The Baby Favor

by Chance Carter

  “Well, honestly, money just comes easy to me. Most of the people I know expect me to buy them something. It is kind of how I keep friends, I guess,” he says, analyzing this for the first time. “And most of the people I know make a lot of money, anyway.”

  “So you have friends who are kind of like business transactions then,” points out Jane.

  “Yeah, I guess you could put it that way.” Brad looks a bit disturbed. “Just like how my parents treated me,” Brad adds.

  “I’m sorry, that was out of line. It just seems a bit sad, that’s all,” she says.

  “No, you’re right, that’s exactly how it is,” says Brad. “As they say, it’s lonely at the top.”

  Jane could feel this deep truth about Brad’s life. He really hasn’t had friends. Just people around him who like him for what he can offer them, not much more.

  “Well, if it makes you feel better, I don’t have friends either. Most people who know me expect something of me, to be something for them that they want. I’m kinda sick of it now, to be honest,” Jane says openly.

  “You know what, Brad. I’m going to give you a challenge. When you have an urge to give something to me, I want you to do something for me, no money involved. Just something that comes from inside of you, like writing a note, picking flowers, or… rubbing my feet,” she says in a cheeky way.

  She side swipes him to show him she’s joking.

  “Wow, you know, I think that might actually be hard for me, but I’m in,” Brad accepts, feeling like he’s moving into new territory with the relationship.

  “Great. I want you to know there’s more to me than money,” assures Jane. “I actually like being around people who are decent and caring, you know? Not just rich.”

  “Well, that will feel a bit foreign to me, Jane, I have to say,” he says. “But I like that about you. It’s refreshing.”

  “Thanks. Can’t take the Utah outta the gal, you know,” she says, feeling more like herself now.

  “So, tell me, Brad, what’s your favorite color? Wait, let me guess—black!”

  “Ha-ha,” he says sarcastically. “No, actually, my favorite color is silver.”

  “Silver? I don’t think I’ve met anyone who has silver as their favorite color,” she remarks. “Cause it’s like money?”

  “Oh, you’re full of jokes today, aren’t you? No, because it’s meaningful, a metal that lasts a long time, and it’s shiny, like no other color in the spectrum.”

  “So you always have to be different than the pack, eh?” she says.

  “Wow, you really know how to psychoanalyze someone, don’t you? Underneath that sweet façade is a street savvy woman. Where did you learn how to read people?” he inquires.

  “Well, because I’m a bit of an introvert, I’ve spent most of my time watching people. At school, I could see who the mean girls were, spot the cool geeks, and figure out the things that mattered to people. It’s my super-power, I guess. Thing is, no one took that much time to care about what mattered to me,” she reflected.

  “I think we’re a lot alike, Jane,” Brad says, putting his arm around her. “Is it okay I do this?” he asks.

  “Sure. It’s nice,” Jane says, snuggling into him a little closer.

  They walk the length of the beach, then return to the hotel. Brad gives Jane her sandals as they step into the hotel lobby, only to be met by the manager. They step into the hotel lobby and the manager comes up to Brad.

  “Sir, there is an urgent call for you. Your investment banker needs to contact you immediately,” the manager says.

  Can you excuse me, Jane. This seems urgent and honestly, it may take a while. Can I meet you later for lunch? I’ll have my driver pick you up here at the front entrance and bring you to meet me,” he says.

  “Yes, that’s fine. Good luck,” she says encouragingly.

  Brad feels her softness penetrate into him. He finds her gentleness so touching.

  “Thanks.”

  He walks away and Jane goes to her room, laying on her bed with flutters in her heart.

  As the fan spins over top of her, she feels the cool breeze coming through the curtains. Life feels good, easy, and light all of a sudden. She falls asleep and takes a nap for an hour, finding respite in simply trusting herself for the first time.

  Chapter 30

  Jane gets up and changes into the white bikini. She wants to relax in the hot tub before heading into town for lunch. She feels so free and beautiful. Is it possible that Brad is unlocking something inside of her, a part of her truth and her heart that has been hidden all these years?

