Fallen For A Biker_BWWM Romance

by Erica A. Davis

  “Excellent,” Danielle mumbled when they were on their way.

  “Yeah,” the man said, obviously not paying attention to her facial expression. “I just couldn’t believe it. Are you in any trouble at all?”

  “I would prefer,” Danielle said between grit teeth, “Not to talk about it. How about that? Can you just get me to work? Thanks.”

  The taxi driver looked as if she’d kicked his puppy. The smile on his face instantly went away, replaced quickly by a deep frown. Danielle didn’t care. She had no patience for people or their stupid questions. When they pulled up in front of her office building, she knew it was going to be a long day.

  Numerous reporters stood outside of the agency. All of them began to ask her questions the moment that she stepped out of the car. Danielle had to push her way through, pushing reporters out of her way as she went since they wouldn’t move over for her. Once she was inside, they weren’t allowed to enter. For that, she was grateful.

  She rode the elevator up to her office. The moment that she stepped in, the entire room fell into a still silence. People glanced up at her, judging her with their eyes and small shakes of the head. She wanted to scream at all of them, tell them to mind their own business, but she knew that wasn’t going to go over well.

  Danielle instead, ignored them. She walked to Will’s office before knocking lightly. When she heard his light, come in, she pushed the door open before stepping inside. The lump in her throat had only grown bigger since she’d been there.

  “Have a seat,” Will said, waving to an empty, black leather chair in front of his desk.

  Danielle sat down slowly. She laced her hands in front of her belly,

  which was impossible to hide by now. It seemed to grow by the day. She resisted the urge to run her hand over it nervously the way that she’d been doing it for a while now. It was comforting, but she also knew that it would do nothing but piss Will off.

  She’d known Will for many years now. He had been the one to give her a chance when no one else would. He’d been the one to mentor her late into the evenings, giving up his extra sleep time to assist her. Will had always been kind to her, but he had a temper as well. Thankfully, she’d never had to experience it, until now.

  Will was older now. He had black hair, with streaks of gray coloring his temples. He’d grown rounder too, but his eyes were still the same unmistakable shade of dark blue and sharp. Danielle found herself fidgeting nervously.

  Will sighed. The man pushed his chair out before he held his arms behind his back and paced. Danielle didn’t like the stern set of his eyebrows, the hard edge to his eyes.

  “Will, I-”

  “I really thought you had better judgment than this,” he said, making her stop mid-sentence. “I really thought that, out of everyone in this office, you were the one who would be a huge success. You’ve gotten so far, why stop now?”

  “I wasn’t..I mean I didn’t…” Danielle stumbled over her words. She didn’t like this feeling. The feeling that she was small, helpless. It was as if the world was out of control and she was clinging on, along for a ride that she couldn’t direct.

  “I expect this out of some people, but not you. And a baby on top of it? Do you know how messy this is going to get?”

  Danielle found herself choking back tears. “What do you want me to do?”

  “I want you to stay away from Duke, as I said earlier. I want you to hide that belly, tell the press they’re lying, you aren’t pregnant. And you need to make a decision, a real decision; That baby or the career you’ve worked so hard to have.”

  Why couldn’t it be both? Everyone seemed to insist that she choose, but why couldn’t it be both? She loved her job, but she loved the life that was growing inside of her as well. Why was everyone so adamant on forcing her to choose?

  “I can still do my job, Will,” Danielle said firmly.

  “Can you? This entire thing might bring us to our knees!”

  “Then fire me,” Danielle said casually, but her eyes were hard. “If you think I’m that bad for this company, it should be no problem at all to fire me.”

  Now, it was Will’s turn to stutter and stumble. A small, satisfied smirk tugged at Danielle’s lips as he swallowed thickly, adjusted his tie. There was one thing that the two of them knew for sure. Danielle was amazing at what she did and she brought in more money than anyone who worked there.

  “Why don’t you just go and get to work,” Will finally said gruffly.

