by Sam Crescent
Could it be love?
Could she trust it?
Tobias made her feel. He made her … yearn for him. She wanted his love more than anything else. She wanted to show him that love wasn’t a curse or a disease but something to cherish, to look forward to, and certainly not to be afraid of.
When she turned around, his hand rested on her stomach. “I will take care of you and our baby. You have no idea how important you are.”
Chapter Eleven
A couple weeks went by and Tobias wondered if all the sex they’d been having had the desired result. He wanted to suggest that Adora see his personal physician, but he didn’t want her to think he only cared about the baby. Part of him had expected to tire of sex with one woman, but he’d only grown more and more addicted. She had infused herself into every facet of his life, and even work was becoming more enjoyable. Her fresh ray of sunshine had given light and focus to his one-dimensional life.
He didn’t like the fact Adora still lived in her shitty little apartment. She was his princess, and he wanted her to have the very best. A few nights she’d slept over, and it gave him a taste of life committed to one woman. He could only speculate that her mother had talked her out of a relationship with him. But not all billionaires were the same. Well, he’d changed. Adora’s sweetness had changed him.
Tobias adjusted his tie as he walked down the hallway of Hamilton’s crown jewel. It was an architectural marvel in the downtown core. As he studied all the details in the sprawling ceilings, he thought of Adora and her natural gifts. She loved her studies, had a passion for architecture. It must have been in her blood.
That’s where the similarities to her father ended. That asshole was nothing like his daughter. She was sweetness and innocence personified, and Hamilton was everything debased in the world, so similar to Tobias’s own parents.
He walked into the main office and tapped his knuckles on the reception desk three times. “I need to see William.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No, tell him it’s Tobias Bennett.”
She picked up her phone and within a minute led Tobias to a glass-enclosed office at the end of the hall. He walked in, taking in the sights.
“Very nice,” he said, walking around the circular office. It was unique, if anything.
“You like it?”
“I can appreciate a good design. You’ve worked on a few of my buildings, or have you forgotten?” Tobias asked.
Hamilton leaned back in his desk chair, a pencil to his lips. “I appreciate all the business your family has given me. Your mother, especially, has excellent taste.”
“And your daughter?”
William groaned, sitting straight. “What do you want from me, Tobias?”
They were close in age, both big players in the business world. Their paths were probably on the same trajectory until Adora changed Tobias’s.
“My mother’s been here a few times in the past two weeks. Why is that?”
He chuckled. “It’s not my place to discuss private business matters.”
Tobias massaged behind his neck, looking out at the view of the city. “Don’t fuck with me, Hamilton. Your little girl’s warming my bed, and a few whispers in her ear and you’ll be looking at a paternity lawsuit so big you’ll wish you’d never met Maria Garcia.”
William exhaled. “It’s not what you think. They don’t even know she’s my daughter. I’m the one who requested the face to face.”
“Why?”
“Your parents went to the faculty and requested Adora be cut from all the elite lists. I put two and two together.”
“I’m listening.”
“Look, Adora doesn’t deserve to be punished because of you … or me. I’ve done a lot of shit in my life, and I have regrets, but that doesn’t make me a monster,” he said.
Tobias wasn’t buying it. “You’ve had twenty years to make amends, and that night at La Ballezza was the first time she’d seen you in the flesh.”
“I didn’t know about her.”
“Bullshit.”
“Does it matter? The past is the past. I can’t change it,” he said. “When the college contacted me, I wasn’t about to let your parents ruin Adora’s career. We both know how ruthless they can be.”
“Don’t tell me they actually listened to you.”
He scoffed. “Not likely. They mentioned a baby, and wishing Adora would disappear. They said she was a gold-digging little whore.”
Tobias ground his teeth together. “She’s your daughter. You own up to that? The kid they want gone is your grandchild.”
Hamilton had no balls. He always hid behind his women and money. Tobias wasn’t letting him off the hook so easily.
“Since when have you wanted to settle down, anyway, Tobias? It seems unusually cruel to force Adora to live the same life as her mother.”
“Don’t compare me to you. I don’t shirk my responsibilities. I’m with Adora because I … want to be with her. I want the best for that girl.” He realized he was about to use the “L” word but quickly stopped himself.
“Then tell her to take her professor’s offer to apprentice at my company. She won’t even have to see me.”
“She’ll never agree to that. She hates you with the intensity of the sun, and I’m not sure anything you can do will change that.” Tobias wasn’t on top in business for being gullible. He had a sense when someone was screwing with him, and he didn’t trust William.
“It would be in her best interest.”
“What about your sons? You going to tell them about their sister? Think they’ll like the idea of splitting the family inheritance four ways?”
William’s face dropped. “I want to do the right thing by Adora, but I’m not willing to bring my own family down in the process.”
“Of course not.”
“Look, people make mistakes. Nobody needs to know about any of this except you and me. I feel bad about what happened to Maria. No need for Adora to suffer.”
