THE PRICE OF A NIGHT: HIS SECRET HEIR

Nora's POV "You are ruining the aesthetics." Jane screamed. Her voice cut through the humid lobby. I flinched as I gripped the handle of my wooden mop. Jane stood over me with her chest heaving under her blouse. “Mila, tell this girl to move.” Jane snapped, looking at me with pure hatred. Mila hurried over and leaned in close. Her voice a whisper. "Nora, you need to leave the lobby. Now! Thomas just messaged me that Xander Rhodes, the acting CEO, is coming through those doors in five minutes." My heart stopped. The world seemed to tilt around me. Xander Rhodes? The name hit me like a blow. The name of the man I had a one-night stand with two years ago. "Go scrub the floor of the CEO's office," Jane yelled, pointing a finger toward the elevators. "I want it sparkling clean before he steps foot in there. Move!" I did not wait for her to speak again. I grabbed my cart and pushed it towards the service elevator. The elevator diked. I hurried across the executive floor and got to the CEO's office. I began to scrub and worked with every bit of my energy. Clack. My left heel broke. I stumbled and twisted my ankle painfully, but I shoved my foot back into the shoe, ignoring the pain. I had to finish cleaning before he got here. Then the door swung open. I stopped scrubbing, stood up slowly and wiped my hands on my apron. I turned around to face the door. A man walked in. Tall and perfectly built. He wore a dark suit that fit him perfectly. My eyes caught the silver watch on his wrist. It looked exactly like the one I watched him strap on that morning. I stole a glance at his face. The sharp jaw and cold, piercing blue eyes. My breath hitched. Xander Rhodes! My baby daddy who hates my guts and everything about me. He stopped walking. He stood three feet away from me, his eyes moved slowly from my bun down to my stained apron. The air in the room changed. ‘It's been two years. I don't think he would recognize me,’ I said to myself as I held my breath. "I thought I warned you to stay away from me." The voice was a low rasp that sent shivers down my spine. It was the same voice that had dismissed me that day. He looked at me with the disgust he had shown two years ago. "Sir, I think you are mistaking me for someone else." I said carefully as I forced myself to look at his tie, not his eyes. "Do not insult my intelligence, Nora," he replied as he walked past me toward the couch. "You heard the bounty headline. Now you are in my hotel. So this is how you live off men?” My mind went back to the moment he had thrown the check at me. He warned me never to speak about that night. “That cheap trick of yours won't work on me twice, you know?" he continued as he sat down. "You heard I was coming here, and you decided to show up. How desperate." A spark of anger rose in my chest. It burned away the fear. "Trust me, Xander Rhodes, I am not interested in you." My voice started gaining its strength. "I lost every bit of respect for you the moment you decided to destroy my life. I’m here because I work here as a cleaner," I said, pointing to my uniform and the cart. "Some of us have work to do, and I will take my leave now." I made a move to turn and grab my bucket, but the broken heel snagged on the edge of the rug. My ankle snapped to the side. I fell forward. I reached out to break my fall, but my hands skidded across the couch and landed hard on his knees. The world went silent. I looked down. My face was in between Xander's lap and my mouth positioned directly at his trousers. To anyone watching, it was a position of pure scandal and looked like a s****l act. Then the door burst open. "Mr Xander, I've already arranged…" Jane paused. Thomas stood behind her, his eyes widening behind his glasses. Jane’s mouth fell open as she let out a horrified gasp. Xander did not move. He looked down at me with an unreadable expression. "Nora, is this another one of your little tricks?" he asked. His voice was calm but the edge in it was sharp enough to draw blood. "No," I gasped, finally scrambling back to my feet. "This was an accident. My heel broke… I should have fixed it." I grabbed my bucket. My hands shook violently. I did not look at Jane or Thomas. I moved quickly. "I’m so sorry," I whispered, keeping my head down. I walked past them quickly without stopping until I was out of the office. “How dare you!" Jane’s voice screamed after me. It echoed down the hall. "If I ever see you on your knees again, you’re fired!" I reached the storage room, dropped the bucket and leaned against the wall. "Why do I even care what he thinks? He’s a jerk," I muttered to myself. "An arrogant, narcissist jerk." Then his words came back to me. ‘You heard about the bounty headline. Now you are in my hotel.’ “What headline?” I whispered to myself. Ding. A notification pops on my phone. It was a news alert from the business sector. I tapped it. My thumbs hovered over the screen. Billionaire CEO Xander Rhodes is offering $10 million dollars to any woman who can give him an heir. The words blurred before my eyes. Ten million dollars! Does he want to buy an heir? Then Kyle’s face flashed through my mind. Kyle, with his dark hair and sharp blue eyes. My blood ran cold. Xander was a man who bought what he wanted. He had bought my silence with a check. Now, he is here to take my baby.