Money Man (King Maker 1)

When I reached my door, I found an envelope with my name scrawled across it taped to the door. I took it down after I unlocked the door. As soon as I got inside, I spotted an unopened bottle of wine on the counter. I tossed the envelope next to it, shrugged out of my coat, and tossed it over the sofa. Then I bypassed the wine and opted for a pint of Magnum’s Double Sea Salt Caramel ice cream. The satisfying crunch as I cracked the top layer brought a faint smile to my face. Men sucked, but ice cream ruled.

I’d eaten half when I remembered the letter addressed to me. I went back for it. The paper stock was fancy, with gold foil on the inside. I pulled out the thick card stock and nearly dropped it when I read the message. Last warning.

Had I been wrong? Was it Kalen’s wife and not Scott’s mistress who was sending me the notes? It made a weird kind of sense, though I had no way of knowing how she found out so much about me. Then again, she was rich. And money could buy everything, or so the saying went.

Then I heard it and prayed the sound of thundering footsteps was Lizzy’s. But I was fooling myself. The pounding steps were too heavy to be my best friend’s.

“Bailey, let me in,” preceded a fist beating on the door.

I got up, though I had no intention of doing what he asked.

“Please, leave,” I said through the door as goosebumps popped up over my skin.

“Let me explain.”

His sexy, deep brogue now only made me protectively wrap my arms around myself as if I could stop the sting of betrayal.

“Go back to your wife,” and son, I inwardly added.

A son. I hadn’t allowed myself to acknowledge that until now.

“She’s not my wife.”

“Fine, girlfriend. Whatever. It doesn’t matter. Just leave.”

I turned my back to the door and sagged a little. I felt foolish, naïve, everything Scott’s mother had claimed me to be.

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

“Your son’s mother.”

There, I’d said it out loud. And idiotically, I hoped he’d dispute that claim too.

“She’s my nanny.”

That didn’t make things better. He did have a son. And the headlines these days were riddled with married men cheating on their wives with their nannies.

“That doesn’t mean you aren’t sleeping with her.”

“She’s my cousin, lass. We’re helping each other out.”

“And where is your son’s mother?”

I held in a breath.

“Out of the picture.”

“Whatever. Just tell her to stop with the notes. We’re done.”

“Notes?” he asked.

“It doesn’t matter,” I said with as much resolve as I could muster. “You lied to me. I can’t trust you.”

The door rattled as his hand hit it. “Lass, I’ve never lied to yer. I didn’t tell you about my son because it’s not something I bring up to strangers.”

“Exactly. We’re strangers. So, you can leave and forget all about me.”

He growled in frustration as his accent grew thicker. “Yer twist my words, lass. I dinnae expect us to last long enough for yer to need to know.”

“Yes, and I pressured you into more. But you’re free. Please leave.”

I closed my eyes and waited for his retreating footsteps. They didn’t come.

“How many ways do I have to tell yer? It was too late the first time I saw yer. I had to have yer. I thought I could feck yer out of me mind, but I couldn’t. I want more.”

“It’s too late. I can’t trust you. Please just leave.”

This time when I heard his steps, I blew out a breath and let the tears fall.

Though I couldn’t say for sure what I felt for him, it hurt like hell knowing he was gone forever.

Twenty-Eight

The next morning, Lizzy found me buried under a mound of covers she removed.

“What happened?” she asked, concern written in the frown lines on her face.

“I’m stupid. That’s what happened. Kalen’s not only a cheat and a liar, he has a son.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “A child.”

“Yes.” Though it still surprised me, I told her the story from top to bottom.

When I was done, she sat in her best lawyer impression.

“Let me get this straight. He willingly took you home, a place where his nanny and son would be.”

“Yes.” I wasn’t sure where she was going with this.

“Kalen doesn’t seem stupid enough to bring you home where he’d be caught. Maybe he’s telling the truth.”

“About what? He certainly left out a big part of his life.”

“Yes, but honey, you probably didn’t grow up with a lot of single parents, especially ones everyone else didn’t know.”

I silently agreed.

“Well, think about it. What kind of father would he be if he introduces his son to every woman he sleeps with?”

“I didn’t ask to meet him. But he should have told me.”

Lizzy patted my shoulder. “And when was he supposed to do that? You admitted yourself that you guys hadn’t become official until right before you were screwing him in his apartment. When did he have time exactly?”