Jude’s words are still ringing in my ears. I can’t believe he told me that he loves me!
And I have no idea how I’m going to be able to get him to allow me the space I need to keep my family life separate from him. He’s more than persistent. He’s what I would call obsessive.
He’s managed to gain a place at where I work in just a matter of days for the love of God!
What the hell am I supposed to do about that? How can I continue to keep him away from my home and the kids if he’s insisting on getting close? How can I tell him that whether he loves me or not doesn’t matter, I still can’t give him any more than I already am?
The kids slept in my bed with me. They wanted to cuddle with me to make me feel better. The little sweethearts. It helped too.
I feel a lot better. Weak as hell, but much better. The doctor was wrong about one thing. The virus lasted only twelve hours instead of twenty-four, a thing I’m grateful for.
His diagnosis of me taking too much on by myself is probably right but I’m not about to change anything about that yet. I made it through this two days of hell all alone with them, I can take more.
Not that I’m asking for more!
It’s five in the morning and I’m trying to decide if I should get up and try to go to work or take a sick day. I deserve a sick day. I have never taken one in the two years I’ve been at the spa.
Carter rolls over and slaps me in the face with his little hand. It might be small but damn it, it still hurts. I roll over and shield my face from the kid and find myself looking at my niece, Mia.
Her soft curls are in a perfect nappy mess around her chubby, round face. Her little rosebud lips are pursed as if she’s ready for a kiss. My heart fills with the love I have for her and I kiss her cheek.
My decision is made. I’m staying home with the kids all day. We can order in some Chinese food for lunch and I’ll get some egg drop soup for us all to help build us back up.
Sure, it’s not Mom’s homemade chicken noodle but it’ll do in a pinch. I think I need to learn how to cook better. I certainly need to learn how to make that soup.
My cell phone lights up. So I sneak out of bed, careful not to wake the kids up and get my phone and head to the living room. Picking up my bottle of water, I head out and look at the phone which shows me that Jude’s awake and texting.
I settle on the sofa and take a drink of water then wrap myself in the throw that’s laying on it. It seems he’s doing better and wants to know how I’m doing so I call him.
He likes to hear my voice and I have to admit I like to hear his too.
He answers, “Hey, gorgeous.”
“Hey, you,” I say with a smile plastered on my lips.
He sounds a little sleepy and sexy as hell. I bet he looks like a hot mess and man how I’d love to be cuddled up with him right now.
“Thanks for the virus,” he says with a chuckle. “It’s the first thing you’ve given me.”
“You are so welcome. I’m glad it was a short one.” I take another drink of water. “You are getting plenty of liquids, aren’t you?”
“I have a mini fridge in here. I need a nurse, though. You think if I sent someone for you, you could come and hang out with me today? You know you’re not going into work.”
Man, how nice that would be. Laying around with him all day!
“Can’t,” I say.
“I see,” he says then gets quiet.
That kind of quiet that’s full of tension. I know he wants to ask me why but maybe he won’t since I’m still weak. I cross my fingers just to be safe.
To change the topic, I ask, “So, do you still love me, Jude?”
He chuckles again, sounding deep, manly, rugged, and sexy. “You recall that, huh?”
“I do.” I laugh to let him know I know he was out of it. “The things you say when you think you’re about to die, huh?”
“Mercy, I know I said it in a fevered fit, but I still have the same feelings. I do love you.”
I let that hang in the air for a moment then say, “Jude, we don’t even really know each other to make that kind of a statement yet.”
“Mercy, if you think I throw that little phrase around a lot I want you to know that I don’t,” he says. “And I don’t even want you to say it back until you mean it. But I want you to know that I love you. I have so many plans for us, it’s not even funny.”
It’s not funny nor possible!
“Jude, don’t make plans where I’m involved. You know when I’m available and when I’m not. Just because you said you love me doesn’t change that one bit,” I let him know.
“Maybe not to you. Maybe not yet. But it’s changed something inside of me. I don’t think I’ve ever really loved a woman before. I know I’ve never thought about any woman as much as I think about you. You tore up my dreams last night, girl. You were all up in them. And that’s how I want life to be from now on. I want you all up in my life. Every aspect of it.”
“Jude,” I say, stopping him. “That’s very nice to hear. It really is. If things were different, well, I’d love to hear you say those words. But things aren’t different. So, for now can we just take things slow?”
His silence worries the hell out of me. Can he let this thing between us go slow?
Chapter 8
JUDE
After a day of recuperation, I’m ready to get back on track and get this thing with Mercy going. She only talked to me twice yesterday because she said she was busy with sleeping and trying to get well. But she never sounded sleepy.
I’m taking Zeek’s car to the spa this morning so mine can be cleaned up. It reeks of puke and I can’t take that. His windows are tinted to the maximum darkness they can legally be so I look out my window at the car that’s pulling up next to me at the stop light.
