The Billionaire's Carnival Baby (A BWWM Romance)

by Tiana Cole

  ***

  Until the doctor let Ken into Audra’s room, he didn't really come to grips with the fact that the crisis had passed. In her room, seeing her alert and smiling, he kissed her and held her hand. “I love you,” he said with a warm smile.

  “So you told me last night,” she replied, returning the smile.

  “And today, with what happened, I understand how much I really do love you. Last night I wanted you. I knew I loved being with you.”

  “You’re so sweet.”

  He gently stroked her face. “Making love to you again made me realize that I wanted to…” He stopped and abruptly changed course. “No, that’s not the way to do this.”

  “Do what?”

  “I can’t tell you what I was going to do… I need to just do it, so here I go.” He paused to muster his courage before asking, “Audra Dawn, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

  Her eyes dilated and her hand squeezed his. “Don’t ask if you don’t truly mean it. Don’t tease me with love.”

  “Last night I realized I want to be with you. You and our baby, or maybe even babies, forever. Then today I was confronted with the possibility I might lose you. In the ambulance… I was terrified.”

  “As you lost your first wife…”

  He nodded. “When you collapsed, I couldn't imagine what I’d do without you. But then, when we were waiting for the doctor to tell us how you were, I realized that fear was so strong because our love made me feel truly alive again. I actually had a love to lose. It was terrifying and awful, but real and tangible. I don’t want to ever lose you, baby. I love you, and I want every second that we can have together.”

  She shook her head. “You’re kind of messed up in some ways, Ken. That has to be the most roundabout proposal on record.”

  “Is that a yes?” he asked optimistically.

  “Well, you'll have to court me, Kenneth Steele. If you want me to marry you, I expect to see your best efforts.”

  “Haven’t I done that? Courted you?” he questioned with a slight look of confusion.

  “No. You’ve seduced me, and that was delicious. You’ve made an immense effort to reconcile, to find out what happened and repair any damage to egos that resulted. But courtship? No, I haven’t seen a lick of that, and if you expect me to give up my high-flying life as a part-time waitress to take up with a boat bum who doesn't even have a permanent home, lives in hotels and yachts, and screws wanton women in Brazil, well, that might take some serious convincing.”

  “So that’s all I have to do? Treat you as if there’s no other woman in the world? Make mad love to you and give you a home?”

  She smiled. “That’ll make a nice start. I might soften towards you. And you could probably skip the home part.”

  He kissed her again. “Those lips are already soft and sweet.”

  “Well, you’re on your way then, aren't you?”

  ***

  Ken came out of Audra’s room visibly excited. He was engaged. He was going to be a father. Suddenly life had a purpose, a meaning again. There were no guarantees in life, and loving and losing were all part of the fabric. To live you had to love—ideas, people—and loving was a risk. In a strange way, the fact that the people and things you loved were perishable made them all the more valuable. Withdrawing from life made it all pointless, and except for one crazy night in Brazil, he had withdrawn from emotional connections since Catherine died. Until now. She’d be proud of him for wanting to take his life back.

  The way he’d lived had created some messes. Once he had Audra out of the hospital he wanted to focus on her, their baby, and their future. That gave him a day to sort out his past and clean up the debris he’d left strewn across several lives.

  Bruce, Terry, and Myeisha were still waiting for him in the reception area of the hospital, anxious to hear how Audra was doing. “Bright and cheerful,” he informed them with a grin.

  “So are you,” Myeisha pointed out.

  “I am.” He let out a long breath. “The four of us need to work out some things.”

  “Whatever you want,” Bruce mumbled, sounding resigned and still avoiding eye contact.

  “Let’s head to my office and talk where we can sit in comfortable chairs and have a drink. I’m sure we could all use one, and we need to finish our interrupted chat.”

  ***

  The office Myeisha had leased for Ken had a sitting area in front of the desk. He had them settle in, then poured drinks from the wet bar. As he sat and looked at them, Bruce leaned forward and let out a long, heavy sigh before finally speaking.

