The Greek Billionaire's Secret Baby (Contemporary Romance) (6 page)

Lauren stared at the woman, memorizing all of her features and mentally replaying the tape. She’d never seen this woman before. She was being set up. A cry of despair left Lauren’s lips before her innate crisis training could react and stop it. “This is a mistake!”

“We don’t make mistakes,” the shorter policeman said flatly. “This is your room, and this is your suitcase.”

He pulled open the louvered doors of Lauren’s tiny closet and Lauren gasped. She’d never seen drugs in her life, much less the quantity of packaged white powder exposed on the floor of her closet.

“Can you deny this is your hotel room?” the taller policeman asked.

Lauren’s baby kicked her sharply in the ribs as if somehow knowing the stakes had been raised. Damn you, Pappas family for doing this to me. “No.”

“We’re taking you in.”

Of course they were. As the cold slap of steel circled her wrists, Lauren didn’t need proof to know she’d been framed. She knew exactly who had given her every American tourist’s nightmare of being imprisoned forever in a small Mexican jail, a jail where guilty until proven innocent American justice didn’t exist.

Despite the early June heat, the handcuffs chilled her skin. The ride to the nondescript police station seemed endless, and once there, two hours passed before the police allowed her to use the phone. “Do you know who you will call?” the taller policeman asked.

“Yes.” She’d thought of nothing else since seeing her defiled duffle bag.

He led her into a small, guarded room. She saw her belongings, tagged as evidence, already in residence on a shelf. The policeman handcuffed her to the opposite wall, leaving her one arm free to use the phone receiver he had yet to hand her.

“What is the number?” he asked.

“It’s in my purse,” she said.

“Where is it?” Retrieving her purse, he dumped the contents onto a table and began holding up items one by one. Relief filled her as the officer finally held up what she was looking for.

“There, that business card.” The one she’d almost thrown away after Alex had left. Lupe had placed it on her desk, Lauren had placed it in the trashcan, but then she’d had second thoughts. Her survival instincts had saved her again.

A sudden hysterical thought filled her. She could not let them convict her of a crime she didn’t commit. If so, then the Pappas family could just steal her baby and….

The policeman handed Lauren the cardstock and her hand trembled as she flipped it over. Alex had penciled in his private cell phone number on the back and she pointed to it.

Calling Alex instead of a lawyer was a risk she had to take. He might laugh in her face and tell her that he was going to leave her to rot. Then again, maybe this was just a show of Pappas strength, a way to bend her to his will.

Lines creased her brow as she frantically tried to figure things out. Despite his preoccupation with the family foods business, she had never seen Alex act unethically. He’d never played a dirty hand before. Doing something like this, even in desperate times, would be out of character. Had he changed that much since she’d left?

As she contemplated that, another scenario entered her head. She was having a Pappas baby. This show of strength, this play in a deadly game was most likely Theo’s. He’d like nothing more for her to be an unfit mother. Then he could get the baby and be the hero. He’d never wanted her with Alex. To have her rot in prison would be win-win.

If Theo was behind this, turning to Alex was her only option. Even if he hadn’t believed her before when she’d tried to tell him about Theo’s duplicity, he was the only one could protect her.

While she didn’t totally trust Alex Pappas, she had no choice.  He was the only one who could save her. All she had to do was give him what he wanted. The policeman dialed and handed her the receiver. As the international connection was made, moments seemed forever.

“Pappas.”

He’d answered. Lauren’s heart raced as his deep, husky voice rumbled through the line. Despite her current hatred of the man, a joyous relief filled her. The policeman’s eyes narrowed speculatively.

She gripped the phone like the lifeline it was. Her voice shook, barely came out above a whisper. “It’s Lauren.”

“Lauren?” Was that surprise she heard in his voice? Did it matter? He sensed her silence. “Lauren, what is it? What’s going on?”

The police officer was already tapping his watch. The words on her tongue tasted worse than aluminum foil. “You win. I’ll marry you.”

There was a moment of stunned silence before he said, “You’ve changed your mind? You’re sure?”

Hysteria threatened to consume her. She had no other choice. She had a baby to protect. She’d been dealt a losing hand. “I’m sure.”

“I see.” He seemed hesitant and fear joined Lauren’s hysteria. What was taking him so long? Surely he hadn’t changed his mind.

“Well then, I guess we’ll have some arrangements to make.”

He sounded uncertain, as if not expecting her to change her mind. But Lauren didn’t care. “Oh, yes, I’d say we do.”

Amazing now that the deal was sealed, how level and calm her voice sounded. The steel of the handcuff cut into her captured wrist and she stepped towards the shackle to relieve some of the pressure.

“You won. I have no other choice. I’ve said I’ll marry you and endure a loveless marriage forever for the sake of my baby.”

A quiver crept into her voice as the policeman frowned and tapped his wristwatch again.

“So do me a favor and please come get me.”

“Lauren, I’m right in the middle of a board meeting. The Favazzas are moving in on our territory again. Give me a number and I’ll call you back in twenty minutes or so and—”

Business. Always business. Twenty minutes would become ten days. Ten days could become ten years.

“You will not leave me here!”

Lauren screeched the words so loudly that the policeman took a step back. IBF training be darned, Lauren gulped for much-needed air. “Please get me out of here! Please.”

She somehow avoided screaming at him again when there was another slight pause. “Lauren, exactly where are you?”

She laughed hollowly, the sound echoing in her ears. “Spare me your lies, Alex. I know your family tracks my movements and I cannot believe your right hand thug didn’t tell you exactly where I am. He’s being this. I know it.”

“Lauren,” his voice sounded tired.

