Unexpectedly Expecting || BWWM

Dean POV

I woke up with the sun beaming on my bare back. I had a habit of being butt naked and sprawled across my bed after an "interesting night."

Why drunk me preferred that position was a mystery, but it was irrelevant.

I sat up, groaning as the remnants of sleep and a mild headache battled for dominance. I rubbed my eyes and turned to see who I'd brought up last night.

Cherry red hair, pale skin, and lips slightly parted as she slept. She was beautiful, sure, but I couldn't summon much more than apathy as I swung my legs off the bed. Naked and unbothered, I headed for the shower.

The hot water was welcomed as I scrubbed away the remnants of the previous night. Almost every night for the last eight weeks had followed the same pattern: drinks, flirtation, sex, and then the morning-after routine of figuring out how to avoid a tabloid headline.

Not that it mattered. The media already had their narrative: Dean Keller, billionaire playboy.

I sighed and leaned my forehead against the shower tile. This cycle wasn't who I wanted to be, but ever since that night at the bar, I'd been chasing something—or rather, someone.

Ivory.

I couldn't get her out of my mind.

Her name wasn't the only thing I remembered. Her laugh, the way she tilted her head when she smiled, the way her soft skin felt under my fingertips. She didn't know who I was—Dean Keller, heir to the Keller Corporation, tabloid regular, and walking scandal.

No, to her, I was just Dean. A guy who bought her a drink, made her laugh, and talked to her like a normal human being. For several blissful hours, I wasn't a brand or a headline. I was just me.

Then I woke up to find her leaving. No bye, no phone number. Just the lingering scent of her perfume on my sheets.

I'd spent the past eight weeks trying to find her. I hired private investigators, scoured social media, even asked the bartender at the place we'd met. All I had was her name.

Ivory.

No one else had come close to making me feel what she had. But here I was, stuck in the same destructive pattern, hoping each random hookup might fill the void she left.

When I stepped out of the shower and dressed, I was no closer to an answer. My phone buzzed on the nightstand.

"Yeah?" I answered, already knowing who it was.

"Mr. Keller," my assistant's voice was crisp and professional. "Do you require assistance with your guest this morning?"

I glanced toward the bedroom, where Cherry Red was still sprawled out. "Yeah. Get her out of here before my mother shows up unannounced again."

"Understood. Should I leave a parting gift?"

"No gifts. Just...escort her out discreetly."

"Yes, sir. I'll be there shortly."

I hung up and grabbed my car keys, heading out to the office.

——
By the time I arrived at my building, I was already late. The valet took my car, and I stepped into the sleek elevator that led to my office. When I reached my floor, I found a stack of paperwork waiting on my desk.

My first instinct was to delegate it, but I forced myself to sit down and start working. My father's voice played in my head: "You need to grow up, Dean."

Speak of the devil.

The door to my office swung open without a knock, and there he stood, wearing his signature disappointed expression.