Chapter 2: Falling in Love

The whole morning, Rhyne had planned her escape route. RD had woken up thirty minutes earlier. He was dressed and ready for school earlier than usual, which meant that although he would be missing breakfast with his father, Rhyne wouldn’t have to run into Mr. Henry for a second round of questioning. She grabbed the collar of RD’s shirt as he tried to shoot around the corner into the kitchen. Her little boy jerked back, knocking into her and making her lose her balance. Rhyne stumbled back and into a hard chest and strong arms.

Life laughs when man plans, she thought. Here she was, in the arms of the man she had worked so hard to avoid. Rhyne froze in his warm embrace as she mentally started to berate her stupid actions. Mr. Henry set her back on her feet. She stared down the whole time, terrified that her face was already tomato red from embarrassment.

“What’s the rush this morning?” Mr. Henry asked.

She didn’t answer.

From the corner of her eye, Rhyne saw him part the curtain that was her hair and look at her. She peeked up at him as his face distorted in confusion. “Ray?” His voice was a deep velvet that beckoned her into its warmth. Rhyne fought not to fall into it.

She quickly straightened, startling him and herself. She threw her hair back, cleared her throat, and said, “Good morning, Mr. Henry. How may I help you?”

He dipped his head to the right, grinned, shook it, and then walked away.

Waving him away and giving him a nod of reassurance, Rhyne urged RD to go after his father. She took a deep breath to still her nerves, and marched forward. She settled RD across from his father at the breakfast table. She wanted them to look at each other. Mr. Henry had already started to suspect her, so Rhyne had a mission. She would make the relationship between father and son better, so that if she ever had to leave, she wouldn’t worry about RD’s well-being.

Slowly, she pulled Mr. Henry’s newspapers away from him. However, he noticed and firmly put his hand on top of the pile.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m making space for your food,” Rhyne said. She tried to pull them farther away, but the weight of his hand was more than she could handle. “Okay.”

Rhyne plated the eggs and bacon she had just finished preparing and placed their breakfast in front of them. RD’s was an assortment of fruits and cereal, Mr. Henry’s was black coffee and toast. For a worldly man, his personality mirrored his breakfast menu. He went to pick up his newspaper and immediately Rhyne replaced it with one of RD’s drawings.

“If you are so interested in the pictures in the newspaper, how about you look at this one? Your son drew it,” she said as she pushed it closer to his face.

The look in his eyes said that he was less than impressed with her and even less so with the picture.

“Isn’t he a great artist? I keep telling him that his drawings are the best in his class.” Rhyne nodded her head in RD’s direction, hinting that Mr. Henry should contribute to the praise. He said nothing and before she caught herself, she kicked him in the shin. Startled, Mr. Henry pushed back his chair and levelled her with a death stare. It didn’t faze her. Her son’s feelings were at stake. Through clenched teeth she repeated, “Isn’t he a great artist?”

“The best,” he returned. Mr. Henry turned to his son and in a lighter tone he said, “It’s really good. You should draw more for me.”

“Really!” RD’s eyes went round as the brightest smile she had ever seen claimed his face.

“You know what, I’m going to buy a frame for this so that your father can put it in his office,” Rhyne added.

“Really?” RD and Mr. Henry said in unison, only one of them wasn’t as enthusiastic as the other.

“You should get your backpack. Your dad said he is going to take you to school today.” Rhyne was on a roll and wasn’t planning to stop anytime soon. She was going to ride this wave as long as she could.

“I did?”

“He did?”

“Uh-huh. You should hurry up. You don’t want him to be late.”

“I won’t make him late.” RD jumped out of his chair and shot out of the room.

“What are you doing?” Mr. Henry turned to ask, a less-than-impressed look on his face. “I have an early morning meeting. I don’t have time.”

