Matt read the scathing column about himself in the Daily Mirror. Delilah had really gone to town on him this time. Making him look like a complete scandal for not surrendering to his ex-fiancée's wishes to be married in a splashy wedding and nothing of course about how she intended to take his company away. Biased reporting always ticked him off but he'd grown used to it. After all being one of L.A.'s most eligible and wealthiest men constantly put him under the microscope. Whether or not he had put his beach house on the market, what brand of tux he'd worn at which social gala and which blonde on society's "A" list had left his office building early in the morning.

You might think that Matt or Houston as he likes to call himself is a nice, charitable kind of guy who attracts causes around him like he does women but this wealthy piece of eye candy does have a darker side…

He just put the newspaper down next to his finished cup of coffee. He sat in his office with his cowboy boot clad feet put on his desk. It had been a slow morning with the phone calls and business meetings with clients which gave him some time to relax before the ultrasound appointment. C.J. had told him that her doctor had wanted to schedule an appointment to take a look at Houston, jr and how he was developing with that special piece of equipment. She had seemed much more relaxed after their weekend hidden away at the hotel under the aliases Louis L'amour and Zane Grey. No one had even suspected the truth, that the city's most eligible bachelor had been holed at the hotel spending most of the weekend inside the honeymoon suite with his business partner.

Chris stood at the doorway with some bagels. She had gone out to the corner deli to grab a dozen. It used to be donuts from up the street but she'd put everyone on a health kick lately.

"Nice article Houston," she said, "some old ladies will be wagging their fingers as soon as you leave the building this morning.

Matt sighed because Delilah had really done a number on him and as usual, had left out a few key details in her diatribe disguised as in-depth reporting about him.

"Did you catch the piece on the next page?"

No, he hadn't, he'd been done reading the rag after reading the hit piece on him. So he picked it up and flipped a page over and saw a very familiar woman staring back at him.

"Courtney Garner…the mystery writer…C.J. and I met her on that case we worked on a while back. As I recall, she liked slapping people."

Mostly him of course, as she hadn't appreciated her treatment of her secret lover who'd been one of the primary suspects in the murder of another mystery writer…messy case that one. It turned out one of his closest friends, the head of the writers' publishing company had been responsible, but had slipped up when he poisoned his own accomplice to make it look like a killer's suicide.

"She's having a book signing," Chris said, "I might check it out. I love mysteries."

"She's got some twitchy fingers so don't stand too close to her."

Chris looked at him oddly.

"You know her?"

"In a manner of speaking," he said, "Looks like she has a new book out."

Chris brightened.

"It's about this private eye who's a wealthy man, wears boots to the office but isn't very successful with the ladies."

Matt winced at that last one but he read further where this detective hooked up with a blonde woman with a penchant for tight clothing and a need to call him to come to her rescue when he was busy trying to fend off the amorous attentions of his mousy bespectled business partner. What the…that was seriously taking some creative license there.

"I hope C.J. isn't reading the Daily Mirror this morning."

Chris sighed.

"Barbara from that morning show still wants that interview."

Matt had been trying to dodge her and her cameraman for over a week now. She'd shown up crew in tow when he and Uncle Roy had been at a sensitive stakeout of a man fencing jewelry that his partner the notorious cat burglar had lifted from wealthy real estate in Hancock Park. They had nearly botched it up and as it was, Matt had been forced to chase down one of the fences in a marina where he cornered him on a pier.

The guy had looked at him for a moment and then had done a swan dive into the ocean. Not only had he not gotten killed but he wound up climbing in a motor boat which just happened to show up at that time.

Another accomplice to what looked like a good sized ring, no doubt.

"Where is C.J. anyway?"

Matt picked up a folder from his desk.

"She's at the salon and day spa with Elise who sold her on getting a manicure."

Chris shook her head.

"Lucky girl…"

Suddenly they heard glass breaking in the lobby and some rather colorful words at a high pitch.

Matt knew that could only mean one thing. He looked at Chris and they both said at the same time.

"Serena."

He's hoped to never see the spoiled brat of an heiress again and figured she'd be too busy trying to get her daddy's billions out of probate. Obviously she had some spare time on her hand. Chris raced to go save the Faberge egg collection that belonged to Roy from destruction. Matt got up out of his desk and sauntered into the lobby where Serene stood dressed in one of her designer gowns stared him down. As soon as her eyes caught him, her face of course softened, her eyelashes fluttered but he was immune to her limited charms.

"Mi amor…"

"Serena…put the egg down and I'll talk to you."

She looked at it and then rested it gently on its shelf.

"I'm sorry Houston; I don't know what came over me."

He stood by the doorway.

"Why are you here Serena? You know I can't help you get your billions."

She shrugged.

"I've got a team of lawyers working on that," she said, "I am here to warn you because even though you won't return my affections or my phone calls, you are near and dear…like you were those days in Paris."

