2: 2
Disappointed, sure.
Nicholas Rowe had a foul temper, after all, and his eyes only ever held Penny Carver and the company's bottom line.
But he really was big.
That morning, I sat down to breakfast with him and his parents.
His mother smiled and said, "Sweetheart, you and Nicholas have been married almost a year now. Haven't you thought about a baby?"
I choked.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
I nudged Nicholas's foot under the table.
He piled a fake smile onto his face. "Mom, what's the rush?"
He picked up his plate and carried it off to the kitchen.
Suddenly I wanted to tease him, so I grabbed my phone and sent him a message:
*Baby, I want to see…*
In the kitchen, Nicholas pulled out his phone, and his face flushed red all at once.
*Wait for me.*
Then he looked up and our eyes collided.
He covered it awkwardly. "I'm going to the bathroom."
"Mm."
His mother suddenly caught my hand and said, in a voice only I could hear, "Sweetheart, I've already let that Penny Carver go. You and Nicholas need to hurry up and have a baby!"
I didn't know what to do with myself.
She dropped her voice even lower. "And if it's Nicholas who can't, then we'll get him treated right away…"
The paparazzi photos must have reached her.
She'd panicked.
She'd even started wondering whether the problem was Nicholas.
I shook my head hard. "No, no, no, he's perfectly capable."
"Good, good, that's a relief."
That photo of Nicholas had set my blood racing.
I'd nearly gotten a nosebleed.
All those nights we'd slept chastely side by side, and I hadn't felt a thing for him?!
What a waste. A real crime.
I had to find a way to seduce him.
We were shooting model photos today, so I deliberately let the strap of my chiffon nightgown slip down.
And sent it to him:
*Baby, don't I look pretty?*
Not far off, Nicholas glanced down at his phone, and his eyes went stock-still.
He shot up at once and came straight over, peeling off his jacket and draping it over me.
He growled low, "The crew's coming in any minute. Who exactly are you letting it slip down for?"
Me: "?"
Talk about wanting it both ways.
Who I was doing it for—he knew perfectly well.
He went back to his seat and replied:
*Baby, I want you so badly. When can we finally meet in person?*
Oh, Nicholas. Nicholas.
No resistance to temptation at all. One little bit of teasing and he came wagging his tail over like a dog.
But I could hardly imagine whether, if the truth ever came out, Nicholas would still be the same as he was now.
We'd become mortal enemies because I ate the love letter he'd written to the school beauty.
"With a mug like yours, you think you're good enough for the school beauty?!"
To get back at me, he'd kissed me by force right when I was confessing to the school heartthrob.
"Tch! You ugly freak! From now on, every time you confess to someone, I'll ruin it for you!"
We'd spent years tearing into each other with real passion.
Thinking about all that, I brushed him off. "We'll see."