“Get me out of here, Alex. Come and get me now. Get me out of jail.”

*****

Chapter Five

Alex’s suite in The Plaza Hotel afforded Lauren a million-dollar view of
New York City
’s
Central Park
but even the soothing expanse of green in the middle of the concrete jungle did little to assuage her wounded and shaky nerves.

He’d arrived in
Mexico
within five hours, and less than a half hour after his arrival, he’d had her out of jail and all charges dropped.

She didn’t ask him how much money her release had cost. To a man who could buy the world, the price was irrelevant. He had what he wanted—her. With her passport and things quickly in hand, they’d soon stepped onto the Pappas private jet and headed back the
United States
.

She’d been in
America
’s largest city three days and hadn’t liked any of them yet. Not only had her arrest been a disturbing lesson in the persuasive power of Pappas money, but Alex had retreated immediately into the world of business. They hadn’t spoken for more than a cumulative thirty minutes.

Her only consolation was that after she’d told him she’d been set up, he’d dropped the subject and left the room. Not that she wanted to talk to him, she’d told herself. But the silence had been akin to torture.

All that had been missing had been the appearance of Theo Pappas. For once Lauren had been grateful for Fate’s small favors.

“I haven’t told anyone but my mother that you’re here,” Alex had told her that morning.

He’d stood, briefcase in hand, in the living area, fashionably decorated to reflect urban sophistication with oriental influences.

“I’ll be at the office for most of the day, but when I return tonight, we’ll have dinner and discuss some important matters. We have to find a permanent place to live and make arrangements for the marriage ceremony. I also know you haven’t gotten out much. To remedy that, my secretary will be coming by today about noon to take you shopping. I’ve left you some spending money on the table.”

And then he’d left.

Lauren glanced at the ornate clock some designer had placed so it was one of the room’s focal points. The whole 1,785 square foot suite was indeed beautiful and grand, but even the twelve foot ceilings still stifled.

With hardwood floors, crystal chandeliers, intricate millwork, and three non-functional marble fireplaces, the suite was certainly lovely, but when it came right down to it, it was nothing more than a cold and impersonal hotel room.

She’d liked his apartment better. His family had always complained two thousand square feet was too small for a man of Alex’s stature, but with her potted plants and the mismatched dishtowels she’d bought, she’d made the apartment feel like home. Three minutes until noon. The doorbell buzzed.

Lauren walked quickly across the marble floor of the foyer and, without even peering through the peephole, tossed the door open. A petite fifty-something woman appeared to bounce into the room.

“Hello! You must be Lauren! I’m Clarice. Sorry not to have them phone my arrival, but everyone downstairs knows me so I came right up. I do have a key, but I didn’t want to startle you by using it. Are you ready to shop?”

Was she? Lauren simply stood there. “I thought Susan was Alex’s secretary?”

Clarice’s chin bobbed. “Oh, she retired seven and a half months ago and took off for the south of
France
. I worked for Alex’s father, and now I work for him. Anyway, I’ve commandeered the company limo for the entire afternoon and that means you and I are going to have some fun. I know all the best stores. I hear baby things and some new maternity clothes are exactly what we need.”

“Yes.” Lauren retrieved the wad of bills Alex had left for her.

Clarice waved dismissively. “Oh, put that away, dear. I know how generous Alex is, but there’s still no way he gave you enough cash for everything you need. I have three grandchildren and trust me, my daughters were on a budget and it was still horrible. I brought his charge cards. Shall we?”

Five hours later, Lauren had to have assistance getting all the bags and boxes into the suite. As she tipped the bellman, Alex strode out of the suite’s study, a brandy snifter in his hand.

He surveyed the scene and arched an eyebrow. “I see you’ve been successful.”

“Very.” Lauren drew herself up. “Your secretary is quite the whirlwind and talks nonstop about how wonderful you are.”

Alex actually smiled, the movement lighting up his face and making him seem, for at least that moment, much more human. “She’s able to handle more tasks at one time than I am. I’m always afraid someone will steal her away. I’m lucky she liked my father enough to take me on.”

“What happened to Susan?”

The smile vanished. “She retired.”

“Rather sudden, wasn’t it?”

“Some things are,” Alex replied. The words were curt and quick, indicating Alex’s wish to avoid discussing the matter. He took a long sip of the brandy. “Did you buy anything to wear to dinner?”

“No. My clothes are fine I’m not going to be wearing them much longer, anyway.”

Well, her outfits weren’t appropriate for fitting into Alex’s moneyed social circle, but her current wardrobe would have to do.

“Besides, I didn’t know you would be here. I planned on ordering room service.”

He frowned for a brief moment before his features relaxed. “I told you this morning we would have dinner together. However, we don’t need to go out. Room service will be fine. I’ll have them set the meal on the dining room table so we can eat together.”

He strode over to the phone, and a few minutes later, after consulting her as to her food preferences, had dinner ordered.

Lauren suddenly felt awkward. How long had it been since she’d had dinner with Alex? The last time had been the night she’d conceived. Wine had flowed and he’d fed grapes into her mouth one by one until the two of them had succumbed to their rising passion. Hours later they’d eaten the gourmet dinner cold for having it reheated or having new food sent up would have delayed their subsequent return to bed. Had she even slept that night?

Alex peered over at her. “Is everything okay? You look hot.”

Pregnant women always felt hot because of the extra weight they carried, but that wasn’t the reason for her flushed face and the simmering heat traveling through her. She turned her back on Alex and grabbed her purse.

“I have your money. Let me get it. Clarice charged everything. And you need to let me know when the bills come in. I have some money from my IBF separation agreement and can reimburse you.”