by Olivia Rush
“There you are,” he said. “Sit, sit.”
I approached one of the chairs in front of his desk, moving aside piles of papers and takeout food bags and containers. Danvers got up as soon as I took my place. He tossed the magazine onto his desk and approached the small shelf near the window, the shelves packed with awards and plaques. Front and center was a Pulitzer Prize, polished and as new-looking as the day he received it.
“I tell you how I got this?” he asked.
“Only every other week,” I said with a smile, doing my best to hide just how nervous I was.
“Report on corruption in the MTA,” he said. “Earned it when I was forty years old. High point of my life, depending on how well I’m getting along with my wife on the day you ask.”
He shook his head and turned his attention back to me.
“And look at you, still in your damn twenties and writing something that makes what I put out look like shit!”
“Now,” I said, raising my hands. “Let’s not go totally crazy.”
He plopped down in his chair, the seat groaning under his weight.
“I don’t want to get your hopes up, kid, but this article on the fires and the station is something else. You’ve got some major talent. I mean, I knew that already, but here you are putting it all on display for the entire city to see.”
I couldn’t hold it back any longer.
“I’m pregnant,” I said, the words blurting out.
Danvers’s eyes went as wide as I’ve ever seen them. He sat dumbfounded for several long moments before raising his finger as if to make a point, then shaking his head, apparently thinking better of it.
Tension pooled in the base of my gut as Danvers looked aside, his hands folded on his big belly.
Finally, he spoke.
“While a ‘congratulations’ is in order, I can’t help but feel like there’s more to the story,” he said, turning his skeptical eyes onto me, waiting to see where I was going with this.
“There is,” I said.
I reached forward and tapped the smiling face of Stone on the cover.
“That’s the dad.”
Danvers raised his eyebrows, opened his mouth, and nodded. I could almost see the pieces fit together in his head. Then his expression hardened.
Here comes the executioner’s sword, I thought as I squirmed in my seat.
“Then that means you and he…did what needs to be done to make a baby at some point when you were writing the story.”
“That’s right.”
“And you don’t need me to tell you that this is a major no-no—to put it lightly.’
“I don’t.”
Danvers heaved himself up from his chair, folded his hands behind his back, and took a long look out the window behind him.
“I could fire you for this, you know,” he said. “Sleeping with a source… That’s bad, kid. You exercised some terrible judgment, and I’ve got grounds to send you packing right this minute, if I were so inclined.”
I said nothing, instead swallowing hard.
Danvers strolled over to his Pulitzer and took it off the shelf. He regarded it longingly for several seconds, and part of me wondered if it was about to come sailing at my head. Considering what I’d done, it’d be an entirely deserved punishment.
“I ever tell you how I met Gale?” he asked, setting down the award and turning his attention to the photo of the two of them on his desk.
“Just that you met her on the job,” I said.
“It was when I was writing this story,” he said. “I knew I had a story on my hands, but I had no way to crack into the MTA. That place is like a damn medieval secret society to get into for people like us. So, one night at a bar while I was downing cheap beer after cheap beer, I happened to lay eyes on the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in my life.”
He went on.
“The two of us got to talking, and lo and behold, I find out that she does payroll for the MTA. I managed to sweet-talk her into being a source, and somehow, I got her to agree. Maybe she thought I was cute or something—who knows. Anyway, I swore that I was going to keep things nice and professional, but the heart wants what it wants, as they say.”
“I had no idea,” I said.
“It’s not something I like to talk about, for obvious reasons. Moral of the story is that as much as we like to keep work and the rest of life separated, it’s just not always possible. And you don’t strike me as the kind of journalist who’s, ah, doing whatever it takes for the story.”
“No,” I said, my eyes falling onto Stone’s face on the cover. “There’s…something there between us.”
Danvers laughed and pointed to my belly.
“Yeah,” he said. “To put it lightly.”
I laughed, feeling the tension ease by the moment.
“Kid,” he said, “this is your moment. You think this story might be the high point of your career, but I know it’s just the beginning. You’re probably gonna get too big for this little magazine before too long, and I can’t wait to say I worked with you.”
Warm tears formed in my eyes. “Thanks, Danvers,” I said, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything,” he said, his tone gruff again. “Just get back to work. You set yourself a new high bar, you know.”
I laughed.
“I know.”
I got up and began to head out of the office.
“Congratulations, kid,” said Danvers as I stepped back onto the main office floor.
“Thanks, boss,” I said.
All of the worry I’d been keeping inside disappeared like smoke on a gust of wind. Danvers and I had a little secret, but my career was safe. I spent the rest of the shift in a blissed-out daze, answering questions from other reporters who called into the office to speak to me about my article.
When I was all done at work, I grabbed a sparkling water with Meg, breaking the news about just why I wasn’t able to drink. After a couple rounds of celebratory Perrier, I was more than ready to get back to the apartment and share the good news with Stone. I was so overjoyed that my walk back seemed more like a long, lazy float.
