Alpha Billionaire Series

WILLOW

I took the last bite of my cheeseburger and wiped my fingers on my napkin. It felt good to eat something really bad for me. Mel had suggested the greasy burger joint as a welcome home meal. She knew me better than even Charles did and the distance between us for the past few months hadn't changed a thing in our friendship, except that me being away had helped her loosen up a bit. She told me about a date she went on and how horribly that turned out. At least she was dating now and not pining over me.

“F**k, that was so delicious. Thank you for convincing me that I needed a break from healthy eating.” Even my no- dairy rule had gone out the window for the burger, opting to have American cheese. I drooled over Mel's lunch, while the aftertaste of sin was still on my tongue.

Mel grinned, slurping her milkshake through the straw. “Should have had a milkshake too.”

“Ah, but my stomach and lactose.” I chuckled and sighed, pushing my empty plate away. “It's been such a whirlwind of a year. I can’t believe the election is only two months away.”

“And then you're all mine again.” Her excitement and humor weren't lost on me, though now I knew she was only joking with me. “How is married life anyway? Still rocky?”

The serious question found me in an uneasy position. Mel was a great listener, but I knew she had her own selfish reasons to want me back in DC permanently and away from Charles. Not only our friendship, but her lingering attraction to me and the business all backed up her claim to my presence. DC was where I wanted to be, or at least it was where I had wanted to be until Charles came barreling back into my life.

“That bad?” she asked, setting her shake aside. “Talk to me, girl.”

“Ah, it's not all bad.” I shrugged. “I mean, the sex is good.” I kept my face down, avoiding eye contact with her. My stomach roiled with unspoken emotion, or maybe it was the fact that I ate a bad burger. I wasn't used to eating such unhealthy food.

“The sex?” she hissed quietly, leaning in closer. “Dish.”

I chuckled. “No one says “dish’ anymore, Mel. Seriously.” I rolled my eyes at her use of the archaic phrase. I hadn't intended to relive all the details of my sexual encounters with her. And she'd hardly be interested in them anyway. She not only had a crush on me, but she didn’t ride the stick like me. But I told Mel everything, so why not this? “Well, I say it. What do you want me to say? Share the details?” Her sass showed through, and she shook her head at me. “You are having s*x with him?”

“I wouldn't say we're “having sex.’ I mean, we had sex a few times.”

Mel glanced around the small noisy dining room and craned her neck back in my direction. “Having sex a few times means you're having s*x. You realize that, right?”

“It's not like that” My stomach gurgled and churned. I let out a belch that made me want to vomit. “God, I should no have eaten that. It was good, but not if it does this to me.”

“You're deflecting” Mel scowled, busying herself with picking up the trash and placing it on her plate. “Tell me what is going on between you and Mr. Senator.”

“I'm not deflecting. I'm just... being tactful.” I helped her, stacking her plate on top of mine and putting my dirty silverware in my empty cup. “We had sex a few times. It's been a while. We talked about not letting things get messy between us” She didn’t have to know that two of our sexual encounters had come after that discussion about keeping things strictly professional.

“But your tone of voice tells me you're not happy with that.”

I scowled at her accusation but there was no use in denying it. She knew me too well. “Yeah, well we almost got married once, so sue me if I still have feelings.” I burped again, and my belly hurt. I pressed on the spot right below my rib cage, hoping to stave off any more gas.

“lI warned you not to get emotionally involved, Willow. He's not going to come back to you. He's just a tool. You know that. Remember how he hurt you?” Concern etched her brow. She looked at me like a child who had just eaten too many sweets and was now feeling sick.

I sighed, remembering how he hurt me. I also had opened that gift he bought me. It was probably the most thoughtful thing he'd ever done—anyone had ever done for me. The emotion behind that token wasn't lost on me. Hi knew I missed my cat a lot.

“Anyway, he's got this thing going with his intern or whatever. I can tell. She hangs on him like a coat on a coat tree.” Just thinking of Nina soured my mood, which matched the way my stomach felt. I held my breath, thinking that wouls help.

“Are you okay?” Mel asked. “You're looking a little green.”

“Just feeling sick. That greasy cheeseburger wasn’t a good choice.”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

The waitress walked by and collected our plates, but I could see Mel's wheels turning. I tried to busy myself with getting ready to leave, collecting my jacket and purse, pulling my debit card out to pay the bill.

“You're pregnant,” she blurted out, covering her mouth.

“No way.” I put my purse down, stunned at the idea. “No. I'm not pregnant. I'm just having gas because I usually eat very clean. That meal was just too heavy. I should have had a salad.”

“Oh my god, Willow. You're pregnant.” Mel's voice was now a whisper. She grabbed my hand and shook her head, eye wide. “When was your last period?”

Shrugging, I said, “I'm not pregnant. I had a period last month like always. Morning sickness doesn’t start within a few weeks.” But as I spoke, I started to count the week since my last period. I didn’t recall having a period when we were out on the road for the past two months. In fact, I didn't recall having a period since the picnic in the beginning of July. I was on my period when we went to that television interview and that was weeks before the picnic.

“Well, your face isn't as good of a liar as your mouth makes you out to be.” Mel stood, shrugging her jacket on. “You need to get a test and take it.”

I rose to meet her, hanging my purse on my shoulder. Mel was right, though I wasn’t about to tell her right then. My period was never late. I took care of my body like it was a temple and it never failed me.

“Thanks for the advice, but I'm not pregnant.” I offered her a hug. “And thank you for lunch. Things are going to be super busy leading up to election night, but let's get together before the holidays. Friendsgiving?” I smiled, trying to mask the uneasiness I felt.

Mel agreed and we promised to keep in contact for the business. She had taken over pretty much all operations for me until this arrangement was complete. At this point it was a must because with the crazy schedule I was keeping I had no time to work. And if my suspicions—and Mel's—were correct, I'd have even less time to think about accounting.

I had a stop to make on the way home. A drugstore would have my answers, if I had the guts to buy the test.