by Ali Parker
Chapter 22
Hailey
I quickly showered and dressed in a pair of capris and a comfortable pair of walking shoes before heading out for my day with the kids. I had been looking forward to this day for weeks. I had made sure my schedule was clear so I could go along. I knew Mandy needed all the help she could get, and this was one small way I could make a difference.
I felt different as I walked into the orphanage. As if I had gone through some ritual that made me a real woman. Everything looked brighter, and I could feel a little extra bounce in my step. I went through the usual greetings before heading down the hall to Mandy’s tiny office. I knocked once and waited.
“Come in,” she called out.
I walked inside and was relieved to see she was alone. I closed the door behind me and took a seat on the small couch against the wall while she tapped away on the keyboard of her laptop.
“You’re early. The field trip isn’t for another hour.”
I smiled. “I know. I wanted to talk, catch up with you.”
She nodded her head, eyeing me carefully. “You’re acting funny. Is everything okay? What happened?”
I grinned, feeling myself blush. “Everything is absolutely great. I went out with Terran again last night.”
“And?” she said, turning her chair to face me.
“And, I invited him in afterward.”
Her eyes widened. “And?” she asked, her voice high.
I smiled. “And we did it.”
Her mouth dropped open. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. I knew you would, but, holy shit, I’m shocked!”
I laughed. “I told you I was thinking about it.”
“I know, I know. I just can’t believe you actually went through with it. I thought for sure you would change your mind.”
I shook my head. “Nope. Not this time. I mean, I hesitated, but it just felt so right with him.”
She let out a long sigh. “I’m so happy for you. So, how was it?”
“A girl never kisses and tells,” I teased, she and I both knew damn well I would.
She waved a hand through the air. “Whatever. Tell me! You can skip the dirty details, but was it everything you hoped for or a complete disappointment?”
I sighed. “It was amazing. It was more than I could have ever dreamed of. He was gentle, caring and just absolutely amazing. He wasn’t pushy and gave me plenty of opportunities to back out.”
“Alright, alright, he was amazing. I hate you, and I’m crazy jealous.”
I giggled. “You should be because I’m pretty sure he is the best there is.”
She rolled her eyes. “Were you careful?”
“Yes. I didn’t even have to ask. He did it on his own.”
“Good man. Was he surprised when you told him? Did you tell him?”
I laughed. “Yes, I told him. I think he was surprised, but he didn’t seem completely freaked out by it. He tried to talk me out of it at first, but I was very clear about what I wanted.”
She was smiling. “I’m glad he tried to talk you out of it. That says something about him. Most men would have jumped at the chance to take your virginity.”
“Not Terran.”
“You fell hard for him,” she stated.
I nodded, trying to keep the smile from overwhelming my face. “Maybe I did, but it may not be just me. This morning, he said we were together.”
“Wait, he stayed the night?”
I grinned. “He did. We cuddled all night.”
She was shaking her head. “Seriously—does he have a brother? I want one of those.”
“Nope. He’s an only child.”
“Okay, so he said you were together. That means you two are an official couple?”
“I think so.”
“I almost want to cry for you. How did he say it? I mean, did you have to ask him where your relationship was going or something like that?”
I shook my head. “Nope. I was making him eggs, and he just said it. I didn’t ask. I didn’t get the chance to.”
“Wow. That’s even better that you didn’t have to pry it out of him. My experience has always been the opposite. Pulling teeth would have been easier than getting them to tell me how they felt with some of the guys I have dated,” she grumbled.
“I’m sorry. You’re going to meet the right man one of these days.”
“I’m happy for you. That is pretty awesome. I guess waiting for your prince all these years has certainly paid off,” she said wistfully.
“It definitely has. But, there is one thing that is kind of bothering me.”
She groaned. “Of course. I should have known it was too good to be true. No man is that fantastic. What is it? What’d he do? Does he have a wife? A passel of illegitimate kids roaming about? Does he have some kind of kinky fetishes? Tell me.”
“I don’t know about any of those things, but I’m going to assume no. He asked me if I would still be with him if he were flat broke. What do you think that means?” I asked, genuinely confused by the question.
She shrugged a shoulder. “Is he broke?”
“I don’t think so. He’s the CEO, and the company seems to be doing well enough.”
“Hmm?” she asked, a puzzled look on her face as she furrowed her brow.
“Why would he ask that kind of a question?” I asked, hoping in all her experience she could tell me what he was thinking.
“I have no idea. What did you say?”
I grimaced. “I didn’t.”
“What do you mean, you didn’t?”
“I dodged the question. I didn’t know what to say. It was out of the blue. I mean, I was standing there making eggs. Why would that even cross his mind in that moment?”
“What were you doing before that?”
I shrugged. “I was sleeping. He was in my living room when I got up, looking at some of the paintings.”
She nodded her head. “Are you sure he’s wealthy? Maybe he thinks you have more money than he does and feels emasculated by it.”