Not much to those days, as he had told C.J. once. They had shared a few kisses but she didn't do it for him. Too high maintenance too spoiled and too damn destructive to anything breakable but why was she here now?

"Why are you here Serena?"

She smiled in a way some might call seductive but he just called lethal.

"Oh Houston…I got this phone call when I was out on Miguel's yacht. He's one of my lawyers and some Delilah woman urged me to give an exclusive interview on the real Matt Houston."

Matt digested that. How had Delilah known to contact her to try to spill information on him? Then he remembered something. Not too long ago, he had taken his Rolodex that contained the number of the women he dated. C.J. teased him often about his little black book but it was a little bit bigger than that. He had tossed it into the trash which had gone to one of the big dumpsters just outside the parking garage waiting for trash collection.

He really should have shredded its contents first or had it blown up before tossing it. He should have known that people including society columnists had been known to search the trash bins of their targets for any information that might juice up an exposé or series of them.

Had Delilah been sifting through his trash since then? He definitely wouldn't put it past her especially if she found anything that would help Elizabeth.

"I would never help that witch Houston," Serena said, "So low rent and her clothes, off the rack at Saks."

But Matt knew better. She didn't have a charitable bone in her body and never did anything for nothing in return in all the time he'd known her.

"Okay what do you want?"

She hesitated, looking hurt but Matt looked past that. The girl could act too.

"Oh nothing really Houston," she said, "Well it's like this mi amour, but it's not that complicated."

"It always is with you Serena. Shoot."

She smiled at him.

"I need an heir…say in about a year?"

He just looked at her in shock.

"You need a what?"

"An heir…what the commoners among us call a baby."

Matt coughed.

"And you want me to give it to you in exchange for not helping my ex-fiancée take away my company?"

Serena nodded. Matt couldn't believe it, could this situation get any crazier? Sure he'd been thinking that when Elizabeth went after his company that maybe one…or more blasts from his past might be pulling some strings in the wings.

But he'd never imagine Serena would be one of them. She'd claim to be neutral but she wasn't exactly Switzerland here.

"I don't think so Serena," he said, "Not in this lifetime."

Her face fell, the sparkle left her eye and he saw her transform into the ill-tempered brat that he knew so well.

"Why you…you can't even keep your ex from taking it all away from you," she said, "and Delilah from buying that dreadful paper."

"How much did she offer you?"

Serena blinked her irate eyes.

"Nothing…my lawyers told me the only way to get my daddy's billions out of probate in less than 10 years is to have a baby…it's a codicil in his will that they found inside a bottle of chardonnay in an old wine cellar in his villa in Tuscany."

C.J. walked into the lobby off of the elevator and her eyes widened at what she saw there. Serena just threw her the usual pithy look before dismissing her.

"Houston…what's going on here? Why is she in your lobby?"

Emphasis on the word, she, Matt knew. There was no love lost between C.J. and Serena. His business partner would toss her off the helipad if she could get away with it.

"C.J…is it time to go?"

She smiled.

"In a few minutes," she said, "No rush though. I want to see this play out."

Damn, he'd been hoping for the ultrasound appointment to give him a quick escape. But more important, he was more excited than he ever imagined to take a look at the first of a new generation of Houstons.

"Not much left," he said, "Serena was just leaving."

The woman didn't budge.

"Not without the promise of an heir."

C.J. raised a brow at Matt, asking him if this meant what she thought. He just smiled weakly.

"She wants my baby…"

He didn't know what to expect from her when he said that and he could see her bite back a smile.

"Oh I see…well when you draw the contract up on how you two want to do it, I'll go over it for you with a fine tooth comb."

Matt's mouth dropped open. C.J. didn't miss a beat.

"We'd better get going Cowboy," she said, "The appointment remember."

How could he forget? It would be the highpoint of his life so far and it'd give him an out from this awkward gathering in his lobby. C.J. pushed the elevator button. The doors opened and they both stared at a woman with frosted blond hair surrounded by burly men carrying camera equipment. C.J. turned to Matt.

"Who are these people?"

Barbie turned on as if a switch had been flipped and beamed at them.

"You're joking right? Everyone who's anyone in L.A. watches my show."

C.J. had a memory flash.

"Oh yeah…You had the dancing pandas."

Barbie nodded.

"Oh yes from China," she said, "One of our highest rated pieces."

"Hard hitting right?"

"Well…"

Serena broke in.

"I want a baby from mi amour but he's always been so bullheaded."

Matt shrugged.

"Excuse me but my business associate and I have a…meeting, a very critical one to attend so we'll be going."

Barbie blocked his path holding a huge microphone she whipped out of nowhere.

"Not so fast…we received an update this morning that Elizabeth now owns Houston Enterprises."

That was news to Matt and he looked over at C.J.

What the hell had just happened here?