Taste of Love (8 page)

He laughed as he thought about the possibility. Him, a father? That was a scary thought. He didn't have the best example of a father growing up. His own father was too career-driven to be around much, and when he was, it seemed like Cameron was more of an inconvenience than a son. In fact, he had come to think that his father saw him as a status symbol, as something that he was supposed to do - have an heir to take over the family name.

What if Cameron did have a kid? He wasn't anywhere near the stage of his life where he was ready to settle down. There was still so much to see, so much to do, and so much to conquer. He wouldn't be home very often, and it wasn't fair for a child to have a part-time father. He might not know much about parenting and kids, but he damn sure knew all there was to know about being raised by a part-time father.

So his child would be left to be raised only by its mother, and if Madison was anything like what his mother told him, she too was very career-driven. If she wasn't home very often, where would that leave the child? To be raised by a stranger, a nanny to teach him everything that his mother and father should be teaching him? Cameron knew that feeling, too. Been there, done that, and it led to a lot of disappointments growing up.

He sighed and turned his thoughts back to the music track that he was supposed to be listening to. It was pointless to be thinking of the child anyway, because if she was truly pregnant, what were the chances it was really his?

"Sounded great," Cameron said once the song ended. "How many more do we have left to record?"

"Two, maybe three. Depends on how well the record execs like what we have so far," Riley told him. "We'll probably be finished by late next week, then we'll get the mixing done, and have the album ready by the end of the month."

"Finally! It feels like it took this one forever to be finished." Cameron glanced at his watch. "Okay, I'm out. I've got to head home and get ready for my date tonight."

"Alright, see you tomorrow, bright and early," Riley told him. "And get some sleep, you look like shit!"

Cameron nodded as he left the studio. If only he could get some sleep, but all he seemed to do at night lately was toss and turn, his mind running wild.

Madison stood and brought a tissue to her lips. She took a deep breath. Her stomach was still shaky. Was it ever calm these days? It felt like her morning sickness was never going to cease. And why the hell was it called morning sickness anyway? It was morning, noon, and night sickness. And sometimes middle of the night sickness.

She couldn't wait for the end of her first trimester, since she had read that most of the sickness would fade by then, at least for most women.

She sincerely hoped she was like most women.

She had done a good job of hiding her pregnancy so far. The only people that knew about it were Austin and Chase, and of course Cameron. Not that he believed her, but at least she had given him the opportunity to be involved if he wanted to be. He had made his position abundantly clear, so at least that was one hurdle she no longer had to deal with. She needed all her energy to focus on her plans for how to handle life after the baby came anyway.

Chase's reaction was priceless when she told him. It was the first time that she had laughed about her situation. "Bitch, I can't believe I'm going to be an aunt!" Then there was a high-pitched squeal as he clapped his hands in glee. Caught completely by surprise and charmed by his enthusiasm, Madison laughed long and hard.

It was good that someone was excited about her pregnancy. Cameron sure wasn't, and the jury was still out on whether she was thrilled about it. She went back and forth on it most days.

But it was a reality, and she had to get used to that. The morning sickness was helping her get used to it pretty fast.

Sighing, she used some mouthwash and went back to work, vowing not to think of the situation for the rest of the night.

Cameron walked up to the olive green door he had seen only once before. This time when he knocked, he knew what he would be finding on the other side. Jenny, Alexandra Lee's roommate, answered the door wearing a sexy black dress.

"Hey, you look great! Are you ready?" Cameron asked her, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"Yeah, let's go before Alexandra Lee gets home. I'll never hear the end of it if she sees you again." Jenny laughed and grabbed her handbag. She hooked her arm in Cameron's, and the two made their way outside to where his car was waiting.

"I thought we'd go to The TigerLily for dinner tonight. Have you ever been there?" he asked.

It was crazy for him to take her there, but he needed to talk to Madison. He didn't want it to seem he was there just to talk to her, and he hoped that if he was there with a date it would seem more coincidental. At least, that was what he'd originally thought at four in the morning when he couldn't sleep. It seemed like the perfect idea then.

"Oh, that's awesome! I've never been there, but I've wanted to go," Jenny told him.

They got in the car and she turned to him. "I know it's crazy to talk about other women you've been out with while we're on a date, but I have to know," she said with a wide smile. "I've heard Alexandra Lee's side of the date, now tell me yours."

