BABY DADDY (20 page)

“You’re jealous of Bob.”

I don’t even attempt to deny it. “Ella, I don’t want to share. Ever.” I say, my fingers biting onto the softness of her hips.

She kisses my lips tenderly. “You’re so adorable.”

“I’m not fucking adorable. I’m about to go looking for Bob and hogtie him to my truck and drop his ass in the river where my croc buddies hang out.”

“Oh poor little Bob. But he’s not even here.”

“Where is he?”

“He’s in New York. Inside my cabinet.”

I look at her blankly.

“Maybe his battery died, too. Haven’t used him in three months. Too busy at work, no time to play.”

It finally clicks.

I slap her ass.

She giggles. “Gotcha!”

I laugh out loud.

Indeed, she got me there.

TWELVE

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25 CONTROVERSIAL QUOTES FROM THE STYLE EMPRESS

On her love for stilettos:

"A woman who wears heels sends this message to the world:

I can stand on stilts and platforms and still kick major ass.”

Stella Rhodes

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ANOTHER PUZZLE HAS BEEN SOLVED.

So, that’s the reason why he has suites
in almost every hotel. He’s working on his rock sculptures in several parts of the strip. If he feels tired, he can crash in his nearest suite anytime.

We’ve been going around the strip on his ATV, visiting places, periodically stopping to work on his sculptures.

He’s currently concentrating on eight projects. Some are halfway done, some are almost finished. He’s the resident sculptor of the island and the entire place is his playground.

Even if my curiosity is killing me, I really hold my tongue from asking about his family background. I don’t want to betray their trust by acting too interested in their personal lives, even if my interest is just fueled by the fact that my kid will have royal blood if it’s all true. That will be another best-kept secret in the making.

I’m also enjoying the perks of being in his company. The maitre d’s in the restaurants we’ve dined at greeted us like we’re royalty, which is likely true, giving us the tables with the best views. The hotel managers came down to have chit-chat with us, offering us everything from special meals to the best tables at the high-stakes section of the casinos. We declined the casinos. We had better things to do. Yup, in bed.

I wonder if Raiden feels cheated at times, that he’s not recognized as one of the Viscontis. Despite being the illegitimate child of King Pierre, he’s the king’s only male scion. He told me, albeit indirectly, that he didn’t mind, but it must be hard, to remain anonymous and will never have the chance to be proud of his ancestors, especially if they’re descendants of the great royal houses of Europe like the Bourbons and the Viscontis.

As far as I know,
Monte Franco
is being headed now by Princess Antoinette as her eldest son, Prince Cesare is being groomed to ascend the throne as the next king. Although the royal family only rules as a constitutional monarchy today, it’s said that they wield immense political influence over the country founded by their ancestors and has a firm grip on the seat of power.

Yup, I know some royal stuff from hanging out with my friend Liana, a fellow designer who’s also a countess from Luxembourg.

“Babe!” he shouts at me and waves with a big smile from atop the metal-framed scaffolding surrounding the rock statue he’s working on in front of The Venetian. This version of the hotel is much smaller but no less grand than its counterpart in Las Vegas.

I blow him a kiss as I sit down on the bench watching him work. He’s topless and wearing board shorts, leather gloves and boots as he hammers away on the rock. His torso is glistening with sweat, making his muscles stand out even more as he moves.

I know very well now how those muscles move on me, inside me, all over me.

Damn, I’m getting all frisky here. He took away my shame.

He’s doing his version of Venus and if before I had some doubts why he was physically attracted to me from the start, now I fully get it. Proof is right in front of me. His Venus is even bigger-looking than me!

I’m actually more wary of plus-size cougars giving him the looks now than the bikini-clad size 4 tweeners peppering the bars and the beach.

It’s really funny when I think about it.

I watch him chip away on Venus’ boobies, loving the way he would step back and view his handiwork, moving his head here and there thoughtfully, wiping away dust from the voluptuous slopes he had meticulously carved. This is a true blue artist in action and he’s extremely fascinating to watch.

Lowd, so freaking sexy! I can’t get enough of him. He’s like an invader constantly battering my senses, trying to topple my defenses and I’m truly afraid now. He’s a force that I’ve underestimated.

I knew better. In business, underestimating anything or anybody is already 50% defeat. But Raiden is not one of my business transactions. He’s flesh and blood of vibrant energy.

Beautiful energy.

I don’t want to contain him, extinguish his fire so I can control him. I want to watch him move and express his power. Even over me.

That’s where the danger lies.

I’ve met many men, ruthless, driven, control freaks like me. When I’m dealing with that breed of animal, I know where I stand, I know my strengths and I definitely know his weaknesses. Nobody has gotten to me past the first dinner date. They all knew they couldn’t subdue me. In the boardroom, at least. But my interaction with men since my wretched ex all involved the boardroom. It was what I wanted. I had to confine it within the parameters I can control.

Raiden is nothing like them, nor have I met him under any of those circumstances. Our meeting was unique. He didn’t know me. I didn’t know him. We had zero interest in each aside from my personal agenda which involved no stock portfolios, and his attraction to me.

We took each other for what we saw in each other.

I’d like to believe he has no guile. No greed in his veins. No killer instinct. I’ve never met anybody like him. A man devoid of bullshit.

I have to concede, he’s more gentleman than most forty-year-olds I’ve met. He just continues to surprise me everyday.

I never thought I’d be counting the days, too. Hours I want to stretch. Minutes I want to last. Seconds I want to stop from ticking.

I have four days left.