One issue remained—I was going to be a baby mama. Before I met Stone the idea of marriage was not at all on my radar, but now that I was getting ready to have his kid, it went from something I occasionally thought about to something I couldn’t get out of my mind. But I knew Stone’s past, and I knew that pressuring him about the issue likely wouldn’t go over well. I was happy for now, and that was going to have to be good enough.
I stepped into the apartment, still feeling better than I had in days. Stone was there, seated on the couch with Jason, the two of them in the middle of an intense Fortnite match. Stone flashed me a smile as I entered.
My eyes glanced over his body, noting that he was dressed in something a little nicer than his usual jeans and fitted T-shirt. He wore a pair of slim gray slacks and a light blue button-up shirt, the outfit finished with a sleek pair of ink-black and polished double-monk shoes.
“Hey guys,” I said, setting my purse down on the nearest bar stool. “In the middle of something important, I see.”
“Just Jason kicking my butt, as usual,” said Stone. “Sheesh, this is embarrassing.”
“You’re not even trying,” said Jason.
Stone laughed.
“My skills are so bad that I’m being mistaken for someone purposefully throwing the match.”
I watched Stone’s character get taken down via a sniper rifle shot to the head. Jason laughed with delight.
“OK,” said Stone. “I think that’s enough humiliation for one day.”
“Lame,” said Jason.
“Besides, Callie and I have a big night ahead.”
I raised my eyebrows in surprise.
“We do?” I asked.
“We do,” he said, standing up and sweeping his hands over his outfit. “Hence the fancy duds.”
“What
’re we doing?” I asked, a smile forming on my lips.
“I thought the two of us could have a nice night out, just the two of us. I’ve got the sitter coming over for Jason, and I made reservations at this awesome bistro on the Upper West Side. Only thing left is for you to find something to wear.”
“That…sounds amazing,” I said. “And this is all…just because?”
“I know you’ve had a lot going on with work, and the article you’ve been busting your butt on for so long is finally on the stands. So, we’re going to celebrate.”
“Aw, baby,” I said, stepping over to Stone and slipping my arms around him. “You’re such a damn sweetheart it hurts sometimes.”
Then Jason chimed in.
“Yeah,” he said. “Plus, Dad’s got a surprise for you. But I’m not supposed to tell you what it is.”
Stone’s eyes opened as wide as I’ve ever seen them, the color draining out of his face.
“Surprise?” I asked.
“Buddy!” said Stone, clearly unnerved by what had just happened. “A surprise isn’t a surprise if you tell the person it’s coming.”
“Oh,” said Jason. “Well, I didn’t tell her what it was.”
Stone allowed himself a dry chuckle. “You kinda might as well have, dude.”
“Surprise?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Stone lowered his eyes and shook his head.
“I guess there’s no sense in keeping it a secret thanks to blabbermouth here.”
He reached over and mussed Jason’s shaggy hair.
“Let me grab something,” he said. “Meet me out on the balcony.”
With that, he disappeared down the hallway leading to the bedroom.
Excitement took hold of me. I rushed out onto the balcony, the cool evening air wrapping around me as my mind raced with the possibilities of just what Stone had in store.
I didn’t have to wait long. Stone arrived out on the balcony, a strange expression on his face. The always-cool-and-collected Stone Black was…nervous.
“Wait,” I said. “This is a good surprise, I hope.”
He allowed himself a smile.
“That’d be pretty messed up to call bad news a ‘surprise,’” he said.
“That it would,” I said.
Stone’s mouth formed into a tight line. He looked away, as if trying to figure out just what to say. I wrung my hands in anticipation, not sure just what to expect.
“You coming into my life was the last thing I expected,” he said, placing his hands on the balcony railing and turning his gaze toward the city. “And right from the start you rubbed me the wrong way. You were bossy, entitled, and, well, kind of a brat.”
He flashed me a half-grin, his eyes twinkling. I laughed and gave him a playful jab to the shoulder.
“But damned if you weren’t the most gorgeous woman that I’d ever seen in my life. I didn’t want to admit it to myself at first, but I knew there was something special about you, something that told me you weren’t a woman who’d just float through my life.
“And sure enough, life brought us together in the most unexpected way possible. And through it all, I learned that you’re unlike any other woman I’d ever met. You were more than the brat I assumed you were—you showed me you were tough, fearless, and talented as hell. And despite my vow to never open myself up in the way that got me burned before, I found myself falling for you more and more with each day.
“And now you’re carrying my child. I know that I should feel nervous about this, but instead, all I feel is gratitude. Gratitude and love.”
He took my hands into his and stared deep into me with those gorgeous eyes.
“Callie, I love you. I love you so much that it feels at times like my heart might burst. And I know I’d regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t ask you what I’m about to.”
He let go of my hands and reached into his pocket, withdrawing a small, black box. My heart leaped up to my throat as I realized what it was. Stone opened the box, revealing a diamond ring so gorgeous and brilliant that it glittered even in the evening lights of the city.
