A Billionaire's Secret Baby - Chapter 15

“Can I help you?” I said cheerily.

The old man turned to me. His hair was a little long and scraggly, his beard untrimmed. I could see his fingers were dirty. But he didn’t look homeless—not exactly. His clothes weren’t tarnished enough.

He turned and looked at me for a moment, and a lonely, sad pair of blue eyes watched me from his deep-set face.

“Can I help you?” I said again. I’d bumped into the old guy as I was leaving The Blue Orchid.

“My son used to work here,” he said, a little sadly, as he turned and looked at the building.

I shook my head, and went on home. Maybe he was just crazy.

It had been two weeks now since TheBlue Orchid had been closed. And we still weren’t attracting nearly as many customers as we had before despite our best efforts. But that was only the least of my concerns.

I hadn’t heard much from Alex since our night together, that wonderful, magical night when I’d given myself to him with all the passion of my younger days. I’d seen him, of course, cooped up in the office with Zeke while they poured over legal tomes and licensing laws, trying to find some loophole with which they could defeat Luca’s plans.

But there was nothing. They knew it, and so did I. And so did everyone else at The Blue Orchid. Already some of the staff were talking about picking up extra shifts. We’d all had our shifts reduced, and more than a few of the waitresses were getting extra work.

I knew I’d join them soon, if something didn’t change. But today was my day off, and for once, I was relaxing at home. Macy was on a school trip upstate, and wouldn’t get back until later in the evening. I’d decided to take advantage of the free time by playing a couple of my old records. It was rare that I had a chance to relax. But I’ve never been the kind of person to sit still, especially when trouble’s around the corner. All the way home, I was tapping my fingers, my knee shaking. I was infectious with energy, and alive with the certain knowledge that Alex really did, well, like me. Not that I should have cared.

When I got home, I was relieved to find that Alex had called me. I called him back without a moment’s hesitation. I wanted something to do, anything, in fact. And I hoped he’d have a job for me.

“Lola?” he said, softly, and I felt a shiver of excitement run through me.

“Alex,” I said. “How are you?”

“Been better. But we’re not giving up. Not just yet. You wouldn’t happen to be free this evening, would you?”

“As a matter of fact,” I said, “I’ve got to be at the bus terminal in the city for nine. I could come around if you need help with anything?”

Part of me was hoping he’d invite me over to his place. That there’d be a repeat of the incredible evening in his grand apartment.

“Have you ever been in a speedboat?”

“A speedboat? Not that I can remember.”

I listened for what Alex was going to say next. And I could practically imagine him on the other end of the phone, grinning.

“How about you come down to the dock in Carrol Hill? There’s something I want to show you.”

“Okay,” I said, putting down the phone and shaking my head. I still hadn’t put two and two together.

***

The Toto was beautiful. Gleaming white, it hovered in the water as Alex led me along the jetty. It was a narrow, long craft with a pointed bow and a riotously red racing stripe across its side. But Alex frowned when he saw me laughing.

“What is it?” he said. But his grumpy tone just made me laugh even more.

“Toto?” I said, incredulously. “As in, the little dog from the Wizard of Oz.”

“I didn’t pick the name,” he said. “Besides,” he added quickly, “it’s bad luck to change the name of a ship. Don’t you know that?”

“Aye aye captain,” I replied cheerily, and felt more than a little pride when I heard Alex growl under his breath. I loved teasing him. It had become my way of showing affection towards him.

“Come on,” he said. “I thought I’d take you for a spin today.”

He reached out a hand, and I took it and stepped down into the hull of the boat. Inside it was more comfortable than I expected, with cream leather seats and a wooden control panel, covered with electric dials and sliders.

“It looks like a spaceship in here,” I said breathlessly, as my feet slowly adjusted to the rocking motions of the bay.

From here, you could see all the way across the bay. On the far left, I could see Jersey City, and Staten Island in the distance. To the right, I could see the tall, gleaming spires of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge, as its arches reached up into the sky. It was a bright day, and Alex produced a pair of sunglasses from the glovebox for me.

