Friends With Multiple Benefits

by Luke Young

  “Oh.” Gary chuckled. “Sorry, I’m used to negotiating with actresses.” He glanced to Amanda. “No offense.”

  Amanda chuckled. “Hey, watch yourself, Gary.”

  “I don’t know,” Jillian began. “I was really hoping to take a little time off after I have the babies.”

  “And that’s fine. You can be involved as much or as little initially as you feel comfortable with,” Gary spoke with sincerity. “We just want to get production moving.”

  “Okay.” Jillian rubbed her forehead and exhaled a long, slow breath.

  The executive gave her a bright smile. “Look, we’re all excited about Amanda Jo’s return to the small screen and we think this deal lets you know exactly how excited we are.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “We’ve been after her for a decade and when the right project comes along you just have to go after it.”

  Amanda said, “It’s going to be huge. I can feel it.”

  “But, um…” Jillian paused then she looked to the superstar. “Dan told me you want my husband to work with you again for the tennis scenes.”

  “As you know I found his help invaluable when we shot the film.”

  “But tennis doesn’t play as large a part in the rest of the story. So, I don’t understand why you need him.”

  “There’s a little bit more of those scenes in the second book than you probably remember and we want to focus more on the sports aspects of the narrative, anyway,” Gary began. “We really think it works well.”

  Dan commented, “They also plan to add some of the material from the first book that didn’t make it into the film.”

  “Flashbacks?” Jillian asked.

  “Exactly,” Andrew replied.

  “Brian has a job running his tennis club and I’m going to need him at home with the babies especially if I’m producing the show.”

  “And we will certainly work around his schedule. Amanda doesn’t think she’ll need him any more than what…” Andrew looked to his client, “… three hours a week?”

  “That’s right,” Amanda began. “As I mentioned during my interview on the red carpet, I couldn’t have done the movie without him. I feel the same way about the series.”

  Gazing at the document, she flipped a page and paused a moment reading before returning her attention to Gary. “So it’s really four entire seasons guaranteed.”

  Gary said, “Like I said we’re committed.”

  “Can I have some time to think about it?”

  “Sure, take the rest of the week,” Gary began. “And just so you know, you’ll have access to the corporate jets while you’re working for the network. You’ll never have to fly commercial again.”

  “Really, wow, that’s um—”

  “Plus we have a private island off St. John that you can use.” Gary put his hand over hers. “Look, Jillian we’re excited about this project and we really want you to be a part of our corporate family.”

  Jillian replied, “Thank you, Mr. Whitmore.”

  “Call me Gary.”

  “Gary.”

  “Would you mind giving us a minute?” Amanda motioned to the door. “I’d like to have a word with Jillian.”

  “Absolutely.” Gary rose from his seat. The men shuffled from the room and left Jillian leafing through the contract and daydreaming.

  Amanda began, “Look, Jillian. I know we didn’t get off on the right foot and I apologize for that whole incident at the club. I wasn’t myself.”

  “Um, yeah, what was that?”

  “Jared and I had just broken up and I was going through a rough time. You know, in Miami… alone and just feeling… I don’t know.” Shaking her head, Amanda shot her a scatterbrained look. “Uggh… all of that is behind me now.”

  “Okay,” Jillian replied, not giving anything away.

  “If it makes you feel any better, Jared and I are back together and we’re getting married next month.”

  “Oh, that’s um… congratulations.”

  “We were meant to be together. I promise that I just want to make the best show that we can make. I don’t have any designs on your husband. I’m in love with Jared and we could not be happier.” Amanda reached out and placed her hand over Jillian’s.

  Jillian’s eyes widened and she took Amanda’s fingers between her hands. “Your skin is so soft. What do you use?”

  “Oh, it’s this lotion.” Pulling her hand back, Amanda examined her skin, smiling. “You can’t get it here. I have it shipped from Italy.”

  “I’d love the name of the lotion.”

  The superstar said, “I’ll have my people send you a case.”

  “Really, that would be great.”

  “I think this could be a great opportunity for both of us. Who knows, maybe we could even be friends.”

  After a moment, Jillian surrendered a smile. “I’d like that.”

  25

  During the car ride home, Jillian sat back reading the contract wearing a happy expression. Then when her smile morphed into a frown, she tossed the document down on the seat next to her. Then she gazed out the window shaking her head and grumbling under her breath. A few minutes later, she picked the document back up, re-read a few key paragraphs and her smile slowly returned.

  When she arrived home, she filled Brian in on all the details but left out any mention of the second thoughts she was having in the limo. They reviewed the generous contract together including the details of his five thousand dollar a week consulting fee. Jillian emailed a copy to her attorney and the next day she received a case of Amanda’s special Italian lotion along with a corporate packet of information on all the perks associated with the being a member of the network’s ‘family’.

  After applying the imported lotion to her hands and marveling at the soft luxuriousness of her skin, she rubbed some on the stretch marks on her stomach and lay in bed weighing the pros and cons of agreeing to the deal. Her attorney had a conference call with her and the network’s lawyers the next morning where a couple minor issues were ironed out. Then she decided to sleep on it one more day before making a final decision.

