I hold up my hands, showing her my palms. “Janelle, I’ve never given you a reason to doubt me. Please, don’t start now. I will tell you everything the moment I can.” I stand directly in front of her, placing my hands on her shoulders. “Please, there is nothing going on between us romantically. Everything that’s happening is work-related, and it’s time-sensitive. The moment everything is ready to come out in the open, I’ll tell you everything. I swear.”
Her facial expression softens and her shoulders visibly fall with relief. “You promise? If you want out of this,” she motions between the two of us, “just tell me. I’ll go. I will. I won’t put up a fight or try ruining things for you at work. I’ll just…go.”
I pull her against my chest. “Of course I don’t want you to go! I’ve meant everything I’ve ever said to you. Candice and I are done. It’s you and me now. Please believe that.”
Her sad green eyes meet mine and she slowly nods. “Okay. If you say it, I’ll believe it.”
“There’s nothing between Candice and me. I want you and only you.” Slowly, I lean in for a kiss, testing the waters.
Her lips are tight and stiff at first, but then all her resolve falls away and she gives in to me. Her lips soften, moving with mine and allowing me the entrance I’m demanding. Her body molds to mine when I pull her flush against me. Our kiss deepens, and I pick her up, carrying her to the bedroom.
Placing her on her feet, we strip each other of our clothing before I walk her backwards, into the bathroom. Stepping into the shower, I break the kiss long enough to turn on the water, then I press her back against the wall as I pick her up and slide deep inside, right where I’ve been craving to be all day.
Our time away wasn’t nearly long enough.
Oh, how I’d love to whisk her away and stay locked up with her for eternity.
Her fingers thread into my hair, pulling me closer as she deepens the kiss. Using one hand, I position myself at her entrance and push my way back inside her over and over again. She gasps every time we connect, and she clamps her muscles around my cock like she never wants it to leave her. If it were up to me, it wouldn’t.
I wake up to my phone ringing. I roll to my side and grab it off the bedside table.
“Hello?” I answer in a whisper, trying not to wake El.
“Grif, I can’t do this,” Candice says, panic flooding her voice.
“Calm down, Candice,” I whisper, pushing myself from bed and into the bathroom. I close the door behind me and flip on the light. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Everything is on the line for me. You don’t understand.”
“I do understand. You fucked up, but you’re making up for it all. I won’t let anything happen to you. You know that. It’s time to make things right.”
She takes a long breath. “I’m sorry for interrupting. I didn’t mean to bother you. I’m just worried. I don’t want her to find out. Not before it’s time, anyway. It’s just that, I know she saw us together today.”
“Who cares? She doesn’t know anything for sure. When she asked me about it, I sold it. She believed my every word. There’s nothing to worry about,” I assure her.
“So, tomorrow? Lunch?”
“Tomorrow,” I agree.
“I’m staying at the Castille. Room 709…in case you forgot where you booked me,” she says with a sugary sweetness on her tongue.
“I’ll be there.” I hang up the phone and go back to bed.
The weeks pass quickly, and before I know it, the magazine is going to print. Only two weeks of the internship remain, and to me, that means only two weeks left to keep our relationship a secret.
We’ve managed to stay off everyone’s radar, even Carolyn’s. I’ve noticed sidelong glances from the group, like maybe she’s filled everyone in on her thoughts, but no one says anything, and I’m grateful. There’s no reason to make something of nothing. Sure, El and I are together, but El isn’t looking for a job and I don’t plan to hire her, unless she comes to me down the road and asks for a job, that is. For now, her plan is to go to grad school here in Chicago. It’s all she’s talked about these past two weeks since she received her acceptance letter. She’s also received several others all across the country, but has decided to stay in Chicago like she originally planned, and deep down, I pray that at least part of that decision has to do with me.
