Love Is Just A Game Book 1: Jamie and LexySeven Years Earlier………………………………

                The palace ballroom was lit up by sparkling chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Seventeen year old Lady Alexis DiOrdano stood next to her younger brother, Lord Christopher, tapping her foot impatiently. “I can’t believe Papa made us come tonight,” she whispered to her brother, her large, bluish-purple eyes filled with boredom.

                “I know,” he whispered back, tugging at his tie.

                He wanted nothing more than to take off the uncomfortable noose around his neck and loosen his collar, but it wouldn’t do. The children of Marquis Andrew DiOrdano, advisor and close friend to the king, had to fulfill their duty. And tonight, that duty was standing around at a boring party thrown for visiting dignitaries.

                Alexis absent-mindedly picked up a drink and took a sip. Of all their siblings, she looked the most like her younger brother Chris. They both took after their mother, with their tall, willowy frames, aristocratic bone structure, and light coloring. Alexis was shorter than her brother, who was over six feet tall, and while his hair was more gold than red, hers was a fabulous combination of red and gold that no one, save her mother Regina, was born with.

                Alexis’ older brother, Andrew, and her younger sister, Eden, looked more like her father, the marquis. All three had darker looks, but the entire family was very good-looking.

                Alexis looked around disinterestedly. She saw her father speaking with King James and several of the dignitaries. No surprise there, Alexis thought. Her father was all business. After her mother, the beautiful Lady Regina, had died, her father had buried himself in work. Her eldest brother, Earl Andrew, was a lot like their father. He spent a lot of time with the marquis, as Andy was his heir.

                Thinking of her other brother, Alexis looked around. She saw Andy speaking with Queen Eleanor, his arm around his wife Katherine. A smile curved around Alexis’ full lips. She adored Kate almost more than Andy did, and had been delighted when Kate and Andy had married four years ago.

Alexis thought of Kate as the older sister she had never had, and Kate had done her best to bring the DiOrdano’s back together. After Regina had died, her father had left Alexis, Chris, and Eden to be raised by numerous nannies. Eden was much younger than both Alexis and Chris, and Andrew much older, so only Alexis and Chris had formed a tight bond. They were also close in age, with Chris being only one year younger than Alexis. Alexis still remembered going to the hospital to see her mother before she died. Her mother had taken Alexis’ and Chris’ hands and, squeezing gently, had told them to always look out for each other. To take care of each other. Alexis and Chris had both promised, and though they never spoke of the promise, both abided by it.

“Hey Chris. Hey Lexy,” Prince Henry, youngest child and second son to the king, said, coming over to stand by them.

“Hey stranger. Where have you been hiding tonight?” Alexis asked, giving Henry a kiss on the cheek.

Henry and Alexis were the same age, and he, Chris, and Alexis were all close friends. Although rumors and tabloids said otherwise, Alexis and Henry had never been anything more than friends. Both of them were just so good-looking, both of noble blood, that people wanted them to be together, to be the perfect couple. Henry had brown hair and brown eyes, was tall and fit, and had a smile that melted the knees of almost every girl he aimed it towards.

Henry grinned at Alexis and Chris. “I was in my room.”

Chris laughed. “Who’s the poor girl this time?”

Henry put a hand over his heart. “Chris, I thought you were my best friend. How can you say such things? Don’t you mean who’s the lucky girl?”

Alexis cocked an eyebrow, then pouted playfully. “Henry, I thought I was your lucky girl.”

“You are, darling,” Henry said, putting an arm around Alexis. “You’re my luckiest.”

Alexis laughed, not hearing the man coming up behind her. “You’re supposed to be mingling, not hiding out in a corner,” twenty-one year old Prince James, Crown Prince of Romalini and heir to the throne, said, coming over to them and sounding irritated.

James was just as good-looking as his brother, with dark brown hair and clear blue eyes. However, he and Alexis constantly grated on each others’ nerves. James was always so……well, he was never any fun. Alexis knew he had to be dedicated and have some discretion, since he is the heir to the throne, but she couldn’t even remember if she’d ever seen him laugh.