  She grabs a large towel from the bathroom and wraps it around herself. Putting her hair up, she recognizes a light in her eyes that hasn’t been present for ages.

  Jane leaves her room and heads down to the hotel lobby to ask where the pool is. She isn’t even self-conscious about people seeing her in a bikini. In fact, she kind of likes being noticed for once. Brad has given her the gift of freedom to be herself, and she feels so much more confidence.

  “Excuse me,” she asks the gentleman at the desk. “Where is the hot tub?”

  “Yes, ma’am. It’s through the doors over there and down the stairs. Would you like someone to escort you there?”

  “Oh no, that’s okay, but thank you. Have a good day.”

  “And you, as well,” responds the clerk.

  The hotel staff has noticed how she’s changed already. She’s not walking in a shy way with her head held low, nor is she just waiting for Brad to tell her what to do or where to be. They usually see him bring women in who don’t have a backbone, who just fawn over him while he bosses them around, only to cheat on them with escorts.

  Quite honestly, the hotel staff doesn’t like Brad that much, but they pretend they do. He’s demanding and expects everyone to be there for him no matter what. The hotel can’t afford to lose the huge amount he pays, so they meet his every request. Plus, he is generous with tips.

  For them, it is quite refreshing to see Jane here. She’s like a whole other type of woman than his usual guests. They wonder how he even met her. She looks so normal, kind, down-to-earth, and has some values and morals to her. At first, they thought maybe she was his niece, but seeing how they were at breakfast caused them to reconsider.

  Jane walks through the door to head for the hot tub. Her flip flops making a loud noise down the hall, reminding her of how unsophisticated she feels.

  As she walks over, she notices she is not the only one there. There are two bathrobes hanging on the hook, one blue and the other white, and the slippers are on the ground.

  Jane opens the first set of doors and through the other glass door she sees Brad sitting in the hot tub. Jane is a bit confused because she thought he’d been called away for important business. His arms are back and he is laying there looking relaxed.

  Jane imagines going up to him from behind and covering his eyes with her hands, then kissing him on his neck until he gets goosebumps. She’d want him to grab her and pull her into his arms in the hot tub and kiss her under her chin, on her neck, down to her cleavage, then put his hands all over her tits until they are hard and dying to be sucked. He’d reach down into her bikini and stroke her with his palm until she gets all turned on.

  Jane daydreams all this, wondering if she has the courage to actually do it. She knows Brad would want to do it, too.

  Jane starts to open the other door, ready to surprise him, but she sees a woman in her thirties with blonde hair sitting in a lounge chair. It looks like she is talking to Brad from behind. He’s not saying much, it seems.

  Then the woman gets up out of the chair. Her body is firm, she has large tits, and she is fully tanned. She walks over to Brad and steps into the hot tub. Brad lifts his head and moves over for her to sit.

  She seems to get closer to him. Too close. It looks like she is rubbing his leg and trying to lean in to kiss him. Brad doesn’t move her hand away, but he doesn’t let her kiss him. She looks rejected and
moves away, sitting in the hot tub.

  Brad waves his hand to show he’s not interested in whatever she is saying. The woman gets out of the hot tub and goes to get her things. She comes toward the door to leave.

  Jane steps back and moves away, not wanting to be seen. She walks quickly down the hall and back to the front desk area with tears in her eyes. She doesn’t know how to contain them.

  One of the clerks says to Jane, “Done so fast?”

  “It was too cold,” Jane says, her head hanging down so no one will see she is crying.

  “Oh, that is so strange. I checked the temperature myself. I’ll be sure to get someone to check it out,” says the clerk.

  “Don’t bother. I’m sure it’s fine,” Jane replies, not wanting her lie to be discovered.

  Jane walks over to the beach and finds a hammock to fall into. She starts sobbing quietly, curled up and without anyone there to comfort her. She feels sorry for herself but then realizes Brad didn’t take the bait. It actually looked like he wasn’t interested and didn’t respond to her advance. But why? She is so beautiful, closer to his age, looks like she has it together, and she’s confident. Why wouldn’t he want to be with her? She seems like she would be exactly his type.

