't take me very long to find him; all I needed to do was follow the gaze of practically any other woman in the room.
Most of them were looking at him, after all.
I wanted to chuckle, or maybe even snort out of spite. But I couldn't afford to do either. Instead I walked up to him, a seductive smile on my face and subtle sway in my hips. I knew he liked that—it was yet another trick I'd picked up when researching the man, this time from a magazine that had named Alton The Northeast's Last Eligible Bachelor.
Which was, of course, a polite way of saying that he'd sleep with any woman who had a pulse—as if a man like him could be eligible for anything.
I remembered Stephen, back when we first met. It was our first year at college, and he had been the perfect bachelor. And then the perfect husband. I'd been smitten from the day we finally got the courage to actually speak to one another, and the rest had just fallen into place naturally.
Alton was… absolutely nothing like Stephen. He was ruthless and careless, a notorious playboy with no heart and no care for anything but endless sexual conquest. Years of working in investigative journalism had honed my intuition to a razor edge, and that intuition told me to run away any time I looked at a man like Alton.
But tonight, I was ignoring those instincts.
Tonight, I was walking straight into the lion's den.
Anything to save Ezra.
Want to see what happens next?
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Contents
Title
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Epilogue
Alton's Secret Baby
Review