Ruthless

by Shelia M. Goss

  “You’re in a hospital. You might want to confirm whether or not you’re pregnant.” Annette left her alone in the restroom to ponder that.

  When Sheba said she couldn’t be pregnant, she’d meant it. Uriah had been gone too long for her to be pregnant, and she’d had her menstrual cycle since he’d been gone. It had been six weeks since she slept with David, which meant that if she was pregnant, David King was definitely the baby’s daddy. This could not be happening. How would she explain a baby to Uriah? He would never forgive her. She couldn’t lose Uriah because of one slipup. Why did this have to happen? Why did she behave so foolishly? Neither she nor David had brought up contraceptives.

  “Lord, what am I going to do?” she yelled.

  Chapter 28

  “We need to talk,” were the words in the text message David received from Sheba’s number.

  He was in the middle of a huge merger and really didn’t have time for unnecessary drama. She had made it clear she didn’t want a repeat of their night together, so he had respected that and had left her alone. Had he forgotten Sheba and moved on to be with another woman? No. He’d poured all of his energy back into his business. Trying to keep the vultures like Bo at bay had been a full-time job on top of his other responsibilities.

  When an hour had passed and he hadn’t returned Sheba’s text, David received a phone call. He answered on the third ring. “Sheba, let me call you back when I get out of this meeting.”

  “Please do. It’s urgent,” Sheba insisted before ending the call.

  From that point on, David found it hard to concentrate. It seemed like everything was moving in slow motion. Each speaker went on and on about their point. Some of the questions asked needed to be asked, but David wanted things to hurry along so he could find out what was so urgent with Sheba.

  Four hours later David walked out of the meeting and into the back of his waiting limousine. He called Sheba.

  “It’s about time,” she said.

  “I’ve been in meetings all day. How are you?” David asked as he poured himself a cold drink.

  “Not good. Not good at all. How soon can you get to Shreveport? There’s something I need to talk to you about, but I need to do it in person.”

  “Well, I’m in Los Angeles now.”

  “Dang. Well, I guess I better go ahead and tell you. Are you sitting down?”

  “Uh. Yes.”

  “I’m pregnant.”

  “Congratulations. I think.” David paused.

  “Duh. Did you hear me? I said I was pregnant,” Sheba shouted from the other end.

  “I’m happy for you and Uriah. He’ll make a good daddy.”

  “For someone with all those degrees and all that money, you sure are dumb. The baby’s not Uriah’s. It’s yours.”

  David laughed. “Where are the cameras? I know this is a joke, right?”

  “I wish. I’m late. My hormones have me going crazy, and this baby is making me sick to my stomach. Without a doubt, it’s yours.”

  David rubbed the top of his head. “What are we going to do?”

  “That’s why I’m calling you. You helped me make it, so you’re going to help me figure out what I need to do.”

  “I don’t believe in abortions,” David said.

  “Neither do I.” Sheba started crying.

  David hated when women cried. He felt helpless not being able to be there to comfort her. “Sheba, calm down. It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure something out together. Just stop crying.”

  “Uriah’s going to hate me. He’s the only man I’ve loved, and he’s going to hate me.”

  Hearing Sheba say how much she loved Uriah stung. David had to do something to fix it. He had got them into the mess by seducing her. If only he had thought to use contraception, they wouldn’t be in this situation. What was he thinking? The only thing that could have saved them both was not sleeping together.

  David ended the call with Sheba and called Nathan. “Man, I’ve messed up. You tried to warn me, but I’ve really messed up this time.”

  “What’s going on?”

  David told him about Sheba’s pregnancy. “Go ahead and tell me, ‘I told you so.’”

  “I don’t have much to say,” Nathan responded. Even Nathan was speechless.

  “What am I going to do?” David asked.

  “David, I’m afraid this is out of my hands. You’ll have to take this one directly to the Lord.”

