An Heir At Any Price: The Billionaire's Obsession - Contemporary Romance (2 page)

We talked about the weather and the
changing climate. We talked about recycling and going green. We
talked about where I was from and where I’d gone to high school. In
every conversation I was impressed by her insightfulness and
intelligence. Occasionally it was interjected with humor and she
was raised in my mind to the next level of my plan.

I had to be sure she was perfect
though before I moved forward. I don’t mean perfect in the sense
that she has no flaws, I mean perfect for my needs, my purposes.
I’ve done a lot of research on nature vs nurture. I’ve found out a
lot about what traits are more than likely inherited, and which
ones are likely learned. I needed to find a woman with strong
traits in the area of nature, those that would be passed on to her
offspring.

I can get pretty much any woman that I
want, but this isn’t about a date, or even a relationship. I’m not
looking for a girlfriend or a wife. What I am looking for, what I
need is a woman who is healthy, attractive, intelligent, and witty
and will be willing to help me create a beautiful, perfect child
and then walk away.

Chapter Two

~

My day had been long and grueling. We
were busy already when I got there for the lunch rush and I hit the
ground running and didn’t stop. All of the worst customers, the
ones that liked to make substitutions, the ones that liked to
complain and the grabby old men that wanted to touch my butt had
shown up, and to make it all worse, Aiden Scott hadn’t made a
single appearance. I guess Rose and Myra were wrong; he didn’t come
in every time I was on shift. I had looked towards the door every
time it jangled, busy or not, expecting it to be him. I was hoping
that it was him….It was silly. I knew there was no chance of Aiden
Scott and I ever going anywhere except conversation and light
flirting in the café, but I was okay with that. My life was so far
from where I thought it would be and had hoped it would be at this
stage. I work at a job that is going absolutely nowhere. I take
care of a mother who loves to drink and is never going to stop. I
don’t have much to look forward to, so I tell myself that looking
forward to Aiden Scott walking in that door every day is no big
deal. He’s more than nice to look at and he’s fun and interesting
to talk to. It’s no big deal until days like today when he
doesn’t.

I was on close-up duty tonight and was
counting down the minutes. Everyone else was gone, even the cook.
Joe said he had a football game to get to and all of the customers
had left already. I’d closed up alone before, and I was okay with
it. I hoped that was it for the night, but at least if anyone came
in now it would be an easy coffee and pie. Everything was done and
as soon as I turned that sign for the night, I would be out of here
too. I had just over half an hour so I decided to go in the kitchen
and check Joe’s supplies back there and see if there was anything I
could help set up for him in the morning. Just as I walked into the
back, the door jangled. Cursing under my breath I turned around and
was looking into the dark chocolate eyes of Aiden Scott.

“Well hello,” I said. “I’m surprised
to see you here so late.”

He smiled, God I love that smile… “I
just finished up a long day and thought I’d see if you had any
coffee left.”

“I do, but its mud. I’ll make you a
fresh pot, have a seat.” Aiden sat down at the counter instead of
his usual table.

“Long day for you too?” he asked,
taking a seat on the vinyl stool.

“Yes, very,” I told him as I put a new
pod in the coffee pot and pushed the brew button. “I am extremely
happy that closing time is looming in the almost reachable
distance.”

“Big plans for when you get out of
here?” he asked.

I laughed, “Yes, I plan on taking a
long soak in the tub, putting on my pajamas, making a cup of tea
and reading my book.”

“That sounds like a perfect evening,”
he said.

“Sure, I’ll bet you have gentleman
clubs, fast cars and pretty girls in your near future.” I’m not
sure why I said that. It wasn’t like me to be so direct.

Now he laughed, “I gave up the club
life when I stopped being a child and became a man. As far as the
pretty girls go, that’s why I come here.”

I felt my face go hot and I knew I was
blushing. The coffee pot beeped and saved me, I was able to turn
around, hopefully in time to keep him from seeing me turn red like
a twelve year old.

“Coffee’s ready,” I sang out, sounding
as nervous as I felt.

When I turned back towards him he was
smiling. I flipped over his cup and filled it with the fragrant,
steaming coffee. After I sat the pot back down he said, “You really
have no idea how pretty you are, do you?”

Now there was nowhere for me to turn.
I knew my face was bright red, and worst of all, I didn’t know what
to say. How do you answer that question? Before I had to he said,
“I’m sorry, Holly, I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

I forced myself to smile and said, “Oh
it’s fine, I’m just not used to such nice compliments. Thank
you.”

“Why?” he said, tilting his head to
one side like he was genuinely curious. I knew what he was asking,
but I was stalling.

“Why what?”

“Why aren’t you used to it? It seems
to me that people should be telling you at least once a day if not
more often how pretty you are.”

Now he was the one being direct, and
as nice as his praise was, I was exceedingly uncomfortable with
it.

“Would you like a piece of pie to go
with your coffee?” I asked him.

He threw his head back this time and
laughed. “My sweet Holly,” he said, causing my stomach to do a
somersault. “Again, I’m sorry for embarrassing you but it’s hard
for me to come in here every day and not at least comment on your
beauty. I’ve done that now, so let’s move on to safer ground. Tell
me about yourself, Holly. What do you like to do when you’re not
here at Joe’s café?”

That was another dreaded question to
me. What did I like to do? I wasn’t even sure anymore. I never did
anything but work and take care of my mother who had no hobbies of
her own besides lifting a glass to her lips and a bottle to her
glass.

“I mostly just work, and read,” I told
him.

