Mr. Big Deal (Mr. Big 4)

CHAPTER6

Alexa

* * *

After Luke left,I went back inside and sat on the sofa, preparing to nurse Leif. On the television was some news, so I listened in to talk about whatever was happening in the world outside my little life. I’d been so busy with Leif and my dissertation that I hadn’t been following world events much. My mind was busy on the Cold War, and so I hadn’t been as attuned to current events as I usually would. One day, when Leif was older and more independent, I would be able to pay more attention to it, but Leif mattered more now than anything else besides Luke.

I had my priorities straight.

Once Leif was finished nursing, I took him back to his room and changed him, then put him in his activity chair while I bustled around in the kitchen getting things ready for the girls, who were due to arrive any moment.

I kept my eye on the security monitor app on my laptop, which showed an image of the front entry, the driveway and the yard leading to the beach. When I saw a car drive up to the gate, and then proceed into the driveway, I knew that the girls had arrived and went to pick up Leif so we could greet them at the door.

Mara’s car drove up to the front entry and out jumped Candace, her curly hair in a high topknot, and some big dangly earrings in her ears. She wore a long sundress and sandals and looked ready for a weekend at the beach. Beside her, Mara reached into the trunk and pulled out two overnight bags.

They turned to the front door, where I stood, and I heard Candace squeal with delight when she saw Leif.

“There he is,” she said and came up the steps to me. “Come here, little man. Auntie Candy needs some baby time.”

I handed Leif to her, and she hugged and kissed him, her eyes filled with delight. Behind her, Mara came with their overnight bags.

“Hey, Momma,” Mara said, smiling, her short dark hair cropped with high bangs, her dark eyes amused at Candace’s antics with Leif. “How you doing?”

“I’m great now that you two are here. Come in and get settled in. I’m just getting stuff ready for the barbecue.”

For the next fifteen minutes, Candace and Mara took their bags to their rooms, and then came downstairs to help me with preparations for our meal on the patio. The weather was still nice enough that we could sit outside and eat.

While Mara played with Leif, Candace and I did the cooking, placing the steaks and skewers of garlic shrimp on the grill. I’d made a salad beforehand and there was bread, so everything was ready.

“Look what I brought,” Candace said, and pulled out a bottle of wine from her bag. “A nice wine to go with the shrimp and steak.”

“Looks delicious,” I said but shook my head. “Not drinking until I finish nursing Leif and he’s on formula. But you two indulge.”

“Aww, that’s right. You’re one of those really responsible moms,” Candace said with a pout. “You know my mom drank now and then with me.”

“She bottle fed, right?”

“Ahh, yes,” Candace said. “Everyone did back then, I guess. Three weeks for the colostrum and that was it. Formula. Mothers these days…”

I smiled and placed the steaks on a plate next to the grilled shrimp. “Dinner is served.”

We sat on the patio, taking turns to hold Leif while we ate, and then I gave him a feed and put him down for the night.

For the rest of the evening, we sat on the patio and watched the sunset, and the stars rise. We talked about the good old days and the really great new days, as I liked to call them.

“Any news about Blaine or Eric?” Candace asked when there was a lull in the conversation.

“Nothing new,” I replied, not really wanting to talk about either of them. “Eric lost his driver’s license, and accepted a plea deal for reckless endangerment, which he will likely get a fine and probation. I’m pretty sure he won’t be bothering us anymore unless he’s gone completely insane. He has to think about his reputation, although it’s been so badly tarnished, I doubt he’ll be able to attract the kind of business he did before all this happened. It’s his own fault for cheating on his pregnant wife.”

“What a bastard,” Mara said. “Why is it that really rich men can be such dicks? I mean, really poor men and men of middling means can be as well, but still. You’d think they’d be happy to be wealthy and powerful. Why lose it all over some cheap pussy? I mean, Lexxi911? Come on…”

“Don’t ask me,” Candace replied. “Some men are just corrupted by power. Others are corrupt to start with and become rich precisely because they have no conscience. Some men are sex addicts and can’t stop, just like an alcoholic can’t stop drinking or a drug addict can’t stop shooting up.”

Mara shook her head. “Do you really believe that sex addict BS? I always thought it was a convenient excuse to get people’s sympathy. You know, ‘Oh, poor me. I’m a sex addict, so I can’t not go to prostitutes…’ I don’t believe it.”

“I do,” Candace said. “Some people are addicted to adrenaline. They jump out of airplanes with parachutes on their backs, or hang-glide, extreme snowboarding, mountain climbing. Their brains need the rush of endorphins, I guess, or they feel dead inside. It’s the same with sex. Some people need that endorphin rush from an orgasm and become addicted. Some masturbate multiple times a day and are always paying for hookers. It’s a disease.”

I didn’t say anything, because I honestly didn’t know enough to have an opinion, but I thought that some men just took advantage of their power and wealth to do what they couldn’t get away with if they were poor and were nobodies.

Give a man a million dollars, and you see what he’s made of.

Luke inherited money from the death of his parents, but he also made a company through hard work and sweat. Then, he made even more when he sold Chatter. He was using that wealth to go to space. He was one of the good guys.

He only wanted to get married and have a loving family, and not use his money to buy women or influence.

“Speaking of wealthy men, how’s Luke doing?” Mara asked. “You’re the lucky one with your billionaire space dude who is happy to be a domesticated dad.”

“Luke is doing fine,” I said and smiled at the thought of Luke out with his hopeful investors, showing them the nightlife. “He’s doing his duty to make the potential angel investors happy. That makes me happy. It’s all good.”

Candace smiled. “Our girl is living the dream.”