by Tia Siren
I could see the moment her hackles went up and realized I had put her on the defensive.
“Lara, this is the real thing for both of us. I understand you have your own feelings on this, but I would appreciate if you could be happy for us.”
“I’m sorry. I really am. Really, I was just asking. If you’re happy, I’m happy, and I will support you both.”
“Good.”
I stared at her. “I can’t believe you’re going to have a baby. It is so crazy! And not just any baby! My brother’s baby! I’m going to be an aunt!”
She started laughing. “I know. I forget I’m pregnant all the time. We went to dinner and I ordered wine without even thinking. It wasn’t until it was delivered that Brian had a freak out moment. I’ll be more careful in the future.”
“Things are definitely going to change. Let me know if you need to work fewer hours. We can hire another part-time employee. I don’t want you overdoing it.”
“Thank you. I’m fine for now. I mean, I may change my mind in a few months, but right now I feel normal. A little emotional, but normal.”
“Good. Just let me know.”
I headed to my office to drop off my purse and check my email. I truly was happy for Kali and Brian, but it was going to be difficult to see her belly grow and watch her go through the joys of pregnancy, even the parts that weren’t so fun. I couldn’t be jealous, though. It wasn’t right, but deep down, that little green monster wanted to stomp her foot and scream about the injustice of the situation. I’d have to keep the monster locked down tight.
My phone rang in my purse. I quickly fished out and saw it was Mason. That was fast.
“Hi,” I answered.
“Hey. I just got to work and checked my schedule for the day. I forgot I have a board meeting tonight, so I’m going to have a late night.”
“Oh, bummer,” I pouted.
“I know. Trust me, I would rather spend the evening with you than a bunch of stuffy board members.”
We were supposed to meet at his place for dinner, which we both knew meant more sex. My body could probably use a break anyway.
“I’ll see you tomorrow maybe?” I asked.
“Yes, you will. I have a fairly light schedule. What about you?”
I pulled up my schedule and saw one of the other girls was scheduled to close tomorrow. “I can meet you somewhere by six if that works.”
“Sounds good. How about that restaurant on fourth we were talking about?”
We had just talked about the place while lounging in bed and debating what we wanted to eat for lunch. We’d never made it out of bed.
“I’ll see you then. I’ll call or text if anything comes up.”
“Hey, you’re not getting rid of me that easy. I’ll call you tonight after the meeting. I want to hear your voice before I fall asleep,” he said, his smile evident in his voice.
“You’re so sappy,” I teased. “But fine, call me and I’ll sing you to sleep.”
He chuckled and hung up the phone. I put mine back in my purse and thought about how I would spend my night. Maybe a good book and some wine. No. No wine on the slim chance I was pregnant. Well, I knew I wasn’t actually pregnant yet, but if that little swimmer was trying to woo one of my eggs to let him in, I wasn’t going to muck things up with alcohol.
I knew way too much about my body and the reproductive system. Clearly, I needed to get a hobby that didn’t involve sperm.
“What are you thinking about?” Kali said, interrupting my thoughts. “You have a very strange look on your face.”
“Sperm.”
The look on her face was priceless. “Oh. Well, okay. I’ll let you get back to your thoughts of, uh, sperm.”
I started giggling. “I know it’s ridiculous, which is exactly what I was telling myself. I am obsessing over sperm. I feel like a cheerleader, encouraging the little swimmers to keep going.”
“Did you get inseminated again? Already? I thought you had to wait?” she asked with a confused look.
“I did, but not the clinical way.”
A huge smile spread across her face when she realized what I was saying. “You gave Mason the go-ahead to knock you up?”
“That sounds so crude, but yes. We gave it a good shot. Now we wait and see.”
She gleefully clapped her hands. “I hope it worked. When can you take a test to find out?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “A few days, a week, a month. I don’t know. I’m almost afraid to jinx it. I’m going to do my best to pretend I don’t have sperm swimming around in my vagina or uterus or wherever the hell they ended up going.”
