Page 37 of Billion Dollar Dispute

“You do?” Chad asks with a hint of awe in his voice, and it’s similar to how I’m feeling.

Harvey simply nods.

“Mine is away,” Chad says, sounding sad.

He nods as silence envelops us.

If I’m honest, I find it kind of cute that he hangs out with his grams on a Sunday night. Not what I expected of a rich, hot thirty-four-year-old guy.

“Well, we better let you go,” I add.

“Thanks, and I’ll see you tomorrow,” Harvey says, waving.

“How could I forget,” I breathe out, but a small smile tugs at the corners of my lips.

He smirks knowingly. “Bye, Ms. Recaredo.”

“Her name’s Jemima,” Chad replies.

“I like her name,” he tells Chad, throwing me a wink.

We watch as Harvey turns and walks away. I then usher Chad upstairs, listening to him talk about how much fun today was and all about Harvey’s basketball tips. As soon as I open the apartment door, Chad walks to his room to play. I close the door and lean back on it, closing my eyes for a second to regain my composure.

After a minute, I peel myself away and walk to the sofa with a full stomach. The milkshake is making me need to lie down.

As I settle back on the sofa, Harvey’s scent lies heavy on the worn fabric. The day spent with him catching glimpses of his skin and then memories of his hot touch replays in my brain. But that’s not even the worst part; it's how he interacted with Chad. I hadn’t realized until today just how much he enjoyed having a male around. Would it be all that bad to let him hang out and play hoops every once in a while? The heaviness in my gut says,but what happens when he leaves?Because he will.

Chapter 11

Harvey

Glancing over my shoulder,I take in the little boy walking up the steps into that hellhole of an apartment.

The place is old and falling apart. It’s not what I had as a child his age. When I was little, I had the best of everything, including a house in the safest area. Chad doesn’t seem bothered by it, though. I wait in case Jemima turns back around, but when they both disappear from my vision, I head to my car.

Chad goes against everything I thought kids brought into one's life. My friend Xavier has a child. He was on track to make partner at his firm when he had a baby on the way. His partner said they'd "figure it out together," but somehow, it all landed on him. He missed deadlines, skipped networking events, and suddenly he’s the guy who’s "not reliable."

We invite him out, but he’s always too exhausted. I never want that for myself while I’m trying to set myself up. In five or ten years? Sure, but now? No.

But then why do I care where they live?

Why do I care about her?

I find her beautiful in that effortless way. She doesn’t care to put on makeup or dress up in order to impress anyone. But the natural flush of her cheeks on her pale face makes me crave for her to touch me again.

Maybe that's the problem. She touched my dick and now I can’t stop myself from wanting her to do it again.

At first, I didn’t know how to talk to Chad. I haven’t interacted with children much. My brothers don’t have kids. All my close friends are childless too—except Xavier, and we’re not as close as we used to be—meaning my experience is minimal. But Chad was honest and fun. It was nice shooting hoops with him, and having his mom squirming made it that much sweeter.

The time went by so fast today when the three of us were hanging out. I’d steal the occasional glance at Jemima, who at times shared her softer side.

She’d hate it if I pointed that out.

Chad has the same honey-colored eyes as his mom, but his hair color is much lighter. That he must get from his dad.

I’m aware of her ex-husband’s recent arrest because one of my staff members brought it to my attention when I was originally going to acquire Jemima’s business. But we haven’t spoken about it.

Is she done with him? He’s in jail, but it doesn’t mean she’s over him. Again, I don’t know why I care; I don’t need to know anything that’s going on in her life. She has a kid, and that's one thing I’m not ready for.

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