Daddy 101 (American Romance)

by Leigh, Jo

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Connie said, stepping back.

  “It’s all right,” Dani said, her composure remarkably intact given the circumstances. “What’s going on?”

  “We’re just stacking up out here, is all. You’ve got patients in three rooms.”

  “Of course. I’ll be right there.”

  Connie stared at her a moment longer, then let her gaze move to Alex. She sighed, and her lips opened slightly, and Dani could see the young woman’s lust as plainly as she could see her pale blue uniform. It occurred to her once more that Alex saw that all the time. Women threw themselves at him on a regular basis. Beautiful women. Young women. Women with huge breasts and long legs and naturally curly blond hair. No man could resist all that. Not even Alex.

  “If you don’t mind,” he said, “I’m going to stay here with Pete for a little while.”

  She found Alex looking at her, not Connie, even though her niece was still gaping at him. “Stay as long as you like.”

  “I’ve got some business to attend to at three, so I’ll have to leave pretty soon. Oh, the washer is fixed.”

  “Great,” she said, although at the moment she couldn’t have cared less. “Then I’ll see you when I get through here.”

  “Have any idea when that might be?”

  “Six or a little after.”

  He looked briefly toward the door, and she did, too. Connie got the hint and left rather quickly. Then Dani’s gaze went back to Alex.

  “About our problem,” he said. “What do you say we tackle that when you get home. Let me take you somewhere for dinner. Just the two of us. It’ll give us a chance to talk.”

  “What about Chloe?”

  “We can sit down with her while she has dinner. I’ll make the reservation for eight. Except you’ll have to tell me where.”

  She nodded, very pleased that he was considerate enough to understand that dinner with her daughter was important. “Try the Blue Willow Café. I think you’ll like it there.”

  “The Blue Willow it is,” he said.

  She started toward the door, trying hard to shift gears. Her patients deserved her full attention. Thinking about Alex would have to wait. For the next few hours she was going to be a vet, not a woman.

  She would have, honest, if he hadn’t caught her arm, spun her around and kissed her. His lips on hers were soft and firm, urgent and tender. His tongue teased her into opening her mouth, tasting him and letting him taste her. His hands moved beneath her white coat to explore her back, while he brought her body tight against him. She felt him, hard once more, against her stomach. The awareness that she did that to him was as confusing to her as her own reactions. Her hardened nipples, the tightness in her belly, the need to clench her thighs together.

  A dog’s bark mingled with Alex’s moan, and while she wanted to ignore the bark and concentrate on making him moan again, she couldn’t. It wasn’t easy, but she pulled herself away from his lips and his arms. Before she weakened, she left him standing there, not daring to look back even once.

  HAD THERE EVER BEEN a longer afternoon? Dani doubted it. Time had inched by slowly as she’d examined dogs and cats and birds and snakes. Every time she paused, Alex filled her thoughts and she’d had to force herself back to the puppy or kitten. At five, she’d come to the conclusion that the whole system of love and lust was seriously flawed. It was detrimental to the work ethic, and played havoc with the natural order of things. Life had been so much simpler just two days ago. Work and Chloe had filled her life to the brink, and it had been enough. Now, she was overflowing, and that couldn’t continue. It just couldn’t.

  So why was she hurrying so? Why did she have to fight the urge to run home? To fly into his arms? It wasn’t fair. That’s all.

  She crossed the last street, and forced herself to walk normally toward her house, even though her pulse was elevated and her heart thudded in her chest. The thought of sitting with Alex at the Café, sipping wine, gazing into his eyes was nearly too much to bear. She hadn’t felt this excited about her prom. What was he doing to her?

  As she approached her house, she saw a very long black stretch limousine parked in front of her next door neighbor’s. It was hard to imagine Joe and Alicia having company that would arrive by limo. Someone had come to see Alex. A woman? God, why did that thought chill her so?

