Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 61199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Maybe Jack was right and I needed to get my personal life in order, and not just because of the impact it could have on future endorsement deals. The problem was I met very few women like Sasha, and she was, well she was completely and totally off-limits.
Strictly off-limits.
Chapter 10
Sasha
“Come on, sweet girl, let’s get you into the swing.” I smiled like a proud mama when she kicked her legs excitedly and I set her in the swing. She started babbling when I adjusted the seat so she could see the world around her. “All good?”
Dixie’s arms and legs kicked happily and when the swing began to move, she laughed. The sound was so sweet and joyful it warmed my heart.
“Good for you.” I smiled at her and rubbed her soft, downy hair.
A loud knock sounded on the door startling me, but it was just one quick rap so I relaxed. Moments later, dozens of loud, successive knocks pounded against the door. Dixie whimpered at the loud, aggressive sound and I stared at the door for a long moment. I already knew there was a short list of people pre-approved to access the penthouse, but I also knew that Dixie’s mother had managed to bypass that system. When Dixie’s whimpers grew in intensity I knew soon she would be crying so I went to the door and tapped the camera on the wall, which revealed Jack’s angry face.
I inhaled deeply and let it out slowly before I opened the door. “Jack.”
“Where is he?” Jack’s expression was furious as his head swung from left to right as if he thought Alex might be hiding from him.
“I don’t know, Jack.” I went to Dixie and picked her up to stop her from crying. “We just came out there. Is everything all right?”
“No!” He roared so loudly a vein sprang up on his forehead. “Everything is not all right! Where the hell is Alex? Alex,” he called out before I could tell him that I had no idea where Alex might be.
“He’s right here,” Alex growled, rubbing his eyes, looking like he was ready for a photo shoot for expensive pajamas. His abs and his chest, bronzed with a light dusting of hair were distracting as hell, so I turned my attention to a still whimpering Dixie. “What’s going on,” he asked and took Dixie from me, laying her against his chest. She settled down instantly.
Lucky girl.
Jack sucked in a big breath of air and I took a step away from the two men, sensing an emotional volcano about to erupt. Jack let out the breath and produced a stack of newspapers and magazines, waving them around like a madman.
“I asked you to do one damn thing! One goddamned thing,” he growled. “Keep her,” he pointed at the baby in his arms, “under wraps. You have all this space, a nanny and a rooftop that’s better than half the damn parks in the city and you couldn’t do the one fucking thing I asked.” He shook his head and finally dropped the papers on the table. “Not only do you not keep her under wraps, you three make an adorable fucking family!”
My eyes widen when I finally see what has Jack so riled up. It’s a photo of me and Alex, laughing and smiling at each other with total adoration. He had one hand cradling Dixie’s back as if he’d been doing it for months. It’s totally out of context, but I was there, and I knew we were just laughing at some silly joke and I still thought we looked like a couple.
“What…who would do this?”
Jack laughed. “For crying out loud, woman, will you please do a simple internet search and learn who the hell he is!” His angry words startled me, but more than that I felt silly because he was right. I knew Alex was a professional athlete but I didn’t want to taint what I knew about him by reading gossip. He turned back to Alex. “One thing,” he repeated, holding up his index finger.
Alex’s broad shoulders sank in resignation. “I know I screwed up, but it was a last minute problem and it couldn’t be helped.” He told him about the messed up order and the quick fix. “Babies need a lot of shit, and I couldn’t let her go without another day. I’m her father.” He flashed another of his charming smiles and I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my own face.
For a guy like Jack, I was sure Alex’s attitude was infuriating.
“You can afford to hire someone to do this kind of shit for you, which I have been telling you for years. Your stubbornness has finally caught up to you, and now we need to deal with this.”
“Deal with what?” I snorted the question and folded my arms. “From what you’ve said people take photos of Alex all that time. They’ll think I’m an adoring fan and move on.” Right?