Always My Baby Read online

  Alexander sat back in his chair and watched China brief the family on her current findings, the initial game plan and a strict time schedule for when the official responses to the EPA claims were due, important information that he couldn’t seem to concentrate on. All he could think about was the slight sway of her hips as she walked around the room, gesturing toward the screen. The cute way her brow furrowed when she explained key details that she found troubling or confusing and the sexy way her lips curved up when she laughed. Alexander had always loved China’s laugh. He thought about the first time he’d heard it.

  * * *

  Alexander stood in line at his favorite soul-food restaurant down the street from his law school. He was reading through his emails when he heard hysterical laughter that ended with a snort. He looked around to find that it was coming from a pretty young woman without a bit of makeup on her face, wearing a white Harvard Law T-shirt, jean shorts and tennis shoes, and with her hair pulled up in a high, messy ponytail. She was holding two large books from the law library. Alexander recognized the big red sticker that ran across their spines.

  “Those aren’t supposed to be removed from the library,” he said, smiling down at the gorgeous woman.

  “Excuse me?” China stopped in her tracks, placing her free hand on her hip.

  “Those books.” He pointed with his index finger. “They aren’t supposed to be checked out of the law library. So either you stole them, or someone made an exception for you.”

  “I don’t see how either is your business,” she snapped back.

  “Spunky, I like that.” Alexander smirked.

  China rolled her eyes. “Good for you,” she said, turning her back on him.

  “I guess I’ll just have to report you...China Edwards,” he said, having read the student ID clipped to her belt.

  China quickly turned back to face him. “If you must know, they made an exception for me.”

  “I get that. People make exceptions for me all the time,” he said, laughing.

  “I won’t,” she declared confidently.

  * * *

  “No, and you still haven’t,” he murmured, breaking away from the past.

  “What was that, son?” Victoria asked.

  “Excuse me?” he replied, sitting up straighter in his chair.

  Alexander’s brothers laughed until Victoria rose slowly from her seat, her face expressionless. She walked around the table to where her firstborn sat. “Are we boring you, son? Is your mind elsewhere, perhaps?” she asked, tilting her head slightly to the side.

  Alexander sighed. “Of course not, Mother,” he replied, annoyed—not at the idea of being caught daydreaming, but at the thought that he couldn’t multitask, a fact China certainly knew firsthand. Alexander’s eyes cut to China and the corner of her mouth rose. It was as if she could read his mind.

  China came and stood next to Victoria. “Everyone has their assignments, Victoria, and as long as we all stay focused—” she patted Victoria on the shoulder “—we’ll be fine.”

  Alexander knew China was correct. Right now the business would be everyone’s priority. He would lead the day-to-day operations of their organization, while China continued to ensure that they were doing so ethically and legally.

  “I’m sure we will, my dear. Now, I have an appointment to get to. I’ll leave you to your respective jobs.” Victoria gathered her things and headed for the door.

  “I’ll walk out with you,” China said, picking up her tablet. “I have a great deal to do myself.”

  “Well, that was a total waste of time,” Morgan proclaimed, getting to his feet.

  “What are you talking about?” Brice questioned Morgan with a deep frown on his face.

  “We’re no closer to finding the bastard that got all this mess started.”

  “It’s only been a couple of days. We still have a lot to do,” Brice reminded his brother.

  “Yeah, and Mother needs to let us do it. All these update meetings that Mom likes make me crazy,” Morgan said.

  “I agree,” Alexander supported his brother.

  Brice’s brows drew together. “Why are you two acting like this is a new thing for her? Do you remember how she was when we were kids?”

  “Yeah, we couldn’t play Uno without her making sure we understood the rules of the game,” Alexander reminded them, the corner of his mouth turning up.

  “By the time we were done discussing all the rules, I didn’t want to play anymore,” Morgan confessed.

  The three brothers laughed.

  “I’m heading out to the rigs. Call me if you need me.” Morgan walked out of the room after giving both his brothers the peace sign.

  “So...” Brice said, nodding his head.

  Alexander’s phone beeped. He removed it from his pocket and read the screen. “So...what?” he asked, not looking up from his phone.

  “I see you’ve done absolutely nothing about China since we last spoke.”

  Alexander checked his watch. “You mean within the last few hours...no,” he said sarcastically.

  “Well, you’re right about one thing. China is definitely acting like things are business as usual between you two.”

  “I know, but I have a plan.” Alexander smirked.

  Brice clapped his left hand on the table and laughed. “This I have to hear.”

  Alexander’s phone beeped again and he read the message. “Sorry, little brother, I got to go. Duty calls,” he said, walking out of the conference room. You may not know it yet, but, China, you’re number one on my to-do list. I might not know what comes next, but I’m certainly willing to find out.

  * * *

  China walked past her assistant’s empty desk and into her office, where she placed her tablet on her glass-topped wooden desk before flopping down into her large white-leather wingback chair. She had barely kept it together when Alexander’s hand grazed hers. China couldn’t understand how such a benign act could have such an effect on her; she’d had difficulty breathing, her heart flipped and her head started spinning. She was just thankful she got through her presentation without making a complete fool of herself.

