The Baby Promise

by Tia Wylder

  After Ryan and I left the bar, I raced back to my apartment and made a check out to Honey Walters, for just over seven billion dollars.

  “Honey,

  Take this as my way of saying sorry. I never should have asked you. Please, forgive me.

  - Peter”

  When I was done writing, I slipped the note and a check in an envelope and looked up the address of Honey’s law firm. Then I sat back at my desk with a satisfied smile. Even if Honey never talked to me again, this was worth it – at least she’d know I was truly sorry.

  On Monday, when I got into work, Evangeline was talking to my father. I tried to hurry past without him seeing me, but when I heard him call my name, I groaned.

  “Peter,” my father said sternly. “You’ve been in the office all weekend.”

  “Yeah,” I said, trying to keep my tone light and informal. “I had a lot of work to catch up on.”

  My father clucked his tongue against his teeth. “I heard from Ms. Green several times,” he said, narrowing his eyes at me. “She says you haven’t been returning her calls.”

  “Because we broke up,” I said.

  “I had rather hoped you would have reconciled by now,” my father continued. “Please, make an effort to mend things with her as soon as possible.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You can forget that,” I said. “I’m not going to marry Pamela, Father, and that’s final.”

  “You’re making a mistake,” my father said coldly before turning on his heel and stalking out of my office.

  Evangeline looked up at me and frowned when my father had gone. “Peter, what’s all this,” she said.

  I sighed. “You know exactly what it is,” I said darkly.

  “This came for you, this morning,” Evangeline said. She passed me an envelope with loopy, feminine handwriting on the outside. When I saw Honey’s name in the upper left of the envelope, I grinned.

  “Thank you,” I said, grabbing the envelope and darting into my office. After I’d shut the door, I sat down and sliced open the envelope. Pieces of ripped check fluttered down to the floor, and I frowned.

  There was a note. It read:

  “Peter,

  Thanks, but I don’t need your help.

  Or your money.

  Best,

  Honey”

  I couldn’t help but grin. Something about Honey’s feisty spirit was intriguing, and I wanted to get to know her. I wanted her in my bed again. I wanted her soft body against mine. I wanted to hold her close and make her come and fall asleep with her in my arms.

  I hadn’t felt like this in a long time, and I wondered if it was a sign. I’d never met a woman like Honey. All the women in my life, even the smart ones, had been spoiled and petulant. They’d acted like children – greedy, selfish, and so full of themselves that it was practically painful.

  But Honey was different. Even though she needed my money – and she knew it as well as I – she wasn’t going to take it. Because she was a woman of integrity, a woman I wouldn’t mind getting to know. Besides, she was sharp – possibly the brightest woman I’d ever met.

  I wondered what would happen between us in the future.

  “Evangeline,” I called loudly. “Ring up Baker & Sons and put me through!”

  When the light on my phone blinked red, I picked up the receiver.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, this is Patricia at Baker & Sons. You called, are you looking for legal representation?”

  “I’m actually hoping to speak with a paralegal, Honey Walters,” I said. “Is she in?”

  “Yes. Hold please, and I’ll transfer the call.”

  I waited with baited breath. When Honey picked up the phone, I recognized her sultry voice almost immediately.

  “Hello?”

  “It’s Peter,” I said. “I got your note.”

  Honey was silent.

  “Honey? Are you there?”

  “I’m here,” Honey said. I heard her swallow. “What is it?”

  I laughed. “That was a very nice note,” I said. “Why’d you send it back?”

  Honey sighed. “Peter, I told you…I can’t accept that kind of money from you. I can’t accept it from anyone!”

  “So, what are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know,” Honey replied. She sighed again. “I’ll figure it out.”

  “Look, I’m not calling about the check, or your note,” I said. “I want to ask you out, Honey.”

  “Why, so you can preposition me again?” Honey snorted. “Fat chance, Peter. And besides, I don’t date. I’m too busy.”

  “Well, take some time off,” I said lightly. “Come on, Honey – we’d have fun. Just one date. No strings attached, and I swear, I won’t bring up the idea again.”

  Honey took a deep breath.

  “I bet you like Russian food,” I continued. “I know this great little place in SoHo, best caviar I’ve ever had. And good vodka, too.”

  Honey didn’t reply.

  “I know you’re there,” I said, raising an eyebrow. I pictured Honey sitting at a desk, wearing a cute little dress, and suddenly my cock throbbed in my pants.

  “Okay,” Honey said. “But only if you promise, no strings attached.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “Of course,” I said archly, a smug smirk crossing my face. “Are you free on Friday?”

  Honey laughed. “Try Saturday,” she said. “But then, yes.”

  I grinned, picturing Honey and I seated at a romantic table, with candles.