  Even before Jillian woke the next morning to discover her stretch marks were noticeably diminished, she was already on board. It was a deal she could not refuse—a project that could set her and her family up for life.

  The movie opened to great success and was number one at the box office for an entire month. And although it didn’t break the record, it settled in at number two on the list of the highest-grossing R-rated comedies of all time. As the weeks went by, Jillian’s belly grew while, thanks to Amanda Jo’s miracle cream, her stretch marks did not. They actually faded. The television show pre-production was in full swing and Jillian’s responsibilities for it, as promised, were kept at a minimum. Mainly she had final say in casting and was reviewing the pilot script with the writing team she helped select. Since her pregnancy was a high-risk one, she had begun weekly appointments with her obstetrician to be sure there were no issues.

  On March 24, Jillian was a little more than thirty-seven weeks pregnant and her twin-filled belly was as big as a house. She woke, rolled over uncomfortably to find Brian gone, and sat against the headboard. Yawning, she ran her hands over her stomach and felt one of the babies kick.

  Brian appeared in the doorway carrying a tray of food. Today’s breakfast featured pancakes and eggs. His wife was eating for three and not just three normal people, it seemed like she was eating for three linebackers.

  “Hungry?” he asked with a grin.

  “Starving.” She lifted her nightshirt and revealed the ripple of baby parts moving under her skin. “I think they’re hungry too.”

  He placed the tray on the bed and looked away. “Please cover that. You know that freaks me out.”

  “Don’t be a baby.”

  “It just looks like a horror movie or something. I don’t mind touching it when they’re moving, but seeing them in there is just weird.”

  After blowing on
the top of her steaming mug of tea, she took a sip. A stack of four large pancakes sat on her plate next to a big pile of scrambled eggs. A selection of fresh cut fruits decorated the plate as well.

  She cut a slab, slipped it into her mouth and her eyes rolled back in her head. “These are good.”

  “They are good today.”

  “Why didn’t you wake me up earlier? We have my appointment at ten.”

  “We have plenty of time.”

  Suddenly she cringed. “Oh, I think one of them just stepped on my bladder. I have to pee.”

  She made her way to the bathroom then when she returned she stood beside the bed looking at him wearing a smile.

  He noticed her expression. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong.”

  “Want to see something?”

  “Okay…” he replied hesitantly.

  “I just got a look at these in the mirror.” She lifted her shirt over her breasts, pulled it over her head, and gazed down to them, shaking her head.

  His eyes bugged out. “Wow, they are—”

  “Huge.” She nodded. “Like freakishly big.”

  “Yeah, and I can’t believe they are only for the babies,” he whined. “It’s really not fair.”

  She climbed back into bed. “Hey, I thought you were more of an ass man.”

  “Oh, I am, but just because you like spending a lot of time in the basement doesn’t mean you don’t want to log a few minutes every now and then in the penthouse.”

  “You’re strange.”

  “Can I kiss them?”

  She shrugged. “For a minute.”

  He leaned down and took a nipple in his mouth, licking it carefully. It hardened between his lips and she shivered, gently pushing him away. “Stop.”

  “What’s the matter?”

  “They hurt a little. And I’m just uncomfortable like everywhere. I really wish these babies would come out and I want my old rear end back.”

  “Want me to talk to them?”

  “They really don’t listen, but you can try.”

  Cupping her stomach carefully, he placed a kiss on her belly. “Now boys, you are starting to make Mommy uncomfortable. She wants her old body back, so please finish up whatever you two are doing in there and come out so we can meet you.”

  She giggled and ran her fingers through his hair.

  When he rose he gazed at her cleavage in awe. “They are huge.”

  “Tell me about it.” She looked down, frowning. “They are double Ds when they should be their perfect large B, small C-ish normal size.”

  He laughed.

  “What is it?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Don’t laugh at me. That’s just mean.”

  “No, I’m not laughing at you,” he began. “I was just thinking—Imagine if guys could get pregnant and when we did, things on us suddenly grew like three times their normal size.” He glanced down to his groin.

  She scoffed. “Yeah, then guys would be having about a dozen kids each.”

  “At least! The world would be so overpopulated, it wouldn’t even be funny.”

  She cupped her swollen breasts together. “Believe me it’s not easy carrying around these things.”

  He motioned to his penis. “It’s no picnic carrying around this three-piece set either. At least when your things change you get some warning and it happens gradually. Try having something that goes from small and concealed to big and staring you right in the face in a matter of seconds with no more stimulation than a pretty woman walking by or sometimes even just a strong breeze does the trick. It can be embarrassing.”

  “Yeah.” Grinning, she rolled her eyes.

  “And if that’s not bad enough, underneath him you’ve got two friends so sensitive that, lightly bumped or even handled in the wrong way, will send you curled up in agony in the fetal position on the floor.”

  “Sounds rough.” She humored him with a smile. “I wonder why God made them like that.”

  “It doesn’t make any sense.”

  Her eyes widened. “You do like to have them licked don’t you?”

  “Um, yeah, like it’s just about the most amazing feeling ever.”

