The Things I Do for You

by Minx Malone

  Jackson wasn’t trying to bail him out, either. He looked like he was on the point of bursting into laughter.

  “Jackson, this is serious.” Exasperated, he finally pulled the brochure he’d found from his suit pocket. “I found this and I was trying to find a discreet way to let you know that if you guys were having issues, I’d be willing to help out.”

  At that point, Jackson did laugh. “I was wondering what the hell you were getting at. Nick, are you offering to be our sperm donor?”

  Nick flushed again. He was trying to do what was right for his family and his brother was just making him feel like an idiot. “Yes, dammit. But you don’t have to put it like that. I’m just saying, you know, if you’re shooting blanks or something, you don’t have to buy it from a sperm bank. I’m your brother. I’d do anything for you.”

  He broke off then because it suddenly looked like both Ridley and Jackson were struggling to hide smiles.

  “What? Okay, never mind. I was trying to do the right thing and you two are not taking me seriously at all.”

  Ridley finally recovered and came over to him. She stood silently and watched him for a moment before enfolding him in a warm hug. Nick wasn’t sure what to do so he looked up to Jackson for help. His brother just shrugged.

  “Um, Ridley. Is everything okay? Maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up but I just wanted—”

  Ridley shook her head. “No, that’s not it. I’m just amazed that you would do that for us. Really amazed and really happy.” She glanced back at Jackson with a soft smile. “I am truly the luckiest girl in the world. I’ve gone from having almost no family at all to being a part of the most supportive family ever.”

  Nick relaxed. As long as she wasn’t going to cry, he was okay. “We’re the lucky ones. Just seeing how happy you’ve made my brother is a miracle in itself.”

  A smile broke out on Ridley’s face and when Jackson held his arms open to her she raced into them. Nick watched them, not even surprised by the small pang of envy he felt. There was a time when he couldn’t think of anything worse than chaining himself to one woman at his age. But observing how close his brother was to Ridley, how supportive they were of each other’s dreams, he found himself wondering what it would be like to have that for himself.

  What would it be like to have someone miss him when he worked late? Someone there to hold him when he was stressed or worried about things? Someone to confide in when the burdens he carried seemed too great? Something made him look back at the house. Even from this distance, he could see the bright color of Raina’s shirt as she moved around the kitchen. As if she could feel his gaze on her, she turned and their eyes met through the glass.

  What would it be like to know she loved me?

  He turned around, shocked to see Ridley grinning at him openly. “Should I assume that you aren’t offended by my offer then?”

  Ridley nodded. “I’m not offended at all. I almost hate to ruin this warm, squishy moment by telling you we don’t need your, um, services. That brochure wasn’t for us.”

  Nick pulled the brochure out and looked at it. The title read The Tidewater Sperm Bank: Is Artificial Insemination Right for You?

  “But it was next to your chair? If it’s not yours, then…”

  Ridley just watched him, her large, dark eyes holding his until he thought back to earlier. Earlier when she’d been sitting on the patio, eating lunch with her sister.

  Ridley crossed her arms. “I can’t talk about this with you. I shouldn’t have even said this much. But Nick, please keep whatever you’re thinking or think you know about it to yourself. I know you guys don’t get along, but this cannot be ammunition in your battle. You need to forget about ever seeing that brochure. Please. For me.”

  He nodded, but he knew he wouldn’t be forgetting about it any time soon.

  Why the hell would Raina need a sperm bank?

  CHAPTER THREE

  PAPARAZZI WERE A part of life in the modeling industry. Raina had quickly learned that having a few photographers on your side was not a bad idea. Since she lived off the beaten path now, most of the major paparazzi left her alone. They had more opportunities to get random celeb shots in New York or Los Angeles. It wasn’t worth it to them to follow her out to a small, semi-rural Virginia town, which was one of the main reasons she loved living in New Haven so much.

  However, there were some local photographers who had started making their living getting exclusive shots of her just because they were there. After a few weeks of pretending she didn’t notice they were around, she’d finally just turned around and introduced herself. It turned out that her main stalkerazzi, Dagger Kincaid, was an art student using the photos he sold of her to pay his way through college. They’d come to a friendly agreement. She’d allow him to take several shots of her every day and he’d make sure he only sold good shots of her to the press.

  Which came in really handy on mornings like this one where she wasn’t feeling her best.

  “Good morning, Dagger. I’m on my way to get coffee. You want to get a shot now or after?”

  Dagger shook back his mane of stringy black hair. “I’ll take a few of you walking to the car. Move your stuff to the other side. Great.”

  She leaned against the car door, swinging her handbag over her arm nonchalantly. “Look good?”

  “Looks amazing. As always.” He shot her a lopsided grin before stowing his camera back in his shoulder bag.

  “How’s school going? You’re almost done, right?”

  “Yeah. Finally. I only have one more semester left.”

  “That’s great. You should be really proud. I always kind of wished I’d gone to college first. Before everything got so crazy.” He was looking at her like she was crazy, so she shrugged. “I always wanted to go to a frat party,” she joked.

  He nodded, as if that he could understand. “I hear that. Oh, hey. Not sure if it’s true, but someone said your boy was seen in New York with some chick who’s on a soap opera. Did y’all break up or something?”

