“It's a no-brainer, Raven.” Cindy looks at me like I'm daft for even thinking about rejecting Carol's offer. I can't blame her. Even I can't believe that I'll probably say no to it.
“I'm already settled in at The Billionaires Club.” I slump back in my chair, listening to the sound of Cindy peeling potatoes in the background. Despite my encouraging words about her diet, she still hasn't gotten back on track with it. Tonight, we're having green chili stew, and I've asked for a serving of advice on the side.
I'm hoping that the fact that she's the closest thing I have to a mother now will help make her words steer me in the right direction—the direction I already know I should be heading in. Sometimes, the mind is weaker than the heart.
Cindy slices up the potato she just peeled, not even looking up at me while she talks. “You're settled in at a non-profit organization. You won't have the same earning potential there as you would at Hudson.”
“I know. The salary they offered me is a lot more as it is.”
“And a better position,” she reminds me.
“And a better position.” I try not to roll my eyes as she lists off things I already know.
“And it's at a company where you won't have to worry about picketers or other hatemongers trying to harm you.”
“And there's that.” I inhale deeply. That was one thing I hadn't considered. In truth, there are far more perks than downsides to taking the position.
“But you're worried about what will happen with you and Croix.” She catches onto the real reason for my hesitation.
“I think he would be upset if I took the position.” Especially if he found out that I lied to him about being sick.
“Fuck him.”
“What?” I let out a short laugh.
She pushes the sliced potato off of her cutting board into a frying pan. “Men come and go, Raven. This is your future we're talking about. A better future than you could ever have at The Billionaires Club. If he doesn't understand why you'd want to take the job, then he's not good for you anyway. You should be with someone who wants to see you excel at life—not someone who holds you back.”
“It's more complicated than that,” I sigh. “Croix doesn't even know I went to that interview today.”
“Listen, Raven. Don't let your attachment to this man mess up your life. You remember what happened when you put all of your eggs in the Derrick basket.”
It's an unwelcome warning. I still don't regret working for Derrick. My brief time at Club Diamond gave me the experience that I needed to land the job at The Billionaires Club. Without it, I'd probably be working some lower management position somewhere. Before I met Croix, I knew that The Billionaires Club would just be a stepping stone for me as well. Carol was right. The only reason I'm even working there is because it's the only place that would give me a chance in an assistant director position. Now I've been given another chance. A better chance. A chance at the stable life that I need. I can't let that go just because I'm worried about the feelings of a man who might not even still be in my life a year from now.
***
“What do you think?” I hold out the hanger with the lingerie that I'm planning to wear tonight, showing it to Cindy.
Her eyes break away from the television for a few seconds, but she doesn't really seem interested. “Cute.”
“Do you think it's sexy enough?” I scrunch up my nose, looking it over. It's a black baby doll with pink trim. The entire thing is made of sheer lace.
“Most men don't care about the packaging. They just want what's underneath it,” she replies absentmindedly.
I frown. “This was your idea.”
“What was?” her voice fades as the commercial ends. She's getting sucked back into the cooking show she's been watching. I've just about lost her.
“Wearing lingerie for Croix's birthday.” I plop down on the sofa beside her. “That's tonight, you know. Needless to say, I won't be home.”
“Good for him.”
I sigh, annoyed that she's not really listening to me. I want to talk about how wonderful the day has been and how great I hope the night will go. It started with me buying breakfast tacos. At lunch, I took Croix to his favorite restaurant. On our last break, we cut the birthday cake I bought him. I finished off the workday by giving him a blowjob under his desk. Croix seemed to really appreciate that, gazing down at me lustfully. When he tried to hike up my skirt to get more intimate afterward, I had to slap his hand away, telling him that more would be coming later. He probably assumed that meant after we hang out with Raj tonight, but I have other plans. We're not supposed to meet at the club until 9 PM. I'm going to show up two hours early to give him his actual birthday present, a wristwatch I bought him and birthday sex. I'm going to show up on his doorstep with nothing on but a coat and this lingerie. I want to pounce on him as soon as he opens the door and rock his world. If he wants to have sex after the club, we can do that too.
“I hope he likes it.” I work the fabric between my fingertips.
“I'm sure he will.”
“Good. Because I want to give him a birthday that he'll never forget.”
***
I pull up to Croix's beach house wearing a smile and not much else. A brown trench coat conceals the lingerie beneath. My hair is pulled up into a French twist so that I can do a sexy take down move after I open the trench coat. My makeup is severe with smokey eyes and blood red lips. I was rather pleased with the overall look when I checked myself out in the mirror before leaving my house. There's no doubt in my mind that Croix will like it.
As I make my way up his driveway, my legs feel shaky. I'm nervous, mostly because I want tonight to be perfect, but also because I know that the fantasy will end tomorrow. In the morning, hopefully without a hangover, I'll have a discussion with Croix about the job offer from Hudson Paragon Solutions. Knowing that it's coming makes me a bit uneasy, but I'm determined to get through the night without him suspecting anything.
I stand in front of the door to his house and straighten out my trench coat, taking a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. It's almost a full minute before I hear footsteps padding toward the door. They're unexpectedly urgent, like someone running.
For a second, when the door opens, it's as if no one is there. Then my eyes fall to a little girl. She's wearing a rainbow-stripped bathing suit and an ear to ear grin. Her shoulder-length brown hair and dark eyes look very familiar, but I know I've never seen this child before in my life.
“Hi,” she chirps at me.
“Hi,” I respond hesitantly. “Is Croix here?”
“Are you here to see my daddy?” She puts her hands behind her back and sways from side to side. She can't be older than seven.
Her daddy? Croix never mentioned having kids, but I'm not dumb enough to think that she's talking about anyone else. My mood dips as I realize this is something he's kept a secret from me. It's his birthday, though, so I can't allow it to ruin our night. We can discuss it later, like my job offer. Besides, she's as cute as a button, and she obviously doesn't live with him, or I would have found out about her by now.
“Yeah,” I exhale a breath, trying not to sound upset. “I think I'm here to see your daddy.”
“He's in here.” She takes my hand, leading me into the house. “What's your name?”
“It's Raven. What's yours?”
“Pleased to meet you, Raven. My name is Beverly.” There's an upward lilt to her voice. She's so adorable that I can't help but grin.
I'm not really sure how I feel about Croix having a kid. To be honest, I'm not a fan of children. I've never pictured them in my future, but if I were to have them, I'd want them with a man who didn't have any. Baby momma drama definitely isn't appealing.
Beverly lets go of my hand as we near the kitchen. She breaks into a skip, and my pace quickens to catch up to her. The second we reach the kitchen, I stop dead in my tracks. The smile that I was wearing drops and takes my heart with it. Croix is standing by the refrigerator, and there's another woman in his arms. It looks like his daughter isn't the only thing he's been hiding from me.