“Girls…” Brad stood up from the bed. “I’m going out of my fucking mind. What the fuck happened?”
“We…we…we…we…” I stammered.
Drew grabbed my hand tightly. “Tell us, baby.”
“We’re ha-ha-having a b-b-bo…” bawled Liz.
Brad now was on his knees in front of his wife. “We’re what, sweetheart?”
“We’re having a boy…”
“We came across an ultrasound clinic, and they were able to fit us in…so we…we found out the sex of the baby…and it’s all my fault. I’ve missed so much on the baby stuff, and Liz and…” I took a deep breath and hiccuped. “I took this away from you, Brad…and…and…I’m so sorry,” I rambled.
Drew was immediately angry as he stood up. “Kirsten, how could you?”
Brad grabbed Liz’s hands off her face and held them in his. The room went silent as we watched them.
“Sweetheart, is it true? Are we having a son?”
Liz nodded.
Brad picked her up and hugged her around. “We’re having a fucking son!”
Liz giggled. “I’m so sorry that—”
He laid a huge kiss on her mouth. “It doesn’t matter. You’re safe, and our baby’s safe. I mean, our son is safe.” He put her on the ground and went over to Drew. “Dude, I’m going to be a dad!”
“I know, buddy.”
“To a son.” Brad sat on the bed. “I’m having a boy.”
Drew clasped Brad’s hand, hauled him up, and gave him a bro hug. “Congratulations, man!”
“Would you like to see the pictures?” asked Liz.
“You have pictures?” Brad asked, astounded.
“Looks like your son has the…” I looked at Brad’s crotch and winked. “Edison genes.”
The room busted into laugher as we all cooed over the baby pictures.
Three days later, we decided it was going to be a relaxing day around the resort. Caroline and Meg joined some co-pilots in a doubles match of beer pong. Drew went to the gym for a quick workout. Liz was busy with sitting in her water chair, enjoying the sun, while Brad and I sat at the bar.
“Brad, I’m really sorry that I convinced Liz to have an ultrasound without you.”
“I know, but to be honest, I’m not upset. I’m actually happy that you girls went and did it.”
“Why?” I asked, stunned.
Brad shrugged his shoulders. “It gives me peace of mind. I know now that they are both fine and healthy. Not to mention, I got to see that my son has ten fingers and a big—”
I stopped Brad. “Dude, don’t gloat that much. It was the umbilical cord.” I laughed.
“Still pretty impressive for a two-pound baby.”
I shook my head at my best friend’s husband.
“Are you going to be home when the baby is born?” Brad asked.
“I plan to be. I took the last week of vacation that I have left for the week peanut is supposed to arrive. But I’m trying…” I looked over at Liz. “I’m trying to work in Toronto more. I’m so tired of missing all this shit.”
“That’s good because, between you and me, I don’t think she could handle the labor without you there. Hell, I might not be able to handle it without you there.”
I gave Brad a big, meaningful hug since I never really told people that I loved them.
“Get your married hands off my girlfriend,” teased Drew.
I handed him a cold beer. “How was your run? Did you see anything worth starting at? I could hook you up you know,” I said, pretending to check out women that were lying around the pool.
Drew engulfed me with his muscular arms. “Believe me, you’re the only woman I can handle.”
“That’s good.” I giggled like a ditz.
Brad swam up to Liz. He almost knocked her into the water while trying to get onto her water chair.
“Brad Edison, if you get my hair wet—”
No longer were any words coming out of her mouth as she and Brad went ass over tea-kettle in the water. Liz came up, spitting water, while shooting daggers at her husband, as she walked out of the pool and onto the patio.
Brad lifted his arms out of water. “Babe, come on, I’m sorry.” He laughed.
Liz glared over her shoulder, grabbed the towel off the lounge chair.
“Oh, someone is gonna be rooming with Drew tonight,” Caroline and Meg howled. “Never piss off a pregnant chick.”
