by Tess Summers
His secretary, Kelli Adamson, smiled at her as they walked into his office suite, then looked startled when she noticed her baby bump. Ava giggled inside at the quick recovery the woman made.
“Ms. Ericson! So lovely to see you again!”
“For the last time, please call me Ava!” she pleasantly replied, then hugged her soundly.
The secretary glanced down again at Ava’s protruding stomach. “How long has it been? Three months?”
The woman was not at all subtle.
“Three or four, something like that.” She smirked.
Travis had grown impatient with the pleasantries and guided Ava toward his office. He turned to shut the door and said to his secretary, “I’m not to be disturbed,” before closing it all the way.
They were seated in his sitting area. She looked down and wondered if he was having the same flashbacks she was of the last time they were on that couch. His evil smirk answered her question, and she felt her cheeks go red. This time, thank God, he sat in the chair opposite her.
“So what do you want to talk about?”
“A couple of things. First, do you have health insurance? I’d like to get you on our company plan. It’s first rate.”
Of course it is.
“I have a policy. I think it’s okay. Except for my brief hospital stay, I haven’t had a lot of out-of-pocket expenses, and I checked into when he comes. As long as he’s healthy with no complications, it should be affordable.”
He frowned. “What if there are complications?”
She shrugged and said sheepishly, “I haven’t allowed myself to even think about that.”
He was all business. “Well, I’m going to put him on my plan. I think that takes effect the second he’s born. I would like you to consider going on my plan too. Until then, I’m going to cover any of your out-of-pocket costs, including your hospital stay.”
“Travis, I’m pregnant, not destitute.”
“I realize that, but this is the least I can do. Please humor my male ego and allow me to do this. Please.”
She appreciated the gesture and knew arguing with him would be of no use. “That’s very gracious of you,” was all she said. She was not, however, going to be turning any bills in to him for payment. “What else did you want to discuss?”
“I’m going to set up a trust for him, and one for you as well. I don’t want you to ever have to worry if something were to happen to me.”
He had known for one day he was going to have a son, and he was already putting a trust in place for him. She assumed the trust for her was so he would be assured his child was adequately taken care of in the event for some reason he was not around. That sounded par for the course. He never left any detail undone.
She wasn’t sure how she should respond. Thank you? Out of politeness and habit, she almost said it wasn’t necessary, but then stopped. Of course he felt a trust for his child was necessary. It was most certainly necessary.
“Is there anything special you need from me in order to do that?” was all she could think to say.
“Just your social security number. You can give it to Kelli on the way out.”
“Anything else?”
He moved over and sat down next to her. His proximity both excited and scared her. At first, he draped his arm along the back of the couch cushions, but soon he was leaning forward, taking her hand in his and absent-mindedly stroking it before he actually started talking. “Have you given any thought to a baby name?”
“Not really. I mean, I’ve tucked a few away in the back of mind when I’ve come across one I liked, but I haven’t given it a lot of consideration. Why?”
He paused and took a breath. She could tell this was weighing on him heavily. “It would mean a lot to me if we could name him after my dad.”
Ava didn’t respond, thinking there was more to the story and not wanting to interrupt him as he explained. Instead, he merely added, “Would you at least think about it?” His eyes were kind and tender, and she suddenly wanted to make him happy. Actually, she wanted to kiss him, but that was not a good idea.
But then she did kiss him, only it was gently on the cheek, and not at all how what she had in mind. “I don’t even have to think about. Of course we’ll name him after your dad.”
His face lit up with a smile so big she thought his cheeks must hurt. It was contagious, and she found herself smiling with him. He leaned over as though he was going to kiss her but then hugged her instead, holding her tight, kissing her hair, and stroking her back. “Thank you,” he whispered. He sounded like he might be tearing up. Good grief, that only made her want to kiss him more.
As an afterthought and to lighten the mood, she pulled back and asked suspiciously, “What is his name?”
He laughed at her question. “Alexander.”
“Alexander Steven Ericson,” she teased. “I like the sound of that.”
“Steven? Ericson?” he growled.
“Okay, I’m open to negotiation on the Ericson but Steven is non-negotiable. He and I made a pact when we were kids.”
“Alexander Steven Sterling has a much better ring to it,” he declared.
“Like I said, I’m open to negotiation.”
He winked at her and said, “So am I.”
Oh dear. There was that wink. The one that had made her knees go weak and her legs fly open. The effect had not diminished in her current condition. If anything, it amplified it. She was still indescribably horny. She knew it was normal, having read all about what the hormones were doing to her, but the tingling in her pelvis indicated it was time to make a retreat, lest she attempt to repeat their couch performance from her last (and only other) visit here. She didn’t trust herself at the moment not to jump him right there so she hastily scrambled to her feet.
“Okay, I need to get home. I’m sure my mother is climbing the walls waiting for me.”
She didn’t wait for his response and headed toward the door. Her hand was on the knob when he called after her.
“Ava?”
She spun around and avoided looking at him, certain he would be able to read her mind. Her dirty, naughty mind. “Yes?”
