Page 18 of Playboy Billionaire's Secret Baby

My heart immediately begins to thunder like crazy. I thought I let Frederico know that we weren’t going to date. What the hell is he playing at by involving our friends?

“Don’t worry, Adam hasn’t done it yet, but it could be fun…”

“Did you not tell me that he’s a playboy?” I squeeze my eyes shut as I fall back on the warning Allegra gave me at her wedding, the one I ignored. “I don’t think I should be getting mixed up with some player who will break my heart.”

“You don’t have to marry him, Lexi, just have a bit of fun! You’ve been angling for way to get back in the saddle too long, having been heart broken by that son of a bitch you worked with…” Oh, God, more guilt and lies to deal with. “I think you should have some fun. As long as you don’t take him too seriously, I don’t see what the issue is. I’m sure he can show you a good time.”

I know damn well that he can, and that’s the problem. We have too much fun together. I wouldn’t ever consider taking him seriously, just as I guess he wouldn’t me; but it still seems like a dangerous plan to go anywhere near him.

“I don’t know,” I argue. “I think maybe I should focus on my job…”

“Just let loose, Lexi. Enjoy what you can from Frederico.”

Shit, she really isn’t about to let this go, is she? I can’t turn her off the idea without causing a scene. I don’t want to do that; the last thing I need is for her to start asking a whole bunch of questions I can’t answer. I can’t talk abouthimright now.

“Well, I better call Mom,” I reply awkwardly. I don’t know what answer to give. “Let her know what’s going on. She’s going to have to know.”

“I’ll give Frederico your number, then you can do with it what you want,” Allegra giggles. “You know my opinion. You should have as much fun as you can.”

I sigh heavily. “Yes, okay, I’ll make some decisions on that later on.”

I feel a little weird as I hang up the phone. Maybe I should have just told Allegra the truth about James because now she has no idea what she’s pushing me into. I know for a fact that she wouldn’t be pushing at all if she knew… because it isn’t going to be fun… it’ll be really complicated and weird. It might force me to say what I have been putting off…

With a little shake of my head, I call Mom to talk to her about this.

“You’re leaving for Italy then?” I’m surprised she doesn’t sound as sad as I thought she would. “And I am going to come with you. Because with you working so hard, you’ll still need me to babysit James, won’t you? If you don’t mind, that is…”

My heart damn near stops beating. “You’ll come with me?”

That wasn’t an option I even considered. I was thinking I would have to locate a good childcare service in Italy. I wasn’t looking forward to it because I don’t like to leave James with anyone I don’t know… but now I might not have to.

“Mom, I can’t ask you to do that,” I gasp as my chest constricts. “What about your life…”

“James is my life,” she laughs. “Plus, why wouldn’t I want to come to Italy? It sounds absolutely amazing…as long as you don’t mind me being there…”

Everything is coming together; that’s how I feel right now. This is the pinnacle of everything I have been working toward. Now I can have Mom helping me out as well, which is the icing on the cake. I can’t wipe the big smile off my face.

“Then you should get packing, Mom, because I definitely want you with me.”

I slide my eyes closed as Mom and I discuss the details of what’s to come, imagining what my life will look like… at least for the next few months. I can work my ass off, doing something I really love in Italy, and I can spend lots of time with my best friend too. Perfect.

Although I still don’t know what to do about Frederico…one problem at a time. For now, I only want to think about how wonderful it’s going to be, and how much James will love it…

***

Oh God.My eyes pop open wide as I stare at my phone screen. I know Allegra told me that she would give Frederico my number, even though I didn’t show enthusiasm for the idea. But I wasn’treallyexpecting him to reach out like this. It’s so strange.

Frederico:Lexi, I have heard the good news that you’re coming to stay in Italy for a while. That’s very exciting news. We must go on a date. x

I don’t know how he expects me to respond. After the last date we shared, where I made it clear that we couldn’t date, I thought he wouldn’t want anything from me. I kind of made out that having such a distance between us was an issue, so if I’m in Italy, that’s gone. What can I now say to put him off?

Lexi:Yes, I have a job in Italy starting soon. I don’t know if I will have time. x

Frederico:You can always make time for me. I have great plans for us. x

Shit, I hate the way that brings a smile to my face. It really does seem like he wants to take me out on a date. For a playboy, he appears to be keen to keep on spending time with me, doesn’t he? That shows the chemistry I’m feeling isn’t in my head.

Lexi:I don’t know. I will have to see what I can do… x

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