“Why, thank you,” I said, charmed by his thoughtfulness. I put the glasses on, and the white glare on the water receded a little. Alex was at the other end of the boat, and I watched as he bent low, his powerful back arching as he stood up quickly, pulling a cord.

There was a splutter and a rumble, and then the boat’s engine flared into life. He strode confidently over to the pilot’s seat, next to me, and I watched him angle the wheel away, skillfully maneuvering us out of the bay.

“Since when do you know how to drive a boat?” I said. Even at this low speed, the wind was already whipping my hair.

“I know how to do a lot of things,” said Alex, and his blue eyes seemed to pierce right through me. Instinctively, I reached out for his strong arm, and rested my head on his shoulder as the boat rumbled on, gaining a little in pace.

“You might want to put your seatbelt on for this one,” Alex said, reaching over and clipping his own down into a lock.

“Seatbelt?” I said. “I didn’t know boats had seatbelts.”

“They have to,” he said. “When they go as fast as this one does.”

“Is that a threat?” I said.

Alex looked behind him as he put the engine into reverse, and backed us round until we were bobbing precariously on the Hudson River’s waves. “It might be,” he said, and I saw a hint of a smile play on his lips.

Then, in one swift movement, he kicked the boat up a gear, and we lurched forward at an incredible pace.

The boat didn’t glide swiftly through the water. Instead, its prow bumped against the waves, and the high-pitched roar of the engine made me clasp my hands over my ears with shock. I opened my mouth, and let out a yell of excitement. “WHOAH!” I screamed, as we thundered across the water.

And then, I saw the city sliding past me. Manhattan, its towers and blocks, the ferries and sailboats on the water. Alex expertly charted a path through the water, his mind moving at a speed I could barely comprehend. I felt the boat tipping upwards, as the engine drove even harder, and Alex kicked us into a higher gear.

“WE’RE GONNA TIP OVER!” I said.

“NO WE’RE NOT,” he boomed, and before I knew it, I could see the buildings in midtown, the spiked top of the Chrysler building and the skyscrapers sliding past on my left.

Then, I saw us approaching the Brooklyn Bridge. Up close, from all the way down here, it was enormous, its dark iron pillars and enormous arches rising so far above me I couldn’t lift my head high enough to take it all in.

My eyes blurred over the speedometer, as I watched the needle rising.

“WE’RE AT FIFTY-FIVE KNOTS,” said Alex, noticing my eyes fixed to the speedometer.

“HOW FAST IS THAT!” I yelled at him. It was the only way to communicate over the roar of the engine, the crashes and bashes of the waves around us. A thin spray of water snaked up around us and splattered the protective screen in front of the cockpit.

“NOT SO FAST,” replied Alex. “70 MILES AN HOUR? I CAN GO FASTER IF YOU LIKE?”

“NO!” I said. “THIS IS FINE!”

As we passed under Brooklyn Bridge and came up by midtown, I felt the boat slowing, and eventually, I saw the prow of the boat bend down as we came level with the water. Completely unfazed by the incredible speed at which we’d been traveling, Alex steered the boat into the harbor, towards a jetty on Manhattan’s side of the East River.

Once we’d come to a stop by the jetty, he pulled up a rope by the deck, and looped it into a lasso. He lobbed the knot over the side of the boat, and I watched, amazed by the accuracy of his throw, as the rope landed over one of the capstans on the jetty and Alex pulled it tight. And once again, I savored the view, the curves of his muscular arms and strong shoulders, and felt an amazing sense of triumph at having been carried across land and sea by Alex Lowe.

***

The car felt still and peaceful after the incredible time on the speedboat. In the back seat, as we were driven into the city, I reached out my hand and put it onto the seat between us. Alex extended his in turn, and I looked into his eyes.

What was I thinking? A part of me was still questioning my motives. I knew that it was wrong—even dangerous for me—to be going down this path. But I was already in that cloudy-eyed world where it seemed like nothing could go wrong. Maybe I was still on a high from the speedboat ride. Or maybe it really was Alex’s presence, so calming to me.

