One Night Stand (New Yorker III)

by M. O. Kenyan

  But now he couldn’t tell his uncle that the woman was Catalella or she would surely lose the account. Old man Harold didn’t believe in mixing business with pleasure.

  * * * *

  “Are you still cursing yourself?” Harold joined him in the back seat.

  “How did it go?” Rich asked nervously, but tried not to seem too interested in his uncle’s decision.

  “She’s awesome—very organized, straight to the point and meticulous in her work. She reminds me of her father.”

  “Did she get it?” Rich paused. “I mean did the firm get the account?”

  “They got it.” His uncle shot him a suspicious look. “Why are you so interested?”

  “It’s my company and I only want the best,” Rich lied as he looked out the window to avoid Harold’s gaze. Normally when it came to women and business he had a very good poker face. But when trying to lie to a man who had seen him in diapers, he found it very hard to keep a straight face.

  As they pulled away, Rich regretted his decision to not go into the building to see Catalella. He didn’t exactly miss her…there was nothing but a sexual relationship between them. Sure, Catalella understood him better than people he knew all his life just by reading a document about him and his business. He felt that they had bonded in some way. —Rich in his confusion of whom he was meant to be, and Catalella in the pain of who she was. But, even with a bond between them, he knew they were never going to work out.

  “The papers are going to be signed next week.” Harold cut into his thoughts. “Then there will be a pitch about getting us as a permanent client.”

  “I need to be there, right?” Rich cleared his throat.

  “Any permanent legal representation contracts need both our signatures. Monday morning, kid, no excuses this time.”

  “Monday morning,” Rich echoed.

  Chapter Five

  “Miss Ross, please lay back. I want to take a look at something.”

  Catalella stared at the nurse who had walked in pushing something that looked like an ultrasound machine into the room. She lay back on the bed, holding the hospital gown at her hips so that it wouldn’t lift as she moved.

  “Where is my doctor?” Catalella asked, and after no response she asked again. “Where is Doctor Caplain?”

  She knew something was wrong. Her doctor had been gone too long after checking her in. She had already gone through a series of blood tests and now she was waiting for the usual scans and MRIs. But instead of her doctor there was a lethargic nurse with a permanent scowl on her face squirting gel on her belly.

  The nurse grunted and groaned as she scrolled the scan over Catalella’s belly. She couldn’t get a read on the nurse’s expression. Nothing that would tell her what the nurse was seeing in the ultra sound, or whether it was good or bad.

  “It’s back, isn’t it?” Catalella asked in a panic. “The cancer is back. Is it in my ovaries?”

  The nurse shot her a glance but said nothing. She handed Catalella a box of tissues, got up and left the room.

  “You’re not going to tell me anything?” Catalella shouted after her. “Am I dying?”

  Catalella heard the door open and she sat up just in time to see her doctor walk in, an incredulous expression on his face.

  “I’m dying, aren’t I? How long have I got before my life is over?” She was hysterical at this point, gasping and wiping the tears streaming down her face as she searched the room frantically, for what she didn’t know.

  “First of all you are not dying.” The doctor sat on the bed next to Catalella, holding her hand in support. “As for your life being over, most women think it all ends and begins once you are in the third trimester.”

  “What?” She stared at him with silent surprise. And hope…there was definitely hope blooming in her chest.

  She could hear what he was insinuating. She was paid to read between the lines. But nothing good ever happened in her life. And the idea that her doctor was sitting next to her, not a whiff of alcohol on him, looking as sober as he ever did was implying that she was…

  “You’re pregnant!” he said out loud with gusto. “I can’t believe it either, but you are definitely pregnant.”

  “What?” Catalella said in a whisper. She didn’t believe it, wouldn’t let herself believe it. Even when he put the miniature ultrasound pictures in front of her, she didn’t believe that little blob was her baby.

  A baby.

