BABY DADDY (25 page)

It is a problem.

Misha and I boarded the elevator and we alighted on the fourth floor. The moment I saw the line, I knew I cannot wait that long.

“Misha, I need your help.”

She raises a brow at me.

“I really need to speak with Ms. Rhodes immediately. It’s very important.”

“You know, dude, even if you’re the hottest model wherever you’re from, Stella doesn’t like shortcuts. She hates that. I don’t wanna risk my job, sorry. Can I take you out to dinner instead?”

Man, did she just proposition me? “I’m her boyfriend,” I say to kill her sexual designs on me right away.

Her jaw drops. Then she shakes her head, amused. “Stella? Nah. She doesn’t have a boyfriend. For ages.”

“You’re looking at him. I’m from Asia. I want to surprise her.”

Her brows furrow as she stares at me harder. I feel like I’m put under a microscope, so intently she’s studying my looks.

“No shit…seriously?!” she finally exclaims.

I nod.

“How old are you?”

“Twe…thirty-three.”

“Oh….Thought your were younger. Aren’t you too old to start modeling? They usually start younger. I haven’t seen you in magazines before so you’re no David Gandy.”

I don’t know who she’s talking about and I’m becoming impatient.

I figure I need to name-drop a bit to convince her. “I’m a world-champion athlete in water sports. You’ll see me in next month’s Sports Illustrated issue. I’ll gift you an autographed copy. If you like.” I give her my most charming smile.

That works. Her eyes widen again, seemingly impressed now. “I can’t believe this. Ella has a HOT boyfriend! Finally! Hallelujah!”

I’m surprised at her reaction but I suppose it’s positive. I grin wider. “So, you gonna help me now?”

“Sure! Ella has a BF! Shit, shit, shit!” She clasps her palms to her chest and looks up. “Thank you, god! Thank you!”

“You sound so relieved.”

“Oh, you have no idea. She’s been the wicked witch of 6th Ave for so long she needs a hot stud like you to loosen her too tight screws, you know? I’ll already thank you in advance, Raiden! Go, go, go!”

Tight screws. I nearly laugh out loud.

It’s been awhile. I’m definitely gonna have a lot of those.

Soon.

“Next!” Rowann shouts.

I sigh deeply. This go-see is not giving me good results. My RTW for women line is fine. I’ll just get my usual line-up of female models, plus a couple of supermodels. Adriana and Doutzen will open the show and maybe Giselle will close it, if she’s available. But I’m having a hard time choosing the faces for my StellaR for Men collection.

I study the male models’ pictures scattered on top of my table. All of them are unbelievably good-looking. Perfect features. Tall, lean, toned bodies. But all are devoid of…what are they lacking? What am I looking for?

You’re looking for a special aura.

What aura?

The lightning and thunder aura.

Oh please!

“Stella…” Rowann is whispering to me from his table to my right.

“You do the choosing,” I tell him without looking up.

“Found him.”

I turn toward him. “What…?”

He looks in front of us.

I look, too.

There’s your lightning and thunder in the flesh.

SIXTEEN

___________________________________________________________

25 CONTROVERSIAL QUOTES FROM THE STYLE EMPRESS

On being at the top:

The moment you think you’re at the top, you start tumbling down.

There’s no top, just a stairs going up or an elevator,

if you want to get ahead in style.

Stella Rhodes

__________________________________________________

I DON’T LIKE THE WAY SHE’S LOOKING AT ME.

She’s frozen in her seat like she’s seeing a ghost.

I want her to stand up and run to me, jump me with hugs and passionate kisses in front of all these people.

I’m surprised with myself. Me who has been shying away from the general public all these years wants to make a spectacle of myself now.

Ella remains immobile in her seat.

My smile falters, but I’m seconds away from jumping her. Damn, I’ve missed her so much. Every part of me is longing to hold her right now. “Hello, baby.”

She suddenly stands up, toppling her chair. It creates a loud crash, eliciting gasps from the women in the vast room.

Then she’s running away.

I go after her and catch her before she reaches the door.

“Ella.”

I embrace her. She stiffens in my arms. I hug her tighter, willing her to respond to me. But she doesn’t.

“Let me go, Raiden,” I hear her low but angry voice.

I slowly let her go but I almost stagger back at the arctic coldness in her eyes.

“Don’t touch me again,” she says warningly, her eyes hostile on me now, like I’m a thug who tried to mug her.

“Ella—”

“Stella,” she corrects me. “Nobody calls me Ella.”

I clench my jaw, hurt at her blatant dismissal. “Well, I do.”

“You’re in New York. Here, I’m Stella Rhodes. Why are you here?”

I blink at her, blindsided by her total indifference. Am I looking at the same person I met in Louÿs Island? At the same person I made love to everyday? Her scent and taste are still all over me like I just touched her yesterday and she’s acting like a total stranger.

“I came to see you.”

“Why?”

I’m suddenly at a loss. I expected surprise from her but her current disposition totally throws me off balance.

“Didn’t you receive my message?” she asks.

“I have.”

“Then that’s it. That’s all there is to it. Please, leave.”

I stare at her in disbelief. What the fuck…?

I cannot believe she’s telling me to leave.

“We have no more business with each other.”

Business…

Business?!

She turns around and gets out of the door.

I’m left standing there, unable to process what just transpired.

This is not what I’ve been envisioning to happen in our next meeting. I stare at the closed door, dazed. My usual calm is rapidly deserting me. Only she can do this and I welcome the feeling. I need it to deal with her. This side of her that I didn’t know about. She can’t do this to us. The hell if I’ll let her.