“You don’t have time for what? Your son? Shouldn’t you even be ashamed to even let those words come out of your mouth? What’s more shameful is that I don’t think you know which school he goes to. I’ll tell his driver to let your driver know where to go. A father and son with a ‘I’ll have my people call your people’ relationship.” Rhyne took the picture from his hands. “I’ll have this, and a few other pictures framed and personally bring them to your office. Maybe that way, you can be reminded that you have someone who waits for you at home every night.”

Rhyne had started to walk away and turned back when a thought came to her. “Shot in the dark, but you do have a picture of your son on your desk, right? I mean, what kind of father wouldn’t have one?” Mr. Henry looked away from her, scratching his chin. Rhyne had become more brazen now. Everything she had wanted to say all those years she had been in that house were now all rushing to the surface. And for some reason unknown to her, her boss was letting her get away with it. “Yeah, that’s right, you.”

***

Awkward was how he would describe the thirty-minute ride with his son. It was awkward when Duke didn’t know how to figure out the car seat until his driver came to the rescue. It was worse when he had no idea which of RD’s classmates had the big ears, or the girl with long pigtails that came down to her knees, or the teacher who’d given him a star for being polite. RD chatted on and Duke pretended to follow. Duke didn’t exactly know how this drop-off was supposed to work. He imagined that they would ride in silence as he went through his morning briefings over the phone with Jessica. Instead, he had to push back his meeting for an hour and cancel his call because he couldn’t hear anything over his son’s excited ramblings.

Duke watched his son in awe. Word after word poured out of his mouth, each accompanied by a different expression. Then he felt ashamed. He’d had no clue how animated his son was. When they pulled up to the school, RD stared at him for a moment. Confused, Duke asked, “What is it?”

“You need to take me out of my car seat and walk me into school,” he said, his expression a little perplexed. It was like the boy couldn’t imagine that a grown-up didn’t know that.

“Sir, I’ll do it,” his driver offered.

“No, it’s all right.” Duke unbuckled his belt as his driver opened the door for him. He walked around to RD’s door. Part of him wished that he had actually taken his driver’s offer, because once he got to the car seat, he had no idea how to take his son out of the contraption.

“You press this button here.” RD’s tiny fingers pointed at the latch.

“Okay, why don’t you press it and I’ll lift you out of there?” Duke asked.

“No.” RD shook his head with resolve. “Makuahine says if you do someone’s homework they’ll never learn.”

“Uh-okay.” Duke pressed down on the latch, released his son, and lifted him into his arms. Duke set RD on his feet and as he was closing the door, noticed that RD laid his hand on the car, just above the wheel. “What are you doing?”

“Your car doesn’t have the sticker. Makuahine’s car does.”

“What sticker?”

“Makuahine says you should never move away from the car until an adult holds your hand. So that I don’t run into the street and get knocked down by another car. So, she put pretty stickers on the sides of her car that I can play with until she can take my hand,” he explained.

Duke gave his head a little shake in confusion as his gaze went from his son to his driver.

“It’s a safety feature, sir. My wife does the same thing for our children. The sticker is usually a palm and the kids fit their hands to it,” he said.

“You have kids?” Duke asked, surprised. He was so involved in his own world that he didn’t realize that everyone around him had their own lives.

RD lifted his hand, waving to him urgently. “We should go, or I’ll be late. I don’t want Sam to take my seat.”

“Sam?”

“The one with the big ears. I just told you about him. Weren’t you listening?”

Duke didn’t know what was funnier, the exasperated look on RD’s face or that the big-eared kid had taken priority over the zoning laws he was meant to review when it came to his lists of things to remember. Duke took RD’s hand and let the little boy lead him to the classroom. It was another thing he could add to his list of being ashamed of, not knowing which classroom his son was in.

Duke noticed that all the eyes in the room had shifted to him as he walked into the half-full classroom. Little kids running around, their parents, as well as two ladies he assumed were RD’s teachers, all stopped what they were doing to gawk at him.

“This is my dad,” RD announced to the room as he went to hang his bag and jacket in his cubby.

“Oh?” One of the ladies walked over to him and shook his hand. “We are used to his mother dropping him off and picking him up.”

