The Billionaire's Secret Baby(27)

Allen came into Roman's office two days after he returned, and he looked extremely frustrated.



"What can I do for you?" Roman asked him.



Allen sat in the chair opposite Roman and leaned back in it, lifting his hand to his head. "I hate to ask you to do anything; you just got back and you're still healing, but I don't really have a choice anymore."



Roman's brow furrowed. "What is it?"

Allen sighed dramatically. "It's Denise. She has been hounding Carmen and Edward again, and the Senator said to me just now that he loves the boat and he wants to get it, but they feel that they will have to pass on the deal. And that’s because they don't want to have to be around Denise at all. She seems like she is a package deal with the boat.



“They really like you. They want to spend time with you socially, they want to invite you onto their boat if they buy it. But they just can't stand Denise and he just told me, in no uncertain terms, that they are probably going to look elsewhere for a boat just because of her."



Roman felt his stomach tighten. "That's not good. I don't want to try to find someone else to try to spend that kind of money on that boat. I want the Senator to get it."



Allen lifted his hands up in the air and brought them back down again with a slap against his knees. "I know. I know... that's what I told him. They just can't stand her. To be honest, I think it's more Carmen than Edward, but he's going with what his wife wants, of course, and that's where we are. The only reasons he isn't already gone are because he really likes us; meaning you and me, and he is best friends with Captain Heatherwick now, and he just loves the boat. But I'm telling you, Denise is going to cost us this entire deal."



Roman sighed heavily and shook his head. "Alright. I'll talk to her when I go home tonight."



Allen nodded and stood up. "I'm sorry, Roman, I know things are way off for you right now. I wish this was easier."



Roman shook his head. "It'll all work out. We'll make it work out. I'll talk to her tonight."



Allen smiled a little and left Roman's office.



When Roman got home that night, he sat with Agnes and Denise at the table and ate dinner silently while the two of them talked. When Agnes went to her room, he looked at Denise and said quietly, "We need to discuss something."



She wheeled on him and stared at him with wide eyes. "What? What's going on?"



Roman walked to his library and sat down on one of the sofas. Denise followed him and sat beside him, looking worried.



“I know you feel like you want to be friends with Senator Johnson and his wife, but I need to ask you to stop contacting them. They aren't interested in a personal relationship with you. They would rather keep our association strictly business."



Denise's jaw fell open. "What? What are you talking about? Carmen is one of my best friends!"



Roman shook his head. "No, Denise, she's not. I know you've been trying to get her to become your friend, but she just doesn't like you and she doesn't want to be friends with you." He was sorry to have to be blunt with her, but he knew that was the only way to get her to really understand.



She jumped up off the sofa and glared at him. "She is too my best friend, and I love her!"



Roman looked up at her sympathetically. "Does she ever call you?"



Denise was quiet a moment and then shook her head. "Not very often, but she's a busy lady! She's the Senator's wife!"



He continued. "Does she spend time with you, ever? Lunch, shopping... anything?"



She stood there, staring down at him. “No,” she said, in a low voice.



"Does she ever accept or answer your calls?" he asked, already knowing what the answer would be.



"No," Denise said, as a pinkish red began to color her face.



Roman leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "She doesn't like you. She doesn't want to be friends with you, and she and Edward and not going to buy that boat from me if you keep harassing them. They have said that themselves. They want you to leave them alone."



Denise's mouth dropped open again in shock, as her face flushed full red, and he knew then that she finally understood it.



"That bitch! How could she use me like she has?" Denise turned on her heel and began to pace the floor. Then she stopped short and glared at Roman.



"This is your fault! I was trying to make a good name for us, and get us a few more rungs up the social ladder of success and you went and screwed it up! It had to be you! They loved me until you got involved!" She gritted her teeth and snapped angrily at him.



Roman stood up and looked down at her. "Don't you blame me for it, Denise, they don't like you because they think you are a just a social climber who is trying to become more popular by being friends with them. They are right. You don't even like Carmen. I've never heard you say anything good about her except concerning her social status!"



