Chapter 18

            One week later . . .

            Regina, Mika, Rachel, and Lisa were having afternoon coffee and refreshments in Regina’s den. They were having some girl talk when the doorbell rang.

            Regina was surprised to see Scott when she opened the door. “Hi.”

            “Hey,” he said with his infamous smirk. “I know you said you were spending time with your friends this afternoon, but I had to swing by to see you. Oh, and to get one of these.” Scott quickly pulled her against his hard body and pressed his lips down on hers.

Their arms encircled each other as they hungrily kissed. Scott kissed her like she was the only woman in the world, and she loved it. They were getting along wonderfully, and Clay seemed to like her too. During the past few days, she had let herself fantasize about what it would be like to live with Scott and Clay — cooking dinner for them, shopping for school supplies for Clay, and sleeping in Scott’s bed all night. Regina was surprised by new visions of the future. Just two and a half months ago, she was a miserable, about-to-be-divorced female who was going into her late thirties. Now she was a woman who had gotten swept off her feet by her contractor who had the most adorable little boy in Florida. Last night, she realized she was starting to fall in love with Scott. He was so upfront. What you saw was what you got with him.

Scott groaned as he released her lips. “Okay,” he breathed out. “I thought I could just come over for a small taste of you, but I think I might have made my yearning worse. How long are your friends going to be here?”

She giggled as she intertwined her fingers behind his neck. “I don’t know. I can usher them out if need be.”

“It may come to that,” he said as he winked at her.

            “Regina!” Rachel shouted from the den.

Scott and Regina were startled by Rachel’s urgent shouting.

“Get in here, quick!” Rachel yelled.

Regina let go of Scott and rushed to the den. Scott was right on her heels.

Regina entered the den to see Mika, Lisa, and Rachel staring at the television in awe. They were watching The Orlando Dish. It was a thirty-minute entertainment and gossip show that reported on celebrities, the hottest spots in the city, and local high society. She was about to ask what was going on until she saw and heard it.

A photograph of Scott with his hair perfectly groomed and in a three-piece suit and tie was on the big screen behind the bubbly African American female and grinning Caucasian male reporters. “Self-made billionaire Scott Kelly has been living in a small residential community here in Orlando under the alias Scott Jenkins,” the female reporter said with sparkling eyes. A picture of Scott’s house flashed on the screen behind the reporters. “The last we heard anything about Scott was seven years ago.”

“Yeah, he dropped out of sight after his nasty divorce from French model, Marlena Kelly,” the male reporter said as a picture of a pale, slim woman appeared on the big screen. She had long, dark hair past her shoulders.

Regina couldn’t close her mouth. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“I understand this guy taking a short sabbatical after losing such a beautiful woman, but seven years?” the female reporter remarked.

“Yeah, and that house. The man is worth almost two billion bucks. You’d think he would hide somewhere more . . . fabulous,” the male reporter said, enunciating the last word in a high-pitched voice.

“Yeah, like the Bahamas, or at the very least, Palm Beach,” the female reporter replied. “However, it is good news for the local single ladies that Scott lives so close, because according to our source, he is still on the market.”

“Doesn’t he have a son?”

“Yes. According to our calculations, the boy is nine years old now, and he attends Bartholomew Prep School in Orlando.”

“Shit!” Scott roared.

Everyone in the room looked at him with wide eyes.

His cheeks were crimson. He was mortified and pissed off.

            “There you go, folks, that’s all the dish for today, and we’ll see you next Friday. I’m Janelle Jones.”

            Everyone turned to look at the TV again.

            “And I’m Miles Brian.”

            “And we’re signing off,” they said in unison with big smiles on their faces.

            Scott’s cell phone rang.

            Everyone turned to look at him again in shock and awe.

            Scott pulled his phone out of his pocket and swiped his finger over the screen. “Yeah,” he snapped in a ragged tone.

            Regina and her friends glared at him as he listened to whoever was on the other end.

            “Are you kidding me?” he said with a hint of fury. Then he was quiet again for a few moments. “Thank you for handling that, but I’m coming to pick him up.” Then Scott was quiet again. “I understand, and I appreciate you calling the police, but I think it’s best if I come to pick him up early. I’ll be there in an hour.” He clicked off without saying goodbye to whoever it was. Scott glanced up at Regina as he haphazardly stuffed his phone back in his jeans’ pocket. “I have to go. There was some photographer trying to take pictures of Clay at school during recess. I’ll call you later.” He turned and strode out of the room with purpose.

            Regina turned to look at her friends.

            They stared at her with their lips parted and their eyes glazed over.

            Her sweet, simple Scott was rich. Hell, he was richer than anyone she had met. His last name was Kelly. She had heard the name Scott Kelly before. He was the owner of the largest construction firm in Florida. When Mika had gotten into real estate, she did everything she could to get a meeting with Scott Kelly. She wanted to be his realtor of choice to find him land projects, but she could never get anyone to call her back. Mika. Regina looked at her friend. “You knew, didn’t you?” she asked in an accusatory tone.

            “No!” Mika shouted defensively. “I’m just as surprised as all of you.”

            “Mika, no one knows real estate or construction around here like you do,” Rachel stated.

“I swear. I didn’t know Scott was . . . well, who he is. I only got into real estate four years ago. By that time, Scott Kelly,” she said as she formed quotation marks with her fingers, “had already dropped out of sight. I couldn’t even find a F******k page with him on it.”

            “Looks like you were had too,” Lisa stated and sipped her coffee.

            “My god, Regina, you hit the jackpot this time,” Rachel said with excitement. “And to think, I could have had him. A billionaire. Wait till Sidney finds out you’re dating a billionaire. He’ll choke on his own tie.”

            “I would love to be a fly on the wall when that cheating scum bag finds out,” Mika said.

            The ladies laughed, but Regina didn’t find it funny at all.

            Scott had lied to her – and kept on lying. He had to have coached Clay to lie as well — and his father. All this time she was calling Scott’s father Mr. Jenkins, and that wasn’t even his real name either. Regina thought she was dating a nice, simple man with a small business, and he was really a billionaire playing middle class. She didn’t know how she did it, but once again, she had gotten involved with an entitled snob who thought he could do anything he wanted. What kind of game was Scott playing with her?

            Anger and disappointment rose in her shoulders and flooded up to her forehead. “Who the hell does he think he is?” she said with heat.