A Friendly Arrangement Read online

  The ride to the hotel where the fund-raiser was being held was quiet and uneventful. Samantha consoled herself over the absence of her new shoes by studying her new ring and snuggling close to Alex, who tried not to offend her loss by laughing over it. It was difficult, but he managed.

  When they arrived the chauffer opened the door for them and Alex helped her out. “Smile, Sami, you’re newly married to your best friend who turned out to be the love of your life,” he murmured as he brushed a kiss to her cheek.

  She pouted a second longer, then sighed and plastered on a bright smile. “How’s this?”

  “Kind of scary.” He chuckled when she gave him a dark look and kissed her lips. “Just think of it this way; you traded your Pradas for the joy of knowing you’re now carrying a beautiful, healthy baby boy or girl.”

  She stared at him for a moment, then her soft green eyes misted over and she smiled radiantly. “Oh, Alex.” She sighed and leaned into him, holding a hand to her belly. “You’re absolutely right. Thank you for reminding me,” she whispered.

  “Any time.” He looped an arm around her and they headed for the banquet hall.

  “Ah, Mr. Steel.” The hotel manager came towards them, a predatory look flashing in his beady brown eyes at the sight of someone he considered competition. “How lovely to see you here.” He held his hand out and Alex shook it.

  For the life of him he could never remember the other man’s name, but didn’t consider it a fault as he thought of the middle-aged, balding men as little more than a nuisance.

  “Will you and your, err,” the manager looked Samantha over, then smiled snidely back at Alex, “companion of the evening, be staying with us tonight? I can arrange for your room to be upgraded if you like.”

  The muscle in Alex’s jaw twitched as he clenched his teeth, then he shook his head. “Actually, my wife and I will be returning home after the fund-raiser,” he replied. “And even if we were staying, I’m not sure how you would upgrade from a penthouse. Excuse us.” And with that he led Samantha around the stunned man and continued on their way to the banquet hall.

  “Well, he was rude,” Samantha muttered as they walked through the large double doors.

  “Forget him, he’s a small fish who thinks he’s one of the big boys.” He turned his head and gazed around them. “As if I’d even stay in a place that rented by the hour.” He shook his head and looked back to her. “I’m not very popular in the hotel business right now because I just inherited the resorts,” he explained.

  “Ah.” She nodded understanding and looked out over the crowd. “I know it’s for a good cause, but do you think we can leave unfashionably early?” she asked, looking back to him. “My feet are already in agony.”

  “Sure, let’s go.”

  She laughed when he went to turn back towards the entrance. “I meant in like an hour or so.”

  He sighed and nodded and grudgingly led her down into the throng of people already making their social rounds.

  He hated social events.

  They hadn’t taken two steps when another couple rushed towards them. “Alex.” The man smiled and held his hand out. “It’s good to see you.”

  “Sean.” Alex tried for genuine interest. “It’s been a while. Sheila.” He offered the man’s companion a less than thrilled smile.

  “So what is this I hear about you getting married last weekend?” Sean asked, eyeing Samantha.

  Alex’s eyes narrowed and he shifted closer to her, slipping an arm around her slender waist. “It was just a small ceremony,” he replied. “Samantha, darling, this is Sean Harden and his fiancée, Sheila Mably. Sean, Sheila, my wife, Samantha.”

  Samantha extended a hand and smiled as they greeted each other.

  Alex shifter her after, angling them towards the bar. “It was great seeing you guys,” he said, and, not caring if it was rude or not, pulled Samantha away.

  “You’re not very fond of them, are you?” she asked as they worked their way through the crowd.

  “Not particularly. I dated Sheila a while back,” he grumbled when she frowned. “I consider it one of my few mental lapses. She’s,” he had no words to describe her, so he shrugged. “Let’s just say that Sean is welcome to her.”

  She sighed as he tugged her up close to the bar. “Club soda,” she said when the bartended looked to her first. She waited as Alex ordered a bourbon, then reached up to fix his tie. “You really don’t care for most of the women you’ve been involved with, do you?”

