The Lion's Surprise Baby

by Jade White

  Janet walked into his office and surveyed Thomas’ posture. “I’m going to guess that was the phone call you’ve been waiting for.”

  Thomas ran over to Janet and swung her around the office. She squealed and swatted him until he put her down.

  “Hilary signed the papers today. They just faxed them in. We did it. This is exactly what I've wanted to do since I started.”

  Janet patted him on the cheek and clucked her tongue. “Now that you’ve got the Dalton account, does this mean you’re going to stop stressing so much? The last time you ate this much junk food was when your parents came to stay with you while their house was remodeled.”

  Thomas tensed. Sure, obtaining Hilary’s account was a big deal, but the stress wasn’t coming from the New York socialite. It centered around the curvy doctor that would be carrying his child in less than a month.

  His parents were a constant stressor to him because they expected so much. Thomas and his dad butted heads on almost everything. When he told his dad about his plan to expand the family business to include product launches, his father vetoed the idea as soon as the proposal was finished. Thomas refused to let his father deter him from expanding. With the new branch focusing on product introductions, McMillian would be the biggest company in its field, and Thomas wanted to make that happen.

  He had been secretly working on getting the branch started under his dad’s nose. Hilary’s account was the clincher. There was no way his father would be able to stop what Thomas had in motion. When Hilary’s newest scent hit the market, McMillian would have others clamoring for them to take on their product releases. Sorry, Dad.

  Melissa coming into his life couldn't have happened at a better time. He had been trying to have a child for so long, he was starting to feel defeated. That was the reason he made the appointment with Melissa in the first place. He was desperate. She was his last ditch effort.

  His father was going to be furious when he found out what Thomas did without his knowledge. By having a child, it would smooth over some of the drama he just created. Well, maybe it would.

  Not that he was having a child just to alleviate his family drama. Seeing his brother, AJ, and his kids pulled at his heart. He wanted to have someone to love, and help steer toward the right path as they grew up to be an adult. The thought of pushing a stroller put a smile on Thomas’ face. Melissa was just the icing on the cake. She was smart, beautiful, and would make an amazing mother to their child. He just needed to keep reminding himself that she was the mother of his child, and only the mother of his child.

  They had both made it clear that their child was going to be their top priority. He had seen enough nasty custody battles that he was positive he never wanted to be a part of one. Not that he thought Melissa would ever do that to him. Melissa was also in the middle of an ugly divorce. A relationship was the last thing she needed. Thomas would have to keep his resolve strong when it came to the sexy Melissa.

  He picked up the phone and dialed her before he realized what his fingers were doing. Her assistant, Tilly, answered on the second ring.

  “Dr. Rancic’s office, how may I assist you?”

  “Hey, Tilly, it’s Thomas. Is Melissa around?”

  “Um, she’s indisposed at the moment.”

  The hesitation in her voice was something new to him. Every time he spoke with her, she was one of two ways. And flirty or inquisitive was not at all what Tilly was giving him right now.

  “What’s going on?” Thomas asked.

  Tilly was quiet for a second and he was able to hear Melissa over the phone connection even though she tried to muffle it.

  “Tilly, would you be able to move my appointments to the end of the week? Bruce will be here and we will be together all day.”

  Thomas smile fell from his face. Bruce? Who was Bruce? He didn’t care, remember? That was what he’d just told himself.

  “Will do. Thomas is on the phone. He was just asking for you.”

  “Oh, I'll get it in my office. Just send Bruce in when he gets here.”

  Thomas waited on the phone while the two women had a conversation, ignoring him as he listened in. When he got the confirmation that Hilary was officially a client of McMillian and Company, his first thought was to call Melissa and tell her the good news. His parents were not going to be happy when they found out what he did behind their backs, even though it was going to bring in a massive amount of money. He wasn't sure how AJ would react, so Melissa was the most sensible person to share the news with. Of course, she didn’t know much about the company so she might be indifferent.

  His successes would now be linked to her life. She was going to be a part of his life. Even after their child turned eighteen, they would still be interconnected. Graduations, wedding, grandchildren and more. He wasn’t going to let Melissa struggle financially now that she was such a crucial part of his future.

  He would have padded her bank account the moment she agreed to carry his child, but he recognized the stubborn tilt of Melissa’s chin. She wouldn’t accept anything that felt like charity to her. Thomas already decided when their child was born, he would pay her a monthly allowance to allow her the luxury of not worrying about paying her bills so she could focus on helping him raise their child. It wasn’t going to be easy to convince her to take the money, but he wasn’t going to play fair either. Using their child’s comfort and needs as an excuse was something he wasn’t afraid to employ.

  “Hi, Thomas. How are you?” Melissa said. Her voice sounded tired and he instantly worried about her well-being.

  “I’m fine. How are you? You sound tired.” He winced as soon as the words left his mouth.

  “I’m a little tired; the hormones are messing with my sleep schedule. My body is trying to get used to it. Is there something you needed?”

  Thomas bit his tongue, not wanting to scold her on the importance of taking care of herself. She was a highly-educated doctor. Surely he could count on her not to do anything that would hurt herself and her chances of getting pregnant. When she conceived, that would be a different story. Holding his tongue would go straight out the window as soon as she showed him a positive pregnancy test.

