TWENTY NINE

The leaked photo made me realize I have some loose ends to tie up and they needed to be resolved immediately before anything else gets out. Thanks to Aliyah and her little striptease, what should have been my relaxing shower ended up being a cold one. I have business to take care of and I can’t do it with an aching erection. My mind races as I sit down at the desk in my home office and dial the private number that has come in handy on several occasions before.

“What’s going on, boss?” asks Nathan.

I wanted to place the call to the head of my security department while I was still home. Not to say I’m paranoid, but the last thing I need is for anyone to overhear and sell the job I’m about to give Nathan to the media. They’re already hot on my heels and out for blood by any means necessary. At least at home, I know for sure my line is secure, and there’s no risk of being exposed. I wouldn’t trust this task in anyone else’s hands other than Nathan’s. He’s been my right-hand man behind the scenes for a very long time.

“Well,” I begin, nervously tapping the desk. “I need you to check on something for me and, naturally, I want to keep it as private as possible. This needs to be discreet and resolved quickly.”

“Just a second, let me grab a notepad,” Nathan interrupts me. “All right, go ahead.”

I inhale and let the breath out in one slow steady stream. “Some eighteen months ago, I dated Romina Martez. It was a brief relationship, if you can even call it that, and she quickly moved on to my friend Jonas Vanguard. The problem is, there’s a child involved named Andrew, and no matter how many times I go over the dates, the timeframe still leaves me with some doubts.”

There, finally. I got this burden off my chest to somebody else. I still need to break the news to Aliyah, but I need all the facts first.

“I asked Romina about Andrew’s paternity when I first learned of her pregnancy, but she basically blew me off and assured me that Andrew wasn’t my problem. She said Jonas was going to take care of them both and I let it go.”

I hear Nathan flip the page over in his notebook and I pause for a moment to let him catch up.

“I need to know for sure,” I explain. “His paternity could derail other things going on in my life and I can’t live with the doubt any longer. If he’s my son, I want to be in his life and take care of him, but if he’s not my son, I want to know that too. The facts are important, so I need to make sure I have all of them before I possibly ruin my current relationship.”

“Leave it to me, boss,” says Nathan. “I’ll discreetly consider everything and find out Andrew’s paternity. I just need to do a surveillance and figure out their daily schedule.”

“Would it help if I get something with his DNA? Something like his hair, perhaps?” I ask. “Time is of the essence and I want to move this along as quickly as possible.”

“Sure,” says Nathan. “If you can get close enough to get his hair, that would be great. It’ll help me out tremendously since I won’t have to trail him and wait for the right opportunity. Once you get the sample, I’ll send it over to my lab connections and sort this thing out for you.”

I push my chair back from desk and stand up. “All right. As soon as I have it, I’ll let you know because I need this test to be top priority.”

“No problem. I’ve got it covered, so don’t worry about a thing. I’ll be in touch if I’m able to gather any pertinent information beforehand,” says Nathan.

“Before I let you go, I have one more favor to ask,” I say.

“Go for it. I’m all ears.”

“I take it you’ve seen the photo of me and Ms. Delos Reyes circulating all over the internet…”

Nathan clears his throat several times and takes a deep breath. “Yes, sir. I’ve seen it.”

“That’s a problem. There’s nothing I can do about the photo, but I want you to take whatever you need from my emergency account and make sure that no one will leak Aliyah’s identity. The cost is a non-factor. I don’t care if they hound me, but I want her left out of it. I’m lucky they didn’t get a clear shot of her face.”

“Like I said before, I’ve got it covered. Ms. Delos Reyes is in good hands and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her information from getting into the wrong hands.”

Even though I pay Nathan handsomely to be available whenever I need him, I think he deserves a bonus for all the extra work I’ve asked of him lately.

We say our goodbyes, I take a quick shower, and grab my briefcase as I make my way out the door and down to my car. Amelia has been calling nonstop, demanding I come in and take care of some of the paperwork I’ve been blowing off for these past week. In truth, I think she just wants help battling the influx of phone calls coming in.

“Take me to the office, Ed,” I say.

