After she was completely undressed he began caressing her, starting with her inner thighs, then her stomach, all the way up to her neck; he touched every part of her as he worked his way up her body.
Once he made it to her lips he kissed her passionately and then picked her off the bed, carried her into the bathroom, and placed her in the steaming tub.
As she reclined in the bath he began washing her, starting with her back and ending with her toes. As he caressed each part of her body, he gently kissed it, which made her coo and moan even more.
After bathing her for thirty minutes he helped her out and carefully toweled her dry. He then carried her back into the bedroom and laid her across the bed where he continued to take care of her.
As he rubbed oil across her body he expertly massaged every inch of her. Camille could not help but make sounds of pleasure and enjoyment.
When he started rubbing her inner thighs and the surrounding area, she experienced a sensation she had never felt before; she moaned louder and sharply inhaled.
“That’s it, baby, relax and let go. Let me please you,” Paul said.
“Oh Paul, something’s happening to me,” she said as she involuntarily sighed.
“That’s it, let it go. It’s natural. Go ahead and release it. It’s okay. Wow baby! That’s it,” he said as he watched her flow.
“I’m so embarrassed. That has never happened before. I don’t know what’s going on,” she said shyly.
He smiled broadly, “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Come here baby. Let’s get under the covers. You are a queen and you need to move to a spot that’s not wet.”
Once they were under the sheets, he made love to her in ways she never imagined. She knew that the next few days in Los Angeles with him were going to be the most amazing days she had ever experienced.
For the first time in years she felt special and loved. She could tell by the way Paul treated her that he was in love with her. And to her surprise, she was starting to fall in love with him as well.
Eventually, Camille had to return to Chicago. Paul told her that he didn’t want to see her leave. He asked if she could stay a few more days. She really needed to get back although she desperately wanted to stay.
When they arrived at the airport, she kissed him goodbye and thanked him for giving her the best three days she had had in a very long time.
“If you’re willing to give us a chance, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure every day is special. Remember, you are a lovely and attractive woman and you deserve to be treated with respect,” he said as he hugged her.
“Thanks again, Paul—for everything. You really are special to me and you’ll always have a place in my heart,” said Camille as she kissed him passionately before stepping out of the car.
He got out to help her with her luggage and reminded her that she deserves to be treated like a queen.
After checking her luggage and getting her boarding pass, she realized that she had not checked her voice messages. She wondered if Jake had called. She was surprised that he had called her three times. All three messages were left the first day she arrived in L.A.
“Hey baby. I miss you. I’m just calling to see if you arrived safely. Give me a call,” he said in his first message.
“Hey Camille. I’m just checking to see if you had received my earlier message. I guess you’re staying at your usual hotel so I’ll try and reach you there,” was the second message.
“Hey Camille, give me a call. I called the hotel and they said you had checked out. What’s going on? I hope you’ll call,” he said in his last message.
Camille wasn’t sure what she was going to tell him, if anything. She decided that she would call him once she returned home. While flying back to Chicago, she had a lot to think about.
She felt foolish for believing that Jake had changed. And yet every time she was ready to give up on him, he would say something to change her mind.
When she arrived home, she checked her answering machine and there were several messages from Jake; the last message was from Paul.
In all of Jake’s messages, he asked what was going on. He left a lengthy message telling her that he was sorry for not appreciating her and promised to get better. He asked about the engagement party and told her to call him.
He didn’t know that she had cancelled the engagement party. They were supposed to finalize everything the evening he stood her up. She decided that she would call him back later.
Instead, she called her girlfriend Candace to see how she was doing and to talk to her about Paul. She asked Candace to come by her place later so they could continue talking. After speaking with her, she called Paul to let him know she made it home safely.
When Candace arrived at Camille’s house, she wasted no time drilling her about what she was going to do. “So Camille, what is going on with you? You need to get your head straight. I’m starting to worry about you going back and forth between relationships with Jake and Paul,” she said.
“I assure you that I won’t get serious with Paul until I’ve figured out what I’m going to do about Jake. Paul is a wonderful man and I don’t want to hurt him.
“While I was in Los Angeles, he catered to me and took such good care of me. I’m starting to fall for him,” she confessed.
“And I repeat. What’s going on with you? What is this hold that Jake has over you?” demanded Candace.
“I don’t know. Don’t you think I’ve asked myself that very question a thousand times?” she said.
“Okay. Let me ask you this. Is he being faithful to you?” Candace questioned.
“Don’t get me started on that. Before I went to Los Angeles, we were supposed to go out to dinner to finalize the engagement party. He stood me up,” she said, trying not to cry.
“What? You didn’t tell me that. I can’t believe this. Is that why you suddenly left for Los Angeles?” Candace asked.
“I wanted to tell you but I knew what you would say. I wasn’t in the mood to hear you say I told you so. And yes, that’s one of the reasons I left for Los Angeles. I needed to get away,” she replied.