Tobias cracked his neck to each side, his hands clasped behind his back once he reached the edge of the office. He watched the cars driving far below from his vantage point. William Hamilton was fueled by guilt, nothing genuine. Not love. Tobias wouldn’t allow him to hurt Adora. If she needed a job, Tobias could give her one.
“Let me know if my parents contact you about Adora again. Otherwise, don’t lose any sleep over your dirty little secret.”
Tobias left the office, feeling sick to his gut. He’d take care of William’s responsibility.
Once he arrived back at the Bennett Corporate headquarters, he took the elevator up to the penthouse. As he walked toward his office, his secretary rushed over to him. “Sir, I’m so sorry, I was about to call security.”
“What is it?”
“There’s a woman in your office. She insisted on locking herself inside.”
He knocked on the door, “Adora?”
The door opened a few inches. He smiled because he knew it had to be her. Tobias turned to his secretary. “Adora Garcia has full access to my office. In the future, don’t try to stop her.”
“Yes, sir.”
He entered the office, and locked the door behind him.
“That was a long lunch,” she said.
“I had some errands to run. You’re off early, no?”
Adora nodded. “It’s reading week. I’ll have more free time to get caught up.”
He hadn’t seen her too much in the past week between work and school. They’d had more date nights, but it wasn’t enough time together, in his opinion. “What made you decide to stop by?” He could tell something was on her mind.
Adora shrugged.
“Will you be sleeping at my condo tonight?”
“I better not.”
Now he frowned, shrugging off his jacket and placing it on the back of his chair. “Tell me why, please. Why do you insist on keeping your distance?”
“It’s exactly what you’re doing w
ith me, Tobias.” She ran her hands up his chest, reaching up on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his shoulders. “You want me to give up everything, but you’re still keeping up all these walls.”
“I have no walls, baby.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “Sure.” Adora turned and walked toward the windows. Something was off about her, something sad and unsettled.
“Has something happened? Don’t hide anything from me.” Last week, Tobias had sent a registered letter to his parents, outlining a few of the incriminating tidbits he had on them. It was enough to get them to back off. They’d created him to be ruthless, so they shouldn’t have been surprised. They hadn’t expected him to turn against them. The moment they approached Adora they’d sealed their fate.
He sat at his desk chair and patted his lap. Usually she’d oblige him, but not now. Had his parents’ lawyer gone after her again? Maybe he needed to up his game.
“We don’t talk about us,” she said.
“What are you talking about? That’s all we ever talk about.”
“No, we talk about the baby, getting pregnant, watching my stomach grow.” She paced the office. “I mean, I realize that was the deal. This was all about the great Bennett heir. But somewhere along the line, I fell in love.”
He didn’t know what to say. When she looked at him with those big dark eyes, all her vulnerabilities on the surface, he became speechless. She was so damn beautiful. And young. He’d taken advantage of her when they first met because he never expected her to want anything to do with a forty-five-year-old man. To hear her declaration, a multitude of emotions took him by surprise.
“Nothing to say?” She exhaled a little breath. “It’s okay, Tobias. It was my fault for thinking I could change you.” Adora placed a brown paper bag on his desk. “I have to meet my mother for lunch.”
She walked out. He watched her go, and for some reason stayed rooted in place, not stopping her. Her words still played in his head. This all started out with sex, using Adora to mother his baby without attachments. Somewhere along the line everything changed.
Tobias opened the bag and reached inside. It was a white stick.
A pregnancy test.
It was negative.
****
Everything had been going so well, but the longer they were together, the more fragile she realized their relationship was. No matter how happy they were, the fact was this started because Tobias wanted a baby. If she couldn’t give him what he wanted, how long until she used up her usefulness? They had sex like rabbits and no pregnancy. Adora wasn’t naïve. She knew it could take months to make a baby, but the negative test made her think, make her wonder if Tobias would even want her if she couldn’t give him an heir.
Dating, sex, and compatibility was great, but she needed things to move to the next level. She needed Tobias to be real, to open up to her, to emotionally commit. And she wasn’t sure he was even capable of giving her what she needed.
By the time Friday came around, she missed Tobias fiercely. He hadn’t called, and she assumed he’d lost interest after seeing the test. She’d wanted him to think, to consider what he wanted before they got too deep. It worked, but her heart was already starting to crack down the middle. They were supposed to go to a gallery opening tonight to celebrate one of the Bennett Corporation’s newest office buildings. Since she hadn’t heard from Tobias, she assumed the date was off.
Adora lay on her twin bed, reading her text book. Ever since seeing him earlier in the week, she’d wanted to kiss him, to feel his warm skin. What if she never tasted him again? How would she feel if she saw him with a new girlfriend? Maybe a model? She immediately felt for her mother. Adora couldn’t imagine watching Tobias get married and seeing it plastered on the news.
Her cellphone rang, and she rolled to her side to grab it off her night table. It was him. She dropped her book, and bolted up into a sitting position. Her heart raced, a sense of peace filling her just knowing he’d remembered her.
“Hello?”
“Are you ready?” That voice. Just the baritone made her wet.