“You’re a strange duck, Lara. That is a very strange way to think after having sex with a guy.”
“I know, which is why I need to get busy. I can’t keep dwelling on it. I’ll end up going crazy.”
“Oh, hon, I think that ship sailed a long time ago.”
We both laughed and headed out front to start cleaning and organizing the shelves. The day was spent laughing and talking about names for Kali’s baby. She was hoping for a boy, as was Brian. I felt less jealous and more excited for them after seeing how thrilled she was about the baby.
I stopped by a sandwich shop and picked up some potato soup and a turkey on rye sandwich for dinner. When I walked into my home, I felt like I was seeing it with a fresh set of eyes. I loved the warmth of the colors. It felt like a home and not a sterile condo. It made me want to kick off my shoes and relax.
As I walked to the kitchen across the marble floor, I decided I needed to get some throw rugs. I didn’t want my baby crawling over cold, hard floors. I grabbed my laptop and my dinner and sat down at the table to do a little shopping while I ate.
While I shopped for rugs, I couldn’t help but look at the nursery décor. I knew I shouldn’t, but I gave myself a little time to dream. I still couldn’t believe I’d asked Mason to get me pregnant. It had been completely reckless. Though, in the back of my mind, I think I believed it wasn’t possible for me to get pregnant. But there was no fighting the hope that I would.
Where it would take our relationship if I actually did get pregnant by him, I didn’t know, but I would figure it all out later. I kept telling myself I couldn’t think about it. Mason had told me to relax, and that was what I was trying to do. Unfortunately, I had baby on the brain and everything I did or thought about always came right back to having a baby.
The phone rang. I looked at the time and saw it was almost nine. I had gotten a lost in my shopping and had no idea it was so late.
“Hey, sexy,” I answered, closing my laptop and heading for my room to get ready for some phone sex.
His soft, deep chuckle sent shivers through my body. I could get used to having this man in my life.
Chapter 30
Mason
Junie popped her head into my office. “Are you busy?”
I shrugged. “Just reviewing a chart. Why? What’s up?”
She looked a little concerned. “Do you have your cell?”
I felt in the pocket of my coat and realized it wasn’t there. “Not on me. Why?”
“Lara called. She said to tell you it was important and to check your messages. She didn’t want to leave a message at the desk.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks. I must have left it in my car, I guess.”
She closed the door and I started pulling open drawers, looking for my phone. I was a little nervous. What could she need that would prompt her to call the office? That was really unlike her. I wondered if she had to go out of town and was cancelling our date for tonight.
I heard a vibration and froze, waiting for the sound again. After several long minutes of not moving, I finally heard it and started laughing. The phone was in my laptop case. I pulled it out and saw I had three missed calls and several texts from Lara saying to call her back.
Immediately, I dialed her number without bothering to listen to the voice mails first. I was a little concerned—no, a lot concerned—that something ter
rible had happened.
“There you are!” she answered.
“What’s wrong?” I shot back.
“Nothing, but we need to talk. Are we still on for dinner tonight?”
I groaned. “Lara, you can’t get me worried like that and then tell me nothing’s wrong. Something is wrong. What is it?”
“Nothing is wrong. We just need to talk, and I don’t want to do it over the phone. I’m alone in the store and I have a customer. I can’t talk now,” she said abruptly.
“Okay. I’ll see you at six.”
“Bye,” she said, and hung up.
Well, that had been odd. What the hell could have happened in the last twelve hours since I’d spoken with her? She couldn’t possibly know if she was pregnant or not. I ran through various scenarios in my head but didn’t get a chance to explore too long.
“Your patient is waiting,” Junie said, popping her head in.
“Okay. I’ll be right there.”
Lara would have to wait.
Thankfully, I had a last-minute cancellation, which meant I had time to run home and change before I met Lara.
I called her on my drive home.