I scoffed. “Why would that matter?”
“Because maybe money is important to him. Maybe you should ask him if he would be with you if you were broke.”
I didn’t like the way that made me feel at all. “I don’t like that,” I pouted.
“Maybe you need to get to know Mr. Perfect a little better,” she said softly.
“I like him for him, not because he has money. I don’t think I’ve ever given the idea I’m pretentious or anything like that—have I?”
She furrowed her eyebrows. “I doubt it. You’ve always been very low-key. You’ve never flaunted your wealth, but you’ve only just met him. He might not know you as well.”
“It shouldn’t matter,” I stated.
“No, it shouldn’t, but maybe he needs to know that. Maybe an ex-girlfriend dumped him for not being rich enough or something like that,” she suggested.
“I’m not like that.”
“Then tell him.”
I ignored the request, giving her a side comment to move us along. “Right.”
“Whatever. Onto a new topic. Are you ready to do this? We have the whole group today. We’re taking a bus and will have a few other chaperones along. Let’s go meet everyone in the admin office.”
I stood and followed her out the door. I couldn’t get his words out of my head. I kept replaying the conversation in the living room. I didn’t understand why it mattered about how much money either one of us had. I was certainly not ready to combine or divide assets. He had told me he had never been married or divorced before, but he was acting a lot like a jilted husband. I couldn’t help but wonder if somewhere in his past a woman had tried to take his money from him. If that was the case, I would assure him I wanted nothing from him—except him.
I would call him tonight and ask to see him, and then I would tell him exactly what I thought about his little money question.
During the meeting discussing protocol if we lost a child or one of
the kids was hurt or sick, my phone rang. Thankfully, it was on vibrate in my pocket. I checked the number and didn’t recognize it. I quieted the phone and paid attention to what was being said.
“Okay everyone, we have about ten minutes, and then we’ll meet at the bus. Grab a water and use the bathroom if you need to,” Mandy announced.
“I’m going to check my phone. I’ll be right outside,” I told her, heading toward the front door.
I listened to the voicemail and couldn’t stop jumping up and down on my toes as I listened to the message. I quickly called the number back and identified myself.
“One moment, Miss Hollis,” a woman said, placing me on hold.
A few seconds later I heard a male voice. “Hailey, this is Gabriel Sangor, I’m glad you called me back.”
“Of course!” I gushed.
“I spoke with Terran, who had nothing but good things to say about you. I did a little digging on my own and would be very interested in setting up a meeting sometime next week if you’re available.”
“Absolutely. I have a couple things going next week, but I’ll make the time,” I said, trying not to sound too eager.
“Perfect. I’ll put you back on with my secretary. I look forward to talking with you. If you have a portfolio, I’d like to see it.”
“I’ll bring it,” I said, trying not to squeal.
He transferred me back to his secretary, and we set up a time for my initial meeting. I hung up the phone and clapped my hands in excitement.
“Who was that? Don’t tell me it was Mr. Wonderful,” Mandy asked coming out of the building.
I couldn’t stop smiling. “No, but it was Mr. Wonderful’s actions that have made me crazy happy.”
“What did he do?”
“That was a talent agent who wants to meet with me next week,” I said proudly.
“You have an agent.”
I shook my head. “No, this is a real agent who works with actors. He is the man that can help me get my foot in the door of the acting world. My agent is never going to be able to do that.”
“Wow. That is awesome. This acting thing might actually happen for you!”
I was nodding my head excitedly. “Yes, I think it might.”
We didn’t get to talk much more about it. The kids were piling out of the building and heading for the bus. As I took my seat next to one of the older kids, I couldn’t stop smiling.
Terran was a man of his word. I couldn’t wait to tell him about the call. Maybe he already knew. The bus pulled away, and I had to wonder if he was worried about me actually making it in Hollywood. Could he be concerned I would become a big star and leave him behind?
I smiled thinking about a man like Terran being insecure. He was so confident in everything he did. He had a demeanor about him that oozed charm and charisma as if nothing bothered him. This did. Money did. I would call him tonight, invite him over and make it my mission to assure him money and fame didn’t mean anything to me. If he wanted me, I was his. I would always be his.
Chapter 23
Terran
I had struggled to get Hailey and her lack of an answer out of my mind all day. I kept replaying how she had reacted. She expertly dodged the question without blinking an eye. That was my first clue something was up. The second clue was the way she had managed to keep me out of her house for so long. I wondered if those expensive trinkets I had seen were things she had bought for herself or gifts from other men, hoping to be the lucky one to get her into bed.
It was all confusing and hard to comprehend. I didn’t want to think the worst of her. I wanted to take another shot at having that conversation and maybe, depending on her response, I would bring up the issue of my dad’s will.
“Mr. Maddox?” Lena’s voice floated through the office.
I pushed the button on the intercom. “Yes?”
