by Jamie Knight
But I couldn't face him.
What was I supposed to do? Stroll right up to him and say, "Hey, sorry about ghosting you; do you still love me?"
That would work about as well as a cling-wrap condom.
It didn't stop me from wanting to try, though. It might have been as doomed as a snowball in Arizona but I owed it to our baby to face my fears, slay my demons and try to win back the guy who I now knew was meant to be the love of my life.
The baby kicked her agreement at my thoughts.
I wondered where she had learned Morse code.
Chapter Nineteen - Reece
It was like seeing a ghost.
Partly because I couldn't be entirely sure it had happened at all.
Had Gia really been in the crowd at the awards gala?
I thought I had seen her come in near the end of my speech. It wasn't really an acceptance speech, per se. They had told me weeks ago I was getting the award and had asked me to say a few words. It was more like a keynote address, so I thought I would make it count.
I could clearly see the irony of rich people giving each other awards for helping the less fortunate, especially when it was happening at a five-star hotel, but I also saw it as an opportunity. Not to blow up my ego— I wasn't nearly insecure enough to need that— but to make people like me really think. Not just pat themselves on the back for how very generous they were being to those below them, like benevolent monarchs.
I was under the distinct impression that there had been a war to get rid of monarchs in America and the draconian class system that went with it. We had a history of not liking dictators much.
"You look haunted," Simon said, out of nowhere.
I had decided to invite him because, of all my friends, he was the one who actually knew how to comport himself at such an event. Mike would have been drunk at the first opportunity, Derek would have been hitting on every woman under thirty and Jesse wouldn't have come at all, given his feelings about awards in general.
"I think I might be," I confessed.
"How so?" Simon asked, the very picture of gravitas.
"I saw, I mean I think I saw, Gia in the crowd during the speech. It was right near the end-"
"The bit about the right kind of selfishness? A very subtle but clever implication that those with everything should help those with nothing get what they need, out of a sense of basic human decency?"
"Yeah, that one."
"And you saw her during that part?"
"I think I saw her," I corrected, "sitting at the back."
"Ghosts of girlfriends past?"
"Yeah, I mean, I hope so."
"That she's a ghost?" Simon asked, mildly appalled.
"No, no, that she was my girlfriend. I mean, that's what I wanted. She was really more of a fuck buddy, at least at the beginning, but I really do think I fell in love with her and when we went to Papa Gino's, I could really see what could have happened. What we could have been."
"You heard some wedding bells?" Simon asked, not kidding this time.
"And cooing babies," I said, remembering when she had stood up to leave. “I swear she was sporting a baby bump.”
"She was fucking pregnant?"
"Yeah, if it was her. Quite far along, too, it looks like."
“You knocked her up?”
“I mean, the timing seems right. But she ghosted me and threatened me with a restraining order, so it’s not as if I was around to find out about it.”
"Well, you know what you have to do then," Simon said.
"See a psychiatrist about the hallucinations?"
"No, you need to go to Gia."
"She was pretty clear she didn't want to talk to me. And I'm not even sure it's mine."
"I am," Simon said. “And it seems as if she wants to talk to you now…”
"Must be nice to be psychic."
"Not really, it's just logic. You were Gia's first, right?"
"Absolutely."
"And she broke it off five months or so ago, but the pregnancy is showing," Simon continued.
"Yeah."
"The math is pretty easy to work out, Reece."
"I know. I already said the timing lined up right. But that was right about the time she said she would get a restraining order, remember?" I point out.
"Doesn't matter," Simon said.
"It doesn't?"
"No, not with a baby involved. You know that as well as I do."
I did actually. I was mostly just trying to talk myself out of a very awkward conversation with Gia. But Simon was right. I couldn't ignore this. Not if she was going to be the mother of my child.
"My guess is that she said that before she knew she was pregnant," Simon continued.
"Yeah," I said, already knowing that but not wanting to admit it.
"She needs you, Reece."
"I know."
"I know you do. You might be many things but irresponsible is not one of them."
"Thanks?"
I paused, thinking about how I had tried to be responsible and prevent such a thing in the first place.
“She said she was on the Pill.”
“It doesn’t always work.”
“I know.”
"You have to go to her."
"I can't imagine how. She won't answer my texts and I don't feel right going to her house. Far too stalkerish."
"Even if you hold a boombox over your head?"
"Yes, even then. That's only romantic in movies. I just don't feel-"
"That's your problem," Simon said.
"What is?"
"Feelings. Too many conflicting feelings."
"I guess," I conceded.
"Fuck feelings," Simon said, turning some heads amongst the genteel crowd.
"Say it a little louder; I don't think table twenty heard," I muttered.
"And fuck them," Simon said, a bit quieter, "nothing else matters. This is about you and her and the life you created. Unintentional as it might have been. You love each other and she needs you; go to her."
I nodded my agreement.
What could I say?
When Simon was right, he was right.
Chapter Twenty - Gia
The knock on the door made me jump and set the baby off kicking. I knew it was coming eventually but had been too lost in thought to really think about it. Hauling myself up, I went to answer the door.