"Oh god, that is one night I don't want to relive," he told her.

In more ways than one
, he thought.

They talked all the way there, and when they pulled up in front of the restaurant, he turned to Jenny and joked, "Let's try to enjoy a quiet dinner."

"Yeehaw," she whispered, and they both burst into gales of laughter.

They were seated right away, at one of the best tables in the place. Jenny seemed impressed, but Cameron had a feeling that her interest had more to do with his name and his appearance than with who he was as a person. He was used to it, though it sometimes annoyed him. The upside to it, however, was that when he went on a date with a girl only interested in his fame, he could almost always take her to bed when the night was done.

Jenny maintained the flow of conversation throughout dinner, talking mostly about herself, while Cameron scanned the dining room for Madison. By the time their dessert came, he still hadn't seen her, and he was beginning to lose hope. Jenny was too busy talking about her fabulous life to notice that he wasn't paying any attention to her.

When the check came, Cameron was almost ready to give up and head home without finding the chance to talk to Madison. But as luck would have it, a very tired-looking woman made her way from the kitchen into the dining room to check on her patrons.

"So, it was no surprise when the entire senior class voted me homecoming queen," Jenny droned on and on.

"Excuse me for a minute," Cameron interrupted, and walked away, not even looking at his date. Instead, his eyes were focused on the woman that had been invading his thoughts for days. He crossed the room quickly before she had a chance to spot him and get away.

"Thank you for the compliment! I'm very happy that you enjoyed your dinners tonight. Hopefully we'll see you back soon." Madison was talking to customers at one of the tables, and didn't realize Cameron had walked up behind her until she felt a hand on her elbow. She jumped and turned around, only to look into the eyes of the one person who had been causing her so much grief lately.

"Excuse us, please," he said politely to the table she had been talking to. The four people at the table smiled, instantly recognizing him.

"Can I talk to you in your office for a minute?" he asked, his voice hushed.

Madison flashed him a big, fake smile, so as not to look rude in front of her customers. "Of course," she told him and led the way. Once they were behind closed doors, however, the smile instantly disappeared and was replaced by a murderous glare.

"Are you here to offer me money to buy off any parental ties?" she spat at him.

Cameron rubbed his forehead. "It was wrong of me to offer you money, but in my history that's all the women have wanted," he told her, and watched as she sat behind her desk. She looked much paler than the last time he saw her, and the dark circles under her eyes were unmistakable. He was sure he had a matching pair under his own.

"I need to know if this child is mine," he said. "I'd love to just take your word for it, but unfortunately, I need to hear it from a doctor."

"So we'll get a paternity test done. I asked my doctor about it, and she said there's a new procedure that can be done at any time with no risk. You will just need to provide your DNA," she told him without any emotion. She felt drained by the whole subject.

"I want to do it soon. I need to know," he told her, wanting all the questions in his mind put to rest.

"Fine, meet me at my doctor's office tomorrow morning. We'll have them do the test, and the results will be in next week," she told him.

"They can't get them any sooner than that?" he asked, frustrated.

She sighed and shook her head. She didn't have the energy to fight with him.

"Fine, I'll be by your apartment tomorrow morning at 9:30, and we'll go to the doctor together," he told her and turned to leave.

"That's not necessary," she started, but was cut off by the slamming of her office door.

Cameron took Jenny back to her apartment after they left the restaurant. She was all over him, but he just wasn't into it. When the car stopped, she opened the door and pulled on his hand, trying to get him out of the car.

"Aren't you coming up?" she asked when she couldn't get him to budge.

"Not tonight. I have an early morning tomorrow," he said. "Maybe another time."

"Are you sure?" she asked, running her finger down her chest, trying to look seductive.

"I'm sure. Maybe I'll give you a call sometime," he told her, then shut the door. A one night stand wasn't something that he needed at this point. Maybe once he got the mess with Madison straightened out he'd be willing, but for now, it just felt wrong.

Madison paced her apartment the next morning. She looked at the clock; he would be here in fifteen minutes. She didn't know why she was nervous, because she knew for certain that Cameron was the father, but for some reason she couldn't calm down. When the buzzer echoed through her apartment, she jumped. Over the intercom, she told Cameron that she would be right out.