by Liv Bennett
“Yes, we do.”
CH 19 - JULIE
~
My hand trembles as I stretch it to grab the document, my heart beating in my throat. I smile nervously and thank the young lab researcher for the quick return of the results. Although I’m itching to find out if Benjamin Gomez is the father, I tuck the paper in my bag and hurry out to the parking lot in front of the research facility.
My phone rings just when I insert the car key in the ignition. Leaving the key there, I reach for my purse and fish out my phone.
“Do you have the results?” Zane breathes into the phone, impatience clear in the low tone of his voice.
“Yes.” I glance over at my purse and the paper inside it.
“And?”
“I didn’t look. I thought you’d want to open it yourself.”
He chuckles softly. “Just tell me the results now.”
Panic freezes my body momentarily. If Ben isn’t the father, we’ll have to run a new search to locate the father. We may have to leave it at rest only to meet the biological father a few years down the road and have to deal with his demands and possibly a lawsuit, too. However, if Ben is indeed the father, he might lose his easygoing attitude and demand a fortune if he notices Zane’s determination to keep Preston.
“Hurry,” Zane urges me, and I slip the paper out of my bag.
Holding my breath, I open the paper and let my eyes glide over the first lines. “It’s positive,” I shout. “Ben is the father.”
I can barely hear his laughter over mine. At least we now know who the biological father is and can modify our plan toward the goal. “I have an important meeting with the crew in half an hour. Call me if you can get Ben to relinquish his parental rights over to you,” I say, still breathless with excitement over the news.
I glide my thumb to disconnect when Zane yells, “Wait, wait, wait! Not so quick. I’ve got something to tell you before I take care of Ben Gomez.”
“What is it?”
He clears his throat. “Do you have any plans for tonight?”
I frown, my mind running down the list of half a dozen errands I have to take care of both for work and at home. “Maybe, why?”
“I want to take you out to dinner,” he says. The amusement in his voice makes me doubt that I heard him right.
“Dinner…” I repeat. “Like on a date?”
“Yes, a dinner date is what I had in mind.”
My lips curl up, but I hold my breath and slap my mouth to keep my smile to myself. Then, I take a slow breath and ask, “Isn’t it a little inappropriate right after Theresa’s funeral?”
“I’m sharing my bed with you without officially dating you. Now that is inappropriate. I don’t see anything wrong with having a dinner out in a restaurant with you.”
I bite my lip and close my eyes to take a moment to absorb his words. Sleeping with him has been extremely arousing, although we didn’t touch besides giving each other innocent hugs and restrained kisses on the cheeks. I’m more than happy to be able to help him sleep, but I’m too tired of waking up to drenched panties. As much as my fears of getting intimate with a man wear me down, I can’t help the desire building up between my legs each time I climb into Zane’s bed.
“How about Scarlet?” I ask. After all, it’s his relationship with Scarlet that keeps us from exploring each other’s bodies. As long as they’re together, there can’t be any Zane and me.
“I just talked to her. It’s over between us. I told her I’ll keep Preston no matter what, and she admitted she can’t continue with me while I father another man’s child.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” I can’t blame her for having different priorities in life, but for me, as long as I see Zane happy, I can accept anything.
“Don’t be. Now I know she’s not truly in love with me, but the man who she thought I could become. And the whole thing made me realize, my heart is beating for someone else.”
I grin at the words I never expected to hear from him, and my eyes fill with tears. Swallowing down the threatening sob, I ask, “Who is that lucky girl?”
“I don’t know if she’s lucky, but she’s absolutely gorgeous and takes my breath away every single time I see her.”
“I’ll be really disappointed if it turns out to be someone else,” I admit, shivering at the beauty of the moment and wishing I could see him right at this moment and feel his strong arms around me.
“No, darling. There’s no one else. There won’t ever be another woman. It’ll be only you.”