Alexis turned to face James with a little smile. “We were plotting on how to murder you so that Henry could be king,” she said sweetly.

James glared at her. “You’re always so funny, Alexis.”

“And you always know how to take a joke so well,” Alexis retorted.

“We’re going, Jamie. We’re going to split up and mingle away, okay?” Henry said easily, slapping a hand onto his older brother’s shoulder.

“Good,” Jamie said, striding away to talk to the prime minister from Britain.

Alexis rolled her eyes. “Why is he always so uptight?” she asked Chris and Henry.

Chris shrugged. “Goes with the territory of being heir,” Henry said cheerfully. “We’d better go mingle, or he’ll come back. After this, we’ll hit a club. I’ll get some people together.”

“Great!” Alexis said.

“See you then,” Chris added.

Chris took off in one direction, Henry another, and Alexis grabbed a champagne flute, then walked over to talk to the Ambassador from France.

Two men were watching Alexis as she left her brother and friend to talk to the ambassador.

One of the men was Jamie. Alexis annoyed him to no end. Even when they were kids, he had never felt comfortable around her. Maybe it was because their personalities were so opposite. Alexis was happy-go-lucky and a party girl through and through, and he ……well……wasn’t. Jamie was very grounded, serious, and hard-working. Three things that Alexis most certainly was not.

The other man was her father, Andrew. Each day his eldest daughter looked more and more like his beloved late wife, Regina. Andrew knew that he spoiled Alexis because of that fact, but he couldn’t help it. Andrew was his heir, and Alexis was the embodiment of his Regina. What more did he need?

Except for one thing – she had the ridiculous idea of going to Los Angeles to become an actress. L.A., for heavens’ sake! No daughter of his would run off to California to become an actress.

                That night, Alexis and her best friend Nikki (whose official title was Lady Nikki, as her father was an earl) were in Alexis’ room, putting on makeup before heading out to the club. “Hurry up, Nikki!” Alexis said, stuffing lip gloss into her purse.

                The two girls ran out to Alexis’ little red Ferrari. “Lexy, are you okay to drive?” Nikki asked. “You were hitting the champagne pretty hard tonight.”

                Alexis grinned. “I’m always okay to drive, Nikki!”

                Nikki let out a shout of laughter, tossing back her long blond hair. “Then let’s go!”

Later that night, Alexis found herself sitting alone at the bar. Chris, Nikki, Henry, everyone else……where were they? Had they come up to her and told her? Alexis didn’t remember. She’d had a lot to drink…………all the champagne at the party, then a bunch of shots of what, she didn’t know, here at the bar……………

As Alexis blearily looked around her, she didn’t notice the man next to her quickly reach over and slip something into her drink. She turned back around in her seat to face the bar and, ignoring the man next to her, downed all the alcohol in the glass. The man next to her grinned to himself, then turned to talk to her. “Hey baby,” he said.

Alexis didn’t even look at him. “I’m not interested.”

The man’s eyes flashed with anger, but as suddenly as it had appeared, the anger was gone. “Let’s go in back………I can make you change your mind,” he said, pulling Alexis off her barstool and, an arm wrapped securely around her, leading her into one of the private rooms in back.

“Let me go,” Alexis slurred, barely able to walk.

The combination of too much alcohol and the drug, which was starting to take effect, proved to be too much for Alexis. When the man entered the room, locked the door behind them, and let go of Alexis, she collapsed to the ground.

                “Hey, where’d Lexy go?” Chris asked Nikki a half hour later.

                Nikki shrugged, downing another shot. “Who cares?” she shouted, giggling. “We’re having fun without her!”

                Chris grinned as Nikki stood up on the table and began to dance, her hips swaying sexily. What would he rather do……….look for his big sister, who was most likely throwing up somewhere, or watch the sexy Nikki dance on top of tables? No contest, Chris thought, settling back to watch. He downed another shot.

               

               

                Alexis struggled to keep her eyes open as the man took off her clothes. Her vision was so blurry that she couldn’t even tell what color the man’s hair was. He’s raping me, she thought, then sank into oblivion.