“I wasn’t sure if we were still going. I haven’t heard from you all week,” she said.
There was silence on the line.
“Tobias?”
“I’ll have a car at your apartment within the hour. A dress would be appropriate,” he said. “And, Adora?”
“Yes?”
“Keep your hair out, and I don’t want you wearing any panties.”
He ended the call, and she sat there looking at her phone. The man was cold as ice. He was ready to continue on as normal without talking, without changing. And she was too much in love to refuse him.
Adora showered and wore a simple floral dress. It was the nicest thing she owned. She wanted to look beautiful for Tobias, to see desire in his eyes. It had been a while since he’d claimed her body, and her pussy ached for him. When they had sex, to her, it felt like bonding … like love. Even if it wasn’t real, she’d take what she could get.
The drive to the downtown core was tense. She had a nervous energy—excitement to see Tobias and anxiety about the fancy event. No matter how much he reassured her, she always felt out of place in his world.
She stepped out of the car and looked up at the building. The sunset reflected off the angled glass surfaces, mesmerizing her.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” Tobias’s arms snaked around her waist from behind. She hadn’t even seen him.
“It really is.”
She twisted around in his arms and rested her head on his chest, breathing him in. Even with the distant traffic, she could hear his strong heart and it grounded her. A well of emotion took her by surprise. She couldn’t imagine life without Tobias, but was she willing to sell her soul to the devil?
“You’re so beautiful.” He smoothed his hands down her hair. “Come on, I want to show you something.”
He took her hand, and it felt like the most intimate thing in the world walking hand in hand with him. The doors were held open for them, and women with trays of champagne danced around the well-dressed crowd in the lobby. Everyone wanted to talk to Tobias, but he brushed them all off and kept leading her to the door just ahead.
Once inside the room, he closed the door. It was an office, but it wasn’t his usual style.
“What is this?” she asked.
He picked up a remote control from the desk and hit a button. The built-in blinds began to lower on all the windows, blocking out the people in the lobby and the view of the street from the other side. “Doesn’t matter. I just needed to be alone with you.”
“To fuck?”
He frowned. “Watch your mouth, baby girl. It doesn’t suit you.” Tobias pressed a finger to her lips and tossed the remote on a chair. “We’ll have time for that later.”
“Then why are we here?”
“We need to talk. Well, I need to talk,” he said.
She liked the sound of that, but didn’t want to get her hopes up. He could be telling her that it wouldn’t work, that he’d find a more fertile woman to mother his heir. “Okay.”
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and you know what I realized?”
She shook her head.
“I’m an asshole.”
Her jaw dropped. “No, Tobias. Don’t say that.” She ran her fingertips along his jaw, but he grabbed her wrist and kissed her pulse point.
“It’s true. I only wanted a baby to keep my lineage going. I didn’t even want to be a father or husband,” he said. “I planned to ship the kid off to boarding school and maybe see him on holidays. As for the woman, I didn’t want to see her once I knew she was pregnant.”
She swallowed hard.
“I had everything a man could want—money, power, women. But I’ve learned something, Adora. Do you know what that is?”
“No, Tobias.”
He smirked, holding both her shoulders, looking down at her. “None of that matters. Not once you find the woman you love.”
/> “I don’t understand. What about the test?”
“Baby or no baby, you’re all I want, Adora. You’ve changed me. I’m miserable without you.”
“What does this mean?”
“It means I want more. I want what my brother wanted, it just took me longer to figure it all out.” He cupped her face and kissed her lips once. “I love you, Adora Garcia. Nothing will ever change that.”
He’d actually said it, and she believed him. Not because she wanted it to be true, but because he was being sincere.
“I love you, too.”
“This doesn’t mean I’m not going to keep trying for that baby, just that the game plan has changed. I don’t want to replay my fucked-up childhood. I want us to have a real family, Adora.”
She couldn’t stop the tears from slipping down her cheeks. This was better than a fairy tale, and Tobias was her unlikely hero.
Adora wanted to list off a dozen or more thing that could put the brakes on their moment, from his parents to her father, but she kept her mouth shut. Love could conquer anything.
“Now, did you do as I asked?”
She narrowed her eyes, not catching his drift. When both his hands squeezed her fleshy ass, she remembered the panties. “Yes, I’m naked underneath my dress.”
“Mmmm, so obedient.” He rubbed the front of his pants, and she saw his thick hard-on. “Now, while my stock holders are mingling, I want to christen this building properly.”
After what he’d just said, she was ready for anything he could dish out. “Do whatever you want to me.”
“I plan to.”
He opened the drawer to a small table and pulled out a tube of lube. Did he think she needed that? Her juices were already leaking down her inner thigh she was so ready for his cock. He had a wicked gleam in his eye, one promising sex and sin.
He tossed his jacket on the floor. “Get on your knees, Adora.”
She did as told, getting down on to all fours over his expensive suit jacket. He lifted her dress up over her back, exposing her bare ass to the air. She didn’t move, but she could feel his eyes roaming over every exposed inch.