The Billionaire’s Valiant Rescue (17 page)

They walked up to an industrial style building that had recently been converted into lofts. “You live here?”

“Sure I do. Why, don’t you like it?”

“No, it’s just that it’s...” He wanted to say expensive, but that seemed hardly the kind of thing to say to a woman who’d just invited him to spend the night.

She winked. “I know. That’s why I’m sharing it with a friend. Her daddy is super-rich, you know, and since she wants to be an artist, he got her this place in the heart of the artistic neighborhood.” She threw up her arms. “And I get to live here as well! Can you beat it?”

“No, I can’t.”

He briefly wondered who this super-rich daddy might be, but then decided not to ask. It was none of his business how other people led their lives after all.

They stepped into a wide freight elevator, and Natasha suddenly draped herself all over him, her lips seeking his with a hunger that surprised him. He tasted lipstick and a hint of mint julep, and then her hands were curled up in his hair and her tongue exploring the space beyond his teeth.

He felt... invaded for some reason, and the experience left a bad taste in his mouth.

Frantically, he sought for a way to disentangle himself from this unwanted affair, but he found none that would leave them both unscathed.

Finally, he took a firm hold of her arms, and pushed her back.

“Natasha,” he said softly. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t think I can go through with this.”

Her lips turned into a pronounced pout. “Why? Don’t you like me, Jack?”

“I do. It’s just that—”

“You think I’m ugly, is that it? Too fat?”

“No, absolutely not. You’re gorgeous, honey. Absolutely stunningly beautiful, but—”

“It’s another woman, right? You love somebody else?”

He sighed, and drew a weary hand across his face. “Yes. I’ve been seeing this girl, and... I thought we were over and done with, but...”

“You can’t get her out of your head.”

The elevator jerked to a stop, and Natasha slung the door open with surprising ease. For such a skinny girl, she was quite strong.

He hesitated, really wanting to ride the car down again and disappear into the night with his sorrow and his pain, but she stood waiting for him, so he relented.

She gave him an inviting smile, her mood having miraculously turned sunny again. “Just one drink, and then I’ll let you go.”

He stepped out of the elevator and followed her down a well-lit hallway. With its exposed brick walls and iron wall sconces, it looked quite stylish, and for a moment he thought they’d arrived at some night club.

But then she entered her key in a wide iron door, and when it swung open, he was surprised by the homely spaciousness of the place.

The room had been divided into several nooks, one of which was a TV corner, dominated by an apple blue and sea green color scheme, with several brightly colored sofas and an abundance of throw pillows.

To the far wall, an open kitchen had been constructed with impressive butcher block island, all appliances sleek and modern, opposite a wide deal staircase leading up a cheerfully yellow wall to the second story.

A myriad of plants placed in rattan and wicker baskets completed the picture of a real home.

“Nice,” he remarked as he followed her inside.

She slung her purse on the couch and walked straight through to the bar. “I need a drink. What’ll you have, Jack?”

“Do you have bourbon?”

“Sure. We have everything. My roommate occasionally objects, but I always say that if you want to entertain, you need to keep the liquor flowing.”

Good policy, Jack thought, and briefly wondered where the roommate was. As if she’d read his mind, Natasha said, “We have the place to ourselves. My friend won’t be back till tomorrow. She moved in with her parents for a while.”

“Oh? You two had a fight?”

She chuckled. “Not really. She had an accident and needed to recover.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“She’s fine.”

He ambled round the place, noticing several large paintings serving as decoration. They all depicted exquisite landscapes, executed in lively colors.

“My friend painted those. You like?”

He did. “She’s quite the artist. Does she exhibit?”

“Not really. I don’t think she’s sold a single piece.”

“I like em. Very… vivid.”

“I’ll tell her you’re interested. She’ll be thrilled.”

“Yeah. I would love to buy one of these. I just moved to Brussels, and my new place needs sprucing up.”

Natasha returned holding two glasses and handed him one while she took a sip from the other. She gestured at the black leather couch, and he reluctantly settled back.

“I’ll just stay—”

“—for a couple of minutes. Don’t worry. I won’t jump your bones again.” His date’s eyes sparkled, and he thought he detected a triumphant expression on her face. He wondered why.

