“Right,” Ella said.
She wasn’t feeling good about this anymore. She didn’t want to trick him. Her only relief was in knowing she wasn’t really going to be pregnant. And she wasn’t trying to trap him, just present the illusion of it, which really wasn’t much better in the end. At least she wasn’t involving a real child.
“He deserves it,” Charlotte said. “You’ll have to take a photo of his face when you tell him so I can see it.”
“I’ll try.”
“I hope he chokes on his food. Maybe you should tell him over dinner so he does. What a selfish bastard. I bet his whole fortune will flash before his eyes when you tell him.”
“Probably.”
“What’s wrong? You sound distracted.”
“I am, I guess.” Ella didn’t want to tell her friend that she was uncomfortable bashing Jesse. A little ping went off in her chest every time Charlotte said something bad about him. And since the night they had broken up, there had been plenty. It seemed every conversation was full of the reasons why Jesse was so horrible. The problem was, Ella hadn’t seen evidence of any of them.
“Oh no. Don’t tell me you’re starting to have feelings for him.”
“No, it’s just… Okay, I get that you’re hurt and everything. I do. And I’m sorry about it, but do you have to trash the guy constantly? He did take you out a lot and buy you nice things.”
“Maybe you’ve been spending too much time with him. You’re starting to sound just like a spoiled rich brat yourself.”
“No, I’m just pointing out the facts. He doesn’t owe you anything, just because he happens to be rich and you’re not.”
“Oh right. I didn’t just give him six months of my life or anything.”
“Didn’t he give you the same?”
“Whose side are you on, Ella?”
“Yours. Of course, yours. I’m just saying—”
“What are you saying? Let’s hear it. Please. I’m dying.”
Ella let out a sigh. “He doesn’t seem like that much of an asshole to me, honestly.”
“I knew it! You do have feelings for him! What the hell? You’re supposed to be doing this for me, not to snag him for yourself.”
“That’s not what I’m doing. I’ve dropped everything and become a dog walker. I’ve gone out on dates and lied and pretended to be someone I’m not. I’ve hidden my real appearance to be more attractive, and now I’m about to have sex with a guy I don’t love so that I can lie more and tell him I’m pregnant. And I’m doing this all for you. All of it. I think you could be a little more grateful.”
“Well, gee, don’t let me force you to do anything you don’t want to do. It sounds to me like you’re quite enjoying your time with him.”
“It hasn’t been horrible.”
“I can’t believe you!” Charlotte growled into the phone, then shouted as loud as she could, “Some best friend you are!” Then she hung up.
Ella sat down, fumed for a few minutes, then teared up. She didn’t want to be fighting with Charlotte. And she really wasn’t sure about this whole sleeping with Jesse thing. She wanted to. But she wanted to do it for the right reasons.
She went to bed but didn’t sleep well. She tossed and turned, parts of her fight with Charlotte coming back to her, mixed with conversations with Jesse. In the morning, she felt like she needed another several hours of sleep.
By the time they were on their date, she still hadn’t decided whether or not to sleep with Jesse. But they had wine with dinner and she let herself drink several glasses. When he walked her to her door and kissed her, she made a decision, possibly due to the wine, but more likely due to the way he held her and pressed against her. Her body was warm at his touch and she was turned on by him.
“Do you…” She looked up at him, tilting her head down as she did to look through her lashes. “Do you maybe want to come inside?”
His mouth spread into a slow smile. “I do. Or maybe. Would you rather come to my place? You could get a few things while we’re here.”
“Perfect.” She ran inside and threw some things in an overnight bag. A change of clothes, her makeup, a toothbrush.
She locked up her house again and got back into his car. As he drove, she reached her hand over and ran it up and down his thigh. She pressed it into his groin, where he was already hard. He made a soft moan in response.
By the time they got to his place, they were both revved up and ready. They kissed as they went through the door, and barely made it upstairs and into his massive room. Jesse picked her up and threw her on the bed, then climbed on top of her.
He kissed down her neck and along the low-cut neckline of her dress, sliding his hand easily under the skirt of the knee-length red dress. She rolled over so he could unzip her, and he slipped the dress over her shoulders. She kicked it off and pulled off his shirt. He took off his pants and resumed kissing her as they pressed their bodies together, wearing just underwear.
But that didn’t last long. She was soaking her panties and when he reached down to rub her, he felt the wetness. He tore her panties from her and his boxers landed beside them. He reached over to the bedside table, just like Charlotte had said he would. He put a condom on and pushed into her with no hesitation.
She cried out in pleasure when he entered her and her back rose with the feeling. He moved methodically, slow and steady, moving in circles to hit every sensitive part of her insides. She felt dizzy with the delicious sensation of it.
He looked into her eyes in a way that made her feel cared for, like he truly wanted her and liked her. She had to look away. It was all a ruse. He only desired her and had feelings for her because she’d made him. Would he be inside her right now if she hadn’t cast spells on him?
Her attention was quickly drawn back to Jesse as he sped up and thrust into her harder. “I’m close,” he groaned. “Are you?”
