Page 16 of Starving for Her

“You are his real dad, silly!” she says with a smile designed to make me remember the good times we had. But I’m not buying it. All Becky did was fuck up my life, and she’s still doing it.

“And you’re Mother Teresa.”

Becky looks down and shakes her head. She’s been trying to play nice, but she knows I’m not falling for it so she plays the only other card she has.

“I can go to the press, you know? Tell them about him and tell them about his deadbeat dad who refuses to acknowledge his son. You know, like Steve Jobs did with his daughter? The public will side with me. They hate CEO billionaires.”

“Do you really want me to come back to you under duress, Becky?” I ask angrily. “Do you think we could have a relationship that way?”

“Once you remember how much you love me, yes,” she says. She reaches out to touch me, but I step away from her.

“That’s never going to happen,” I tell her. I know that she knows it too; she’s not serious. This is a shakedown, and I’d rather just get to it and get it over with so I can get on with my life.

“How much do you want? Fifty grand a month?”

Becky lets her jaw dropped, pretending to be aghast at my suggestion. “That’s cold, James. Even from you.”

“A hundred?” I continue. I want to get the fuck out of here, and fast.

“I mean—that would help a little, but it wouldn’t be as good as my son knowing who his father is.”

“One fifty, Becky. And that’s my final offer. I’ll even pay you in cash so you don’t have to report it.”

Becky takes a long, dramatic pause like she’s auditioning to be the next lead in a soap opera, then finally nods.

“Okay, James. If that’s how you want our family to be.”

“Listen to me, Becky,” I growl. “There is no family. There is no us. And after this, there’s no paternity test either. Understand?”

Becky shrugs like she’s somehow innocent in all this. “Okay, James. I guess I can live with that.

Yeah, you better, I think as I turn and head back to the car.

“My lawyer will contact you!” I call over my shoulder without turning. She shouts something out, but I’m not listening. As far as I’m concerned, this is the last time I will ever see her.