Regal

by Tina Martin

  Felicity laughed, feeling surprisingly comfortable about opening up to him. “And you know what—it’s not only the drug test. When I was talking to Tucker, I got the impression that he wanted me to be someone that I’m not. He said they’ll judge me.”

  “They will. Their job is to determine whether you’ll be a good mother to that little girl. They’ll have to judge you.”

  “But I’m a good person—”

  “I know that because I know you. Those people don’t know you. All they know is, you gave up a child for adoption and now you want that child back. Look at it from that perspective.”

  Felicity drank more mimosa. “Another thing Tucker said was that my place probably wouldn’t suffice because I only have a one-bedroom apartment—it’s so much to do and I—I don’t feel like I’m prepared.”

  “I think you’ll be okay. After everything is all said and done, you have to know you’re an amazing, talented woman Felicity and I think you will make an excellent mother.”

  She glanced over at him when she felt his gaze on her. His eyes were focused on her lips. She looked up at his eyes. Heat wafted around them.

  “I would like to go with you to help you through the process.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Regal, there’s no way I’m letting you roll up with me to handle issues with my daughter.”

  “You would if you didn’t have a choice in the matter.”

  “Regal—”

  “There you go saying my name over and over again. Look, before you get all independent and shut my idea down, think about it for a moment. My presence could help you. Plus, I can nudge you when you come across as uppity.”

  Felicity gasped. “Uppity? You think I’m uppity?”

  “You come across that way sometimes, yes. And don’t act surprised. You know how you carry yourself.”

  “Yes, in a very professional manner and I’m proud of that.”

  “You are professional, but you’ll need to dial it back a bit to be more relatable to these people.”

  “And you’re supposed to help me dial it back? You live in a freakin’ palace, drive hundred-thousand-dollar cars, hire private chefs and shut down golf courses on a whim but you’re going to help me be more relatable?”

  “Yes. Look at how much I got you to change for me. You couldn’t stand the sight of me at one point.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “It is true. Every time you saw me at my brother’s houses you tried to duck me. Tell me I’m lying. I dare you.”

  “Yeah, I tried to duck you because you always had something weird to say to me like you just couldn’t be normal. Everything had to come off as a joke like it would kill you to have a real conversation with me.”

  “Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I always joke with you because I didn’t know what else to say but I wanted to say something since I simply couldn’t walk by you without saying anything?”

  “You could have.”

  “No, I couldn’t. You are just too pretty.”

  “Do you make it a habit to tease pretty women everywhere you go?”

  “Nah...just ones with the initials WB.”

  “You’re terrible,” she said grinning.

  “See, you’re smiling. Before you’d just pout your pretty lips.”

  Felicity resumed eating. When she finished everything, he offered her more.

  “No, thanks. This was plenty. When are you taking me home? I just realized I’m completely at your mercy.”

  “I like having you at my mercy. I can do what I want and you have to take it.”

  “I can always call somebody to rescue me.”

  “You can but you won’t because you like me,” he said collecting their plates.

  “Aren’t we sure of ourselves,” she said taking the plates from him.

  He followed her to the sink. “You’re my guest. I won’t let you do my dishes.”

  “I wasn’t doing them. I was just...” she turned around to find him standing right behind her.

  “You were just what?” he asked, licking his lips then taking the half of step that separated them, pushing his body against hers.

  “I was just...um...just putting the plates in the sink,” she said with the little breath she could muster. “Don’t kiss me, Regal,” she said breathlessly when she saw him lowering his face to hers. He touched his nose to hers. The heat from his lips mingled with hers. She dropped her head to stop this insanity but he nudged her chin with a slight touch of his thumb.

  In his mind, he could picture himself grabbing her booty and sitting her on the counter while fulfilling his desire to kiss her again as he’d done before. And he’d kiss her until he could no longer control himself – until her desire for him was as potent as his desire for her. Until he got enough to quench that desire.

  Tired of thinking about what he wanted to do and deciding to do something about it, he brushed his lips against hers, teasing her or maybe he was preparing her – seducing her into the same state of mind he was in. And when he heard a gasp leave her mouth, he took advantage and swooped down on her with a kiss so potent, her knees nearly buckled.

  She was into it. Well, partially. When she felt his tongue in her mouth yet again, she moaned, finding more and more that she was growing used to being linked with him this way, but when she thought about how crazy in love she was with Demontae before he broke her heart, she pulled back. While broken hearts eventually healed, the damage always remained.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked since she was pulling back.

  “I should…should get going. I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow.

  “Yeah. You’re right,” he said. “Come on. I’ll take you home.”

  * * *

  The drive from Lake Norman to Charlotte was a little awkward. At first, Regal inquired about her taste in music so he could turn to an appropriate XM satellite station. After that, silence. The music is what made the lack of conversation between them not seem so obvious.

