Reluctantly Alpha (The Barrington Billionaires, Book 8)

by Ruth Cardello

  I just want to help Angelina and her son.

  And possibly get laid afterward.

  What have I set into motion?

  Chapter Seven

  The following Saturday morning Angelina stood in the kitchen of one of her closest friends, Joanna, and sipped on coffee that their mutual friend Aly had handed her. Busy lives meant they got together only a few times a month, but when they did Angelina always left smiling. They were the kind of girlfriends who were the first to cheer each other on when one of them scored a win and the last to leave when things got rocky.

  Since Angelina didn’t see her family often, Whitney considered these women his aunts as well. They’d attended all of his major life events and loved him as if he were their own. Which was why it was time to get their opinion on what was continuing to be an unnerving week. Angelina glanced out the window to where her son was setting up an obstacle course for Joanna’s mini horse, Betty. “Thank you for encouraging Whitney to play with her today. It’s been a long week and there’s so much I want to tell you that I don’t necessarily want him to hear.”

  Joanna moved to look out the window as well. “Betty loves him and he’s so good for her. She passed her test to become a therapy horse, but the more positive experiences she has with children, the better she’ll respond to them. Children can be unpredictable. Hell, adults can be as well. Some woman tried to look in her mouth to check the length of her teeth. No warning. Didn’t ask permission to. Just went up to her like she was going to pet her then started prying her mouth open and commenting on how young she was. Betty took it well. I nearly chewed the woman’s head off. At least now I know what Betty would do if a child grabbed her lip. All she did was pull her head away and look at me like, ‘Mom, did you see that?’”

  “Put that in your book about her,” Aly suggested.

  “I’ll add it to my notes,” Joanna said with enthusiasm. Soon after saving Betty from a kill pen, Joanna had started journaling about the experience and Betty’s journey from being terrified of people to not only trusting them, but becoming a source of comfort for many. It was such a touching story Aly and Angelina had convinced her it had to be shared. She’d sent off a proposal to a publisher and wham!—she landed a contract and a New York editor to create a children’s series based on Betty.

  Who says you can’t live in New Jersey and make it big in the city? Aly checked her watch. “Start talking, Angelina. I don’t have a ton of time today. My first patient is scheduled at one.” Aly was the area’s most highly sought-after gynecologist. Word of mouth had spread about use of her prototype camera that allowed her to look inside a woman with digital video accuracy without the need for the 150-year-old speculum, which was designed for a physician to view the cervix from outside the body.

  Who didn’t want to go to a doctor who utilized cutting edge technology to increase a woman’s comfort during an exam no woman enjoyed? Her waitlist for new patients was extensive. Healthcare tools for women, by women. She was a pioneer in the industry and her life story was worthy of a book of its own.

  Although not a children’s book.

  Joanna and Aly were two of the most intelligent, grounded woman Angelina knew and that was why she was anxious to hear their opinion of her week. Angelina put her coffee cup down on the counter and said, “Okay, I’ll just jump in. Do you remember I told you Connor Sutton was coming to speak to the drama department at Reemsly?”

  Joanna perked up. “How could we forget? Is he as good-looking in person as he was in the movie? Even if he isn’t, just lie to me. Leave me with my fantasy.”

  “He’s even better in person,” Angelina said, her cheeks warming at the memory of just how good it had felt to be near him. A simple memory shouldn’t have the power to set her heart racing, but it did.

  Aly laughed. “Wow, you liked him. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you get flustered over a man.”

  Trying to downplay her reaction, Joanna said, “I don’t meet many movie stars.”

  Aly’s eyes narrowed with skepticism. “All of a sudden you’re impressed by celebrity status?”

  Angelina hopped up on the counter and looked skyward as she admitted, “He was hot, okay? I’m talking about the kind of hot that is dangerous. I have too much I’m responsible for to have sex with a guy who is probably with a different woman every week.”

