by Katie Dowe
Rodrigo grinned and hoisted the bag onto his shoulder. Since he and Jenny had made their relationship exclusive the month before he had been around them a lot more. Jenny was clearly smitten with him and Maya could see Rodrigo felt the same way. She thought they were a good pairing and hoped it would last the course; neither of them could afford to have their careers affected if their relationship ended badly. Maya had been on the receiving end of one bad relationship and she didn't want her best friend to go through the same thing.
Rodrigo was a sweet man. He was a gentleman and offered to help Maya out with almost anything, citing that pregnant women shouldn't need to raise a hand if she had help. After growing up in a family of mainly women he was very attentive and knew more things about pregnancy than Maya did.
He also got on well with Alexei and that was a big plus in Maya's book.
They hung around Howie's table as Howie finished off and packed up. Jenny was still cleaning up in her area and the models were disappearing off to their own lives. Rodrigo looked up and nodded at the door to the studio.
"Lover boy's here."
Maya looked around and her heart jumped when she saw Alexei and Ivan enter the studio. She had missed him. He had promised to be back and see the end of her shoot. And now she could enjoy her evening.
"Alexei, hey."
Unable to stop smiling, Maya hurried across to him. Then she pulled up short when she saw the expression on Alexei's face. It was like thunder. He glared at her, hurt and betrayal in his eyes. Ivan stood just off to the side, his expression grim. Maya looked between them.
"What's wrong? What's happened?"
"Were you just having sex with someone?"
Maya started. That she hadn't been expecting. She stared at Alexei.
"What?"
"You heard me." Alexei's jaw tightened. "Now answer the question."
Maya was confused. Her head was spinning. She looked at Ivan pleadingly.
"Ivan, please tell me what's going on? I don't know what he's talking about."
"Alexei received a call from you while we were in the car coming back." Ivan glanced at Alexei as if he expected Alexei to do something stupid. "It sounded like you were having sex."
"What?" Maya swayed. "No, I wasn't. I've been working all day. We've just finished."
"That's true." Rodrigo appeared at her side. He was glaring at Alexei. "The only time I've seen Maya touch her cell phone all day was when we were at lunch. She's barely stopped for a bathroom break."
If it had been any other day Alexei would have been berating her for standing up all day and doing too much when she was nearly seven months pregnant. But he clearly had other issues on his mind. Maya focused on Alexei, who was looking a little less uncertain.
"My cell phone has been in my bag all day and Jenny's got it."
"I heard my name." Jenny appeared, slinging her makeup kit bag and Maya's handbag over her shoulder. "Did somebody want me?"
Alexei was now looking thrown. He looked from Jenny to Rodrigo, who was glaring at him, to Maya. Relief started to etch in.
"So you weren't cheating on me?"
"Of course not!" Maya was shocked he had even thought it. "I'd never do that."
Jenny's face went pale.
"Jonny." She whispered.
Then Maya remembered what Jenny had told her about spoofing another girl's number. He had done the same thing to her. Only, unlike Alexei, her boyfriend hadn't fallen for it.
"Ivan said he'd done this before." Alexei was looking at Jenny as if he was too embarrassed to look at Maya.
Jenny nodded.
"With our hair stylist. She joined us about six months ago. He stalked her during high school and did exactly the same to her boyfriend as he's just done to you." She grunted and scowled. "Luckily he wasn't stupid enough to believe it."
"Hey!"
"Well, you are stupid if you believed Maya would cheat on you." Jenny glanced at her friend. "When she's got something as good as you why would she?"
Maya was glad she had a friend like Jenny; she needed someone to say what she was thinking at times and the filter between Jenny's brain and mouth didn't often work as well as Maya's so Jenny usually ended up being a lot blunter with her words.
Maya could see Alexei's anger falling away and embarrassment taking its place. He had fallen for it. Maya felt that he would be taken in by something like that.
"Jenny, may I have my bag?"
Jenny passed it over. Maya fished out her cell phone and switched it on. Then she went to her phone log and showed him the date of their last call.
