Touched by a Phoenix (8 page)

Alexandria would be a wild one to tame but she would be so worth the effort. He just needed to play his cards right.

He decided to go on a fishing expedition. “So tell me about the gym.”

He had seen her there a few weeks ago. She had been kicking the hell out of the bag. He had watched from a distance for a while—she was athletic and lean. Still, he had been shocked to see her working on such intense fighting skills. He thought between the element of surprise and her skill, she would get the best of most men. At least he understood her flexibility now.

“Well…,” she puzzled on what to say for a moment. “I swim, work out with free weights, and kick box.”

“Kick box, you have got to be kidding me. Whatever for?”

“Father taught me how to fight when I was younger and I enjoy the challenge, so I continued with training.”

Her tone was strained and said volumes. His gut told him there was much more to it than she was willing to reveal and it would be wise to let it go for now.

“Alexandria, don’t take this the wrong way, but you are an incredible dancer.” His intense gaze told her that he meant it as a sincere compliment.

“Thank you.”

“So why didn’t you pursue some sort of career in dance?”

“Dance is a passion but doesn’t pay the bills.”

“I see. Why do you still do it then?”

“It is my time to be free.”

“Do you still take lessons?”

“Sort of. I go to the studio a couple evenings a week and dance. Depending on the dance, my former instructor will act as my partner.”

“Out of curiosity, you mentioned Latin, contemporary, and belly dancing. Can you do all of those?”

“Yes.”

“What is…what did you call it.
Show
dance?
”

“It’s modified ballroom, you know with all the lifts and things.”

“Wow, you never cease to amaze me. If I were to promise to behave, would you grace me with another dance before dinner arrives?” The apprehension crept into her eyes; he interjected quickly, “Just a slow dance.”

She eyed him long and hard before softly replying, “Yes.”

“May I pick the music this time?”

She arched her eyebrow, but before she could protest, Brad said, “I promised to behave.”

He swiped the tablet and held out his hand for her to take it. He tried to hide the elation as his heart skipped a beat. He was sure Alexandria had already had one too many glasses of wine, which allowed her to be more open than normal. He planned to take advantage of the situation. If he managed to get her in his arms a few more times this evening, he might well achieve his goal.

Alexandria hesitated. Was he serious? She wasn’t sure if it was the wine or his kiss that caused her to reach for his hand. Her hand in his, he led her to a more private area of the pier. He then searched the Internet for “Beneath Your Beautiful” and hit play.

He took her into his arms. She fit perfectly against him as he breathed in the exotic smell of her perfume, soft and delicate like her, but magical. The words to the song were perfect to describe Alexandria, elusive and cool, yet delicate and beautiful. He wondered what had caused her to barricade herself behind a solid wall of steel. Wondered if anyone would ever be able to scale the enormous height and if so, would what they beheld entwine their destinies forever? He thought about her dancing for him earlier; she was exquisite, but somehow nestled against him, he wanted more than one night with her. God, she was intoxicating.

The waiter interrupted them, “I’m sorry sir, but your dinner is being served.”

Brad cursed under his breath as he hissed, “Thank you.”

His gentle hand on the small of her back, he led Alexandria back to their table. As they dined, Brad continued his line of questioning trying to get his mind off her seductive and tantalizing dancing. “How did you come to be so at ease with every aspect of AAS?”

“I spent my entire life at work.”

His eyebrow rose in curiosity, “What do you mean?”

“I mean since before I can remember. I grew up knowing pretty much everything going on. It’s my life.”

Her simple answers told him so much more than she probably meant to. It explained a lot; she didn’t know any other way.

“So what made you decide to be a lawyer?”

“I like to argue and I like to win,” she said matter-of-factly.

“
Hmm,
yes I’ve had the privilege of witnessing some of those arguments. Believe you me, I don’t want to be on the receiving end of them.”

She laughed at the exaggerated expression on his face, “I’m not all that bad.” In a much lower tone, she added, “Unless you are trying to screw with the company.”

“So tell me….”

Alexandria put her hand up. “I believe you have exceeded the number of questions allowed for any one night.”

Brad held up both hands as if to say you win. “Okay, okay but would it be too much to ask you if you would like dessert?”

She smirked at him for his additional question. He was worse than she; perhaps he should have been an attorney, he always had to get the last word in. “Dessert,” she grinned impishly. “Do we have time?”

“My dear, we have all night if you’d like,” he called for the waiter.

“Yes sir,” the young man said in the most pleasant tone.

“We’d like dessert, if you don’t mind. What would you suggest?” an amused smile spread across his lips.

“Well sir, we have several delicious desserts on the menu. Are you interested in something with chocolate?”

Alexandria quickly piped in, “Oh no thank you. If I remembered correctly, I saw Key Lime Pie on the menu.”

The young man beamed, “Yes ma’am, you sure did.”

Alexandria smiled brightly at him, “I’ll take the Key Lime, please.”

Brad shrugged his shoulders. “Sounds good to me—make it two. Oh and son, would you bring us a fresh pot of coffee while you’re at it?”

“Yes, sir.” He dashed off.

Brad sipped on his glass of wine while they waited for dessert. He noticed that Alexandria had begun to fidget nervously again. He thought that perhaps he should restrict her wine intake for the remainder of the evening. If he did, what would it do to his plans for tonight? He was torn. He wanted her sober, yet he wanted her pliable.

She had appeared uncomfortable at various times throughout the day. He wondered if it was the closeness between them earlier or if his line of questioning put her out of her comfort zone. She had not shared any real information with him during any of their trips—yet, today she had spoken volumes. Oh, he had learned a lot by what she had not said but today—today he had learned so much more. One, she was attracted to him. He had felt her tremble in his arms at the beach and when he kissed her. Two, she answered all of his questions this evening, which meant she was willing to share.