“His mother?” Duke asked, shocked. He had never seen Nola give RD that much attention. At least he had breakfast with the boy. He could proudly say he was the better parent.

“Makuahine says Dad will be dropping me off this whole week. But then she’ll come in the evening to pick me up.” RD beamed proudly.

“Makuahine?” Duke asked. He didn’t know what it meant, but his son always said it about Ray.

“Yes, she helps us with the kids sometimes. She gave them hula lessons once,” the teacher said.

“Makuahine?” Duke asked once more.

“Yes.” the teacher responded, obviously a little confused. “RD, say bye to your dad.”

“Yes, right?” Duke asked as he came out of his fugue of confusion. RD raised his arms and Duke picked him up. “Have a good day.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll learn,” RD said.

“Learn what?”

“How to take care of me. I was a little scared at first, but Makuahine says it will be fine. Now that I’m not a little baby, you can take care of me now.” RD patted his cheek, as if to reassure him.

“Makuahine said so?” Duke put RD down, waved his goodbye, and exited the classroom. He immediately took his phone out and googled the word. Mother. The word brought a stop to his footsteps. He wondered if RD knew the meaning of the word. His teachers seemed to know—actually everyone seemed to think that Ray was RD’s mother. Duke was getting curious about what her real story was beyond her resume, and his desire to know was now a growing itch at the back of his neck.

***

“I had an interesting morning.” His deep baritone echoed through the kitchen.

Hot internal disarray was how Rhyne could describe how his voice made her feel half of the time. The other half could only be described as icy cold pins that scratched down her back. But the other half, she looked forward to every morning when he came in for breakfast, or in the evenings when she stood outside his study while he was on the phone, or whenever he spoke to her without suspicion in his tone.

“Did you hear what I said?” Mr. Henry cut into her hot-and-cold fantasy.

“I heard.” Rhyne kept her concentration on the boiling pot of chili. A few more inches and her face would be submerged into the leaping bubbles. Rhyne was partly terrified of his reaction and simultaneously, completely amused with herself. This was the third day that Mr. Henry had dropped RD off to school, and unfortunately for Mr. Henry it was Friday. That meant a mommy- or daddy-and-me morning session with the rest of the class.

Rhyne would have loved to see Mr. Henry sitting on the floor of a kindergarten classroom, his legs crossed, holding sticky little hands as he sang nursery rhymes. She would have killed to see it, but she was worried that she would have been spotted and forced to take his place. She just hoped nothing had happened to his Armani suit.

“I heard RD had a great morning with you.” The boy had animatedly filled her in on all the awkward and cringe worthy moments exhibited by the great Mr. Henry. He had no clue on how to interact with kids whatsoever. But Rhyne was determined to make sure he learned. “These are memories he will cherish for the rest of his life.”

“Uh-huh. I’m getting an idea of what you are trying to do. I haven’t reached the point of appreciating it just yet. I would probably get there faster if I knew what exactly you were planning.”

“I’m not planning anything. I just want you to have some quality time with your son.”

“So, tell me, what’s the Hawaiian name for ‘Dad’?”

The stirring spoon slipped from her hand and into the boiling point. This was one of those knock-the-wind-out-of-you moments and Rhyne didn’t know how to catch her breath again. Her mind froze, her body froze, and her eyes were stuck on the bubbling pot of hot chili. From the corner of her eye, she saw him approach her. His hand reached over her to the gas knob. He turned it off then pulled her back. Stepping in between her and the stove, he leaned his face in toward hers.

“What reaction is this?”

“Makuakane.” Rhyne swallowed hard. Her pulse had crept up to her throat, beating in quick, jumpy jerks. She cleared her throat and repeated, “It’s Makuakane. The Hawaiian word for father is Makuakane.”

“Ah! So, it is. I googled it the first day I took RD to school. I just wanted to confirm it.”

Apparently, he was toying with her.