“Your four o’clock just canceled. I have nothing else on your calendar for the day.”
That didn’t happen often. I smiled, pushed the button down again. “Lena?”
“Yes, Mr. Maddox?”
“Are you saying we’re done early for the day—on a Friday?” I said it while grinning.
I heard her soft laughter. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“Then why in the hell are we still here?”
More laughter on her end. “Does that mean I can leave?”
“Yep. I’m right behind you. Have a great weekend, Lena. I’ll see you Monday.”
It was early on Friday, and my day was officially done. That never happened. I quickly texted Hailey hoping we could meet up and have an early dinner. Unfortunately, she was still on the field trip and wouldn’t be free for a couple of hours.
I looked around the office, tapping my hands on my desk as I debated what to do with the rest of my day. I called Zach. I needed to talk to him anyway. He was an excellent sounding board and would help me work through all this stuff with Hailey. I knew he was itching to hear how things were going.
I walked into the bar and found Zach at a table, heavily flirting with the waitress.
“Am I interrupting?” I asked, noticing Zach’s hand on the waitress’s arm as she stood close to him.
Zach was grinning. “You kind of are. Why don’t you come back in ten minutes? I was just about to get Josie’s phone number.”
The pretty redhead giggled. “No, you weren’t. I was just working it for the tip,” she teased.
Zach slapped a hand over his heart. “Josie, baby, you wound me.”
“Hi, you must be Terran,” she said with a flirty smile.
“I am.”
“I’ll grab your scotch for you,” she said turning to leave.
“Don’t forget to bring your number back with you. Then we can talk about that tip you’re gunning for,” he said a little too loudly.
She turned and winked at him before sashaying behind the bar.
I sat down and raised an eyebrow at Zach. “Seriously? You’ve been here a whole five minutes and you’re already trying to pick up a woman for the night?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “What? I got here early. She’s cute, and I figured why not? I like redheads. They’re spunky.”
“I don’t think that was natural.”
He grinned. “I don’t mind.”
I shook my head. “You’re insatiable.”
“What about you? Are you engaged? Are you getting any yet or have you gone monk on me?”
I rolled my eyes. “No, I’m not, and no I’m not.”
He smiled. “So, you finally got her in the sack. Took you long enough.”
I shrugged a shoulder, not admitting or denying anything.
“Have you kept our little secret or did you spill the beans during some post-coital pillow talk?”
“I haven’t said a word about it.”
“Why not?” he asked.
“I’m working through it. I can’t exactly pop the question after a few weeks of dating. I’m pretty sure that would freak her out.”
“You never know unless you ask. If she runs away screaming, you can walk it back. The idea is to plant the seed. That way, when you do ask, she’ll be ready for it and be more open to the idea.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know about that. Things are really going well between us. I’m not quite ready to risk it.”
“You’re a smooth operator. Take the risk. I’m confident you can fix whatever it is you do.”
I waited a second before confessing. “I stayed at her place last night.”
He grinned. “It’s about damn time. I was beginning to think you’d gone soft on me. That’s the first step in making this thing official enough to get your money.”
“It isn’t what I thought. As it turns out, she may not be so low-maintenance after all,” I said with a sigh.
“What does that mean?”
“It means, she has an eye for the expensive things in life. She doesn’t flaunt it, but she likes what money can buy,” I explained.
“Because she wants money. She likes what it can buy, even if she isn’t showing it off to the world by driving around a fancy car or wearing designer clothes all the times. What if she’s only with me because of my money?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “She wouldn’t be the first. And is that really so bad? I think it makes this whole thing easier.”
“I thought she was different.”
“So, I’m still not seeing what the problem is. Now, you can offer her money to be engaged. If she’s really after you for your money, your problems are solved.”
The waitress returned with our drinks, sliding a folded napkin over to Zach.
“Thank you, Josie. I’m going to use this number,” he told her.
She winked. “It’s a one-time only offer.”
I ignored the fireworks happening between them. Zach was a sex magnet. Women were always throwing themselves at him. I sucked down a long drink from my glass while the two of them exchanged heated looks before she finally left us alone.
“Okay, back to your problem, which is no longer a problem,” he said, waving when Josie looked at him from behind the bar.
“The problem is I thought she was different. I thought we could have something real.”
Zach clearly didn’t see the issue. “So, you keep stringing her along. You get your money, and once the check clears, you dump her before her gold digging fingers get on your money.”
Even hearing the words stung. “I asked her if she would still be with me if I didn’t have money. I gave her the benefit of the doubt.”
“And I’m sure she said she would.”
I grimaced. “Actually, she didn’t answer me at all. She completely ignored the question and tried to distract me with her sweet little body instead.”
“Then I think you know your answer. She’s in this for your money. She isn’t going to hook up with some poor schmuck. She only gave you the time of day because you have the means to take her out to the best restaurants and give her that good life. You said she’s a model, right?”