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"Of course I do. But I'd compensate. I've considered her feelings in the matter. But when a person is truly loved, how can they miss anything? And she would be loved. I'd give her so much love and attention, she wouldn't think about it."
"Look, Chairman of the Board don't make you 'Mother of the Year'."
Her cheeks flamed, her eyes blazed angrily. "I happen to be good at anything I set my mind to. I'll be a good mother! I'll love my child beyond limits. You can't imagine how much I've got stored inside to give."
It was as though he had turned on a switch, and boy did he like the switch. Now she looked real, sounded real, not just some Chairman of the Board talking out the side of her mouth. Not some plastic person sitting there giving him a bunch of crap about test tube babies. Until this moment, the child seemed hypothetical. Now it was a female child, asking about its father. If that wasn't personal, what was?
The woman was fire and ice rolled into one.
"Look, lady, I came here for a job. You know, a laborer, a warehouse foreman, something I could understand. But this—this ain't a job. It ain't even decent."
"Isn't?"
He nodded, looking straight at her, past the glasses to the soul. He gritted his teeth, and clenched his hands. "Yeah, see what I mean? That should tell you somethin'. You probably graduated from Yale or Harvard. I'm from the other side of the tracks, and we stick to our own. Maybe that's what you should do. Most of my acquaintances are hoods, big ones and little ones."
She stiffened. "That's hardly relevant."
"Maybe, but I barely got a high school education. That's relevant. I had to finish in summer school—two years, with a part time job in the process. You want a refined gentleman to father your child. I can understand and even respect that. Besides, I'm not the kind of guy who goes around making babies. I know what protection is all about. What's the matter with gettin' pregnant the normal way? You gotta a disease or somethin'?"
She grabbed the rattle so hard her knuckles turned white, but she answered calmly. "Good question, at least you're well informed."
"You can't live in Hell's Kitchen without being informed."
She exhaled as though she'd been holding her breath too long. "All right. Look, you're attractive, in good shape, and you're also a very decent man. At least from what I've seen and heard today. What's not to like about you Leonetti? You appear to be a man who finishes what he starts, since you took the trouble to go to summer school, and you do seem to find other jobs when you lose one. That's admirable. Things don't get you down easily. Our language barrier isn't a problem. But no, I don't have a disease, and would be happy to submit to any tests you want, to prove it. I'll also have a history of myself done, so that we can start on an equal basis."
"Why don't you just marry some nice guy, and have yourself some babies?"
"I've already told you—" Frustration fired from her eyes.
"Yeah, I know. You don't want a husband, because you obviously don't trust men. So why trust me? In case you hadn't noticed . . . I'm a man."
She tossed the rattle on the desk, wiped at her eyes, and met his questioning gaze. "Of course I've noticed. And yet,—I do trust you, Nick. Don't ask me why. But I do. And I can make it worth your while."
Nick shook his head adamantly, irritated by her words. He should be flattered, but this was so wrong. "Everything comes down to money to you, doesn't it? There really ain't a lot of difference in you and most of the hoods I know. Pushers, loan sharks, and you." He knew it wasn't fair to size someone up so quickly, but she was doing it to him.
She slid the glasses back on once more. "I'm trying to be up front with you. Dear God, you don't know how much I admire your morals and conscience."
"Look." He stood and walked up to her. He purposely leaned closer. "When I make a baby, it's going to be with a woman I'm in love with."
Her eyes widened, her breath became labored. He liked rattling her cool facade. "And I don't consider that misplaced. I got standards I live by, too. That baby is going to have me hooked around her finger. She's gonna know somebody loves her." He leaned closer and got a faint whiff of expensive perfume. He hadn't expected her to smell sweet. He'd expected her to smell like starch. "If I were to consider something this crazy, I'd want to date you. Be with you. I'd want to know everything about you. Not just some application on a desk. You're talking about creating a life, real life, and being responsible for that life. My kid will have a father. My father might have been rotten, but I'm not. Not by a long shot. I'm poor, but I have my principles. Sorry lady, no dice. I want a real job."
He turned to leave.
"Dammit, this is a job!" she cried, her voice breaking. "You think I don't take this seriously? You're wrong. Dead wrong. I want a baby, Mr. Leonetti. Is that so bad? You just don't understand. Marriage in my circles isn't what it's cracked up to be. It's more like a prison than a relationship."
"Then maybe you should change circles." Nick gave her one last look before he walked out the door.
~~~
Kelsey stared at the closed door. Tears stung her eyes, goose bumps prickled her skin, and a slow smile played at her lips.
"Wow!" she exclaimed aloud as she tapped the application in front of her on her desk. "Well Nick Leonetti doesn't know it yet, but he's going to be the father of my baby!"
CHAPTER THREE
The aroma of Mama's spaghetti simmering on the stove sent Nick careening into the kitchen, sniffing with a delighted smile. "Smells great, Mama. How's your back today?"
"It's better Nicky, much better. Are you hungry?"