“Alexandria, you’ve been fidgeting for a while. Is there something we need to discuss?”

“Yes, no, oh heavens…I don’t know.”

“Just spit it out.” As he took a sip of wine.

“Okay, I want your sperm,” she blurted out.

Brad involuntarily spewed his wine across the deck railing. A violent fit of coughing shook his chest. Once he caught his breath, he almost screamed,
“You want
what!”

“You heard me, I want your sperm.”

“I know I did not hear you correctly,” he sputtered.

“Brad, how many times do I need to say it? I want your sperm to make a baby.”

“I know what it’s for!” She has definitely had too much to drink, he thought. He tried to gather his wits as he observed the seriousness on Alexandria’s face. No, oh my God, she is serious!

“What the hell. How, no forget the how. Let’s start with the why?”

Alexandria flushed from head to toe. She was sure the other couple sitting on the deck could hear them. She bowed her head trying to hide her embarrassment.

“No need to be shy now,” his excitable tone gave away the shock at her question.

“Well, how do I explain…?”

“Perhaps you should start at the beginning,” Brad snapped.

“Brad, I…well….”

“Alexandria,” he just about roared.

“Brad, I haven’t made time for a relationship. I would love to start a family but until I find Mr. Right, I will not settle for second-best.”

“Take out an ad.”

“My God, you sound just like Phillip!”

“Well isn’t that just ducky, at least we have something in common,” he said smugly.

“Men, you just don’t understand.”

Brad took a couple of deep breaths. He noticed the waiter returning with their dessert and coffee. As the kid reached the table, he belted, “Bring me a Scotch on the Rocks…make it a double!”

The minute the young man walked away, he commanded, “Okay, Alexandria, start talking.”

“I would like to have a child and since I don’t foresee it happening in the traditional manner, I had to come up with an alternative plan.”

“And you couldn’t come up with anything better than asking for my sperm?”

“I checked into adoption but that could take years of searching and heartbreak. So, I researched alternatives and came across artificial insemination.”

The waiter returned with his drink. He downed it and told him to bring another.

“Brad, stop, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“What the hell do you mean by it’s not that big of a deal? It’s a hell of a big deal!” his voice became more excitable with each word he spoke.

“It’s not necessary for you to be involved. I simply need your sperm,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“I got that part.” His brows furrowed together, “Why me?”

“You’re kidding right?”

“No, why me,” he insisted. He could not believe what he was hearing. The sweet princess—the almighty Alexandria Saunders needed something from him and not just something—the one thing that made him who he was.

“Stop yelling, people are watching,” she said in a hushed tone.

“Alexandria. Talk…now.”

“Okay, okay, but stop yelling.”

“Fine,” he growled.

“The sperm banks allow you to choose specific IQ, complexion, hair color, etc. They say the sperm is free from genetic defects, and all, but I don’t trust them.”

“Yeah, yeah, so why me?”

“Brad…,” she closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath to steel her nerves. “You possess all the qualities that I would want for my child. You are intelligent and well educated,” her demeanor was so innocent and naïve as she finished, “and well…uh, you are quite handsome, but most importantly, I trust you. It’s just that simple.”

“Did I hear you say that you thought I was handsome?” Oh, he was going to enjoy this.

“My God, is that all you got out of it?” she asked sarcastically.

“No, I got the part about intelligent and educated, but that wasn’t nearly as interesting.” His expression sobered. “Wait, did you say that you trusted me? Alexandria, do you realize what you said?” his voice softened to a hushed whisper. He could not believe it. Alexandria did not trust anyone. He placed his arms on the table and leaned forward. “Alexandria, did I hear you say you trusted me?”

“Oh for heaven’s sake, yes, I said I trust you.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know; I just do.”

“Oh hell, no you don’t. You are not getting away with that answer! Spill it…now!”

“I don’t…it has been building all along, but yesterday…well I wasn’t sure I was going to sign the paperwork for Bio-Space. It didn’t seem right to buy people so-to-speak, but something—everything in your eyes told me that you would get it done, that I could trust you.”

He didn’t speak. His intense gazed burned into hers—a silent gaze, pulling her into him—to drown in his dark pools…connecting them in a depth of warmth and closeness. His gaze called her to him. Her body consented willingly to all that she tried to hide. He was dangerous, yet absolutely irresistible. Brad reached out to caress her face, touching her cheek….

The young waiter interrupted the moment. “Sir, ma’am, may I get you anything else?”

“Yes, bring me another drink,” he barked.

“Can we get back to my question now?” she asked unevenly. She desperately needed to divert her own thoughts before—before…what?

His thoughts in chaos—his body in shambles, he couldn’t think straight. “How the hell would I give you my sperm without making love to you?”

She turned blood red. “No, no, not that way. We would go to a fertility clinic.”

“A…a…what?”

“We would go to a specialized clinic that does this sort of thing. You would go into a room and produce your um…you know.”

He reared back in his chair; lifted his head towards the heavens and let his eyes roll into the back of his head. “You want me to do
what?
”

“Please be serious for a minute.”

“Alexandria, I am as serious as I have ever been. You want me to go to a cold, sterile room where everyone is fully aware of why I’m there and what I’m doing, and you want me to produce sperm…
Johnny
on the spot.”

“Fine, just forget it, Brad.”

Wasn’t this what he wanted? Getting this woman into bed had been at the forefront of his mind for months, and now she was offering herself up on a silver platter. Well, sort of. He would just have to convince her to make a baby the old fashioned way and not in some damn clinic.