Chapter 4
Ella
I pick up a white dress shirt, and hold it up to the light.
Hmm, it’s not too wrinkled at least. With a sigh, I put it down on the ironing board and then pick up the iron before leaning over to do my job.
My back already aches and my fingers feel like they’re going to cramp.
Is this normal? Am I imagining the aches and pains?
My head shakes because it doesn’t really matter.
I don’t have a choice but to iron for the next few hours.
After all, I’m pregnant now, and I need to find a way to survive for me and the coming baby.
Sure, the night with Nick Bannister was momentous and mind-blowingly sensual, but it wasn’t anything permanent.
Hell, we barely even exchanged names, and when I woke up the next day, he was already gone.
Only the ache in my pussy, as well as the semen that seeped down my thighs for the next twenty-four hours told me that I’d enjoyed a sensual night with the man of my dreams.
But he was more than a figment of my imagination because that one-night stand left me pregnant and expecting his baby.
I couldn’t believe it when I took a home pregnancy test, and then took a second and a third to be sure.
But the double pink stripes kept appearing and I knew without a doubt that I’d conceived Nick Bannister’s child during our sensual night together.
Of course, I tried to contact him. I looked him up on the web, and it turns out that my international man of mystery is a wealthy businessman who founded and runs Rocket X, a space travel company looking to colonize Mars.
I was astonished because I thought a company like that would be run by a petite nerd with huge glasses and a flabby paunch.
But it was definitely my lover’s photo on the website, with the same piercing blue eyes and square jaw above the label “Founder and CEO.” Wow, who knew?
Immediately, I dashed off an email to the company, requesting that my information be forwarded to Nick.
There was no reply, to my disappointment, so I called after a few days.
The woman who took my name was unfailingly polite and promised to relay my message to Nick, but even as we spoke, I knew she was lying.
I knew that my contact information would never reach Nick’s desk and that he would never know that I’d tried to contact him.
After a week of hoping against hope, I took matters into my own hands and wrote him a letter, snail mail style.
Yes, I addressed it to him at corporate headquarters, and prayed against all odds that someone, somewhere would have the sense to give it to him and that he’d open it and see my news.
But nothing happened for weeks, and I was disappointed.
My babydaddy either never got the message, or simply doesn’t care that we conceived a child together.
I had to deal with the heartbreak from that.
Granted, I wasn’t expecting the world from Nick Bannister, but I’d like him to at least say something or do something.
But there’s been no communication, and I can’t expect more.
We hooked up in a supply closet, for crying out loud!
It was nothing to be proud of, except that it was the most sensual night of my life.
But I had no options, so I moved on with my life with or without the CEO.
By then, Lakeview had been sold and I’d secured a job in housekeeping with Suncrest Resorts, a bed and breakfast on the shores of Lake George.
It’s actually in the same county as Lakeview Manor, and I drive by the cream-colored mansion sometimes on my way to work, my heart going flippity-flop when I pass the beautiful estate.
But that’s neither here nor there because it’s not my home anymore.
Yes, I got attached to the house and the land, and took care of every piece of furniture as if the items belonged to me, but they never did.
I was always the hired help, and my stay there was only temporary.
Now, I need to save as much as possible, so I’m toiling away at long shifts in order to put money in the bank.
Everyone tells me that I need to take at least three months to recover from labor and delivery, and while Suncrest management will give me some time off, they won’t pay me for it, so I need to save.
Ruefully, I stare down at my bump. It’s still small at the moment, but it’s definitely there, and slightly visible beneath the brown housekeeping smock they have us wear.
My apron is a bit snug too, the white sash around my waist knotted loosely so that it’s not too constricting.
I know I’ve put on weight, although people have complimented me on my glowing visage and rosy cheeks.
It’s the pregnancy. I want this child, even if his or her father doesn’t, and I can’t wait for the child to be born.
But right now, I need to get back to ironing this shirt.
