Page 14 of Doctor Daddy Dilemma

CHARLIE

Cloud nine didn’t seem high enough for me lately. For the past week, I had been floating on air everywhere I went. Nothing seemed to get me down at all, except Mr. James grumbling about how my deadlines were fast approaching and I had been spending too much petty cash on the interview process with Lex. That put a kink in my step for a while because the reason I was so sky-high was Lex.

Spending the night with him last week without him pushing for sex felt so surreal and so amazing. Not that I wouldn’t have had sex with him. I was ready. But when our conversation transitioned from on the record to off the record, I knew he was being vulnerable, which made me believe maybe he wasn’t just a player.

Every time Amy passed my cubicle, she gave me a dreamy-eyed look too. Like we had an inside secret or something and she was giddy over it. Not having had many friends in Tampa, I clung to her after getting this job. We were a great fit and the rest is history. But if she didn’t stop making eyes at me every time she saw me in this office, everyone was going to know something was up and I’d be the topic of discussion in the breakroom at lunch.

I rolled my eyes at her this time, hoping she’d get the point. Of course we’d have a conversation later before things escalated, but rather than taking more time out of my workday and irritating Mr. James, I focused on work. Until my phone rang. The familiar caller ID on my screen made me smile as I swiped to answer and brought the phone to my ear.

“Hey, handsome.”

“Charlie… I need to see you.” Lex’s singsongy voice wasn’t desperate or panicked. In fact, he sounded like he was in a good mood, and it was infectious given that I was in a really good mood.

We had spoken nearly every day this week at least briefly. Some of those conversations were about the story, but they all turned personal at some point. And some of those conversations were actually personal to begin with. I enjoyed getting to know him more and I realized despite our very different careers we had a lot of things in common. I looked forward to getting to know more about him every time we spoke.

“I’m sorry, Lex. I have things tonight, and Mr. James cut off my budget for flights for the month. The drive is more than four hours…” I bit my lip and almost whimpered. I wasn’t fishing for him to fork over more money for another flight for me, but if he did it, I wouldn’t reject it. I just knew the situation at work, and I knew any request would be met with rejection.

“That’s okay. I’m on a plane now. Calling you from twenty thousand feet.” I heard the smile through which he spoke. “I’m landing in thirty minutes and then I just have to hire a car. Where can I meet you for lunch?”

Almost squealing with delight, I glanced at the time readout on my computer. Thirty minutes from now would be around noon, which was the perfect time to eat lunch. I packed some leftover curry to have today, but it would be there tomorrow. I just had to let Mr. James know I had an interview this afternoon and lunch would take a bit longer.

“Uh, pick me up at the paper? I can text you the address.”

I floated a little higher for that forty-minute period until lunch. Mr. James griped about how long I was spending on interviews when I hadn’t produced a single rough draft of an article. I took it as my cue to at least jot something down. I had ten other projects at the moment after Amber left, and that required a delicate balance of my time and focus. Lex was so easy to think about that I could write a dozen thousand-word articles in one week. I had no worries, but I hated being grilled by my boss. I’d just have to squeeze out a few spare moments to give him a rough draft, even if he hated it and I’d have to change the entire thing later.

When a limo pulled up outside the paper it drew attention. I wasn’t quite ready. I’d spoken with Mr. James, but I had to return to my desk for a few things. Chatter started around the newsroom floor and gawkers flocked to the window—well, those who hadn’t left for lunch already. I felt a bit put on the spot, but I didn’t answer any questions except Amy’s. She didn’t pry either, but her stupid grin said enough.

I made my way downstairs and never looked back, not even to check if all those faces were still pressed against the glass hoping for a glimpse of whoever it was in the fancy car. When I slid in beside Lex, the first thing he did was kiss me so hard it took my breath away.

“What was that for?” I asked him, lingering close to him as the car pulled into traffic.

“Because I’ve missed those lips for seven days now and I can’t seem to get enough. Tell me you have the rest of the day off.” Lex was possessive, pulling me against his body hard, but I had to disappoint him.

“I don’t, actually. I have too much to get done. Why? Did you hope I would jet away with you to some exotic location?” I chuckled and politely removed his hand from my hip so I could turn and angle my body to face him. This impromptu lunch thrilled me, but I didn’t have the luxury of ditching work for a day like he did. My salary paid the bills and then some, but the extra money went to help my struggling parents.

“Is your apartment exotic?” I saw the glint of mischief in his eye and knew what he wanted, and it made my body grow warm, especially when he took my hand and kissed my knuckles.

“My apartment is a dinky little one-bedroom on the West Side. And I don’t even have a view thanks to a high rise to the west of me.” My snickers made him smile. “But we can pretend it’s an oasis… You just have to be fast. I only have ninety minutes. Then I have a meeting with Tokyo for a story.” I laced my fingers through his hair and he feigned a pout.

“I guess I have to settle for lunch and an overnighter.”

For a split second my heart panicked. Lex at my apartment? This billionaire had a living room with more square footage than my entire flat. While what I had was nice and I always kept it tidy, there was just no comparison. I must have looked flustered because he touched my face lightly.

“I don’t have to stay if you’re not comfortable.”

I looked into his eyes and sighed; then I was just honest. “You have a mansion. I have a one-bedroom apartment. I hardly think you’re going to be comfortable.” I chewed on my lip and felt the warmth in my cheeks and he smiled at it.

“You think I will think less of you because of your apartment?” His eyes searched mine and I winced, but he continued, “So what if I was raised in money? I can appreciate that not everyone was. Remember pizza last week? Billionaires are people too. We just have more money.” He laughed as if it were the funniest thing in the world and it put me at ease.

Lunch was nice. He took me to a small café where we both ordered a soup and sandwich. We talked forever about the city of Tampa and my experiences. I couldn’t believe how invested he was in the conversation, and when he finally dropped me back at the paper with the intent to meet me at my apartment later for dinner, I didn’t want to go back to work. I felt like a middle school student whose lunch break was over and there was no recess. I wanted more.

Amy descended upon my cubicle like a plague of locusts, hovering and asking a million questions about lunch and Lex and what might be happening between us. I gave her very basic answers. There were too many ears around listening to what I was saying. And after the showy way Lex arrived in a limo, I didn’t want Mr. James figuring out that I was interested in Lex as more than just a topic for my article.

I loved that he’d come to visit me. I just felt like I had to walk a line to avoid getting a bad reputation at work. I hated that, but I loved how things seemed to be happening differently than I assumed. Mr. James, along with dozens of tabloid papers, had written Lex off as a playboy only out for sex. But maybe they were wrong. Either Lex was playing a super elaborate game because for whatever reason he found sex with me more incredible than other women. Or he was being genuine.

I couldn’t fathom a man flying to another city for a booty call when he had hundreds of women surrounding him in Miami. He could choose any of them without the hassle of flying to another city, but he was choosing to fly to see me. It gave me a good feeling about things, like Lex might just be serious about me and not at all the player everyone thought he was.

10

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