by Lucy Monroe
For her sake now as much as for Basilio’s family.
He needed to convince Miranda to cancel that interview. Basilio could not allow himself to be sidetracked by her addictive reaction in bed, or even the possibility of pregnancy.
If she thought Carlos had ruined her life already, it would be nothing compared to opening herself up to the haters and the gossip hounds that would come out of the woodwork once she did an interview on national television.
Ask any celebrity, politician or person of interest who lived under the scrutiny of the paparazzi. People interested in scandal could be much more ruthless than Basilio in pursuing their own agendas. They were not interested in truth, only stories that increased their ratings, circulation or viral presence online.
Not that Carlos and his PR people wouldn’t have to make concessions, too. Now that Basilio knew the truth of what happened five years before, he wasn’t going to allow them to smear Miranda’s name any longer. He, more than anyone, understood the power of reputation, and Miranda had worked as hard as he in her own way to rebuild hers.
But he’d warned her that ruthlessness was part of his makeup. What he hadn’t said was that he could be downright brutal when pursuing a goal, as many had learned to their detriment in the years since he’d taken over his father’s company.
Including his father’s ex-wives, who were used to asking for money beyond what they were legally entitled to, whenever they wanted. He’d cut off any payments other than what was outlined in each divorce decree. It had infuriated his various stepmothers, but they’d settled down when he’d told them he had already put the entire company in his own name, making his father a pauper on paper, and then threatened to take them back to court to adjust alimony payments.
Even his own mother had learned to live within the bounds of the generous monthly allowance she received.
And Basilio had never once regretted the hard choices he had to make. Until now. While he would not allow it to change the outcome, he hated the thought of Miranda’s passionate acceptance turning to distrust.
So he would just have to make sure that did not happen.
CHAPTER SIX
ANTICIPATION RIDING HER like an experienced jockey, refusing to be dislodged no matter how much she tried, Randi shut down her computer.
She shouldn’t be looking forward to seeing Baz so much. It was dangerous.
They had plans when she got off work. Just like they had every evening for the past week.
They’d had dinner a second time with Andreas and Kayla to celebrate the seller accepting Kayla’s for Kids’ offer for the new property. Baz had been right and the owner had donated the furnishings that had not been moved to their new school facility. They’d been to the Pompeii exhibit at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, attending a fascinating lecture afterward. And Baz had not made Randi feel provincial or geeky for being so awed by the display of Roman history.
They’d attended a piano performance at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall that had moved Randi to tears. Baz had gently teased her while offering his handkerchief, but he’d enjoyed it, too, making not a single comparison to other great soloists he’d heard.
Today she was getting off early so they could go to the zoo. There was a baby elephant that she couldn’t wait to see.
And she had her own good news in regard to the babies. She’d peed on the stick that morning and discovered she was not pregnant. While she’d felt a tiny sliver of disappointment, it was overridden by profound relief. Randi wasn’t ready for parenthood.
And as much as she wished she could keep Baz in her life, she knew that wasn’t realistic. Nor did she want the only reason they had to communicate to be a child they had together.
She had no fantasies—okay, none that she would admit to—that he’d want something more permanent with her if a child was in the mix. Baz was eminently practical. If he offered to help her raise the baby, he would do it, but that didn’t mean he and she would have a relationship.
So baby elephants would be plenty of cuteness for them to share before he went back to Spain.
No matter what her heart might want.
She’d done her best to ignore its leanings, but had been no more successful than trying not to look forward to their time together with abject enthusiasm.
Randi was falling in love. The most terrifying thing about it was that her feelings were a hundred times stronger than they’d been for the almost fiancé. Which meant when Baz did go back to Spain and never called again, she’d be looking a tsunami of pain right in the face.
And there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Her heart was already engaged and it was a stubborn organ.
Interrupting her hopeless thoughts, Baz came through her open office door in the most casual outfit she’d seen to date. His slacks still looked tailored, but he was wearing an expensive-looking dark blue sweater over a black T-shirt, his coat a sleek leather jacket with an off-center zip. He looked hot and modern, when she knew in many ways he was anything but.
“You ready for the zoo?” she asked, trying to ignore the way her heart rate increased the second she saw him.
“You are sure you wouldn’t rather go to the Portland Art Museum? I’ve read they have an impressive selection on exhibit.”
She laughed, not in the least deterred. “Nope. Baby elephants. What could be cuter?”
“Baby people?”
“You don’t sound too sure.”
“I missed most of my nephew and niece’s babyhoods.” The chagrin in his expression and tone let her know he regretted that.
“Too busy bringing Perez Holdings back from the brink?” She stood up from her desk and grabbed her purse and jacket.
“Sí.”
“There will be other babies in the family,” she comforted. Maybe even his own. Though not with her. Dismissing the depressing thought, she opined, “I’m pretty much of the opinion that if it’s a baby, it’s going to be adorable. People or animal.”
