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She had come here with no expectations other than a job offer. But now Archer was suggesting much more than just a business transaction between them. He had expressed an interest which left her in complete and total shock. She
had grown up in the slums, for goodness sake! What would a billionaire playboy type like him want with a down and out model like her?
No, it was one thing to consider having a baby to secure her future, and quite another to unwittingly become some sort of a gold digger. Isn’t that what people would think if she actually entered into a real relationship with Archer? She didn’t want anyone to think that, but especially not Archer himself. She had come to his door looking for money, so it would be only natural for him to eventually wonder if that was the reason they were together if she returned his affections.
Fully dressed now, Kady wasted no time going to the bedroom door and out into the hall. She went quickly and quietly down the stairs and headed for the closest door that led outside. She did not hesitate as she headed for the gate and began running down the street.
A car pulled up behind her, and Kady recognized the driver who had brought her here earlier. With relief, she walked closer to the curb. Daryl motioned for her to get in the car, and she did so.
“I heard someone had gotten the job, whatever it is, but I didn’t think I’d find you out here walking if it was you. Where are you headed now?”
“I don’t think I want to take that job,” Kady said with a frown as she buckled her seatbelt, her thoughts a mess too tangled to sort out.
“Is that so?” he asked, one brow raised curiously.
“Yeah, it was a bad idea,” Kady replied. “I really think I should just go back to town and forget this whole thing ever happened.”
“Well, I’m not doing anything right now,” Daryl said. “I can take you back to your place if you like. No expectations, just a guy trying to help out. I have a perfectly good wife at home, you understand, so you don’t need to worry about me.”
“Believe me, I’m not looking for any strings either,” Kady commented, shaking her head at the thought. If she really wanted to find some strings, she didn’t even need to leave Archer’s home. He was already trying to truss her up like some sort of a Thanksgiving turkey as it was.
Kady had Daryl drop her off outside of some apartment building just across from Central Park. She went inside the entryway when someone else opened the door just as if she belonged there, then waited until the car drove off before she came out again. She stepped out the door and headed for the park as fast as her legs could take her.
Earlier in the week, she had already determined a particular bench she would wish to use if she ever had to. It was in a somewhat secluded section, but close enough to the street that she could easily get away if anyone tried to harm her.
She headed to it now, nervously looking from side to side along the way. She didn’t wish to run across anyone, homeless person or cop, so she moved quickly to her destination, not even noticing if anybody was following behind her as she went.
On the bench, she couldn’t get comfortable no matter how hard she tried. Thoughts and memories from the day kept swirling through her mind like a tornado. The way Archer had put his coat around her shoulders at dinner, the way she felt when he looked at her. Their long, quiet conversation about everything and nothing as they ate the most delicious meal that Maggie had prepared kept replaying in her mind.
The images kept coming, but it was almost like remembering a dream. They were so far removed from the cold, hard bench she was laying on now. She finally managed to doze off, but it was only to a restless sleep. She knew this place was very dangerous, but she had nowhere left to go.
She awoke to the sound of voices sometime later. She froze in place, adrenaline surging as she recalled horror stories of people attacked in the park at night, hoping whoever it was would simply go away, but that’s not what happened. With a start of surprise, she recognized the voice the next time the man spoke.
“And this is where you followed her to? You just let her fall asleep on some bench in the middle of Central Park? Don’t you know what kind of people hang around this place in the middle of the night?”
It was Archer’s voice. Kady’s stomach clenched at the realization as she abruptly got to her feet and met his eyes. It was no surprise that the other person to whom he was speaking was the same man who had driven her away from his home.
She wondered if Daryl was actually one of Archer’s employees and simply hadn’t informed her of it, but she didn’t bother to ask. What difference did it make anyway? Either way, he’d told him where to find her.
“Kady, if the idea of loving somebody is so frightening to you that you would rather spend the night here than even give it some thought, then I won’t ask you again,” Archer said, keeping his hands clenched at his sides, and there was a strange note of fear in his deep voice. “If you come back, it’ll be strictly business. If that’s really what you want.”
“I’m just not sure this is a good idea,” Kady replied, as tears pricked at her eyes. She cast an embarrassed look at Daryl, and he turned and walked a few feet away, leaving them to talk with some semblance of privacy. “I’ve never been with a man before, and I always wanted it to be special—and having kids is supposed to be special too, isn’t it? I just– I just don’t know what to do.”
“Look, I don’t have all the answers to your questions. I never expected you, or this. I never thought– Well, I am not leaving you out here in any case,” said Archer, suddenly stern. “You’re coming home with me.”
Chapter 11
They were sitting together in the back of the car. It was obvious that they were both feeling somewhat emotional by the strained silence between them as Daryl started the engine and began to drive. The tension sat thick around them in the dimness, the only light that of the moon and the few stars that were peeking out from behind the straggling clouds. Kady was well aware of the driver’s periodic glances in the rearview mirror, the look on his face showing concern.
He really had only been trying to help, she decided. Maybe even since the first time she’d seen him. He must have known what job she was there for, and maybe he thought she looked like a good fit or something. Matchmaking, perhaps? She just didn’t know.
But her real concern wasn’t how she felt about a meddling driver who was only looking out for her well-being, but rather with the man he’d brought to her rescue. Archer stared out the window for the first couple of minutes, leaving Kady to stare down at her hands as she nervously wrung them in her lap. She took a deep breath to give her courage.
“I’m sorry, Archer,” she finally whispered. “I got scared, that’s all. So much is happening so fast, and I never in a million years expected to hear those words coming from a guy like you.”
“A guy like me?” he repeated, glancing at her over his shoulder. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You don’t know what it’s been like for me,” she responded. “I told you where I’ve come from; how far I’ve had to climb already just to be where I am now.”