  “You got it,” I said. “I’ll pick you up at eight.”

  Honey laughed. “No way,” she said. “You’re not seeing where I live. What if you send a check there, too?”

  I smirked. “Fine. Meet me there.”

  “I will,” Honey said in a seductive voice.

  “And Honey?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  There was a long pause before Honey replied.

  “Me, too,” she said softly.

  --

  When we hung up, my heart was pounding, and I felt sweaty and nervous. Pull yourself together, I told myself sternly. It’s just a date – she’s just another chick, New York is full of hundreds of thousands of women like her.

  But no matter what I told myself, I couldn’t get past the idea that my date with Honey was going to be one of the best nights of my life.

  Chapter 9

  Honey

  “I can’t believe you said yes!” Beth said, raising her eyebrows and grinning. “Honey, that’s totally insane!”

  I flushed and bit my lip. “It’s not so crazy,” I said slowly. “I mean, he’s super-hot.”

  “And super rich, and obviously so willing to make you an offer,” Beth continued.

  I rolled my eyes. “Can you pour me a glass of wine?” I asked, gesturing to the fridge. “I’m not dry yet.” Waving my wet nails in the air, I watched as Beth poured me a hefty glass of white Zinfandel and passed it over.

  Beth studied me carefully, raising an eyebrow. “I can’t remember the last time I saw you so dressed up,” she said, tossing her hair.

  I didn’t say anything. I knew she was right – aside from making sure I looked presentable enough for work, I hadn’t taken this much trouble in a long time. Then again, I hadn’t dated in a long time, either.

  “It’s nothing,” I said.

  Beth shook her head and laughed. “Yeah, right,” she said. “You like this guy.”

  “I don’t know why,” I mumbled under my breath, tossing my wine back and swallowing. “It’s not like he’s anything special.”

  “Really, Honey?” Beth narrowed her eyes. “Keep telling yourself that, but I’ve never seen you like this before.”

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, thinking of Peter and everything I liked about him. He was gorgeous and sexy – that was a huge part of it. He’d been amazing in bed. And I’d never met anyone with eyes the same color as Peter’s before: they wer
e as blue as the ocean, and just as deep and stormy. It didn’t hurt that he had money, either, even if I was too proud to accept any handouts.

  “I think I’m just trying to distract myself,” I said, finishing the last of my wine and savoring the alcoholic bite on my tongue. “You know. From my father.”

  Beth nodded sympathetically. “It’s more than that, though,” she insisted.

  Before I could reply, Lily, my cat, leapt up into my lap.

  “Look at you!” I exclaimed, stroking her white fur. “You’re going to get this everywhere!”

  Lily purred, oblivious to the fact that I was wearing a black dress – the material was practically Velcro for cat fur.

  “See?” Beth smirked. “She knows her mama is going out there to have some fun tonight.”

  “Stop it,” I said, flushing as I stroked Lily. She purred contentedly and began kneading my lap, pressing her paws into my thighs. “I won’t have you putting such scandalous ideas into my daughter’s head!”

  Beth threw her head back and laughed. “I’m just teasing,” she said. “Relax, okay? It’s going to be great.”

  I bit my lip. The truth was, as much as I liked Peter, I knew that someone like him wouldn’t want to stay with someone like me. Sure, I’d grown up rich. I could talk about all the exotic trips to Monaco and the French Riviera, just like I could name every brand of luxury car available in this country.

  But my parents hadn’t really had the same kind of cache as Peter’s family. When my world had come crashing down around my ears, I’d gotten a cold shock of reality.

  And as sweet and charming as Peter was, I had a feeling that he’d never be able to identify with me. Peter Anastas had no idea what it was like to wake up one morning and find that his bank account was empty. He’d never had to deal with his father sitting him down and saying, the money is gone. We’re poor now.

  We were never rich in the first place.

  “What’s wrong?” Beth asked gently. “You look down, all of a sudden.”

  I sighed. “Nothing.”

  “You can tell me,” Beth urged. “I’m your best friend.”

  I turned to her and tapped my now-dry fingernails on the side of my wine glass. Like almost everything I owned, it was inexpensive. I’d picked the glasses because they were faux-crystal, kind of classy looking. But now that I’d had them for a few years, they were easily seen for what they were: cheap knockoffs of a fancy designer product.

  “It’s just…” I trailed off, biting my lip until I tasted lipstick. “Do you really think someone like Peter would want to keep seeing someone like me?”

  “Honey, why would you even ask something like that?” Beth crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. “He obviously likes you!”

  “Yeah, for now,” I said. I frowned. “But someone like Peter isn’t going to want someone like me hanging around for too long.”

  “Why not?”

  I sighed. “Do I really need to go into this right now?”