  China had been trying to convince herself that her night with Alexander hadn’t affected her beyond the physical, that their relationship was still on solid footing. Too bad her heart and body didn’t get that memo. “Okay, China, you’re being ridiculous, running away from Alexander like that. You work together and he’s your best friend. He may not be the best person to have a romantic relationship with, or share a child with, for that matter, but he is the closest thing you have to family. You have got to pull it together,” she said out loud.

  “China, you talking to yourself again?” her good friend Porsche asked, as she entered China’s office holding two large cups. The tall, dark-skinned beauty was a successful, high-end real estate agent and became friends with China after she’d sold her her first property several years earlier. She took the seat in front of China’s desk and handed her the drink. “Strawberry lemonade, extra sweet, just the way you like it.”

  “No, that’s just how you like it, but thanks,” China said, taking a sip. “What are you doing here, Porsche, and how did you get past Joyce?”

  “Joyce wasn’t at her desk and I was in the area showing a property. I thought I’d bring you an afternoon pick-me-up,” she explained.

  China gave Porsche a sideways glance. “Really? And this little visit has nothing to do with my lunch date with Jackson?”

  “Of course not.” Porsche took a sip of her drink. “Now if you want to tell me about it...”

  “There’s nothing to tell.” China turned to face her computer.

  “There you go, doing that evading thing you do again.” Porsche wrapped her lips around the straw and took a big pull.

  China turned back to face her friend. “What evading thing?”

  Porsche shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know—the fact that you change the subject whenever you don’t want to deal with something.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like the fact that you slept with possibly the most arrogant man in the world and you’re probably regretting it,” she stated confidently.

  “The only thing I regret is telling you about it.” China got up and quickly went to close the door.

  Porsche rolled her eyes skyward. “Then what’s wrong?” She dug through her bag and pulled out her buzzing phone. She checked her messages before placing it on the desk.

  “What makes you think anything is wrong?” China asked, returning to her seat.

  “Maybe the fact that you called me Sunday, upset and feeling guilty about having to cancel on Jackson.”

  “That was work related.”

  “We both know you were relieved that you had to cancel on Jackson. You were still reeling over having had hot, nasty sex with your so-called best friend.” Porsche’s face contorted as though she had just smelled something unpleasant.

  China placed her elbows on her desk, dropped her face into both palms and shook her head. “I still can’t believe I did it,” she said, her voice barely audible.

  “Me, either. So, what, he’s acting funny with you now?” She took another drink from her cup. “You need to be more like Rihanna and become a savage and say ‘To hell with him.’”

  China dropped her hands and met her friend’s eyes. “Not at all. It’s me. Every time he gets near me, I start to feel...funny.”

  “Oh...” Porsche gave China the side eye. “You mean horny.”

  “Yeah.” China gave her head
a small shake. “I have to get it together. I have plans that don’t include Alexander,” she proclaimed as her door opened.

  “Someone call my name?”

  Chapter 6

  Porsche stood and folded her arms across her chest. “You must’ve misunderstood while you were clearly ear hustling.”

  Alexander mimicked Porsche’s stance and smiled. “It’s always good to see you, too, Porsche...and I wasn’t eavesdropping,” he said matter-of-factly. Alexander was fighting the desire to kiss that worried look off China’s face.

  China’s eyes widened when Porsche dropped her hands to her hips. She rose and quickly came around her desk to stand next to her volatile friend. “What can I do for you, Alexander?” she asked.

  “I thought we could talk.”

  “You thought wrong.” Porsche’s eyebrows came to attention. “You’re on my time, and we both know how you feel about doing things in a timely manner.”

  Not this again. I really thought we’d gotten past this.

  Porsche was still angry at Alexander for pulling out of a real estate project because she couldn’t move the deal forward within his required time frame. A time frame Porsche thought was arbitrary and ridiculous; the loss had caused her to miss a self-imposed goal.

  Alexander placed his right hand over his heart. “I apologize for my rude interruption,” he said, offering both women a wide smile.

  “Not accepted.” Porsche returned to her chair, picked up her phone and started going through her messages.

  “Ignore Captain Petty over there. Did you need something in particular?”

  “Yes, I’d like to have dinner with my friend tonight, if you’re available?”

  “As a matter of fact she’s not,” Porsche volunteered with a half grin. “She has plans already.” Porsche turned her attention back to her phone.

  “Come on, Porsche, this is important. I’m sure you wouldn’t mind rescheduling. I’d owe you one.” As much as Alexander hated to give her the upper hand, it was a sacrifice he was willing to make in order to spend an evening alone with China.

  “Actually—” Porsche looked up, smiling “—I’m not her date tonight,” she advised him proudly, crossing her arms and legs. “I’m pretty sure the gorgeous hunk she is seeing tonight won’t be giving up his time with her, either.”

  “Porsche, please...” China said.