My back aches and it’s hard to be on my feet for so many hours at a time, but this is the hand I was dealt, and I’m going to do my best. With a sigh, I pick up the iron and attack the collar of the shirt with a vengeance.
Collars are one of the toughest parts because they need to lie flat but not too flat.
They’re also one of the first parts of a shirt that someone sees, so it’s important to get it right.
Suddenly, a massive shadow appears at the door, and I look up.
My head whirls and I do a double take because am I dreaming?
Is that Nick Bannister glowering at me, looking godawful handsome in a dark suit with his charcoal-colored hair brushed back?
He looks like a vengeful god, those blue eyes fierce as he takes me in.
“What are you doing?” he rasps.
I pause after putting my iron down.
“I’m ironing, obviously,” I say with sass in my voice. “It’s my job. I work as a housekeeper here.”
The billionaire shakes his head with frustration.
“I can see that, but why the fuck are you on your feet? Don’t they know that you’re pregnant? What the hell?”
He strides over, evidently determined to help me find a seat somewhere but I back away before he can touch me.
“No, hands off,” I state in a firm tone with both of my palms up and out. “I’m fine. This is my job, and this is what they’re paying me to do. I’m also on the clock right now, so I don’t think my employers will appreciate it if I spend a lot of time talking to you.”
Nick’s eyes practically bulge out of their sockets.
“What the fuck,” he bites out.
I shake my head.
“It’s okay to talk, but obviously, we need to speak at length otherwise you wouldn’t be here. How did you find me, anyways?”
The handsome man lets out a choked gurgle, his expression disbelieving, before pulling out my letter. I see that it’s crumpled and folded, as if it’s been re-read multiple times.
“Because I got this in the mail, informing me of your pregnancy, and then I set out to find you.”
I squint at him.
“But I didn’t say where I worked in the letter.”
He lets out a harsh laugh, those blue eyes fierce.
“Sweetheart, there’s a lot for you to learn when it comes to me. But you’re right,” he says before I can say anything. “I want to talk, Ella. About you, the pregnancy, and the child.” His eyes rove over me again, coming to rest on my belly. “You’re already showing.”
Self-consciously, my hands come up to cover the tiny bump.
“I am,” I say in a quiet tone before meeting his eyes. “But I can’t chat now. I get off at five, so I’ll meet you at the park?”
He lets out another frustrated choking sound.
“Which park? Where in the park? Or should I just wait outside here until you get off?”
“No, no,” I blush. Oh my god, it would be so embarrassing if someone saw the powerful Nick Bannister lurking outside the entrance to Suncrest. He’d attract so much attention with his massive frame and fierce expression, and create quite the commotion among the female population, I’m sure.
So I shake my head and pick up my iron again.
“Meet me at McCarren Park at five thirty, near the fountain. You can’t miss it because it’s a small park with only one fountain in the middle. I’ll see you then.”
Then, I bend my head and begin ironing again.
Nick’s completely still, as if he can’t believe he’s just been dismissed by a lowly housemaid, but after another pause, his massive form turns and stalks out of the room.
I breathe a sigh of relief because I’d forgotten how arresting and commanding the alpha male is.
I’d forgotten how every cell of my being is attuned to him, and how all my senses came alive when he was in the small space with me.
Even worse, he’s every bit as charismatic, demanding, and magnetic as I remember.
Oh my god, how am I going to handle our upcoming rendezvous?
It's not a rendezvous, at least not in that sense, the voice in my head says in a scornful tone. You’re his babymama.
Yes, you were lovers for one night, months ago, but that’s a thing of the past. Now you’re just a lodestone around his neck, and who knows?
Maybe he’s going to ask you for a termination.
That makes my heart race because there’s no way I’m giving up my child, no matter what the billionaire says.
But the voice is right because I’m horrifically outmatched, both in resources and opportunity.
Our meeting isn’t going to be a romantic one where we entwine our hands while speaking about a rosy future.
Instead, I have a negotiation ahead with the demanding CEO . .. one that I can’t afford to lose.