“Oh, Zane…”
“I’ll see you at seven.” He disconnects, leaving me astounded and giddy with happiness. Placing the phone on the passenger seat, I turn on the engine, replaying what just happened over and over in my mind.
It’s finally happening. I won’t have to keep my emotions bottled up in me, won’t have to cry silently in the night, praying to God to make him return my love for him. He’s not exactly in love with me, but at least I now have a chance. Zane and I will start seeing each other officially.
The thought of finally having a chance with him after so many years of loving him from afar while he was showering his attention on other women feels alien to me.
“He’s mine,” I whisper to myself and immediately cover my mouth with both hands in sheer disbelief.
My phone rings again and I reach for it with shaky hands and glance at the screen to see it’s Lindsay calling. With the incidents happening one after another the last few days, I forgot to respond to her texts.
“Hey, there,” she chirps into the phone. “Where have you been? You’re not in your apartment. You don’t reply to my texts. I was seriously wondering if I should report you as missing.”
“Sorry, Lindsay.” I turn off the engine since Lindsay won’t keep it short, and I really want to share a lot of details regarding Zane and I. “I’ve just been very busy lately. You won’t believe what kind of turmoil Zane and I have been going through.”
“What turmoil? Did he cheat on Scarlet, too?” she asks, a little too quick with her assumption. However, she’s not completely wrong since having a woman in one’s bed while in a relationship with another woman is technically cheating, although in Zane’s defense, his split-up with Scarlet was only a technicality.
“Well,” I start with a giddy voice. “I’ll tell you the details later, but for now, you should know this.” I pause for effect and tease her a bit.
“Come on! Just tell me!” she urges.
“Zane broke up with Scarlet and officially asked me out on a date,” I scream the last words like a school girl asked out on a date for the first time.
“Oh, shoot. I was afraid that would happen.”
“Aren’t you happy for me?” I ask, discouraged by the dismay in her voice.
“I’m worried he’ll hurt you.” Her tone turns serious and worrisome. “Are you sure you want to start a relationship with a player like Zane. You need a man who’ll commit to you completely. I’m not sure Zane is capable of doing that. Just look how he ended it with Scarlet although he claimed to love her and got engaged to her. Honestly, I’m not surprised he broke off the engagement. He’s not made for monogamy. Are you willing to share him with numerous other women?”
I know she’s bad-mouthing Zane because she cares about me and also has experienced his dark side in person. “I think he’s worth the risk. I’ll have to find it out by myself.”
“I understand. But, don’t make it easy for him,” she adds.
“What do you mean?” I ask, my curiosity rising.
“You know, men love a good chase. Make it hard for him. Give him some tests.”
“Tests?” I frown in confusion, but suddenly an idea pops up in my mind. “I think I know what you mean, but I’m gonna need your help!”
CH 20 - The Meeting
~
As soon as Julie emails me the copy of the paternity test results, I let my lawyers draw up legal contracts to initiate the adoption process. But, before
asking Ben to sign anything, I take him to the hospital to see his biological son to make sure he’s fully aware of what he’s giving up.
Unfortunately, we’re not yet allowed to take Preston into our arms since he has to be incubated until he’s fully healthy, but the kind nurse leaves us alone with him for a few minutes.
“He looks bigger.” I’m surprised at the tender tone in my voice. Hardly resisting the urge to coo and make silly noises for the baby, I slide my hand through the glove to touch him inside the incubator where he’s sleeping.
“That’s the baby, huh!” Benjamin exclaims rather loudly. He keeps his hands tightly in the pockets of his jeans. His body stands rigidly and a little too distant from the incubator.
“Yes.” I nod, unable to take my eyes away from the little miracle before my eyes. “I named him Preston after my mother’s maiden name. She passed away when I was a teenager. But, I guess you can change it if you assume paternity…”
“Yeah. Well.” He pulls his hands out of his pocket to run his fingers through his hair. “You know what? I can’t do it.” He takes a step back toward the door, looking ready to throw up.