Rhyne cautiously lifted her head and stole a glimpse into his eyes before staring at his chest once more. It might have been because she had taken a total of two seconds to look, but she couldn’t figure out what his eyes were saying. Be brave, she told herself as she firmly lifted her chin and stared into his eyes. Nothing.

Mr. Henry just looked at her, no clear expression in his eyes or face. He was just looking at her, the same way a stranger would on the subway. No curiosity, no anger, just a passive, whatever look.

Calm down. With a couple of long breaths, she steadied her nerves.

“Makuahine!” RD’s voice filled the pocket of silence that was slowly growing larger, threatening to consume the whole room. Her little saviour earned her some space as Mr. Henry walked over to behind the counter. “Daddy, you’re home!”

“I am. Come here.” RD ran into his father’s arms and Mr. Henry scooped him up.

It was either because RD was too young and easily impressed, or that his father had been a snake charmer in another life. Their relationship had grown from barely-there to getting somewhere in just three school drop-offs. Rhyne was glad for it but terrified at the same time.

“I need help with my homework,” RD pouted.

“Okay, bring it here. I’ll help you. Makuahine is busy with supper.” Mr. Henry smiled at his son, a rare sight.

Rhyne hadn’t missed the way he’d said Makuahine, and how he’d looked at her as he said it. He set RD down, took off his tie, and rolled up his sleeves. “I came home early for a different agenda, but I think homework comes first. Isn’t that right, Mom?”

Rhyne’s insides lurched as her knees grew weak. She grabbed the counter to steady herself. Mr. Henry reached over and placed both his hands over hers, trapping her in place.

With a smile that could only be described as a cross between vicious and sweet, a glare that had fire dancing behind his deep brown pupils, he leaned closer to her and said, “One day, Mom and Dad are going to have a conversation about this. We may even ask Nola to join in. But let’s keep this between us for now.”

Rhyne couldn’t do anything but nod her head.

“Why are your faces so close together?” RD’s little voice filled the room.

“Dad is just telling Makuahine a secret.” Mr. Henry’s hands lifted, setting her free. The relief immediately made Rhyne retreat, backpedalling until he had her against the cabinets, her gaze never leaving his. He lifted his finger to his lips and made a sound that chilled her bones, “Shhh!”

***

Duke stared at his son, tucked into his bed and sleeping blissfully. He had no idea why he hadn’t done this before. Duke had spent majority of his ‘married’ years trying to stay away from Nola, and in turn he had created a distance between him and his son. For someone who claimed he’d wanted a family of his own and a close relationship with his children, something better than his own father, he was doing worst job ever.

Ever since Nola had gone away to have the baby, Duke knew that there was something strange going on. But his work schedule hadn’t allowed him to look into it. Besides, once he’d given Nola her own credit card, she’d stopped trailing him like a lost puppy. The first day it was, “here, take this and get out of my hair,” and before he knew it, years had flown by, and he didn’t have a clue about what was going on in his own home.

Ray was another one. He didn’t trust people who only went by one name. At Nola’s request, Jessica had not done a background check on her. Other than the fact she was keeping something from him, Duke couldn’t fault her in anything. She took great care of his son and his home. RD didn’t seem to notice Nola’s absence; he didn’t seem to care at all. But curiosity, coupled with suspicion, was gnawing at the back of Duke’s head. He needed to find out.

Duke closed the bedroom door and as he turned around, Ray was standing there, her arms crossed, and her stubborn chin raised. This was probably some stand of defiance. Duke couldn’t help but chuckle. What she apparently meant to be brazen, he found cute. Duke shook his head and started toward the kitchen. “Do you want a glass of wine?”

“Huh? I mean sure.”

“Are you sure?” he teased.

“I’m sure.”

As Ray settled on the other side of the kitchen island, Duke reached down to the mini wine fridge and brought out a bottle of his best Merlot. He was going to use the alcohol to loosen her up and see what he could discover. He was first going to try a direct approach, questions and answers, and if he wasn’t satisfied, he was going to set his investigative team loose on her.