We haven’t talked about what we’ll do when this internship ends, but I hope that we’ll only grow closer as a couple. I’d love to have her move in with me, and maybe even one day get married and have children. I’d gladly give up my “big fancy house,” as she calls it, and trade it in for a small two-story home in the suburbs. Granted, that would make traveling to work a bit more of a commute, but I’d do anything if it meant she’d be mine and only mine for the rest of my life.
It’s Friday night and El plans on going out with the interns to celebrate the magazine going to print. Sadly, that means I’ll be all alone until she gets home. I’m lying on the bed, watching her move about the room, getting dressed and fixing her hair. Over these past couple weeks, she’s been staying here more and more, to the point that she now has her own space in the closet and bathroom.
I kick back and watch as she pulls on a skintight black dress. The dress ends high on her thigh and shows enough cleavage to make me salivate. When she bends down and pulls on a pair of heels, the dress rides up another inch. Her long blonde hair is hanging down her back in soft curls, and she’s wearing a deep red lipstick, making her lips appear fuller and more juicy than they already are.
She turns to me with a smile. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Stay home,” I beg, readjusting my growing erection.
She giggles and rolls her eyes. “I can’t,” she breathes out. “I haven’t gone out with the group in weeks. There are only two weeks left in this internship. I have to go. These last few weeks, I’ve shacked up with you, and they’re growing more suspicious of us. If nothing else, I can go and get them off my back.”
I stand and close the distance between us. Placing my hand on her hip, I pull her against my body. “You look too good to go out without me. You’ll end up with a line of men waiting in line for you.”
She rolls her eyes. “It doesn’t matter, because all I want is you.”
“Can I kiss you?” I whisper, leaning in, afraid that I’ll mess up her lipstick.
“You have to ask?”
With that, I press my mouth to hers and kiss her like it’s the last time I’ll ever kiss her. I want her to remember this kiss when she’s out there with men falling over themselves for her attention. I want her to be able to close her eyes and feel my lips against hers. I want the taste of me on her tongue for the rest of the night.
She pushes me away when we’re both breathless and I’ve managed to press her against the wall. “I have to go. But when I get back, how about we pick up where we left off?” she asks with an arch of her brow.
“I’ll be here waiting,” I whisper, going in for one last kiss.
Chapter Seventeen
Janelle
I manage to leave the house in the Mercedes after refusing to take the limo a hundred times. The last thing I need is for the interns to see me in a limo and put two and two together. I give the driver directions to the club, but ask him to park a block away because all the interns know I don’t have a car of my own, and they definitely know I don’t have the kind of money that’s needed to pay my own personal driver.
He stops the car a block away and lets me out. I thank him and step out onto the sidewalk. It only takes a few minutes to get to the club, and I find everyone but Chase gathered around one table. I step up to Carolyn and wave hello to everyone.
“Where’s Chase?” I whisper in her ear.
Her eyes grow wide. “Since the weekend his fiancée caught him cheating, he’s been MIA socially. And did you happen to notice he wasn’t in this morning’s meeting?”
I think back to th
is morning. Now that she mentions it, I did notice. I was just preoccupied at the time—too busy watching Griffin to notice. “Yeah, now that you point it out, he wasn’t there. What’s up with him? It’s not like him to miss a meeting.”
“His fiancée broke up with him, and since he was only here because of her—living in her apartment that her dad pays for—he had to quit the internship and move in with his parents.”
My mouth drops open. “That’s terrible.”
Her nose wrinkles. “Terrible? That’s one more open spot for one of us.”
“Where do his parents live?” I ask, suddenly feeling ill.
“About three hours north, in God-knows-where Wisconsin,” she answers, picking up the pitcher and filling her glass. She looks over at me, silently asking if I’d like some.
I wave it away.
“Are you okay? You’re not looking very good.”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I just got really nauseated for some reason.”
Her eyes widen. “It was probably those nasty sandwiches we all had for lunch. Who knows how long they’d been on that cart. What kind did you get?”
“Egg salad,” I answer. Just thinking about that sandwich makes my mouth water like I’m going to vomit.