  “You’re about two months along,” he continued. Catalella knew how far along she was. It was Rich. The man had walked into the picture and shaken her bed and her life along with it. The idiot had given her a baby.

  She felt her lips curl into a smile as the doctor’s voice droned on and on. She couldn’t hear it. She was staring at the ultra sound pictures in a trance. Catalella was looking at her baby. Her baby.

  “You need to take care of yourself. I may be a scientist but I am not afraid to admit that this is a miracle. A definite fluke, but a miracle nonetheless.” Catalella turned to face him when he held onto her arms. “You need to understand something, Catalella, this is it. There is nothing to suggest that you could ever get pregnant again after this. This is your one chance so you need to take care of yourself.”

  There he goes with the numbers again. She knew having something easy and smooth was too good to be true. She had gotten her good news and her warning. She was going to hold onto both of them with equal importance.

  Catalella got into her car and immediately put the hazard lights on. She was going to take care of her pregnancy even if it meant driving well below the grandma-limit. As the cars hooted at her she stuck her hand out the window and waved them on. Before long she was outside De Alma. Consciously, she didn’t want to be here. She thought about it, and sharing her miracle was the last thing she wanted. But she had to tell Rich. She had to say thank you at least.

  Although she was here she was terrified of getting out of her car. But the valet opened her door before she could protest. She grabbed her handbag and took a courageous walk towards the front door.

  * * * *

  Rich had a feeling she was here, an inkling. A tremor rocked through him but it wasn’t excitement—it was fear. What did Catalella want here? She hadn’t been to the restaurant since their little sexcapade. He never thought he would see her at De Alma again. He was ready to face her in a board room but not where they first met, where they had their first dance and kiss. But there she was, stepping out of her BMW, her skirt clinging to her hips as her jacket hugged her torso, bringing out the shape of her well-rounded breasts. He remembered how cozy he felt being in between those thighs, having those breasts pressed against his strong chest and, damn him, he wanted to be there again.

  But fear, or cowardice, won over lust. He rose from his stool, leaving his drink behind at the bar. The bartender stared after him in shock. Rich ducked through the kitchen to the back alley where his car was parked. He slipped in and mercilessly pushed the sports car to get him out of Dodge. Rich promised never to let himself get led by his cock ever again. But Catalella was different and he didn’t know how to handle different. He knew how to deal with gold diggers after sex and money. But Catalella wanted love, comfort and caring. She needed someone to be responsible for her, to love her. And nothing frightened Rich as much as falling in love…

  Catalella could have sworn she had seen someone like Rich at the bar, but he wasn’t there. She looked around, hoping to find someone she could ask in a way that it wasn’t so obvious she was desperate to see him. She took a seat at her usual table and, as she was about to order, she saw the familiar red Maserati speed off. In silent surprise Catalella watched as Rich ran away from her.

  * * * *

  Catalella sat at the large dining table, food and memories sprawled before her. She had always loved her mother’s paella but she couldn’t eat it. The spices in the food had suddenly grown too much for her. It had been a month since she’d found out she was pregnant. A lot had happened
between then and now.

  At work, Michael Mathews—she said his full name with as much disdain as she would utter a curse—had interrupted her business with McCrery Holdings. He had cited some irregularities in her contract that she had never believed were there in the first place. Catalella was cautious and meticulous in her work. She strived for perfection and nothing else, but Harold didn’t see it that way. She wondered why the old man had given her a second chance and she appreciated it. But she wouldn’t be able to get an appointment with him and the CEO until later on that month.

  At home, she hadn’t been as lonely as she used to be. Knowing that there was another life around, although it wasn’t born yet, comforted her. She still had Rich’s note with her—she stared at it each morning before she left for work and in the evening before she slept. Survive. The word flashed in her mind over and over again, screaming at her to listen and she finally was. She needed to get rid of all the hurt and resentment if she was going to make room for all the love she would have for the little baby.