I was reading a magazine, sitting in front of Drew on his lounge chair.
He started rubbing my shoulders and kissing that sweet spot on my neck. “Babe, why don’t you lie down and snuggle with me for a bit while catching some sun?”
I cranked my neck around to see him. “It kinda hurts my chest to lie down. I think I’m getting a chest infection.”
“Do you want to go see the hotel doctor on duty?”
“No, I’ll wait until we get home. We leave in a day and a half.”
Drew turned me to face him. “How does the rest of you feel?”
“Good. The ear pressure went away a few hours after landing, and the salty sea air has helped with my sinuses. If it wasn’t for my chest, I’d say I feel one hundred percent.”
I turned back around toward the pool, and Drew started rubbing my shoulders again.
“Mmm, baby, that feels so good,” I moaned a little louder than necessary.
“How’s your stress level?”
“Relaxed,” I said, leaning into the rub.
“Have you thought about work since you’ve been here?”
“Not even once.”
“What have you been thinking about since you’ve been here?”
I leaned back on his chest. Softly, I said, “I thought about how lucky I am that we are here together, how great it is that Liz is having a son, and how it is going to be much easier to buy more baby stuff. I was also thinking about how I would like to make one of the spare rooms at home into a mini nursery for when we babysit, which will be often, I warn you.”
“A mini nursery?”
“Yeah, we won’t need all the bells and whistles that Liz and Brad will have, and whatever we don’t have, you could just run over and get it.”
“Why don’t we just make up a full nursery?” Drew asked with a tad bit of excitement.
“I know what you’re thinking, Drew. I’m not…we’re nowhere near ready to have a baby. I just got my promotion, and I have tons of projects that need my one hundred percent focus right now, and—”
Drew cut me off by kissing the hell out of me. “A mini nursery it is.”
“Kirsten, come on, we’re going to be late. My dad wants us there when he announces the sale of the company,” huffed my overly impatient boyfriend.
“I’m coming!” I seductively yelled back from our bathroom.
“I know you were this morning…wait, are you using that purple finger thing again? If you are, I’m texting dad to say we are not coming.”
“And risk not getting your Christmas present from them?” I stopped at the top of the stairs.
Drew just stood there, staring at me, with his mouth hanging wide open. I did a very slow turn, revealing my dress. It was purple and covered completely in sequins. It stopped at my mid-thigh and had thick straps over the shoulders with a slight dip in between my breasts. When I turned around, there was a big V missing from the back, stopping just before my lower back. I also added a pair of black stockings that attached to a purple-and-black lace garter. I didn’t have on any panties, but I figured that my sexy boyfriend could find that little info out on his own. Of course, I topped the outfit off with a black pair of sequin pumps with a five-inch heel.
“Sweetheart…”
I walked down the stairs and up to Drew. I took my index finger and lifted his chin to close his mouth. “You wouldn’t want to catch flies,” I said with a wink. I swayed past him to gather my coat and purse. “Are you coming? We’re going to be late,” I said, sweet and innocent. I opened the front door to see the car se
rvice waiting for us.
Drew was still standing in the same spot, staring at me.
Totally the reaction I was hoping for. I thought this was a nice thank-you for how he’d looked after me when I was sick with a chest infection after we’d gotten back from Mexico.
I felt Drew behind me as I was waiting for the driver to open the door.
“Good evening, ma’am.”
“Thank you for driving us this evening,” I acknowledged.
“I got it from here,” Drew said in a tight voice.
I bent over a little to get in. I heard Drew gasp.
Kirsten—2 Drew—0.
Once we were seated and on our way, Drew leaned over and put his arm around my shoulder, playing with wisps of my hair. He whispered into my ear, “I’m not sure what I did to get punished…” His other hand was slowly sliding up my leg. “But remind me to do it again later.”
I looked over at him and placed my hand on top of his, stopping him from going up any farther. “Oh, I’m not punishing you. I’m thanking you,” I teased before I kissed his neck.
