BABY DADDY (12 page)

“Will you relax? I’d just like you to meet someone.”

“Who?”

“Someone special.”

That made me pause. Someone special?

“She’s expecting us.”

A ‘she’.

His wife? Nah, I don’t see a wedding ring plus he still sleeps around blatantly. A serious GF?

“No, she’s not a woman I’m having sex with.”

I’m not able to hold my sigh of relief.

He chuckles. “I’m with the woman I’m having sex with.”

“Not anymore.”

“I thought you wanted a baby.”

“I did, but I failed to steal your sperm, remember?” I reply in an asinine tone.

He’s silent for a while.

“What if I’ve changed my mind?”

“Huh?”

“What if I want a baby now? With you?”

I stare at him, agape. My heart starts kicking against my ribcage like a baby having a tantrum. Man, how apt is my analogy. But what he said is pretty hilarious. Like, seriously?! I laugh, shaking my head.

“What’s funny?”

“You want to hear the truth?”

“Of course. Nothing but honesty between us, Ella.”

“Okay. I wanted a baby with you without you knowing it. Yes, call me a thief. Yes, I wanted to steal your sperm and it was wrong, so wrong and I already said sorry. But I don’t wanna have a kid with you if you’re aware of it.”

“Why?”

“That’s a rhetorical question, don’t you think?”

He clenches his jaw, no longer amused. “I’ll debate with you on that later, when we’re safely on the ground.”

I agree. I don’t think I can talk to him about babies right now. Ever. I’m still reeling from his fury the other night. And last night, he’s awakened my old demons.

He has the power to upset my equilibrium. I don’t want that.

I’m a control freak.

I rule my world.

I want it to remain so.

But the wild fluttering in my belly makes a mockery of my conviction.

Control? Keep saying that.

I try to settle in my seat and endure his presence. Wherever he’s taking me, there must be other people there. I’ll ask to be flown back to the airport at once.

The chopper is small and his scent surrounds me. God, he smells so good. So young. So fresh. Vibrant. The epitome of life in full bloom. I feel a tinge of envy.

“Look.”

His low voice intrudes into my thoughts. He’s pointing at something to my right. I turn to look.

I gasp in awe. I see a magnificent structure almost made entirely of glass floating high in the air.

“Oh my god! What’s that? A hotel?”

“A gallery.”

At first glance, the building looks like it’s practically levitating above the water but it’s in fact cleverly anchored on the cliff. Whoever built it must be a world-class architect. Whoever owns it must have the highest standards in aesthetics.

Wow. Just wow.

“A gallery you say?”

“Yeah.”

My heart slams harder in my chest. “Is that…Is that Punto Fiamma?”

“So, you’ve heard of it.”

“It’s sort of an urban legend among us common guests.”

“How so?”

“They say it’s the most guarded part of the island and only the VVIPs get invited here.”

“I see.”

“Is that true?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, at least I got to see part of it, even just from afar. They say there are valuable art works scattered in the area. Giant sculptures and stuff.”

“Uh-huh.”

“They say it’s the residence of Akiko Hara.”

“You know her.”

“Are you kidding me? She’s my idol! I drew a lot of inspiration from her unique fashion sense, from her performances, from her paintings!”

“Hmm.”

I notice that we’re actually drawing closer to the glass building.

“Raiden—“

“Shhh, let me land this first.”

“What?…Holy…!”

I see the helipad. The white circle with the letter H at the center is right there on top of the building.

H for helipad or H for Hara?

We draw nearer and I realize, I can see through the building! I can see the water underneath!

This is totally taking my breath away. The helipad is made of glass, too!

I hold my breath until I feel the chopper land on something solid and expel it in a long sigh.

“Scared?”

“Me? Nah. My chopper back home always lands on glass helipads, too,” I reply cheekily.

He grins and removes my seatbelt and head gear. He gets out of the cockpit and opens the door for me.

But I can’t move. My feet refuse to step onto the glass floor. The sea water splashing on the rocks below is both mesmerizing and terrifying.

“Scared of heights?”

My legs are shaking and my tummy is queasy. “This building is insane!”

“I’ll carry you.”

And he does. Effortlessly. I’m no lightweight but he’s so strong.

I cling to him like a scared monkey, hiding my face in the crook of his neck. Big mistake. I smell him at closer range and my stomach churns for an entirely different reason now.

“Are you sure this building is sturdy enough?”

“It’s earthquake proof.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I’ll show you how it was built later.”

“How do you know how it was built?”

“I designed it.”

I raise my head from his neck to look in his eyes, forgetting my fear. “You’re shitting me.”

“I’m an architect.”

“Okay…and I’m Wonder Woman.”

He chuckles. “That, you are.”

He carefully sets me on my feet.

I hug him, my vision still spinning from the vertigo but my world is slowly tilting back to its axis as my eyes get familiar with the surroundings.

Okay, you’re in freaking Punto Fiamma, you ninny! Get your shit together and take a great look! Not all guests get to see this! If you’re in luck you might even see Akiko Hara from a distance!

I inhale deeply and straighten my body. I just won’t look below. I’ll just keep my eyes at the sky. The big blue cloudless sky.

“Better?”

I glance at him questioningly. He must be a VVIP in this island if he’s allowed to land his chopper on the Punto Fiamma helipad. I’m about to grill him about it when he smiles widely.

“Mother!”

I turn to look and I almost faint.