“Okay but do this for me, picture
yourself at a place in your life where you don’t have to work so
much, and your choices are so much more wide open than reading,
what would you like to do?”

I thought about that and then I said,
“Well, I love horses. I don’t get much of a chance to see them in
real life, but when I was a kid, we lived next to an elderly couple
who had horses that they weren’t able to ride any longer. The man,
I called him “Grandpa,” he taught me how to take care of them,
brush them out, feed them, saddle and bridle them, and once I was
able to do all of that on my own, he let me ride them whenever I
wanted to. It was such a free feeling, you know?”

“I do know,” he said with a smile. “I
love to ride too. Maybe you and I could take a ride together
someday.” I only smiled at that, I didn’t answer him. I was sure he
was only saying it to be polite anyways. “So tell me more, what
else will you do when you have more time?”

I shrugged, “I love the beach,” I
said. “I’d like to just sit on the beach with a good book and some
suntan lotion. I might like to try one of those whale-watching
tours someday. I’d like to take a flight somewhere, anywhere…I’ve
never been on a plane, or a train, and I’d love to take a train
across the country. I want to go skydiving….” I realized that he
was laughing and I said, “What?”

“I was just thinking, you finally get
on a plane and you want to jump out of it.”

I laughed too, the man had a point. “I
was babbling anyways,” I said. “Do you want some more
coffee?”

“I’d love some,” he said. “If we still
have time? I know you’re trying to close up.”

“Everything’s done,” I told him, and
then surprising myself I said, “I’m going to turn the sign and you
can have another cup, one more won’t hurt. I’m enjoying the
conversation.”

He grinned and said, “Me too. Pour me
another cup. You can go on with your list. You weren’t babbling at
all. But first I’m going to visit the men’s room.” I nodded and
poured the coffee while I watched him go. He was just so incredibly
handsome that it was hard to believe he was here in real life. It
was like he walked off of a movie set or something. It was even
harder for me to believe that he thought I was pretty, and
interesting enough to have a conversation with. Maybe he was just
that nice. I sat the pot back down and flipped it off so I wouldn’t
forget. Then I went over to turn the sign. Just as I got to the
front door a man pushed it open, so hard that he nearly knocked me
over. Once I got my bearings back I said, “I’m sorry sir, we’re
closed.”

The man was dressed in a black suit.
He was middle-aged, balding in back and he had a significant paunch
in the front. None of that was what stood out about him though.
What stood out was the fact that he absolutely reeked of alcohol.
It smelled like it was coming out of his pores. He looked at me
then, like he’d only just noticed me. His eyes ran down and then up
my body in a leery, disgusting way. Then he licked his lips. I had
to choke down the bile in the back of my throat. He smiled then and
it made his face with its thin lips and close-set eyes look as warm
as a reptile. He still hadn’t said anything, which made the whole
encounter even creepier.

“Um, sir….I’m going to have to ask you
to leave and come back when we’re open…”

Slurring his speech slightly he said,
“Your sign says you’re open.”

“Yes, I’m sorry about that. I was just
going to turn it.”

“I’m inside now though so turn it all
you want. Then get me a cup of coffee and maybe a piece of pie too
will you sweet cheeks?”

I didn’t care for where this was
going, but there was no way I was getting this creep a cup of
coffee unless it was to pour over his head.

“Listen,” I said, trying a firmer
tone. “We’re closed. I’m not going to make you any coffee and I’m
only going to ask you one more time to go. If you choose not to
I’ll be forced to call the police.”

He seemed to find my firm tone amusing
as he stepped forward and into my face. I could smell his sour
breath, whatever he ate for dinner mixed with too many gin and
tonics and I actually retched. I was so busy trying to evade this
creep that I didn’t notice Aiden had come out of the bathroom. The
creepy drunk was suddenly grabbed by the shoulders and hauled
backwards. Aiden shoved the man against the glass window of the
café and said, “I believe the lady said she was closed. It’s time
for you to go.”

The man was either so drunk that his
faculties weren’t working properly or he was just an idiot, I’m not
sure which but when Aiden who was close to a foot taller than this
man and could match him pound for pound in pure muscle, let go of
him, the drunk took a swing. Aiden moved back and the man’s fist
swing through the air as if in slow motion. Shaking his head like
he was thinking this guy was as big a moron as I thought he was,
Aiden grabbed him again and took him over to the door. He opened it
with one hand shoved him out with the other. I watched as the man
stumbled and fell on his face on the pavement. Aiden turned the
lock on the door and then turned to me.

“Excuse me for one minute.”

He took out his phone and a second
later I heard him talking to the police saying, “Yes, I actually
get the feeling the alcohol has made him braver than he might
otherwise be but I don’t want him hurting anyone before that
happens.”

After he hung up he turned to me and
said, “Are you okay, Holly? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No, he didn’t, I’m fine. He just
scared me a little bit. Your coffee is there, I’m just going to
finish putting those pies away and make sure everything’s turned
off in the kitchen before I leave.”

“How about I help you do all that?
I’ll even wash my own coffee cup. Then you can join me for some
dinner.”

It was said like a statement, not a
question, “Um…I’m really not very….”

“Don’t say no, Holly, please. It’s
only dinner.”

“Um….Okay, I guess I have to
eat,” I said.
Smooth, Holly.

He grinned and took out his phone
again. I thought that he was calling a cab until we finished
cleaning up and shutting things and I saw the limousine sitting out
front with a well-dressed driver standing with the back door open.
I swallowed hard and glanced down at my black waitress uniform with
a tiny gravy stain on the bottom. I hoped wherever we were going
didn’t match the elegance of the car that was taking us
there.