  Regal was busy thinking about what must have been going through her mind. A better question was what was going through his when he decided to hold her hostage against the sink? Probably that he’d been wanting to kiss her again and couldn’t deny the perfect moment had presented itself. He hadn’t thought it through long enough to consider how she would react or what the drive back to her house would be like. He just wanted her lips. He still wanted them.

  Meanwhile, she grew more confused. Skip the he’s a client mantra, because that didn’t stop her from kissing him before, and she could have stopped it if she wanted to. But she didn’t want to. Regal was growing on her. She liked him, was having fun with him and being with him made her realize the kind of consoling she’d been missing over the years. Nothing compared to the caress of a man, especially when he was a mighty, mighty good man like Regal St. Claire. But why did that man have to be one of her clients?

  She squeezed her purse straps when she relived the sensation of his lips on hers, along with the feel of his beard brushing against her face and his strong arms circling around her. She could only imagine what his lips, tongue, his whole mouth was capable of if he had all the time in the world. If she’d given him the green light.

  Regal glanced over at her, palmed her thigh and she jumped.

  “I didn’t mean to startle you,” he told her.

  “It’s okay. You caught me off guard. I was sitting here daydreaming.”

  “About what?” he asked turning into the parking lot of her apartment building.

  “Everything.”

  He came to a stop, then shut off the engine.

  “You don’t have to walk me to the door, Regal.”

  “Of course I do per that mean email you sent to me?”

  She laughed a little. “I wasn’t being mean but yes, these are things you do for the woman you’re going out with.”

  “You don’t consider this a date?”

  “No,” she said reach
ing for the door handle. She got out of the car and so did he.

  He walked around the car and closed the door for her.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  As they approached her apartment, he said, “I hope you enjoyed yourself.”

  “I did. Thanks again.”

  “You’re welcome, again.”

  They stopped in front of the door. She looked up at him. He was already staring at her. Tension surrounded their space.

  Felicity was nervously fidgeting with her keys when she said, “Listen, um, my life is complicated, Regal.”

  “I know. That’s why I like it. It’s why I like you.”

  “But—”

  “There’s no need to try and analyze anything between us right now, Felicity. Just refocus your mind on tomorrow. It’s a big day for you.”

  “Right. Okay.”

  “Which social services location is it? The one on Billingsley?”

  “Yep. That’s the one.”

  “I’ll meet you there.”

  “You really don’t have to, Regal,” she said because she really didn’t want him there in her personal business and all. Besides, Rayne was her daughter. He had no kinship to her.

  “I want to,” he said, then brushed his thumb across her cheek.

  She smiled shyly, turning away from him. “Okay, then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Don’t be late,” he said.

  “I can’t afford to be late,” she replied.

  “Get a good night’s rest.”

  “I will.”

  He reached to hug her, and she reluctantly turned toward him receiving that hug. “Goodnight, Felicity.”

  “Goodnight, Regal.”

  She unlocked the door, went inside and then Regal walked back toward his car already eager to spend some time with her tomorrow and do whatever he could to help her get her daughter back.

  Chapter 25

  The interview started off good. Felicity confidently answered all the questions from Ms. Greene, the social worker assigned to her case. But when it came to the question about her current living arrangements, her confidence waned.

  “I’m—I’m currently living in a one-bedroom apartment but—”

  The woman’s brows knitted. “You’re living in a one-bedroom apartment but you want custody of a child? And where is the child supposed to sleep?”

  Felicity drew in a breath. “I requested a two-bedroom apartment from my current landlord—”

  “And when is that going to come through?”

  “I—I’m not sure yet, but I’m on the waiting list.”

  Ms. Greene scratched her head with a pen before she scribbled a note.

  This wasn’t good, Regal thought as she watched the demeanor on the woman’s face change. Not good at all. He spoke up and said, “She’ll have plenty of room at my five-bedroom home or shall I say our home.”

  The lady looked up over the rim of her glasses. “Come again?”

  “Felicity and I are getting married soon.” Before she could disrupt his plan, he palmed Felicity’s thigh and squeezed it signaling her to be quiet and go with it.

  Ms. Greene looked at Felicity, then back at Regal. “You’re engaged?”

  “Yes,” Regal answered.

  “Congratulations,” the woman said her expression growing more and more cheerful.

  “Thank you,” Felicity said.

  “You should have told us that first,” she said. “And here I was thinking you weren’t serious about this at all.”

  “What indication did I give I wasn’t serious?” Felicity inquired.

  “The one-bedroom apartment threw me...I’m sitting here thinking why would you come in here seeking custody of a child without making the proper advance arrangements.”

  “I—” Felicity began but Regal cut her off.

  “We figured there would be no use in her moving to a bigger apartment when she would be moving into a five-bedroom house soon.”

  “And what’s your name again, Sir?”

  “Regal St. Claire.”

  “St. Claire. That name sounds familiar,” she said waving her index finger like she was trying to jog her memory.

  “Probably the architectural firm—St. Claire Architects.”

  “That’s right.” Her eyes widened. “St. Claire Architects.”