Standing some meters away is the legend herself.

Akiko Hara.

She hasn’t changed, at all. She still has her signature long, straight, jet black hair flowing down to her waist, her ethereal body wrapped elegantly in a flowing white dress that almost reaches her ankles, which looks really familiar. Is that one of my designs…?

And Raiden just called her ‘mother’.

EIGHT

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25 CONTROVERSIAL QUOTES FROM THE STYLE EMPRESS

On her love for fur:

"I’m a tactile person. This is one of my few true luxuries.

So, I take a few animal lives for my fur but donate

a lot to save human lives. Am I bad?

The world only counts your little mistakes and

forget your millions of good deeds. Where is the damn justice in that?

Seriously, I have at least three real ones in my closet. The rest are fakes.

So yeah, I wear fabulous fake furs. Happy now?

Stella Rhodes

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MY EYES COULDN’T TAKE
in everything all at once and my brain cannot wrap around the fact that I’m strolling the majestic grounds of Punto Fiamma with Akiko Hara while her arm is looped around mine—she’s 60 years old— and that she’s the mother of Raiden.

Raiden is following quietly behind us. It’s as if he’s letting me enjoy Akiko. I’m still starstruck I could hardly speak. I can’t believe I’m speaking with my all-time idol!

I want to tell her she’s been my idol for ages but I stop myself. I don’t want to freak her out. I’m being welcomed as a guest here, not as a fan. But I’ll tell her how much I admire her before I leave, for sure. I wish I can take a selfie with her but I don’t have my camera or cellphone with me. I sigh in regret. I can’t capture this momentous event, after all. But never mind, I’ll just store everything in my memory.

My god, she’s a goddess!

Two hours ago, Akiko greeted me with a hug and the kindest smile. She welcomed me into her home, The Gallery itself where her extensive body of work is on display, with the magnificence of nature as its background.

The artworks are jaw-dropping awesome. I wish Tom could see them, too. He wouldn’t believe it when I’d tell him later, for sure.

Akiko has prepared a sumptuous breakfast for us, French style, I’ve noticed, which she has cooked herself. I sampled her tea which she made from her rose garden inside her giant aviary.

We just came from the aviary and I got to see a botanical wonder with a collection of some of the most rare species of orchids on earth. Colorful-feathered birds flew above us, some so tame they landed on my shoulders!

Now, we’re strolling on the grounds of Punto Fiamma and I’m beholding more artworks scattered everywhere, some so huge they span two floors.

After gawking at Akiko’s giant canvasses and installation art at The Gallery, I’m now treated to a sculpture exhibit. I’m running out of superlatives and I mostly just stare in wonder.

“These are magnificent! Who made these?” I ask faintly, still overwhelmed by what I’m seeing. It’s like a secret world created by art geniuses. I’m allowed a chance to enter their inner sanctum and I’m afraid the experience will end too soon.

“These are Raiden’s,” Akiko states proudly.

My jaw drops lower this time.

Whoa!

“He started sculpting when he was five, with clay. We let him run wild in these grounds. He’s been busy all these years, as you can see.”

I slowly glance at him behind us.

He smiles at me. His eyes are shining with a glow that I’m afraid to interpret, but they make me feel…beautiful.

So beautiful.

Oh God. He made these?!

Yay! Extraodinary genes! Genius level! Go, go, go!
My ovaries are screaming like a cheering squad.

“Son, take Ella to the cliff. Show her your best works.”

“Are you done monopolizing her?” he teases his mother.

Akiko smiles. “I’ve got plenty of time to bond with her. She’s staying the night, right?”

“Why don’t you ask her, mother?”

Akiko looks at me expectantly.

What else can I say? You don’t say no to an invitation from Akiko Hara and this is a direct one, probably a once in a lifetime chance. “I would love to. Thank you, I’m so honored, madam.”

She touches my cheek gently, her palm, warm and comforting I suddenly wish I have a loving mother, too. “Call me, Akiko.”

I smile at her, my eyes going misty. Jesus, now his mother is making me want to cry, too. Mine remains a stranger to me to this day. We tried to be closer but maybe it was me who couldn’t form a connection. Too many old hurts inside me. “Akiko,” I utter softly.

“Better. I’ll see you both at the house for lunch. I’ll cook something special for Ella.”

“You’re so quiet.”

Quiet is an understatement. I just can’t think of the right words to express my overwhelming joy.

I face him.

“Raiden…”

“Don’t tell me. Show me,” he utters softly, his hands, bracketing my hips.

His eyes are intense as they bore down on me, enveloping me in heat. But it isn’t a threatening kind of heat. It’s a lulling one and my guard is going to sleep.

Oh lowd, help me. I shouldn’t. I’m not ready for this. For someone like him. No. For him. I’m not ready for him.

But the rest of me is bursting with readiness. My body is throbbing and pounding with the need to express, to break free.

Again.

Yes, my doors are opening again. I can’t stop them, even if I wanted to. He’s like a master key, capable of unlocking them at whim.

Another day.

Just one more day.

I raise my hands to frame his face.

Too beautiful for words, and so I let my lips speak for me with action. I raise myself on tip toe and kiss him.

He meets me halfway.

Our lips touch and it’s thunder and lightning once again.

He devours me and I devour him.

There’s a new energy surging inside me that wasn’t there before. Not that our first kisses were less stellar—okay, I’ll use my own label to describe this kiss now— as I’ve no other words.