  “Look, there isn't much to say, really,” he began. “I fucked up big time. I know I can’t keep my job now. I’m sure me being in charge of your security isn't the most reassuring thing in the world. If you want to involve the cops, I understand. I'll do whatever you say.”

  Ken leaned back in his chair, his eyes locked onto the slightly younger man. “I lost my wife Catherine in a car wreck five years ago, Bruce. It was just an accident, and it tore me up. She was gone. Through a set of rather weird circumstances, you thought you’d lost your love to me. It was a different way of losing someone, and as things turned out, not even real. I don’t condone what you did at all, but I have to say I understand the irrational rage that losing a love can produce. Apparently you need some help learning to deal with emotional overload. Again, without making excuses for you, I think you lost control.”

  “The Army has him in some outpatient treatment,” Myeisha spoke up. “He should know that drinking didn't help any.”

  “I did know that,” Bruce admitted. “I thought I’d numb the pain, but I just shut down my brain. It was stupid.”

  Ken glanced at Terry who was sitting with his arms crossed, listening to their conversation. “What do you think, Terry?”

  “Me?” he pointed at himself. “I’m not sure why I’m even here.”

  “Well, Bruce attacked your sister, and you had to stop him.”

  “I've seen him nuts like that before,” he shrugged. “Of course, that was in combat, and then it was a good thing. Or it seemed like it.”

  “And your opinion?”

  “I came in at the end of the movie,” he answered. “All I know is he loves Myeisha. Overseas he couldn't stop talking about her and the life they'd have together. He wanted us to start our own company when we got out so he could marry her.”

  Myeisha frowned. “He says he loves me. He doesn't always act like it.”

  “Well, that part’s between you two,” Kenneth interjected. “Let’s start with simpler things. Bruce, I agree that I don’t want you handling my personal security. Not that I think something like this would happen again, but I don’t think it’s the right job for you. The Army trained you in terms of protecting or infiltrating bases and things like that, right?”

  “Yes. We didn't do bodyguard stuff at all.”

  “Terry, you have the same background, right?”

  “We were on the same team. Special ops and security both.”

  “But you teach martial arts?”

  “To kids. My leg isn't one hundred percent.”

  “You kicked my ass,” Bruce noted, masking his embarrassment with a slight chuckle.

  Terry grinned. “Yeah, well you were off your game. We’ll blame it on the booze,” he reassured.

  “What if we started a specialized security company, protecting corporate interests? Do you have the training and connections to do something like that? To build a team?” Kenneth asked.

  The two looked at each other. “You mean computer and perimeters and all that?”

  “I don’t know what I mean. I’m asking if you do.”

  Bruce gave him a curious look. “Sure,” he replied slowly, unsure of where Steele was headed with this.

  “Bruce, would you be willing to go into a serious therapy program that might deal with any issues related to controlling your anger, or anything leftover from combat?”

  “If it was available, def
initely. The stuff the Army provides is paid for.”

  “Do you two really like the idea of being in business together—that kind of business?”

  Again they exchanged glances then grinned. “Yeah,” Terry answered. “We only nixed the idea because I got blown up and a disability check doesn't bootstrap a business.”

  “Then you two put your heads together and come up with a solid business plan. I'll need details—what you’d provide, the resources you’d need, everything.”

  “And?” Bruce asked warily.

  “If I like the plan, I'll bankroll it. I'd want twenty-five percent, and you haves to promise to work with the therapist I arrange.”

  “You’d do that for me?” Bruce asked, taken aback by Steele’s generous offer.

  “It makes more sense than having you tossed in jail. That would just wreck your life. I'd hate to see you two wasting your lives in shit jobs when you have more potential. And if I finance it, I stand to profit,” he grinned, then looked at Terry and added, “Besides, it scores me points with Audra, and I'm trying to convince her to marry me.”