  Chapter 31

  Brad takes the phone call from his investment banker. “Yes… uh huh… no. What? That can’t be. What kind of nut bar would do something like that? Okay, keep me posted.” He hangs up the phone and then immediately calls his lawyer.

  “John, It’s Brad here. Big time stuff going on. Some chick is trying to sue me. You gotta get me out of this mess,” says Brad. “No, I don’t know her. I don’t think I do. You know me, it could be anyone, really. I’ve never been married, damn it.”

  Brad begins to sweat, feeling panicked. He hasn’t felt this way since a potential takeover fiasco that happened when Brad was 19 and messed things up for his dad. He was so angry then and deeply disappointed in himself. He felt like someone took advantage of him because he was young and naïve.

  Now he has to deal with this woman who is trying to make a court claim that he’s been skipping out on child support for the past 10 years, and falsely identifying herself as an ex-wife. What the hell? He apparently can’t go back to the States because he will be arrested upon arrival. This is pure insanity.

  Brad paces back and forth while on the phone waiting for John to get back on.

  “Yes, I’m here. What’s the news?” Brad demands. “Okay. So just stay here on the island? You’ll sort it out? Okay, I’ll have to trust you on this one, John.”

  Brad hangs up the phone.

  Shit. What the hell am I going to tell Jane? And what if this drags on for months? She’ll think I’m a lunatic and that I’ve lied to her.

  Brad goes back and forth with different scenarios. He doesn’t know what to do so he goes over to the bar and orders a scotch on the rocks. He throws it back and it calms his nerves. He can’t think of anything else but this.

  He decides to go to the hot tub to settle down before lunch. He doesn’t want Jane to see him this way. He goes to get his swimming shorts and bathrobe, then heads to the hot tub.

  He doesn’t see Jane anywhere and, in a way, he is relieved.

  He takes his robe and sandals off, goes over to the tub, and sinks down to rest in it. He falls back and closes his eyes, wanting this mess to go away. He can hear the lapping of the sea in the background, and he remembers he is safe. He will be fine.

  John has never let him down before. Even that time when someone was trying to frame him for the murder of a prostitute. He has had to deal with shit like this from crazy people before. He can’t let this get him down, he just has to be patient and let his attorney get it resolved. He lays there in the hot tub and feels his muscles relax.

  He hears the door open and he glances up. There is a gorgeous, blonde woman walking his way. She had huge tits and a firm body, clothed only in a red bikini. She bends over, deliberately showing off her ass in front of Brad while she takes off her sandals.

  Brad lies back, playing it cool and trying not to look at her. She lies on a lawn chair behind him. Normally, before Jane, Brad would have been all over her. He would have locked eyes with her when she walked in and started a conversation by now, inviting her in to join him.

  Brad knows how all of this would have gone down, because he knows how to get women to take their clothes off for him. It’s kind of like his best magic trick. This time, though, it’s her trying to start the conversation.

  “Hey, I haven’t seen you here before,” she says. “What’s your name?”

  “Brad. I haven’t seen you here before either,” he replies. “What’s your name?”

  “Ella,” she says in a smooth way.

  “Are you on your own here, Brad?” she asks, “Cause I am. Would you mind some company?”

  “Well, actually I’m staying here with someone,” Brad tries to explain, feeling a bit uneasy and guilty.

  “Oh well, I’m sure she won’t mind if you and I become friends,” she says, as she steps unabashedly into the hot tub.

  Her abs are tight, her thighs even tighter. In the past, he would have gone right up to her and bit her bikini bottoms off, pulling them down with his teeth so he could get right down to business.

  This time, he’s not feeling it. He just wishes it was Jane’s body in front of him. He wants her small, perky tits, and her thin, sweet and tender body.