"See? I haven't made a call to you since lunch. And I'm not savvy enough to delete call history. You didn't need to call back so much."
"What?" Alexei frowned. "But I didn't call you back. I wanted to speak to you face to face."
Now Maya was even more confused. She looked at Ivan for confirmation. He nodded.
"It's true. We came straight here and Alexei never made any calls."
"Then how come I've got five missed calls from him in the last hour?"
Maya didn't like this. She had feeling what she was going to hear but she couldn't bring herself to check. Ivan seemed to sense this and took her cell phone from her hand and pressing for the first voicemail, switching it to loudspeaker. Immediately the sounds of two people having sex filled the air. Maya heard two people speaking intimately in Russian and realized how Alexei had been taken in; it was easy to believe it was her if their voices were also manipulated. Because if sounded as though Alexei was having sex with a Russian woman, although the voices did sound a little distorted.
If there had only been one missed call and Alexei hadn't had the same she might have thought he was cheating on her. But Maya knew better; Alexei was an honorable man. He would never do that.
"That's not me." Alexei protested as Ivan ended the voicemail.
Maya groaned.
"I can tell that's not you, you idiot. You don't sound like you're drunk." She rubbed her hands over her face and began to pace around. "Jonny's been at it again."
"I'm so sorry, Maya." Alexei sounded pained. "I didn't know what to think."
Maya was hurt. He shouldn't have jumped to such conclusions. She went to him and slapped his chest with both hands, causing him to step back.
"You just needed to trust me." She accused. "I told you I'm not your ex-wife."
"That's not all." Rodrigo said. He sounded uncomfortable. "Jonny tried to get himself onto the set this morning."
Maya spun around and swayed when she moved too fast. Alexei caught her and held her close. She leaned into him, grateful to feel his presence wrapped around her.
"What was that?" Alexei asked quietly.
"I saw him in the parking lot when I got here. You and Jenny were already inside. He was trying to get past Steve and Dan on security." Rodrigo took a breath. "I told him to go home and that he's not going to get you to himself even if he tried. He said that Maya is meant to be his and nobody is going to stop him from getting his girl back."
Maya felt cold. She felt Alexei's body stiffen. Jenny looked disgusted.
"He's sick." She declared. "I'll never understand why a man gets so fixated on someone they end up doing all this."
"You need to call the police, Maya." Ivan said.
"Definitely." Alexei agreed.
Maya knew they were right. But she still felt sick. She had a feeling Jonny wasn't going to stop anytime soon.
Now she was scared.
*****
It was a quiet journey home. Alexei had told Ivan to head home and he went in Maya's car back to their apartment. Maya could tell he wanted to talk but he kept stopping himself. It was as if the man who seemed to have something to say all the time didn't know what to say.
She should give him the silent treatment. It was the least he deserved for assuming that she would commit this to him. Maya was an honest person; if something wasn't working out she would let the other person know. She had told Ash many time
s but he refused to let her go and the hold he had had on her was that powerful that she kept going back to him.
She wasn't about to let someone as disturbed as Jonny Widecombe ruin something good for her. He was selfish to think she would even consider him after the way he was acting. But Maya wasn't a psychologist - she didn't know what went on in people's minds.
They entered the apartment in silence and Maya put her things on the couch. She leaned against it, closing her eyes and trying not to cry. The pregnancy made her more emotional and this wasn't a time Maya wanted to burst into tears. She wanted Alexei and she didn't; not with this hanging over them.
She felt his hands on her shoulders, his hands hot through her t-shirt.
"Maya? Are you okay?"
Maya shook her head and almost laughed.
"Ask a stupid question, Alexei."
"Sorry." Alexei shifted closer and slipped his arms around her. He pressed a kiss to her head. "I'm sorry to cause this much stress when you don't need it."
"It's not you." Maya paused. "Partially. But if I'd heard that coming from you first I would've thought the same thing. I just don't know how he managed to do it."
