In my hands was a long dark purple satin gown with thin shoulder straps that connected to the bottom of the back. The front had triangle cups for my breasts and a pretty bow to push them together. I ran my hands down the satin and looked up at Drew.
“When I saw it in the store window, I had to buy it for you.”
“Thank you,”
“Now, would you care for a glass of champagne and a few strawberries? I hear that they are someone’s favorite,” he asked with a wink.
“Please.”
While Drew was gathering everything, I stepped inside the bathroom to freshen up. With all the sweat running down my face earlier, I was sure I looked like a fifty-cent hooker. I looked around the bathroom. All my stuff was laid out on the countertop, and my overnight bag was sitting on the bench by the counter. I glanced up at the mirror and saw a note written in my lip liner. Liz was here. I must remember to thank the bitch later in my own little devilish way, but it would have to wait until after the baby was born.
I stepped into the softly lit bedroom with my new beautiful nightgown on. My hair was pulled out of its pins, flowing freely down my back, and my makeup was replaced with a natural look. I had put on coconut lip gloss because it was his favorite.
“I have never seen anything more beautiful in my life than you right now, Kirsten,” Drew said, walking toward me with a champagne glass in his hand.
I opened my mouth as he dipped a strawberry into it. Some of the juice ran out of my mouth. Before I had a chance to wipe it away with my finger, Drew caught it with his tongue.
“I love you, Kirsten.”
“I love you, Drew.”
He started kissing above my neck, then down my collarbone, and he finally ended at the end of my jawline. “I can’t imagine my life without you in it.” His mouth grabbed a hold of my lips, licking them, biting them, and kissing them deeply.
“Carry me to bed and make love to me, Drew.”
“Anything for you, sweetheart.”
He started out by stroking my inner thigh before kissing them. “You smell amazing,” he said. He ran his fingers over my legs and down to the tip of my toes before he sucked on each and every one of them. “Everything about you was made to mold into my body.”
Lifting my gown off of me, he slid his hands over my stomach, and I quivered.
“That’s what you do to me every time I see you.”
Drew kissed my belly and started palming my breasts, squeezing them and pinching them. He moved back up and began licking and sucking them. I arched my back, needing more. Moving to my neck, he kissed a trail to my ears and whispered sweet nothings.
“Please, Drew…please make love to me.”
He supported the back of my neck with his hand and moved my lips to his, devouring the taste. “God, I love you,” Drew exhaled before gliding into me.
Tonight wasn’t about sex or our relationship or even our feelings. It was just us becoming one soul. No words were shared. We just kissed on each other while our bodies intertwined.
In that moment, I knew that I loved this man with all my heart. I knew that he would never leave and that he would always support and cherish me. I was fully prepared to give Drew Parker my heart, now and forever.
The next morning, neither Drew nor I wanted to get out of bed and deal with the real world, so he phoned down to the front desk, and we were set to stay another night. After a glorious round or two of hot delicious sex in bed, we decided to partake in round three in the shower.
After getting dress, we ordered up room service before we left the hotel.
“What would you like to do today?” my adorable boyfriend asked while he spread jam on his toast.
“Nothing,” I said.
“Nothing?”
“Right at this very moment, I’m doing exactly what I want,” I replied, pouring myself another cup of coffee. “Refill?”
“No, thanks.”
“Wanna talk about what we want to do for New Year’s?” asked Drew.
“Not really.”
“Why not?”
The last thing that I wanted to do today was tell Drew that I would probably be leaving first thing in the morning the day after Christmas, and I wouldn’t be home until after the new year. “Drew, I don’t know how to tell you this…but the chances of me being home for New Year’s Eve are slim to not-gonna-happen.”
“Why?”
“Marc is still after my ass. He’s pushing like no tomorrow to get these projects done. I don’t understand it because projects like these take time. Ever since I told him that another company has been interested in me, it’s like he’s been trying to push me out the door.”
“Why are you letting him shove you around? That’s not like you.”
“I know, but the thing is…” I took a deep breath. “Drew, I hate working in Chicago. Ever since they sent me there, Marc has started acting like a real asshole. He’s been giving me shit clients. My usual clients have been calling and asking me why I gave them over to a new partner. I have nothing to say to them because I don’t know.”
“I think maybe it’s time you call the board members together and ask them what is going on.”
“I plan to, but first, I want to clear my workload and get a handle on that. Then, I need to apologize to my regular clients, who I have had for years. I have to try and figure out what the hell is going on before I say anything to the board. I can think of nothing worse than being blindsided at a meeting that I’ve requested.”
“How long do you think that will take?” Drew asked.
“I’m not sure. I’m hoping by the end of the week after the New Year. I also booked my last week of vacation for this year for when Liz’s baby should arrive. Did I mention how much Marc loved the idea of me taking off another week that I’m entitled to? He said I have already taken too much time off.”
“What do you mean?”
“With the week I took off between Thanksgiving and the wedding, a week for Mexico, and then half a week to get over that stupid chest infection. He claims that I’m abusing my senior status.”
“Kirsten that’s bullshit. I saw you on your laptop almost every day, answering emails or recalculating figures.”