  She hurried inside, expecting to hear laughter once again. Instead she heard a male voice, not Alex’s, coming from the dining room. She hung her jacket on the coatrack and walked toward the voice. She didn’t see Mimi in the living room, which was odd. And where was Chloe?

  Her answer came as she entered the dining room. Mimi and Chloe were standing inside the kitchen, watching Alex and two strangers sitting at the table. She started to say hi, but Chloe put her finger to her lips. Dani walked slowly toward her daughter, trying to size up what was going on.

  The two strangers were men. One, a nice-looking preppy kind of guy dressed casually in slacks and a long-sleeve white shirt, unbuttoned at the neck. His thinning hair was blond and he wore wire-rimmed glasses. At the moment, he had a cellular phone in one hand, and a computer mouse in the other, and he was staring so intently at the laptop computer on the table that she didn’t think he’d noticed her at all.

  The other man was older, and dressed more conservatively in a very expensive-looking suit. His silver hair was thick, his skin tan and the lines that went from the edge of his nose to bracket his mouth were very deep. He, too, had a cellular phone, into which he was talking in a low growl. The older man did see her, although he dismissed her just as quickly.

  Alex sat between them. He spoke to someone on yet another phone while he read from a stack of folders in front of him. His briefcase was on the table, open, and other papers covered the table from one end to the other.

  She reached Chloe and Mimi. The older woman leaned close to whisper in her ear. “They got here a little before three. It’s been like this all afternoon. Mr. Bradley hasn’t been off the phone once. They’ve been calling all over the world. I sure hope they’re not billing those calls to you. I don’t even call Evelyn from here, and she’s only in Colorado.”

  “Who are they?” Dani asked, also whispering, but wondering why it was necessary. It was her house, after all.

  “That one’s Ted,” Chloe said, in her own attempt at being quiet, which didn’t quite succeed. “He’s a right-hand man. The other guy is a lawyer. From California. They flew in a private jet. Alex said I could fly in it if I wanted to. I want to. Can I?”

  “We’ll talk about that later,” Dani said. “What about dinner?”

  Mimi’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, for mercy’s sake, I forgot. Oh, heavens, I’m sorry. I’ll start it right now.”

  Dani put a restraining hand on Mimi’s shoulder. “Don’t bother. We’ll call out for pizza. I’m sure these gentlemen are hungry, too. I’ll get a few.” She walked over to her phone, but before she could lift the receiver, it rang. She jumped, then answered. “Hello.”

  “Alex Bradley, please,” a very officious female voice said.

  “Who’s calling?”

  “Mr. Trump.”

  Dani’s mouth dropped open. “Donald Trump?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Is Mr. Bradley available?”

  Dani nodded, but realized the caller couldn’t see her. “One moment, please.” She put the receiver down and went to the dining room. Alex saw her then, and his smile was half warm and half apologetic. He was still speaking on his cellular.

  “That call...” she said, not sure whether to interrupt or wait until he’d hung up.

  “Hold on a sec,” Alex said to his party. Then he looked up at her, waiting.

  “It’s Donald Trump,” she said, trying hard not to sound as amazed as she felt.

  “Tell him I’ll call him back, would you? Find out where he is. Thanks, Dani. We’ll be through here in a minute. I swear.”

  She nodded. As she walked back to the phone, she co
uldn’t help wondering what the hell she was doing with a man who didn’t have to take Donald Trump’s phone calls. It seemed official now, fully signed, sealed and delivered that she was out of her league by a mile. While she was used to Tinkle the dachshund, he was talking to one of the richest men in the world. Wait, Alex was one of the richest men in the world. He should have his own Maria Maples, not a small town country vet like her.

  She picked up the phone, and tried to sound like someone who knew what she was doing. “Mr. Bradley would like to know where he can return the call,” she said.

  Instead of the chewing out she expected, the woman just gave her the number, and told her that Mr. Trump would be there for the rest of the night, and he looked forward to the call.