"He probably spoofed our numbers and then dubbed the noises." Alexei rested his chin on her shoulder and Maya leaned back into him. "Thinking back now I should've guessed that wasn't you?"
"You can recognize my sex noises from someone else's?"
"I should hope so after six months together."
Maya couldn't help herself. She giggled and turned in his arms, slipping her arms around his waist.
"How about you double-check?" She suggested softly. "Just to make sure?"
She gently dug her nails into his back, just a little. Alexei groaned. His eyes darkened as he pulled her closer.
"I like the sound of that."
Maya could feel his restraint as he kissed her as if he was trying to hold himself back. Maya wanted more; she wanted fierce and passionate. But she also knew that Alexei wanted slow and sensual, something he had been doing lately as her pregnancy progressed, and she let him set the pace. Either way she was trembling, the arousal licking at her body. Her pussy grew wet and her breasts were tingling.
There was an advantage with being pregnant. Her sexual appetite was stronger and she was quicker to orgasm. Alexei loved it and Maya reveled in it.
Alexei pulled away and stepped back, brushing his hand across Maya's cheek. She couldn't take her eyes off him as he slowly undressed her, slipping her t-shirt up over her head and taking off her bra. They were dropped onto the couch. Then he knelt before her, kissing her belly, as he slid her maternity jeans down her legs, taking her panties with them. He helped her out of her clothes, tossing her shoes aside, and rose up. Maya squealed as he propped her on the back of the couch, balancing her against the cushions. Then he spread her legs and lowered his face to her pussy.
The first lap of his tongue had Maya gasping. She was writhing before he had even got started, pushing against him to feel more. But then Alexei pulled away and Maya protested, trying to pull him back as he stood. Picking her up, he carried her to an armchair and sat, turning Maya around so she had her back to him. His cock pushed against her buttocks and Maya shifted back.
She reached back and closed her hand around his cock, eliciting a moan from Alexei. Maya shifted back even more, Alexei's hands at her hips to hold her up, and slowly eased herself down onto his cock. He filled her and brushed against nerve endings Maya had only discovered recently. She moaned and rolled her hips, taking more of him in.
Alexei pulled her back, leaning her back against his chest and urging her feet onto his knees. He pulled out slowly and began a gentle, deep thrusting rhythm, enough to make Maya writhe in his lap. Her moans got louder and she was seen begging for Alexei to fuck her. But Alexei didn't let up. He kept up the slow, steady pace, holding her still as he made love to her, his mouth at her neck as he kissed her. One hand found her clit and he rubbed it in slow circles.
It was too much for Maya. She screamed and her pussy clamped around his cock. Alexei growled and held her hips down as he thrust hard three times before he let out a guttural grown and she felt his release flood her pussy. She felt like she was about to float away with only Alexei's arms holding her down.
Alexei nudged her head back and he kissed her, cupping her jaw.
"I love you, Maya."
Maya sighed and returned the kiss.
"I love you, too."
*****
The next six weeks were hard work. Maya wasn't going to deny it. She and Alexei had their ups and downs, mainly to do with Jonny. He started up again with the texts and emailing her, declaring his undying love and that he simply wanted to make her his wife and they can have many children together. In between he would threaten her and say what he was going to do with her once he got hold of her.
Maya was disgusted by it all. Alexei was frustrated. He seemed to withdraw a little from her as if he wasn't sure what to do. Even when they made love he didn't seem to be completely with her. It was as if he was going through the motions.
Maya didn't like him being detached. She kept reaching out to him but he pushed her away. He had even started asking her about all her movements, where she was and who she was with. He had to know what she was doing almost every moment she wasn't with him. His trust in her seemed to be slipping and Maya didn't like it.
Jonny seemed to be succeeding in putting a wedge between them. She didn't need the stress, not when she was due to give birth in five weeks. She was two weeks of the baby being full term but her due date wasn't until Christmas Eve. Maya hoped she got that far; the stress wouldn't do the baby any good.
