A BABY FOR THE BILLIONAIRE

LESLIEChampagne tasted like a mouth full of flavored acid. I didn’t get what the hype was all about.I chugged down a mouthful either way, not even caring as a few drops slipped on my peach colored peplum dress.It was the only presentable dress I had, and it would probably get ruined, but I didn’t really care.I was drawing a few stares already, and to kill my embarrassment, I grabbed another glass from a passing waiter. “What a nice bow tie you have on Sir,” I whispered loudly at him, nodding with a smile, even though he merely nodded stiffly and walked away.I threw my head back, and poured everything down my throat, coughing out a mouthful as my eyes watered.“What are you all staring at?” I shouted as the room full of elegantly dressed people hushed and turned to stare at me. “Have you never seen a drunk woman before?”I suddenly felt like laughing. Life was one weird funny game. “Well I’ve seen lots of drunk people in my life,” I snapped as Rochelle, the only sincere person in

LESLIE’S POV“What? No! No no no!” Rochelle screamed, staring at me like I had grown horns. “I knew I shouldn’t have stepped out of the house when that man came, he’s nothing but bad luck!”She’d gone last minute shopping while Jeffrey had been around, and now, she was acting as though I had taken a bad deal in her absence.I sighed. Of course she won’t understand why I just couldn’t hand over a baby to unwilling parents. “This baby is innocent in all of this you know,” I whispered. “None of this is her fault –”“And you think it’s yours?” Rochelle exploded. “Leslie, why do you keep letting people use this huge empathy of yours to manipulate you? For crying out that’s a hooker’s baby, not your responsibility!” she enunciated the last three words like she was talking to a toddler.“For all we know, that’s not even Jeffrey’s baby. That sleaze bag I know is probably too lazy to get a DNA test done.”Her eyes flashed like she’d gotten another one of her crazy ideas, then she grabbed her

MAX CRANEShe had that deer-caught-in-the-headlights look as she raised her gaze to mine. Her lips puckered into a pout, and a soft, mewing sound escaped her lips.I ran a hand through my head – probably for the hundredth time. It had been long since any woman sparked my interest to this extent, but now, her seeming oblivion to who I was irked.“I’ll ask you for the last time, who are you?”Those ocean-blue eyes widened again, giving her a sort of pixie look. Everything about her looked pixie, from the jet black hair that fell in rivulets down to her narrow waist to the heart shaped face framed by dark, sooty lashes, and dominated by her wide eyes, and cupid bow lips I could spend forever tasting.It was getting more and more obvious she wasn’t one of those million-dollar escorts paid to put up an act, she was the aunt of a baby somewhere everyone was saying was mine.The fact that she’d taken away my distraction, the only thing that took my mind off what today was should really annoy