“Callie,” he asked, slowly lowering himself to one knee and looking up into my eyes. “Will you—”
I couldn’t even wait for him to finish the sentence.
“Yes!” I shouted, throwing my arms around him and bringing him to his feet.
He slipped the ring onto my finger and I held out my hand, my heart feeling as though it might burst out of my chest.
“I think you might’ve just made me the happiest man in the city,” he said, slipping his arm around me and pulling me in for a kiss.
“Consider the feeling more than mutual,” I said.
Then we kissed, our bodies melting into one another’s as we pulled each other close.
At that moment, my joy was boundless.
Epilogue
STONE
Ten months later…
I opened my eyes slowly, refreshed from a long night’s rest. With a heave, I rolled my still-waking body over onto my side. Callie was still asleep, her chest rising and falling with each slow, steady breath. The sight of her without her pregnancy bump was still taking some getting used to, the roundness slowly returning to a flat, toned look. She was as beautiful as hell either way.
I still couldn’t get over how she looked while she slept, her face calm and angelic, her fire-red curls hanging loosely over her delicate features. I’d spent more than a few mornings just watching her sleep, still unable to believe that a woman like her was with me.
But she must’ve been just as eager to get up as I was. Her eyes slowly opened, her gorgeous blues even more brilliant in the soft morning light that poured into the bedroom.
“Morning,” she said, a warm smile spreading across her ruby-red lips.
“Morning,” I said, placing my hand on the curve of her hip and pulling her close.
My other hand moved to my cock, as solid as a stone with my morning erection. Callie glanced down, noticing just what was happening under the covers.
“I see someone’s wide awake,” she said, a sensual tone to her voice. “Is he as excited about the wedding today as I am?”
I moved even closer, pressing her body against mine, her full breasts flattening against my solid chest.
“I don’t know about that,” I said. “He’s more of a one-track-mind kind of thinker.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Is that right?” she asked. “And just what subject might be on that one track?”
I moved my hand down to the small of Callie’s back, her skin warm and inviting.
“I think you know him well enough to know just what that subject is.”
She took in a slow draw of air as she sucked softly on her bottom lip. I moved my free hand from my cock to her thigh, the heat from her cunt palpable on my skin.
“You’re right about that,” she said. “He’s very straightforward in what he wants.”
I moved my hand slowly along the soft creaminess of her inner thigh, my touch getting closer and closer to her pussy.
“And I’m getting the impression that you are thinking the same thing.”
She gave me a teasing smile.
“I don’t know,” she said. “Isn’t it bad luck or something to sleep with the groom on the morning of the wedding? Aren’t we supposed to wait until you carry me over the threshold before you give me a good ravishing?”
I kept my hand moving up and up, until the side of my thumb was pressed against her lips. Her pussy was warm and wet, and the feeling of her arousal against my hand was almost too much to bear. My cock twitched, ready to be buried deep.
“I think you’re misinterpreting that particular tradition,” I said. “I think it’s just bad luck to see you in your gown before the ceremony.”
I was rubbing her now, pressing the side of my hand against her clit.
Callie’s breath became quicker, shallower as I touched her.
“Is…ah…is…oh go
d…is that right?” she asked, barely able to speak through the pleasure.
“I think so,” I said.
Callie bucked her hips against my hand, grinding her soaking wet cunt against me.
“Then…you’d better fuck me now,” she said. “We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”
That was all I needed to hear. I sprang from my side, the arousal that was running through my body having pushed away any last traces of fatigue. I was soon on top of her, my long, thick cock hanging heavy only inches away from her pussy.
But as much as I wanted to shove my cock into her good and deep, I wanted to taste her first. I lowered my head over her chest, taking the nipple of her right breast into my mouth and sucking it slowly, delicately. Callie’s chest rose under me, her hands moving up the narrow lines of my hips, massaging her hands up my back, and running them through my messy bedhead.
Her nipples were salty, the taste of her skin like nothing else. After teasing her for just a bit, I moved down and down, kissing her sternum and moving my tongue along the faint lines of her ribs, the slight curves of her stomach. I paid special attention to her hip bones, licking and sucking them before dragging my lips over the silky tuft of bright red hair just above her pussy.
The smell of her arousal flooded my senses, and it took every bit of restraint I had to not skip the foreplay and fuck her good right then and there.
“Good things come to those who wait, huh?” she asked, looking down at me.
“Good things certainly do come,” I said, with a smirk.
She playfully rolled her eyes at me
“Can’t believe I’m marrying a man with this sense of h—Oh-god-oh-god-oh-god.”
The sensation of my tongue against her clit made her unable to even finish her sentence. Once down at her pussy, the delicious taste of her cunt flooding my mouth, I became single-minded.
I licked slowly at first, dragging my tongue bit by bit over her. Callie moaned, her hips rolling like steady waves. She threw her head back, her mane of hair splaying out on the pillow around her head.
I slipped a finger into her as I licked her, then two. My tongue seemed to move on its own accord as I licked and licked, curling my finger as I entered her to make sure her G-spot was getting the attention that it needed.