“I got done early. I’m going home to change and I’ll meet you there. Is that still the plan?” I asked her.
“If you’re going home, I’ll just meet you there.”
“You can’t give me a hint about what’s going on? You’ve got me worried, Lara.”
“Don’t worry. Really. It’s nothing to worry about, but I need to talk to you face to face.”
“Okay. I’ll see you in a few then.”
I hung up, feeling the same knot in my stomach that had been bugging me all day. Why was she being so damn vague? I hated that kind of bullshit! Lara wasn’t the kind of woman who liked to play games—at least I hadn’t thought she was.
Quickly walking toward my apartment door, not giving any attention to my surroundings, I stopped dead in my tracks at the sound of a familiar voice.
Sally was sitting on one of the benches so conveniently placed in the hall for stalkers. I needed to talk to my building manager about it. Lara’s condo didn’t have seating in the hall. I didn’t want seating in my hall either.
“Sally,” I said, hoping by some chance she was waiting for someone else.
“Hey, lover. I haven’t heard from you in a while. I’ve missed you,” she said, sauntering toward me.
Her tiny dress left little to the imagination. It was an outfit more suited to a club than outside my apartment. The woman had a killer body and she knew it.
“Sally, I thought I made myself clear,” I said, taking a slight step backward, away from her.
I had the feeling I was a rabbit being stalked by a lion.
“Oh, now, you weren’t serious. I let you have your fun with that other woman, but now it’s time to come back to me. You know just how to touch me, how to fuck me,” she purred. “I need your dick.”
“Sally, I can’t. This is over.”
She waved a hand in the air as if there was an irritating bug in her way. “That’s silly. We’re never over. We enjoy sex. I like your body, and I know you like mine,” she said the words while running her hand over her breasts.
“I’m sorry. We did have fun, but we both knew it wasn’t serious. It’s time to move on,” I told her, doing my best to be kind. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but she was crossing a line, and I didn’t care for it.
“We had a lot of fun, and we still can. I don’t need a ring on my finger, and I don’t care if you have one. We can still hook up, scratch that itch that only I can reach for you.” Her voice was husky as she closed the distance between us.
She was standing directly in front of me, inches away. I could smell her cloying perfume and nearly choked. Her makeup was heavy and I could tell she had been drinking. Nothing about her made me hard. My fight or flight instinct was telling me to run in the opposite direction.
I had hooked up with her because she was an easy lay. I had been at a bar and one of the acquaintances I had been with at the time had slept with her in the past. He had promised she would give me the ride of my life. She was not the type of woman I was normally attracted to, but I had been lonely and horny and that was all it took.
Looking at her now, I realized I had never actually liked her. The only time we spent together was between the sheets, or rather everywhere but a bed. The woman was kinky and crazy, and when I was looking for empty sex, she’d fit the bill. I didn’t want that anymore.
Before I knew what she was going to do, her arms were around my neck, pulling me down to her face. Her lips were on mine as she rubbed her body against me. I kept my lips sealed tight, hoping she would get the message I didn’t want her, but when she bit my lower lip, I gasped, allowing her to shove her tongue down my throat.
Everything was happening so fast. I moved my arms up to push her away when I heard a small scream of horror behind me.
I shoved Sally back and spun around to see Lara staring at me. Her hand covered her mouth as she looked from me to Sally, shaking her head as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing. I saw the blood drain from her face and realized how devastating this was to her. It felt as if everything happened in slow motion. Sally was still pressed against me, her arms snaking out and wrapping around my waist as I stared at Lara.
“Lara,” I croaked out, hoping to assure her it wasn’t what she thought. My brain was moving too slow. I couldn’t move or speak before she had spun around and was running down the hall for the elevator.
I gave chase, shouting her name over and over, begging her to wait.
“Stay away from me!” she shouted, slamming her palm against the elevator button.
“Lara, it isn’t what it looks like.”
She glared at me. At that exact moment, Sally walked up behind me and squeezed my ass before reaching around and grabbing my dick while leaning into my side. I pushed her off.