It’s a black Suburban and I do a double take as I swear its Mercy driving. She’s talking to somebody and looking back. I can’t see through the darkly tinted passenger window to see who she’s talking too. But I do see that she isn’t noticing me at all.
I drop back behind her as we leave the light and follow her. Now I’m sure to find out what she’s been hiding!
Only three blocks up, she turns and I stay back far enough so she doesn’t figure out I’m following her. Then she takes a sharp right into a fenced in parking lot.
Parking across the street, I watch her as she gets out of the car and goes to the passenger door right behind the driver’s seat. I look at the sign of the little yellow building with the red roof and see that it’s a daycare facility.
Maybe she’s dropping off some neighbor’s kids.
She opens the door and it takes her some time to get the kid out. Then out comes a little boy. She takes his hand then goes around to the other side and I can’t see what she’s doing.
After a minute or so, I see her walking up the sidewalk. The little boy is walking beside her, holding her hand and she’s carrying a little girl.
The little girl has blonde hair just like Mercy’s, only the girl’s is really curly. A woman opens the door for her. Mercy kisses the girl on the cheek then hands her to the lady. Then she kneels down a little and kisses the little boy on the top of his head and pats him on the shoulder and says something to him.
I roll my window down to see if I can hear anything. Then I hear her voice as she waves and turns to walk back to the car, “I love you two. Be good. I’ll be here at six to get you.”
That’s not the way anyone talks to a neighbor’s or friend’s kids, is it?
Mercy has kids! And she lied to me when I asked her that question!
Why would she lie to me?
Following her to the spa, I can’t even think about what I’m going to say to her. She lied to me!
I’m too pissed to face her right now, so I take the next left and change my plans for the day. I won’t be going to the spa today. I have no idea if I’ll be able to contain my pissed off state.
Instead, I think I need some more in
formation and I think I might know how to get that. Mercy may not be willing to let me in on why she’s hiding those kids from me, but there’s more than one way to skin a cat.
A little phone call has me well on my way to finding out what her deal is. “Hi, I was wondering if you would be willing to accept a donation of children’s books.”
The woman answers enthusiastically, “Of course!”
I thought so. “Can I bring them by this morning?”
“That would be great. Anytime will be fine. Just ring the bell and I can come check your ID and let you inside. Your name is?” she asks.
“Jude Hurst,” I tell her.
Quickly, she asks, “Oh! Of Hurst Oil and Gas?”
“Yes, mam. Our company is helping out some of Dallas’ daycares and I picked yours.”
She squeals with delight. “Will the news media be with you?”
“No, this isn’t a public outreach program. This is private. Very private. What are your policies on reading to the kids?” I ask as my wheels are turning in my head as I’m trying to figure out how I can get to talk to at least that little boy who seems like he’s old enough to be able to carry on at least a little bit of a conversation.
“If you’re talking about you reading to them, that will be fine. Your reputation is very public. You have no criminal history and that’s what we care about. So when can we expect you? I’ll set up a little reading time today if you want.”
“How about around nine. I’ll bring some fruit trays so the kids can snack while I read them a few stories. I really love children,” I say as I head out to a bookstore to load up on some books.
“That sounds wonderful!” she gushes. “See you then.”
As I drive down the road I get the sudden urge to give Mercy one more chance to come clean with me before I go all undercover on her. She answers her phone, “Good morning, Jude. Will I be seeing you this morning?”
“No,” I say. “I have things to do this morning.”
“Oh! Okay. This afternoon then?” she asks, sounding a little disappointed.
Well, so am I!
“I’m not sure yet. Mercy, are you sure you don’t want to tell me why you are so busy? You know, the real reason why you can’t do more with me or let me come to your house?”
“Jude, for God’s sake, let it go. Crap!”
She sounds exasperated and now I am too. I mean, damn! I told her kids were not a deal breaker so what the hell is her problem?
“Fine, Mercy! Forgive me for giving a fuck about you!”
“I’m sorry, Jude,” she says as her voice goes very soft. “Call me when you figure out if you’re coming to the spa today or not. Okay?”
“I will,” I tell her then hang up.
Why the hell would she hide her kids from me? Or is there more than kids she’s hiding?
A BILLIONAIRES TREASURE
By Michelle Love
A Billionaire’s Treasure
By Michelle Love
When he first laid eyes on her he knew she was the one. Her brown eyes, wavy hair, and plump lips painted a matte wine red. What first caught his eye was the smirk on her face when the teacher called out everyone’s name and she didn’t reply. As he watched her he wondered how she could be bold enough to sit in on someone else’s class.
He walked to the middle of the class with his hands behind his back and smiled. You could hear the silent whistles and occasional “omg’s” coming from the female students. All except for her, that was new for this charming older man. She didn’t even move her eyes up from her bag to see what was going on. The older man was caught off guard being as though he was always the center of everyone’s attention when he walked into the room. A woman has never not taken an interest in him, so this random student not giving him the time of day made him drawn to her and only her.