  Ella sits next to him and starts stroking his leg. Brad moves her hand away. She tries to kiss and suck his neck. But he pulls away.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. I thought you were wanting something more,” she says. “My mistake.”

  Ella gets up out of the hot tub and grabs her things. Brad sits there in the tub and throws his head back again.

  Jesus Christ, Brad. What the fuck is wrong with you? You did it again, he tells himself.

  He looks up and sees Jane at the door for a split second before she turns and rushes away. He wonders how long she was there and how much she saw.

  “Ah, shit,” Brad mutters. He falls back into the hot tub and soaks it all in. “This has to be one of the worst days ever.”

  Chapter 32

  Jane stays in the hammock at the beach for quite a while, her mind spinning madly. Who was that woman, and why was Brad in the hot tub in the first place. The woman was clearly more suited for him. She starts doubting herself again, feeling like nothing but an ugly waif. She doesn’t know what to think or feel about all of this, but does realize it was the woman hitting on him, not the other way around, and he didn’t seem to respond or encourage the advances. Jane is spinning with confusion.

  After collecting her belongings, Jane returns to the hotel, eventually making her way out front where a car is waiting to take her to the restaurant to meet Brad. She is not sure if she even wants to see him right now. She’s feeling huffy and unbalanced, a mixture of sadness, disappointment, and anger. She really wonders why she should care. I mean, really. He’s a billionaire, and he can get whoever he wants.

  The driver tries to speak with Jane, but she responds with one-word answers.

  “You from New York?” he asks.

  “Technically,” she says.

  “A friend of Mr. Halliwell’s?”

  “Maybe.”

  “You married?”

  “Why?” she responds, wanting to keep him guessing.

  She feels like she is on some weird, emotional roller coaster that she can’t get off of. Brad is elusive, yet when he’s there with her, he is completely present. She feels so good when she’s with him, but then her paranoia takes over. At times, she worries she is being played somehow.

  “Well, if I may say so, madam, you are a beautiful young lady, so anyone who gets to be with you is a lucky man,” he remarks.

  Jane soaks in the compliments because this is not what she gets in New York.

  “Well, thank you, sir. I will take your word for it,” she replies.

  “One tip abou
t Mr. Halliwell, ma’am. He holds onto his women for only so long. Usually there’s a spat, and it turns into, shall we say, too much passion,” he points out.

  “Well, I’m not sure how Mr. Halliwell would feel about you speaking this way, but I appreciate your concern,” she responds gratefully.

  “Just my two cents, madam. Take it for what it’s worth,” he adds.

  “Thank you.”

  This makes Jane feel nervous and sick to her stomach. She surely can’t tell Brad she knows this because it would implicate the driver, but it seems there are signs everywhere that keep showing her there’s something she just can’t trust about this guy.

  Is it her fear, her gut instinct, or plain old common sense? Her uncle back home used to say, ‘Sweet baby Jane would get stuck in the middle of an intersection and just stand there because of her lack of common sense.’

  “Well, here we are. Thai Bistro,” he says, slowing down in front of the place.

  “Thank you, sir. Here, keep the change,” she says, passing him a tip.

  Jane steps out into the hot air and immediately feels dizzy. She tries to catch her balance as she gets up. Someone at the restaurant comes out to escort her in.

  “You’re with Mr. Halliwell?” he asks.

  “Wow, who doesn’t Brad know? It seems everyone around here knows who he is,” she says.

  “Well, yes. It is his island. He’s technically our boss here,” he says matter-of-factly.

  “Oh. Well that explains why he seems to be able to get away with murder,” Jane comments. “Can’t say I’d want this kind of life, though, if you ask me. You’re just way too exposed to the world.”

  “Indeed,” he replies. “So can I assume you’re not related to him, then?”

  “Heck no,” Jane shoots back, afraid she’s going to get Brad’s reputation confused around here, and also because she’s not sure if she even wants to be associated with him at all right now.

  Jane is escorted to the table. She is about 15 minutes early and realizes that with all the drama, she forgot to put the silly red thong back on. At this point, though, she’s not sure if she should bother.