  “Whoa,” Joanna said in amusement. “You turned down sex with Connor Sutton? Aly, you need to check if her bits and pieces are faulty. If he’d asked me it would have been a yes, wrapped in a yes, with a side of hell yes.”

  Shaking her head, Angelina said, “I’m serious.”

  “So am I,” Joanna insisted. “I have watched his movie five . . . maybe twelve times. Oh my God, that scene of him in just a towel. I would have pulled it off with my teeth.”

  Angelina turned to Aly. “What do you think she needs? Therapy? More batteries?”

  Aly shrugged, but a smile stretched her lips. “Did you really turn down Connor Sutton? I don’t know that I could have. I believe in carefully choosing sexual partners, but an opportunity like that? Oh, sweetie, did you at least get his number?”

  I should have started this conversation with how I’m currently unemployed. This is ridiculous.

  “I just mentioned him because meeting him kicked off what is turning out to be one crazy week.”

  “Crazier than turning down that beefcake?” Joanna asked.

  “It doesn’t get crazier than that,” Aly added.

  Angelina clapped her hands to get their attention. “Focus. I need my two clearheaded friends to help me decide what to do.”

  “I thought we were being clear,” Aly joked.

  “Crystal,” Joanna said with a laugh as she high-fived Aly.

  “I was fired from Reemsly,” Angelina said in a frustrated tone.

  “Oh,” Aly and Joanna said in unison as all humor left their faces.

  “How? Why?” Joanna asked.

  There was no way to explain it without walking them through the whole week. She started with meeting Connor, thinking there might be a spark, offending him, then how moving his speech to the soccer team had been. She quickly shared what she’d overheard Mr. Svete saying to Mrs. Tellier and how she’d been unable to turn a blind eye to it. Her subsequent termination. Whitney’s expulsion. Mr. Svete’s threats.

  “He can’t do that,” Joanna said in outrage.

  Aly made a pained face. “He shouldn’t be able to, but I’m glad you removed Whitney from that situation.”

  “Poor Mrs. Tellier,” Joanna said with a shake of her head. “I hope she quits. She’s too old to put up with that ass.”

  “She gave her notice.” Angelina jumped off the counter. “This is where things start getting strange. I spoke to her two days ago and she said she’s accepted a job offer from Connor Sutton. An offer that was delivered by his bodyguard. She starts at his office in New York in a few weeks, but her signing bonus was enough to pay off her daughter’s college loans in full. In full. Who does that?”

  “A man you definitely should have fucked,” Joanna said wistfully.

  “He didn’t technically ask me out.” It wasn’t easy to admit that.

  “Ah, now this all makes sense.” Aly exchanged a look with Joanna.

  “I would have said no even if he had.”

  Joanna hid her face in her coffee.

  Aly gave Angelina’s arm a pat. “You don’t have to explain. He didn’t ask either of us out, either. You’ve got nothing to prove. Lucky Mrs. Tellier. She definitely landed a job with a view.”

  “You don’t think it’s strange that he offered her a job? Weird that he knew she’d quit hers in the first place? Mrs. Tellier said she’d told his bodyguard everything when she ran into him while shopping. Shopping. Doesn’t that sound unlikely?”

  They both seemed to ponder the question. Joanna answered first. “You said you left him with the impression that the school wasn’t a great place to work. I bet he was just checking if you wer
e okay.”

  “Maybe.”

  Aly cocked an eyebrow. “What nefarious reason could he have for offering employment to a senior citizen? Sounds like a simple good deed to me.”

  Angelina wasn’t paranoid by nature, but things were happening that she couldn’t explain. She went to her oversized purse and pulled out seven manila envelopes. She withdrew a few from the bunch and laid them on the table. “These are acceptance packets from the three schools Whitney applied to this week.”

  “That’s fantastic,” Joanna cheered.

  “These are acceptance packets from four elite private schools we didn’t apply to.” Angelina laid those on the table as well. “They’re willing to take Whitney immediately and on full scholarship. No records requested. No references needed. He’s just in.”