  Her hand dropped to her belly, as it did a million times over during the day. It was her body acknowledging the new life within it, as if the fatigue, nausea and moodiness hadn’t already.

  “Mija?”

  Catalella was pulled out of her thoughts by her mother’s worried question. She hadn’t said it out loud, but in that one word there were three others: are you okay? Catalella smiled, reassuring her, and picked up her well-packed tortilla. But, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself, she couldn’t take a bite.

  “How’re the wedding plans coming?” her sister asked.

  Catalella was appreciative of Lisette’s meddling ways. The topic of a wedding was something her mother couldn’t turn away from.

  “Pretty good,” Katherine answered.

  Catalella watched as her brother and his fiancée stared at each other, lost in each other’s gazes. That was what she wanted. But she reprimanded herself for being greedy. She already had a baby. She was content for now.

  “I wish you would get married during the summer.” Her mother groaned. “I know it's spring, but it’s still a little chilly. Imagine having the wedding at our backyard instead of a hotel.”

  “I can afford to pay for my son’s wedding to be in a hotel,” Adrian senior grumbled.

  “That’s not the point, sweetheart.” Rosalinda tapped his hand as if to reassure him. But then an incredulous look came over her mother’s face that had everyone on the table pulled in. “Are you pregnant? Is that it? Is that why you want such a quick wedding?”

  “No!” AJ and Katherine said in unison.

  “I am.” Catalella sneaked in. She had whispered it, more to herself than everyone else, so that she didn’t think anyone had heard.

  “I can’t believe AJ knocked you up.” Lisette chortled.

  “I didn’t,” AJ said defensively.

  “Quiet! All of you.”

  Catalella stared at Reno. He never raised his voice. Usually that was left for his chattering wife. He was silent while Lisette was loud. They balanced each other.

  “What did you say?” Reno asked, his body turned towards Catalella.

  How could she think no one heard? The man was sitting right next to her and his usual silence allowed him to hear everyone. She thought he had picked up his keen sense of listening when his first child was born a few years back. But that was Reno—he was always in big brother mode when he was around his sister, Daniela, and her. He was caring, loving, and considerate. That was what made him a great father. But what qualities or qualifications did Rich possess that would make him a good dad?

  Catalella shook her head, terrified all of a sudden to divulge her secret.

  “I heard what you said, Lella.” Reno took her hand and squeezed it in support.

  “Are you dumb all of a sudden?” Lisette put in. Although she meant for it to mean she could hear the concern in her voice.

  “Peanut?”

  “I’m...” Catalella stared at her siblings, not once risking a glance at her parents. She swallowed hard and a squeeze for support from Reno urged her on. “I’m pregnant.”

  The next thing Catalella heard were chairs being pushed back and feet rushing towards her. Lisette scanned her with a worried look—Catalella was sure her older sister thought she was mad. But AJ grabbed her arm and lifted her off her seat, leading her into the living room. Catalella heard the rest follow. She had no doubt that her brother was about to play doctor.

  Silently he instructed her to lie flat on the sofa and kneeled next to her. His hands hovered over her as he stared into her eyes.

  “Let me do it,” Katherine offered.

  Reluctantly, AJ moved away to give Katherine space. She was an OBGYN so Catalella was sure that she knew what she was doing.

  “I’m going to use my hands to examine you. You are going to feel a little pressure,” Katherine said as her hands pressed on Catalella’s abdomen as she felt around.

  A gasp and a proud look on Katherine’s face confirmed what Catalella had said. “If you had asked I would have shown you the ultrasound pictures,” she said.

  “Are you serious?” Her father’s voice boomed in the room.

  Catalella sat up and stared at her family as they stared back at her. “Doctor Caplain said everything is fine. He says it’s a miracle…a fluke, that I should be careful. I am. I have a better diet, and I’m taking my vitamins everyday—” Catalella held onto her mother when she pulled her into a hug and went on with her list. “I try my best to eat five times a day even though I’m nauseous all the time. I don’t work overtime. I’m careful, I promise.”

