Chapter 20
Ten Months Later…
“Levi!” Ramit called out, hurrying towards his friend. “Good to see you! It’s been…what? A year?”
Ramit knew exactly how long it had been since he’d last seen Levi Harris. Because it had been the last time he’d seen Maggie. After a whole year, Ramit should be over her. He shouldn’t still be thinking about her.
Why the hell couldn’t he stop thinking about her? Why did he still dream of her soft, silky skin and her sweet laugh? He even missed her flashing, brown eyes as she sweetly explained how he was a complete ass.
“Almost exactly a year,” Levi replied, then turned to his friend. “You remember Edward, Duke of something or other.” Ramit chuckled as Levi continued. “He’s going to help us with our next project.”
Edward rolled his eyes, but he was much more mellow these days now that he was married with a young son. He didn’t punch Levi’s shoulder for the insult to his ducal title. Instead, the tall man extended his hand to Ramit. “Ignore him. He’s just pissy because his wife and kids couldn’t come with him this time.”
Levi huffed a bit, then nodded towards Edward. “He spent the entire flight over here showing me pictures of his son. So don’t let him fool you. We’re here to discuss business, then we’re both heading right back home to our ladies.”
Ramit laughed, even as another image of Maggie flashed through his head. He didn’t miss her, he reminded himself for the millionth time. They’d had only a few days together.
And yet, it was on the tip of his tongue to ask about her. He knew that Maggie worked at Levi’s club. Yes, he was a member of that club, but he was considering canceling his membership. The idea of seeing Maggie again didn’t seem appealing.
“Come into the dining room. Falk from Itim is already here.”
“Isn’t Falk engaged to your sister?” Levi asked, walking beside Ramit down the long hallway.
“Yes. They’ve been engaged for…” Ramit paused to think about it. “More than ten years now.”
“Wow!” Edward whistled. “That’s a long engagement. They aren’t rushing into anything, eh?”
The three men laughed, but Ramit started to wonder. He’d ask Ciara about it during dinner tonight. They’d both been working on their sibling relationship over the past several months, sharing more meals and talking about various subjects.
Ramit led them into one of the salons and he introduced the fourth member of their partnership. “Gentlemen, this is Falk bin Alon, Sheik of Itim. He’s a brute of a man, but underneath all those muscles he’s a pussycat.”
The man in question growled more like a panther than a kitten, but he didn’t say anything until they sat down to discuss the proposed business plan.
Several hours later, after the business details were ironed out and sent off to the lawyers, Ramit led everyone into the dining room for dinner.
“How are things going at the club?” Ramit asked, knowing that Edward was also a member. They all sat down and the waiters immediately strode in, placing a salad in front of each man.
Levi sipped his wine, then answered, “Good. The schedule is tight, but Maggie comes back next week, so things should smooth out. The other wait staff have been covering for her.”
Ramit’s hand froze, his knife nearly tumbling from his fingers. He turned, trying to feign casual interest as he asked, “What’s wrong with Maggie? She seemed like a vigilant employee when I visited last year.”
Levi glanced at Ramit with amusement. “If you’d come back more often, you’d be up to speed on the gossip. Maggie had a baby a few months ago. There are bets on who the father is, but she won’t tell us.”
Ramit’s body went cold at that news. “What are the odds on Todras being the father?”
Levi burst out laughing and slapped his knee. “I doubt that Todras is still capable of fathering a child. Not after what Maggie did to him last year. And then, a few months later, both Todras and his annoying buddy, Mathis, were attacked. They were mugged and beaten pretty badly.” He took another sip of his wine, shaking his head. “Plus, the banks foreclosed on both of their homes. From what I’ve heard, they’ve both been mooching off of acquaintances for a place to stay.”
Ramit was aware of the knowing silence from the other two men at the table, but he had to know. “What happened to Maggie? What did she do?”
Levi looked surprised. “Todras tried to corner her in a hallway last year. He wouldn’t let her pass and was making insulting innuendos. So, Maggie kneed him in the groin. He was down for the count and my security guards had to literally haul him out of the club.”
Ramit absorbed that information, his fingers tightening on his knife and fork as he pictured Maggie being pinned to the wall. Had he completely misread the situation?