“Camille, when are you going to wake up? He only treats you this way because you let him. You need to stop letting him disrespect you like that.
“When you finally took a stand and left him, you were feeling better about yourself. You were more focused and damn sure weren’t crying all the time,” she said in a scolding tone.
“I know you’re right. That’s the same thing Paul told me. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I never thought I would stay with a man who treats me this way,” sobbed Camille, tears rolling down her face.
“Come on girl, don’t cry. Everyone has one relationship at some point in their lives in which they find it difficult to let go. Love does have its blind side,” she said.
“What do you mean?” Camille asked.
“Think about it. When you meet someone and fall in love, you are unable to see their faults or you choose to ignore them because you’re so in love.
“When those faults start creating problems for the relationship, you’re so blinded by your love that you fail to see the obvious—that the situation has become unhealthy because those very faults now outweigh the relationship.
“In your case, you love Jake so much that you are unable to see that his unwillingness to be faithful and treat you with the respect you deserve has become very unhealthy for you,” said Candace.
Camille couldn’t stop crying. She knew what she needed to do but she felt she wasn’t strong enough to do it. Candace spent most of the evening consoling her friend, reassuring her that everything would work out at the end.
Meanwhile, Jake was at home trying to figure out why Camille hadn’t called or tried to see him. He suspected that she was back in town and thought she had forgiven him for standing her up the night before she left for Los Angeles.
He didn’t know what to do. He wanted to call her again but didn’t want to s
eem desperate. Just when he was about to call one of his many female friends, she called him.
“Hey. What took you so long to call me back?” he asked.
“Candace came over to talk to me about something very important and it took longer than we expected,” she replied.
“How was your trip?” he asked.
“It was great,” she said.
“So, what time is the engagement party this weekend and how many people are we expecting?” he asked.
“What are you talking about?” she said snidely.
“What do you mean, what am I talking about?” asked Jake.
“Don’t you think it’s strange that you don’t know any of the plans for our engagement party? The date was changed and it was scheduled to take place in two weeks. Anyway, it doesn’t matter because I cancelled it the night you stood me up,” she replied.
“I didn’t know the date had been changed and I definitely didn’t know it was cancelled. Why didn’t you tell me? I told a few of my friends it was going to be this weekend,” he said with an attitude.
“What exactly did you tell them, considering you and I never talked to finalize anything? You knew that the evening you stood me up we were supposed to go over all the details. It wasn’t important to you then, so why is it so important to you now?” Camille retorted angrily.
Jake had had enough. He yelled, “It was important to me then. I told you I was held up with a client. I thought you understood and accepted my apology. I didn’t think you would cancel our engagement party! So, what else did you cancel? Are we still engaged or did you change your mind about that as well?”
“Don’t even try it, Jake. If you were really concerned about our engagement party, you would have mentioned something to me before now. I’m not sure where all of this is coming from.
“If you want to end the engagement, just say so. You don’t have to start an argument to end things, simply tell me you want it to be over and it will be!”
Jake tried to pacify the conversation. “Camille, if I wanted it to be over between us I would say so. All I’m saying is that you should have talked to me before you cancelled the party.”
“I tell you what, if you’re serious about us and having an engagement party, then you plan everything. I’ll give you the number of the florist, caterer, and everyone else who can help put things together. I’ll even let you choose a date. What do you think about that?” said Camille with an attitude.
Jake was speechless. He didn’t expect her to say that. He allowed himself to get caught up in his emotions. He had no real intention of marrying her, but for a brief moment he forgot and allowed his feelings to get the best of him.
Five weeks passed and each time they spoke on the telephone or saw each other, he made no mention of an engagement party or getting married. She had decided that she wasn’t going to say anything to him. Of course, he was glad she remained silent.
The stress of her relationship with Jake had started taking a toll on her. One day after returning to work from lunch she had difficulty keeping her food down. She decided to leave work early and go home and get straight into bed. She had been feeling very tired and nauseated all day. She thought perhaps she was coming down with the flu.
As she lay in bed she began thinking long and hard about Jake. She began to realize that he didn’t want to get married. She decided that she was going to end things with him once and for all. Camille loved Jake, but knew their relationship had to stop.
After a few days she continued to have difficulty keeping her food down. Each time she had taken her temperature it would read normal. It finally dawned on her. She quickly went to the pharmacy and purchased a home pregnancy kit to confirm her suspicions.
All of this proved too stressful for her to handle alone so she invited Candace over to talk. When she arrived, Camille was not sure how she was going to confess about the baby. The last time they had met at Camille’s to talk was after she returned from Los Angeles a little over a month before.
“Is everything okay? You sounded strange on the telephone,” asked Candace.
“Yeah girl, I’m good. I’ve had a lot on my mind and you’re the only one I know I can count on,” said Camille.
