Page 24 of The Billionaire's Baby Betrayal

“No, but I will be leaving after your supper. Let’s walk Armand to the door, shall we?”

Luis followed his two favorite men to the hacienda’s massive mahogany door.

“I will see you in an hour or so,” Andrés said as Armand stepped off the veranda.

“I think it will be a good evening, Andrés, and at the end, we will be celebrating new investors in your racing enterprise. I know they were impressed with your five-year plan and the environment you have created here.”

“I hope such a celebration will cap off the night.”

“Au revoir, Luis.”

“Au reveer, Uncle Armie.”

Armand and Andrés smiled at each other over Luis’ head.

“Close, Luis. You can work on the pronunciation with your tutor,” said his father.

Armand drove off, and father and son walked into the hacienda. “Should we find out what Chef has prepared for your meal?” asked Andrés.

“I already know, Papa. Macaroni and cheese, and I can’t wait,” replied Luis excitedly.

“Macaroni and cheese?” exclaimed Andrés. “Luis, you have been raised to have a better appreciation for food than that!”

“But Papa, it will be made from Chef’s special recipe. He adds lobster to it.”

“Ah, now that’s more like it!”

Andrés picked up Luis and held him upside down, making him squeal in surprised delight as they continued into the kitchen.

* * *

Andrés’ eyes searched the room for Piper, and when he didn’t immediately see her, he hoped she had changed her mind about attending Armand’s party. His searching eyes did land on the Italian investment group talking with Armand. He asked the bartender for a bottle of champagne, an ice bucket, and five glasses and made his way through the room to their side. The men welcomed him heartily and, once each of them had a glass of pale gold bubbly, offered a toast to the success of Estancia Luis Grande. Andrés took that as a sign they were seriously considering an investment in his breeding program.

Armand excused himself to welcome other guests who had arrived. A couple Andrés had met through Armand stopped to congratulate him on his success at the St Leger Stakes. He remembered they were originally from Milan and introduced them to the Italian investors. As they all began talking in rapid-fire Italian, Andrés stopped a passing server to ask for another champagne bottle and two more glasses. As he turned back, he saw Armand greet Piper and introduce her to the guests he had joined. Andrés was mesmerized, for she looked like a different woman.

He had only seen her with her hair in a ponytail or updo, but now her copper red hair was down in loose waves falling over the shoulders of the emerald-green silk blouse she wore. Several gold chains were around her neck and lying perfectly against her pale skin, and the longest chain had an amber pendant falling exactly where her cleavage peeped out. Amber-and-gold earrings dropped from her earlobes, and black palazzo pants and strappy heels finished the striking ensemble which fit her petite frame most stylishly. Their eyes met, and Piper flashed him a closed smile before she turned away to talk with the man next to her. He happened to be a friend of Armand, whom Andrés had no use for, and it rankled him that she was seemingly enjoying the conversation.

Andrés poured champagne for everyone, then excused himself to greet several of his clients who had arrived. As they talked about current market trends, he watched Piper move about the room, speaking to random guests, and seemingly intentionally staying out of the vicinity of whatever guest or group of guests he joined. It wasn’t long before Armand caught up with Piper and escorted her to a private corner of the room, where they sat—too close as far as Andrés was concerned—on a black leather sofa. He felt a spark of jealousy but immediately shook it off.

I’m being ridiculous. Piper is practicing my rule in reverse by not socializing with her employer, so respect her professionalism.

He realized his thoughts of Piper were running away with him and decided it was time to eat something from the catered buffet. As he bit into a savory beef empanada, his eyes kept glancing over to Piper and Armand. They were smiling and laughing, her cheeks were a rosy red, and Andrés couldn’t help thinking how beautiful she was and how much he wanted to be the man sitting next to her and making her laugh.

“Get hold of yourself, man,” he scolded himself under his breath. He wryly chuckled as he thought how unusual it was for the self-assured, and some would say arrogant, billionaire Andrés Olivera to be alone and pining for a woman he barely knew.

Andrés turned and handed his empty plate to a buffet server, and his next furtive glance at the sofa saw Piper alone. His eyes searched the busy room for Armand but didn’t see him. He quickly grabbed two glasses of champagne from a server’s tray, made his way to Piper’s side, and took the vacant seat next to her.

“Good evening, Piper,” he said with all the charm he could muster. “I saw your hands empty of a champagne glass and came to remedy that situation. I hope you are enjoying yourself.”

“I am, thank you,” she replied, accepting the champagne. “It was kind of Armand to invite me and send a car for me.”

“I was about to get some fresh air. This hacienda has a lovely terraced garden; would you care to join me?”

Piper looked about the room. “I could do that, but Armand left for a moment and said he would return to finish telling me more about his winery. Although, I don’t see him at the moment.”

Andrés stood and bent his arm to escort her outside. “I promise I’ll return you to this exact spot if he doesn’t find us outside.”

Piper rose and took his arm. “A little time in the cool night air sounds good.”

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