                Alexis opened her eyes. She looked around. Where am I? she wondered.

                Then it all came back to her. Looking down at herself, she noticed that she was fully clothed. He, whoever “he” was, must have put her clothes back on her. She knew from the ache between her thighs that he had definitely gotten what he’d came for.

                Alexis forced herself to stand, her legs shaking. She looked at her watch. It was four o’clock in the morning. Nikki, Chris, Henry – she knew they had all moved on to another club by now, they never stayed in one place for long. Alexis made herself walk outside, got a cab, than sank into the backseat.

                As the cabbie drove her home, she tried to put her thoughts in order. He must have drugged me, she reasoned. Even if I was drunk, I would have been able to fight him off at least for a little while.

                Alexis felt like she was going to be sick. What had happened hadn’t really sunk in yet, but it was beginning to. There was no question that she had been drugged and raped.

                Right then and there, Alexis knew she wouldn’t tell anyone. If someone had slipped something into her drink it was her own fault for not paying closer attention. Sure, she had been drunk and there to have a good time, but that was no excuse. Besides, she couldn’t deal with anyone knowing. Nothing was a secret in her life; if one person knew, sooner or later everyone would know. So she would keep this nasty little secret to herself.

One Month Later……………………

                “Lex? Lexy?” Chris called out, knocking on his sister’s bedroom door.

                “Just a minute,” she called from the other side.

                Chris frowned, his blue eyes filled with worry. Something was wrong with Alexis, everyone had noticed. She never went out to clubs with their friends anymore; in fact, she barely came out of her room at all. Papa, Andrew, Kate, Nikki, Henry, himself – all of them had tried getting her to tell them what was wrong, but she always said she was fine and was just feeling a little tired. Their father had had a doctor come and examine her two weeks ago, thinking that maybe she had mono or something else that would produce these symptoms in her, but the doctor had told them that Alexis was fine.

                Chris’ thoughts were interrupted when Alexis opened the door. Chris sighed inwardly. She was still in her robe. “Lexy, we’re leaving in an hour,” he told her. “Hurry up and get dressed.”

                “Leaving?” Alexis asked, looking confused and panicked all at once.

                Chris felt his worry growing. “Yes. My graduation ceremony is today, remember?”

                “Oh. Right. Yes, of course I remember,” she lied.

                “Okay. One hour, Lexy,” Chris said, knowing she was lying but not having any idea how to help his sister.

                “Yes. One hour.”

                And with that, she closed the door. Chris stared at it for a moment, then dejectedly set off down the hall.

                On the other side of the door, Alexis went to her closet to get dressed. How could she have forgotten her own brother’s graduation? She was so proud of him, really, she was. It was just………she knew that pretty soon, she’d have to tell her family the truth. Or at least part of the truth.

                In the two weeks following “the incident” – that was the only way Alexis would refer to it to herself – she hadn’t felt like doing anything. She felt so used, and she was constantly being overcome with feelings of helplessness, as well as fear. What if it happened again? Taking precautions, she had practically become a hermit. It was the only way she could ensure never getting hurt again. It hadn’t been ideal, but she had reasoned to herself that she just needed a little time to get over it. A little time, and then she could go back to normal without anyone ever knowing.

                Now, that theory was all blown to hell. Two weeks ago her father had made her see a doctor. The doctor had told her that she was pregnant. Pregnant! There was only one person with whom she had had sex with recently – her rapist. She had begged the doctor not to tell her family, and he had agreed.

                But it didn’t change anything. She was one month pregnant, and she didn’t even know who her baby’s father was. She had considered getting an abortion, but she just couldn’t. Not only did it go against her beliefs but she was terrified that if she got one, she would never be able to have children again. You always heard all the stories of abortions that went wrong.

                And another part of her wanted the baby. She loved children. She knew it would be hard to raise it on her own, but she could do it. She also knew that her father would be furious at first, but she hoped he would cool off before the baby was born. Her family would help her, she was sure of it.