Clearing his throat, he tried to concentrate on the…he had no idea what he was eating. All he could think about was Maggie, her soft, brown eyes as she’d glancing pleadingly at him in the hallway so long ago. What the hell had he done?
“So who are the other men that could potentially be the father?”
Levi shook his head. “That’s the thing. Maggie never showed a preference for any of the club members. Emily, the club manager,” he explained for Falk, “mentioned that Maggie was really excited about some guy she’d met at an art museum last year, but apparently, he betrayed her somehow, but she refuses to tell us what happened.”
A litany of epithets blasted through his mind. “Why is she so close mouthed?” Ramit demanded, hearing his voice rasp and unable to control it.
Levi took another sip of his wine and shrugged. “No one knows. Maggie never mentioned his name. She was pretty sad for a while, but she was happy about being pregnant. And she’s an amazing mother. Emily and Ann, her best friends at the club, go to her house all the time to help out. They both say that Maggie is literally glowing. She’s exhausted, but happy. My wife Clarissa has visited as well and says that Maggie and the baby are thriving.”
Edward chuckled. “I’m guessing that she’s been inundated with gifts from you, Matteo, and Sean?”
Levi shrugged. “I might have sent over a few things.”
Edward and Falk laughed, seeing the truth behind the man’s casual tone. Maggie had probably been smothered with gifts from the club owners.
“It’s not just me,” Levi defended. “All of the club members have sent her stuff. She’s one of our best employees and everyone misses her.”
Ramit was vaguely aware of the rest of the meal being served and he might have eaten some of the food. But after he took his leave from the men, he had no memory of what had been served or what they’d talked about beyond the news of Maggie’s pregnancy.
Could it be…? Could he be the father? He’d been the man at the art museum. And she’d been happy afterwards? So happy that her co-workers had noticed and commented on her happiness? Then Levi’s other comments came back to him. Betrayal? How the hell had he betrayed Maggie? Simply because he’d shown up at the club?
That didn’t make any sense!
Still, he couldn’t get rid of the nagging suspicion that Maggie had given birth to his child!
He walked into his office later that night and sat down in his leather chair, contemplating the possibility. So many questions popped into his mind. The first one; if he was the father, why hadn’t she called him? She had his private cell phone number. If he was the father, then she should have told him!
The second idea was just as infuriating. If that was his child, then the babe needed protection! Holy hell, the babe might be in danger! The thought sent him surging from his chair and storming into the security office.
“I might have a child!” he announced to his head of security.
Nittan stared at Ramit for a long moment, too stunned to speak. Then he shifted into gear. “Who?” he demanded.
“The woman I met at the art museum last year. She gave birth to a child several months ago. How soon can you find out if the child is mine?”
Nittan lifted his cell phone and dialed a number. “I need you to get DNA from a child.” A moment later, he gave Maggie’s address, which he’d pulled up on his computer. “As soon as you have the DNA, send it to me. I need it by tonight.”
Then he turned to his deputy. “Call Dash Phillips in Nevada. Tell him to get his people out to this address,” he sent the information via text, “until we can get our people out there. It has to happen in the next five minutes.”
The deputy turned and rushed from the room.
Ramit breathed a sigh of momentary relief, gripping the counter in the center of the security office. “Thank you!”
Turning, he strode out of the office and headed for his own. Hamud was there, waiting for him with a worried expression in his eyes.
“You heard?”
“Yes, Your Highness,” he replied, adding a small bow.
“Does everyone know?”
“No, Sire. There are very few people who know and I will contain the gossip.”
“Thank you.” He paced his office, running his hands through his hair.
Hamud stood there, watching silently for a moment, then he offered, “Perhaps I should cancel your other appointments today, Your Highness.”
Ramit swung around, staring at the man for a moment as the words slowly processed. When he was able to make sense of what the man had suggested, Ramit nodded. “Yes. Thank you, that’s probably for the best.” He started pacing again, as his frustration grew. Then he stopped abruptly and called out, “Have my plane prepped. I’m going to Philadelphia to wait for confirmation.”
Hamud paused for a startled moment, then nodded and bowed. “I’ll have that arranged immediately.” And then he left, leaving Ramit to simmer in his confusion and fury.