He nods and closes the door once I’ve settled into the back seat.

I wait for him to get into the driver’s seat. “Last night, did you see any photographers hanging around the gallery?” I ask.

Ed glances up at me in the rearview mirror. “No, sir. I saw the picture first thing this morning and I hate that it happened, especially on my watch. While I’m no Nathan, I do try to look over your shoulder when we’re out, Mr. Delgado. If I would have seen anybody hanging around taking photos, you know I would have gotten rid of them for you.”

“I know,” I say, acknowledging his use of my formal name, a clear indication of the seriousness if I’d missed it in his tone.

I sigh and stare out the window for a few moments before my vibrating cell phone grabs my attention. The number isn’t saved, but the digits do look vaguely familiar.

“Hello?”

“Well, hello there,” says a seductive and inviting voice.

My jaw tenses immediately and the urge to throw my phone out the window causes my fingertips to tingle.

Romina.

“Hello, Romina. How can I help you?”

“It’s been a while,” she says. “I thought I would give you a call and see how things are going.”

I loosen my tie and shake my head. “Great. Everything is great.”

She must have seen the photo and put the pieces of the puzzle together, because there’s no way this is a coincidence.

“What have you been up to lately?” she asks.

“Not much,” I say. “Listen, I’m heading into my office and can’t really talk right now. I’m doing well, and I hope you are too. Take care.”

I end the call before she has the chance to utter another word.

Shit.

I’ve been lucky up to this point but I think that’s about to come to an end. I need to get my hands on a DNA sample from Andrew as soon as possible. The least I can do is ensure Aliyah he’s not my kid. That should at least give her a silver lining.

What if Romina says something to Aliyah before I do?

I reach for my phone and consider dialing Aliyah’s number. Even though I don’t have the paternity test, I can still explain what went down with Romina. But I really don’t want to come clean without the proof. I know the minute I mention our past, the timeframe will come off suspicious. Before Aliyah has a chance to suspect anything or jump to conclusions, I want to have all the answers available.

For now, I’ll have to bide my time until I get the information I need, or until Romina says something. How did I get mixed up in such a mess? The tabloids and gossips sites will have a field day if they find out about this faux love triangle.

We pull up in front of my building to a sea of reporters posted outside. I’m met with a firestorm of questions as soon as I open the car door.

“Who’s the mystery lady?”

“Is it serious?!”

“Are you officially off the market?”

“Mr. Delgado!”

I keep the expressionless look on my face as I wade through the reporters, microphones and cameras.

“Make sure you all do not cross this line!” I hear Ed yell behind me as I turn around to face the crowd. I point down at the clearly marked line indicating where my private property ends and where the public property begins.

I made sure a long time ago to clearly indicate how far the press can come onto my property and the second one of them crosses the line, they’ll be arrested for trespassing without question.

I stroll into the building without giving a statement about the picture or my relationship status.

They’re like vultures, so I know they’re going to keep hanging around, fighting for the tiniest morsel of information.

Amelia meets me at the elevator as soon as it opens to my floor. Her face is red and she’s fanning herself with a stack of papers.

“Thank goodness you made it!” she says, out of breath. “This stress is giving me hot flashes, and I’m in no mood for any of this nonsense today. Did you get rid of the swarm of reporters downstairs?”

“No,” I answer absentmindedly, walking into my office as I struggle to focus my mind on business. “I did show them the line though.”

Amelia shakes her head while rolling her eyes. “You and that damn line. You do realize that just keeps them off your property, but doesn’t make them go away, right? I can’t even make it out the building for lunch without them surrounding me with questions.”

I smile as I set my briefcase down on my desk. Amelia has been around for several of my media explosions in the past, so I know she’s familiar with the drill. I also know she’s using them as an excuse to order food for delivery from her favorite restaurant.

“Well, Amelia, I can’t handle the thought of you missing your lunch because of those reporters, so why don’t you order something on your company card,” I say.

I catch the smile on her face out of the corner of my eye.

“I already have.” she says. “You go have a seat so you can start reviewing those proposals I put on your desk.”

“Yes, ma’am. You’re the boss,” I say.