“Even baby snakes?”
She shivered. He had to go there? “Okay, no. I’m not a reptile fan.”
“You realize that’s speciesism?”
“Is that even a word?”
“It is.”
“Doesn’t matter. I don’t want to see baby reptiles, of any kind.” Okay, maybe baby turtles. But that was it.
“Lizards can be quite fascinating.” He looked like he was laughing at her.
She didn’t care. “You can visit that area of the zoo on your own.”
He gave her a pirate’s grin. “Oh, I think not. If I’m visiting the zoo, you are coming to every habitat with me.”
“Not a chance.” It didn’t matter how many people loved snakes and lizards. More power to them, but Randi was not in their group.
He stepped away from the door to help her into her jacket. “We’ll see.”
“Not if we don’t get there soon, we won’t,” she said as he gently lifted her hair from beneath the coat’s collar.
The baby elephant was every bit as darling as Randi thought it would be, but even more enchanting was how fascinated Baz behaved by every single animal they saw. The billionaire acted like he’d never seen an animal, any animal, up close. She couldn’t wait until they got to the interactive exhibit.
“How long since the last time you were at the zoo?” she asked outside the elephant enclosure.
He waved at a zookeeper and the woman nodded. “I’ve never been.”
Randi wondered what that was about.
“Not even when you were little?” she asked, too surprised by Baz’s admission to focus on the odd interaction with the zookeeper. While she’d never been, she knew that Spain boasted a couple of phenomenal zoos and several aquariums of note. “What about aquariums?”
“No.” Maybe he hadn’t lived near any of them.
/> Though surely his father would have taken a trip to give the experience to the only son that lived with him. “But...” It just seemed so wrong. “What did you do as a child?”
“I learned to live without my mother, and how to live with the new women in my father’s life.”
Okay, that was not what she meant, but it was some major insight into how Baz saw his own childhood. “You said you and your father were close.”
“I said he was a good father and a more hands-on parent than my mother, but he was running a multinational company. No time for trips to the park, the zoo or the like. No time for pets, either.”
Appalled, but doing her best to hide it, Randi said, “If he was that dedicated to the company, I’m surprised it was doing so badly when you took over.”
“He made some bad decisions. He was too emotionally invested in properties that lost income, too focused on the women in his life to always see when the business needed more attention.”
That didn’t sound like a father who had much attention left over for his son. Baz’s loyalty to his family was even more laudable considering how he’d actually been raised.
“You don’t suffer the same weaknesses.”
“No, I do not.”
“Seriously, though. What did you do for fun as a child?” Okay, he didn’t visit a zoo, but he had to have played and spent time with his father in some way to have such a good opinion of his parenting.
“I had toys, playmates.”
“What did your dad do with you?”
Baz paused for a moment. “He taught me history by taking me to the places history was made. He taught me to enjoy museums and art galleries.”
“As a child?” she asked, a little disbelieving.
“He never treated me like I could not understand the value of what was on display. He told me stories that made the exhibits and the art I was looking at interesting. Papá took me to work with him from the time I was a small child, letting me play in his office, though I’m sure that wasn’t conducive to doing business. And he taught me to sail.” The warmth that memory brought out in Baz was obvious in his tone and the darkening of his espresso eyes.
“Um...sure, that sounds fun.” She was not a huge fan of boats. It wasn’t a rational fear, but after her mom tried to drown her in the bath when she was six, big bodies of water gave Randi nightmares.
It didn’t have to make sense; it just was.
Baz laughed. “I enjoyed it.”
“Do you still sail?”
“Not often, but when I need silence, to be away from the constant demands on my time.”
She’d noticed how many texts and calls he got. He didn’t answer them all, but Baz kept his finger on the pulse of his company. While he never picked up the phone during sex, she’d heard him on the phone in the middle of the night more than once, and he’d rolled over to text something in the dark.
Randi instinctively knew it was business, and when she let him know she was awake, Baz often told her whatever the issue, question or update had been. She liked that he didn’t make her ask. The few words she overheard confirmed the business nature of his calls.
Besides, she’d done an internet searching on Baz and found out that he’d broken up with his latest girlfriend several months before. None of the gorgeous, sleek companions in between were seen on his arm more than once, so she believed when he said he wasn’t with anyone else.
“Does your father still sail with you?”
He smiled, as if at a fond memory. “At least twice a year. We skipper a boat in the Christmas Regatta and at least one summer regatta each year.”
“That sounds fun,” she said a little wistfully.
If nothing else, she’d love to see the side of Basilio Perez that came out when he was skippering a boat on the open water. She was sure it was something few ever got to know.
“We both enjoy it,” he confirmed. “How about you, mi hermosa? Do you sail?”
Randi shook her head, maybe a little too vehemently. “I’m not fond of boats.” Or the bodies of water they floated on.