  Raina’s heart skipped a beat. She made a show of looking in her bag for her cell phone. “You know I never comment on my personal life.”

  It probably didn’t mean anything. She’d just talked to Steven yesterday. If he was photographed with a woman it could be anyone. It could be someone he knew casually or one of the attorneys negotiating the buyout deal for him. She knew better than anyone how easy it was for a picture to be misinterpreted.

  Although, hadn’t Steven’s ex-wife been on a soap opera at some point?

  She looked up to find Dagger watching her closely. Pasting a bright smile on her face, she pulled open her car door and threw her handbag on the seat. “Well, I have to go. I have so much to do. If you want a photo that will earn enough to pay for that final semester, make sure you’re at Sweetie’s at eight o’clock tonight.”

  His eyes lit up. “Is this the big announcement you keep hinting about?”

  “Uh huh. After tonight it won’t be a secret anymore.” She got in her car and pulled a pair of oversized shades from her bag.

  Sam got in the passenger side. Just as she was about to put her key in the ignition, he covered her hand with his. He was always on the serious side, a side effect of his profession, but she’d never seen him look so grave before.

  “Sam, what is it?”

  “I know you said you don’t want me spying on Silvestre, but asking a few questions isn’t the same as spying.”

  Raina sighed and turned the key in the ignition. “Leave it alone, Sam.”

  “You really want me to believe that none of this bothers you? You aren’t even a little interested to know who this soap opera chick is? I don’t believe there’s that much love in the world,” he muttered.

  “This isn’t about being so in love. Sam, you know I don’t believe in all that gooey, romantic crap. Half of all marriages end in divorce. Most people my age getting married are doing it at a drive-through chapel in Vegas when they’re too drunk to even
remember it. This is about trust. I trust Steven and I don’t want you checking up on him.”

  “I just don’t get why you’re so cynical. Especially when your sister is the poster child for true love. That’s what love is supposed to look like.”

  Raina closed her eyes and was immediately assaulted with images. Dark, thickly lashed bedroom eyes. Smooth, golden-brown skin. Those curls she couldn’t keep her hands out of. She knew what love looked like.

  It looked like Nicholas Alexander.

  Raina ducked her head, hoping Sam wouldn’t notice how she’d tensed up. It was sweet of him to worry about her. He’d always had her best interest at heart. But if he was trying to shield her from heartbreak, he was several months too late.

  It had all started with Jackson asking her for a favor. Raina had never had anything more than a mild flirtation with Jackson and his two boys were adorable, so it hadn’t been a big deal when he’d asked her to accompany his brother to an event. She got plenty of exposure at fashion events, but showing up on the arm of a respected businessman at a charity dinner was something she didn’t get to do that often. It had been as much to her benefit as Nick’s.

  When she’d opened her door that night and seen Nick waiting for her, as soon as their eyes met, she’d known. Electricity sparked between them from the first time he took her hand. It had been pure carnal torture to sit next to him in the limo, their thighs brushing. The shocking heat between them had probably been why she’d been so off-kilter when they arrived. Despite years of posing in front of a camera, Raina still wasn’t comfortable with public speaking. She could strike a pose and stalk a runway, but when someone shoved a microphone in front of her face as soon as they’d exited the limo, she’d just frozen up.

  Nick had seen and somehow he’d realized she was terrified. She’d never forget how he’d made a joke and pulled her to his side. He’d taken control of the situation and sent the reporter away with a juicy sound bite instead of whatever foolish garbled mess would have come out of her mouth.

  He’d looked at her and said, “I thought all models loved the spotlight. But you really don’t like all this, do you?”

  With one look, he’d seen a part of her she didn’t show to anyone else.

  She’d known exactly what she was risking when she invited him in that night. Men like Nicholas Alexander didn’t change their ways, but she’d believed that she could have one night with him to treasure always. One night to look back on with no regrets.

  Only it hadn’t worked out that way because that one night hadn’t been nearly enough to satisfy her. As much as she’d tried to play it cool and hold back, he’d seen straight through her carefully constructed image to the real woman beneath. He’d seen her feelings and that more than anything had terrified her. If he left her, it wouldn’t be just the playboy leaving another one of his one-night stands.

  It would be Nick leaving Raina because he didn’t feel as deeply for her as she did for him.

  So the next morning, she’d done the only thing she could to take back some control. She’d left. She’d left him behind and refused to take any of his calls or respond to any of his emails in the days after. It had taken a few weeks, but he’d eventually gotten the message.

  “Have you ever considered what it will be like if you marry him and then you meet the love of your life afterward?” Sam asked.

  She turned to Sam and gave him what she hoped was a convincing smile. “No, not at all.” She didn’t have to worry about meeting the love of her life after she married Steven.

  She’d already met him and lost him in the same day.

  * * * * *

  “DON’T SHOOT THE messenger.”

  Nick looked up blearily from the spreadsheet he was working on. He’d been staring at the numbers so long they were starting to blend together. Matt stood in the doorway to his office with his hands held up in front of him.

  “What now? I don’t care what Mara threatened you with, I am not going to see any more chick flicks.”

