Page 20 of Billionaire Hunt

Chapter 5

A few days after my romp in the pool house with Erik, I received a call from Lacey. I was walking around my grandma’s condo making sure nothing of value had been left behind. I knew the new owner would be stopping by shortly and I didn’t want them to have any complaints about the condition of the property.

I was starting to feel guiltier about Grandma staying with a friend, even though she was clearly enjoying herself. Apartment and condominium pickings weren't exactly slim in South Florida, but affordable pickings were. I couldn’t afford 1600 a month for a one-bedroom, but anything cheaper would place her in a community that I didn’t feel comfortable leaving her in. It was a conundrum and it was my responsibility to figure it all out. I sincerely hoped I would soon. I just needed a break. Just another streak of luck. And maybe a huge advancement from Erik.

“Girl, I heard you and Erik have gotten awfully cozy and that he invited you out to his place for the weekend,” she said gleefully.

“Ugh,” I said, feeling sort of put out. I didn’t think Erik would be the type to kiss and tell, but apparently I was wrong.

“Don’t believe everything you hear.” I was being deliberately evasive. I wasn’t quite sure how much she knew, but I knew exactly what she would say if she knew the whole story.

“Normally I don’t, but I’m so bored, just overhearing juicy gossip gets me excited.” She wasn’t currently working because she had, once upon a time, been Oliver’s personal assistant. In fact, that’s how she had met Oliver and eventually Jude. She had told Emmaline and me that she felt it was a little awkward to work for him now that she was not only his daughter-in-law but the mother of his future grandchild, so she had quit. To pass the time until she found another job, she was volunteering at Ophelia’s Angels but that was only a couple of times a week. She certainly didn’t have to work; between Oliver’s fortune and Jude’s, Lacey was loaded.

“Well, he did invite me to stay over for the weekend---”

“Ohhhhhhh really---”

“But I declined...” I didn’t add that I had spent nearly a whole afternoon having sex with him all over his house.

“Ughh, why do you have to be such a bore?”

“Hey!”

“What?”

“You have always been the uptight one, so don’t try to act like you’re all adventurous now.”

“What? Uptight? Me? Never! I got drunk and married in Vegas, after getting into a fight with someone’s bride. I'm not uptight, I’m a Vegas legend.”

“That was a fluke. Everyone knows that,” I teased. “And word has it that you ran away from that bride so that you wouldn’t get beat up and your knight in shining armor ran away too.”

She sighed. “I must admit...it wasn’t our finest moment.”

“Far from it.”

“But it was still pretty adventurous...I mean, Misha, you’re entitled to...you know... live a little...in the sack,” she whispered the last part and I couldn’t help but laugh. Lacey was a prude deep down inside. A sexy night in Vegas wasn’t going to change any of that.

I wasn’t a prude, but for some reason, I didn’t want anyone knowing that Erik and I were sexually involved...at least not yet. I didn’t know if what happened was just a one-night stand that lasted all day long or if we were going to hook up again. I just knew that I didn’t want to be judged for it, not even by my friends. I didn’t think Emmaline would approve and if Lacey knew the full details of my agreement with Erik she wouldn’t approve either.

We had kind of decided to be friends with benefits and just see where our lust for each other took us. Truth be told, we had spent as much time talking about plans for his house as we did having sex on those plans. I’d never had so much sex in one day. I didn’t have much experience with sex outside of marriage, so I wasn’t sure if the sexual chemistry between myself and Erik was sustainable, but boy did it make for a good time. I actually woke up a little sore between my legs from all our encounters the day before.

I didn’t feel guilty. I didn’t feel bad. We were consenting adults and enjoyed pleasuring each other, but that didn’t mean I wanted the world to know that I was having sex with my employer.

“How’s the baby doing?” I asked, changing the subject.

“Fine. Great. I still have really bad heartburn, but besides that everything’s great. She’s growing exactly like she’s supposed to.”

“She!” I asked excitedly, “Did you already find out the sex?”

“Kind of. I mean, we could know, but we’ve decided not to ask. We want it to be a surprise. But I just default to she whenever I’m talking about the baby.”

“Ohhh okay…are you going to have a gender reveal party when you do want to announce it? They’re all the rage nowadays.”

“I think they’re stupid,” Lacey said shortly.

I laughed at her abruptness. “Well, okay...no one’s twisting your arm to make you tell us your baby’s sex.”

“Sorry, I was harsh. I just feel all this pressure to do stuff before the baby’s even born. There are a million forums and parenting books. I haven’t read one book yet. I find them bossy. Like they’re always telling me what I should be eating. What I shouldn’t be eating. What I should be doing. What I shouldn’t be doing. It’s like everyone is trying to tell me what to do and I just wish the world would just shut up and mind its own business.” She then started crying suddenly. Just balling. Uh oh.