"Hey," Sally said, hugging me.
"Hey," I replied.
"Here you go," she said as she gave me a small white pharmacy bag.
"Thanks, I'll pay you back when-"
"Stop right there, you might insult me," Sally said, holding up a hand.
"But-"
"No buts. It is what I can do for the little one," she said, putting a hand on my baby bump.
"Thanks," I said, putting my hand on top of her own.
"She's kicking," Sally said.
"Yeah, she does that a lot now. I can usually get her to go to sleep, though."
"Must be useful."
"Most of the time," I said, sitting back down on the couch, putting the bag down in front of me.
"Is the job working out?" Sally asked, sitting down next to me.
"Oh, yeah, it's great. I mostly get to read, my shift being mostly on the down days mid-week."
"But you don't get paid any less."
"Nope."
"Cool, and it helps you afford this place," she said, looking around my new apartment.
It was even nicer than my rent-controlled place and certainly several steps up from my old room in my parents’ house. I was still in Westchester but that was a small price to pay, really.
The party planning business, thanks to all the referrals from my new friends and former clients, had really taken off and between that and what I was making from the hotel, I was able to get buy on my own. My parents still offered to help, of course, not quite convinced that I was really
okay, particularly with the baby and all, but I did my best to convince them that I was. Even though, really, they weren't the only ones I was trying to convince.
"I saw Reece," I blurted.
"Really? Wow. When?"
"Earlier tonight at some philanthropist of the year award. Apparently, he gives bucket loads to charity and it's not just for the tax receipts. I only caught the tail end of it but his speech sounded like a rousing endorsement of the joy of giving. He actually said that he feels good giving what he gets to let those who have nothing get what they need. Or something along those lines."
"Sounds like a swell guy," Sally said.
"Yeah."
"Not an evil, own-the-world type at all."
"Nope."
"And he is the father of -"
"I know, I know!"
"Sorry."
"No, I'm sorry. It's just I'm really beginning to thing I misjudged him. I wasn't exactly honest with him either and I just jumped to all kinds of conclusions about what he was really like with no real evidence; only my own pre-conceived stereotypes. In fact, there was evidence to the contrary that should have told me he wasn't like that all. I still love him, that's for sure, and I really want him to be able to be part of our daughter's life."
"Then you should at least tell him you’re pregnant," Sally said.
"I think he knows. I think he saw me leave and my bump isn't exactly subtle or easy to miss."
"Well, there's your ice-breaker right there. Just call him up and say, 'Reece, I'm having your baby' and if he’s the kind of guy I think he is, he'll swoop you up into his arms, whisk you off and marry you right then and there."
"More likely whisk me off and fuck me sideways but you're in the right ballpark," I said.
We both jumped at the knock.
"I'll get it," Sally said, waving me back down into my seat as I tried to haul myself back up.
"As you wish," I said, easing back down onto the couch.
"Reece!" Sally exclaimed, once she opened the door.
"Sally," Reece said casually, while blowing past her into the apartment. “Hi.”
"How did you find me?" I asked as he sat down on the couch next to me.
"Advance reverse look up; you didn't change your number."
"I didn't have to; I just blocked yours."
"There was no need for that, since I had stopped texting, anyway. I believe legal action was mentioned."
"Yeah, about that-"
"I'm just going to bounce, okay?" Sally said, not waiting for an answer before leaving, closing the door behind her.
"I'm really sorry," I said, fighting tears, "I really thought that you had lied to me."
"Lied how?" Reece asked, gently wiping my eyes with his pocket square.
Of course he had a pocket square.
"I thought you were a plumber. A plumber with some family money and a really successful business but that's all."
"Makes sense," he said, tucking the square back into his pocket.
"It really doesn’t. I know that now. But I guess people believe what they want to believe, so that their fantasy world matches up with their reality. And I’m definitely guilty of that. When Maya told me what really happened, about you getting cut off and then building a billion dollar building contractor and land development business with your own two hands..."
"Well, I had some help with the actual building."
"Yeah, but the company is yours; you did that yourself. And then there is all the charity stuff. I totally misjudged you and I'm really sorry."
"I'm sorry too, I should have told you sooner. As soon as you started ranting about rich assholes like that John Handler creep. I really did agree with you and was going to tell you about the money then, at least how much I really have, but I was scared you wouldn't want to see me again. At a certain point, you’re right that I hid the truth from you. Even if I thought I had good intentions at the time. I’m sorry about that."
"I probably wouldn't have seen you again, though that has nothing to do with you. I have a bad history with people of your, your class, I guess, though you really aren't like most of them, though I can't really even say that. My exposure has been pretty limited, though most of it has been pretty bad. Including my own granddad, who was richer than God and worse than the Devil. Or at least that’s the story as the legends tell it. He was paying for my apartment. The house you picked me up at belongs to my parents. They let me move back into my old room rent-free after I lost my apartment when my rich, evil grandpa died. I only found out about the evil part at the funeral. But anyway, I’m a hypocrite, because I was hiding all of that stuff from you, too."
