The Tycoon's Love

by Holly Rayner

  “Because I won’t agree to share money that’s not mine with you?”

  “If you marry him it will be yours,” she said, proving what I already knew; she did expect to benefit.

  “I’d like for you to leave now, Mother, and please don’t come back unless you’re invited.” She opened her mouth to say something and I took out my breast and put it in my son’s mouth. She made a face that told me she was repulsed by the natural sight of a mother feeding her child and in a huff, she turned on her heel and left. I looked down at Michael and said, “Wow, if I had known it would be that easy, I would have fed you an hour ago.”

  ***

  By the time Liz arrived, the last of the staff was leaving, Michael was down for the night and Cook had set out one of the most amazing looking meals that I have ever seen.

  “Wow, look at all of this,” Liz said, looking around as we sat. I asked Cook to put us in the kitchen. I knew how Liz felt about the mansion and I was hoping it would be more comfortable for her than the formal dining room.

  “Yeah, Cook goes all out. He’s really something…” I suddenly had an idea.

  “What’s that look?” she said. “What are you up to?”

  “I was just thinking I should introduce you and Cook. I think you would really like him and him you. He really is an amazing man. I had never really thought about him as a “man” though until today. You can thank my mother for that.”

  She laughed. “You never thought of him as a man? Should I worry about that?”

  “No,” I said, laughing. “That didn’t come out right. It’s just that he’s a little bit older… okay; he’s quite a bit older than us so I never looked at him that way. But tonight when I saw the light in my mother’s eyes I realized that he’s a really, exceptionally good-looking man. He’s also intelligent and worldly. He’s wealthy and he can cook!”

  She made a face and said, “How much older?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe early forties.” Liz is almost thirty. She has sworn she would stay at twenty-nine forever, but thirty will be upon her in a month.

  She looked like she was considering it and she said, “That’s not so bad. Your mother was here?”

  I curled my lip. “Yes, checking out the inventory under the guise of seeing her grandson.”

  “What did she say about the baby?”

  “That she couldn’t hold him because he might spit up on her new blouse.”

  “Oh honey! I’m sorry!”

  “Thanks. I am too. It would be nice for Michael to have at least one decent grandparent.”

  “I know, but he has two amazing parents so that’s good, right?”

  I smiled, “Yes, he is lucky in the parent department.”

  Liz and I ate and chatted and then I gave her the same tour I’d given my mother. It was a lot different however, in that Liz actually complimented Alex’s taste and said nice things and didn’t look like she was casing the joint. By the time we finished the tour, Michael was awake. Liz held him and she wanted to feed him so I heated a bottle of breast milk I’d pumped and she sat in the rocking chair by the window with him and sang while she fed him. She put him back to sleep. After we tucked him back in she said, “My uterus spasms every time I see that beautiful face of his.”

  I smiled. “I thought you didn’t want kids.”

  “I don’t, but my uterus doesn’t know that. He’s amazing. I’m so proud of you.”

  I hugged her. “Thank you. After my mother’s visit, I so needed this.”

  She looked at the time and said, “Anytime sweetie, but now I have to get home because that awful thing called work will be expecting me early in the morning.”

  I nodded and hugged her again. “You’re a great friend.”

  “So are you,” she said. “When should I come back to meet this cook of yours?”

  I laughed, “Any time you’re ready.”

  I walked her out and as I was going back into the house I had the feeling someone was watching me. I looked around and saw Liz’s taillights as she went up the drive. I shook it off, telling myself I was just being paranoid. Once inside I locked the door and set the alarm. Then I went up and checked on the baby. The house seemed a lot bigger at night when Alex wasn’t there. Michael was fine, still sleeping. I kissed his little face and went into my own room to get ready for bed. I called Alex before I lay down. He didn’t answer, so I left him a message.

  “Hey handsome. You don’t have to call back, I know it’s late there… I just wanted to say goodnight and I hope all is going well. I know what you have to do there must be so hard. I’m thinking about you and I wish I could do something to help. Get some rest and please take care of yourself. Good night.”

  I put the phone down, turned off the light and lay down in the big, empty bed. As soon as I did I heard a noise that sounded like a door opening out in the hall. At first I told myself that I was just being silly. The doors were all locked and the alarm was set. Alex and the staff are the only ones besides me that have a key and the code. I tried closing my eyes and I heard it again. This time it was unmistakable… there was someone in the house.

  I could actually feel my heart rate accelerating as I climbed out of the bed and reached for my robe. I slipped it on and made my way to the bedroom door as quietly as I could. I had no idea what I would do when I came face to face with whoever was in the house but I knew that they would hurt my baby over my dead body. Once outside the bedroom door, I stood quietly and listened. The sounds of my own breathing were magnified in the quiet hallway. I didn’t hear the sounds again so I went towards the nursery to check on Michael. The door was halfway closed. I knew I had left it open, I always do. My heart was hammering in my chest as I pushed it open.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Cassandra was standing over my son’s crib looking down at him. She turned and looked at me and the look on her face could only be described as menacing. “What are you doing? Get away from my son!” I must have looked as crazy as I felt at the moment, because she stepped away. I went over and made sure he was okay. He was still sleeping. I turned on her then and with my own menacing stance, I pushed her out of the nursery without laying a hand on her. “How did you get in here?” I asked her, once we were in the hallway.

  She snorted. “I’m still married to Alex. This is still my home. I have a key to the front door and I know the code.”

  “You don’t live here any longer. You don’t have a right to be here, much less in my son’s room. I should call the police on you!”

  She snorted again. “Maybe you should, but you won’t. You’re already a joke; the maid seduces the billionaire and she makes headlines for a day, you’ve had your fifteen minutes of fame. It will all be over soon. You and Alex have a beautiful boy there… it’s too bad once he takes me back that you’ll only get to see him on visiting day.”

  “You’re insane. What are you talking about?”

  “Alexander loves all of this. He loves his home and his cars and his private jet. He loves his business and his bank accounts. He loves fine foods and fine wines… he’s not going to give that up…any of it, for you! The baby will be more difficult, but let’s face it… an unwed maid with a pole dancer for a mother or a billionaire, which do you think the judge will give custody to?”

  “Get out of my house or you will be the next headline.”

  “It’s my house. Mine and Alexander’s. When I move back in, you’ll be lucky to be able to get a job cleaning toilets.”

  “Get out!” I screamed at her.

  “I’m going… for now. But if I were you honey, I wouldn’t unpack my bags too soon.”

  She turned then and went down the stairs. I watched her go with my heart still racing in my chest. I was sweating and having a hard time catching my breath. I wanted to tear or break something or beat someone up. No, not someone. I wanted to beat her up. I never liked her before, but now that she’s threatened my child, and me I felt myself seething with hate for her. She was wrong about Alex and there was
no way that anyone would ever take my child from me.

  I was finding this new world to be more maddening by the hour but I realized I’d gone from “intimidated” to “angry,” and that was a good thing… intimidated meant running and hiding, angry meant standing my ground and fighting for what was mine. I wasn’t afraid of her. She might be used to getting what she wanted up until now, but she wasn’t going to win this time.