SECRET BABY (A Billionaire Romance) (2 page)

“Karaoke? Oh my God, yes!” she screeched. Every head at the table turned. “Ladies, we’ve been invited to a karaoke bar! Who’s in?”

A chorus of
I can’t
or
that-sounds-fun-but-no
sounded around the table. Jenny rolled her eyes at our stupidity again and loudly proclaimed, “Why do you want to go to a karaoke bar? You can’t sing.”

Nikki narrowed her eyes but retained her calm demeanor. “It’s not about singing. It’s about having a good time, which I want to do because it’s my birthday.”

“I thought we were going home to watch movies with the kids,” Jenny whined. She had a set of twins waiting at home with their father. “They’re expecting us.”

“Where did you get that idea? I told you I wanted to go out,” Nikki replied, hesitation in her voice. She loved her nieces and spent almost every Saturday night with them. “Gary is there. He can handle it. Come to the bar with us.”

“No one else is going,” Jenny pointed out, looking around the table.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group. Beside me, red was creeping up Nikki’s neck and toward her face. She was furious. “Jenny, would you please join me out front?” She threw her napkin on the table and stood. She didn’t look back to see if Jenny followed her, though she did, carrying her purse with her.

Mel:
My friend and I will be up in a bit, but it’s just the two of us.

Richard:
Awesome. See you in a bit.

Mel:
Any cute guys?

Richard:
I’m a guy. I don’t know. But several of my pals are here. Couple of them are not married.

Mel:
Haha! Okay, we’ll be there.

One of Nikki’s friends leaned over to me, interrupting my texting. “Are they always like this?” she whispered.

“Since I’ve known them,” I replied, frowning with a glance towards the door of the restaurant. “I just hope Jenny doesn’t ruin the whole evening for her.”

“She seems quite selfish,” the woman observed with a sniff.

The waitress returned with our bills, and I grabbed Nikki’s and paid for her meal, my birthday gift to her. Her friends and I chatted while we waited for the waitress and Nikki to return. Her friends were nice, but the two with new babies were so antsy to leave that they shifted in their seats and watched the door for Nikki to come back.

She returned alone a moment later, tears in her eyes. “Sorry, guys. My sister is sometimes a bitch. But I’m not going to let that ruin my night.”

“There you go!” one of the women said as she rose to hug Nikki. “I have to go. Thank you so much for inviting me. I hope your birthday turns out great!”

“Thank you. Are you sure you don’t want to come? You’re all invited,” Nikki asked again, glancing around the table once more. All of them repeated their
no-thank-yous,
hugged Nikki, and left. She leaned on one of the chairs, sighing. She looked up at me. “Let’s go have some fun with some hot guys.”

“Hell yeah!” I laughed. “I’ll drive since I know how to get there. And it’s only 9:30, so we’ll have plenty of time to hang out.”

“Okay. You can drop me back off at my car after.”

Once in the car, Nikki said what was really on her mind, staring straight ahead, her jaw tight. “My sister is awful.”

“I think she’s just sad,” I told her. “She doesn’t want to be married to that man but doesn’t know how to get out of it.”

“It’s called a divorce,” Nikki growled.

I chuckled as I pulled onto the highway. “On another note, I made sure Richard knows that I’m not going to see him.”

“How’d you do that?”

“Asked if there were any cute guys!”

“Perfect!” Nikki laughed, her cheerful personality erasing the bummer attitude caused by her sister. She wagged a finger at me. “You better make sure I don’t catch you flirting with that married asshole, though. Remember his lies.”

“Oh, I remember well. I was so pissed,” I said, shaking my head.

“I remember you were sad, too,” she told me.

“Yeah. Except for the marriage thing, he’s a great guy,” I mused thoughtfully. “Obviously not too great, though, or he wouldn’t be getting a divorce!”

“Or lying to single women about it!”

“That asshole won’t get anything from me except polite conversation. Swear,” I promised, lifting my hand in the Boy Scout promise. “Richard said two or three of his single friends are there, so hopefully, they’re halfway decent.”

“If anybody is missing teeth, I’m out!” We laughed as we took the exit that led us to Torro’s.

Will

I sipped on a beer while listening to Richard, my buddy since elementary school, sing George Strait’s “Big Balls in Cowtown” so off-key my ears began to hurt. I chuckled when the microphone squealed because Richard put extra emphasis on the word
balls
every time it came up in the song. A trio of women, there to celebrate one of their divorces, had sidled up to our table as soon as we arrived and cheered him on. None of them were the least bit appealing to me. Too needy and a little desperate for a man’s attention.

Richard, the only man I knew who needed a woman’s attention constantly, hadn’t been content with the chicks already at the bar, so he’d invited some others he knew. I wondered about Richard’s taste in women as he leaped off the stage, grabbed one of the women nearby, and swung her into a dance. She was plain, although I had to admit her bubbly personality added beauty and animation. Of the three, she was the most attractive, and the only one who hadn’t just ended a relationship, it seemed. The other two had spent the first hour speaking to each other about how men are assholes and couldn’t be trusted.
Not touching that
, I thought as I lifted my beer to my lips again.

For the eighth time, I wondered why I had agreed to come. I had a ton of work on the ranch to deal with. As the owner of a two-hundred-thousand-acre ranch, one of the largest ranches in Texas, my mind was always preoccupied with ranch business. I had paperwork piled on my desk I’d been putting off because I preferred to be outside working with animals. Several hundred head of cattle needed to be moved to the back pastures so the front could regrow, and the steers needed clipping soon or they’d become full-fledged bulls.

A big hand clapped me on the shoulder, interrupting my thoughts. Richard yelled over the singer performing Beyoncé on the stage. “Hey, man! Your mind is too busy. Have some fun!”

