My body tenses and I roll off her and look up at the ceiling. I’ve broken my number one rule!
Then I turn my head and see her running her hands over her face and she’s gone so pale she’s actually glowing in the dark room. And in that moment, watching her freak out, everything clicks.
I roll back over on my side and stroke her stomach with one finger. “Don’t worry, Doodle-bug. You and I are in it for the long haul, anyway.”
She shakes her head. “I’ll get one of those morning-after pills. That was my fault. I knew I wasn’t on anything. I make any guy I have sex with use a condom. It’s my fault and I’ll take care of this situation.”
Moving over her, I hold her down and look into her eyes. “Don’t do that. If it’s meant to be then it’s meant to be. If not, then that’s okay too. Just let it all go the way it’s meant to. Promise me you won’t take anything to stop it from happening.”
“You’re crazy, Jason. We haven’t even decided for sure if either of us really like who it is we’ve become. You don’t know the daily me anymore nor do I know the daily you. I’ll get the pill to fix this little mishap and if we do work out, then we can decide when to have unprotected sex again.”
“If we work out?” I shake my head. “I don’t like that. It’s like you’re gearing up for us not to work out. Just do what I told you to and don’t get the damn pill. For the next week, anytime we make love, I’ll use a condom. And don’t call it sex. What we do isn’t that. It’s better than that. It’s special.”
She narrows her eyes at me and I realize I’m still holding her down. I ease up the grip I have on her and find her frowning at me. “I don’t like you telling me what to do. Especially about this kind of thing. It’s me who’ll be the one who ends up with an unwanted child if this doesn’t work out.”
“Unwanted? Do you mean to tell me that you wouldn’t want a product of our love?” I sit up and look at her and see her for who she’s really become.
The girl I knew loved kids. The girl I knew would’ve gladly had my children. The girl I knew would never call any child we had, accidental or not, unwanted.
Perhaps she has changed into someone I won’t be able to accept or live with.
Tears cloud her eyes. “Jason, don’t look at me like that! I can’t help this. I can’t help that I don’t trust you yet. Please, try to see things from my point of view.”
“Now I feel bad,” I say and pull her up to me and hold her tight in my arms. “Baby, look, I don’t want to force anything on you. If you want to take the damn pill, take it. I don’t want you to, but you’re right. It’s your body and you taking the huge risk.”
“Thank you,” she mumbles as I have her held so tight her mouth is smashed against my shoulder.
I pull back and hold her so we can look at each other. “I want you to know that no matter what, we stay together, we don’t, or what the fuck ever happens, I would never leave you to deal with a child who was ours all by yourself. Not ever. So do what you want but know I’m here for you no matter what we decide. But I want you. I’ve already made my decision. In my mind, you belong to me already.”
And just like that, I’ve made my decision. This woman is mine and I will end things with the other women and God help any man who thinks they can lay their hands on what is mine.
I hope she doesn’t give me too hard of a time about that!
Chapter 10
BRITTANY
The ringing of my cell phone in my clutch purse on the floor of Jason’s bedroom wakes me up. I jump out of bed as I recognize my agent’s ringtone.
As I take the phone out of my purse, I see Jason yawning and stretching. “Hello, Reece,” I answer the phone.
“Hey, Brittany, I forgot to tell you this and I know you’re going to be pissed at me, but you’ve been nominated for the ABCD Award for the best book cover of the year for the one titled, ‘Killing the Rainbow’ so I need you to be at that tonight,” she tells me, igniting a spark of sheer terror in me.
“Damn it, Reece! What time and where?” I ask as I try to find my clothes.
“The Plaza, at six this evening. Bring a date. I’ll see you there.” She hangs up and I go back to finding my clothes.
“What time is it?” Jason groans.
I look at my phone and see we’ve slept until three in the afternoon. I have no damn time!
“Three, fuck!” I can’t seem to find anything. “I have to run. I’ll catch a cab.”
He sits up, rubbing his eyes. “No!”
“Baby, I don’t have time to argue. That was my agent. I have something to do in three hours that I knew nothing about and am not at all prepared for.”
He looks confused and I stop my search to go sit on the bed next to him as he says, “But, what about what I said. You stay here and that kind of thing?”
“You really want that?”
He nods. “Yes. I know you have work to do and I promise not to get in your way. I’ll get my driver to take you to your place and when you’re done with work, you come back here. I can have him pick you up.”
“That won’t be necessary. He can take me home. I need to get there fast, anyway. Since Reece didn’t tell me this, I’m in a super rush. But I’ll have my driver bring me back here afterward. I want to get a few of my things since you want to keep me here. Or would you like to spend the night at my place? It overlooks the East River. You might like that. We could have a late supper. I could call you when I get back and you could come over then.”
He looks like I’m talking too fast and he seems shell shocked for a second then he nods. “Yeah, I’ll come to your place tonight. I’ll bring dinner. I want to see how you live, anyway. You know, if you’ve turned into a sloppy housekeeper, that kind of thing, I might have to retrain you about.” He smiles and pinches my cheek.