“So, tell me all about this woman who broke your heart and ruined you for the likes of me.”

“Not much to tell, really. She’s, uh, an artist actually.”

“I might know her then?”

“You might,” he conceded.

“What’s her name?”

He desperately sought for a way out of this conversation. He really didn’t want to share his most intimate secrets with a girl he hardly knew.

“Come on, Jack. I won’t tell a soul. I’m a very discrete person.”

He laughed nervously, then relented. What harm was there in mentioning Gracie’s name. After all, perhaps Natasha did know her, and could tell her how she was doing. “Gracie. Gracie Travers.” He looked up, curious to see the response in Natasha’s eyes, but she merely pursed her lips and shook her head.

“Never heard of her. She must move in different circles.”

“He’s what?”

I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard.

“Jack’s father couldn’t conceive, so he turned to Franklin, asking him for the ultimate favor.”

I swallowed convulsively, all color draining from my cheeks. “Jack’s... my brother?”

Mom’s eyes went wide. “Oh, God, no. Of course not.” She sighed. “I guess I better tell you the whole story.”

We were sitting in the kitchen. As had frequently happened these past couple of weeks, I couldn’t find sleep, and had snuck downstairs for a glass of warm milk. Mom, who occasionally couldn’t sleep either, had joined me. As she told me the story, a lot of things became more clear to me. One of which was why I’d always felt closer to my mother than my father.

“It was around the time we were celebrating our tenth wedding anniversary. For a long time, I’d been wanting our union to be blessed with a child, but Franklin kept brushing me off. So finally, one night, I confronted him, telling him that unless he told me why he didn’t want children, I’d leave him—I was really desperate at this point. I loved him dearly, but I’d always dreamed of having a family and now it seemed as if he was denying me this heartfelt wish.”

“What did he say?”

Mom’s fingers absently curled around her empty glass of milk. “He told me he already had a child and didn’t want a second. Something in the way he told me seemed off, so I pressed on.

“I knew Franklin had been married to Francine Müller before we ever met, but I didn’t know he’d fathered her a child before they broke up. And since he refused to divulge any more, I decided to find out from the horse’s mouth.” She looked up. “So I paid a visit to Francine. I felt I had a right to know, and she seemed like the only person who could tell me.”

“When I was in Jack’s place, I saw a picture of his mom. And when he played me some of her music, I immediately recognized it. Dad used to play it over and over.”

“He did. She was the great love of his life, and through a tragic event, he lost her.”

“Why? What happened?”

“He got drunk one night, and hit her. She was already with child, and fearing for both her own life and that of her unborn baby, she fled from him into Jack Carter’s arms, who had loved her from afar ever since he first laid eyes on her.”

I gasped in surprise at this. “So that’s when Jack was born.”

“Frank. Jack’s older brother. When Francine desired a second child, Jack’s father discovered he was infertile. Not wanting to break his wife’s heart, he came to Franklin.”

As Mom explained what had expired between the two former friends, I had tears in my eyes. In spite of their animosity, Dad had decided to do the right thing and help the woman he loved conceive a second son.

“He never told her?”

Mom shook her head. “Francine died without knowing Jack was Franklin’s. Nor did she have to know.”

“But what did you feel about all this? It must have been terribly hard on you.”

Mom cast down her eyes. “Franklin and I had split up by then, over his refusal to father me a child, and Francine’s story of the way he had treated her.”

I brought my hands to my face in surprise. “You and Dad split up?”

Mom nodded. “I met another man. An artist. It was a very brief affair. Passionate, yes, but brief. He didn’t treat me very well, and after a few weeks I returned to Franklin.” She smiled. “Your father kept begging me to come back to him. Said he’d made a terrible mistake with Francine and since that day hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol.”

“It’s true. Dad never drinks.”

“He always said drink awoke the devil in him, and damn near destroyed his life. Only when he was sober, did God send him an angel as acknowledgment for turning his life around. He said that the angel was me.”

“That’s so sweet.”

“Your father may be a bit rough around the edges, but he really is a very tender-hearted man once you get to know him. And I’ve known him for close on thirty years now.”

