Loe raamatut: «The Ceo's Surprise Family»

CHAPTER ONE

LEXI MALONE’S HAND shook as she touched up her lip liner. She met her gaze in the gilded ladies’ room mirror and saw nerves reflected in the blue depths.

“For Jazi,” she breathed and capped the liner.

The reminder chased the shakes away. And most of the nerves. She’d do anything to get her twenty-three-month-old goddaughter back. Accosting a man in an upscale restaurant to determine if he was the child’s father was nothing. And it may not come to that. Tonight was a fact-finding mission.

At the theater where she’d used to dance strange men had approached her all the time. She’d learned to handle them long ago. Of course, the Golden Link was a well-respected private club at the Golden Cuff Casino and security had stood ready to protect her if things got out of control.

Here all the security belonged to Jethro Calder, a top executive of the Pinnacle Group, and owner of the restaurant she stood in. The Beacon mixed old-world elegance with modern efficiency and hearty fare. And it was housed in the Pinnacle Casino and Hotel where Calder had a penthouse suite.

She was about to wrangle a shark in his surf.

But she had no choice. He may well be Jazi’s father, and the only person with the power to grant her custody.

She’d done her homework once she realized his possible relationship to Jazi.

One of the “Fabulous Four” to take Pinnacle Enterprises to the top of the fiercely competitive world of digital gaming, Calder was known as the Dark Predator. Few went up against him without feeling his bite.

A confirmed bachelor, he’d stated in one article that he never intended to have a family. According to him, he took a satisfaction in his work that he’d never found in a relationship so why force something that wasn’t meant to be.

Lexi hoped he believed what he said. Jazi’s and her futures rested in his hands. But she needed to confirm her hunch before she put her proposition to him. She needed to see his birthmark for herself.

“So stop stalling.” She scolded her reflection, earning an odd look from the woman next to her at the vanity. She offered a small smile but the woman tucked her lipstick away and left the bathroom. “Good job, Lexi, you’re scaring the tourists.”

She sighed, fluffed up her shoulder-length red hair, lifted her chin and followed the woman out. “For Jazi.”

It seemed prophetic that today was Alliyah’s birthday. Lexi hoped it meant she’d be lucky. She made her way to the bar, a room dressed in dark leather, light wood and shining crystal. Alliyah, Lexi’s best friend and Jazi’s mother, had been a dancer too. Unlike Lexi, Alliyah had made extra money by being an executive escort. When men like Calder needed a date for an event, they called the service and Alliyah got an expensive night out on the town and earned the money to buy whatever she had her eye on, which could be anything from diapers to a new designer purse.

Sex was not part of the service. But occasionally Alliyah hooked up with her dates. Jazi was the result of one of those hookups. As soon as she’d found out she was pregnant Alliyah had quit the service. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been sure of whom the father was. Or more probably she hadn’t wanted to share Jazi. Whichever, she’d been closedmouthed about the baby’s father, even to Lexi. When she’d died in an automobile accident, her silence contributed to placing her daughter in foster care. A system Alliyah had despised, having bounced around in it for a good part of her youth.

Lexi supposed she could thank her mother for being spared that unpleasant experience. No, Lexi had longed for a little neglect in her childhood. Instead, every moment of every day had been structured, filled with practice, schooling, practice, regimented exercise, practice, scheduled meals, and more practice. All under the strict eye of her mother.

Oh, yeah, Lexi had prayed for time alone.

But that had been a lifetime ago. Now she just wanted custody of her goddaughter, and Jethro Calder was her ticket.

And there he was. Seated at the end of the bar in a custom-made tuxedo that emphasized the broad reach of his shoulders, showcasing his tall, lean frame to perfection. His brooding expression kept everyone, including the bartender at bay.

A shark surveying his territory, there was nothing subdued about him. His hair was nearly black, his eyes dark and piercing, the color indiscernible at this distance and angle. Features a shade too sharp to be considered classically handsome made him all the more compelling.

Pretending uninterest, she studied him in the mirror as she walked up to the bar. “A dirty Manhattan, please,” she ordered from the attentive bartender. She held her breath—no going back now. The drink order was a signal to Jethro Calder that she was his date from Excursions.

After reading the article, she’d contacted Sally Easton, the owner of Excursions. Lexi had met the older woman several times when Alliyah worked for her. Sally had even tried to recruit Lexi more than once. Lexi had explained she needed to talk to Calder about something important but when she tried going through his company she got passed on to a lower executive. Sally put Lexi off not wanting to jeopardize his business with Excursions. But today she’d got a call that Jethro Calder’s date had to cancel. Sally was giving her this one chance.

“May I buy that for you?” A man old enough to be her father slid onto the stool next to her and leaned into her space.

She controlled the urge to flinch away from him. Why did a miniskirt make men lose all sense of propriety? Before she could politely refuse his none-too-subtle come-on, a tuxedoed arm threaded between them and a deep male voice declared, “She’s with me.”