“Do you like red? Or should I find you some white wine?” he asked.

“I don’t really have any experience with alcohol. The closest I’ve come to it is a Red Bull,” she responded.

Duke couldn’t help but laugh once again. Everything about her, at face value, said she was a naïve, innocent girl who said the first thing that came to her without first filtering it through her brain. But the way her eyes ducked away when he looked her in the face told him she was hiding something. He had enough experience with shoddy business dealers that he could tell when someone was pretending to be a cool cucumber on the outside but was a nervous wreck on the inside.

Duke handed her a glass of wine, making sure their fingers touched as he did. Immediately, she jerked her cold fingers back, hiding them under the counter. Duke shook his head, feigning confusion. “What happened?”

“My hands are cold.” She rubbed them together as if to prove her point.

“Do you want me to get you a blanket?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Duke lifted the glass once more, motioning for her to take it from his hands.

“Just put it down. I’ll pick it up.”

“Okay.”

“Perfect,” she said, as she pulled the glass toward her.

Duke was going to start his questioning easy, random things that people would know about each other. And once she was well into her third glass, he was slowly going to uncover the truth. “Do you have family in New York?”

“No. I don’t know. Maybe,” she said.

“No, I don’t know, maybe?” Duke had to admit she looked more confused than he did. “So, no?”

“I’m not sure.” With a frustrated sigh, she pushed her hair back. “I was abandoned, given up or left at the orphanage when I was a little girl. I went around searching for my family, Vegas, L.A. and then finally here. Someone told me my brother was in New York, so I ran here with no money in my pockets. Just a bag full of problems, and hope.”

Duke watched as she cautiously sipped her wine. They were never going to get anywhere at this pace. But he could play a different card. “Do you want me to help you find him? I have endless resources.”

“Being a billionaire and everything,” she teased.

“Yeah, that,” he chuckled. “Family is good for you. It makes you feel like you are not a lonely island.”

“I don’t know if I am ready to find the people who abandoned me. What would I say exactly? ‘Hi, I am your unwanted child, here to be rejected once more?’ I don’t think I am brave enough for that right now.” Ray gulped down her wine, scrunched her face, and let out a satisfied sigh.

Now they were getting somewhere. Duke topped off her drink. “We wouldn’t find them immediately, and once we do, I’ll hold on to the information for you until you are ready.”

“I’ll think about it.” Ray smoothed her finger around the rim of her glass, cocked her head to the side, and said, “You don’t seem to be enjoying your expensive wine.”

“I’m just being attentive to what you are saying.” He finally took his first sip.

“Lending a sympathetic ear to the nanny you are playing a cat-and-mouse game with.” Ray widened her eyes and laughed. “Careful. I might let you catch me, and we will end up where we started.”

Where we started? That statement had Duke confused. What did she mean by that? Ray tossed her head back and downed her glass with one gulp. With her finger, she pointed at the glass letting him know it was time for a refill. “But maybe this time, you’ll be the one to take advantage of me.”

Duke couldn’t stop staring at her. Each word she said made him curious and suspicious. But even more, it was the way she held the rim of the wine glass against her plump lips. How the tip of her tongue darted in and out of her mouth, how she occasionally bit down on it. He cupped her cheek and her eyes closed and she purred as she rubbed her skin against his palm. Ray drank the last of her wine and sucked on her tongue. In that moment, Duke wanted to find out what it tasted like, so he did. Lifting her face to his, he kissed her deeply, inhaling her scent. It was as if he got drunk from the taste of her.

***

There was an intense need that pounded through Rhyne’s body, and she could feel him respond with the tightness of his hands around her body. She wondered if he would feel different from their drunk sex encounter, and he did. He was more focused, there was nothing holding his body back from giving her intense pleasure.

Rhyne jerked as his fingers felt the skin beneath the hem of her shirt. His thumbs brushed the sides of her ribs just under the edge of her bra. A small gasp of anticipation escaped her lips as she lifted her arms and Duke immediately pulled her shirt over her head.