  David ended his call with Nathan. He put his head in his hands. David had to think of something and fast. He’d forgotten to ask Sheba how many weeks along she was. His business cell phone rang. “Just the man I wanted to avoid,” David said out loud before answering. “Hi, Uriah,” he said after clicking the green on button.

  Uriah said, “I thought you would be happy to know that stage one has been completed. We’ll be ready to start implementing stage two in about two weeks.”

  “Two weeks,” David repeated.

  “Yes, Mr. King. In two weeks we can bring in the other set of contractors.”

  A lightbulb went off in David’s head. “Great. Why don’t you take the next two weeks off and come home? No need to make reservations. I’m sending the company jet to pick you up. Be ready to leave at eighteen hundred hours.”

  Problem solved. Uriah would be coming home. It would be up to Sheba to take care of the rest. If she wanted to pass the child off as Uriah’s, this would be her perfect opportunity to seduce him and get him to sleep with her.

  Chapter 29

  Sleep failed to come for Sheba as she tossed and turned, thinking about the predicament she found herself in. The phone ringing was a welcomed distraction from her restlessness.

  David’s voice rang out from the other end. “I sent one of our corporate jets to pick up Uriah.”

  “So my husband’s coming home? Thank you.” Sheba sat up in the bed.

  “He’s going to be here for only two weeks, so I need you to make sure you perform your wifely duties. That way he will never suspect the child you’re carrying is not his.”

  “Oh, just get him here. I don’t need instructions from you on how to take care of my husband,” Sheba responded quickly.

  “A part of me wishes Uriah knew you were carrying my child. I don’t want my child growing up not knowing his father,” David said.

  “Uriah will make a great father. The child will not go unloved.”

  “He’s a good man, and he doesn’t deserve this. That’s the only reason why I’m trying to make things right.”

  “Uriah is a good man, and it’s your fault we’re in this predicament,” Sheba said.

  “It’s nobody’s fault. We shouldn’t have been so careless.”

  “There is no we. If you had just left me alone, but no. You had to have me. Now look at us.” Sheba was wide awake. Talking to David troubled her.

  David attempted to calm her down. “Sheba, I know things don’t look good right now, but trust me. Just get Uriah to sleep with you while he’s here, and he’ll think the baby is his.”

  “When the baby comes early, what am I supposed to do then?”

  “Babies come early all the time. No big deal,” David responded.

  Sheba was a nurse, and she could pull it off. David was right. If she could get Uriah to sleep with her, then her entire dilemma would be solved. Since she knew her husband found her irresistible, and she didn’t want her marriage to end over the mistake that she’d made, she would do whatever it was she had to do to get him to sleep with her.

  “When is he supposed to be here?”

  “It’ll be tomorrow sometime.”

  “Thank you, David. Thank you for bringing my husband home.”

  “Anything for you,” he replied before disconnecting the call.

  Late the following morning, Sheba was awaken by Uriah shouting, “Honey, I’m home.” She rubbed her eyes a few times, because she thought she was dreaming. David had told her Uriah would be coming home, but could she trust him? The man standing
in front of the bed was her husband. David hadn’t lied.

  “Uriah, don’t wake me up if I’m dreaming,” Sheba said sleepily.

  Uriah rushed to the bed and swept her up in his arms. “It’s me. In the flesh.”

  “Baby, I’ve missed you,” Sheba said as they kissed each other and embraced each other. Tears ran down Sheba’s face. She was thrilled to see Uriah. She loved him more than life itself. If only she hadn’t slipped and slept with David, her world would be perfect.

  “I missed you, too. Look what Papa brought you.” Uriah got up, picked up one of many bags, placed it on the bed, and opened it.

  Sheba removed the pretty silk cloth. “This is beautiful, but what am I supposed to do with it?”

  “Find a seamstress and get a blouse or something made with it.”

  “Thanks. I think,” Sheba said.

  Uriah picked up some more bags and placed them on the bed. “Well, I wasn’t sure how you would react to the cloth, so I bought you a few more items.”