  Thomas stopped himself from telling her about landing Hillary’s account. Her exhausted tone and Tilly lying to him about Melissa being unavailable threw him in a dark place. He felt childish for calling her to tell her his big news. Why would she care about his business venture? They weren’t together.

  He went back to his usual, casual demeanor. “I just wanted to see when you wanted to get together. We still have some things we need to discuss before c-day.”

  “C-day?”

  “Conception day. I was going to call it hot, sweaty, bear-sex day, but I felt c-day was more appropriate over the phone.”

  Melissa started sputtering over the phone before breaking into weak laughter.

  “This is progress. Last time I mentioned making a baby, I almost choked you. Now you just started speaking in tongues. Pretty soon you’ll be able to talk about it without a blush.” Thomas rocked in his office chair picturing Melissa’s pink-stained cheeks as she tried to come up with a retort.

  “I did not speak in tongues,” she retorted with a chuckle.

  “I’m pretty sure you were inarticulate for a good thirty seconds.”

  “Whatever. I’m not sure when I’ll be free, but you’re right, we do need to meet and go over the specifics. Why don’t I call you later when I can look at my schedule?”

  “Melissa, you’re looking lovely. Are you ready for our fun-filled day?" Melissa chuckled on the phone as the man Thomas assumed was Bruce spoke.

  “Oh, I can’t wait. I’ve been thinking about it all day,” Melissa replied. Thomas thought he heard a bit of sarcasm, but that may have just been wishful thinking.

  “Call me when you aren’t busy,” Thomas said, hanging up before she could respond.

  Thomas pushed out of his chair and walked around his office. Why was he bothered by it? Melissa
wasn’t his. She could do whatever she wanted. Of course he wouldn’t stop her from dating, but he’d need to meet the man hanging around his child. That would come later though, so thinking about this Bruce now was silly. His intercom beeped on his desk and Thomas stalked over to it.

  “Yes,” he said harshly.

  “Hilary Dalton is here to see you,” Janet said, unaffected by his rude behavior.

  “Send her in, Janet. Thank you.” His voice was more calm. He would have to apologize to Janet later or she would let him have it.

  Hilary waltzed into his office, her designer perfume that hadn’t even hit the market floating around her. She was sin on heels. Her tight purple dress hugged her as if it were her second skin. The black heels she balanced on were high and lethal-looking. Hilary pushed back her straight blonde hair over her small, boney shoulder. Her brown eyes sparkled under her perfectly-applied make-up as she walked over to Thomas, who was now sitting behind his desk.

  Thomas allowed his eyes to wander over Hilary’s super-model body. She was perfection, and she knew it. Thomas personally handed over their bid for her account. He nearly tripped over his tongue when he saw Hilary in person for the first time. The magazines and TV shows she graced didn’t do her justice.

  Hilary showed interest in Thomas when he walked in her office, at least he thought she did. The feeling was mutual, but Hilary didn’t act on it. She watched him like a predator as he gave his presentation. Her brown eyes roaming over his body without a care that others were in the conference room with her.

  After his pitch, Hilary stayed while the others filed out. Thomas took his time packing up his stuff, letting her take the lead.

  “I’ll let you know our decision after we’ve heard the other pitches,” she purred

  Thomas and she locked gazes. She had a tilt to her lip showing him she knew exactly what she was doing to him. He had given her the power, and she was wielding it like a pro. Thomas wasn’t an idiot. He refused to mess up the possibility of landing her account by asking her out. He stood back and waited until the right moment came.

  Hilary showed up at his office almost weekly. Each time, her dresses became shorter and tighter. She would flounce around telling him about the other options she had to help launch her perfume. Thomas would discuss them with her as his eyes wandered over her body. She would pretend to listen to his advice as she eye-humped him.

  Everything would change now. Hilary had signed her launch over to his company. They would work out the details and then they would hand everything over to their team of people to polish it, only showing up if there was a problem, or to the benefit itself.

  Hilary no longer needed to toy around with him. The game had just taken an interesting turn.

  “I got your papers,” Thomas said, leaning back and allowing his eyes to land on her breasts. The dress was pushing them out, and he was going to appreciate its hard work.

  “I know,” she replied with a smirk.

  “Are you going to go out with me now?” he asked, no longer beating around the bush. She was gorgeous and he wanted her, and the way she acted around him she wanted him just as much.

  “I don’t know. Should I?”

  Hilary would be the perfect solution to his Melissa situation. They both knew that they weren’t in it for the long haul. Thomas and Hilary would have some fun getting the sexual tension that had been built up between the two of them since the moment they met out of their systems and go their separate ways. He could tell from the way she played with him that she understood what they would be doing.

  When one of them decided it was over, they would walk away. No hurt feelings. And Thomas was more than ready to start enjoying her company. He needed someone like Hilary. Melissa was messing with his head. He didn’t want a relationship, especially with her, and obviously she didn’t want one either or she wouldn’t be hanging out with Bruce.

