All Chapters of The Billionaire's Secret Baby : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

“You’re kidding. You’re the only guy I know who likes to hear the bad news first.”“Well, I guess Iama realist.”“Pessimist is more like it. Well, here’s the bad news. I’m down two waitresses at theOrchid.”“Holy cow. How did that happen?”“Well, one of the floor waitresses has broken her leg. Cherise has gone to see her at the hospital.”“Oh heck. And the other?”“She quit. Says she’s got a baby on the way.”“Typical,” I said. “Well, can’t be helped, I suppose. She actually quit?”“Yeah, Marla. You know, the wine pro? Her boyfriend’s Arnie Arlington. Runs that fancy cocktail bar on Lexington?”“Right. I thought so. So, who do we know who can serve tables and knows a bit about wine?”“Well, I’m coming to the good news. I saw a lady today who’d be absolutely perfect for this job. Only, she doesn’t seem too keen to come and work for me after that business on the stairs this afternoon.”I groaned. “You mean Lola, don’t you.”“That’s the one. Hey, ‘Lex?”“Yeah?”“I know this ain’t my busi

I had to respect his commitment, his attention to detail. And it wasn’t like I was being paid badly. The money I was making was allowing me to give Macy things I’d never dreamed of before. Finally she had a new coat, new sneakers. I was able to give her money for school trips and music lessons. If I was careful about my spending, we were even going to be able to fly home to Wisconsin this Christmas, see my folks, who hadn’t seen Macy since she was four. I poured my money into my daughter, finally able to give her a taste of what she deserved. And proud of it. But in doing so, I had to put up with Alex. The handsome billionaire, asshole who always managed to put a downer on my day.But back to the important issue at hand—by which, I mean, the shoes.After Alex had told me about them for the twentieth time, I went out and got myself a brand new pair of Penelope Chilvers loafers. I could feel a tingle of excitement as I came in that day.All morning I waited for Alex to show up. When he

“Sounds good,” said Luca. “I’ll have the same. And maybe a bottle of something?” He looked at me as if I had a suggestion.“I’m fine,” I said tersely. I’d noticed that Luca’s account at the restaurant had been growing recently, including an outrageous order for a bottle of Dom Perignon last week. I knew he liked to show off to his buddies—all less successful than him—but I thought it would be good for both of us if we had a clear head. “Let’s just have water,” I said when Cherise came to take our order.“Oh, come on,” he said. “You can’t have lunch without wine.”“One glass,” I said.“’Lex, ‘Lex,” he said, chuckling. “You treat me like a kid sometimes, huh? When are you going to let me make some of the big decisions? I’m the same age as you, huh? Don’t I deserve to be making my own billions, some day?”“You’re a smart guy, Luca,” I said. “So you tell me: which of the two gets to make the decisions. The guy who has a 65% stake inThe Blue Orchid, or the guy who has a 20% stake?”Luca gr

“I guess. I just hate to waste it. Look, they’ve had enough to drink already.”I glanced over surreptitiously at the table. Through the crowded restaurant, I could see the booth where Luca and his friends were sat. Their faces were red and they were laughing loudly. Luca was telling one of his crass, dirty stories about something that happened in Vegas, while they sipped oysters and looked at the menu.I couldn’t stand watching people throw money around like that. My twenties had been nothing if not a struggle to make ends meet: first as a musician, and then caring for Macy. And even if my salary at theOrchidwas good, it wasn’t exactly like a single mother waitressing in New York was ever going to bethatwealthy. I looked up at the ice bucket sitting on the side, the bottle with its gold label gleaming in the low light.“That bottle is like half my week’s salary,” I muttered.I watched the champagne get carted over to Luca’s table, where Carrie, one of the waitresses, opened it. Luca y

Alex“How’souremployeeofthe month doing?” said Zeke.“Uh, she’s fine,” I said. I was just finishing some work up in the office while Zeke went down and did the briefing for the evening. Lola was still distraught from Luca’s threats.I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t seen this side of his personality before. It was like a completely different person had appeared from under the good-humored mask he wore.It seemed to prove everything I knew about human nature. Despite the fact that some people might seem nice, might seem good-natured, they were ultimately fickle. People could change at the drop of a hat especially when you found them out.“I’m gonna take Lola home,” I told him.“All right,” said Zeke. “I’m gonna stick around here for a bit.”I went down to the staff lounge, where Lola was drying her eyes and sipping a cup of coffee. “How are you doing?” I said.“I’m okay,” Lola said as she stood up.But I could see from the look in her eyes, her lightly-stained mascara, that she wasn’t o