“Let me take you to dinner,” said Alex.

“Sure,” I said. “As long as we’re done by eight-thirty. I need to go pick Macy up.”

“No problem,” he said in a soft, reassuring voice.

We got to the restaurant. I recognized it immediately from something I’d seen on TV once. It was one of those super-fancy places with Michelin stars and tiny plates of food. I’d seen them before.

“You ever go to Panera Bread?” I asked Alex, as we were seated at one of the tables, and the menus, heavy and dark with black leather cases, were slipped onto our laps.

Alex laughed. I loved it when he laughed and the sound was warm and rich. We’d been seated in a private room in the restaurant.

“That’s a good one,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve been for about ten years.”

“You know,” I whispered conspiratorially, “the food probably isn’t as good as here, but the bill’s about a hundred times smaller.”

“I get that,” said Alex. “But money doesn’t really matter to me. Even if the best is overpriced, why not have it if you can?”

I sighed. Already the magic of the moment had been disrupted. I just couldn’t get my head around it. Why was Alex so keen to show off his money?

“It doesn’t impress me, you know,” I said, warily. I didn’t want him to think I could be bought or seduced into liking him.

“I’m aware. That’s why I like you so much.”

“…Is it?”

“Sure. You wouldn’t believe the amount of women who throw themselves at me. I get marriage proposals from people I’ve never met. All because of what’s in my wallet. Instead of what’s in my head, or my heart.”

The word ‘heart’ seemed to hang around in the atmosphere long after Alex had finished saying it, a small, glowing thing which stung my cheeks. I caught myself blushing in one of the mirrored walls of the restaurant.

“And me?” I said, practically swallowing with nerves as I said it.

“You see me for what I am underneath it all. And you aren’t impressed.”

“You don’t think you’re impressive?” I said, amazed.

“I’ve been lucky,” said Alex. “If anything went wrong in my career—if one of my bars had failed when I was starting out, or I’d made a bad investment—I’d have been just another guy on the street.”

I thought of the old man I’d seen earlier on the corner at work, and felt a tiny shudder of fear run through my body.

“I like you for who you are,” I said. “Not your money.”

“But you do like me?” said Alex. I saw something in the corners of his eyes, as they narrowed a little.

What are you up to? I thought.

“Sure I do,” I said. I had to be careful. I couldn’t lie. I did like him, and knew it wasn’t just a friendship. But at the same time, the idea of letting Alex into my life, of dating the father of my child. It was unthinkable.

“So, how would you feel about getting married to me?” said Alex.

And for a moment, everything was quiet in the restaurant. I felt like the volume had been turned down on the world. And then I felt my heart hammering in my chest at an impossibly loud volume.

“Of course, it wouldn’t be a real wedding,” said Alex. “But Zeke and I have been talking, and we’ve come across this interesting loophole in the laws concerning fraud and…”

His voice seemed to go quiet, and I stopped listening.

“Of course not,” I said, in a toneless voice. “Not real.”

“Yeah. You’d just have to pretend. Of course, the marriage license would have to be real, though. Otherwise I might be up for more than one count of fraud. But we’d divorce afterwards.”

It was like Alex was speaking in a foreign language. I caught different words here and there, but the world had gone silent since he asked me that question. And in the space remaining, a horde of unpleasant, nasty voices crept into the silence. The sum of all the years of bitterness spent waiting to hear from him until our chance encounter.

Of course it would never be a real wedding, they hissed.

No one would ever want to marry you, they sneered.

Only a fake wedding.

And the worst part?

When I looked into his face, past his strong, chiseled features and to his bright, blue eyes, all I could see were Macy’s eyes.

“Say, Lola…” said Alex. “Are you feeling all right?”

I was shaking, and there was a stinging feeling at the corners of my eyes, as though I was about to cry.

“I have to go,” I said.

“No, Lola…” said Alex.

“I have to,” I said, and didn’t even finish the sentence this time.

I stood up, and felt my legs, trembling, seizing as I went down the stairs of the gallery, and out through the front door of the restaurant.