Duke stared at her, looking at her as if she was the most beautiful woman in the world. That spark in his eyes bore recognition not only to him but to her as well. It was the same look he had, awe that had burrowed through his drunken haze to appreciate her.

Does he recognise me?

Duke’s hands slid around her back and released the clasps of her bra. Pulling each strap off each shoulder with a kiss. Rhyne did quick work of his button shirt and pushed it off his shoulders. Her hands roamed appreciatively over his strong taut skin. Duke pulled his arms free of his shirt and his hands returned to her body. He lay her gently on the thick Persian rug then leaned down and kissed her.

Rhyne’s fingers were at the top of his pants, undoing his belt and button before reaching into the elastic for her prize.

“Shit!” Duke hissed through clenched teeth.

He quickly undid the button of her pants and helped her wiggle out of them. His fingers crept along the insides of her thigh until she shivered again. He caressed her warm centre, his thumb massaging her clit as his fingers sunk into her.

“You’re so ready for me,” he strained to say. He kissed her deeply then said, “I want to make this good for you, but I can’t wait. You feel just like-,” the rest of his words disappeared in a hiss.

Does he remember?

Rhyne wrapped her naked legs around his torso and lifted her hips, her body asking for him to come inside. She had only done this once before with him, and her body remembered. The sweet memory of how he played a sweet tune out of her body had her trembling with anticipation.

Duke lowered himself and slowly exhaled as he slid inside of her. “So sweet,” he whispered in her ear. “So sweet, it’s driving me crazy.”

Duke moved slowly at first. The need was overpowering but she wanted to feel all of him, for this to last longer. His hand reached beneath her and lifted her lower back, pulling it up to him as he increased his pace. Rhyne gasped through a ragged breath, this is better than before.

“More,” she called out as her body began to tighten, clenching him within her.

“Hold me tighter,” he hissed.

His rhythm changed, deeper and harder. She felt his body tighten as her lower back arched into him wanting more even though her own release crashed into her.

“I don’t want to pull out.”

“Don’t,” she cried as her body violently shook with her release.

As if he was waiting for her to get her pleasure, Duke changed his pace and raced after his own release. She felt him pour inside her, but he didn’t slow down. With a loud grunt the last of his orgasm shot within her before he collapsed. They both lay naked on the expensive rug staring out at the beautiful New York skyline.

***

Rhyne’s nerve endings lit like a live wire as she felt him walk into the kitchen and up to her. She began to count backward from ten as her breathing became erratic and the temperature in the room suddenly jumped to a thousand degrees. She dipped her hands in the cold water where she rinsed the clean dinner dishes, but it didn’t help. Closing her eyes, she gripped one of the plates tight as her breathing grew more laboured.

She trembled as his arms went around her waist, his chest pressing against her back and his nose burrowing into her neck.

“Don’t do that,” she said on a sigh.

“Do what?” He pressed tiny, flattering kisses along her neck. She leaned her head to the side, granting him more access. He chuckled at her response, his warm breath bathing her skin.

Rhyne desperately pulled herself back into sanity, quickly turning around with the plate still in her hands. “Don’t make me use this as a weapon.”

Her jest made him laugh, the deep baritone echoing off the tiles and his smile brightening up the room. It had been a few weeks since their wine tasting had led them back to square one, in his bed. Ever since then, Rhyne had fallen asleep and woken up in his arms.

She felt a little weird about it—not like she was cheating or anything. They hadn’t seen Nola for almost a month, and Duke didn’t seem to bear any guilt. It was weird around RD, though. She felt like she was hiding his father from him, and yet she wasn’t. There had only been one close call, when RD had gone to her room to look for her and when he didn’t find her, ended up in his father’s room. Rhyne had been in bed with Duke, but the little boy didn’t seem fazed. He’d climbed into bed and had fallen asleep between them.

