by Jessica Marx
I knock and enter. He’s sitting in one of the leather chairs by the window poring over some portfolio. He looks up when I enter and stands. He doesn’t look very happy to see me. I stop where I am.
Mason walks passed me and closes the doors. I smile. It’s been a while since we’ve been alone. I wouldn’t mind a little affection today.
“What the fuck, Samantha?”
I inhale a deep breath. What? Mason sounds angry. This is not what I was expecting.
“What is it? Do you not trust me?”
“Mason. I don’t…what are you talking about?”
He looks me right in the eyes. He reaches his hands out and places them on my stomach, “is it true?”
The confidence I spent the whole day building up, drains from my body. I drop my hands to my sides, “how do you…”
“Fuck.” Mason drops his hands and walks back to his chair, but doesn’t sit.
“Mason, I didn’t know how to tell you,” I begin. I don’t know what to say. I’m completely unprepared for this. There is a look of distress on him that I’ve never seen.
“Right, but you knew how to tell everyone else.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Of course it’s like that, Samantha!” he yells, “how do you think I found out? Not from you - obviously.”
I start crying quietly. Mason’s hurt. I hurt him. He’s so angry. This is bad.
“How could you? Do you distrust me so much that you would rather keep it a secret? Maybe get rid of the baby before I ever knew?” He runs his hands back through his hair, “or is it like my father predicted? You’re looking for a payout.”
“Wow.” I reply. I get that he’s speaking from anger, but he’s being downright nasty.
“I fucking love you, Samantha. I would do anything for you. I would love nothing more than to have a family together - but maybe I was wrong,” he says, trying to find the right words, “if you loved me, if you trusted me, you wouldn’t keep this a secret from me.”
“You love me?” I ask. He’s never told me before, but this isn't how I thought I would hear it.
“Of course I love you.”
I begin to sob, “oh, Mason. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just…I thought…”
“You didn’t think. How could you even question if I love you? How could you not trust me?”
“You never told me, Mason. I didn’t know. I hoped - but I wasn’t sure. I was scared that if I told you, you would be angry - that you would leave me. You’re not really a guy who wants to be tied down.”
“Have you ever heard the saying ‘actions speak louder than words’?” he asks, “fuck. I have never loved anyone the way I love you. No woman has touched my soul the way you do. Judging by my past, I can see you believing I don’t want to be tied down, but don’t you feel what we have? Don’t you believe in it? In us?”
“I do.” I take a seat in one of the chairs at the conference table.
“Well, you have a funny way of showing it. Trust is important, Samantha. Without it, we will never work.”
Mason sits down in the seat next to mine and faces me. He takes my hands in his, “have I ever given you a reason to distrust me?”
“No.”
“Then why would you think I would leave you - that I wouldn’t support you?”
“I don’t know. I mean you’re pretty angry right now,” I try to smile through my tears.
“Yes - I’m angry - very fucking angry. You’re pregnant. We’re having a baby - a baby we made out of love - but you didn’t trust me enough to tell me. I had to hear it from someone else. My father of all people,” Mason rolls his eyes.
“Your father?”
“Yes. He was more than happy to be the one to tell me.”
“How does he know?” I ask in disbelief.
“I don’t know. He referred to my ‘slutty receptionist’ so that only narrows it down a little bit,” Mason jokes, “it doesn’t matter anyway.”
Now I know why Kim looked so smug. Alex must have definitely overheard Kait and I and told her work friends.
“It does matter. I wanted to be the one to tell you.”
“Yes, it would have been nice to hear it from you, but we can’t change that now, can we?”
“No.”
We sit facing each other, twirling our hands together.
“What happens now?” I ask.
“Now? We get ready to have a baby.”
Mason reaches his hands out and holds my head up. He wipes my tears away with his thumbs.
“I love you, Samantha. I’m going to take care of you - both of you - always.” He leans over and kisses me softly on the lips.
The sensation of his lips on mine is too much, though. It’s been too long since we’ve kissed or touched. I wrap my arms around him, parting his lips with my tongue. Our kiss deepens. He pulls me closer. My body comes off the chair and I sit on his lap.
“We’re having a baby,” he whispers happily.
“We are.”
He kisses me again. “Something about knowing my baby is in there,” he runs his hand over my belly, “is kind of hot.”
“Oh, yeah? Kind of?”
“No. It’s really fucking hot. You think the baby would mind?” Mason asks, sliding his hand down to the hem of my skirt.
“Not at all,” I reply, suddenly very aroused.
Mason slips his hand under my skirt and runs it up my thigh until he reaches my panty line. He pulls the material, stretching the elastic away from my skin. I draw a deep breath filled with anticipation.
“You know, you made me very angry, Samantha,” Mason says, taunting me - his fingertips purposely grazing over my sex. The sound of Mason’s voice and his playful warning cause me to exhale heavily.
“You’ve been a bad girl.” He slides one finger inside me, “but I can’t spank you, knowing you’re with child now.” He inserts one more finger, slowly moving them in and out of me, “So what am I going to do with you?”
I’m already so wet. Mason barely has to touch me. The combination of my now raging hormones, the sound of his voice, and the way he teases me, are enough to drive me wild.