A strong hand settled over Lexi’s and Jethro Calder assisted her from her seat.

“You’re late,” he said.

She froze. Then forced herself to relax. She meant to observe him tonight, try to catch a glimpse of the birthmark on his wrist to confirm his link to Jazi and get to know him a little better before retreating to plan her next course of action.

“Right on time actually.”

Her gaze went to the mirror making sure no one spotted her for the fraud she was. No one appeared to be paying particular interest in them except a familiar brunette who was lovely but about ten years older than Calder, who she knew to be thirty-five. A cougar on the prowl?

“No way, Calder.” Her would-be suitor protested. “You’re always claiming the young, pretty ones. If she were with you, why didn’t she join you?”

Calder ignored the man. Instead he addressed the bartender, who arrived with her drink. “Sam, Madison’s tab is on the house tonight.”

“We’re having a bit of a tiff.” Lexi curled her arm around Calder’s. Hard muscles flexed under her fingers.

Slightly mollified by Calder’s generosity, Madison’s scowl deepened at her gesture. Not wanting his annoyance to turn to suspicion, Lexi grabbed the drink from the bar.

“There are lots of beautiful women here tonight.” She set the glass down in front of the brunette whose hair Lexi had styled less than an hour ago. With a smile she announced, “This gentleman would like to buy you a drink.”

The woman frowned. The man sputtered. And Calder led Lexi away.

“You’re late,” he repeated, his breath whispering over her ear, his deep voice shivering over her senses. A warm hand in the small of her back directed her to the elevator that would take them down one floor to the casino floor. “I’ll let it slide because watching you hand Madison’s ex-wife that drink was the most fun I’ve had all day.”

She eyed his solemn expression. This was him having fun?

“That was his ex-wife?” No wonder she seemed so interested in their interaction.

“Yes. She eats at the restaurant every Friday night after her spa treatment.”

“And he comes in every Friday night to pick up pretty young things in front of her?”

“Every week for the last six months.”

“People are strange.”

“You have no idea how strange until you’ve lived in a casino.”

“Believe me, working in a casino is as close as you need to get to see strange.” She’d learned that as a dancer. But that was in the past. Now she cut and styled hair, a day job so she could be at home with Jazi when she got custody.

His eyes narrowed on her. “You work in a casino?” They were a dark, twilight blue. Her heart pounded. She’d only ever seen one other person with eyes that color. Jazi had his eyes. She swallowed in a suddenly dry throat. She’d found Jazi’s father.

A hundred emotions rushed through her, love for her goddaughter, hope, fear, anticipation, trepidation. But she forced herself to concentrate on the conversation. “Hasn’t everyone who lives in Las Vegas worked at a casino at some point?”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” he stated.

“I work at Pinnacle’s actually. At the Modern Goddess Salon.” She wasn’t surprised he didn’t know her. The spa rented the space. “Is that going to be a problem?”

His brows contracted and she realized he was actually thinking about it. He sighed. “No. It’s not a problem.”

“I was a last-minute replacement.” Lexi advised him, sticking as close to the truth as possible. “I’m afraid I don’t know anything about where we’re going.”

“I never reveal the destination until we’re en route.”

Of course not. Everything she’d read on the man indicated he was a very private man. He walked with purpose and speed. Luckily her dancer’s grace allowed her to keep pace.

“Hmm. Kind of makes it hard to know how to dress.”

The fact he wore a tuxedo meant the occasion was formal. She tugged at the hem of her black minidress, hoping she met his requirements.

“I provided the information that it was a formal event.” His dark gaze ran over her, the intensity in the navy depths sent a shiver down her spine. “You’ll do.”

“Good to know.”

She’d gone with the classic little black dress. Wide band sleeves rested just off her shoulders and flowed to a vee in front showing off a hint of cleavage. The material clung to her curves in a loose fit, allowing her to move. It was more provocative than sexy. And because Lexi liked sparkle and shine, the fabric glimmered with every step she took.

The automatic doors swooshed open to the glittering entrance of the casino. There were lights and movement everywhere. People, cars, taxies and valets flowed in a ballet of arrival and exits backlit by a cascading water feature.

A car waited for them and a valet rushed over to get the door. “Good evening, Mr. Calder, Lexi.”

“Hi, Miguel, how’s the new baby?”

A huge grin lit up his face. “As pretty as her mama.”

“Miguel and his wife just had a baby girl a month ago,” Lexi told Calder. “Her name is Saralynn.”

There was no change to Calder’s expression, but he nodded at Miguel. “Congratulations. Lexi,” he gestured to the open door, “we have to get going.”

“Of course.”

Cold fish—check.

Strangely disappointed, she slid in and across the seat. When she glanced back, she saw Calder tip Miguel with a couple of hundred dollar bills. She perked up. Maybe not so cold after all. He joined her, his large body taking up most of the space. She suddenly felt crowded and overly warm. Definitely not cold now.