“I’m your ride home.”
Shit.
“Oh my goodness!” she laughed almost hysterically and slapped herself against her forehead. “Pregnancy brain!”
Without letting him reply, she prattled on, “You’re busy. I can call a cab or Uber.”
Travis looked at her like she’d lost her mind and seemed to speak slower as if she might be having trouble understanding him.
“No, I’m not too busy to take you home. I was planning on it. Things always start to slow down during the holidays. Actually, the entire office will be closed the last two weeks in December. We mandate no one is allowed to come in during that time, even partners. We’re wrapping up loose ends now.”
She had a hard time imagining him not working for two whole weeks. He probably just took everything home and worked on it in his office there. The one with the desk. The magic desk. Damn it! She needed a new dildo. Maybe that would calm her down. Losing her old one in the condo fire made masturbating a harder option now for relieving her pent-up frustrations. She giggled when she thought of the fire inspector going through the charred remains of her bedroom, holding it up and wondering aloud what it was.
She needed to think of something, anything else that didn’t involve her pussy being fondled and probed.
Ava wanted to ask him how the Ridgeport Realty case had turned out but her pride prevented her from doing so. Maybe another time.
“How is Fred doing?” was all she could think to say.
*
She actually dozed off on the couch of his office while they waited for someone from the mailroom to run and pick up his car from the restaurant. It was barely past three o’clock and the events of the day appeared to have worn her out. She continued her nap in the car on the way to her parents’. He
had never seen anyone get so tired so quickly.
Travis carefully walked her to the pool house, where he sat her on the bed and took off her shoes. She tugged on her new blouse and gave up, exasperated, when she couldn’t get it off. “Lift your arms up,” he commanded, and she willingly complied in her sleepy state. He couldn’t help but notice her heavy-duty bra supporting her amazing boobs and had a brief flashback of things he had done to those tits in the past, causing him to get a little rise in his pants.
Down, boy; now is not the time.
He went to unbutton her pants, only to find she had none on her elastic waistband. Instead, he just slid them down as she lifted her bottom to help him take them off. Pulling her socks off, he laid her down on the bed and stared in wonderment at her pregnant belly as the realization came over him that was his son growing inside this beautiful woman. This amazing, adorable, smart, stubborn, perfect woman. He stood watching her for a minute before tucking in the covers around her and kissing her hair repeatedly.
As he turned to leave, she mumbled, “Will you hold me for a little while?”
If her father walked in and found him in bed with her in her state of undress, he was fairly certain he’d leave with a black eye. If her brother walked in, he had no doubt he’d leave on a stretcher. Still, he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity. Last night had been heavenly, and something he could get used to on a regular basis.
“Sure. Let’s put your nightie on first, okay?”
“Okay.” She pleasantly sighed with her eyes still closed. She was drunk with exhaustion. He couldn’t imagine how hard her body had to be working to keep their little one growing.
He found what she had been wearing last night and went to slip her arms through it. She stopped him and without opening her eyes, unhooked her bra and slid it off before raising her hands for him to put the sleepwear on her. He was proud of himself for only hesitating a second to get a good look at her naked breasts. He was even more proud he had managed to keep his hands to himself. While he had been able to keep his physical attraction for her at bay last night—at least somewhat—after waking up to her in his arms this morning and spending a wonderful afternoon with her, all bets were once again off.
She scooched to the middle of the bed and turned over so he could spoon her. He lovingly remembered she often ended up that way in the middle of the night when they slept together. Travis dutifully laid down next to her, putting his left arm around her, breathing in her apple blossom hair and sighing. Laying there next to her without taking both their clothes off and making love to her seemed like the hardest thing he had done in a while. Second only to not dialing her number every time he had picked up his phone to call her over the last few months.
When she couldn’t seem to get comfortable, he gestured toward his chest. She wrapped her arms around him and assumed her usual place, albeit a modified one, while sighing and grinning contently once she’d been able to find a comfy position. He smiled and stroked her hair as he ran the back of his other hand along her cheek. He loved watching her sleep.
He woke to her gently shaking him and it took him a second to register where he was. He knew it was dark and his arm was around Ava. Anything other than that, he didn’t really care about.
“Hey,” she said softly. “You fell asleep with me.”
“Well I certainly like waking up with you.” He smiled and stretched. “What time is it?”
“Believe it or not, it’s only six-thirty. I hate that it gets dark so early this time of year.”
“Are you hungry?” he asked her.
She shook her head. “No, but I know I need to eat something.”
“You stay here. I’ll find us something.”
He went into the kitchenette and opened all the cupboards and small refrigerator, only to find nothing he would deem as a suitable dinner. Calling out “I’ll be right back,” he headed to the main house.
In a few minutes he was back with Francine in tow.
“Nonsense,” Frannie was saying as they walked through the pool house door, “I’m happy she’s eating so well today.”
Mrs. Ericson walked into the bedroom carrying a tray with two bowls filled with spinach salad and two plates of lasagna with garlic bread. There were also two large glasses of milk.
