The Billionaire's Secret Love Child(169)

*****

Dan pulled up outside the office and took a good look at it. The peeling paintwork around the windows and the weeds growing through the surface of the small parking lot led Dan to one conclusion. Keke's business was not flourishing. When she opened the door, he was already round at the passenger side, helping her up. Chivalrous as well as hot, she thought.

''Come with me. It's not much of an office I'm afraid. I've only just started the business. The office needs some renovation work doing.'' Inside it was a scruffy as outside, which surprised Dan because Keke was obviously the kind of person who took great care in her personal appearance. Perhaps it was a lack of money, not a lack of will, he thought.

A man in his middle sixties stood up and shook Keke's hand. ''Dan would you mind sitting here for a while?'' Keke picked up some old magazines from the arm chair and put them on the glass coffee table. Why the hell do I employ a secretary, if I have to do everything myself, she thought.

''Janice, make Mr. Stephenson some tea, please.'' Keke left Dan to the mercy of her secretary and disappeared into the back office with Mr. Sanderson.

''How do you like it?'' Janice asked referring to the tea.

''Milk, no sugar.'' He watched Janice as she got up and skilfully navigated her ample rear end through the gap between her desk and the wall. She walked past him to the kitchenette. The office was a small wooden construction, with white painted paneled wood walls and a V-shaped roof supported by iron trusses. It needed a coat of paint and the linoleum on the floor needed replacing. There was a picture of a tall ship in a storm hanging on the wall behind Janice's desk. The picture reminded him of his life. He was just like a ship in a storm, perhaps a rudderless ship.

Janice brought his tea and almost spilled it on him as she reached over to put it on the glass table. ''Thanks,'' he said. ''How long have you guys been operating?''

Janice put a finger to her lips and rolled her eyes to the ceiling as she tried to remember the exact date they opened. ''I think we started in April two years ago.''

''And is there much work for private detectives in Dallas?''

Janice put her head to one side and started to play with her red hair. Stop looking at his bulge, she told herself. ''Most of it is working for men who think their wives are cheating on them. Easy stuff really. Follow her, take a few pictures and send an invoice.''

''And how do you actually become a PD? I mean it's not exactly a mainstream kind of job?''

''I'm just a secretary, but Keke studied criminology at Harvard. She's a bright lady.''

''Does she have a male friend?'' He mentally crossed his fingers and waited for her reply.

'No, she's single.'' Janice felt disappointed. It was she who'd first helped him and sent him to look for Keke. Why was he asking about Keke? What was wrong with her? She tried to look nice everyday, she really did, and it wasn't her fault she'd inherited her grandmother’s pear shaped figure.

When the old man left the office, Keke appeared and showed Dan into her office. It was tiny. There was a laptop on an old dining table and two chairs. In the corner was an aluminum case that he assumed was her photography equipment. There was a picture of a black woman that he'd seen before, but couldn't quite place.

''Madame Tinubu. She was a slave trader who realized the error of her ways and became a scathing opponent of slavery,'' Keke said when she saw him looking at the picture.

''Yes, I remember now. She was Nigerian, and they called her the queen of the ladies. So why exactly do you have her on your wall?''

''Because she's a symbol that you can start life on the wrong foot, but still change your ways and do good. Sorry for the wait. Now where did we get to?'' She sad down and crossed her legs. Dan waited for her as he stared at her them. ''Yes, you want me to check out your fiancee. But you don't know why.''

''Now I've had time, I can explain more fully. It was all a bit of a rush to get here, and then I had to go to the diner so I guess I got thrown off course.'' What he really wanted to say was, when he'd gone into the diner and seen Keke her stunning looks had totally thrown him. ''I am engaged and have been for three months. The wedding is planned in ten weeks.'' Still no further Keke thought as she waited impatiently. ''She is the daughter of my father's chief accountant. You may not find this a plausible reason for you to start an investigation, but I want her checked out because I will have to live with her for the rest of my life and at the moment she is behaving very strangely indeed.''

''Okay, I understand.'' Mr. Sanderson had decided not to invest in Keke's business, and she was now quite desperate for work. Lucky break him coming along she thought, now make the most of it and stop looking at his bulge. ''Then I'll check her out for you.''

''Why the sudden change of heart?''

Keke refrained from saying: because your father is loaded and a potential business partner has turned me down. ''I was a little hasty before, and you obviously need my help, so I will do so.''

''Great. Then tell me what you need to know,'' Dan said relieved.

''Here fill this out.'' Keke handed him a client information sheet that covered just about everything she needed to know. ''Can we discuss fees?'' He nodded. ''Two thousand a day plus expenses,'' Keke said emboldened in the knowledge that his father was one of the richest men in American and that Dan was in all likelihood his heir. He nodded again. Keke smiled and shouted for Janice to come. She appeared and listened. ''When Mr. Stephenson has filled out this form, please draw up a contract for him to sign. The fee is two thousand a day plus expenses.'' Janice looked and was about to say 'how much?' She managed to stop herself when she saw Keke look at her in a 'don't say anything,' kind of way.