  Danielle smiled. “That sounds like an excellent idea.”

  She walked out of his office with a grin on her lips and her head held high. The stares that followed her, she ignored. Once she was inside of her office, she slammed the door before sinking into her seat. Only then did she burst into a torrent of tears.

  Burying her face into her hands, she sobbed so quietly that the only sounds were those of a sporadic sniffle or gasp. She couldn’t seem to stop the tears no matter what she did. Danielle found herself wishing desperately that Duke was there. Duke with his big, strong arms. Duke, with his warm smile.

  Quickly, she shoved the thought away. There was no time for any of that. She had plenty of work to do. Danielle pulled the mirror out of the top drawer of her desk before she sat to fixing her face. Her eyes were so puffy. She sighed.

  “Jordan, bring me ice.”

  Jordan showed up a few moments later with a cup of ice. He was looking her up and down, concern on his face. When he passed her the cup, Danielle took it before she wrapped a few pieces of ice in a tissue. She pushed the small, ice pack to her face.

  “I’m so sorry,” Jordan said, slipping into the seat across from her desk.

  Danielle shrugged. “It’s not like it’s your fault.” She examined her eyes in the mirror before she glanced back over at Jordan. He was wiggling in his seat, glancing away to look anywhere in the room, but at her. “What the hell did you do?”

  Jordan looked at her, blowing out a deep breath. “Okay, okay. I went out Saturday night to that new bar, you know the one that just opened that’s impossible to get into-”

  “Jordan,” Danielle threatened quietly.

  “Okay, okay! I went there Saturday and I was trying to impress this guy. So, I told him about where I work. It turns out, he’s really into sports. So, we chatted for a while, but I wasn’t getting anywhere. Long story short, I...told him about an agent here and a player. I didn’t mention any names. But he must have been a reporter and somehow pieced it together.” He sighed, “I think he may have gone through my phone and saw your appointments when I let him put in his number.”

  “I’m going to kill you,” Danielle said calmly. She could feel the heat crawling up her skin, her fingers clenching and unclenching over and over again. “I’m literally going to kill you.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Jordan said quickly. “I really didn’t think he was anyone to worry about. I mean, how often do I meet reporters?” His frown deepened. “And he was buying me drinks all night. I just got a little loose lipped. I swear though, I never said your name, he had to have gotten confirmation from my phone!”

  Danielle sighed deeply. “You know what? This isn’t even your fault, it’s mine. I should never have slept with Duke if I didn’t want him. I definitely shouldn’t be hiding now.”

  “What about the job though?” Jordan asked quietly. “What are you going to do?”

  Danielle shook her head. She gave a small chuckle. “I have no idea. The only thing I know for sure is that I only have a few more months to figure it out. After that, there’ll be a baby here to take care of.”

  “You’ll be okay,” Jordan said, reaching his hand across the desk to pat hers, “I know it.”

  Danielle slapped his hand sharply making him yank it back and yelp. “What the hell was that for?”

  “Running your big, damn mouth!” Danielle slapped his hand again for emphasis.

  “Ow! Alright, I get it! Damn,” he mumbled as h
e rubbed his hand. “I guess this means I’m not fired?”

  “Not for now, anyway.”

  Jordan sighed. “I really am sorry. Is there anything I can do for you?”

  Danielle shook her head, but she could feel the tears bubbling to the surface again. “I just don’t know what to do anymore.”

  Jordan made his way around the desk quickly. He wrapped his arms around her as she worked her way through another flood of tears. Wiping her eyes, she sniffled several times before Jordan finally let go of her.

  “I’m not used to this. I have everything under control, always. Why is this happening now?”

  “Well one, because you’re pregnant,” Jordan said, dodging a slap. “Two, you’re falling in love with that man and don’t even realize it. You’re both dense as hell.”

  “I’m not in love,” she said, pouting.

  “Do you feel safe with him? Are you always smiling, content? Even when the two of you fight, do you wish you could be around each other?”