Panic tightens the muscles around my neck as I wait for an explanation. He’s not ready to give up on his baby. I should have seen it. “What do you mean?” I ask, needing clarification.
“The whole baby thing…” He presses both hands on either side of his head, his face pale like the wall behind him. “I’m not ready for it. I doubt I’ll ever be. I’m in debt up to my nose. I live with my friends. I don’t have the means or the will to raise a child. It was Theresa’s idea to go bare. If I knew I’d knock her up, I’d have used three condoms. No, not true. I’d have stayed miles away from her. Looking at the baby right now, I feel nothing. Well, except a little nauseous. Man…I can’t take him. If you want him, by all means adopt him. I’ll sign whatever you want to relinquish my parental rights to you.” He waves his hands toward me and then heads for the door.
“I’ll give you a week before you make your final decision,” I call out after him, but with the speed he’s dashed out of the room, I doubt he’s heard anything I’ve said.
I stay a little longer with Preston, enjoying the feeling of his small hand circling around my index finger, feeling impatient to take him into my arms. “You little monster,” I say softly. “You scared away your father. Can you believe how fast he left? But don’t worry. He’s a fool. He doesn’t know what he’s missing. Bad for him, good for me, right? I’ll be your daddy and we’ll find you a really cute mommy. Do you remember the sexy lady who was with me the night you were born?” As if he understands me, he starts suckling his lips, and I laugh heartily. “Yeah, that’s the one. Her name is Julie. I’ll try to get her to complete our family. What do you say? Are you going to be my wingman?”
The nurse clears her throat behind me, and I quickly straighten my posture and pull my hand out of the glove.
“It’s his feeding time,” she says holding a bottle of milk in her hand.
“I’ll leave you two alone.” I smile and glance at my watch. Only three hours left ‘til my first official date with Julie, and I still need to shower and change into a killer suit to get Julie drooling over me.
Julie’s shy and hesitant demeanor the last two nights while in bed with me—Zane the sex god—isn’t something I’m familiar with. I’ll have to line up all my seductive weapons to break through that iron barricade she built up around her heart, and my looks are just a part of my game. By the end of the night, she’ll be kneeling in front of me to enjoy the A-class treatment women pay thousands of dollars to receive.
CH 21 - The Preparation
~
I work out for an hour straight at the gym of my penthouse to feel energized and also to chase away the somber mood that’s been taking me down inch by inch.
After the shower, I go through the line of fragrance bottles, sniffing Yves Saint Laurent, wrinkling my nose at Giorgio, almost decide on Ralph Lauren, but settle on Paco Rabanne. My neck, my chest, and my six-packs receive a generous amount of Invictus while I walk around naked, waiting for my body and hair to dry.
Since the date night will be with Julie, who happens to be my executive secretary as well, I can’t exactly ask her to book a table at La Nit, the restaurant we ate at for the last time as a family before Mom’s death. I’m not even sure if it still exists, but I can picture her smiling through tears of joy, remembering that old, yet very precious memory.
A tear slides down my own cheek. Julie and I go so far back in our lives, loving her is a given. There has always been a part of me that belonged to her, no matter with whom I shared my bed. She’s always been there, in the shadows of my mind, but still present. I don’t even have to question myself as to my dedication to her. She is and will be the queen of my heart. I love her with such an impenetrable bond, I would give my life for her in the blink of an eye.
I feel sure Julie feels the same. She stood by me in the darkest moments of my life and celebrated the incredible milestones with me. She never doubted me and never asked for anything in return. Scarlet, Penelope and the other women in my life have always expected something in return for their affection—my last name, a share of my wealth, my prestige, or their ideal man.
I google La Nit on my phone. Once I figure out their phone number, I dial it and stroll into my closet to go through my suits while booking the entire restaurant for tonight. The girl on the other side repeats my request, probably shocked out of her mind. I give her my credit card number and wait for her to confirm the first step to the most romantic date Julie will ever have.