“Really?” His dark brows drew together in confusion, like he couldn’t imagine such a thing.
“Oh, yes. Really.” She was definite. As much as she’d like to see the relaxed Baz who got away from it all, she would never be able to climb on board the boat. She didn’t even like walking on the docks that jutted out into the water. “I prefer my feet on dry ground.”
“Boats are not wet.” There was laughter in his voice as he informed her, “They float above the water, not under it.”
“If you’re lucky.”
“Are you afraid of water?”
“Of course not. You’ve seen me in the bath.” Not that she’d taken as many baths in the past two years as she had since meeting him. She preferred showers. Only she never got that sinking feeling when she was with him, and relaxing into the hot water had become something pleasurable.
Something it had not been since she was six.
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
“I thought we were talking about baby elephants.”
A zookeeper came up to them. “We’re ready for you now.”
Baz turned a brilliant smile on Randi. “Speaking of, would you like to meet her up close?”
“You’re not serious.” Randi looked between him and the zookeeper.
Both stared back expectantly.
“You are serious!” Randi exclaimed, still not quite believing Baz had set this up. “We can go into the enclosure?” With all the elephants?
“Not quite. We have the baby in the indoor area.” The zookeeper led the way to a huge enclosure fit with numerous skylights. The baby elephant was playing with a large red ball near a tree with many branches.
“The rest of the elephants are outside.” The zookeeper turned to Baz. “They told you we have to keep the visit short, right? She’s still young enough that keeping her from her mom for very long is not a great idea.”
“That is fine.”
Randi looked up at Baz. “How did you manage this?”
“With the help of my very efficient executive assistant and a large donation to the pachyderm program here at the zoo.”
They got to spend about fifteen minutes with the baby elephant, petting the bristly hair on its head and watching her play.
“She seems to like your hair,” Baz teased as the baby elephant ruffled through Randi’s shoulder-length brown hair for the second time. “She wants to pet you, too.”
“Maybe it’s the tea tree oil in my shampoo.” Elephants ate leaves, so that made sense to Randi.
“It could be,” the zookeeper agreed with a smile.
“Or maybe she just likes you,” Baz offered.
Too quickly, they were exiting the inner enclosure after thanking the keeper for allowing them the visit.
Randi couldn’t help asking how much Baz had donated to make their time with the baby elephant possible. When he told her, her knees went a little weak. “Wow, um...okay. I can’t imagine spending that on a weekend date, much less fifteen minutes.”
Baz shrugged as they walked toward the next animal habitat. “It made you happy. And she was as charming as you implied she would be.”
“Well, I’m glad you are enjoying yourself. You certainly went out of your way to make sure this will be the zoo visit I always remember.”
“I’m glad. And I am enjoying myself a lot more than I expected to.” If he sounded a little shocked by the fact, she wasn’t going to take offense.
They spent another hour at the zoo before driving downtown for dinner. Baz was solicitous and attentive at the tiny but exclusive restaurant that served Asian fusion food, encouraging Randi to try dishes she hadn’t before, and comparing the American version of the food to that which he would have found in Madrid.
He wasn’t critical, merely urbane in his observations.
“I’d love to visit Spain someday,” she admitted.
His lips turned down for a second, his eyes revealing some kind of regret before his face went neutral again. “Perhaps you will.”
“Maybe.” But not with him. That was a given. And if not with him, would visiting his homeland cause too many painful memories? Probably.
After dinner he drove toward his own executive condo, rather than her apartment as they had agreed outside the restaurant. “So, the art museum tomorrow?”
“I can’t,” she said with genuine regret. “I’m going shopping with Kayla to find an outfit to wear for my television interview.”
“Skip the interview and you can spend the evening with me,” he offered beguilingly.
“You know I can’t do that.” But a giant part of Randi wished she could.
“No, I do not know that.” He pulled the car to a stop at a red light and turned to look at her, his expression serious. “This interview is going to bring much more pain into your life than the good you imagine it will.”
“You can’t know that.”
“I assure you, I can. Which of us has more experience with the media?”
“I have plenty experience.” All of it awful. She was ready to have the truth about her out there. She needed it.
Only the idea of the interview? Terrified her. And what could happen afterward? He was right. It could turn her life into another circus where she was performing the high-wire act on a greased rope without a safety net. But like Kayla had said, Randi had to do something.
Both women had agreed they’d had their fill of being victims in their own lives.
“No. You have been attacked, hurt and victimized by the media.” His tone was implacable as he pulled away from the light. “You believe that will change when you get your side of the story out.”
“You don’t, though?” Why didn’t he?
It would help her if Andreas was all for the interview, but it was Kayla who understood Randi’s need to act, to fight back, and had pushed for Randi to get her side of the story out in such a way. Andreas had warned them both doing the spot could boomerang back on Randi, bringing the crazies out of the woodwork as well as the critics that would never be swayed by the truth.
