On the Naughty List

by Lori Foster

  “I’m okay, baby. Can you please take off his hat?” she said to Ben. He did as she asked, revealing a mass of dark curly hair. He looked just like Ben did when he was a baby. There had been women who claimed that Virgil had fathered their children. Each time a paternity test was issued, each claim had proved to be false, but this time when Ben saw the little boy who was supposed to be his brother’s, he knew this woman told the truth.

  He tossed the hat on the couch and carefully unzipped the boy’s coat. He was dressed nicely in a little sweater-vest, blue corduroy pants and a button-down shirt. Much better than his mother, who looked as if she had gone shopping in a dumpster.

  “What’s his name?” Ben asked, looking at his nephew again.

  “Dash.”

  “Dash?”

  “I thought he looked quite dashing when I saw him.” She looked from her son to Ben. “I hate to admit this, but he looks just like you.”

  “I noticed the resemblance.”

  “Is that why you believed me? I thought you would have had a doctor here to do a DNA test by now.”

  “That’s not necessary, Ms. Gregory.”

  “Dina,” she corrected. “Geez, you make me feel like I’m back in grammar school when you call me Ms. Gregory.” She drew in a couple of slow deep breaths, trying to calm herself before she looked at him with wide eyes. “What happened to Virgil?”

  “Skiing accident.” He looked at Dash and then back to his mother. “Vodka and the slopes don’t mix.”

  “Ski accident.” She shook her head. “What a rich-people way to die.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “It’s just that you never hear of regular people dying that way. ‘John Smith, plumber from Toledo, died in a tragic ski accident today on the slopes of Aspen.’ But Virgil … That seems just like the way he would go.”

  “Does my brother’s death amuse you?”

  “Of course not.” Her eyes flashed. “He was the father of my son and I may be mad as hell he walked out on me, but I would never be happy that he’s gone. And you can go to hell if you think that.”

  He stared at her for a moment, his respect for her going up slightly. No one had ever told him to go to hell. They never had the guts. “You were with him for six months. I know you must have cared about him.”

  “Yeah. He could be an asshole, but he was my friend too.”

  Ben nodded; somehow in her inelegant way she expressed exactly how he felt about his brother. “You look very different than the last time I saw you.”

  “You try having a baby and not gaining any weight. I know I’m a little more bountiful than usual, but I like me and if you don’t you can shove it.”

  “I didn’t say you weren’t beautiful. I just said you didn’t look the same. I prefer you this way.”

  She was taken aback by his comment. He hadn’t meant to say those words, but they weren’t a lie.

  “I always thought you looked a little gaunt before,” he said to cover how he truly felt.

  She was beautiful then but even more so now. Despite her ratty clothes and messy hair, he had a hard time pulling his eyes away from her. And his body—it reacted to her, wanting to move closer when his brain told him to back away. She was lush. Her skin was peachy. Her wild auburn hair was thick and healthy. He imagined what she would look like all cleaned up. He imagined her on his arm. Which was an odd thought, a dangerous thought, because he had promised himself that after Karen there would be nobody else.

  “My, my, sir. If you keep up with those outrageous compliments you might swell my head.” She rolled her eyes. “So what now?” She stood and took little Dash out of Ben’s arms and kissed her son’s face. “I guess I need his death certificate.”

  “For what?”

  “I can get Social Security from the government. Right?” She looked so unsure. “I think I heard that. Because Virgil is dead, Dash is entitled to those benefits.”

  He nodded.

  She pursed her lips. “Do you think it will take very long? I rented a motel room for tonight, but my bus leaves the day after tomorrow and I have to get back to work soon or I’m going to lose my job. And I can’t afford to lose my job. Do you think you can get the certificate to me by tomorrow?”

  “I’m not giving it to you.”

  “What?” She looked up at him in shock. “I need that. I need it for him. Listen, I’m not asking you for anything except what my son deserves. I know you hate the fact that I tainted the Rowe line with my blood, but get over it. My kid is part of your family whether you like it or not.”

  Ben felt himself grow extremely angry with his brother. He’d abandoned her. He’d put his son, the only person left who could carry on the Rowe name, into destitution. If Virgil weren’t already dead Ben would kill him. “Miguel!”