“Did you eat it all? I heard one person down on the first floor left work early after eating lunch. It’s a miracle we all don’t have food poisoning.”
“I only ate about half of it. It just didn’t taste right. I thought it was just me.”
“Not good, girl.” She shakes her head.
“Excuse me.” I quickly run to the restroom, needing to empty my stomach. I’ve felt slightly off all day…since I ate that sandwich, now that I think of it. But now, it’s not just an icky feeling—it’s overwhelming. I’m sure the smell of alcohol mixed with all the sweaty bodies crammed in this little club hasn’t helped matters. My skin feels hot and sticky as I double over and empty the contents of my stomach.
When the wave of nausea subsides, I stand and rinse my mouth. Placing my hands on either side of the sink, I examine myself in the mirror. There are dark circles under my eyes, and my cheeks seem hollow. My skin is now covered in a sheen of sweat, and I’m slightly pale.
I head back to the group and tell them all goodbye, no longer able to stay up on my feet. Instead of calling for the car to return, I grab an Uber that’s nearby and have it take me back to my place. I don’t want Griffin to see me this way, or feel obligated to take care of me.
When I walk in, Sam is in the kitchen.
“Hey, it’s me!” I yell so she’s not scared about who just walked into the apartment. I walk straight to my room and start stripping out of my tight dress and heels.
Sam sticks her head in my room. “Hey, you’re home early. I thought you were staying with Griffin again this weekend.”
“I was going to, but I had a work thing to go to, and got sick. It must have been that egg salad sandwich. Stupid sandwich cart,” I grumble.
She giggles and walks into my room, sitting on the foot of my bed. I notice her gaze off at something on my wall, and I turn around quickly to see if there’s a giant spider about to attack me. All I see is my calendar, a month behind because I’ve been so busy with work and Griffin that I forgot to change it. Something on the calendar catches my attention: the giant red dot I drew on the twenty-second of last month.
We look at each other at the same time.
“It’s not possible, is it?” she asks, panic covering her face like she’s the one who missed her period.
I scoot myself up the bed into a sitting position. Mentally, I begin counting back. “I’ve just been so busy,” I mumble.
“Have you missed a pill?” she asks.
I bite my bottom lip. “I did about a month and a half ago, but I doubled up the next day like I was supposed to.” Panic washes over me. It makes my heart pound and sweat pour from my skin.
“You have to take a test.” She stands and rushes to her room. She’s back within a minute, tossing it to me. “Go! Now!”
I quickly grab the test and bolt to the bathroom. My hands are trembling as I try to open the box. Finally, I give in and rip it open with my teeth. I’m so nervous, I’m about to pee my pants, but I squeeze my thighs together until I’m in position.
I place the test on the counter, wash my hands, and open the bathroom door.
“Well?” she asks, leaning against the open door.
“I don’t know yet,” I mumble, not pulling my eyes away from the white stick.
Slowly, the minutes tick by, and gradually, two pink lines appear.
In a panic, I fall to the floor and gather the shredded box. On my knees on the bathroom floor, I piece it back together until I can see the directions.
I look up at Sam. “Two lines means positive,” I admit.
She gasps and covers her mouth with her hand. “What are you going to do?”
Tears fill my eyes and fall down my overheated cheeks. I can’t think. I can’t talk. I can’t move. I can do nothing but cry.
Sam wakes me when she comes into my room with the cell phone I left in my purse that I dropped by the door.
“It’s been ringing nonstop. It’s Griffin.” She hands it over.
I shake my head. “I can’t. Not yet. Not until I’ve had time to process this.”
“Do you want me to answer?”
I shrug. “Let him know that I’m home safe. Tell him I got sick, but don’t you dare tell him why. That’s something I need to do in person.”
She nods and answers it when it starts to ring yet again.
“Hello? Griffin?”
She pauses.