  “We can do this,” Terry said with conviction. “And I can help you out with Audra. You know, stick in the big brother endorsement.”

  “Myeisha will arrange for the accountants to spend time with you developing financial projections. This will be a ton of work, guys.”

  Bruce was shaking his head in disbelief. “If it gets us in the business…”

  “Then get your asses out of here and start working,” Ken insisted with a smile. As they all got up, he turned to Myeisha. “Can you stay for a few minutes?”

  She nodded and sat down again. When the two men left, she looked at him in puzzlement. “You’re being oddly kind to Bruce. Does this have something to do with me? Or you and me?”

  “Yes and no,” he replied, pouring himself another drink and returning to his seat again. “I meant what I told them. I see an opportunity; they’re hungry to prove themselves and have some skills. I want to see what they can come up with.”

  “And if their plan is no good?”

  “Why don’t we give them a chance before we flunk them?”

  “Okay.”

  A beat of silence passed before Steele commented, “You’ve been quiet about everything that’s happened.”

  “Most of it has nothing to do with me, and the part that does is something Bruce and I need to discuss in private.”

  “True,” he nodded, taking a sip of his drink.

  “So if that’s all…” she said, glancing at the door.

  “No, it isn't. I wanted you to stay so I can apologize.”

  “That would be a first,” she chuckled sarcastically.

  “I deserve that. It took connecting with Audra again for me to realize how badly I was behaving… toward you, toward everyone. I let my fondness for you get inflated in my head, and as a result I didn't treat you with respect. Despite that, you've always been a fantastic assistant. Now I want to make amends. Unfortunately, you can’t undo the way you've treated a person, and apologizing is inadequate.”

  “So you throw Bruce a bone, thinking I'll be all happy that you’re forgiving my fiancé and even helping him,” Myeisha replied sourly.

  “No, no at all. If you and Bruce split up, that won’t affect that deal in the slightest. Between you and I, part of my motivation for supporting their efforts is that Audra wants Terry around. I think she sees him as an essential ingredient in spoiling the child rotten.”

  “I see. So an indulgence?”

  “Just on the personal level. I've been instructed to look for magic, and throwing money at things is the only kind of spell I’m good at.”

  “Well, that’s certainly true,” she agreed. “Is that all?”

  “No,” he replied, gesturing for her to remain seated a moment longer. “What I wanted to tell you was that I know I owe you something, too. In your case, things are trickier because the easy thing to do would simply be to offer you a raise. I’m thinking that might not be the best idea, though. I mean, I could understand if you didn’t trust me anymore and didn’t want to continue working for me. That would make it a situation where I bribed you to stay around, and that isn't what I want to do.”

  “What do you want to do?” she asked, genuinely curious what he had in mind.

  “I want to reward you, if that’s the right word, for putting up with me. If you’re fed up with me and want to leave, say so and I'll give you a bonus anyway—a year’s pay with no strings attached. I can even have accounting pay it out monthly so you don’t get hit with a big tax bite. You’d essentially be on a paid sabbatical, then you can choose not to come back. If you do want to stay, then I'll either give you a bonus or something else you want.”

  Myeisha quietly processed his offer for a moment before responding. “I need some time to think about that.”

  “It’s an open offer. Yours for the taking.”

  “So I can continue for a month or two while I decide if Bruce and I have a future together, then maybe take that sabbatical?”

  “You can,” he nodded.

  “Can I use your yacht?”

  “Use it?” he asked with a hint of incredulity.

  “Yes, use it. What if I wanted to take part of my sabbatical cruising the Aegean Sea?”

  “That could be arranged.”

  “You’re serious, aren't you Kenneth?”

  “Absolutely,” he nodded, his face reflecting his sincerity.

  “What brought this on?”

  “I told you. I had a bit of an epiphany. That, and Audra agreed to marry me.” He made a face and admitted, “If I do a few things right.