She nodded and, as he went even faster and harder, she felt the orgasm build and break free. She cried out as he did until they were both left panting in each other’s arms.
Chapter Six
The guilt ate at Ella. She woke early in the morning and couldn’t fall back asleep, despite being so tired. But lying there beside Jesse, his naked, muscular body so available to her, she was turned on all over again. And now, she had an idea.
She figured she could sleep with him one more time and it wouldn’t hurt. Then she would never do it again because she couldn’t. It wasn’t fair to him, and she felt too bad. But for right now, she would indulge herself one last time.
She reached over and put her hand on his dick. It was still and soft right now, but soon it began to wake up. As it stiffened, he stirred. He murmured at her and she climbed on top of him. His arms went around her and she positioned him, then slid down onto him.
He groaned in pleasure as she rode him. They were still sleepy, and it was a half-awake, slow and sweet kind of lovemaking, the kind she liked best. But the passion built and, before long, she was banging into him hard, and she was coming. He grabbed her hips and slammed her down on him and, soon after, he cried out, too. She lay on his chest and kissed his neck.
“Sorry,” she said. “You were just so naked.”
He laughed. “I won’t hold it against you.”
***
A few weeks passed. They went out several more times and texted several times every day. Ella had managed to patch things up a bit with Charlotte. They were at least talking again. And Charlotte seemed happy with the progress she was making. But it was almost at the six-week point. That was when they had agreed would be the best time to tell Jesse.
They had planned to have dinner that night and, as Ella got dressed, she couldn’t help feeling saddened. She didn’t want to do this. She didn’t want to hurt Jesse or lose him. Finally, she had a decent relationship with a hot boyfriend, and not to mention the fact that he was exceptionally rich, and she had to destroy it. She considered not going through with it. But then she thought of losing Cha
rlotte, who had been her best friend for almost ten years. She couldn’t back out now, and she definitely couldn’t take Charlotte’s ex-boyfriend for herself.
She opened the door to face Jesse. She didn’t smile, and when he stepped forward to kiss her, she stepped back.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Can we talk?”
“Okay.” He followed her into her house and sat beside her when she sat on the sofa. “Are you okay?”
“I’m okay,” she nodded. “I’m… pregnant.”
He froze for a long moment. His face seemed to go pale.
“Look,” she said, launching into the speech she and Charlotte had perfected earlier that afternoon. “I know that we haven’t been together long, so I don’t expect anything from you at all. I’m telling you because you deserve to know, but I want nothing from you. I don’t want money, and I don’t expect you to be there for me. I don’t need you to be involved with the baby in any way. But I can’t see you anymore. I think it would just make it weird, and there’s not much point.”
He got up and paced. “Give me a minute, okay?”
“I think it’s honestly best if you leave. You can think about it and we can talk later.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Please. It’s been a hard day, and I just want to be alone.”
He stopped walking and nodded. “Alone. Right. Yeah, I should think about this. I’ll call you. Maybe we can talk in a few days?”
“Perfect.”
He walked to the door without coming to hug her or kiss her or even say anything at all. Maybe he was in shock. But now, for the first time, he was displaying the asshole attitude Charlotte had told her about. She heard the door shut, and she burst into tears.
He hadn’t even asked how she was or anything. He was the selfish jerk Charlotte had said he was after all. She sat and thought for a while, then picked up her phone to call Charlotte. She had only just started to run through the whole thing when there was a knock on her door.
She pulled it open to see Jesse standing there, holding flowers.
“I have to go,” she said and ended the call. “Hi.”
“Hi. Can I come in?”
“Sure.”
They returned to the sofa, but this time, he faced her after setting the flowers on the coffee table.
“I know I said I’d call you in a few days, but I didn’t get very far before I knew what had to happen. Ella, I like you a lot. I think I could love you, and I want you to give me a chance. I’ve always wanted a family, and you seem like the perfect type of woman to not only be the mother of my child, but my wife.”
He took a box out of his pocket and slid down to the ground to get on one knee.
“What are you doing?” she asked. “This wasn’t what was supposed to happen. You’re supposed to be freaked out and break up with me and run off.”
“To be fair, you tried to break up with me. But I don’t see any reason to end what we have. We’re great together, don’t you see that? And we can make a great family. Marry me. Let’s make it work.”
“I—I—I’m not sure.”
He let out a hard breath. “Normally, that response would have crushed me, but I guess given the circumstances, it’s to be expected. We’ve only been dating, what? Three months? It’s not like we’ve said ‘I love you’ or anything. But Ella, I want you to be mine. If you need to think about it, fine. But know that I’ll do whatever it takes to make you mine.”
“Okay.”
“Okay, you’ll marry me?”
“I meant okay that you’ll do whatever it takes. Can I think about it for a little while? I really thought you would freak out and disappear. All my plans were just me and the baby, so I need to get my head around this.”
“I understand.” He set the box down. “I’ll give you whatever time you need. I’ll leave the ring in case you decide to say yes. Call me tomorrow? Just to talk? You don’t have to give me an answer tomorrow.”
Chapter Seven
Charlotte arrived at Ella’s house shortly after Jesse left. She flopped down on the couch and demanded, “Tell me everything!”