"I understand."
"Can you forgive me?"
"Sure, if you can forgive me," he said.
"Of course, why wouldn't I, you were just trying to keep us together!"
He kissed me then. Long, soft and loving. I kissed him back, putting my arms around him. It felt good to hold him again.
He put his hands on my hips as we continued to make out passionately, five months of pent up sexual tension coming out all at once.
I had worried he might have gone back to his playboy ways after I had shut him out, fucking random girls every night like he used to, but I could tell by the way he responded to me that he hadn't. He had missed me as much as I had missed him and stayed faithful, at least to the idea of us, even after we were no longer seeing each other.
His hand slipped down from my hip to my thigh and I opened my legs more or less on reflex.
"Are you sure?" he asked, putting his hand on my baby bump.
"Yes. Just be gentle, okay?"
"Of course."
He caressed his hand up my bare thigh and up under my dress. I wasn't wearing tights, or really anything under it, which gave him easy access to my pussy.
He kept kissing me as he lovingly ran his fingers over my wet, tender pussy lips, making me moan with pleasure. I hadn’t touched myself since the break up, but it hadn't felt anything like that.
"Inside?" he asked.
"Yes!" I shouted.
Wetting two of his fingers with his mouth, he slipped them slowly inside my tender, aching pussy, getting in to the third knuckle, despite how tight I had gotten in my excitement. Moving gently, Reece fingered me to an explosive orgasm, making me scream with delight. He slipped gently out and continued to kiss me as I came down.
Still with his hand on my pussy, Reece slid down on the floor in front of the couch, getting between my already spread legs. After a few more strokes, he learned in, replacing his fingers with his tongue, running it the length of my tender pink pussy lips, making me want to cry from the pleasure of it all. I put my hand on the back of his head, trying to let him know how good it felt, knowing it still fell short.
Slipping a finger back inside, working my clit, he started lapping faster, making me squirm and moan, and also making me feel glad that my new apartment had decent sound-proofing.
I came ridiculously hard, thrashing and screaming like nobody's business, every muscle convulsing at once. Reece licked me softly, stroking the outside of my pussy as I recovered.
When I was finished, he stood up his hands up the length of my body, from feet to face, tilting my head and making me look at him. I reached out and pressed my hand against the bulge in the front of his suit pants.
He moaned and pressed his cock harder against my hand. I closed my eyes and hummed softly, the warmth of his beautiful cock filling me with a sense of calm and contentment.
After stroking it a few more times, I undid his zipper and unfurled his cock, taking care to get his balls out too. Getting my hand as far as I could around his cock, I started stroking it while lifting it back so I could get at his lovely balls, licking them several times, going horizontally so I could get them both, I took one big, beautiful ball into my mouth and then then the other, sucking them tenderly, alternating between each so they both got equal time in my warm m
outh, all while I was still pumping his cock rhythmically.
I could feel him start to cum and got his cock into my mouth as he unloaded, cupping and massaging his balls in my hand, working all the cum that I could out of them. I swallowed it all down, looking him in the eyes, and then proceeded to suck him clean.
Reece put his hand on the back of my head, pushing my mouth further down his shaft. Taking in as much as could comfortably, I sucked him hard, relishing his moans and the warmth of his cock in my mouth as I brought him to a second huge orgasm, my mouth quickly filling with his sweet cum.
He leaned down and kissed me tenderly, his cock still in my hand. After I had stroked him to orgasm, Reece shooting a third load of cum down my eager throat, he sat down next to me, his cock still standing at full attention. I jumped on top of him, eager to feel his cock deep in my pussy, but he took me by the hips, stopping me.
"Other way, sweetheart," he said, "It's better for the baby."
With his help, I turned around and basically sat on his cock, sinking my ready pussy gradually down onto his warm, throbbing shaft, my feet firmly on the floor. Reece took me by the hips and helped me ride him, his huge cock slamming up into my tight little pussy, which was even more sensitive than usual because of the hormones.
He seemed to know this. Like how he seemed to know to avoid my boobs, not even trying to take the front of my dress down. Today it was all about my pussy.
Or at least so he thought. Just as he was about to cum, he pulled out of my pussy, reaching around to stroke my clit, and pushed the head of his cock up into my ass, filling me up in a warm rush. He felt so good up there that I put my hands down on the couch and pushed my ass down farther on his beautiful cock. I had honestly forgotten how good it felt.
"Whoa, are you sure, honey?"
"Yes, please, I need it!" I screamed, unable hold back.
"Okay," he said gently.
Holding me by the hips with both hands again, he held me still and lovingly rocked his huge, hard cock in and out of my tight little asshole, kissing me as he did so, causing waves of warmth to wash through me. I thought I might die with pleasure as the chills ripped through me, making me tremble.
It wasn't as visually spectacular as my previous orgasms; I dared not move too much, not that I could anyway, with Reece holding me like that, but it was the best I had felt in literally months. I had no idea how deprived I had been until I felt him again. I swore a silent oath to myself that I would never be without him again.