  “Are you seriously kicking me out? Dude, your brother said you were an asshole, but I never thought you would throw a lady and a baby out in the street!”

  “Sir?” Miguel burst through the door, immediately searching for the source of trouble.

  “Tell Dovie to take Ms. Gregory and her son to the east wing. She’ll be staying here.”

  “Sir?” Miguel frowned in confusion. Ben knew he was questioning his judgment and he had a right to do so. Ben didn’t know this woman. She could be a scam artist. He shouldn’t trust her. But part of him did. He knew that Dash was his brother’s son.

  “Tell Dovie to put her in the pink room and give her whatever she needs. But make sure they are both fed first.”

  Ben looked back at Dina, who was staring at him, her wide hazel eyes filled with confusion and maybe a little bit of fear. “You are not taking my nephew to a cheap motel. You will not be traveling with him on a bus. Your destitution ends here.”

  “You’re shitting me?”

  “I shit you not.”

  Dina smiled at him and she ceased to be just beautiful. She was gorgeous. She looked happy. It had been a long time since anybody had been happy in this house.

  “Ben!” She launched herself at him, pressing herself and her baby into his chest. “I’m totally sorry that I called you an asshole. You’re not an asshole.” She kissed his cheek. “We promise we won’t bother you. We’ll be on our best behavior.” She kissed his cheek again, her full, soft lips leaving a trail of warmth on his face. “Thank you. Thank you.”

  Ben stood there for a moment frozen. No one touched him anymore. Only the occasional handshake. He hadn’t been hugged in years, kissed in even longer than that. It was almost a foreign feeling. But not an unwelcome one.

  He gently set himself away from her. Immediately he noticed the loss of the warmth provided by her soft body. “You don’t have to thank me. We’ll discuss your future later.”

  “Of course.” The smile faded from her lips. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Ma’am?” Miguel called to her. “Please follow me.”

  * * *

  Dovie took Dina to the pink room, which turned out to be an enormous luxurious bedroom that her apartment could have fit into three or four times. It had a distinctively different feeling from Ben’s quarters, from the rest of the house. There was something warm about the room, with its cheery yellow drapes and its plush carpet. It was a room that somebody could spend a lot of time in.

  To say she had been relived when Ben offered to put her up was an understatement. She dreaded the thought of going back out into the cold. She dreaded taking her son back to that small, dark motel room. But now she was left with the realization that she would be under the same roof as him. As Ben. She, who never found herself uncomfortable around men, found herself uncomfortable around him.

  “The bathroom is over there, Ms. Gregory,” Dovie said, distracting Dina from her troubling thoughts. “I can run a bath for you if you’d like.”

  “Oh.” It had been years since Dina had a good bath. Her apartment in LA only had a shower, and even if it didn’t she didn’t want to leave Dash unattended for so long.

  “I can watch the little
one until you get out,” Dovie said, reading Dina’s thoughts. “I won’t even leave the room with him if you’d like.”

  Dina’s eyes filled. She wasn’t a crier, but suddenly the past week had caught up to her. It had all been too much. She was exhausted. Mentally. Physically. Her soul felt weary.

  “Oh, ma’am, don’t cry.” Dovie rushed over and patted her back. “It’ll be okay.”

  “I’m fine.” Dina swiped at her eyes. “I’m just overwhelmed. Who knew the thought of a hot bath would bring me to tears?”

  The older woman smiled gently at her. “Go on, honey. You get undressed and have a nice long soak in the bathtub. I can give your boy a bath too while you’re in there, so you don’t have to worry about him.”

  “You don’t have to.” She held Dash closer to her. “I can bathe him.”

  “Of course you can, but there hasn’t been a baby in this house since Mr. Rowe and Virgil. Old Dovie doesn’t have so much to do anymore. I would like to feel useful again.”

  “Of course.” Dina handed her son over, feeling stupid for being so protective. “Knock yourself out. I bathe him in the kitchen sink because my apartment doesn’t have a tub. Do you think he’ll be okay in a full-sized tub?”