  Danielle thought about it. Yes, yes, yes. Everything that Jordan listed off was true. Even now, even after he’d stormed out, she was missing him. Danielle laughed.

  “Has it really been that long since I’ve had feelings for someone?”

  “Oh definitely,” Jordan said with a grin. “And the first time I’ve ever seen you this in love.”

  “I don’t know about all that,” Danielle mumbled, wiping her eyes yet again.

  “I know it’s true. How does Duke feel about all of this?”

  “He’s angry at me,” she said shaking her head.

  “Do you want to lose him?”

  “No,” Danielle said slowly. “No, I don’t”

  Jordan picked up a piece of mail. He slapped her forehead with it. When she stared at him, stunned, he shook his head.

  “Then stop being an idiot,” he said as he straightened himself out. “Get your stuff in order, then fight for your man. I’d kill to have such a good guy.”

  When Jordan was gone, Danielle realized that he was right. She had spent such a long time not knowing what love was. Now, she knew and she was still fighting it. Danielle could almost hear her mom’s voice in her head chastising her. She sighed. There were so many decisions that she had to make now. How did she know if she was making the right choice? She closed her eyes, pressed her fingertips to her temple. Things were going to get complicated.

  Chapter 8

  Danielle hadn’t heard from Duke in almost a month. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but she’d been hoping something by now. A phone call, a text, an email, anything. Her phone remained quiet. The only people she did hear from were the press trying desperately to get answers out of her. It had gotten so bad that she had to change her number.

  Another morning had come around. Work would start in a little over an hour, but Danielle wasn’t sure if she even wanted to go. She was sick of the constant stares, the whispered words. Things looked as if they were never going to return to normal. She ran a hand over her belly.

  “It’s just you and me.”

  Before, that wouldn’t have bothered her. Now, it was like a knife in her gut. She’d had someone who wanted to be there for her. Someone who picked up snacks from twenty miles away just because she wanted it a certain way. There had been someone to rub her feet, make her laugh and watch ridiculous movies with her. That was what she wanted.

  Still, there was a part of her that was too stubborn to admit that. She was too headstrong, too proud to admit that she needed anyone, let alone a man. Danielle dialed the number to the office.

  “I can’t come in today, I’m too sick.”

  “Is that code for ‘I made up with my boyfriend and I’m going to see him today’”

  “Not even a little bit, Jordan.”

  There was a deep sigh on the other line. “Pathetic.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I said pathetic. Get it together girl. I’ll forward your messages.”

  “Thank you,” Danielle said through grit teeth.

  She hung up the phone, wishing it was like the good ole days when she could slam down the receiver. That would have been satisfying. Instead, she walked into the bathroom and took a steamy shower. When she stepped out, she got dressed in a simple dress with flat shoes. There was one person who she really trusted with all of this, her mom. She needed her.

  Just as she was leaving out of the door, her phone rang. Danielle dug into it desperately, praying that it would be Duke. Instead, it was her sister. Danielle sighed. As much as she loved her, she was in no mood for her over dramatic, non-problems that would only piss her off in the long run. Sighing, Danielle answered it.

  “We haven’t heard from you in almost a month! Where are you? There’s so much going on!”

  “I’ve been busy and pregnant, Yvette.”

  “Well, duh. It’s all over the television. How could you not tell me? I’ve been dying to hear from you? I only got your number from Jordan this morning.”

  “What’s wrong now?”

  “You will not believe what that...that woman is saying!”

  “What woman?” Danielle asked, cocking an eyebrow as she climbed into her car.

  “The woman who’s carrying my child! Shari,” she said with such contempt that Danielle could just hear it dripping.

  “What did she do?” She asked, puzzled.

  “She’s saying that I’m not fit to be a mother! Here we were, getting along and now she’s being such a bitch!”

  “What do you want me to do about it?”

  “Talk to her! Do something! You’re the one who’s good at negotiating.”