                But she was afraid to tell them. She knew she couldn’t put it off much longer. Tomorrow, she decided. She would tell them tomorrow and until then, she would paste a smile on her face and try to act like her old self.

                Alexis hadn’t heard the whispers that night. After the graduation ceremony everyone had gone to the huge party that was being held at a restaurant downtown. Once there, people began gossiping about the Lady Alexis. “Can you believe it, she skipped Earl Grey’s party two weeks ago!” one woman said to another.

                “I know! And look at her. She looks rather ill, doesn’t she?”

                “Oh yes, absolutely.”

                “ – the dark circles around her eyes – “

                “ – snubbed my Elena’s birthday party – “

                “ – won’t leave her room – “

                Tired of hearing all the gossip, Henry left the dining room. He found Chris and Jamie talking outside. “Hey,” he said, coming up to them.

                “Hey,” they said in reply.

                The three of them stood in silence for a moment. “You know what people are saying?” Henry finally said to Chris.

                “Yeah. That she’s lost it,” Chris replied.

                “Well? Has she?” Henry asked.

                “Henry! What kind of question is that?” Jamie admonished him.

                But Chris waved it off. “Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t think so. She hasn’t been like this since our mother died. But I don’t know what could have happened that’s so horrible.”

                Jamie nodded in agreement. “Yeah, if something happened, everyone would have heard by now,” Henry said.

                All three of them stood there, looking worried. But what could they do?

                “I just don’t know,” Andrew said.

                Andrew and Kate were sitting alone in a corner. Across the room they could see Alexis, holding their two year old daughter Colleen on her lap. “I tried talking to her. She wouldn’t tell me anything,” Kate said. “I’m worried about her, Andrew.”

                “We all are. But unless she’s going to tell us what’s going on………..” he trailed off.

                Kate nodded. She looked at Alexis. She’s looking at Colleen with such a strange expression, Kate thought. She wondered what it meant.

                The next day, Alexis paced back and forth in her room. I could wait until tomorrow, she told herself. I don’t have to tell Papa today.

                But she knew she was just procrastinating. The sooner she told him, the sooner her could get over being angry. She took a deep breath, raised her chin, then set off determinedly down the hall to her father’s office.

                Alexis knocked, then entered the office. Her father was talking on the phone but upon seeing her, hung it up. “Lexy,” he said gently. “How are you?”

                Alexis shrugged. “I need to talk to you.”

                Her father looked both pleased and relieved. “Good. Sit down.”

                He waited until she sat, twisting her hands in her lap nervously. “What would you like to talk about?” he asked, trying to keep his tone gentle and understanding.

                Alexis looked down at the hands she was twisting, then let them go. “Papa, I – “ No! I can’t do it. I’ll wait. But I have to. Do it! Get it done! Say it, stupid, just say it! “ – I’m pregnant.”

                There was a long silence. Her father just stared at her, his expression one of frozen shock. Alexis stood up and started pacing, waiting for him to say something. Finally, the silence was broken.

                “PREGNANT?!” he roared. “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN, PREGNANT?!”

                Alexis wisely decided to keep her mouth shut, sensing that the question was rhetorical. Now her father stood up and started pacing, as Alexis stopped moving and just stood there. “You can’t be pregnant,” he said, walking back and forth and waving his hands wildly as he spoke. “It’s not possible. The doctor would have – “

                “I asked him not to tell you,” Alexis interrupted.

                Her father stopped and looked at her. “I wanted to tell you myself! I was just waiting for the right time,” she said, trying to explain.

                Her tone became desperate as the expression on her father’s face grew even more furious. He’s practically turning purple, she thought fleetingly before beginning to speak again.

                “Papa, I didn’t mean for it to happen. I’m sorry. I just – “

                “You just what?” the marquis spat out. “You were just having a good time? Who is he?”

                “Who’s who?”

                “The father! The son of a bitch that got you pregnant!”

                Alexis shook her head. “I can’t – I can’t tell you that.”