  With his decision made, Thomas got up and walked around his desk until he was in front of Hilary. Her eyes landed on the spot below the button on his pants, making blood rush there uncontrollably.

  “I’ll make reservations. My driver will pick you up at seven next Saturday.” He decided to take the decision away from her.

  Hilary’s tongue darted out and ran across her painted red lips. He watched as her pupils dilated at his alpha tone, showing him that he made the right call. Hilary was the type of woman that was always in control. From her response to his demand, giving up some of that control seemed to be exactly what she wanted.

  “See you at seven. Make it a dark restaurant,” Hilary whispered, getting up slowly allowing Thomas a perfect view down her dress.

  “Done.”

  Hilary smiled at him, flashing her perfect white teeth before turning and walking out of his office, her ass swaying the whole way. Thomas knew that because he watched it until it was out of sight.

  ***

  Melissa pulled off her lab coat and hopped up on the examination table. Bruce had his back to her as he got everything ready. This would be the second round of the seven injections, and she was apprehensive about the reaction she was going to have. She let her gaze land on his taunt ass before turning bright red. The hormones were doing their job. In just the short week she had been taking the injections, her sex drive had doubled. She found herself checking out males constantly, something she was impervious to before.

  Her mom worked hard to keep a house over their head and food on the table. Melissa saw what her dad did to their family and the brunt her mom experienced when he left them. Melissa didn’t have a good male role model growing up. It had been just her and her mom. When she went to college, she threw herself into studying, wanting to make every house her mother cleaned so she could raise her worth it. Medical school turned her into a zombie as she ran off little sleep trying to cram everything she possible could into her over-worked brain. The hectic nature of her life didn’t change after her internship, thanks to her discovery of shifters and her stint in the institution to get her head back on straight. As soon as she got out of the institution, she learned everything she could about the shifter community, basically taking medical school over again. And the topper of everything was her mom’s cancer diagnosis.

  She had a couple of boyfriends, but most of them didn’t hang around long enough. Her busy schedule didn’t leave much time for them, and they normally faded away. Nathaniel was the only one to stick around, and that was only because he convinced her to give him more of her time than she really could. He could have ruined everything she worked so hard for. Thankfully, she pulled her head out of the clouds before she allowed him to kill her dreams. She started studying fertility and after the deer incident, she pushed herself to research everything she could about shifter reproduction. Now she was actually able to test the theory on herself.

  With that as her life resume, Melissa felt her lack of awareness in the opposite sex was reasonable. Thanks to the hormones she pushed inside of her body daily, she was on light speed to squeeze in all she’d missed. Speaking of squeezing, Bruce had to have the most squeezable butt she ever seen. Her mouth watered as she continued to stare at his ass and the way it filled out his slacks. She’d noticed him before, but now she was really noticing him. It was almost too much for her, her hormones were way ahead of her brain and it was making everything fuzzy.

  “Melissa?” Bruce turned around his forehead scrunched with concern.

  Melissa’s eyes flew up to meet his face hoping he hadn’t seen her scoping out his goods. “I'm sorry what?” she asked as her body heated with embarrassment.

  “I asked if you experienced any other symptoms this week with your injections.”

  “Not many from what you saw the last time. I have gotten to a point of only vomiting once after the injections, but I’m not as tired after. I still get really tired upon injection, but it’s only lasting an hour or two the last couple of times. I’ve been having some trouble falling asleep, but other than that, nothing else to report.” Melissa droppe
d her gaze to her lap.

  As a colleague and doctor, Melissa shouldn’t have been embarrassed to admit her over-active sexual thoughts to Bruce. He was assisting her in what was technically her first human trial on the research she had dedicated her life to. Every symptom and side effect should be meticulously documented as medical proof that would later be turned into a medical paper. Knowing all of this, Melissa wasn’t able to form the words 'I’ve been super horny lately' to Bruce. She vowed she would document her symptoms in the data sheet she was keeping. Using medical terminology of course. She was a professional after all.

  “I want to try anti-nausea medicine before we do the injections,” Bruce said, pulling out a prescription bottle.

  “Already ahead of you. I took some earlier. It should be fully in my system.”

  “Smart and beautiful,” Bruce said as Melissa pushed down her pants.

  She blushed at his comment, his tight ass flashing through her brain.

  “When I’m on my knees vomiting my lunch, I won’t seem as smart or as beautiful,” she joked as Bruce swiped her skin with the alcohol swab.

  His hand stilled on her skin, the cool pad causing her lower half to break into goosebumps.

  “Why are you doing this, Melissa? I understand having a willing human as a test subject is every researcher’s dream, but I don’t get why you would put yourself through this. Especially being the first subject. Things can go terribly wrong.” Bruce stood up to his full height.

  “I am fully aware things can go wrong. We’ve talked about this before. I want to do this. So if you could get on with it.”

  Melissa felt instantly guilty for talking to Bruce the way she did.

  He was just trying to be a good friend, but she refused to listen to him pleading with her to stop the injections every time he came to her office. She thought she had cleared that up last week. Apparently not.

  “Ready when you are,” Melissa said, trying to make amends for being so blunt with him.