Denise shrieked. "Well why the hell would I like someone like her, anyway? She was nothing but a social climbing whore herself, not too long ago when she was the Senator's nanny, taking care of that kid of his. Then she went and screwed around with him and got him to marry her! At least I'm just trying to better our position by being friends and not sleeping with the Senator! She's nothing but a dirty low down immigrant, anyway!"



Roman raised his voice to her. "If you want to get technical, Denise, we are all immigrants, and the Native Americans are the only ones who aren't! As far as Carmen, you just said she was your best friend! Now you're calling her a whore? Is that how you treat your friends? Or is that just your true color coming through now that you think you can't get anywhere by associating with them?"



"She's a phony! She doesn't even belong in society at all!" Denise shouted at him.



"You're just throwing her under the bus because you can't use her anymore, now! That makes you the fake friend, Denise, and I'm going to say this, I'm glad that they saw through you right from the start, and didn't want anything to do with you because you were just using them the entire time!" He flung his arm through the air and shot an angry look at her.



Denise took two steps toward him and yelled again. "I can't believe you're taking their side after everything I've done for you! I've done everything I could to make us shine in the public eye, to give us a good solid spot in society and you just blow it all away like it's nothing!"



"I don't care about society! I don't care about any of that nonsense, and you know it!" he shouted back. "As far as I can see, you're the one who always wanted it, and it wouldn't surprise me at all to find out that you were only married to me because of my wealth and status, since that seems to be what's most important to you!"



She picked up a sofa pillow and launched it at him. "Well, why the hell else would I be married to you? You're no great catch! How else was I going to become the star of socialite San Francisco? You're such an idiot!" she screamed at him and then turned and stomped out of the room, leaving him standing there in shock.



He had only been surmising. He had been guessing and not even really on purpose; it was just something he had thrown out in his argument, wondering if she had only ever been with him because of his wealth and inherent social status. He didn't attend all the parties and go to all the social functions; he would make an appearance now and then, not really caring about it at all, and not paying attention to what anyone else ever thought of him, and he realized that that was probably why he had gotten so far; he wasn't trying to get anywhere.



Her admittance, however, put his marriage into a whole new light. He hadn't really given it any thought before, but now he could see how everything in their marriage that hadn't made much sense before, suddenly clicked into comprehension. Why she had gone after him the way she had; why she’d been so hot in bed with him at first until they were married; and why she married him so quickly.



Why, after they had settled into their marriage and their home, her affections had worn off and she had moved to her own room and left him cold and lonely. Why she had gone outside of their marriage and had an affair... it was because she was using him for his wealth and his social standing. He was flabbergasted. He sat down on the sofa and raked his hand through his hair, stunned by the realization.



He had promised his life to a woman who cared next to nothing for him. Then he realized another truth. The reason she was still married to him, the reason she had wanted to fix their marriage was because she was afraid that Cami was going to sneak in and take her social standing and her place. She was devastated that Cami had given him a child and solidified a position in his life for the rest of his life.



Roman could not believe what he was realizing. His head began to pound and he decided he would deal with all of it the next day. He was tired and in pain, and his fight with Denise had only made it worse.



After a couple of pills and a glass of water, he was resting deeply in his pillow, wrestling with dragons and ladders in his dreams.





Chapter 8



Roman was standing in the kitchen the next morning, making coffee when Agnes came in and stopped just inside the doorway, glaring at him.



"You piece of trash! How dare you upset my poor daughter the way you did last night, after everything she has done for you, and you go out on her and cheat on her, having a bastard child with some black woman! You are so damn lucky that she loves you and that she has been loyal to you and stayed around this house, being your wife, cooking and slaving for you while you're off screwing around with other women. She doesn't ask for much from you at all, and what do you give her in return? Grief and pain! I can't stand the sight of you!