  Sheba’s eyes lit up even more. She removed custom-made jewelry and a few designer purses from the bags. “Baby, I love them. I love them all.”

  She hugged him again, and Uriah welcomed her hugs and kisses. “I knew you would.”

  Sheba, still snuggled up to him, said, “Believe me when I say this. I love the fact that you bought me all these things, but what happened to my husband?”

  He pulled back and looked at her. “What do you mean?”

  “I’m just surprised you bought me all this stuff.”

  “You’re my queen, and you deserve it. You’ve put up with me being gone all these months. Besides, you’re right. I’m making good money, so why shouldn’t I splurge a little?”

  “Thank you, baby. I love it all. Now I feel bad about the purchases I made last week.”

  “Don’t worry about it. There’s enough money in the checking account to cover whatever you spent.”

  Sheba couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This was not Mr. Thrifty, not coupon-cutting, don’t-spend-any-more-money Uriah. Did a spaceship come and kidnap her cheap husband and replace him?

  Sheba pushed the bags out of the way and positioned herself on Uriah’s lap. She kissed him passionately, hoping they could get reacquainted with one another’s body. “I’ve missed you in more ways than one,” Sheba said.

  Uriah pulled away. “Baby, I need to take a long hot bath. Can you run me some bathwater?”

  Sheba didn’t want to stop. “That can wait. I want you now.”

  “I haven’t bathed since yesterday. I’ll just feel better if I take a bath.”

  Sheba got up. “Fine. I’ll run you some bathwater, but when you get out, be prepared to put in some overtime.”

  Sheba went into the master bathroom, ran some hot water in the tub, and added a men’s bath product, Twilight Woods, which she’d purchased at Bath & Body Works. He always liked to soak in it. Once the water was just right, she yelled out to Uriah to come in.

  She admired his body as he removed his clothes. She couldn’t wait to feel her husband again. “Baby, if you don’t hurry up, you will have to skip the bath,” she said.

  “Give me thirty minutes, and I’ll be good,” Uriah assured her.

  Sheba left Uriah alone in the bathroom.

  While he was bathing, her phone rang. “Delilah, this is not a good time. Uriah just got home, and I’m waiting on him to come out of the bathroom now.”

  “I didn’t know he was coming home. I thought he was supposed to be over there a few more months.”

  “It was a surprise. So, sis, I got to go.” Sheba hung up the phone.

  Uriah walked out of the bathroom, drying off. “Who was that?”

  “Delilah,” she responded.

  “Oh. Well, I’m tired. I’ve been on a long plane ride. Wake me up before you go to work.” He got in the bed, turned his back to Sheba, and pulled the covers over his head.

  Sheba couldn’t believe he had been gone for months and hadn’t touched her yet. It was absurd. She didn’t know if she should be sad or angry. She felt conflicting emotions. She wanted her husband, and he had just turned his back on her. Did he find out about David? No, he couldn’t know. Sheba cried herself to sleep because she couldn’t bear the thought of losing her husband due to her mistake of sleeping with David.

  Chapter 30

  David answered his personal phone. He wasn’t expecting to see Sheba’s number. “Is everything okay? You didn’t tell him, did you?” David asked.

  “Of course not. Hear that.” Sheba got silent.

  “No. I don’t hear anything.”

  “Well, he’s sleeping. Uriah’s snoring like a bull train.”

  “After a round with you, I can understand.” David flashed back to the one night he had had with Sheba. He knew he shouldn’t, but he still had feelings for her. He still wanted her.

  “We haven’t slept together. He went straight to sleep.”

  “Sheba, he just got home. Give the man some time. You have two weeks.”

  “Well, something needs to happen and quick. Hold on. My stomach’s not cooperating with me.”

  Sheba hadn’t disconnected the call, so David could hear her puking from the other end. He was glad he wasn’t around to view it.

  “I’m back,” she said.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’ll be fine. Just need to get through the first trimester, and then I’ll be fine.”