  Ever since Matt’s twin sister had hooked up with their friend Trent, she’d tried to include Nick on their outings to keep her brother from feeling like a third wheel.

  Matt shook his head. “Come on, it wasn’t that bad.”

  “There was a dude behind me crying last time.” Nick shook his head in mock disgust.

  Matt snickered. “You might like that better than what I have to tell you. Ridley sent me here to pick you up.”

  Nick hung his head in defeat. He’d gotten used to accommodating random requests from Matt’s twin sister over the past few years. Mainly he didn’t mind. He didn’t have any sisters, but he imagined he’d feel this same sort of affectionate exasperation for them if he did. Mara was difficult to say no to, but she was nowhere near as good at laying a guilt trip as his little brother’s future wife.

  “Say no more. I might as well just give up now.”

  Matt shook his head. “It was like I literally couldn’t say no to her. How does she do that?”

  “She turns those big, brown eyes on full power and gives you a look like you alone have the power to solve all the world’s problems. I no longer tease Jackson about being whipped. She’s not even my woman and she has me whipped, too. It’s easier just to do what she wants. Otherwise, you end up feeling like you’ve kicked a puppy.”

  Matt crossed his arms. “You say that now but I have a feeling there’s a reason she sent me here to pick you up instead of coming herself. Apparently Raina is having some sort of event tonight and Ridley really wants us all to be there to support her. She wouldn’t say what it is, but it’s supposed to be a pretty huge deal.”

  “No. Wait, let me rephrase. Hell-to-the-no. I’m sure Ridley means well, but if Raina is having an event I’m sure I’m the last person she wants there. That woman makes me… ragey. Is that even a word?”

  “I don’t think so, but let’s go with it.”

  Nick pointed at him. “You think this is funny because you don’t know what she’s really like. Oh, she looks just as sweet and innocent as Ridley but behind those big, brown eyes lays the heart of a cobra.”

  “Whatever, man. I’m just here to make sure you show up. I really don’t want to have to tell Ridley that you aren’t coming.”

  Nick sighed and pushed back from his desk. “Okay, okay. Man, would you look at us. Terrified of a woman who’d probably blow away in a stiff breeze.”

  He saved the document he’d been working on and logged off his computer. There wasn’t much point to him staring at the screen longer, anyway. The numbers didn’t lie and what they were saying wasn’t pretty. He’d injected a lot of his personal capital into the Alexander Foundation youth project and if he didn’t find more investors soon, he’d be in trouble. Several of his peers and all of his brothers had invested as well, but they needed deeper pockets if they were to have any chance of getting the camp open this year.

  He’d hesitated about asking Jackson to start working the celebrity angle, but it was probably time to put his pride on the back burner. If his little brother could bring some much-needed attention to the foundation, it might be just the financial life support they needed. Perhaps he could even convince Kaylee to perform at a benefit or something.

  Not for the first time he wished he’d been born with some sort of talent besides just an affinity for numbers. If he’d gotten even half of his little brother’s musical talent, he wouldn’t hesitate to use it to his advantage. Financial acumen was a great thing but people didn’t revere intelligence these days. They wanted excitement. Entertainment. They wanted people who were larger than life.

  People like Raina.

  He stopped in his tracks. As much as she hated him, Raina had a huge soft spot for her sister. If he could convince Ridley to intercede on his behalf, there was a very good chance that Raina would help. All it would take on her part would be a few print ads and a couple of mentions on Twitter or Facebook and they’d be in business. Not only would he have big-name investors lining up
to contribute, but her legions of fans would probably want to donate, too.

  He hung his head. How ironic that the solution to his problem lay with the only woman he couldn’t charm.

  “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?” Matt held the door to his office open. He could see Kaylee sitting behind her desk, typing away.

  “No. I’m definitely not having second thoughts.”

  Matt exhaled. “Good, because I have no problem ratting you out to your future sister-in-law. Come on. We’d better go or we’ll be late.”

  He followed Matt to the elevator and they rode down to the parking level in silence. Once they stepped out into the garage, Nick loosened his tie. July in Virginia always felt like you were at a barbecue in hell. It wasn’t just that it was hot. It was that it was hot and humid, so humid it felt like you were breathing water.

  “We’re supposed to meet everybody at Sweetie’s, that fancy restaurant in Newport News.”

  Nick took off his jacket and threw it over his arm. “I know it very well, believe me. And so does my American Express card.”

  “Well, excuse me. Who would have thought the king of beer pong would be a suited-up tight ass now.”

  Nick chuckled. “I may be a suit now, but I can still beat your ass at beer pong. Believe it.”

  Matt got into his truck and pulled out. Nick fired up his Mercedes and followed him onto the main road leading to the highway. Sweetie’s was in Harper’s Creek, an upscale suburb in the neighboring city of Newport News. The area was part of an ongoing gentrification so the restaurants and shops were an eclectic mix. You might find a Dominican restaurant a few steps away from an old-school jazz speakeasy. Sweetie’s itself was on a corner next to an old-fashioned haberdashery. It was a popular spot for locals and tourists alike. He’d dated an amateur chef once who’d raved about the food.