  Beth made a face. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m not trying to make you feel bad.”

  “It’s not you,” I said honestly. “It’s just…”

  “I know,” Beth said sympathetically. “Peter sounds like a good guy, Honey. He doesn’t seem like the type to really care that you don’t have the money you once thought you did.”

  I didn’t reply.

  “Come on, cheer up,” Beth said. “You’re about to go on a fabulous date with a hot guy, and you already know he’s good in bed.” She smirked. “I’m jealous.”

  Before I could answer, there was a knock at the door. It was stiff and oddly formal, and I jumped nervously when I heard it.

  “Are you expecting anyone?” I turned to Beth. “I told Peter I’d meet him there!”

  Beth shrugged. As I walked to the door, my heart was pounding. It can’t possibly be Peter, I thought as I unlocked the chain with trembling fingers. If he sees the inside of my apartment, he’s going to run in terror!

  I glanced around before opening the door. The apartment I shared with Beth was comfortable and cozy, but nothing like the opulence and splendor I’d known growing up…or that Peter was obviously accustomed to.

  “Hi,” Peter said. He was standing on the other side of the door with a huge bouquet of roses. Before I could reply, he handed them to me and leaned down to kiss my cheek. There was a light bit of blonde stubble on his chin and jaw, and it tickled my cheek. My stomach swooped and plummeted inside of my body like I was on a huge roller coaster.

  “Hi,” I said, smiling widely. “These are beautiful.”

  “Not as beautiful as you,” Peter said suavely. He grinned. “Ready to go?”

  I laughed. “I can’t believe you came here, I told you I’d meet you at the restaurant!”

  Peter shrugged. “Like I’d be enough of a jerk to make my lady take public transportation before such a nice dinner,” he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

  Blushing hotly, I set the roses down on the couch. “I’m leaving!” I called to Beth. “Can you put these in some water?”

  Beth came rushing into the living room. When she saw Peter, she did a double-take. Behind his back, she grinned at me and gave me a thumb’s up. I rolled my eyes. Yeah, he’s hot, I thought. But there’s no way this is going to turn into anything serious!

  “So, have fun, lovebirds,” Beth said. She winked at me, and I glared in response. “And don’t stay out too late!”

  “Oh, I’ll have her home before too late,” Peter said.

  I rolled my eyes. “I think I can take care of myself,” I said, tossing my hair over one shoulder. “I just have to get my shoes, and then we can go.”

  I ran into my bedroom and reached under the bed for my black heels – the same heels I wore nearly every day to Baker & Sons – and crammed them on my bare feet. Giving myself a once-over in the mirror, I thought that I didn’t look too bad. My hair was cooperating, and the gold eyeshadow I’d used brought out the sparkle of my green eyes.

  When I got back to the living room, Peter offered me his elbow. We said goodbye to Beth, then walked out into the hallway and waited for the elevator.

  “You have a nice place,” Peter said, nodding.

  “Oh, don’t lie,” I said, glancing around. “I know this isn’t much.”

  The truth was, the Brooklyn walk-up I shared with Beth was all I could afford…and now, knowing I owed a ton of money to the Feds and the credit card companies, I was worried about downsizing.

  “It’s nice,” Peter said firmly.

  The elevator arrived, and the doors dinged open, revealing a brown interior that was stained and scuffed. I cringed.

  “What?” Peter asked. He put a hand on the small of my back and guided me inside. “What’s wrong?”

  I cleared my throat and shook my head. “Nothing,” I lied.

  Peter put his hands on my shoulders and looked deeply into my eyes. His bright turquoise orbs sent a shiver through my body – why did he always look so intense?

  “You can tell me,” Peter said. His voice was low and husky, and for a moment I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around his neck and press my body to his.

  “It’s nothing,” I said flatly. “I just…well, I wasn’t expecting you to see where I live. I know it’s not exactly what you’re used to.”

  Peter shrugged. “Honey, it doesn’t matter. Look, let’s just have fun tonight, okay?”

  I nodded. Yeah, let’s have fun tonight because now that you know how poor I am, I know you won’t want anything serious.

  “Honey?”

  I turned and blushed. “Yeah,” I said. “We’ll have fun.”

  There was a massive black sedan waiting outside. There was a uniformed and smiling man with deeply tanned skin. He bowed when he saw Peter.

  “Mr. Anastas.”

  “Renaldo, this is Honey,” Peter said. “She and I are dining in SoHo tonight if you wouldn’t mind taking us to The Red Room.”

  “Ye
s, sir, right away,” Renaldo said. He smiled politely at me, and I flushed.

  As Renaldo tucked us safely into the backseat, I leaned my head against the plush leather and sighed softly.

  “What is it?” Peter asked.