Lara looked as if she were going to throw up. Her face was pale and her eyes were filled with unshed tears. My heart ached. I had never wanted to cause her pain, and in an instant, I had crushed her.
I shoved Sally away from me. “Don’t you dare fucking touch me or I will have you arrested for assault.”
Lara turned back around and kept slamming her hand against the elevator button.
“Lara, please, let me explain.”
“Yeah, Lara, let Mason explain how he likes to fuck me while I’m tied to his bed, or sometimes he likes me to spank him. Do you spank him, Lara? You don’t look like the kind of girl that can get Mason off,” Sally spewed.
“Shut up!” I yelled.
The elevator doors opened and Lara stepped inside, pushing the door close button. Her eyes met mine, and I could see the pain. My heart twisted in my chest.
Sally laughed. “You are a fucking idiot. I’m so much better than her.”
I spun around, glaring at her, and contemplated hitting her, but I knew I could never hit a woman. Even a woman as deserving as Sally.
“Stay the fuck away from me, Sally. I will call the police if I ever see you here again. Don’t try me, because I will ruin your fucking life, you stupid whore.”
The words were like razors. I knew they cut deep, but it only stunned her for a second. She was laughing as she pushed the elevator button. “We’ll see who ruins whose life. I think I just took care of that little situation for you. It’s you who better watch your step, Mason. No one dumps me.”
I walked away from her, ignoring her threats. I picked up my briefcase, unlocked the door to my apartment, and tossed it inside before taking the stairs down to the parking lot. I didn’t want to risk running into Sally. I had to get to Lara and explain what had happened. She had to believe me.
When I got to Lara’s condo, the doorman refused my entry. It took a lot of persuading and three-hundred bucks to finally get him to let me in. I knocked on her door, begging for her to let me in, but she never answered.
I stoo
d outside her door and called her. No answer. She had to be inside. Where else would she go?
I took a deep breath and placed another call.
“Hello?”
I cleared my throat. “Brian, it’s Mason. Uh, have you seen Lara tonight?” I asked as casually as possible. I could only imagine what the man would try to do to me if he heard Lara’s side of the story before I could explain.
“I haven’t. Is everything okay?”
It was a relief that he didn’t know, but worrisome because I still didn’t know where Lara was. “Yeah,” I said, then hung up.
Walking back to the lobby, I cornered the doorman. “Is Lara home?” I asked.
The man had the audacity to grin. “No, sir. She called to tell me not to let you up.”
I growled and walked away. The man had been toying with me. He knew damn well she wasn’t home but took my money anyway.
While I paced outside her building, I continued to call her. She never answered. There was still a slim chance she was hiding inside her condo. The doorman clearly had her back and would lie to me to protect her. I liked that, but not in this particular situation.
Calling her again proved fruitless, but this time I left her a long voice mail trying my best to explain the situation. I doubted she would believe my words, but I had to at least try. I walked back to my car, my shoulders slumped and my stomach twisted in knots.
Sally. I fucking hated the woman. I had been so close to finally having peace and happiness in my life, and that woman had ruined it all.
Chapter 31
Lara
I debated a long time about getting out of bed versus hiding under the covers all day, but I finally did it anyway. This wasn’t my first rodeo. I had wallowed in misery for days after I’d caught Mitchel cheating. I vowed to never allow that to happen to me again. Obviously, I sucked at making vows, because once again, here I was dealing with another cheating louse.
“Fuck you, Fate. You are a whore.”
I wasn’t relying on fate to see me through this time. I was in control, and I would never allow myself to feel this shitty again. I would not let another man rip my heart out and stomp all over it. Mitchel had hurt, but in the back of my mind, I had suspected he was cheating. When I had found him in bed with that woman, it had been a little shocking, but I’d been still numb with pain over the loss of my pregnancy. The loss of my baby had dulled the pain of the cheating.