  Danielle sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Send me her address. I was going to see mom, but I guess I can stop off that way first.”

  “Thank you! I can’t talk to her right now without wanting to slap her.”

  Danielle sighed. She started the car, before shaking her head. Could her life get any stranger? Almost as quickly as she’d thought it, she wished desperately that she could take it back. She didn’t need one more strange thing happening in her life, that was for sure.

  *****

  She drove the distance to Shari’s house with the window down and the radio blasting. Her hand dangled out of the window, rising and falling with the current of the wind. Pretty soon, the summer would be disappearing, quickly replaced with the cold that she’d become so used to. For now though, she wanted to enjoy every moment of the sun warming her skin. She sighed.

  Pulling up to Shari’s apartment, she turned the car off before she slid out. The building was not only huge, it was immaculate. Glass on the outside reflected the morning sun brightly. Danielle pulled on her sunglasses before she walked up to the door. She pressed a black button next to the woman’s name a few times before she sat back, her back against the wall. A buzzer sounded and a woman’s voice came over the speaker, groggy and short.

  “Yes?” The woman asked curtly.

  “Shari? It’s me, Danielle. I wanted to come talk to you.”

  The woman scoffed. “Did Yvette ask you to come here so I would change my mind?”

  “All I know is that she wanted me to talk to you. I don’t know anything besides that.”

  There was a short pause. “Okay, I’ll buzz you up.”

  Danielle walked into the building when the door buzzed. The lobby of the apartment was huge, lavish. Everything was decorated in marble and gold. The sleek, design of it was impressive. Danielle rode the elevator up to Shari’s apartment. When she stepped out, the woman was standing near her open door, her arms crossed over her round belly beneath the sun yellow dress that she wore.

  “Come on in,” Shari said before she wandered back into her place.

  Danielle walked in before she set her bag down. The apartment was huge, shades of red and gold were everywhere. It was in true Shari taste. Danielle took a seat across from her. The woman’s hands were wrapped tightly aroun
d a mug.

  “Okay, what’s going on?” Danielle asked.

  Shari sighed. “I don’t know how to say this...delicately.”

  “So spit it out,” Danielle said trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.

  “Your sister is insane!”

  Danielle didn’t know what made her do it, but she burst into laughter. Shari looked at her with wide eyes before she broke out into a grin. The tension that had been on her face seemed to melt.

  “You’re not mad I said that about your sister?”

  Danielle wiped at her eyes. “No! I’ve only been saying that since we were kids.” She shook her head. “What did she do?”

  “Okay, she won’t let me eat anything now. We went out for lunch and the only thing she’d let me have was lettuce. Not salad, lettuce! Then she wants me to workout twice as much so that the ‘baby doesn’t get fat.’ Even Greg’s starting to lose his patience!”

  Danielle shook her head. “She really is losing it.”

  “Yes! And I can’t take it anymore! She’s already planning this child’s future.”

  Danielle raised an eyebrow. “Is that so wrong?”

  “She’s planning every, single minute! From the minute this baby is born, exactly at six pm so she doesn't miss her hair appointment, she has a comprehensive plan worked out.”

  “That sounds like Yvette. How does she plan to have the baby right at six?”

  “She wants me to get a c-section now! I told her absolutely not! We never agreed to that and I don’t want a knife taken to my body that it doesn’t need,” Shari said, her eyes watering. “I told her it was ridiculous, that I couldn’t do it. That I wouldn’t do it. She doesn’t need to have a baby if she’s going to act this way.”

  Danielle sighed. “I’ll try to talk to her. She needs some sense knocked into her head.” Oh goodness, this was worse than she thought. Danielle nearly wanted to sag into her seat; she was already so exhausted, and this wasn’t making it any better.

  “Maybe she’ll actually listen to you. I can’t take it anymore.”

  Danielle reached across the table. She rubbed her hand over Shari’s. “It’ll be okay. Can I get you anything?”