  Myeisha smiled in understanding. “Taking a gamble, then?”

  “More like learning why people want to gamble,” he laughed.

  Myeisha stood. “Then I imagine we can work something out. First, I need to have some serious talks with Bruce.”

  “I think he meant well. And he’ll be getting therapy,” Steele said, following her lead and standing as well.

  “That’s just an arrangement—a head thing. He wants to make that company happen. I need to talk with him. To listen to what comes from his heart and see if it still speaks to mine. Then I'll know if there’s a chance for us.”

  Ken walked her to his office door. “Good luck,” he smiled.

  “An entire year with pay?” she paused to ask again.

  “Yes. Or, if you prefer some other arrangement, tell me what would please you.”

  She tilted her head, looking at him. “I have to say that there are moments, even if they’re few and far between, when you almost turn a girl’s head, Kenneth Steele. I can kind of see what my accidental twin sees in you.”

  “You two are so much alike,” he chuckled, “and yet… I've notice that you've always called me Kenneth while she always calls me Ken. Do you know why that is?”

  Myeisha smiled wickedly. “Well, I've always liked using Kenneth because it’s a little more formal—to keep our relationship from getting as cozy as you wanted it to. As for Audra, you'll have to ask her. But I imagine that it just demonstrates that we see you differently, doesn't it, Kenneth?”

  “I suppose it does.”

  “Then maybe that’s part of the magic you’re looking for. You were attracted to me and managed find a woman who looks like me and is also attracted to you.”

  “One who calls me Ken?”

  She nodded. “Who is attracted to you and calls you Ken.”

  ***

  “Myeisha and Bruce set the date for their wedding,” Ken told her. “He’s doing well and the new company is taking shape. They seem to have worked things out and she wants to have the wedding in the Greek Islands… on my yacht.”

  “I know,” Audra said.

  Ken smiled. “Of course you do.”

  “We talked about it. Sisters do that,” she joked. “Terry will be the best man, of course, and My asked me to be her maid of honor. We were laughing about how that will work in th
e wedding photos. I told her I’d put silver streaks in my hair so everyone will be able to tell us apart.”

  He ran his hand over her ass. “That will look hot.”

  “Except that I'll be a mom by then. She wants to wait until after the baby is born because I can’t fly on the airlines when I’m so close to term.”

  “You’ll be one sexy mother,” he purred in her ear.

  She poked him and giggled. “Lecher.”

  “When it comes to you, I’m that and a whole lot more. Hey, what if it was a double wedding? We could get married then, too. That would make the wedding photos even more interesting.”

  “Ken, we will definitely not do that. That’s their date. Their special day. We’ll fly over to wish them the best and celebrate with them, then we’ll have our day when our friends are focused on us,” she smiled. “Besides, I was thinking…”

  “Tall and tan and oh so lovely,” he sang. “The girl from Ipanema goes walking…”

  She shrugged. “The idea seems appropriate and very sexy, us getting married in Ipanema.”

  “During Carnival, I assume?”

  She grinned. “Naturally. What happens at Carnival…”

  “Comes back to Carnival.” He shook his head and added with a smirk, “I assume you've picked out a nice doorway for our honeymoon?”

  She playfully punched his arm. “Any number of them. All within walking distance of the marina, too. I found them on the internet.”

  He bent over to kiss her and it resonated throughout her body. As her head spun with delight, she felt the touch of his fingers on her breasts, undoing the buttons of her blouse, opening it and caressing her.

  “Are you seducing me?”

  “Courting. Is this a good start? I'm open to hints.”

  She moaned softly. A start? Her body ached for him. “Well, it might just be.”

  “One step at a time,” he whispered in her ear.

  She move closer and rubbed her pelvis against him, feeling him grow erect and hard. The tactile evidence of his desire made it difficult to think straight, but as she swallowed and reached down to unzip him, she had a hunch that they would make quite a family—an atypical, bizarre family that everyone would envy. THE END