                She didn’t think it was possible, but the marquis seemed to begin swelling with anger. He seemed at least two inches wider. “You can’t TELL ME WHO IT IS?” he shouted. “THAT’S BULLSHIT! You tell me right now, and that boy’s going to marry you! I won’t have a daughter of mine becoming a disgrace!”

                Alexis felt a moment of fear. What could she tell her father? She couldn’t tell him what happened – she just couldn’t. What, did you think he wasn’t going to ask who the father was? Or that he’d just let it go? Stupid! she admonished herself.

                “I’m not going to marry him,” Alexis said, quietly but firmly.

                Her father stopped pacing. “Then what? An abortion?”

                His voice didn’t carry a hint of disapproval. It was then that Alexis realized what her father’s true feelings on the matter were. He doesn’t care about me or the baby, she thought. All he cares about is protecting an image. That’s all he cares about.

                Alexis felt tears come to her eyes. “No, not an abortion. I’ll raise my baby.”

                “You can’t raise a baby! You’re not married. You can’t bear an illegitimate child!” her father said, starting to pace again.

                Suddenly Alexis felt a strength she hadn’t known she possessed. Her tears disappeared. “Yes, actually, I can,” she said, her voice calm. “I can – “

                “No! No daughter of mine will – “

                “You can’t stop me!” she screamed, finally raising her voice to him.

                His eyes filled with rage. “Yes, I can! I’M YOUR FATHER! YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO OUR FAMILY! Who’s the father?”

                “I DON’T KNOW!”

                Andrew ran down the hall. He could hear his father and Alexis shouting, and it didn’t sound good. He’d have to hurry and get in there before their tempers got the best of them. Both of them have such horrible tempers, he thought as he ran. And both of them are exactly the same. Neither will give an inch. This won’t be pretty.

                Still, if they’re fighting, Lexy must be feeling better. About time.

                Andrew opened the door to his father’s office and was shocked to find his father with his hands on Alexis’ arms, shaking her. “HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN, YOU TRAMP!“

                “Papa, let go of her!” Andrew exclaimed, horrified by what his father had just said.

He pulled Alexis out of the marquis’ grasp. Andrew looked down at Alexis and saw her looking at their father, her eyes cold and devoid of emotion. “Let me go, Andrew,” she said calmly.

                He let go. “Lexy, what’s going on?”

                She looked at him for a moment, debating over whether to tell him right away. But her father beat her to the punch. “Alexis is pregnant,” he told Andrew, fuming. “And she doesn’t know who the father is. She’s slept with so many men that she doesn’t even know WHO THE FATHER IS!” he said, ending in a yell.

                Andrew stared at his sister. She looked back at him. He didn’t move or say anything. Nodding, as if accepting that Andrew felt the same way their father did, Alexis turned and strode out of the room. The marquis rushed out of the door and yelled one last thing after her. “YOU’RE NOT MY DAUGHTER!”

                Alexis never turned around.

Once she reached her room, Alexis closed the door, then looked at a clock. She figured she had about an hour before her father would predict what she would do and try and stop her. She hurriedly began packing. She threw things into suitcases: clothes, shoes, jewelry, pictures, credit cards. She grabbed a carry-on and began putting all sorts of identification in there. Her passport, drivers’ license, birth certificate, anything she could think of.

“Miss Alexis? What are you doing?” came a voice from behind her.

Alexis turned to find Gabrielle, the older woman who had been her personal maid since she was ten years old. “Gabrielle – “ Alexis stopped.

Could she trust Gabrielle? Looking at the face she knew so well, creased with concern, she knew that she could. “Gabrielle, can you help me get my suitcases to my car?”

“Miss Alexis, what’s going on?”

“Please, Gabrielle. Then get in the car with me. I’ll explain everything.”

She could see the older woman hesitate, but less than a second had passed when Gabrielle picked up the suitcases. Grabbing her keys, Alexis followed Gabrielle, where the two of them threw the suitcases into the backseat. Alexis got in the drivers’ seat, Gabrielle the passengers’ one, and then they were off. “Where are you going?” Gabrielle asked.

“The airport.”

“The airport? Oh, Miss Alexis, what’s going on?”