  He considered her question, then shrugged. “Not really,” he admitted. She was still playing with his tie and the lapels of his jacket, making him smile. He wondered if she realized how wifely she looked. It reminded him of his grandmother fussing over his grandfather. The thought made him a little sad, as memories of the two of them together often did, and he sighed.

  Their drinks were served and he slipped his arm around her again and decided to look for their table. Thankfully, they were seated with Franklin and his wife, Adele, and one other couple that they were friendly with.

  The moment that Adele saw them she let out a squeal of delight and stood to give Samantha a hug. “How are the newly-weds doing?” she asked, giving Alex a hug, too.

  Samantha smiled and sat when Alex pulled her chair out for her. “We’re doing wonderful. How are you?”

  Franklin took a deep, patient breath when Adele began to chatter on, and turned to Alex.

  Alex grinned and took his seat beside Samantha. “Did you catch the game?” he asked.

  The lawyer winced as though feeling a physical pain. “I think you mean the massacre,” he muttered.

  Alex grunted and glanced at the other couple. The woman, Colleen, if he remembered correctly, was making all the typical female noises over Samantha’s ring, as was Adele.

  Todd, Colleen’s husband, rolled his eyes at Alex, and chuckled. “I thought that the game was fantastic,” he said, leaning closer to them, grinning.

  Alex and Franklin exchanged dark looks, and for some time after that the three men argued sports while their women continued on about the wedding.

  “I have to say, I saw your shoes,” Colleen said after sipping her champagne. “They’re fabulous.”

  Samantha sighed, still mourning her Pradas. “Thank you. I actually bought a gorgeous pair to wear tonight but they just didn’t fit right when I put them on earlier.”

  “Really?” Colleen frowned with sympathy. “I hate it when that happens. A particularly hot day, or a certain week comes along, and suddenly everything’s too tight,”

  “And that’s where I have to insist you stop,” Todd said, turning to look at her with a grimace. “Not while we’re talking sports, baby.”

  She rolled her eyes and swatted at him, then sighed and leaned in to kiss him.

  Alex shook his head and looked to Samantha. He smiled and winked at her, and she smiled back.

  Just then Colleen squealed and reached out for Samantha’s hand. “Tina Sanders. Come on, let’s go flash your new bauble.” And she dragged Samantha along behind her, Adele following close behind.

  “Women,” Todd muttered.

  Alex and Franklin both grunted in agreement.

  “Well, boys,” Alex looked at his empty glass and sighed. “If I’m going to be here much longer I’m going to need another one of these. Excuse me.” He stood and went to go get his drink refilled, leaving the two of them to finish their enthusiastic discussion on team loyalties.

  “Bourbon,” he said, placing his glass on the bar.

  “He likes it neat,” a throaty voice said before the bartender could ask.

  Alex groaned inwardly and turned to face the woman standing behind him. “Angela,” he said.

  She smiled, sultry, full, glossy red lips curving deliciously. “Alex.” She all but purred his name, and tossed her long black mass of wavy hair over her tanned, naked shoulder. “Well, well.” Her bittersweet chocolate eyes sparkled mischievously. Dangerously. Her generous curves were slithered i
nto a red-as-sin dress that cut low at her breasts and slit high at the thigh. She was a walking wet dream, one he’d indulged in more than once.

  “You’re looking well,” he said, lifting his gaze from her dress to her face.

  She chuckled and reached up to slide a finger down his tie. “Are you busy later?” she asked.

  Ah, Angela. Always to the point. He’d once found that refreshing about her. Now he simply felt pity for her. He let out a deep breath, and found that he had no regret in rebuffing her advance. “Actually, I am.” He smiled over her shoulder suddenly, and then Samantha was standing beside him.

  “Ah, so you’re the new Steel girl. I’ve wondered how long it would take before he finally got around to your bed.” Angela quickly sized her up and decided it would last a week between them. Samantha barely had anything to offer in way of assets.