Mason moves his hand faster and kisses me once more before taking his lips off mine again, “I asked you a question, Samantha,” he teases.
“What?” I ask breathlessly.
“What am I going to do with you?”
“Whatever you want.”
“Hmm, so many choices. There are so many things I want to do to you right now.” He turns me around so I’m facing the table and stands behind me.
Mason reaches his hands around and unbuttons my shirt, “I’m going to fuck you nice and slow. I don’t want to be too rough,” he explains. I hear him unbuckling his belt behind me.
“That doesn’t sound like punishment,” I say, playing along.
He grabs my hair, pulling my head back and whispers in my ear, “don’t make me change my mind then.”
He places soft kisses on my neck and gently sucks on my ear. I reach my hands back to touch him, but Mason pushes them back, “no, you don’t get to touch.”
“That’s not fair,” I say, grinning. I like this game.
“No, it’s not. Consider that part of your punishment.” Mason places a hand on each of my breasts and rubs them gently, “do you think you can trust me now, Samantha?”
“Yes,” I reply, my eyes closed.
Mason tweaks my nipples in his fingertips. My breasts are so much more sensitive now, my whole body stiffens.
“Tell me again.”
“Yes,” I say a little bit louder.
With his hands on my breasts and his lips against my neck, he speaks softly into my ear, “I love you, Samantha. I’ve never said that to anyone before.”
“I love you too, Mason.”
“Are you sure?” he asks, teasing me again.
“Yes.”
“Sure enough to let me fuck you in front of the whole city?” Mason asks. I look out across the tabl
e to the wall to wall windows in front of me. We are overlooking half of Manhattan, but no one can see us.
I hear the sound of Mason’s zipper open and feel the motion of him pulling his pants down. I begin to turn to touch him, but he pushes me away again, “I said no touching. Now be a good girl and put your hands on the table.”
I giggle, but do as he tells me. We’ve played around like this before, but never after an actual fight. It’s so much more intense.
Mason doesn’t bother removing my skirt. He lifts it up and yanks my panties down. I lean forward more onto my hands. He places his hands on my hips and without hesitating, he enters me.
He sinks his entire length inside of me, my core slick and ready for him. Mason presses himself into me, as deep as he can go, “I’m not hurting you, am I?” he asks, seriously. He’s suddenly unsure about my new body.
“No. You feel incredible.”
“Good.” He continues to thrust deeper, my body writhing against his.
Mason caresses my breasts in his hands as he moves inside of me. He gently pulls my body up and back into his. His cock is massaging my insides while his hands are doing the same to my outsides. I want to scream, but I can’t. This is his office. There are still people lurking about - which is crazy - and completely erotic.
He nuzzles himself into my neck, “tell me you love me again, Samantha.”
“I love you,” He presses himself harder into me and pulls my body against his as close as he can.
My hips buck back against his as we move together, bringing ourselves close to climax. He moves faster. I can feel his cock throbbing inside of me. I can’t hold back anymore. Silently, I climax. My warmth surrounding him. I reach around and pull Mason into me. This time he doesn’t stop me. He grabs tighter onto my hips and releases himself inside of me. We continue to move our hips together, rolling them in circles, slower and slower.
I rest my body forward onto the table, leaning on my elbows. Mason leans over me, still inside of me. We stay like that for a minute, then he pulls me back up and turns me back around.
He brushes my hair back from my face. I’m sure I look like a mess right now, but I don't care.
“Don’t ever keep anything from me again, okay?” he says softly.
“I won’t. I promise.”
Mason smiles and wraps his arms around me, “I can’t believe we’re having a baby.”
“Me either. It feels unreal.”
“Well, I think we have a lot to talk about and some celebrating to do. How about we make ourselves look presentable and go have some dinner?”
“That sounds like a perfect idea.”
I take a step back and Mason pulls me back into him again, embracing me in a warm hug, “I love you Samantha.”
“I love you too.”
We stay there, holding each other, embraced in a kiss. A wave of relief washes over me.
Mason’s happy. He’s not going anywhere. He loves me.
Mason and I spend the next couple of weeks in a euphoric kind of happiness. I’ve spent every night at his apartment and he is seeing to it that I take care of myself. I have my first ultrasound appointment this week. Mason will be joining me - and neither of us could be more elated.
Garrison hasn’t said a word to me - not that he ever really has. From what Mason has told me about him, I shouldn’t expect much. Had he not found out through the office grapevine, I don’t know when Mason would have even told him. Garrison Grant doesn’t care for much other than himself and his money. Me having a baby will mean nothing to him. I feel bad for Mason though. His father is his only family - it would be nice if he gave a shit. Maybe by the time the baby is here, he will change his mind. At least for now, we have my mother on our side.
I promised my mom that we would come and stay the weekend with her. She’s called almost every day to check on me. She’s so happy for me, which considering the circumstances, took me by surprise. I’m sure as a mother she always hoped I would be married before having a child, but she’s quite smitten with Mason, so she seems to have made an exception. The fact that he has millions of dollars, and that raising a child with him will guarantee I will be staying in New York, also plays a part I’m sure. Plus - she’s going to be a Grandmother.