  “My brother, Ramsey St. Claire, is the CEO.”

  “Do you work there, too?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m a senior architect.”

  “Well, how about that? I feel like I’m talking to a celebrity now.”

  Regal grinned, then glanced over at Felicity and he knew right away she was livid.

  “So you two are getting married, huh?”

  Felicity plastered a smile on her face. “Yes.”

  “In that case, you’ll have to participate in this process as well. Mr. St. Claire. I’ll need you to fill out this form,” she said handing it to him, “And you’ll also have to go through the background check and drug testing.”

  “No problem, ma’am. I’ll do anything for this woman,” he said, throwing an arm around Felicity.

  Again, Felicity offered up a canned smile.

  “Get that form back to me as soon as you can, Mr. St. Claire, and we’ll get the ball rolling on this.”

  “Thank you very much,” Regal said. “We appreciate your time on this.”

  “Yes, thank you,” Felicity said standing to join Regal.

  “You’re welcome. You folks have a good day.”

  It took all the willpower she had not to snap on him right then and there but as soon as they made it outside, she let her wrath loose when she said, “What on earth did you just do? Are you out of your freakin’ mind!”

  “I saved you. That’s what I did.”

  “Saved me? You saved me?”

  “Yes,” he said undisturbed by her rising temper. He kept a cool head. “You were tanking in there, Felicity. I threw you a life jacket.”

  “I can’t believe you. I can’t believe this! I knew I should’ve come alone. I knew it! Now, what am I supposed to do? Pretend to get married so I can get my daughter back? Wouldn’t that be classified as fraud?”

  “Stop being so technical about everything. I helped you. Can you at least say thank you?”

  She glared at him. “Unbelievable. You just don’t get it!”

  Regal smiled to himself. Oh, he got it alright – got her right where he wanted her.

  * * *

  Since he’d completed the first drawing and submitted it to Ramsey, he began to focus more time on the second one. That’s what he was busy doing when he got an inkling to call Tucker.

  “Regal, hi. I was just about to call Ms. James when I saw your number pop up on my phone.”

  “You must’ve been inquiring about how the meeting went earlier today.”

  “Yeah, that, too but I got some good news for her. I found out where her daughter is.”

  “Where is she?” Regal asked.

  “She’s with a woman named Dahlia James. Dahlia is Felicity’s mother.”

  “Wait—are you telling me Felicity’s daughter is with Felicity’s mother?” Regal asked for clarification.

  “Yes, and she’s been with her since birth,” Tucker said. “How does Felicity not know this already?”

  “She doesn’t talk to her mother. She hasn’t spoken to her in years,” Regal explained.

  “Then I can’t wait to tell her the good news,” Tucker said.

  “Wait—don’t tell her anything just yet,” Regal said. If Felicity knew about this, surely she wouldn’t go for his marriage proposition. And he needed her to agree to it.

  “Is there a reason why I shouldn’t?” Tucker asked.

  “Yes, just trust me on this. I need some time to ease her into it.”

  “Okay. I’ll hold off until you give me the green light.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  When Regal got off the phone, he immediately sent Felicity
an email to cancel his date with Danella on Friday. There was no sense in continuing to feign interest in an actual date with the woman when that was never his goal. Then he did something he never did – he called Primrose after her shift was done. He made it a point not to bother her at home. This time, he had to.

  “Hello, Regal. Is everything alright?”

  “Hi, Rose—yes—everything is good. Sorry to call you after-hours but I won’t be home when you get here tomorrow and this is important.”

  “Yes, Sir—what do you need?”

  “I need you to focus your energy on decorating one of the guest bedrooms upstairs to look like a little girl’s room. Don’t worry about doing anything with the rest of the house tomorrow. I’ll explain everything later.”

  “Any particular color scheme, or—”

  “Pink, maybe. I’m not sure. I just want it to be beautiful. I’ll leave a bank card on the island. Spend whatever’s necessary. I don’t care about the price.”

  “I’ll certainly do what I can.”

  “Thank you, Rose.”

  Regal hung up the phone with her then dialed Ramsey.

  “Hey, man,” Ramsey answered. “I was just studying the drawing. I see a few minor changes I want to make then I’ll get it back to you.”

  “That’s fine. Listen, I have a problem.”

  “What kind of problem?” Ramsey asked.

  “Actually, it’s not really a problem. I just made a spur-of-the-moment decision and I need you to talk me out of it.”

  “What have you done?”

  Regal leaned forward with his elbows on the desk and rubbed his eyes. “I hired an investigator to help Felicity find her daughter, and he landed her an interview with Social Services, which is where I was today. I went with Felicity to the interview. Long story short, the interview was going bad—and I mean bad to the point that the woman doing the interview looked like she was completely disinterested in anything Felicity had to say after finding out Felicity was still living in a one-bedroom apartment, so I jumped in to save the day and told the lady Felicity and I were getting married. She bought it.”

  “Did Felicity know you were going to do that?”