“You goof. I have a staff who keep my place up to the perfection you demand, Master.” I kiss his cheek and he takes my face in his hands and makes me give him a real kiss.
The kiss makes me want to climb right back into that bed and get all over his gorgeous ass, but I have to hurry. One look into his blue eyes and I have to cut mine away.
“Damn, Baby, I’m sorry. I have to go. I’ll call you as soon as I get back home.”
He lays back with a smile on his face. “I love you, Precious potato head.”
With a laugh, I say, “I love you too. And lose that little gem of a love name, will you?”
He nods and I can’t believe how much my heart is already swelling with love for him.
I just hope he doesn’t make me regret it!
JASON
After waiting for hours, my cell finally rings at ten o’clock. I see it’s Brittany and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. I thought she was going to stand me up, and I’d have to become a stalker to get through to her.
“Hey, Baby. That was a very long meeting.”
“I know. I’m home now. Do you still want to come over? Or is it too late for you?” she asks as I hear a lot of shuffling around in the background.
“I want to come over. You want me to, right?” I ask, feeling a little odd about things.
“I do want you too. So come whenever you’d like. I’m going to take a shower so if you make it here before I get out, just come in and make yourself at home. I’ll leave the door unlocked.”
“No, don’t leave your door unlocked! That’s so unsafe. I’ll be on my way and will wait in the car until you call me. You can make me a key tomorrow. I already had one of mine made for you. I want you to come any time of day or night. I want you to know you can trust me.”
“Wow! You never gave me a key to your little apartment back in the day, Jason. That’s a really big step for you,” she says and I hear the shower start. “I’ll call you then. See you soon, bye.”
Pulling on a jacket, I call my driver and get him to bring the car around. I’ve already eaten and most likely she has too but I take a bottle of white wine and a takeout plate of sweet and sour chicken I g
ot for her as I thought she’d be done by dinner time.
I suppose the book cover business is a little more involved than I thought it would be. Who would think a meeting would go that long over the cover of a book?
Then it occurs to me that it wouldn’t. She may have had a date afterward. Maybe to let one of her men down easy. But still, she didn’t tell me about it at all and now my hackles are up.
I think she and I need to make up some kind of plan on how we’re going to let our other parties know we’re out of the game. And one on one, in person, meetings with any of them is a no go.
Taking the elevator down to the waiting car, I give the driver a nod and get inside the car. My mind is kind of a racing mess with the idea she may have been alone with one of her boy toys.
I find I’m tapping my foot incessantly on the floor. To calm my nerves, I pour myself a drink from the car’s bar and sit back, taking a little sip. I close my eyes and mentally prepare myself to accept things if she tells me she met with someone.
She was never untrustworthy but I don’t know about now. And I don’t know if she’s above retaliation for all the times I messed around on her. She could’ve been reeling me in so she could hook me and hurt me like I hurt her so many times.
Fuck, I’m stupid!
The phone rings and I see it’s her. “Hi,” I answer.
“You about here, Baby? I’m out of the shower now.”
The sound of her voice sends all of my negative thoughts away and I relax. “Yes, I’m nearly there I think. We’re getting much closer to the East River.” I lean up and ask Donovan, “About how much longer until we get there?”
“Fifteen minutes,” he answers.
“I heard him,” she says. “Can’t wait to see you, Jason.”
“Me too.” I hang up and feel a ton better.
I’m letting those insecurities resurface and I have to learn to stop doing that. Turning on the television, I try not to think about bad things.
That’s always been my problem. I remember thinking a lot about Britt going off to college and forgetting about me. So much so that I sabotaged things with her before that even had a chance of becoming true.
In the end, she did go away to college and forget about me, but it’s because of what I did that made that happen. It’s funny, and not in the haha sort of way, how the things we’re most afraid of, happen to us, anyway.
Flipping through the satellite channels, I find nothing that captures my attention. I’m more than a bit preoccupied with thoughts of me and Britt and our future.
It didn’t occur to me to ask her if she got that morning-after pill. I hope she didn’t, to tell the truth. It wouldn’t hurt my feelings one bit to see her all chubby with my baby.
Some would think me a terrible man who would want that so fast. But where that one woman is concerned I’d like nothing more than to settle her down with me and start raising a bunch of little me and hers.
Something on the television caught my eye and I go back several channels and see the words on the bottom of the screen. It’s some kind of awards it seems and there’s a little blurb about it on the local news station.
I turn it up and listen as the reporter says, “Earlier this evening, some of New York’s top people in the publishing industry had a low-key awards ceremony. Authors, illustrators, and even book cover artists were there to receive awards for all of their hard work this last year.”
I find it interesting as Brittany should have been involved in this awards thing. I Googled her and found out all there is to know about her work and she is very impressive. She’s won all kinds of awards for her book covers and to know she was left out of this, is appalling.
The camera pans around the room of dressed up people and in the background I hear an announcer saying, “And the book cover of the year goes to, Brittany Caldwell, for her work on the cover of the book, Killing the Rainbow.”