  “Date? You have another date?” Alexander asked, unable to hide the surprise in his voice but trying to keep his anger in check.

  “Yes, and why are you looking at me like that? I do date, remember.” China crossed her arms across her chest, a move that had Alexander’s body responding in a way he wished it wouldn’t in that moment.

  Keep it in check, man. The last thing you need to do is push China further away. “How could I forget?” He placed his hands in his pockets.

  “Seems to me like you keep trying,” Porsche chimed in.

  Alexander frowned and glared at Porsche. “Can you give us—”

  “Nope. My time, remember?”

  “I really wish you two would stop acting like a couple of rival teenagers,” China declared.

  “She started it,” Alexander said, knowing how ridiculous he sounded.

  “Did not,” Porsche defended herself.

  They stared at each other in silence. China returned to her desk and took a seat. She placed her hands on her desk, one over the other. “Alexander, we both have a lot of work to do and I should get back to it. As for dinner, I have to take a rain check.”

  “Fine. Goodbye, Porsche,” Alexander said before turning to leave.

  “Boy bye,” she said.

  * * *

  China took a deep breath before releasing it slowly. She turned her attention to her friend. “Do you have to do that?” She frowned.

  “Do what?” Porsche asked, offering her a sheepish look.

  “Push his buttons like that. And since when did you start using colloquialisms?” Her frown deepened.

  “Since now. Besides, he deserves my contempt,” she insisted.

  “Why? Because of one blown business opportunity? One that would have made you peanuts compared to the ones you’ve made before and since, several of which were referrals Alexander made to you.”

  “Your point?” Porsche sat with her arms crossed like a defiant child.

  “My point is...get over it.”

  Porsche sighed and dropped her arms. “I just hate that he wouldn’t admit that his timeline was ridiculous and inflexible. He has yet to apologize for the fact that I missed my goals.”

  China sat back in her chair and shook her head. “First off, his timeline for that deal was tight, which was not ridiculous, and it certainly wasn’t flexible. There were a number of things built around it so it couldn’t have been changed.”

  “He could have—”

  “Let me finish.” China held up her hand. “Second, your so-called missed sales goals—” she emphasized with air quotes “—were not a real miss and we both know it. Finally, all those referrals he sent you after that deal—I believe there were five—was his way of apologizing.” China tilted her head and raised her left eyebrow before turning to face her computer.

  Porsche stood and collected her things. “I guess you might have a small point there. I should let you get back to work.”

  “I’ll call you later.” China continued to run her fingers across her computer keys.

  “Okay.” Porsche stood at China’s door. “What’s the name of that expensive-ass whiskey you two drink?”

  “Black Label, why?” she asked, a slow smile crawling across her face.

  Porsche shifted her weight from one leg to the other. “I thought I might send Alexander a bottle. You know, just as a thank-you for the referrals.”

  China smirked. “Of course.”

  * * *

  Feeling angry, jealous and somewhat out of control, Alexander returned to his office. He walked through the lounge over to his bar and poured himself a drink. The golden liquid had no time to rest in the crystal glass. Alexander tossed it back so fast he barely felt the taste of the whiskey on his tongue. He gripped the empty glass so tight that it shattered in his hand. Alexander wasn’t sure if it was the breaking of the glass or the sight of his own blood that surprised him more.

  “Dammit!” He dropped what was left of his glass in the trash and quickly retrieved the pieces that had dropped to the floor and discarded them, as well. He went over to his bathroom to nurse his injury. After bandaging his hand, Alexander returned to his bar and poured himself another drink.

  “Well, I guess it’s close enough to five o’clock,” a voice called from behind him. “Pour me one, too.” Brice stood next to Alexander’s desk holding a couple of file folders, his body angled toward the lounge.

  Alexander dropped his shoulders and didn’t bother to look up from his pouring. “Neat?”

  “It’s whiskey,” Brice said, as though that was the most ridiculous question he’d ever heard.

  Alexander walked over to his desk, handed his brother a glass and took his seat. “Are those the tax summaries?” He pointed to the folders that now sat on the edge of his desk with his glass.

  “Yeah. What happened to your hand?” Brice took a drink from his glass and sat down in front of his brother’s desk.

  “Nothing. How do we look?” he forced himself to ask. Alexander knew he had to focus on work; otherwise he’d be back in China’s office, demanding that she tell him about her date. This behavior was completely out of character but seemed to be his norm lately. Alexander knew if he wanted to make a clear and rational decision about how to move his relationship with China forward, he had to get off the emotional rollercoaster he was on.

  “That hand doesn’t look like nothing to me and we’re good as always.”

  “Did the last of the expenses for the Smerconish land deal get entered in time to be included in the summary?” Alexander’s jaw tightened.

  “Are you seriously asking me that question...about my job?” Brice’s eyes bored into his brother. “Of course, and all I need is for you and Mom to sign off on the summaries. As soon as you do, we’ll start the electronic submission process. Our first-quarter taxes will be submitted with time to spare.”