  After looking the packets over, Aly said, “Perhaps word got out about what happened? Your aunt was in good standing with high society. Could her name still have pull?”

  “Not this kind of pull.”

  “At least it’s not college acceptances,” Joanna joked. “I’d hate to see you in the news.”

  Angelina’s hand went to her throat. “Oh my God, I didn’t even think of that. Would it be illegal for me to say yes?”

  “Did you forge test scores?” Joanna asked.

  “Of course not.”

  Aly didn’t look concerned at all, which did a lot to calm Angelina’s nerves. “You’re fine, then. Are these the same schools you applied to work at?”

  Angelina scanned the packets and practically smacked herself in the forehead. How could she not have thought of that? “They are.”

  “There you go,” Joanna said. “I bet the next contact you get from those schools is to set up a time to interview you for the position you applied for. It’s a small world. They probably heard you’re awesome at what you do and are vying to snap you up.”

  “I guess that’s possible.” It made more sense than anything she’d been tossing around. It had started to feel orchestrated. This is why it’s best to talk things out with friends. I’m worrying about nothing. Simply because two events happened during the same time span doesn’t mean they were related.

  Connor Sutton, get out of my head.

  Just then, her phone beeped with an incoming text. Connor Sutton here.

  She read the text twice, nearly dropping her phone when she turned it to show her friends who had just sent her a message. “What do you think he wants?”

  Aly and Joanna exchanged a knowing look.

  Looking down at her phone again, she read the second message. You made quite an impression on me.

  Angelina read his message out loud. “What does that even mean?”

  Joanna put a hand over her eyes and shook her head.

  Aly smiled. “It means he likes you. Answer him.”

  Short of breath, Angelina typed: Thank you?

  Joanna groaned. “What’s with the question mark? Do I need to teach you how to flirt?”

  “Let her figure this out, Joanna. I’ve seen your moves. You could use a little guidance as well,” Aly quipped.

  Joanna’s eyes rounded in mock outrage. “At least I date.”

  A third message arrived. Get someone to watch your son and be ready by nine tomorrow morning. I’m sending a car for you. Do you have a passport? Bring it. How does dinner in Venice sound?”

  “Who does this guy think he is? And who would say yes?”

  Joanna and Aly waved their hands in the air, but Angelina had already given up on them being rational when it came to Connor Sutton. She hated the part of herself that was tempted to impulsively say yes. What had being impulsive gotten her? Pregnant at sixteen and ditched. Not that she regretted Whitney. He was her life. But she wasn’t starry-eyed and needy anymore. With that in mind, she typed: No, thank you.

  Aly read her response and asked, “Did your fingers just slip? Because it looks like you just turned down a chance to see Venice with Connor Sutton.”

  “I did,” Angelina ground out. “Stop saying his name like he’s the holy grail of men. I’m sure he’s a nice enough person, but I’m not looking for a fling with an actor. He doesn’t know me but he wants to fly me halfway around the world? I’m not some rich man’s sex toy.”

  Joanna laughed. “First, if you were a sex toy you’d be a dusty one, because you might be the only person I know getting less action than Aly.”

  “Ouch,” Aly said, then added, “but true.”

  “I’m not celibate. I have sex. Plenty of sex. And not just in my mind.”

  Both Aly and Joanna’s expressions changed and they nodded toward the kitchen door. Whitney. Angelina turned and briefly met the eyes of her son.

  He quickly looked away. “Joanna, do you have carrots? I wanted to teach Betty to bow.”

  “Sure, hon, hang on.” Looking like she was doing all she could to not burst into laughter, she retrieved a bag of them from beside her refrigerator and handed them to him. “Here you go.”

  “Thanks,” he mumbled and practically sprinted out of the kitchen.

  Angelina groaned. “That, ladies, is why there is no room in my life for a man like Connor Sutton. I don’t care what most people think about me, but I want to be a mother Whitney can be proud of.”

