Page 44 of Bad Duke

“Your Grace,” Barnaby interrupts just as things are starting to get interesting and Alex laughs to himself when I growl in frustration. “Marina’s on the phone, she says it’s urgent.”

“Hold whatever filthy little thought you're thinking,” Alex whispers as he shifts me to the side so he can get up and head to his office.

I pick the scan photo back up from the armrest beside me and look at it again. Watching Alex’s face as the sonographer scanned me was confirmation of how much all this means to him. These past few weeks he’s taken such good care of me, he knows everything there is to know about the stage of pregnancy I’m at, and I can see him becoming more and more excited about becoming a father, every day.

“How did the appointment go?” Will steps through the door that leads out to the patio and startles me.

“It went good.” I smile, holding up the scan photo so he can take a look for himself.

“A mini Alex Stanley.” He flops down on the sofa beside me and grins at the image. “He’s happy, you know. For like the first time ever.” I know that Will and Alex have been friends since they were kids so hearing that from him means a lot.

“He had it tough growing up, his dad was an asshole, and his mother was just a shell. He was never shown much attention,” he explains sadly. Alex rarely speaks much about his parents but I know his childhood wasn’t what it should have been from what he has told me.

“This is going to be good for him, you're good for him.” Will nudges my shoulder with his, playfully, before he gets up and hands me the picture back. He’s about to walk away but I stop him when I reach up and grab his hand. I’ve come to know Will quite well over the past few weeks. Some evenings he joins us for dinner and I often bump into him when I’m walking the dogs in the woods. Knowing Alex, he’s got the poor man following me to make sure I don’t slip and fall over.

I get the sense that he’s an honest guy, and right now, I need some of that.

“Do you have anything to do with Alex’s businesses?” I ask him outright.

“You know, the illegitimate ones?” I specify.

“Olivia.” He shakes his head at me and looks disappointed.

“I’m just worried about him, that’s all. He told me there are people he’s upset in the past, he has a security team following me, and I know that what he’s into is hard to get out of. My brother?—”

“Just stay out of it. You don’t need to worry about Alex, he knows what he’s doing,” he interrupts me.

“I can’t just stay out of it, Will, I care about him. We’re having this baby together. I’m constantly worried that the door’s going to knock and the police are going to take him away, or worse.” I like the bubble that me and Alex live in right now. I don't want anything to ruin it.

“Alex is fine, he’s got control over his businesses, and no one’s going to hurt him. You just focus on cooking that baby of his.” He laughs as he places his flat cap back on his head and makes his way towards the kitchen.

I rest my head back on the sofa and close my eyes, just lately I find myself being able to sleep anywhere. I’m tired even after I’ve just woken up which, thankfully, the doctor confirmed for Alex today, was normal too.

He comes out of the office a few minutes later and despite having a smile on his face I can see he’s on edge.

“I have to go to the club, something’s come up,” he tells me.

“What kind of something?” I ask, hating the idea of him going to The Residence. Pregnancy isn’t just making me horny these days, it’s making me jealous too.

“The kind of something you don’t have to worry about.” He leans over the sofa so he can kiss me, then slides his hand over my stomach the way he always does when he says goodbye, now. I snatch hold of his arm so his hand stays where it is.

“Are you going to The Residence?” I ask, praying that he’ll at least be honest.

“Yeah.” He smiles at me unapologetically, before kissing me again and heading out the door.

ALEX

“Where is she?” I ask Marina when I storm into her office.

“She’s in one of the private rooms and she’s very shaken up. I’ve given her a Prozac,” she explains, looking pissed off. “If you want to talk to her yourself, you're going to have to calm down because she’s scared enough.”

“Who was it? Who did this?” Members of this club know my fucking rules. The women who work here set their own limits. No one fucking pushes them.

“She isn’t speaking, she says she didn’t know his name, which suggests he isn’t one of the members who are in the public eye. I had Kelly print off a list of members who used their entry code today.” She places it in front of me and I read over the five names on it and wonder which one of them is going to feel my wrath. The club is never very lively during the day. I’m always telling Marina we should restrict the hours to evening but as she points out, our members pay a fortune for the privilege of accessibility and not everyone works a nine to five.

“Have a drink, calm down, and then you can speak to the girl yourself.” She pours for me and I take a seat as I study the names again.

“We have to take action, Alex, we offer the members discretion but we also offer the women who work here safety. What happened today wouldn’t have happened if we had more staff on the club floor.”

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