“You haven’t told him about me.”

Mom touched my face, and gazed into my eyes. “After the affair, I discovered I was pregnant. Rather than have the baby aborted, Franklin and I decided to keep it.” She trailed a finger along my cheek. “Your father, Gracie, is the artist I met that summer. His name is Bruno Gartner.”

My eyebrows shot up. “
The
Bruno Gartner? The famous painter?”

Mom nodded. “After we broke up, he became quite the celebrity.”

“Did-does he know about me?”

“He doesn’t, and neither does anyone else. Bruno... well, he’s a bit of a prick if you must know. Not really a father figure.”

I knew what she meant. From all accounts, the man exuded an attitude of
je-m’en-foutisme
in the extreme. The only person in the world Bruno Gartner liked was Bruno Gartner. I doubted if he’d have been a great father to me. Unlike Franklin, he’d probably have abandoned me without a second’s hesitation.

“Franklin is your father, honey. He raised you as his own, and we never discussed the matter again after that summer. We never had to. I realized I loved him and he loved me, and I had everything I needed right here.”

Suddenly, something occurred to me. “Does Jack Carter know about you and Bruno?”

Mom shook her head decidedly. “No, he doesn’t. Franklin never told anyone and neither did I. It’s our little secret and we would like to keep it that way.”

I smiled exuberantly. “My lips are sealed.” I’d just realized something. Jack... thought I was his sister! The moment he heard my name was Gracie Travers, he must have thought he was related to me by blood.

So that’s why he had acted so strange in the garden that day. He couldn’t tell me the great family secret—his father had probably sworn him to secrecy—and neither could he keep on seeing me.

“Mom,” I breathed, placing both hands on her shoulders. “Thank you so much for telling me.”

“So you’re not mad? I would have told you sooner, but thought you might be devastated once you discovered who your real father was.”

I grinned. “I’m not mad. If anything, I’m relieved!”

And I quickly told her in a few words what had transpired between me and Jack.

“Oh, my God. That boy must have been crushed! All this time he thought you were his sister? No wonder he stayed away.”

I regarded her with shining eyes. “He loves me, Mom. He really does.”

“Of course he does. Why else would he have behaved this way?”

“It’s the only explanation.” I hopped up from the table. “I have to see him.”

“Honey, it’s the middle of the night. He’s probably asleep.”

I suddenly remembered I’d instructed Natasha to seduce Jack. Just to see if he cared for me. Or not… Horrified, my heart made a sudden leap of terror. “I-I have to see him. I have to see him right now. B-before it’s too late.”

Mom got up with the resigned look of a mother who knows her daughter’s heart. She folded me into a tight embrace. “Good luck, honey.”

“Thanks, Mom... for everything.”

“Go get your guy,” she whispered.

Jack sat stunned. He’d just confessed to being deeply, madly in love with Gracie Travers, when Natasha had unleashed her bombshell announcement on him that “Hey, guess what. This is actually Gracie’s apartment after all. I lied.”

“What kind of game do you think you’re playing?” he growled, quickly rising to his feet. He swayed, the alcohol in his system doing little to ameliorate his mood.

“You fuck with my friends, I fuck with you.” Suddenly, the pleasant model turned vicious. “You dumped her like a two-bit whore, buddy, so deal with the consequences.”

“You tried to seduce me.”

“Yeah, and I almost succeeded. Just goes to show how much you really care for Gracie, huh?”

Jack grunted something under his breath, and stomped to the exit. “I’m out of here.”

“That’s right. Run away again. That seems to be the only thing you’re good at, buddy.”

His temper getting the better of him, he wheeled around. “She’s my fucking sister!” he thundered. “What was I supposed to do?”

Though he immediately regretted losing control like that and divulging a secret he’d sworn his dad he’d never reveal, he was gratified to see the stunned expression on Natasha’s face.

“Gracie is... your sister?”

“Uh-huh. She didn’t tell you?”

“No, she didn’t,” breathed Natasha.

Jack shook his head. “Because she doesn’t know. Neither did I until my dad sprung the news on me. So now you see why I had to leave her?”