  “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to let me know,” David said.

  Their call ended. David was feeling an attachment to the baby, and it hadn’t been born yet. How could he allow another man to raise his own flesh and blood? He thought about his kids with his ex-wives. David hadn’t spent much time with his kids since divorcing their mothers. He had vowed that when he had the next child, he would play a more active role in his or her life. Uriah would be known as his child’s father. This child wouldn’t know David as his father. David wasn’t too sure he could live with that.

  David didn’t get much work done over the next few days. He couldn’t stop thinking about Sheba and Uriah. He wondered what they were doing. He found himself getting upset at the thought of Uriah touching Sheba. He had no right to feel that way. Sheba was not his, but it still didn’t stop him from feeling like she was.

  One afternoon David dialed Delilah’s number.

  “So how’s life treating you?” she asked.

  “Missing your sister.”

  “Me too. Since my brother-in-law’s been back, she hasn’t had time for me.”

  “It’s only been a few days. Give them time.”

  “I don’t know why he doesn’t like me. He doesn’t even know me.”

  “Why don’t you go over and try to get to know him while he’s here? I know your sister will probably love to see you,” David said.

  “You know what? You’re right. We’re family, so I’m going to get dressed and go over there right now.”

  “And can you do me a favor and let me know how they are doing?” David asked.

  Delilah laughed. “Is there something else you want to tell me?”

  “No, nothing at all. Just checking on my employee.” David didn’t want to reveal more to Delilah than necessary.

  “Something’s going on, and I’m going to find out,” Delilah said.

  “Call me back and let me know how they are doing, okay?”

  “Fine, but if I find out you’re keeping secrets, you and I will need to talk.”

  David disconnected their call without responding to Delilah’s accusations. Delilah didn’t need to know about Sheba’s pregnancy, not yet, anyway.

  Nathan called. David didn’t answer. Ever since David had confided in Nathan that Sheba was pregnant, things had been strained between the two. Not because of Nathan, but because David didn’t want to feel condemned. He knew he was the cause of the problem, but he would not take 100 percent of the blame. What Nathan and even Sheba had failed to acknowledge was that Sheba could hav
e told him no at any point, but she didn’t. She participated and gave herself to him willingly. He did not force her to. She was just as responsible for what happened as he was. He was tired of being the fall guy, and he would no longer be the fall guy.

  David called Sheba. She didn’t answer but returned his call a few minutes later. She said, “You can’t call me like this. What if Uriah had answered my phone?” Her voice sounded tense.

  “I would have told him I was trying to reach him. I got everything covered.”

  “Well, be careful.”

  “So how are you two lovebirds?” David asked.

  “Although it’s none of your business, we still haven’t had sex.”

  “Say what? It’s been a few days. What’s going on over there?”

  “You tell me. We had an argument about Delilah, and it’s caused a rift between us. He claims he can’t get it up because of the strain between us.”

  “Well, I suggest you kiss up and apologize and do whatever you need to do to get him to sleep with you, or you and I both are screwed.”

  “I’m trying, but he’s not budging.”

  David remembered at that moment that he had sent Delilah over there. He had to stop her. He needed Uriah to forgive Sheba so they could sleep together. “Sheba, I’ve got an important call to make. If you need something, call me.”

  He hung up with Sheba and called Delilah. Delilah didn’t answer her phone as it rang and rang. “Pick up. Why aren’t you answering your phone?” he yelled.

  Trisha walked into his office. “Everything okay? I could hear you all the way outside,” she said.

  David replied, “It’s okay. Look, I need to get to Shreveport. Call my pilot and tell him to meet me at the airport pronto.”

  While on the way to the airport, David attempted to reach Delilah. Each call was unsuccessful. Since Sheba couldn’t handle getting her man in the bed, David would need to intervene.

  Chapter 31

  Sheba would have been happy to see Delilah outside her door if she and Uriah weren’t having problems. Delilah was the source of their problems, so she opened the door but didn’t invite her in.