My black Armani suit winks at me flirtingly. It’s brand new and perfect for the occasion since no other woman has touched it, well at least not while it was on me. Julie won’t be able to keep her hands to herself tonight.
Picking up the suit by its hanger, I grab a blue shirt and head back to my bedroom. When I lay the suit and the shirt on the bed that has the residuals of literally hundreds of women, a wave of disgust washes over me.
This bed, this room, this penthouse…they feel foreign. This isn’t the place I want to make love to the woman of my dreams.
As hard as it sounds, I’m going to have to hold off the sex until the contractors finish up my new house in North Hollywood. Then, I’ll carry Julie in my arms into the bedroom that we’ll decorate together and make our own.
Still fully naked but not wet anymore, I walk to the drawer to grab a pair of boxers and socks. My cock hardens ever so slightly when I think of Julie in my arms. Her soft body pressed against mine, her eyes on my face, her cheeks flushing. It’ll be an unforgettable experience to introduce her to the pleasures that come with sexual intimacy.
A faint sound coming from inside the living room stops me before I pull out the boxers. When I straighten up and turn back around, I nearly crush the body before me: Julie’s small and fragile body.
Her eyes widen; shock stiffens every possible muscle of her face. Her jaw drops, her mouth opens. “I…I…I…” Her gaze glides down my body and quickly moves up to my face.
Her small body softly brushing against mine, her flowery scent deep in my lungs, I grin down at her. “Hi there.”
Finally she finds her tongue. “God! Zane, you’re naked.” As if her initial shock wasn’t enough to induce a cardiac arrest, her face tenses even more, and she quickly covers her eyes with her hands.
“Ooops.” I laugh. “Then again, I’m in my own bedroom, and you entered without knocking on the door.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to walk in on you. The door was open.” She turns around, perhaps, in an effort to hide herself from me. “I didn’t know you were here. Why aren’t you at work? Weren’t you scheduled to meet with Westley at four?”
“Westley, my ass. I cleared my afternoon to prepare for our date tonight.” Having her in my bedroom, where I’m the king, is an instant turn on, especially while I’m nude. The urge to get her naked too and crush our bodies together to consumma
te our new relationship takes over me, hardening my cock to its full size.
It’d be so easy…taking a step toward her, gripping her waist from behind…pushing my hips against her ass…letting her feel how much I desire her… All the things that have more potential to have her freak out than to surrender her body to me.
Instead of caving into the strong impulses that nearly have my hands up on her shoulders, I grab a pair of boxers and slide into them. She has seen me wearing nothing but underwear. Hell, she has even witnessed my hardness beneath my pajamas and didn’t run for the hills.
I walk past her at a leisurely speed, cautiously following her gaze. A grin spreads over my face when I notice another wave of shock overtaking her face all over again at the sight of my hard cock beneath the boxers.
She can’t pull her gaze away, but she can’t run away either. I guess, we’re making progress. Slowly, I slide into the dress pants, zip up, and then put on the shirt. Her eyes intently follow the easy movements of my hands. Her body is still, the skin of her face flaming red.
“I have one more thing to take care of before our date,” she says, almost in a whisper.
“Sure.” When the buttons of my shirt are all done, except for the top two, I skip the jacket for now and approach her.
Cautiously, I throw my arms around her waist and pull her in. Her brown eyes shimmer as she tilts her head back to gaze up at me.
“Zane.”
A protest or a note of love? I can’t distinguish it from the supple, yet hesitating, tone of her voice. Her hands rest on my biceps, her touch light and cautious.
“Yes?” I smile at her tenderly, feeling the strong emotions brewing inside me, in my blood.
“I’m scared.”
“Not with me.” I shake my head, still keeping my smile on to give her the comfort she desperately needs. “You’ll never have to feel scared with me.”
“I don’t want to disappoint you.”
She has to fear that, after all the disappointments I’ve brought into the lives of the women in my past. “That’s impossible.”