I thought I could hold my attraction to him on the physical level but it’s not what’s happening as the days pass.

I hope I can last the threat of his total invasion until I leave the island, hopefully with his seed growing inside me.

Beyond that, I really don’t know what to do next, what to do with him, how we’re going to share the baby. My head aches thinking about it and I don’t want to waste my energy and my remaining days here thinking about it. My heart is none the wiser. My inner goddess has no catty remarks as of late. My ovaries, well, you know who they’re rooting for.

It’s the first time in a decade that I’m in a total quandary about what I want in my future.

He works for an hour on Venus and decides to take a break. He must be really thirsty. He climbs down from the scaffolding and I take a few seconds to admire his ass.

I stand up to get a bottle of mineral water from the little cooler attached to his ATV parked nearby.

He approaches me and kisses me lightly on the lips.

He accepts the bottle and gulps it in one go.

“What do you think?” he asks me of Venus.

I smile. “Rubenesquely dope.”

He laughs. “Thanks. C’mon, let’s take a dip.”

“What, now?!”

“Yeah, right now.”

“But—”

He pulls me and jogs toward the shore. I have to go on double time to keep up with him.

He takes off his boots. Then he scoops me up in his arms and runs to the water until it’s waist deep.

“Raiden, what the hell are you doing?! I’ll get wet!”

“That’s the idea!” He submerges us in the water.

We come out and I’m spluttering like a drenched cat. I slap his back. “You—!”

Laughing, he whirls me around and around then dips us again.

I scream and laugh, too. The water is warm from the setting sun and it’s another beautiful day with him.

I can only hold on to his shoulders and pray that this moment will never end.

I got to see Raiden’s foundry.
It’s a huge warehouse hidden under the trees so it’s cool inside.

First, he showed me how a brass sculpture is done in large scales in a video. He was almost done working on the life-size sculpture of a lion for the playground he has built for the village children. I got to witness the last stages of the completion. We visited the foundry almost everyday.

The original sculpture is actually a small lion made of clay. The men at the foundry scaled up the measurements into the desired size. They made a plaster mold out of the large scale model then poured the melted bronze into the mold.

The result was stunning.

I’m looking at it now as the children flock around it in awe.

They’re touching it, as if expecting it to move any moment, so life-like it is. Some of the younger kids got scared but I went to them and held their hands and brought them back to touch the lion, to show them it’s not real. One little child clung to my leg like a monkey and wouldn’t let go so I carried her. Another kid wanted to be carried too, so I hoisted them on either side of my hips.

Raiden saw me. “That’s more like it, Baby Mama,” he teased.

But I did feel it in my heart as I held those babies in my arms, I really want one of my own.

“I can’t believe you did all these,” I remark at his awe-inspiring work. The park has been designed by a landscape architect, according to Raiden. It has all the modern amenities that will make any kid educated and entertained. It has swings, tree houses, see-saws, slides, a merry-go-round, monkey bars and a grade school with a comprehensive program that can be credited anywhere in Asia. The animal sculptures look so real they seem part of the nature that serves as its backdrop. There’s a giraffe, a horse, a gorilla, an eagle, even an elephant! The place looks like a mini- safari.

“The natives never want to leave this place. Naturally, these kids are stuck here. But I want to provide them a semblance of education. That’s the least I can do to help these children. Some are good enough to go to high school in Malaysia or Thailand. We have scholarships for them, and for college, too.”

Later in the evening as we’re having a nightcap in his villa, I write him a check. “It’s an international bank so you can deposit it in your account and just wait for it to clear in maybe a week or two.”

He looks shocked as he stares at the check. “Ella, are you sure?”

I smile. “Let’s build more facilities for those kids. You’ve done so much. I want to contribute.”

He smiles at me, his eyes shining with appreciation. I bask in it. I don’t need to be told I’m a good person as I do my part in society by donating millions to charity, but dammit, I do want him to admire me, as I admire him.

“You’re very generous, Ella.”

“Just following your example.”

He grins and crawls towards me.

“C’mon, let’s make a baby. Our karmas are very in sync right now. I’ve a very good feeling we can make one tonight.”

I laugh. “Alright.”

“I don’t think I want to be in one of those things.”

“C’mon, it would be fun.”

I look up at the giant Ferris wheel, a much smaller replica of the Singapore Flyer but no less intimidating. I’ve never been in any of those observation wheels. Its massive steel frames are like tentacles of a giant octopus about to strangle the life out of me. It’s idly moving but I feel like it’ll drop all over me any moment and devour me alive. I have weird thoughts, I know.

“Are you sure they’re durable enough to take our combined weights?” I ask him doubtfully.

“It’s designed to take six people at the same time. Plus our car is special. Nobody uses it but Mother and I and some special people, like you. C’mon. You’ll enjoy it, you’ll see.”

“I don’t think—”

Raiden pulls me into the round fuselage that’s almost made entirely of glass.

He gave the operators a thumbs up. They lock us in.

He puts his arm around my shoulders as we sit on the plushly upholstered built-in sofa. “Relax, babe. I’m here.”

“I think you’re deliberately scaring me.” I scoot closer to his side as the cab moves. I close my eyes.

“Definitely,” he murmurs, nuzzling my neck. Then he licks my earlobe. “So you’ll cling to me like a scared Panda.”

“Panda!” I squirm and giggle, tickled.

“Uh-huh, a cute, soft, cuddly Panda. I love Pandas. Especially this one.”

I close my eyes and enjoy his affection. He’s so open and transparent of his feelings, for me at least. He doesn’t hold back. He expresses himself in words and in actions.