Someone clears his throat behind me.

I turn around and find the man sitting at the table beside Ella a while back.

“I’m Rowann, Stella’s chief senior designer.”

I nod. “Raiden.”

I see Misha peeking behind the man. She smiles all too sweetly. “Would you like to have coffee with us?”

I’m surprised at their offer but coffee is the last thing on my mind right now. I didn’t fly all the way from Asia with still a fucking jet lag to drink fucking coffee with anybody.

“We’d like to help you with Stella,” Misha adds.

That makes me say yes.

What the hell is he doing here?!

I’ve been trying to exorcise him from my system. I have to move on from him. I really must.

He shouldn’t be here. Not now. Not ever!

He doesn’t belong in my fast-paced, currency-driven world, I don’t belong in his idyllic paradise where everything is slow and easy. We were good together in fantasy land, but in New York, we’re a walking scandal waiting to explode.

And don’t they love scandals here? It took mine years to die down. Before, I only got a portion on Page Six. Now they have an entire magazine for high society gossip!

I shudder at the very thought of being in the rags again, of being the piece of morsel they gang up on to tear apart every single day. I would never live it down the second time.

No. He shouldn’t be here! He couldn’t be here!

But he touched me and he was real.

He’s in New York! Right here in my building!

I try to calm my hyperventilating body.

Don’t forget your rampaging hormones. Not to mention your very excited ovaries. They’re still hoping, you know?

Oh shut up, shut up, shut up!

I’m shaking from head to toe. After my initial shock wore off, adrenaline rushed back to my system. The feel of his warm, hard body pressed to mine still lingers on my skin.

The scent of him, all too familiar, all too missed, clings to my nostril and wouldn’t let go.

What brought him here?

I thought he got my message. I thought he understood the bigger meaning behind it. I thought he would leave it at that.

We had two weeks of fun and baby-making, but it wasn’t meant to be. To continue our association would be a colossal lack of common sense, especially on my part. We’re too different. Our life perspectives are not on the same page. Add our age gap and it’s a match made in a silly rom-com. Not gonna happen in real life.

Oh? What about Demi and Ashton? 16 years age-gap. It worked.

They’re divorced now. See what I mean?

What about Hugh and Deborra? 12 years. They’re still happily married with kids to boot.

Uhm...

See? It’s possible.

Theirs is a rare thing. Besides, I don’t need a man, you hear?

I repeat. I. DON’T. NEED. A. MAN. Get that?

Keep trying to convince yourself when your heart is about to explode from your chest in excitement. Shall I mention your muff getting all hot and bothered—

I make a frustrated sound to suppress the inner voice in my head luring me to give in to my weaknesses.

You didn’t even give him a little goodbye hug. That was so low of you. He looked like you hit him with a Rocky Marciano special.

Okay, I took the cowardly exit. That was so uncool of me to just tell him to leave. I was shocked to see him!

But I should have talked to him in a more civil manner, at least, explain to him why we can’t be together anymore. Alright, I behaved atrociously.

Scaredy cat. You. Well, what else is new?

My nerves are calming down and I’m able to think more clearly.

Oh Raiden. What am I going to do with you?

I know this must be hard for him, to come to New York, the turf of Princess Antoinette, whose husband Steve Darcy, is one of the biggest financiers on Wall Street. He didn’t need to tell me this but I knew, New York is one of the places he doesn’t want to visit. Prince Cesare and his sisters are very visible in the New York social scene. The Darcy sisters and Princess Antoinette are my valued clients!

Oh lowd, the world of the Viscontis is shrinking on me. I don’t want to be caught and crushed in the middle of such royal shit, no pun. Bad for business. Very bad!

But he smells so good. Don’t you miss his scent?

We do! We do!
scream my ovaries.

“Arrrgh!!!” I shout my stress at the expanse of my penthouse apartment.

I go to the kitchen to get some ice-cold water.

I can’t afford to be distracted before Fashion Week. My reputation depends on these shows.

I hope he has left the building. If he has pride, he would leave. He’s a royal for pete’s sake! Why would he demean himself with a nut job like me?

As I put the glass of water in the sink, the main door’s buzzer goes off. Oh who would disturb me now?

I walk to the door and peep at the small hole . It’s Rowann.

I sigh and open the door to tell him to butt off.

It’s not Rowann standing there.

Raiden steps forward aggressively
and I’m forced to step back.

He slams the door behind him.

We stare at each other.

My apartment is huge, occupying the entire floor, but I feel trapped in it like a rabbit.

And he doesn’t look happy. Man, he looks so pissed. Like that night he found out I was planning to steal his sperm.

I wet my lips with my tongue. “Raiden…”

He begins taking off his jacket, advancing towards me.

I step back, my heart beating faster again. “What are you doing…?”

“Undressing.”

“Raiden, I think—”

“You think too much, Ella. Try feeling, for a change.”

He throws his shirt on the floor.

Look at those biceps! Mama mia, abs to melt your panties! Don’t you miss that fabulous, yummylicious body?

He begins unbuttoning his fly.

“Raiden, stop!”

He smiles at me, but it’s not his usual sweet, boyish smile. It’s the I’m-gonna-prove-to-you smile of a Neanderthal, the breed I hate.

“Stop me,” he challenges.

He advances like a predator and I’m backing out like a prey. I don’t back out or back down from anybody. His macho swagger irks the shit out of me. I should call security to throw his ass out on the street, but I do an un-Stella Rhodes move instead.