  “You already are,” Aly said with conviction. “Sex is natural. Consider this a conversation starter to many more the two of you will have on the subject.”

  “Awkward conversations,” Joanna joked.

  “Only if you make them so,” Aly countered. “I talk to a lot of mothers and answer countless questions about both daughters and sons. They usually ask me because their child asked them and they weren’t sure how much information to give them. Sexuality isn’t like Santa Claus. I don’t believe in lying to anyone about it. Teach them the real words and be upfront about both the good and bad. You know how many teenagers come to me and ask questions about STDs? Too many. Sex is more than penetration. It’s a complicated subject that we owe it to the young to have an open dialogue about.”

  “Can I pretend he didn’t actually hear me?” Angelina asked.

  “Sure, I would,” Joanna added. “When I do have children, if I ever do, Aly’s going to give them ‘the talk.’”

  Aly shook her head. “That’s my point. It’s not a one-time deal, said and done. It should be—”

  Why fight it? You know you want to see me again.

  Heat swept through Angelina as she read the message that binged her phone. A voice in her head whispered: Would it be so bad? One day of fun? When was the last time I did something wild?

  I don’t need wild.

  I’m a mother now.

  She had to end this before she did something stupid like agree to go. She began typing her defense. I appreciate the offer, but I’m not currently in a place where flying to Venice for dinner fits into my plans. I suggest you ask someone who has less responsibility as well as self-respect than I do. Goodbye.

  “You seriously just typed that,” Joanna said, “to Connor Sutton.” As if realizing how she’d said it, she raised a hand and laughed, “Sorry. But—wow. You don’t play.”

  Aly read the message and whistled. “It’ll be interesting to see what his next move is.”

  “Next move? I just said no.”

  “Exactly.” Aly nodded. “I’m sure he doesn’t hear that often. His next move will show us precisely how interested he is in you. If this is just about a sex, he’ll move on to an easier choice. I don’t believe it is, though. I thought you were reading into things at first, but he wants you. I bet he did send his bodyguard to make sure you were okay. If he has feelings for you, it’s not implausible to guess he hired Mrs. Tellier because he knew she was someone you care about.” She waved at the manila envelopes. “Following that train of thought, acceptance letters to schools your son didn’t apply to does seem linked to him. The question now is how far will Connor Sutton go for something he wants?”

  Angelina buried her phone in the back pocket of her jeans a
nd hugged her arms around her, returning to the window to watch her son with Betty. He was standing beside her, tapping her side while offering her a carrot between her two front legs. She had no doubt he wouldn’t give up until he succeeded.

  She didn’t know Connor Sutton well enough to say that about him.

  Worse, even as she claimed he wasn’t the right man for her, she had to admit it was thrilling to imagine a man like him lusting after her.

  The best thing for me and my family is if we never hear from him again.

  So why is it so exciting to imagine that he wouldn’t give up that easily?

  Maybe because I really am the only one having less sex than Aly?

  Behind his desk in his New York office, Connor dialed the number few people had. As soon as Asher answered, Connor said, “I did exactly what you told me to and she said no.”

  “Hang on, I’m in a meeting.” In a gruff tone Asher asked whoever else was in the room to take a ten-minute break. After the sound of a door closing, he said, “What do you mean she said no?”

  “Want me to read it to you?”

  “Yes.”

  Connor read his texts to Angelina as well as her responses. This whole thing was ridiculous. He’d never had problems getting women to agree to go out with him and he’d never been to Venice. “I should have asked her to meet for pizza.”

  “Is that what you usually do?”

  “Yeah, women love carbs. I love carbs. Add a few beers and it’s practically foreplay.”

  Asher groaned. “Oh my God. Don’t ever say that again.”

  “Carbs?”

  “No. Forget it. Her refusal is actually a good thing.”

  “Really?”

  “It means she’s probably not after your money.”

  “I don’t have that much money.” Not compared to the Barringtons.

  “You will. And trust me you don’t want a woman who is with you for it. I like this woman. She has standards.”