Her only solace was work. With the spring and summer collections needing to be shot, she was in great demand. People were booking up rapidly and Maya's plate was full. She made sure there was a window around the due date but other than that she kept herself busy. It was either that or stay in her apartment where Alexei would be questioning everything she did.
After finishing a set early, Maya decided to head over to her favorite coffee house and wait for Jenny. Her friend had just come back off holiday with Rodrigo from the Bahamas and she was looking forward to a catch-up. It was hard coping with what she was going through without her best friend. Ivan tried and he seemed to know what was happening with her and Alexei but he wasn't the same.
She had just crossed the street and was about to enter the coffee shop when she heard someone shouting her name.
"Maya!"
Maya turned, expecting it to be someone else. Her smile faded and she felt a rush of fear as she saw Jonny hurrying towards her. For a second he looked unrecognizable but then she saw him clearly. He had died his hair to a little brown, virtually the same color as Alexei's. He had also been working out and he had filled out a little more with muscle, almost like Alexei.
It was as if he was trying to become Alexei.
"Get away from me, Jonny."
Jonny stopped a few feet away. He spread his hands and gave her a smile.
"Hey. How do you like my new look? Pretty good, huh?" He gave her a twirl. "I did it just for you."
"I said get away from me, Jonny." Maya glanced towards the barista inside but she was busy with a customer. Jenny wasn't due to arrive for another five minutes and she wasn't known for being on time. "You're wanted for questioning by the police for stalking and threatening me."
"I'm not stalking you." Jonny protested. "I just want to talk to you but you won't let me near you."
"Because you've been threatening me and there's nothing to talk about except go to hell."
The police had told Maya not to aggravate her stalker but Maya couldn't care less right now. He was ruining her relationship with Alexei and he was scaring her, now he was beginning to look like Alexei. She wanted to get away from him but he clearly didn't want to go willingly.
"Maya, I'm so sorry." At least Jonny pretended to look remorseful. "I never meant to cause you so much distress. E
specially with..."
He glanced meaningfully at her belly. On instinct Maya put her hands on her bump as if to protect her unborn son.
"Well, you have." She said stiffly. "And Alexei is out for your blood. You'd better leave before I call the police and I'm only giving you one chance."
"But I love you! I thought we were going to be together."
Maya scoffed. Now she had heard everything.
"I don't know where you got that idea from and you can't possibly love me. We've barely been in each other's company long enough for you to even think that you love me."
"Just a few minutes is enough." Jonny protested. He reached for her but Maya took a step back. "I knew you were the one for me. Those smiles you sent my way said everything. Are you telling me those were all lies?"
"I never sent you any special smiles. That's just how I am. You should've known that by now. I smile like that at Rodrigo and he's not panting after me."
"No," Jonny sneered, "He's fucking your friend so he can be close to you."
Maya could see she wasn't getting through to him. So she switched tack. Maybe getting through to him in another way might make reality set in.
"So I'm special, am I?" She demanded. "What about Marcie? Is she not special enough anymore?"
Jonny's eyes widened in surprise. Then they narrowed and he scowled at her.
"How do you know about Marcie?"
"She works for me now. How do you think I knew those phone calls you sent me pretending to be Alexei weren't real? You freaked her out and nearly ruined her life, Jonny. I'm not about to let you do that to me as well."
If she had expected Jonny to come back to the present she had thought wrong. Jonny shrugged and dismissed what she had said.
"Marcie was just a passing phase. Young love that was never to be. You're the real thing, Maya."
Maya couldn't understand it. She had never met anyone more delusional than Jonny Widecombe. Sure, models could be delusional in believing they were amazing but they weren't at this level. Jonny seemed to be crazy.
"What the hell happened to you that you think just a simple smile is the start of a beautiful love affair?"
Jonny was silent for a moment. Maya tensed. She didn't know what to do now. He clearly wasn't listening to her and even with the late Thanksgiving crowds nobody was paying them any attention. It was as if they were on their own.