  “We’ve got a whole bathroom in the nursery, ma’am. It’s just right for little ones.”

  “There’s a nursery here?”

  “Just right down the hallway. I won’t take him far.”

  Dina nodded, forcing herself to let him go for a little while.

  “Would you like me to run your bath before I go?”

  “No, thank you. I can manage.”

  “There are fresh towels on the shelf and a new robe on the back of the door. All of your washing products are under the sink.”

  “Thank you, Dovie. I appreciate your help.”

  “My pleasure, ma’am. Will you be needing anything else before I go?”

  “Yes.” She looked around her plush surroundings once more. “Why do they call it the pink room? There’s nothing pink in here.”

  “No.” Dovie shook her head. “Mr. Rowe had everything torn out and redecorated about seven years ago.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m not sure, ma’am, but after his wife died he ordered the room changed.”

  His wife, Dina thought. How could any woman agree to spend the rest of her life with Ben?

  * * *

  Ben knocked on Karen’s door. And then he realized that it wasn’t Karen’s door anymore. This room, this part of the house, stopped being hers nine years ago. It was then she retreated from him, retreated from the world and holed herself up in a small sitting room on the other side of the house. Keeping herself from him. Keeping her secrets from him.

  He mentally shook himself. Now was not the time to think about his wife. Dina was in there. The woman who had loved his brother. The woman who was going to keep the Rowe name alive. He knocked again and waited, but there was no answer. She was in there. He could hear sounds coming from the room, baby sounds. Dovie had reported to him that his guests were fed and bathed and that she took the liberty of sending for Dina’s things at the motel. The memory of his former nanny’s report amused him. She seemed almost excited, happy that there was going to be another child to take care of for a few days. She said it would bring some life back into her. She was right. Dash would bring a little life back into the entire house. It had felt somewhat like a mausoleum these past few years. Quiet and dark and lifeless.

  Ben knew he should have sent Dovie away years ago, paid for her to enjoy her retirement someplace warm. He had promoted her to housekeeper, but there wasn’t much to do. He wasn’t a man who needed much, but he couldn’t seem to part with the old woman. She had raised him. They rarely interacted anymore, but knowing she was in his home brought him some comfort.

  He knocked once more, his only answer a loud baby coo. He entered to find Dina asleep on the bed. She was curled up on her side, her hand resting under her chin. Her wild auburn hair spread across the pillow. She looked so peaceful that he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He also couldn’t help but notice that she wore a just a T-shirt and a pair of pink cotton panties. Her long legs were shapely, her thighs thick, her hips curvy. She looked … soft. Womanly. He could just imagine how she would feel wrapped around him. It had been a very long time since he had a woman wrapped around him and the thought of sinking into warm curves awakened something inside him that he thought had died a long time ago.

  It was a pull. That was the only way he could describe it. He felt it the first time they had met, but he denied it then. He could never be attracted to her, to one of Virgil’s girls. He could never entertain the thought of being with anybody but his wife, but there he was, watching this beautiful woman sleep and feeling the pull all over again.

  “Bah!”

  Ben shook his thoughts away from the inappropriate and he peeled his eyes away from the boy’s mother and placed them on Dash. He should be in the nursery. Ben and Karen had the room completely remodeled the first time she had gotten pregnant. Unfortunately, the room had never been used, but all the furniture was still there and Ben made sure the room was dusted once a week. Dash could stay in there. There was no reason the room should be empty. Besides, Dina was exhausted, in a sleep so heavy that she didn’t hear him enter the room. Maybe it was time she had some undisturbed rest. She deserved it.

  And he needed some more time to figure out what the hell he was going to do with her. He wanted her gone. Out of his life. Out of his mind forever. But then there was the boy. The last Rowe man. Ben couldn’t live the rest of his life without having his nephew near him. He approached Dash quietly, lifting him off the bed as carefully as possible so not to hurt him, but the boy was sturdy. He would grow into a strong young man. Ben only hoped Dash’s mother would be able to raise him to be a good young man.

  He left the room, but suddenly the nursery seemed too far away, so he took Dash next door to his old bedroom, another room that was rarely used anymore.

