The Naked Truth (4 page)

After he was gone, Abigail was able to let out a
huge sigh of relief. Life was about to change and she prayed it was for the
best. In the meantime, she had to go against Josh and find a job. She already
had an interview set up in the morning. She couldn’t take a chance on Josh yet
and the offers he had. For all she knew, when he left at the end of the week,
she would never see him again

Chapter Four

“And tell me, why would I want to hire you when
Freddy Regan let you go?” the scrawny man in front of Abigail asked.

“He didn’t want to let me go. I was his number one
act,” Abigail argued.

“So you say. Go on up onstage, show me what a number
one act is.” The repulsive man pointed at the stage.

“I don’t have an outfit.”

“You got panties on underneath what you’re wearing?”

She nodded, feeling nauseous with the way his eyes
groped her.

“Then you have what I need. Now strip.”

Abigail sighed and then did as he said. This strip
joint wasn’t nearly as nice as the one she’d come from. She wondered what the
cliental was like here and if it was even worth trying to get the job. On stage,
she waited for the music but it didn’t come.

“What are you waiting on?” the man demanded.

“Music?”

He laughed. “If you have the talent you claim, then
you don’t need music to aid you. Strip and dance or get off my stage.”

Taking a deep breath, she slowly and seductively
removed her clothes, leaving them in a pile on the small stage. She then set
forth with the number the men all loved at the other club. Holding onto the
pole, she grinded her hips into it as she moved up and down. Next she wrapped
her legs around it and spun around with one hand, all while undoing her bra
with the other. She cupped her breasts and flicked her nipples. She stole a
glance at the owner and he looked very pleased. Leaning back against the pole,
she hooked her thumb into the tops of her panties and slowly lowered them.

“Okay,” he said in a throaty tone. “You’ve got the
job.”

Pulling her panties back up, she grinned. “Thank
you.”

“I don’t know what Freddy was thinking, but man,
you’re one hot piece of ass. When can you start?”

“Next week.” She had to wait until Josh was gone.

“Saturday night or not at all.”

Reaching down, she grabbed her clothes. “I can do
Saturday.”

“Good.”

She dressed and then met him off the stage. “I
really appreciate it, Mr. Taylor.”

His eyes were dilated and she had a feeling he was
hoping she’d reciprocate how much she appreciated it.

“I have to go get my daughter from school. I’ll see
you Saturday evening.”

He nodded. “Seven. Don’t be late.”

Abigail left as quickly as she could. She had to get
Hailey now and across town for the DNA test. And she still hadn’t figure out
how to tell Hailey why she was getting her cheek swabbed.

* * * *

Josh sat in the waiting room. Abigail and Hailey
were running late, but at least Abigail had called and let him know. Traffic
was backed up, she said, from a train.

He thought back to his conversation with Nate, who
warned him not to get attached just yet. But it was too late for that. Just as
he’d told Abigail last night, he knew without a doubt that little girl was his.
He felt a bond with her immediately and when she cuddled up with him in the
rocker, all the anger and pain he’d been feeling about the situation faded. He
was meant to be with her and Abigail, regardless.

Abigail. She was going to be a tough one to convince.
She had a brick wall around her and he wasn’t sure she was willing to let
anyone in. She’d been doing it alone for years and she was content that way. He
was positive the only reason she was letting him anywhere near their daughter
was because she’d hidden it from him. If the roles were reversed, she’d have
chased him out of there with a baseball bat.

He only had a few more days in town and needed to
take that time to win them both over. Nate thought it was crazy that he wanted
Abigail and to be a family. Nate felt like he should be angry and take the
woman to court. And all kinds of other things. But he wanted Abigail. He always
had. He never should’ve let her get away all those years ago. If he had been
smart, he’d have gone after her. She’d be a lawyer by now and they might even
have another child.

He was going to see that her dreams still came true.
She deserved it. Not to be getting naked for men. As long as he had his way,
she’d never return to that lifestyle. Even in the event Hailey turned out not
to be his, he still wanted both of them.

The door swung open and Abigail and Hailey entered
the office. They each had their golden hair up in ponytails.

“Hi, Mr. Carter,” the little girl said as she took a
seat next to him. “Mommy said you and I are taking a test.”

“We are. Did she tell you what kind of test?”

She nodded her head real dramatically up and down.
“To see if we’re related.”

He grinned at her but didn’t say much else. He then
glanced at Abigail, who leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and appeared to
be nervous. “How are you?”

“Good.”

He was about to pry a little more, but the door to
the back opened and a nurse called their names. “Are you ready?” he asked
Hailey.

“I hope so. Mommy said she is taking me for ice
cream after this.”

“Oh yum. What’s your favorite kind?” he asked as the
three of them went into the back.

“Chocolate with sprinkles.”

“Me too. The sprinkles especially.”

Hailey giggled. “We must be related.”

Abigail helped the little girl up on the table. The
test only took a few minutes and they were on their way. In the parking lot,
they parted ways. He wanted to spend more time with them, but could tell
Abigail needed space. Him being here was getting to her, so he’d give her
tonight. But tomorrow he planned to surprise her while Hailey was at
pre-school.

* * * *

Abigail removed the yellow gloves and went in search
of water to curve her thirst. Whenever she was stressed out, she cleaned. As
she sipped the water, pride filled her that her place sparkled and smelled of
lemon and bleach. Now to get herself clean.