“I know. This is what I don’t understand, Drew. I’m fucking working my ass off, and I’ve doubled what I was doing, just so he’d stop riding my ass. But nothing is working.”
“Is that why your body finally broke down on the way to Mexico? I gotta tell ya, Kirsten. It wasn’t a pretty sight.”
“I know. A part of me wonders if I should take Reid Wildburg up on his offer and work for him.”
Drew stood, piled our plates on the cart, and set it out in the hallway. When he came back and sat down, he said, “I thought you said that no one had offered you another other job?”
“I did. I mean, I don’t. Last spring, I went to Texas to finalize a contract for Reid. One night after dinner, he said that anytime I was done working for Marc, I could always have a job with him. I declined the offer right away, saying Texas was too far away from my family.”
“Do you want to?”
“Do I want to, what?”
“Go work for Reid in Texas. I mean, has the thought ever crossed your mind?”
I walked over and sat on Drew’s lap, still wrapped in nothing but my bathrobe. “Now, why would I want to go and do something like that when I have you here with me?”
“Just checking.” Drew smiled while coming in for a kiss.
“It’s about time you kissed me, Mr. Parker.”
The night before I left again for Chicago, I got a really bad feeling that something wasn’t going to go right.
Liz was over, sitting on my bed folding laundry, “Maybe you shouldn’t go. I mean, Kirsten, you are still looking a little green around the gills,” said Liz.
“It’s that damn tuna sandwich I ate yesterday,” I said.
“We all told you not to buy a tuna sandwich off that street vendor.”
“I know. I wa
s just so hungry that I couldn’t wait until I got to the hockey game.”
Sitting at my desk, I twirled the pen around in my fingers while watching the fireworks out of my office window when I heard my cell go off.
Liz: The boys finished the nursery tonight. It looks great. Missing you like mad. Hurry home.
Caroline: I need to hurry and find me someone to kiss.
Meg: I need to pee!
Drew: Happy New Year, baby! I wish I were with you. XOXO
Derek: Happy New Year, sis!
Liz: Happy New Year! I miss you, muff-diver!
Liz: Baby says, “Hurry home, Auntie.” <3
Caroline: Happy New Year, hooker!
Meg: I found my flip-flop. Score!
Meg: Shit, I’m drunk. Stupid panty-droppers.
Meg: Hey! Happy New Year!
I just sent out a massive text, wishing everyone a happy New Year. When the text indicated that it had reached everyone, tears formed in my eyes. I sat at my desk, put my head in my hands, and cried. I missed everyone so much, much more than I’d ever thought possible when I accepted this position.
When my desk phone rang, it startled the shit out of me. “Hello?”
“Hey, baby.”
I wiped my nose with a nearby Kleenex. “Hi, Drew.”
“Are you crying?”
“No.”
“Why are you crying, sweetheart?”
“I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
Knowing that Drew knew me so well put a smile on my face.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Sitting at my desk. I just finished watching the fireworks from my window.”
“Thinking of me?”
“Always. I heard that you finished the baby’s room tonight.”
“We did. Without losing my maleness, I’d say it’s pretty cute.”
“Baby, you could never lose your maleness. In fact, I know how all male you are.”
Drew groaned. “When are you coming home?”
“I’m not sure. I have a big meeting on Monday, so we’ll see how it goes from there.”
“Are you almost done for the night?”
“Almost. I’m getting tired, so I think it’s time to pack it in.”
“Every time I talk to you, you’re tired, and if you’re not tired, your stomach is upset.”
“I know. I just think that I’m stressed to the max.”
Drew was silent for a few minutes. “Kirsten, you can always come home.”
“I know.” I started crying again.
“I love you.”
“I know.” I sniffed.
“Is there someone there to walk you out?”
“Rick is still here. I’m sure if I ask him, he’ll walk me downstairs.”
“All right, my love. I wish I were there.”
“I do, too.”
“Baby, go to bed.”
“Okay.”
“Sweet dreams, my love.”
I woke up Sunday morning to someone pounding on my door. I groaned while getting up, before heading to the door. Whoever is on the other side better have a damn good reason for waking me up at…eleven a.m.! Holy shit!
When I opened the door, I was stunned to see my brother on the other side, holding a brown paper bag.
“That better be a coffee and a muffin,” I growled while letting him in. “Why didn’t you use your key?”
“And wreck this bonding moment between us? I think not, sister Sue.”
“Don’t call me that, jackass.” I plopped myself on the couch. “What’s in the bag?”
“My medical license,” he said with a smart-ass smirk.
“What?”
Derek tossed me the bag. “Open it up and see.”
I opened the bag and pulled out the box inside. What the fuck? “Derek…uh…I think you gave me the wrong bag.” I looked at him, puzzled.
“Nope, I don’t think so.” He crossed his legs over my coffee table.
“Derek, I’m not pregnant. Stressed out, absolutely, but pregnant, no.”
“If you are so sure, go pee on the stick,” Derek said, crossing his arms over his chest and pointing his head toward the bathroom.