“I’m so glad Travis came and got something for you to eat,” Francine said to Ava while smiling at Travis appreciatively. “I always worry if I bring you dinner you’ll be sleeping, and I’ll wake you up, especially when I can’t tell if the lights are on.”
“Oh, Mom, thank you so much for this. Just set it on the table. I can get up.”
Frannie retreated back to the kitchenette area, along with Travis. Ava followed and sat down at the table in her ratty robe. She began to tear up, then hugged her mother around the waist.
“Thank you so much for taking such great care of me.”
Francine looked at her daughter’s eyes brimming over with tears and burst out laughing. “Oh, honey, I remember those hormones and mood swings! Your poor father does too!”
Travis sat watching. He was still coming to grips with all that had happened in the last twenty-four hours and could not wrap his head around why Frannie was laughing about the fact her daughter was crying, nor could he understand why Ava was crying in the first place.
Mrs. Ericson leaned over and patted him on the cheek. “Remember to be patient and even though it’s probably not your fault, hug her and tell her you’re sorry anyway.”
“Huh?”
“You’ll see.” She smiled knowingly, then stood up. “Enjoy your dinner.”
She turned around before she reached the door. With a hopeful voice, she asked, “Will we be seeing you at breakfast, Travis?”
Travis looked over at Ava, who was pushing her spinach around and deliberately not making eye contact with him after her mother posed the question. “We’ll see, Frannie. I’ve got to play a little bit of catch up with work after playing hooky this afternoon.”
“Speaking of playing hooky, we have an appointment next Monday at two-thirty to sample dinners for the party.”
He smiled and said, “I look forward to it.”
Francine’s eyes got wide. “Oh my goodness, I have to stop talking or your food is going to get cold! Good night!”
Travis thought their food was delicious, and their conversation was even better. After dinner, he insisted she lie on the couch with her feet on some pillows while he cleaned up. When he was through with the dishes, he came over and sat on the floor next to the couch and proceeded to talk in a low voice into Ava’s stomach, all the while stroking and kissing it like he had last night.
She didn’t say anything as she laid back with her eyes closed and a smile on her face while listening to him tell their baby about how they were going to play baseball together.
Travis gently covered Ava with a throw so not to wake her but couldn’t resist kissing her. He had intended for it to be on the cheek but somehow found his lips softly on hers.
He stood up and was surprised to hear her say, “That was nice. Do that again.”
Sitting down on the edge of the couch, he willing obliged her, only putting his lips more firmly on hers this time. Almost instinctively, her arms came around his neck, pulling him to her. His tongue sought out hers, teasing and demanding she respond, which she did. Their breathing got more ragged, and soon he was nuzzling her neck, heading to her delightful breasts. She was holding the back of his head against her body, arching her back with anticipation. He was so damn aroused.
All of sudden, Ava let out a cry of “No!” and pulled away from him.
He slid off the couch and kneeled onto the ground, looking into her eyes, bewildered, his breathing still unsteady.
She started to cry. “I just—we just—can’t.”
He was confused but remembered what Frannie had just told him not more than an hour ago, so he hugged her tight and told her how sorry he was, careful
not to tell her it wouldn’t happen again. He might be an attorney, but in spite of their reputations, he wasn’t (usually) a liar, and he wasn’t about to start being one now.
“Come on, baby, let’s put you to bed.”
He had tucked her in when she looked at him as though she were upset.
“Aren’t you going to stay?”
Jesus Christ, woman, you’re killing me!
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he brushed her hair away from her face.
“Tell you what, I’ll lie with you until you fall asleep, and then I’ll go and get some work done and hopefully be back before you even know I’m gone.”
She smiled and sighed.
He was determined not to give up. “Or you could just come home with me now.”
Had she not looked so warm and cozy in her bed, he probably would have pushed harder. Especially when she seemed as though she was actually considering it and didn’t flat out tell him no.
He considered that progress.
Chapter 24
THEY appeared together the next morning at breakfast with her parents, to the delight of her mother. Thanksgiving was the following day, and Fran made it a point to invite Travis for dinner when she set his breakfast in front of him.
He looked at Ava while replying to Mrs. Ericson. “Thank you. I’d love to come, but I’m hoping Ava and I will go to dinner at my family’s. I want to introduce her and share the news with them before the New Year’s Eve party.”
Ava sat there for a second. That sounded an awful lot like something a couple would do. Was she setting herself up for heartbreak if she said yes?
Travis stroked her arm, not having taken his eyes off her. “I would consider it a huge favor.”
Her mother shot her a look that suggested she had better agree or else. When she didn’t say anything, Fran took the lead.
“What time is your family’s dinner, Travis? I’ll be sure to plan ours so you two can make both.”
I guess I’m going to the Sterlings’ Thanksgiving dinner.
Without actually saying the words she was going, she inquired in between bites of her breakfast, “What should I wear? Is it more formal, like ours, or is it like my friends who watch football and wear jeans and sweatshirts?”