  Holy cow. Dani hung up the phone. So Mr. Trump didn’t mind waiting for Alex. Although she knew there was nothing at all wrong with her, or her life, and that most people would be happy to have all she had, she suddenly felt quite like Little Orphan Annie. No wonder Alex wanted her to be his mistress. He certainly couldn’t take her out in public. What would his friends think? That he was slumming, no doubt.

  Dully, she lifted the receiver once more, and hit the speed dial for Domino’s. She ordered three large pizzas, wondering if her guests had ever even had pizza. Probably at Spago’s. Made with goat cheese and caviar. Well, she couldn’t do anything about that. They’d have to make do with pepperoni here.

  She joined Chloe and Mimi, and watched the men at her table in silence. It was fascinating. The talk was fast and furious. The two men with Alex kept standing up and sitting down again. She couldn’t keep up with the conversations, all simultaneous, one in French. But mostly she just stared at Alex.

  Seeing him like this was a revelation. Of course she’d known he was a powerful man. She’d read the articles and seen the television shows. But seeing him in action made it all too real. Imagine, this man doing her laundry. She felt embarrassed to have ever entertained the idea. He was so far above that kind of thing it was laughable. But then she remembered him with Pete. Getting down on his hands and knees to crawl into the cage with his buddy. That’s the Alex she had been attracted to. This Alex was, well, scary.

  Only then did she realize he’d stopped talking. Not just that. He was staring at her, even though his young associate was talking to him. Alex didn’t pay attention, though. He stood, keeping his gaze on her, and walked toward her. She heard the young man say, “Alex!” in a very surprised and none too happy tone. But still he kept coming.

  He reached her the next moment. His smile almost made her forget who he was again. Almost.

  “I’m sorry about this. I didn’t know Ted was going to come in person. I would have stopped him if I had.”

  She swallowed, then mustered a smile. “It’s okay. Really.”

  “What about Chloe’s dinner?”

  “I’ve ordered some pizza. I hope they don’t mind.”

  His brow furrowed. “Who?”

  “Your friends.”

  “Them? You don’t have to feed them. Honest. I’m going to chase them out anyway.”

  “Don’t. Not on my account. I can see they need you. It looks like it’s important.”

  He shrugged. “The fate of the world doesn’t hang in the balance, Dani. It’s just business.”

  “I’ll bet.”

  “You don’t believe me?”

  “How can I when he keeps looking at me like that.”

  Alex turned to see. His assistant was staring at her, not too kindly. He seemed frustrated and anxious, and she wondered how his blood pressure was.

  Alex turned back. “Ignore Ted. Worry is his natural state. If he doesn’t have a crisis once a day he goes into withdrawals.”

  “You should go back, anyway. I’ve got to change, and I want to go over Chloe’s homework. It’s not a problem.”

  “Sure? I can have them cleared out in five.”

  “No, thanks. But I appreciate the offer. You go. We’ll talk when you’re through.”

  He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. It was enough to make her skin tingle, even though she knew his heart was only half engaged. Despite his reassurance, she could sense his impatience to get back to work. She had a premonition that a life with Alex would always include a battle between business and a personal life. One, she feared, where business would win hands down.

  He left her with a smile, and she decided right then that she would go take a shower. She needed time to think. Seeing Alex in his world was as unsettling as it was confusing.

  “Mimi, would you mind staying for a little bit longer?”

  “Why?” Chloe asked. “Where are you going?”

  “Nowhere. I’m just going to take a quick shower.” She saw Mimi smile and nod, then turned back to Chloe. “Will you help her serve Alex and his friends some pizza?”

  “Okay. Can I have soda?”

  Dani nodded. “But only if you eat some salad, too.”

  Chloe made a face, but she didn’t say no. Dani quickly found her purse and gave Mimi the money for the pizzas, and then she left the room. Alex’s commanding voice was the last thing she heard before she closed the door to her bedroom.