“Ladies and gentlemen, may my wife and I have your attention, please.”
Drew and I were just walking in as Mr. Parker was starting his speech. I saw that Drew mouthed, I’m sorry we’re late, to his mom. Then, he turned to me, and his eyes ran the full length of my body.
I giggled. “Thanks.”
He squeezed my hand and lead us to our seats.
His mom looked at us with a huge smile while she slightly nudged Mr. Parker, letting him know that we’d arrived. Better late than never. We took our seats at a table with Mr. Parker’s secretary and her husband and a few other people I didn’t recognize.
“We’d like to welcome you here and to thank each and every one of you sitting in this room. My wife may not work at the office, but she handles the most important meetings, so I can concentrate at work and publish the most amazing stories. I’d like the staff to stand and raise your glasses to all those spouses who stay at home and handle unwanted grocery trips, parent-teacher meetings, late-night tooth fairy visits, and so much more. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you, and most importantly, we thank you.”
The crowd was loud in clinking their glasses in thanks as I watched Mr. Parker bring his wife in for a kiss.
“What has you smiling?” Drew asked in my ear.
I turned my head, placed my hand in his, and squeezed. “Thank you for inviting me.” I kissed him quick and went back to listening to his dad.
“For the past thirty years that I’ve been running this company, I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to join me for such an amazing ride.” Mr. Parker turned toward his wife. “Sweetheart, words cannot thank you enough for all the late dinner dates we shared or just for being in my corner or helping out when I needed it.” Mrs. Parker wiped a tear from her eye.
Then, Mr. Parker looked at me and smiled, and I smiled back.
“Why is my dad smiling at you?”
I didn’t reply because I just wanted to watch the reaction on Mrs. Parker’s face.
“Sweetheart, the love of my life, as my thank-you to you, I was wondering if you would join me on a full trip to Paris?”
The room went silent as we heard Drew’s mom gasp. I couldn’t help but wipe away my tears.
“Baby, did you have something to do with this?”
“I might have,” I said, still watching Mrs. Parker.
Cheers exploded all over the room as Mrs. Parker laid one on her husband, not caring that anyone else was in the room.
Mr. Parker cleared his throat. “Well, if I had known that was going to be her response, I would have taken her there years ago.”
A huge laughter broke out.
“Before dinner is served, my wife and I have another announcement. We have decided to retire and sell P&P. The final sale will go through just after the new year.”
At that moment, anyone could hear a pin drop in that room.
“Please no one panic. I would never retire and sell this company unless I knew that every one of you was well taken care of.”
I could hear the breaths being released.
“I have sold the company to Stewart and Ethan Thompson out of Seattle. Saying that…” Mr. Parker walked away from the podium and over to me. He grabbed my hand and lifted me out of my chair. “This stunning woman not only managed to wrap herself around our Drew, but she also managed to get us one hell of a deal. Because of her, you will all be guaranteed the same job or a higher position for the next two years with full benefits and an extra week of vacation. The company will stay the same, and they are keeping the name P&P.”
The crowd all stood and cheered.
Mr. Parker brought me in for a hug. “Thank you. Thank you for not letting my family down.”
I just moved my head up and down because I was too emotional to say anything. In my nearly eight years at Negotiating Way, I had never been truly thanked before.
“Old man, go put your hands on your own woman.” Drew laughed, and the crowd laughed with him.
Mr. Parker went and stood beside his wife. “Please, everyone, enjoy your evening, and drinks are on us. Merry Christmas, and thank you for a job well done.”
“Oh my god, Drew, you have got to taste this pumpkin pie. It’s amazing,” I moaned, shoving another forkful into my mouth.
“Only you would like pumpkin pie at a Christmas event.” Drew chuckled.
I stood up. “I loved it so much that I’m getting another piece.”
