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He listens and I can vaguely hear the man on the other end of the line. “Thirty five million cash,” the man says. “There are seven apartments in the building. Do you want it?”
“Yes,” Alexander says. “With the purchase made in the name I gave you.”
“Yes, sir. The paperwork’s in place and it can all be done today. They’re just waiting for the call.”
“Seal the deal,” Alexander tells him.
“Yes, sir. I’ve also got all the intel on the individual you asked about,” the man continues. “There’s enough here to pin him to the wall.”
“Good. Did you get a phone number?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Okay, thanks, Bruce. I’ll give you a call later today when I’m back in the city.”
“Okay, boss.”
Alexander ends the call. Then he burrows his face into my neck, inhaling deeply. “Morning, gorgeous. You want to take a shower with me?”
“Okay, boss. But not yet. I’m too comfortable. What day is it?”
“Sunday.”
It’s the last day of our fake date.
He’ll fly me back in his helicopter after the farewell brunch and that will be that. I’ll get the subway home, find a Plan B somewhere along the way and worry about Jack Dempsey’s threat as I wait for Josh’s return home tomorrow night. I know we talked about me staying with him tonight, but I can already feel the noose closing around my neck. I need to be ready for it.
“Ivy.” Alexander says my name not like a question, but like he’s about to say something serious.
“Yeah?” I finally open my eyes. And I’m greeted with a vision of tousled, relaxed, gorgeous alpha male perfection. I don’t know if I’ve ever thought about “alpha males” so much before this weekend, but he’s just so obviously that. Like a black-haired lion or a pirate king. His irises are so blue they look like stolen jewels this morning. His square jaw is dark with his stubble. I have never met such a physically beautiful person before.
He’s watching my face with a look that could only be described as…caring. Invested.
Or maybe he’s just about to let me down easy.
Which is fine. I’m expecting it. He said some very nice things to me this weekend. I think we both got a little carried away—or a lot, come to think of it. But the performance is over now. It’s time for us to re-enter the cold hard light of reality. And Manhattan is very good at providing exactly that.
“I’m going to say some things to you right now,” he drawls, “and I want you to let me finish before you say anything. Okay?”
“What things?”
He kisses me, like he can’t help himself. “You’re going to come back to my apartment with me tonight. And stay with me. You already agreed so don’t even think of trying to back out of it. We’re going to have dinner and we’re going to talk about how we’re going to navigate this.”
“Navigate?”
“Yes, Jones. Navigate. It means find your way forward without getting lost.” His hand slides over my breast, playing my nipples sort of absent-mindedly.
“I know what it means. And thank you for the invitation. But I have to?—”
“I said wait until I’m finished before interrupting me.” He burrows under the covers like a big bear, pulling them off me. He lightly nips at my nipple, which makes me squirm. I try to push him away.
But he won’t budge. And he’s sucking on me now, making me gasp. Getting me wet, like he so easily does.
He lets my nipple slip from his mouth as he looks up at me. “Nothing needs your attention tonight except me.”
“That’s not actually true.” I pause for a second before saying it. “I kind of just want to tell it like it is, Maddox, so I’m going to. I’m not on the pill, as I mentioned. And I don’t really want to raise a baby on my own, especially when I’m still basically raising another one who’s still navigating trying to stay out of jail before he leaves for Columbia—if he leaves, which we haven’t quite established yet.”
“You wouldn’t be raising it on your own.”