Setting the bottle down on the counter, she began to
lift her shirt up over her head.

Knock knock.

Abigail pulled the edge of her tank top back down.
She glanced at the clock and thought it was early for the mail man to be here,
but he might’ve been ahead of schedule today. Then again, she wasn’t expecting
a package at the moment, so it probably wasn’t the mailman. She stood on her
tiptoes and peeked through the peep hole.
Josh.
What was he doing here?

Opening the door, she said, “Hailey’s at school.”

He held an envelope in his hand. He couldn’t
possible have the test results already. Then again, he had money, so anything
was possible. “I’m here to see you. Can I come in?”

Abigail stepped back out of the way and let him enter.

“It smells good.” He glanced around.

“I was cleaning. I was just about to wash up before
you showed up unexpected.”

He grinned. “I thought we could open this together.”

She eyed the white rectangle in his hand. “That’s
for you. Not me. I know you’re the father. You were the last man I was with.”

“Before you found out you were pregnant?”

She laughed. “No, as in you’re the last man I’ve
ever had sex with.”

“You don’t mean…”

“Oh, yeah, I mean it. I’m a single mother. I don’t
have time to date.” He was quiet and she found it amusing. She could only
imagine the thoughts running through his head. “Open it up.”

He set the envelope on the table next to him and
closed the space between them. “It was five years ago that you and I were
intimate. And in all this time, you’ve never gone to bed with another man?”

“You’re still on that?”
Men
.

His hand wrapped around her neck and he pulled her
face to his. “Do you have any idea what it does to me to know I was the last
one to touch you?”

She shook her head. “What does it mean to you?”

“How about I show you? Can I?”

She gazed at his lips and licked hers. Before she
knew what was happening, she nodded and his mouth crushed against hers. He
stole her breath when his tongue swooped in and met hers. She reached out and
grabbed his shoulders, bringing her body closer to his.

Her body burst with pleasure, the same way she felt
years ago. His arms wrapped around her and lifted her. Her legs intertwined
with his waist. Josh spun her around, setting her on the same table the
envelope was on.

He ended the kiss, but only to begin a trail on her
cheek, to her chin, neck, and collarbone. “Oh God,” she murmured.

She arched into him as his tongue licked the top of
her cleavage. Her core ached to be touched. She wanted this man badly. Instinct
kicked in and she reached out, yanked a handful of his dress shirt, and smashed
her lips to his. Her fingers began working his buttons. Once a few were undone,
she slipped her hand inside his shirt and across his firm chest.

“You’re amazing,” he whispered before his thumb
flicked over her nipple.

Abigail gasped and then went back to working on his
shirt. Just as she reached the last button, she looked up at him and saw the
passion in his eyes. But then she wondered what she was doing. Should she be
doing this with him? She barely knew the man and for all she knew, when he returned
home, she may hear from him again. She couldn’t risk it.

She pushed him away and hopped off the table.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“We can’t do this.”

He came up behind her. “We don’t have to do anything
you don’t want to.”

Oh, she wanted to. And her soaking wet panties were
all the confirmation she needed. But her heart couldn’t handle it.

“I think you should go.”

“What about the results?”

Abigail turned back toward him. “Like I said before,
those are for you. I don’t need to see them.” She left the room for the shower
she had originally set out for earlier.

Chapter Five

Josh sat on his bed in his hotel room and stared at
the sealed envelope. He then picked up the photo of Hailey that he’d taken and
studied the little child. He never told Abigail his mother’s name. If he’d seen
her more years ago, he was sure that he would’ve. But one night of passion
didn’t leave them much time to talk.

Hailey had large round eyes and the shape of them
reminded him of his mom. He had no doubt what the contents of the envelope
would tell him. He didn’t need to see it to know. He opened his briefcase and
tucked it away inside. He’d burn it if he could, but knew he’d need the results
to legitimize Hailey as his. And he planned to. He wanted to give her
everything she dreamed of.

Perhaps he could convince Abigail to come live with
him in New York. He then remembered what she said—him being the last man she’d
ever been with. It warmed his heart to think of her as untouched. And that the
last man to bring her pleasure had been him. Now to convince her she would
never need any other man but him.

He was glad she’d stopped their make-out session
today. It would give her time to figure out if she wanted him or not and not
based on the desire he lit in her at that moment.

Josh’s cell phone rang, pulling him from his
thoughts. “Josh speaking.”

“Sir, I know you’re away on business and
mini-vacation, but there’s been an emergency and we need you back in New York
ASAP,” his secretary said with urgency in her voice.

“What’s the emergency?”

“The union is threatening to go on strike.”

Crap
. “I’ll be there this
evening. Call and get my jet ready.”

“Yes, sir.”

He hung up. Leaving right now wasn’t what he’d
wanted, but it looked as though he had no other choice. Once things got
settled, he’d call Abigail and arrange to have her and Hailey fly out to him
for a weekend.

* * * *

Abigail set her phone down on the car counsel after
listening to the voicemail from Josh. He had left and gone back to New York. He
claimed there had been a work emergency, but she wasn’t so sure she believed
him. Maybe he was like other men, and when she didn’t spread her legs, he took
off. Well, at least he was gone before she had made the mistake and sat down to
tell Hailey just who he was. For now, she would wait until her daughter was
older.

Abigail pulled the checkbook from her purse and then
headed inside the pre-school.