I hastily grabbed the box and went to the bathroom. “When it comes out negative, your ass is buying the biggest breakfast that money can buy!” I yelled before slamming the door shut.
Pregnant? Could I be? No…no way! I had gotten my shots on time every three months. I’d even gotten my period in the middle November. Shit, it’s now the beginning of January. I peed on the stick and sat it on the counter. I washed my hands and waited. If I am…it would explain puking at my desk every morning…and why the hell my boobs are so fucking sore. Could this explain why I’ve been having such vivid sex dreams of Drew? This past week alone, I’d come three times in my sleep.
“Are you drowning yourself in the toilet tank?” Derek yelled.
“Fuck off,” I said back.
Derek opened the bathroom door. “What does it say?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know. I haven’t looked yet.”
“It’s been, like, twenty minutes already.”
“Really? I was just sitting here, thinking.”
“About?”
“How I’m a Nazi when it comes to my birth control.” I looked up at my brother. “I’ve been getting birth control shots since I was, like, fourteen years old. How the fuck does this happen? I’m thirty-three years old. I should be more responsible than this.” I started to cry.
Derek bent down to my level and gave me one of his good-brother hugs.
“How did you know, Derek?” I asked, wiping my nose on his shirt.
“Twin thing.”
“That’s a little fucking creepy.”
“Fuck, you’re telling me. I’m the one who bought the damn test. And let me remind you, if the fact that I bought a home pregnancy test gets out in the fucking public, revenge will know no boundaries.”
I started to laugh.
He tucked my hair behind my ear. “There. Now, that sounds better. Are you ready to look? Or do you want to do it together?”
“Can I ask you a question first?”
“Sure.”
“Did you feel sick all week?”
“Why would you ask me that?” Derek looked at me, puzzled.
“I just wanted to know if it was like the time your appendix ruptured at hockey camp, and I could feel pain on my side.”
“No. I kept having dreams about Drew though.” Drew smirked.
I slapped my brother on the shoulder. “I hate you sometimes.”
“Look, I can’t explain it. All I know is that I needed to be here for you, and on the way here, something told me that…well, that you needed the test.”
“Do you think Drew knows?”
My brother smiled and slid the test over in my direction. “Shall we find out?”
I reached for my brother’s hand and held my breath as I looked at the pregnancy stick. Pregnant! Definitely pregnant. The stick even said, Five weeks, on it. I looked at my brother as tears fell down my face.
“Oh, honey, don’t cry. This is the best thing that could have ever happened to you.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Now, you have all the more reason to tell Marc to go fuck himself, and then you can come home.”
I laughed at the thought. “That would be nice.”
“Come on, you need to buy me breakfast,” my brother said, leading us back to the living room.
“Why do I need to buy you breakfast? Shouldn’t you be feeding me since I’m the pregnant one and all?”
“Are you kidding me? That pregnancy test cost a fortune. Who knew that they cost so much? I would think you’d be able to purchase one at a dollar store with all those teen moms on TV.”
“How much was it?”
“Thirty-five dollars.”
I stopped walking. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, I bought the best one
they had.”
I walked over to my purse. “Here, let me give you your money back.”
Derek grabbed my hand. “No. It was worth every dollar to see this glow in your eyes. As weird as this situation or moment is, I’m glad that I’m here with you instead of Liz or Drew.”
“Me, too. Thank you, Derek.”
My brother gave me the biggest smile. “Congratulation, Mom.”
“Oh god! Do you think I’ll end up parenting like her?”
“No. Marie’s got that one handled.”
After my brother took me out for a terrific brunch, I headed back to the office to finish some last-minute details.
“Thanks for walking me to the lobby doors. I could have walked from the restaurant myself though.”
“Don’t mention it. Are you sure you don’t want to come to the game tonight? I can get you locker-room tickets.”
“No, thanks. As much as I want to go, I better be prepared for tomorrow’s meeting.”
“Don’t work too hard. The stress isn’t good for the baby.” He tapped my nose. “And don’t forget to get a nap in, too.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I joked.
“Seriously, Kirsten, you don’t need to take this guy’s shit. You can quit. I’ll hire you as my new agent if that’s what you need.”
“Thank you, but I’m sure things will slow down. I think Marc is just pushing my buttons to prove my loyalty to the company.”
“I think you’ve proved it enough, or they wouldn’t have made you a partner.”
“What can I say, bro? It’s a man’s world out there.”
“Kirsten, you know that is a bunch of bullshit. Don’t start fucking believing that shit now.”
“I won’t, big brother. Now, get going before you’re late for warm-ups.”
“Love you.”
“Love you, too, Uncle Derek.” He smiled at me before he walked out of the lobby, shaking his head.
After tossing my breakfast for the second time since coming to work this morning, I finally managed to set up the meeting room how I wanted it. I quickly went back into my office and replaced my sneakers with my pink shiny stilettos that accented my little black dress so well. The dress curved nicely around my ass and pushed my boobs up in the right direction. It did wonders to my tummy that now had someone growing inside of it. Someone is growing inside of me.
The Game-Kirsten Backhard Page 23