The sight of the two men she loved, asleep next to her was what dreams were made of. But Rhyne wasn’t naïve. Nola wasn’t going to let anyone step in between her and her meal ticket. Soon she would return from wherever she’d disappeared to, and the three adults would have to handle the situation. Rhyne couldn’t risk losing her son, so she hoped there wouldn’t be a time where she would have to choose between RD and Duke.

“Where did your mind wander off to?” He stepped right up to her, invading her space and closing any gap between them. Duke placed his hands on the tabletop, trapping her. He lowered his head to hers, his lips brushing against hers without his actually kissing her.

“I’m just wondering how long this is going to last?” She looked into his eyes, searching for any uncertainty or confusion. Instead, she saw resolution. Whatever was going to happen between them, he had already made up his mind about it.

“Why?”

“Because I’m scared.”

“Don’t be. I’m right here.”

“You are what scares me the most.”

“You’re safe with me.” He kissed her, scanned her body from head to toe, and with a grin, he said, “I’ll protect your heart and everything else.”

Rhyne released a deep breath, put the plate to the side, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him. She decided to ride this ride as long as she could, and let it take her wherever it wanted to. She didn’t mind, as long as she was in his arms.

***

Rhyne stared at him as he sat in bed, half-naked, with files and papers littered around them. It was almost morning. He had barely slept and had been working most of the night. Duke didn’t seem to have a minute to himself. She could count the times he’d been with RD and with her. The rest of his life had been spent with his face buried in papers or in meeting. He didn’t seem to know how to take time off to relax.

“Do you want to go to the beach? We could relax and enjoy not looking at papers all night,” she said. Her comments were met by the shuffling of more papers.

Frustrated, she grabbed his discarded shirt from off the floor and put it on. She placed her hands over the papers, blocking his view of them. “Apparently, time for yourself is out of the question, but time for your son is mandatory. RD has a school activity this afternoon. I’ve been reminding you about it all week so don’t stand him up.”

Duke pulled the papers from under her hands and held them above his head. His head tilted back as he continued to read them. “I heard you. I also heard that you tried to get Jessica to pencil it into my schedule. I also remember telling you I have an important call at that time.”

“It’s just a few hours for your baby boy. Let your super sidekick Jessica handle that important call. Unless she isn’t capable of answering phones.” Rhyne tried to hold the annoyance back, but she couldn’t stop the sarcastic tone.

Duke’s raised brow told her that he too had caught it. He levelled his gaze at her for two seconds before turning it back to his papers.

The man was a robot, Rhyne was now convinced. He had three guitars in his room that he never spoke about. He wouldn’t even acknowledge them when she’d tried to ask. He just had them mounted on his wall, along with some soft rock records whose seals hadn’t been broken. All he did was work, and sleep when he could. Sometimes Rhyne felt guilty about keeping him up at night, but the way he touched her set her on fire and burned all that remorse away. She jumped out of the bed, grabbed her clothes, and stormed out of the room. Part of her hoped that he would call out to her, even raise his eyes. But when she looked back, expecting a lover longing for her, she met the side of his head, his gaze stuck to his papers. She stomped her foot on the ground, failing to hold back that petty-rejected-girlfriend feeling that made her want to throw water all over his important documents. But she had to remind herself that they were nothing more than bed buddies, friends with benefits, or that cliché nanny-and-daddy love affair.

***

“Can you get me something to eat? Ray sent me off with a burnt toast and watery coffee.” Duke shook his head in disgust at the memory. “She is angry at something, but I just don’t have the time and patience to figure it out.”

“Then what?” Jessica asked.

“I’ll wait for her to come and tell me with her words what’s bothering her.” Obviously, men didn’t read minds and a woman’s thoughts weren’t something he had any experience deciphering. However, he was well-versed in Jessica’s body language, and something told him that she was pissed.

He thought about it for a second: deal with it head on or pretend he didn’t notice and move on with his day. He chose the latter. “You cleared my schedule for the afternoon, I hope.”

“Yes, your nanny called to make sure.”

Her icy tone bit into him. Ignore it, he said to himself.