“Hello, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Arsen Lockhart and here’s how I became a billionaire novelist”, the man announced before the class. As soon as the word “novelist” slipped out it was like something clicked inside of her brain. Her head popped up immediately and she began paying attention.
Lola Anderson. She was the epitome of stubbornness and ruination. Her only goal was to become a novelist so she never had time for relationships or even friendships. Besides one, that is. Lola has a best friend named Arabella Spencer and they’ve had an unbreakable bond since middle school. Lola was currently skipping her eight o’clock math class to spend time with Arabella and never expected that there would be a seminar. Who knew that this one day would be the start of something interesting.
They caught eye contact from across the room and from the moment he saw her he knew he had to have her. She bit down on her lip as she watched the much older man walk around the classroom. It was really a coincidence that on the day she skipped her class a great opportunity like this came about. There had to be a reason the universe pulled them together.
Lola
I began to feel very drawn to Arsen as he started his presentation. Despite being in college, no other guy had that certain type of confidence that he did. I examined the way he walked with his back straight and chin up, the way he spoke slowly making sure every word was articulate, and the way his eye contact burned holes straight through anyone’s head. He was the perfect guy, if I wanted one.
I quickly shook the thought of lust and started to take notes. He went into detail about how to market your novels for the age group that you want to sell to and that’s really where I struggled with my work, really trying to make them want my book in their home. He also owns a line of hotels across the country named after himself, The Lockhart. I wasn’t interested in any of that, though, the fact that this man was a novelist was really attractive to me. He told us about his daily routine and how strict the time period is for his workers, it showed how ruthless he was when it came to his work. He was stern and didn’t play with his work, a man who knew what he wanted and got it. What is this feeling? I fanned myself lightly and continued taking notes.
A half hour went by and the presentation was over. When Arsen went around to hand out his business card for whenever we needed to ‘contact him’, his smile melted the hearts of all of the female students. I fell victim of this feeling but I would never let that be known. When he handed me the card we made eye contact and there was this tingling feeling throughout my body. He winked and I was taken aback, feeling attracted but confused. I guess he noticed because he chuckled and moved on to the next row of students.
“What was that?” Arabella asked smiling. “He was totally just flirting with you”
I rolled my eyes and pulled my bag over my shoulder. “You’re over-analyzing things, Bella”.
“You like him!” Her eyes widened with excitement as she stared at me.
I raised an eyebrow trying to mask my nervousness and stood up from my seat. “I need coffee”, I forced out and left the room quickly.
I’m not sure how a simple gesture could get me to crack like that but it was strange, and I’ve never felt that before. I rushed out the class and straight to the coffee shop to clear my mind. I started to think about Arsen again as I waited in line. His suit was so nice, form fitting without a single piece of lint. His dark hair and piercing gray eyes.
“Hello! What can I get for you?” I heard faintly in my head. That confused me but I ignored it. “Excuse me!!”
I snapped back into reality and realized the barista was trying to get my attention. I laughed softly “Sorry about that, one large cup of vanilla hazelnut coffee please”.
The barista put in my order then told me my price. As I looked through my bag for my wallet I heard a familiar voice.
“I’ve got it, and add another large coffee, black” I saw a man extend his arm handing the barista a black card. Her eyes lit up at the sight of him and my body tensed up. All of my feelings from just 10 minutes ago came rushing back when I turned to see Arsen standing next to me with a smirk on his face.
“You didn’t.” I spo
ke lightly then cleared my throat. “You didn’t have too”
“I wanted to, so I did” He chuckled and took his coffee from the barista and I did the same. “Let’s talk”
My eyes widened and he chuckled again and walked away to a table in the corner. Taking a deep breath, I followed him to the table and sat in front of him.
“You’re not afraid?” I asked.
“Of?” He furrowed his eyebrows.
“Being out in public without some sort of bodyguard or protection. You know... being a billionaire and all” I took a sip of my coffee and almost moaned at the warm liquid rushing down through my chest.
“I have nothing to be scared of…” He trailed off not knowing my name.
“Lola” I simply stated and stuck my hand out to shake his. He grabbed my hand and placed a kiss on it. I heard a girl gasp from the table behind us and I rolled my eyes.
“Too much?” He asked referring to the kiss.
I shook my head in disagreement. “Girls here are just annoying sometimes, but why did you want to speak with me?”
He smiled and took a sip of his coffee. He licked his lips and that made my stomach full of butterflies. “I saw you taking notes and I wanted to ask you what you thought about my seminar?”
“Arsen Lockhart cares what I think?” I questioned and smiled lightly.
“I do”, he smiled and drank more of his coffee. “So tell me, Lola, what did you think?”
“I really admire how strong working and dedicated you are” I pushed my hair back behind my ear. “Actually… can I interview you the next time you’re available?”
Montgomery Billionaire Series Page 140