“This is El’s roommate, Sam. She came home a little bit ago, but she’s sick and went straight to bed…said something about a nasty sandwich cart.” Her eyes grow wide, something she does when she lies. Luckily, she’s on the phone and he can’t see her.
“I’ll let her know you called. Bye.” She hangs up the phone and drops it onto my bed. “Penny for your thoughts?” She sits on the edge, watching me.
I sit up, pulling my knees to my chest as I wrap my arms around them. “Am I afraid I’ll ruin his life? Yes. Am I afraid he won’t want me anymore? Yes. But deep down, I know he’ll do what needs to be done. In the long run, even if we don’t work out, he’ll support this baby.”
“And what about you?”
I shrug as more tears fall. “It’s just not the time, Sam. Grad school, years of paying my dues to land my dream job, I see it all slipping away. This wasn’t supposed to happen yet! I was supposed to go to graduate school, work hard, land my dream job, find my husband, have a few years alone together, then have a baby.” I let out a long breath. “This is all out of order.”
She gently rubs my arm up and down. “That’s okay, El. Yes, things are out of order, but having this baby now doesn’t mean that you can’t still have all the other stuff.”
I dry my cheeks. “I know, you’re right, but it’s not what I wanted…at all. I think I’ll get some sleep, then go over to Griffin’s in the morning and tell him the news. I just need to relax and get some rest first.”
She forces a smile and nods before leaving me alone.
In the morning, I wake up early and take a long, hot shower. I stall by taking extra time to make sure my hair and makeup are perfect. I don’t know why something like that matters in this instant, but it does. I want to look beautiful. I want him to look at me and see this new future before us, and I want him to want it.
I pull on a pair of skinny jeans, my wine-colored Chucks, and a gray tank top that hugs my every curve. I add my slouchy hat and sunglasses as finishing touches, and step up to the curb to hail a taxi.
The entire drive to his house, my nerves are a mess. I almost chicken out two different times. I have the cab driver turn around once before changing my mind and having him go back. When he drops me off at the curb, I think he’s relieved to be rid of me.
I step up to the gate and enter the code to let myse
lf in, wanting to surprise him. It takes another five minutes of willing myself to do this while walking up the long brick drive. Finally, I’m standing on the front steps, looking up at the massive house. My heart is pounding a mile a minute and my breathing is coming out in short puffs. My stomach rolls and I feel the urge to empty it of its contents, but refuse to be found puking in the priceless landscaping that surrounds the porch. With a deep breath, I raise my hand to grab ahold of the knob, and the door opens. I quickly step back as a blonde rushes out.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she says, freezing when she sees me.
“I’m…” I frown, taking in her features, wondering why in the hell she would be leaving Griffin’s house this early in the morning. “I’m sorry. Who are you?”
She smiles and holds out her hand to shake. “I’m Candice. You must be El.”
I shake her hand slowly, not sure what’s happening. “Yeah, I am. I’m dating Griffin. Can I ask why you’re here?”
Her eyes go wide. “Oh, um. Well…” Her eyes dash away from mine as a car pulls into the drive. “I think you should talk with him about that. I’m sorry. I have to go. That’s my ride.” She rushes into the car.
I stand, dumbfounded, watching as the car drives away. I look from the car, to the door, and back at the now-empty driveway.
Candice was here. I look at my watch and see that it’s only just now going on eight a.m. No meeting is held before eight a.m. If she’s leaving this early, it’s because she slept over.
Anger washes over me. I can’t believe this. Has he been seeing her this whole time—ever since I saw her going into his office all those weeks ago? He told me it was business-related. But what kind of business takes place at his home, on a Saturday, before eight a.m.?
Tears flood my eyes as I push myself from the porch, nearly jogging down the drive while fumbling with my phone. I need a ride. I can’t go in there. I can’t let him see how hurt I am. I can’t give him the opportunity to lie to me yet again.
Baby Mistake: An Accidental Pregnancy Romance Page 11