I haven’t told anyone at the office other than Kaitlyn. Obviously, other people know, but I’m not acknowledging that. They can talk about me - us - all they want. Until I confirm that the rumors are true, no one is going to say anything to my face and that’s fine. No one would dare approach Mason about it anyway.
I leave my desk to go to the bathroom. I seem to spend a lot of time there lately - either from the pressure on my bladder or the occasional morning sickness, which I now know isn’t just for mornings. On my way out, I run into Mr. Grant - Garrison. Actually, it seems like he might have been waiting for me.
“Mr. Grant, how are you?” I ask in a friendly tone.
“Ms. Roberts,” he greets me. He is smiling but there is no sincerity behind it, “I was hoping you and I could talk.”
“Of course, what’s up?” I’m keeping up an amicable attitude, but I feel a little intimidated by his presence.
“Do you have a few moments? Can you come to my office?”
“Sure,” I comply. When the owner of the company asks you to talk, you do it, even if you know it’s probably not about anything office related.
I follow Garrison to his office. It’s smaller than Mason’s, but he doesn’t spend as much time in town, so he doesn’t need as much space to work and entertain clients. From what I understand, Mason takes care of most of that now anyway.
“Have a seat Ms. Roberts,” Mr. Grant points to one of the deep red, leather chairs. His office looks completely different than the rest of the Grant and Son. I assume that when they redecorated and modernized the office, Garrison refused to change his personal space.
“May I call you Samantha now? seeing how we’re almost family it seems fitting.”
“Sure, we don’t need to be formal,” I smile. He is being snide, but I’m trying to play it cool.
“I suppose congratulations are in order.”
“Thanks,” I reply.
“I have to admit, the news was a bit unexpected.”
“For all of us.”
“Was it?” he asks, taking a seat behind his mahogany desk.
“Pardon?” I ask. I’m not quite sure what he’s asking, but if he’s saying what I think he is, I’m going to lose my cool.
“Come on, Samantha. I’m a smart man. I didn’t get to be as powerful as I am by being naive.”
“What are you implying?”
“I’m not really ‘implying’ as much as I am making an observation. My son is handsome and wealthy. He has a very bright future ahead of him. Women are drawn to Mason like moths to a flame. Maybe you found a weakness, made your way in, but he doesn’t need a woman - more specifically, not a woman and baby - to drag him down.”
My eyes open wide. This guy is more of an asshole than I imagined, “I have no intention of dragging Mason anywhere. I’m not forcing him to be with me against his will. He’s free to do as he pleases,” I reply angrily.
“I know my son well enough to know that he doesn’t stay with one woman. You may not think you’re forcing him to be with you, but you are. You accidentally getting yourself pregnant solidifies his involvement with you.”
I begin to rise from my seat, “I don’t have to listen to this.”
“Look, Samantha, it’s too late to fix what happened. I just want you to know that you can have this baby and be very well provided for without involving Mason any further.”
I stare blankly at Mr. Grant. I don’t know how to respond to his suggestions without spitting in his face - which I’m very close to doing.
“If Mason chooses not to be involved, rest assured, he is under no obligation to me. I don’t want anything from you, Garrison,” I spew the words like poison, “I can call you that, right? Seeing how we’re almost family.”<
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“I think that’s where we aren’t seeing the situation eye to eye. My son is indeed obligated to you. I’m quite sure you know that.”
I don’t want to agree with him, but he’s right. It wouldn’t matter if Mason made billions or minimum wage - this baby is his. If I wanted to, I could fight for his support. I wouldn’t though. I don’t need to. I know Mason loves me. Fuck this guy.
“You’re right. We aren’t seeing this situation eye to eye. Rest assured, you’re fortune and your company are safe. I don’t need anything from you,” I turn to leave the room and look back, “more importantly, I don’t want anything from you.”
“I hope you love my son as much as you think. Be careful.”
Fuck you. “You know, Mr. Grant, maybe you should take your head out of your ass for a minute and look around. Your son has taken this company to a whole new level. He has increased profits in a way you were never able to do. Also, he loves me. Did you ever think for one minute that maybe - just maybe - Mason isn’t like you? Maybe he’s changed. Maybe he’s not the man you think. One thing I know for sure - he’s more of a man than you’ll ever be.”
I walk out and leave the door open behind me. Holy shit. I can’t believe I said all of those things to Garrison Grant. What an asshole. How dare he accuse me of getting pregnant for the money! What kind of person can even fathom a scenario like that? Is he that jaded?
I storm back to my department. I feel like there is steam coming out of my ears. I should probably clean out my desk. There is no way this can end well.
24
Mason
“Hello, beautiful.”
“Hey,” Samantha replies, kissing me quickly on the cheek.
We get into the town car and Dan drives us to the doctor’s office. I can tell Samantha isn’t herself. Something isn’t right. Her mood has been all over the place lately so who knows?
We hold hands in the waiting room. I twirl her fingers in mine. I wish she had a ring on her finger like all these other women. One day. For now, we just have to get through the pregnancy. We have the rest of our lives to get married.
“Samantha Roberts,” the nurse announces.