  He sat on his bed, Dash on his lap facing him. He knew he shouldn’t just stare at the boy, but he was amazed at how much he looked like the Rowes.

  He should say something, talk to his nephew, but what did one say to a baby?

  “What’s up, kid?”

  Dash giggled at him, showing off his four-tooth grin. It caused Ben to smile, something he hadn’t remembered doing in a very long time. “Did that sound as ridiculous to you as it did to me?”

  Dash let out a long line of unintelligible baby jabber.

  “Is that so? Well, what would you like to talk about?”

  “Ma Ma?”

  “Your mother?” Ben nodded, understanding the boy’s meaning. “She’s very tired right now. It’s best if we let her sleep.”

  “Bah Bah?”

  “Bah Bah,” he repeated. “Bah Bah?” He searched his mind for meaning and then it dawned on him. “Are you thirsty? Would you like your bottle?”

  “Bah Bah.”

  “What a smart boy you are. Of course you can have a bottle.” Ben went to get up and get it and then realized that he didn’t know where the bottles were or if they had any at all. He didn’t want to disturb Dina or leave Dash alone, so he did the only thing he could think of. He called for help. Within moments Rebecca, one of his maids, was at the door.

  “Sir? Can I help you with something?” His staff were well trained and usually showed no reaction to any of his requests, but Rebecca couldn’t hide her shock. She kept looking at Dash as if she wanted to save him.

  “My nephew is thirsty. I need a bottle.”

  “Oh, sir, I can give him a bottle for you. You don’t need to trouble yourself.”

  “Bring me a bottle, Rebecca.” He glanced at Dash, who looked like he could go for a snack. “And some pudding.”

  “Sir?”

  “We don’t have pudding?”

  “I made some myself for you this morning. Butterscotch, from scratch just like you like.”

  “
Then what’s the problem?”

  “Are you sure about this?”

  “Go.”

  She hurried off and Ben returned his attention to Dash. “What is it babies like to do for fun?”

  Chapter 3

  Blue, Blue, Blue Christmas …

  Dina woke up with a start. Her baby wasn’t there. She didn’t even have to open her eyes to know that he was gone. She couldn’t feel him beside her. She couldn’t hear him or smell him. She slept beside him every night. He was like an extension of her and he was gone. She bolted out of bed and searched the room. Her backpack was gone too. All of her things, his things, were gone, like they were never there in the first place.

  She took a deep breath and forced herself not to panic. But it was hard for her. Dash was the only thing she had left. Maybe she shouldn’t have trusted Ben. He was a Rowe after all. And Rowes couldn’t be trusted. Virgil proved that. They probably stole her baby to sell on the black market. She knew the idea was ridiculous, but who would just take her baby without asking? She headed down the hallway towards the nursery, but Dash’s voice stopped her. Her heart lurched. He was close. She turned towards the sound. He wasn’t alone; a deep rumble of a male voice followed her baby’s.

  “You really need to work on your eating habits, son.” Ben had Dash in his lap and a washcloth in his hand. He was gently wiping what looked like pudding off Dash’s face. “It’s on your toes too? How the hell did it get there? I must not be an expert at this feeding business. You can’t be this messy all the time.”

  Dash babbled happily while Ben cleaned him up.

  “Oh, you are? Then your mother must spend a fortune just to clothe you.”

  “Bah Bah?”

  “Yes. Here, drink your milk.” He cradled Dash in the crook of his arm and gave Dash his bottle.

  Dina smiled at the picture the two made. She didn’t want to. She wanted to continue thinking that Ben was a cold, humorless bastard, but she couldn’t. There was a gentleness about him. He was down to just his starched white shirt and slacks. His feet were bare. He had just a hint of five o’clock shadow showing and he was covered in brown goop. But there was something very sexy about him. She didn’t know what it was, the fact that he kind of had a Rock Hudson thing going on or the fact that he was holding her son in his lap. He was treating Dash with kindness, like he was a part of Ben’s family. It wasn’t what she had bargained for when she came here. She thought she would get some money, an agreement from Virgil for child support so she could spend more time with her baby and less time doing double shifts as a waitress. She didn’t expect to find him dead or his brother so willing to accept her son.