“What is it, what’s the matter? Let me guess, you and Jake broke up again,” said Candace sarcastically.
“That’s not it, not exactly. I’ve just realized that Jake doesn’t really want to be with me and I’m not sure how to handle it. About a month ago I told him if he were serious about getting married, he would have to plan our engagement party himself.
“Well, he hasn’t said anything to me about getting married or about an engagement party. I’ve decided that I can’t take this relationship anymore and I need some pointers on how to end it.
“Besides, I know he is still messing around with other women. That’s why I flew to Los Angeles to see Paul,” Camille said.
Candace was confused. “Paul—where did he come from? You mean to tell me you went to Los Angeles again? You just came back a few weeks ago!”
“No. I haven’t seen him since then but we talk every day. When I was in Los Angeles he and I slept together and it was remarkable,” said Camille, smiling at the memory.
“What! How did that happen? Well, I guess I know how it happened. When you told me that he took care of you, you failed to mention that it was sexually.
“You made me believe that all you did was have dinner together and talk. You didn’t share that you slept with him. You did tell him you were engaged right?” Candace questioned.
“Yes, I told him but I don’t think it mattered. He said that he is in love with me and questioned my reasons for marrying Jake. I told him everything. I even explained how Jake stood me up the night we were to finalize the plans for the engagement party,” she said.
“I cannot believe you, Camille. Why would you sleep with him knowing how he feels about you? Paul seems like a really nice guy and I just don’t think it’s right to put him in the middle of your game with Jake.
“If you care for him at all, you’ll stop toying with him and taking advantage of his feelings for you,” Candace admonished.
Camille got defensive, “You’re one to talk about playing games. Didn’t you tell me that you’ve been trying to seduce a married lawyer that you work with? Ted?”
“Don’t change the subject. We’re not talking about me right now. All I’m saying is that Paul really seems to be into you and if you and Jake decide to call it quits, you don’t want to ruin ever having a chance with Paul,” said Candace.
“Well, it gets worse. I am pregnant and I’m not exactly sure who the father is. I really believe it’s Jake. I haven’t gone to the doctor yet to confirm what the home pregnancy test read.”
“What are you going to do?” Candace exclaimed.
“I have a doctor’s appointment scheduled for Friday. Depending on how far I am will determine my next step. I know I’m going to keep it; I just want to make sure I have the right father,” Camille calmly explained.
“Who do you hope is the father? Or would you rather not say?” Candace asked.
Camille shrugged her shoulders, “I honestly don’t know. I really love Jake and I think a child will slow him down and make him commit to me and maybe even marry me. Paul, on the other hand, is nice and sweet and I do love him but I’m not in love with him. Although I’m sure it wouldn’t be difficult to fall in love with him.”
“I suggest you don’t tell either one you’re pregnant—at least not until you know for sure who the father is. Well, I hate to leave so soon but I really have to go. I have plans tonight and I need to get ready,” Candace advised, standing and beginning to gather her belongings.
“Wait a minute. Who are you going out with? The last person we talked about was Timothy,” teased Camille.
“He’s no one important. Just someone I met several months ago. Both of our schedules are so busy that we barely have time to see each other. Timothy and I still continue to da
te but not as often as he would like,” replied Candace.
“Well have a good time and I’ll call you in a few days to let you know what the doctor says,” Camille said, walking her friend to the door.
That Friday afternoon, Camille sat nervously waiting in the lobby for her doctor’s appointment. As she anxiously thumbed through old magazines, her telephone rang. To her surprise it was Jake.
She had not spoken with him in a few days. He told her that he had missed her and asked if she would be available to go out later that evening. He agreed to pick her up from her place around six.
As soon as they finished speaking, the nurse called her to the back. “So why do you need to see the doctor today?”
“I think I’m pregnant. I took a home pregnancy test and it came back positive.”
“Okay. We’ll draw some blood from you and you’ll have your answer soon.”
After the nurse finished drawing her blood, she directed Camille back to the waiting room to await the results. Thoughts crowded her mind. She liked the idea of being a mother, but she had hoped to be married when she had children.
After twenty minutes, the nurse called Camille back to the examination room. “You are pregnant.”
“Do you know how far I am?”
“Based on when you said you had your last menstrual cycle, you should be about five weeks.”
Camille wasn’t sure how to feel. Since she slept with both Jake and Paul around the same time, she still was unsure of the baby’s father. She didn’t know what to do.
Jake picked Camille up for dinner at 6:00 p.m. as planned. They went to their favorite Thai restaurant.
“How was your day, baby? I missed you,” said Jake.
“My day was good. Yours?” Camille asked in return.
“It was okay but it’s better now that I’m with you,” purred Jake, smiling and stroking her hand.
“Wow! That is almost believable,” joked Camille.
Simply Complicated Page 13
