Filthy Rich Revenge: A Filthy Rich Billionaires Book - Lynn Raye Harris Page 0,57
say, “Your papa is working, ma belle. He will be home when he can. Now go play and stop your moping.”
How could she do her job and make sure her child didn’t feel as lonely as she had? Because she couldn’t imagine this baby sitting at a window and waiting for her to come home. She wouldn’t let it happen. Her baby would know it was loved and cherished. Somehow, she would make everything work. She had to.
The daytime door attendant to her building rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, smiling as Rebecca approached. Her blue uniform was always crisp, her smile always ready. Rebecca would miss the woman’s cheery greetings.
“Miss Layton, good to see you. How’s the move going, hmm?”
“It’s a pain, Bernadette. But I think I’ll survive.”
Her days had been so busy that she was behind on many of the things she wanted to accomplish, but she made a mental note to give Bernadette an extra-large tip and a gift before she left.
Bernadette leaned forward, her eyes flashing. Rebecca grinned. What manner of hunk had the woman seen now? Bernadette was always talking about the good-looking men in the building, or the ones who strolled by during the day. It was one of the highlights of her job.
“Supreme eye candy alert, Miss Layton. A foreign type. Got out of that limo there and entered the building not more than five minutes ago. Bet he’s on his way to the beauty queen’s digs.”
They had a former Miss Something-or-Other in the building, which seemed to fascinate Bernadette to no end. Any time a good-looking guy went inside, she was convinced he was headed for the woman’s apartment. She was probably right.
“How do you know he’s foreign?” Rebecca felt a twinge of sadness at the thought of foreign men these days.
“Oh honey, I can spot ’em a mile away. But he was on the phone and it wasn’t English they were talking. Smelled like money too, let me tell you.” She wagged her head back and forth. “Mm-mm, I’d sell my soul to the devil himself for one night in the sack with that guy. He’d never know what hit him.”
Rebecca laughed and left Bernadette to her daydreams about Miss Whatever’s potential suitor. Taking one of the books out of her bag, she flipped through it while she waited for the elevator.
So much to know about babies. Unconsciously, her hand drifted over her abdomen. She smiled when she realized what she was doing.
“We have a lot to learn, you and I.”
It didn’t matter if the baby couldn’t understand her yet. It comforted her to talk to her child.
Her child. Those words still gave her little thrill. And, funny enough, she no longer felt so alone in the world knowing she had a life growing inside her. They would be okay. Somehow, they would be okay.
She hummed a little as she walked down the hallway toward her apartment. A familiar scent seemed to linger in the air when she reached her door. She hesitated as a trickle of alarm buzzed between her shoulder blades. It wasn’t a heavy smell, but a scent that came from expensive clothes and a certain brand of soap.
The hairs on her arms prickled, but she told herself not to be silly. Other rich men could use the same soap as Alejandro. It meant nothing.
Rebecca’s heart pounded into her throat as she shoved the key in the lock and pushed the door open. She closed it behind her, slid the chains in place, and let out a shaky sigh.
What was the matter with her? Alejandro was not there. He couldn’t be. He had no reason to be. He didn’t know about her pregnancy. And though he’d had her followed once before, he had no reason to do so now. He was finished with her. No investigator was lurking outside her building, sending reports to her gorgeous Spanish lover.
To the father of her child.
Rebecca shivered. Her senses were heightened due to the hormones rocketing through her system. It was nothing more than the beauty queen and her latest suitor. The man visiting her was simply cut from the same mold as Alejandro—rich, handsome, and possessed of impeccable taste. He eschewed cologne and used imported soap. So what?
Rebecca set her bag of books on the coffee table and went into the kitchen to get a glass of cool water. There were boxes everywhere. She surveyed the open loft, the amount of work yet to be done.