“I thought you didn’t cheat in business or your personal life.”

“I don’t. You know that Nola and I—”

“No, actually, I didn’t know all the details. I also didn’t know anything about your nanny until I looked through her background check. You know, the one you ordered several weeks ago, the same one I gave you two weeks ago.”

“You opened it.”

“Yes, I did!” Jessica banged the files she had in her hands down on Duke’s desk. “I knew there was something going on with you. Suddenly you want to be home on time, you don’t come into the office before nine a.m. The constant personal calls and texts from Ray.”

“Jessica!” Duke noticed the office traffic suddenly change to the direction of his office. They were all straining their ears to listen in to what the two of them were talking about.

“I want to know what exactly is wrong with me. I’m beautiful, educated, I’d like to think that I am fun company to have around. Plus, I’ve known you longer. Why, exactly, can’t you fall in love with me?”

How was he meant to answer that question? He decided not to even attempt it. He had a right to feel what he felt, and he didn’t have to justify it to anyone. So instead, his response was, “You should take the rest of the day off. I don’t want to have this conversation with you ever again. And if you feel that you can’t handle working with me, you can quit or transfer.”

Jessica laughed. It was that cold, pitiful “Oh my God, what else did I expect” kind of laugh. She held her tears back as her eyes were fiery with rage. “You should read that little packet on your nanny. It’s not a long read, just about two pages. Just like Nola, we couldn’t find anything before or after the orphanage. But Nanny Ray has some interesting and shocking facts she is hiding from you.” Jessica picked up her files and turned around to leave. But before she opened the door, she said, “I never lie to you. I’m always up-front and honest with you. One day, you will realize how perfect I was for you.”

Duke picked up the file from his drawer and the first thing that fell out was a copy of a hospital record for a new-born baby boy, who happened to share the same birthday with RD. In fact, he had seen it before, the day Nola turned up with his son in her arms after disappearing for three days. The hospital record was identical, but instead of having Nola’s or Yvonne, as she liked to be called, name on it, it had Rhyne Ray K’s name on it.

What the hell was going on?

***

Rhyne was on her hands and knees, picking up RD’s toys from the floor and tossing them in his play box. Every day she told herself that she would teach her little boy to be more responsible with his things but that was just a day where he melted her with his puppy eyes and escaped the lesson.

She heard footsteps behind her. They didn’t startle her because at this time of day it could only be one person, Duke. She pretended not to hear, while wondering how he would get her attention. But as soon as she dived into her fantasy she was pulled out.

Rhyne screamed when she felt nails scratch her scalp as her assailant grabbed a fistful of her hair and used it to yank her to her feet. Her head was pulled back, her neck stretching as far as it could go before it would snap. She turned her head just a bit and stared into eyes filled with hatred.

“Nola!” she gasped.

“It looks like you’ve decided to assume my position?”

Rhyne tried to shake her head, but Nola’s hold made it impossible. How had she found out? No one outside their home knew what was going on. She hadn’t told Nola. RD didn’t even understand what was going on, and Duke wasn’t the type to kiss and tell.

“No—I—” Rhyne stammered.

“No—I—” Nola mocked her. “I found your underwear in his room. I assume they are yours because Duke is too much of a stick-in-the-mud to bring his mistress into the house.”

“I—” Rhyne tried to defend herself, but Nola cut her off.

“I wasn’t sure at first, but that look in your eye tells it all. I always knew you were in love with him. I just thought your loyalty to me was stronger.” Nola released her hair and Rhyne fell to the floor. She then crouched to where Rhyne knelt, her face inches away from her, and hissed, “Get out. If you want to keep your son safe, you will leave right now.”

“Nola—I—"

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of your little bastard.”

Rhyne scrambled to her feet and ran to her room. She packed everything she could grab. Then she went into the laundry room and stuffed some of RD’s clothes into her bag. Rhyne didn’t have that much money on her, but it would have to make do. She wasn’t sure of anything except one thing: there was no way in hell she was leaving her son behind.