  Samantha quickly sized her up, too, and as always instantly thought, bitch, with a capital B. She smiled sweetly and lifted her left hand to rest on Alex’s chest. “Actually, I’m the Steel girl,” she corrected her, and couldn’t help but feel the twinge of righteous victory when Angela’s eyes widened at the sight of her rings.

  Angela moved her gaze up to meet Alex’s. “You’re married?” she demanded.

  He nodded and held Samantha closer. “Last Saturday,” he replied. He smiled down at Samantha and she smiled back with a sappy, romantic sparkle to her emerald eyes. “Best week of my life so far,” he added, then he dipped his head and kissed her.

  She sighed lustily and looked back to the other woman. “He’s such an animal, can hardly keep his hands to himself most of the time.”

  “Ahha.” Angela slowly nodded, then abruptly turned and walked away.

  Samantha arched a brow and turned so she could see Alex better. “Angela Sanchez. What were you thinking?” she asked, her hands on her hips.

  “I wasn’t,” he admitted, half turning to pick up his drink. “At least not with my head,” he added after a sip.

  She rolled her eyes and he chuckled and hooked an arm around her. “Let’s go see if we can find any more ex-girlfriends for you to flaunt that sparkly at,” he teased.

  She grinned and slipped her hand from his back down to rest on his backside. “Let’s,” she agreed.

  He laughed whole heartedly.

  Chapter Four

  A few days later Alex sat behind his desk at work, scowling at a report sent from one of the resorts. If things didn’t change at the Honolulu location soon he’d have to take a trip out there to check on it himself. Which meant he’d probably end up replacing a manager or someone else.

  Maybe Sami would go with him, he thought as he scribbled himself some notes. As far as he knew she’d never been to Hawaii.

  Just then someone knocked on one of the double doors and he sighed. “Come in,” he called out, reaching for a new supply spread sheet.

  “How’s the married bachelor holding up?”

  He looked up just as Franklin settled into one of the chairs on the other side of his desk. As always, the other man was dressed in one of his fine Armani suits and his dark head was cleanly shaved. “Other than ready to wring a few managers’ necks, I’m fine. You?” he asked, leaning back and folding his hands on his flat belly.

  “Same old.” He sat back as well. “How are things really, Alex?” he asked, and his tone showed genuine concern.

  Alex shrugged. “Sami and I are fine. Still getting used to having her in my bed, but other than that, everything’s going well.”

  Franklin frowned and shifted in his chair. “Speaking of that,” he locked his gaze on Alex’s, “Is the baby yours?” he asked point blank.

  Alex’s eyes widened slightly and he sat forward. “How’d you find out she’s pregnant?”

  The other man sighed. “Adele put two-and-two together at the fund-raiser. So, is it?” When Alex hesitated he sat forward. “Will the father be a problem?”

  With a grumbled oath Alex shook his head. “The father’s a non-issue,” he said testily. “As far as anyone else is concerned, I am the father. The baby will be legally mine anyway because it will be born while Sami and I are married.”

  “How far along is she, and did you know that she was pregnant when you married her?”

  Alex scowled at that. “Of course I knew. I knew before I even asked her. And she’s about sixteen weeks or so. I lost count.”

  “Sixteen weeks?” Franklin closed his eyes and took a calming breath. “You do know that by being legally named this child’s father you will be monetarily responsible for it once it’s born?” he asked, looking back to his friend.

  “Of course I know that. I don’t care. Look, Samantha is my wife now, and I asked her to become so fully aware of what my legal obligations to her would be.”

  “But she won’t always be your wife,” Franklin pointed out. “What then? You’re just going to be responsible for someone else’s kid? You don’t even like children, Alex.”

  “I know that,” he snapped, pushing out of his chair to pace. “I’m fully aware of my lack of wanting to be a father. But Sami’s my best friend so this child is going to be a part of my life whether my name is on the birth certificate or not.”

  “And if the father does decide to become an issue? You’re worth a whole lot more monetarily than Samantha is. He could go after your accounts.”

  Turning slowly from his view of the city Alex glared icily back at him. “First, I already told you that the father’s a non-issue, so don’t question me about him again. Second, push comes to shove, Samantha’s a hell of a lot more important to me than my account balances.”