  As she undressed, she caught her image in the mirror. It stopped her. This was not the body of a supermodel. Or even a less than supermodel. While she was reasonably fit and trim, there was no mistaking that hers was a real woman’s figure. Her breasts were beginning to lose their fight with gravity. Her stomach was a bit poochy and the stretch marks from having Chloe had faded, but not disappeared. She didn’t even want to think about her butt. When she thought about the other women Alex had undoubtedly seen naked, she realized that there was no way, no how, that he was ever, ever going to see her without clothes.

  How had she thought that this little fairy tale could have a happy ending? He was the prince, she was the frog, and no amount of kissing was going to transform her into his kind of princess.

  At least her struggle was over. There were no more doubts, no more “what-ifs.” Alex, with his charm and his looks and his sweet kisses, was going to leave her house and her life in two days. She wished it could be tonight. Getting over him was going to take a long time. She might as well start now.

  Chapter Eleven

  “We can have you back in New York tonight. There’s a vet standing by to take care of Pete. I’ve got a driver here to take your car. Face it, Alex, you’re letting the ball drop. People are starting to wonder.”

  Alex listened to Ted’s words carefully. He knew his assistant was looking out for his welfare, and that it would be wise to do exactly as Ted suggested. “Sorry, Ted. No can do.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Ted got up from the dining-room table and paced the small room. “Some charming colloquialism you picked up here in Hooterville?”

  “Hey. Knock it off, Ted. It just means I’m not going. Not yet. I’ve made a commitment, and I’m going to honor it.”

  “What about your commitment to Trump? To Lysander and Colfax? What about the Toronto deal?”

  “I can take care of all of that from here.”

  Ted shook his head. “What the hell’s happened to you? Is it the woman?”

  “Her name is Dani, and yes, since you asked so nicely, it is.”

  Ted stopped, then moved to the chair next to Alex’s. “I don’t mean any disrespect, but why? What’s she got that you can’t find in New York?”

  “Oh, Ted. You really need some time off.”

  “Don’t change the subject.”

  “Then stop being a jackass. I’m not talking about moving in here. It’s just a few more days.”

  “Then what?”

  “Then I’ll come home. And if things go the way I want them to, Dani will come home with me.”

  “You want to marry her? You’re kidding.”

  Alex cringed at Ted’s shocked expression, and his words. But it wasn’t anything he hadn’t thought himself.

  “What am I saying,” Ted said, smiling
cautiously. “You’re smarter than that. You want to set her up in Manhattan? A nice penthouse for the mistress, close but not too close?”

  Alex felt extremely uncomfortable discussing this with Ted, although he wasn’t sure why. They’d always been open about his women before. But with Dani it was different. “We don’t need to go into that now. Let’s finish this business up, huh? Fallon isn’t going to be happy you’ve made him wait so long in the car.”

  “Fallon is probably sound asleep. Besides, I’m more concerned with you than him.” Ted looked him squarely in the eye. “Tell me you won’t do anything stupid. You’ve done nothing but preach the gospel of the right woman since the day I met you. Are you seriously going to screw that all up? A mistress is one thing, but the way you’re talking...”

  Alex pushed his chair back and stood up. He didn’t want to discuss this anymore. Not with Ted. He just wanted his assistant out. “I’m not marrying anyone. I’m not screwing anything up. I just need a few days, that’s all. So get going, huh?”

  Ted shook his head, but he also started to put all his folders into his briefcase. Alex folded the empty pizza boxes and picked up the used napkins. By the time he walked Ted to the front door, it was eight-fifteen. He’d blown his dinner with Dani, and he wanted to find her to apologize. She’d said it didn’t matter, but he didn’t believe her.

  Ted hesitated just as Alex was swinging the door shut“ All I ask,” he said, “is that you think things through. Don’t do anything rash.”

  “Thank you, Mother.”

  “You’re welcome. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  Alex closed the door firmly, but he didn’t move for a moment. He couldn’t deny that Ted had shaken him up. Things had seemed much clearer this afternoon. But still, there was no way he was going to walk away from Dani. There had to be a workable solution that didn’t throw both of their lives into chaos. Wasn’t he supposed to be a master at problem-solving?