  “So if you had to give up that experience so you could have a set of…” she motioned toward his groin, “… that you could hit with a hammer and it wouldn’t hurt, would you?”

  “No.” He looked at her like she was out of her mind. “No way.”

  “Well, there’s your answer then. God, made them sensitive so you can enjoy all that.”

  “Huh, I never thought of it that way. You are really smart.”

  “I have my moments.”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you too.” She kissed him on the lips. “Maybe we should go to dinner tonight. I’m craving Italian.”

  “I think I can sneak away from work for a couple hours.”

  “Good and since we’re on the subject of your, you know…” She glanced at his groin then flashed him a sexy grin. “Maybe tonight I’ll pay the boys a visit. It’s been a while.”

  “It has.” He gave her a concerned look. “You sure you’re up to it?”

  “I think I can manage.”

  During Jillian’s checkup, her blood pressure was found to be a little high, but not high enough to cause concern. Both baby’s heart rates were fine and Jillian’s blood was drawn and sent off to the lab. After seeing his wife safely back home, Brian headed into work.

  At just after two that afternoon, Brian’s cell phone rang. Jillian called to say that her blood tests came back indicating that she was at risk for preeclampsia. There was no immediate danger to the babies, but that could change at any time and the doctor did not want to chance leaving them in there much longer. At thirty-seven weeks, the babies were considered full term and could breathe on their own. A C-section was scheduled for 5:00 p.m. that day and the expectant father rushed home.

  The surgery was performed, without complication, and the two baby boys were delivered healthy and weighing in at four pounds thirteen ounces and five pounds eight ounces. Victoria, Jim, and Kaylie were all in the waiting room when Brian came out to deliver the news. Named Dylan and Griffin, both babies were born with wild tuffs of silky dark hair sprouting from their heads. The larger of the two had a more rounded, fatter face while the lighter twin had a smaller, thinner face. At this point just about everyone, upon close examination when they were together, could tell them apart simply by the facial size comparison. But when separated it was simply a guessing game as to which was which.

  After letting Jillian rest for a few hours, the nurses began the breastfeeding process. Hours of work followed with the babies struggling with their sucking reflex and after bottle-feeding failed as well, the boys were equipped for tube feeding. While they looked a little sad with tiny tubes taped to their faces and running down their noses, this was a perfectly safe and somewhat normal occurrence for babies with immature sucking skills.

  Two days later the twins both developed jaundice and were put under the lights with their little tiny masks shielding their bright blue eyes. Brian had stayed at Jillian’s bedside for another day before she was released then the two took shifts at the hospital so one of them could be there around the clock. When a family suite opened up in the maternity ward, the couple moved in and lived there while the boys’ health gradually improved.

  After five days under the lights, the boys were removed from the incubators and another attempt at bottle-feeding was made. When that failed, the tube feeding resumed and a couple days later their sucking skills improved to the point that the family could leave the hospital.

  Brian carefully placed the boys into their car seats and they all headed home. Once inside, he sat the babies into their matching reclining seats and Jillian heated up bottles. Although still being slow eaters, the two were doing a little better with feeding. It took about twenty-five minutes per bottle, but Jillian and Brian enjoyed cradling each of their twins
in the new rockers he had purchased. It was a delightful bonding experience holding them while they ate.

  Dylan, the smaller twin, seemed to favor his mother while, Griffin the larger of the two was taking to his father. Although each spent time with the other baby, it was just fine with them that they each had an assigned twin. Brian was able to take a few weeks off while the new family settled into a routine. There was no full nights’ sleep in sight and the new parents established a schedule where he went to bed early and she took the first shift. Then she would wake him up about three in the morning to take over. It became a feeding, pooping, peeing, sleeping cycle that never seemed to end and although happy, both parents were exhausted.

  The call came around lunchtime that Bridget was in the hospital about to give birth to her baby in Hawaii. Rob came off slightly panicked on the phone before he rushed back to be by his wife’s side. Then a few hours later Rob called to tell them they had a granddaughter. A healthy, seven and a half pound baby girl they named Meredith. Jillian was reduced to tears and apologized for not being there to share this moment with her son.

  When they were home about two weeks, and with the babies sleeping in bassinets in their bedroom, Brian took Jillian’s hand and led her out to the hall.

  “What are you doing?” she asked in a soft voice.

  “I finally got a chance to get you your present,” he whispered.

  “Really?” She smiled. “I can’t wait.”

  From behind his back, he pulled out a long, thin, expertly wrapped jewelry box and held it up in front of her. “I couldn’t buy this in advance because I needed… well, I don’t want to give anything away.”

  “Don’t tell me.” She took hold of his sleeve and pulled him along with her as she slipped down to the carpet and sat on the floor.

  “I hope you like it.”

  Grinning, she tore the wrapping paper revealing a teal Tiffany box. When she opened the lid, her eyes brightened. “Oh my God, it’s the boys’ birthstone.”

  “That’s why I had to wait. I wasn’t sure they were going to be Aquamarines or Diamonds.”

  “I love it.” She held the beautiful, pale blue color, large stone necklace up. “I guess we’re lucky they weren’t born in April. Diamonds this size would have been really expensive.”