Drew grabbed my hand. “How about we go to the bar and grab new drinks instead? Then, on the way back, we’ll stop by the photo booth and take some crazy pictures with fake moose-tashes.”
“You had me at moose-tashes!” I said, excited.
Drew and I started making out in the photo booth instead of posing with the moose-tashes on a stick.
“God, you look hot,” Drew said.
I started undoing Drew’s tie, and then I untucked his shirt. I straddled his lap as he moved his hands toward my ass.
“Fuck me! Are you not wearing any fucking panties?”
I shook my head no.
“You are not wearing panties to my father’s Christmas party?”
I could see the devilish look in his eye. “Just a garter to help keep my stockings up.” I moaned while he tipped my head back and sucked on my neck.
Drew took me off his knee. “Stay the fuck here. Don’t move! I’m grabbing your purse, and then I’m hauling your ass up to our hotel room.”
“Drew, baby, we don’t have a room.” I giggled.
“Like fuck we don’t. I’ll be back in less than two minutes.” Drew stormed away like a man on a mission.
We had our hands all over each other in the elevator. If the door opened, we didn’t notice. We laughed and tripped our way to the room door. Once Drew finally got the key into the slot and opened the door, he picked me up and carried me into the room.
Flickering candles were everywhere. A bottle of champagne was chilling in a bucket, and chocolate-dipped strawberries were on the coffee table.
I looked up at Drew and put on my pouty face. “There isn’t any pumpkin pie up here.”
Drew spanked me. “Smart-ass.”
He laid me down on the couch and ripped off my stockings.
“I could have taken off my shoes, you know.”
“Fuck no! Those stay on,” he growled.
“But, baby, those cost money.”
Drew nibbled hard on the inside of my thigh as he slid my skirt up past my waist.
“Ow.”
“I’ll fucking buy you the goddamn store of lingerie if it means you’ll stop being such a tease.”
I couldn’t help myself. I just let my laughter bounce off the wall. “Drew…” I breathed in. “Sex starts with foreplay, honey.”
Drew lifted his head up from in between my legs, like he was a jack-in-the-box. “That’s where you are wrong. Foreplay started before we even left the fucking house!�
�
“You wouldn’t want to go down on a water slide without water, would you?”
“Kirsten, I know damn well that, as of right now, not one part of you down here is dry. It’s fucking glistening with desire.”
“I love it when you talk all dirty to me.” I looked into his eyes.
I was flipped over, and I embraced myself on the arm of the couch before Drew slid inside me and spanked my ass.
As my orgasm raged through me, I thought I might have woken up the whole floor of the hotel.
Afterward, I lay on top of Drew’s chest as our heavy breathing started to simmer down. “Wow!” I panted.
“Amazing,” he panted.
“Drew, amazing doesn’t even cover it. I have never come that hard in my life.”
“What can I say? You’ve kept me sexually frustrated all night.”
“Well, if that was the result, expect more frustration.”
Drew and I were lying together like that for a while. We were just lost in our thoughts.
How in the hell can I get another repeat performance like that? Like, seriously, where in the hell did he learn to French kiss my pussy like that? I guess porn is a better teaching tool than I thought.
“Would you care for a glass of champagne, my love?”
“I don’t think that I can move. My clit is still pulsing.”
Drew let out a laugh as he slid out from underneath me.
“How are you still at half-mast after that?” I asked, astounded.
“You are the most desirable woman that I have ever met. My dick is always at half-mast anytime I am around you. But earlier tonight, I’m lucky that my damn dick didn’t show itself at the collar of my dress shirt,” he replied as if I should already know this.
He lifted me up and carried me over to the bed that was draped in rose petals.
“It looks like our first time,” I said.
He placed me on the bed carefully and handed me a box with a beautiful green ribbon wrapped around it.
“You got me a present?” I asked.
I slid my fingers around the ribbon to open the box, and then I lifted the tissue paper to see what was inside. “It’s beautiful.”
The Game-Kirsten Backhard Page 22