She might panic—if she were the type to panic—if he didn’t smell so good. No fancy cologne for him. He smelled of soap and man. And he made her mouth water.

Rein it in, girl, you’re on a mission here.

As a distraction, she focused on his generous gesture. It gave her a sense of hope. He’d stated in more than one article that he didn’t want kids or a family, that he didn’t have the patience or skill set for a long-term relationship so why set himself up for failure. Her plan rested on the fact he meant what he said, but it helped to know he wasn’t totally dispassionate about kids. She needed him to care enough to act.

“How do you know Miguel?”

Jethro ground his teeth, annoyed he let the question slip out.

How she knew the other man didn’t matter as long as she was a pretty armpiece and was able to intercede when required to redirect the conversation.

A task she should have no problem with since she’d been chattering ever since they met.

“Just from working at the Pinnacle. I’ve been at the spa now for a month. I like to talk to people so I’ve met a lot of the Pinnacle employees.”

Yes, he could see her as a people person. Where he was not.

“Miguel treated his wife to a day at the spa after Saralynn was born. I thought it was a wonderful gesture and suggested to the owner that she put together a package just for new mothers and publicize it throughout the casino and hotel. She agreed to give it a try. We’ve had quite a few women come in.”

“So you’re in marketing?”

“Oh, goodness, no. I’m a dan—a hairdresser.”

His head swung around and he rolled his gaze over her, accessing every curve. The escorts at Excursions were a mix of entertainers and professional businesswomen. He’d made it clear he preferred the latter. He had more in common with a businesswoman. And the one time he took a date to the next level had been with a dancer. He’d regretted the slip.

He preferred to keep his social and sexual encounters separate. He prized the discretion and privacy Excursions’ services provided. He liked that sex wasn’t part of the arrangement. The last thing he wanted was for the line between social and private to blur. That could only lead to complications and expectations he had no desire to deal with.

He never lacked for partners when he needed sexual release.

Casual dates with no promise of a follow-up were harder to come by until a friend recommended Excursions.

Having a new woman on his arm on a regular basis gave him the image of a player. He didn’t care. He wasn’t out to impress anyone and it gave warning to those who would expect more from him, all the better.

He’d made the mistake of sleeping with a date only once. She’d been a stunning woman of mixed race and he’d been out with her several times. Her intelligence and grace made him the envy of every man at the foundation dinner they’d attended. He’d been receiving an award and drank more than usual to offset the attention. Being in the limelight tore at his nerves but his date thrived on it. She’d been the perfect person to have on his arm that night and the high of the event had carried them upstairs when she made her interest clear.

Alliyah was gone in the morning and the next time he contacted Excursions he asked for a professional woman so he hadn’t seen her again.

Excursions’ quality control was slipping if they’d sent him a dancer. And he didn’t even have her name beyond Miguel’s addressing her as Lexi. He usually got notice and a new profile when he was getting a replacement date. He liked to know something about the women he spent time with even when he paid for the pleasure. He sent off a text.

“A dancer.” He repeated.

“No. I told you, I work at Modern Goddess. I used to be a dancer.” She licked her lips drawing his attention to the sultry lines of her mouth, the perfect bow over a plump bottom lip. “Now I do hair at the spa. I just thought pampering a new mother totally made sense. I remembered how tired and stressed my roommate was after having my goddaughter, Jasmine.”

“Hmm. What’s your name?”

“Oh, goodness.” She laughed—an infectious sound that filled the back of the car. “We kind of skipped that part, didn’t we? I’m Alexa Malone, but you can call me Lexi. And of course you’re Jethro Calder. I read the article in the Pinnacle newsletter where it showed you and the other executives holding up the lifetime award of excellence for the Pinnacle game. That must have been exciting.”

“Yes, it was a nice acknowledgment for the success of the game.”

“I should say so. A top ten seller for ten years, that’s awesome.”

“It’s actually been for fifteen years and more than half those years it was in the top three, but they wanted to have wiggle room for future awards.”

“What’s it like working with Jackson Hawke?”

He frowned. He got that question a lot, mostly from people trying to angle through him to Jackson. But there was nothing in her tone or demeanor to indicate anything other than simple interest.

“He’s a brilliant programmer, but he leaves the finances to me.”

“Of course.” She nodded and pointed at him.

She used her hands a lot when she talked. He couldn’t decide if he found it charming or annoying. Whether he found her charming or was just attracted to that luscious mouth.

“We all have our talents, don’t we? Mine is music. So, Jethro, where are we going?”

Music, he noticed, not dance.

“We’re going to an event at Caesar’s Palace.” His phone buzzed and he read the text. “At least I am. I’m not sure what you’ll be doing.” He held up his phone. “Excursions doesn’t have your name on file. Who are you?”