I sat back and smiled sardonically. “A smoky bar isn’t much fun.”

“It is if you get drunk enough,” Richard answered, eliciting a giggle from the bubbly blonde next to him. “Isn’t that right, darlin’?”

“Sure is,” she replied in a squeaky voice that would drive me crazy if I had to listen to it on a regular basis. She was a little more than tipsy and leaned precariously against the table, so I picked my beer up before it could spill everywhere.

Richard leaned in close, and I could smell the alcohol on his breath.
I’ll be driving home tonight
, I mused as I waited for Richard to actually speak intelligibly. I was still sipping on my first beer and wondered if I’d be able to lift Richard’s keys without an issue.

“Hey, buddy, don’t worry. The girls who are coming are hot.”

“Do you think you’re whispering?” I asked with a smirk.

“Am I not?” Richard asked, looking from me to the bubbly blonde as if confused.

“Nope, but that’s okay,” the blonde answered, smiling hugely at what she hoped was her night’s conquest.

I stared at her with what I’m sure was a look that screamed
you’re an idiot
on my face and turned away. The door to the bar opened, letting some of the smoke escape. Two women stepped inside, both attractive, though the brunette was stunning, drawing eyes from every corner of the room. She moved like a goddess, her long hair swinging and shining even in this dark atmosphere. Long, shapely, muscular legs encased in skinny jeans drew my eyes, and her graceful saunter towards our table made my heart pick up its pace just a bit.

I elbowed Richard. “I think your friends are here.”

Richard turned and bellowed, “Mel!” He rushed to her and embraced her, lifting her off her feet. She smiled uncomfortably and patted his chest. She turned to her friend and introduced her. Richard hugged her as well, pulling a laugh out of her.

I just shook my head. Richard was a good-looking guy, but he was a scamp and a cheater, and everybody knew it. Girls flocked to him, though. I watched as Richard led the women over to the table, my eyes focused mainly on the brunette whose name was Mel. She was young, probably mid or late twenties, but not out of my league. As she approached, she looked at me and smiled. Her eyes were startlingly green, dominating her face with their luminescence. Her smile brightened her lovely face, and I had to shake my head to stop staring.

“Will, this is Mel, and this is Nikki,” Richard introduced the women as the bubbly blonde sidled up next to him, waiting for an introduction. Richard smiled down at her patronizingly. “And ladies, this is my new friend, Cammie.”

“Hello, all,” Nikki said with a wave for the whole table. Mel smiled but didn’t speak. “I’m heading to the bar. What do you want?”

“Hey, isn’t it your birthday?” Richard interrupted.

“Sure is!” Nikki answered with a grin.

“I’ll buy you a birthday shot, then,” Richard told her. He grabbed her hand and dragged her to the bar, leaving Cammie behind to pout. She moved to her two friends and conversed in low, hissing tones.

“Nice to meet you,” I said, extending a hand to Mel. I held her hand a little longer than necessary, enjoying the soft feel of her skin. She smiled at me, and a vague memory touched my mind, one I couldn’t grasp. She was familiar, but I wasn’t sure why.

“It’s nice to meet you, too. Will, right?”

“That’s right.” I released her hand, a smile on my face that I hoped was charming. I gestured to the stage. “Do you karaoke?”

“Only after I’ve had a few drinks.” She laughed a sexy, deep laugh. “What about you?”

“I don’t, but I get a kick out of watching others humiliate themselves,” I told her, a chuckle behind my words.

“Me, too, though if I get enough liquid courage in me, I’ll be up there doing the same damn thing.” Mel laughed again, leaning across the table so she didn’t have to yell.

I liked it when she leaned closer. Over the stench of smoke, I smelled something flowery and sweet. When her hair moved, the lovely smell floated to my nostrils. I wished I could put my nose in her hair before the smoke soaked into it. Frowning at my thoughts, I sipped my beer, lukewarm after sitting for an hour, and wondered what the hell was wrong with me. Poetry wasn’t my forte, but I was thinking of this woman like a poet would his lover.
Dumb
.

Richard returned with shots for everyone on a tray. He handed one to everybody at the table, even the women we’d just met. He lifted his, gestured to Nikki, and shouted, “To this sweetheart right here, we wish you a happy birthday!”

A chorus of happy birthdays followed, and everyone shot back the tequila Nikki had chosen except me. Mel shivered as she swallowed the fiery liquid.

“Why didn’t you drink yours?” Mel asked.

“Somebody has to drive that idiot home,” I replied, using my beer bottle to point at Richard.

Mel threw her head back and laughed loudly, nudging Richard with her elbow. “Accurate description!”

“Birthday girl karaoke!” Richard yelled, ignoring the insult and shoving Nikki playfully towards the stage.

Her eyes widened. “I’m not drunk enough for that! Unless Mel comes with me.”

“I don’t sing. You know that,” Mel said. “You go. We’ll cheer you on from here.”

“Not without you,” Nikki yelled, grabbing her hand and pulling her along.

I watched as they headed to the stage, indulging myself in a stare at Mel’s perfect ass encased in the skinny jeans.
She works out
, I thought as Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” began to play. As she and her friend sang about surviving after a heartbreak, I watched Mel closely, and the vague familiarity became a clear memory as she performed a little dance move here and there during the song. I jerked involuntarily when I remembered who she was.

Ms. Ulrich, my daughter’s dance teacher at school. I moved my eyes to Nikki and realized she was also a teacher at the high school my daughter attended. English, I was sure, though Cara hadn’t had her yet. A grin spread across my face. How had I not recognized her? I’d met her before, though briefly, at a parents’ meeting for all dance team members. Of course, she probably met tons of parents, so I wasn’t at all surprised she didn’t recognize me.