  “I’m just concerned for your wellbeing,” Franklin said softly.

  “And I thank you for that. I really do. But as I’ve said, everything between Sami and me is fine. I went into this marriage knowing about all of this. She never wanted to get married. But she did this, for me, so I wouldn’t lose everything. The least I can do is give her child my name and be there for her in any way she needs me.”

  Franklin studied him for a long moment, then nodded and stood. “You’re a good man, Alexander Steel.”

  Alex let out a slight snort. “No I’m not, but thanks.”

  The rest of Alex’s week didn’t go by any smoother after that. With the managerial problems at the Honolulu location mounting and the supply distributor jacking the prices up to ridiculous amounts, he never thought he’d get out of the office. So he timed it so that the moment Theresa went on break he could make a run for it, and she wouldn’t be there to stop him with more paperwork or phone calls.

  Calling himself a coward for not wanting to face his own assistant over a lunch break, he drove his sleek red Mercedes convertible home as fast as the posted speed limits would allow - maybe even just a little bit faster - and didn’t relax until he stepped through the doorway. He actually breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Mr. Steel, you’re home early.”

  He jolted at the sound of the other voice, then relaxed and turned to look down the hall at the housekeeper. He offered the older woman a sheepish smile. “I escaped, literally. Is my wife home, Rosa?”

  She hesitated, then sighed and gestured up the central curved marble staircase. “She hasn’t come down all day,” she told him with a tone of concern. “And she barely touched the breakfast tray I brought up to her.”

  He frowned and turned towards the stairs. “Thank you.” He hurried up the stairs, his concern for Samantha growing stronger the closer he got to the master suite. He knocked once at the door to let her know that someone was coming in, then opened the door and stepped in. “Sami,”

  The sight that greeted him resembled a war zone, only instead of bodies strewn about, it seemed to be Samantha’s entire wardrobe. He blinked in surprise and slowly followed a trail of lacey unmentionables to the foot of their ocean sized bed where she sat, still in her nightgown, staring at the floor, a look of total defeat on her face.

  “Sami,”

  She slowly looked up
and sighed. “Nothing fits,” she told him.

  He looked around at the massacre of designer finest, then back to her. “Nothing?”

  “Nothing,” she confirmed, sliding off the end of the bed.

  He sighed and reached up to brush a hand through her hair. “Isn’t that a good thing?” he asked, tilting her head back so he could see her face.

  “Yes, but,” she gestured around them helplessly. “Now I don’t have anything to wear. It all fit yesterday, okay, so maybe a bit snuggly, but today,” she shrugged. “I think it’s my butt.”

  He tried not to laugh, knowing it would wound her delicate feminine sensitivities, but ended up having to mask it with a deep clearing of his throat. Her eyes narrowed dangerously and he grinned. “Your butt seems fine to me,” he said, sliding his hand from her hair down her back to pat her rump. “As lovely as ever. I think it’s probably this.” His hand came around to stroke her lower abdomen, and the barely there bump. She lifted a hand and he took it and placed it where he had stroked her. “You’ve got a bump, Sami.”

  Her eyes misted over when she realized he was right and leaned into him, smiling radiantly. “How could I have not noticed?” she asked when he hugged her close. “My own body and I didn’t even realize,”

  “I noticed last night when we were in bed,” he admitted, pressing a kiss to the top of her head before he pulled back. “I was going over a few things for work and you rolled onto your back, and your belly just wasn’t as flat as it used to be. I was actually wondering when you were going to mention it to me.”

  “I guess I’ve just felt so sick lately, especially the last few days, that I didn’t notice. And then I tried to find something to wear,” she grimaced as she looked at her mess. “It looks like Bloomingdale’s blew up in here, doesn’t it?”

  “Sort of.” He reached up and tugged on one of her curls, then smiled as he watched her rub her belly. “Tell you what,” he crossed over to the closet and pulled out one of his shirts, then bent and scooped up a pair of her black leggings. “Go put these on, I’m sure you can do something fashionable with them, and then we’ll go shopping.”