  Catalella fell silent when Rosalinda framed her face with her hands. Her mother pressed her forehead to hers as she had countless times when she was emotional. Rosalinda pulled away and hugged her daughter then made room for Adrian.

  “I’m proud of you,” the large man said as a tear rolled down his cheek.

  “My sister has been having sex,” Lisette exclaimed, making everyone in the room laugh, but her father groaned.

  “I feel like I should beat up this guy. But I want to buy him a drink even more,” AJ put in.

  “Where is your boyfriend?” Rosalinda asked.

  “My what?” The question had caught Catalella off guard. She hoped that her shock didn’t show. What exactly was she supposed to tell them now? “Oh him, he’s back in the city.”

  “Who is he? Does he have a name?” Adrian asked, his eyes searching his daughter’s face.

  “Uh-huh…Rich—” she gulped, “—ard.”

  “Does Rich-ard, have a last name?”

  The old man was crafty but Catalella was smarter. She had no idea why she called him Richard. She assumed Rich was short for something. She should have asked for his full name before letting him in her pants. But it was too late now. “I’d rather not say. The last thing I want is for Lisette to Google him. I want you guys to get to know him personally. He’s important.”

  “All right, bring him by next weekend.” Adrian’s tone had something in it that said that was the end of the discussion about ‘Rich-ard’ for now.

  How was she supposed to tell her father that the man had run from her, that Catalella had revealed so much of herself on their first meeting that he was terrified to get close to her? It didn’t help that he drove a very, very fast sports car.

  She retreated to the kitchen in the evening as everyone sat around the fire. She was looking for something to eat, had a craving for something tangy. She was rummaging through the fridge when she heard someone come up behind her.

  “You don’t know his name, do you?”

  Catalella lifted her head to find Lisette staring at her, a smile on her face that made her look like a Cheshire cat. Catalella could pass a lot of things by her parents but never Lisette.

  “I know his name,” she said defensively as she pulled out a tub of peanut butter and grabbed a spoon from the drawer. “I just don’t know if it’s his real name.”

>   Lisette barked out a laugh. “A one night stand.” She said it as if she didn’t believe it. But then her face became serious. “Are you stupid? He could have given you something.”

  “He gave me a baby, but other than that I’m clean.” Catalella had been sure to check.

  “I’m happy for you.” Lisette pulled Catalella in for a hug. “Now I can be pregnant with my sister. I’ve always wanted that.”

  “Me too.” Catalella giggled. “I’m hungry. Tell me what to eat.”

  Lisette stepped back, an excited look on her face as she shared all her pregnancy wisdom.

  * * * *

  She wasn’t alone anymore. Catalella tried to ignore the tightness of her skin. She couldn’t believe how much weight she had put on in the past month. She was three and a half months along and could barely fit into anything in her closet. She had to go shopping and she hated shopping. Catalella was terrified of telling people in the office—she didn’t want to seem weak, especially since she almost lost the McCrery account. She was going to take over the firm soon and she needed people to have confidence in her.

  “Are you ready, kiddo?” Dennis asked as he poked his head into her office.

  “Ready as I’ll ever be.” Catalella picked up her files. “I want you to know that there was nothing wrong with the first draft. You shouldn’t have let Michael send them that withdrawal notice.”

  “I didn’t know he’d sent it.” Dennis frowned. “Harold called to tell me. He has confidence in you and the firm, but he needs to know that our in-house problems won’t spill out into our work.”

  “You do know that after you leave and I take all his clients, I’m going to fire Michael Mathews, right?”

  “I knew it the second I hired him.” Dennis winked at her as an evil grin claimed his lips. “They’re here. I know you are going to do great. I’m proud of you, kiddo.”

  “Thanks, Uncle Denny.” She often refrained from calling him that in the office, but she was nervous and it usually made her feel calm knowing she had family on her side.