My eyes are glued to the screen as the camera pans around and suddenly Brittany is filling the screen wearing a gorgeous gold gown and in the arms of some fucking man. Their lips touch for a horrifying moment and he says, “I’m so proud of you, Darling.”
She cups the back of his neck as they gaze into each other’s eyes. “I couldn’t have done it without you, my love.”
The reporter is back on the screen as I seem to have lost the ability to take in air. “That was a bit earlier tonight. By the look in those two’s eyes, I’m sure some intense and intimate celebrating is probably still going on with them even now. Meow, they’re one hot couple!”
Fuck me! She’s done it to me this time!
To be continued…
The Shameless Billionaire Series
Book 2
Casanova’s Coach
An Alpha-Male, Billionaire, Bad Boy, Bad Girl, Romance
By
Michelle Love
Desire. Passion. Secrets.
Jason doesn’t take the news well that Brittany took another man to the awards ceremony behind his back.
Drowning his sorrows at a local bar, Jason meets one of Brittany’s boy toys. He decides he will be taking Brittany off the market after talking to the man who doesn’t take the news well at all.
Brittany, tired of waiting for Jason to show up at her place, gets a phone call from her mother and finds out she was on a little news reel and she figures Jason saw it and is mad at her.
When she gets to his place, she finds a woman waiting for him too. They talk and she starts to see the big picture. She comes to the conclusion Jason really does need her to get him out of the lie of a life he’s created for himself.
Taking a little time away to find out if they still have true feelings for one another, they take off on a trip and just as things seem to be working in their favor, a phone call stirs up problems for the couple.
Can this couple ever catch a break? Or will their past mess up any future they might have together?
Chapter 1
BRITTANY
It’s been an hour since I talked to Jason who said he was a mere fifteen minutes away. My calls have all gone straight to voicemail and my texts aren’t even being read. I have no idea what the man is doing.
I’m beginning to feel like a damn fool as I lay here on the sofa, strategically positioned and wearing a daring little negligee I put on just for him. Something’s happened. I know it has.
Maybe a wreck!
The not knowing is killing me. I guess I should get dressed and go over to his place to see if he’s there for some damn reason. But just as I get up off the sofa I remember a few other nights this exact same thing happened.
Back down I go and grab my glass of celebratory Champagne I poured us two flutes of. I was going to show him the trophy I won today.
Instead of showing it to him, I pick it up too and sit back, alone with my drink and my prize.
Too many nights I’ve spent alone. Too many times I’ve let myself get excited about a life with Jason Brennan.
The lamp next to me reflects its dim light on the gold of the trophy. Best book cover for the entire year is what I won. My work is very rewarding. But my love life isn’t.
I think it’s time to call in a ringer. If Jason isn’t going to show up, then I need to move on. And drinking alone while staring at this trophy won’t help a thing.
My phone screen lights up and I nearly toss the things in my hand away to answer it. I stop short as I see it’s my mom. “Hi, Mom. It’s late, is everything okay?”
“No, it’s not.” Her words stop my heart.
“What’s happened?” I manage to get out.
“You won an award and told no one about it! That’s what’s wrong. Brittany Caldwell, what the hell is wrong with you?”
I ponder that question for a moment before I answer. I’d like to know what the hell is wrong with me too. “The hell if I know, Mom.”
Her voice is threaded with tension as she says, “Babygirl, you’re not involving us in any part of your life anymore. If we’d have k
nown, you were even up for that award then we’d have been there for you. Don’t you know that?”
“My agent had forgotten to tell me about the ceremony. I had no idea about that until three hours before it happened. I’m sorry. Things are busy here in New York.” I drink the rest of my Champagne down and look at the wall and wonder why it is that I’m always so damn busy.
“Britt, let me come see you, Babygirl. Let me come see what’s going on in your life,” she seems to be begging me.
“What about Dad? You can’t leave him behind.” I place the empty glass on the coffee table and pick up the one I poured for Jason and take a drink out of it.
Seems I’m going to get drunk alone and most likely fall asleep right here on this sofa, also alone.
“We’ll both come if that’s what you want. I just want you to know you have a family who cares about you. We love you, Brittany. You seem to forget you have a family.”
The guilt begins to creep in and I don’t often allow that to happen. “No, Mom. I’m fine.” I stand up and try to get my bearings.
I don’t let people get to me. Yesterday I was a strong woman with no worries. In less than twenty-four hours, thanks to Jason and his psychoanalysis of me, I’ve pushed away the walls surrounding my heart and now my mind is even going soft too.
“No, you are not,” she says with a calm tone.
“You know what? That’s the second time I’ve been told that in the last two days. I fell for that shit last night and I’m not falling for it again.” I stride over to the window in the living room with my million-dollar view of the East River and continue my rant, “That award I won was a thing I did on my own. No one was around to help me brainstorm that cover. No one was there in my corner rooting for me.”
“And who’s fault is that?” she asks me.
“I’m not saying it’s anyone’s fault, Mom. I’m just saying, I did all that on my own. I am fine. I am more than fine. The way I’ve been living my life has worked out for me. Maybe keeping to one’s self, doesn’t work for everyone but it does for me. So please stop worrying about me.”
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