Alexis chewed on her bottom lip. Oh, what the hell, she thought. Come tomorrow, everyone will know anyway.

“Gabrielle, I’m pregnant.”

“What?” the older woman squawked.

Alexis plowed on. “And the father – he’s not a part of the picture. I told my father, he was furious, and now I have to go. My father – the marquis – he doesn’t want any part of it.”

Gabrielle was silent. Alexis looked over and saw a look of understanding on the woman’s face. Alexis gave her a small smile, which Gabrielle returned.

                Alexis sat down in a worn-out chair. On the way to the airport she had stopped at the bank and gotten a couple thousand in cash from the trust fund her mother had left her. She had also arranged for ten million to be wired to the L.A. branch. Alexis had decided she was going to California – Los Angeles, to be more precise. She would take acting lessons while she was pregnant, then get work once she got her figure back. It would be tough, but she could do it, and she had plenty of money to tide her over. Besides, there’s plenty more money in the trust, Alexis thought. She had millions in trusts and accounts her father had set up for her, but she wouldn’t touch those. Her mother had set up a trust of seventy-five million dollars for Alexis, and that was the only money Alexis felt right using. Her mother would have understood her, of that Alexis was sure.

                She leaned back in the chair and slipped on a pair of sunglasses so as not to be recognized. After securing her luggage, Alexis had persuaded Gabrielle to leave, saying that she would be fine waiting to board by herself.

                Alexis looked around. She was by herself. She’d never traveled anywhere alone before. She’d always been with lots of family members, or friends, or entourages. Never alone.

                She put a hand on her stomach. You’re not alone, she reminded herself. But it didn’t matter – she still felt alone.

                Grabbing her carry-on, Alexis ran to the bathroom. Once there, she began to sob uncontrollably. This was it. Her family had deserted her. Her father had said he had disowned her, and Andrew obviously felt the same way – he hadn’t said anything to indicate otherwise. Alexis sobbed harder.

                Finally, it seemed her tears had run dry. There was nothing left to cry about. She stood up, walked over to the sink, and splashed cold water on her face, then dried it. Her eyes still looked a little red and puffy, but who cared? She wouldn’t be seeing anyone she knew. She straightened her shoulders. “You have no family,” she said to her reflection. “You’re starting over.”

                With that, she turned and went to board her plane.

                Two days later, Alexis was sitting in her hotel room fuming. After going to the bank and setting up a checking account for the ten million she had wired there, she had tried to access the rest of the money. It was then that the clerk told her that the Marquis DiOrdano had frozen the money – it was stuck in Romalini. Alexis sighed. Legally, she could hire a lawyer and fight with her father, but it would drag on for years, of that Alexis was sure. And she didn’t want to waste money on that. I don’t care, she told herself resolutely.

                Just then, her cell phone rang. She looked at the caller id and saw that it was Chris. Chris, Henry, Nikki, Kate – they had all called her several times over the past couple of days, but Alexis had never answered the phone. She figured that she had put it off long enough. Alexis picked up her cell phone and pressed the talk button. “Hey Chris.”

                “Lexy!” Chris’ voice came through, sounding both relieved and excited and, somehow, close.

                Close? How can someone sound close over a phone, Lexy? You’re losing it, she told herself.

                Chris began to talk. “You left everyone in an uproar over here. What hotel are you staying at?”

                Alexis smiled. “The Four Seasons,” she said, knowing that the hotel chain had hotels around the entire world – and that Chris wouldn’t know which one she was staying at.

                She had no intention of ever going back to Romalini, and if Chris thought he could find her and bring her back, he had another thing coming. “Okay – talk to you later,” Chris said, then hung up.

                Alexis looked at her cell phone in disbelief. He hung up on her? He’d been trying to reach her for days, and now that he finally had, he talked to her for two seconds and then hung up?

                Without meaning to, Alexis felt herself becoming depressed all over again. He probably doesn’t care about how I’m doing, she told herself. Why should he? I’m the one that deserted the family. I could have at least stayed in the country, gone and visited Chris, and Eden, and Kate and baby Colleen.