“Well.” Ella took a deep breath and resumed the pacing she’d been doing. “I told him I was pregnant. He left for a little while, then he came back and brought those.” She pointed to the flowers and ring box, which were still sitting on the coffee table.
Charlotte’s face fell into horrified shock. She reached for the box and slowly opened the lid. “He proposed?”
Ella nodded.
“What?” Charlotte was on her feet, fuming. “That’s not what was supposed to happen! He wasn’t supposed to propose to you! This is a disaster!” She flopped back down, her head now in her hands.
“I know. I don’t know what to do.”
“Well, there’s only one thing you can do. Turn him down and go through with the rest of the plan. If you refuse to marry him, and then keep his baby from him, it’ll still shatter him. And don’t forget, we have the video of him shifting to use as blackmail.”
“Oh, right. The video.” She’d almost forgotten about it.
“I just can’t believe he proposed. You must have done a great job of tricking him. You made him fall for the fake version of you.”
“Or maybe he just fell for me.”
“The version of you that you pretended to be, you mean.”
Ella glared, the accusation stinging. “I was pretty much myself. I didn’t pretend to be someone else.”
“But you looked different when you were with him.”
“So?”
“So, that makes a difference.”
“You know what, Charlotte, I think you should just go. I need to rest. This has all been too much.”
“Oh, stop it, Ella. You’re not actually pregnant, don’t pull that crap with me.”
Ella shook her head. “You haven’t once stopped to think about what all this was doing to me.”
“To you? What about me? I’m the one who had her heart broken!”
“You’re not the only one.”
Charlotte laughed. “You can’t possibly be upset over losing him. He was never really yours.”
“Yes, he was! He is!” Ella’s hands balled in anger. “Stop this. He fell for me. He proposed to me. You’re just jealous.”
“How dare you.” Charlotte got to her feet and snatched her keys from the table. “If he knew the real you, or saw the real you, he would be gone in a second.”
Charlotte spun on her heels and stormed to the front door, slamming it behind her. Ella had a good cry, then went upstairs to take a long bath. She had too many decisions to make and all she wanted to do now was go to bed early and not think about any of this. She didn’t know what to do. About Charlotte, about Jesse, about anything.
She had decided on one thing only. She opened her phone and deleted all the photos and the video of Jesse shifting. There could be no evidence of it. She would not do that to him. She’d already done enough to hurt him. She felt so bad about all of it, and that meant there was really only one solution. She had to tell him everything. And she would. Tomorrow. After she’d slept and could string together an intelligent sentence.
She got into her pajamas and lay down. It was far earlier than her usual bedtime, but she didn’t care. She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep. But after about half an hour, before she could fall asleep, someone pounded on the door.
Ella pulled back the covers and padded downstairs. It was probably Charlotte coming back to yell at her some more. She pulled open the door and came face to face with a furious Jesse.
“Is it true?” he shouted.
When she saw him, she burst into tears. “Jesse, I—You—We—” She couldn’t get a whole sentence out. She put her face in her hands and shuttered with sobs.
His face softened as he watched her cry. “Okay, let’s sit down and talk.”
He put his hand on her back and led her into the living room to sit. While she focused on trying to
breathe, he got her a glass of water and brought it to her. She gulped it down and thought maybe she could talk now.
“I have to start at the beginning,” she said. She sniffled a few more times, then began. “It started with Charlotte calling me, crying, after you broke up. She was so heartbroken, I wanted to do anything to make it better. That’s what you do for your best friend. And so, when she said she wanted to get revenge on you for being such an asshole, it made sense. All I knew of you was what she told me, and she had nothing good to say. I thought I was getting back at a player, at some jerk who just uses women, not someone like you. But when I met you and got to know you, you didn’t seem anything like how she’d described you, and I started to have real feelings for you. That’s the reason I slept with you, even if there was another planned reason. She wanted to blackmail you for money and break your heart like you broke hers. And as her friend, I wanted to do anything I could to help her. But I’m so sorry I did it. I never should have agreed to it.”
“Wait a minute. Why did Charlotte say we broke up? And how long have you known her? I didn’t know you were friends.”
“We’ve been best friends for ten years. She said you had commitment issues and wanted to sleep around, but didn’t tell her that’s why you’d dumped her.”
He shook his head and pressed his lips together. “I broke up with her because she was the one who wanted to sleep around. And because she did.”
Ella gasped. “What?”
“She slept with two other guys while she was with me.”
“How convenient that she left that detail out.”
“Exactly,” he said.
“I was going to tell you, I swear. I was just so tired after dealing with everything, I wanted to get some sleep, then talk to you tomorrow.”
“I believe you,” he said.
“You have no reason to. I’ve been doing nothing but lying to you from the start.”
“I think it has to do with the way Charlotte burst through my gate and started screaming at me that you were lying and tricking me. It was pretty clear she wanted to turn me against you. And I’m not going to believe anything Charlotte says. She’s a liar and a cheat. And, apparently, not a very good friend. You’re not really a dog walker, are you?”
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