                But deep down Alexis knew that it wasn’t true. It would have been impossible for her to stay in Romalini. The rumors, the gossip, her father’s fury, her older brothers’ disapproval and shame – she wouldn’t have been able to bear it. Besides, for all she knew, not one of her family members would have wanted to see her, anyway. She was better off alone, in a foreign country. Alone.

                Just then her cell phone rang. She answered it without checking to see who it was. “Hello?”

                “Come down to the lobby,” came Chris’ voice.

                “Chris, what – “

                But he had already hung up. Now what? she wondered. Asking herself why she was even bothering, she went downstairs to the lobby. She stood uncertainly, looking around, her blue-purple eyes looking confused. What was she supposed to be looking for?

                All of the sudden her eyes caught a familiar figure. Her breath hitched in her throat. No, it can’t be, she told herself. Chris?

                Slowly, she approached him. “Chris?” she asked, sounding unsure of herself.

                “Yeah Lex. It’s me,” Chris said gently.

                “How did you find me?”

                Chris frowned for a moment. He had thought that her first question would have been ‘what are you doing here’, not ‘how did you find me’. “I knew you’d come to L.A., Lexy. You’ve always wanted to be an actress.”

                Alexis smiled tentatively. “So, um, what are you doing here?”

                Chris looked around at the crowded lobby. “Let’s talk upstairs.”

                “Okay.”

                Thrilled to see a familiar face, and hoping that Chris was here to say that he didn’t agree with their father or Andrew and that he still wanted to see her, Alexis babbled on from nervous excitement as she led Chris to her hotel room. “It’s just temporary,” she said. “I’m supposed to look at a few condos tomorrow. I thought something on the beach might be nice, you know? Calming, with the ocean and all. And I’d live there, and take acting lessons, until I have the baby. Then, you know, I might start doing auditions and hopefully land something when – “

                “Is this it?” Chris interrupted, as Alexis stopped at a hotel door but didn’t put the key in because she was so busy talking.

                “What? Oh. Yes.”

                Alexis opened the door, then closed it behind her and Chris. “And so then – “

                Chris held up a hand. “Let me talk first.”

                She sat down, a feeling of dread coming into her stomach. “Okay.”

                He wasn’t going to tell her that he was ashamed of her too, was he? Chris was her best friend, the family member she was closest to. She couldn’t handle it if he had come all the way to the United States just to add that he, too, thought that she was a slut.

                Sensing her nervousness, Chris gave her a grin. “You think there’d be room in that condo for me?”

                Alexis froze. “What?” she choked out.

                The grin stayed on his face, but Chris’ eyes turned serious. “I’m came here to be with you, Lexy. Home is – home is bad – and you can’t be here all alone. I can help you, and when the baby comes, I can help with the baby, too.”

                “But – but Chris, you can’t. You can’t give up your life just because – “

                “I’m not,” he said, his voice stern. “Don’t ever think that. What have I always wanted to do?”

                “Um – “ Alexis’ thoughts were scrambled. “ – run your own company.”

                “Right. And I can do that here. We can do it together, Lexy. We’ll start a production company – for movies. You can act in the movies, and help me run the company, and we’ll make it, you’ll see,” he said, his voice earnest.

                Alexis’ eyes filled with tears. Chris stopped talking when he noticed this. “Lexy, don’t cry,” he said. “You don’t have to run a company if you don’t want to.”

                She let out a shaky breath. “No, no, it’s not that,” she said. “I’m just so – thank you,” she said, giving her little brother a hug.

                Then she turned serious. “I haven’t told anyone,” she said. “But I’ll tell you. But you can never tell anyone, okay? I don’t plan on letting anyone else know, not ever.”

                She paused for a moment, but she had to do it. Chris was being so great, and whether he admitted it or not, he was giving up a part of his life to be with her. She owed him the truth, at least. He had to understand why she couldn’t tell people who her baby’s father was.

                “It happened one month ago, at the club…………………..”

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Author’s Note: Review! Review, review, review!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I shall continue! (Hey, that rhymed!)