by Cj Howard
His mind went back to the last few days in Manhattan. The last night she had refused a cocktail or wine. She did seem to be a bit fuller through the abdominal area and breasts, but he had been trying to feed her morning, noon, and night. It hit him that the entire time they were together, a baby was growing inside of her, their baby.
Knowing would have made the precious lovemaking more emotional, and the kidnapping and subsequent motorcycle fiasco would have been that much more terrifying. He realized that she probably had already known. The strong woman had held up under such trying circumstances knowing that she was carrying a child. He almost wept thinking of her as she told him that she had to go.
He had no choice about whether or not she would stay, but he did have a choice about going to her. He knew that he would be on the next possible flight to Las Vegas.
Chantelle sat in the cubicle at work. The walls were low and there was very little privacy. She didn’t have her own desk, but she had a few favorite belongings that she kept in her bag and set out for each workday. She set up a picture of Aunt Janine, put out her favorite coffee mug, and now she also placed a pressed daisy on the desk before she began to work.
Her friends had been very happy to have her back, but Chantelle wasn’t glad to be back in this environment where many people were happy to claw their way to the next level. Three of the people in the room with her today were always looking for some way to bump up to the next level, and if that meant making it uncomfortable for everyone else, they didn’t care.
Chantelle decided to try to ignore the office gossip and the drama going on between the coworkers across the room and to try instead to focus on her job. This was difficult because it was extremely boring and there was no challenge to her at all, except to keep her temper when people were rude. The bosses tried to keep people encouraged, but they tended to get caught up in climbing the ladder and often treated the employees like they were stupid while expecting them to perform like geniuses.
It didn’t make sense and she couldn’t change it now. She needed this job more than ever. At least it had a short paid maternity leave which was a lot more than most jobs she could get. She had no idea what she would do once her leave was up. She had checked on the costs of day care and knew that she couldn’t afford daycare and rent at the same time. She tried to think of something else when suddenly she noticed that there was a series of hushed whispers that went through the room.
The most annoying boss, Mr. Bob, walked in his lumbering way, to the cubicle where Chantelle worked, “There’s someone here to see you and I wanted to make sure it’s okay with you. Don’t think that this means I’m starting to allow visitors!” He said, pivoting on his heel to scan the room and direct the comment to the others as well as Chantelle. “I’m allowing this gentleman in because he is the owner of one of our sister companies. So I will be expecting all of you to be on your best behavior. He could have all of us fired faster than you can snap your fingers.”
He finished his little speech and went to get the visitor. When he returned, Justin was with him, carrying a bouquet of daisies. Justin went to Chantelle and she rose from her chair and nearly fell into his arms. The moment was priceless because they didn’t have to say a word. They knew that they belonged together. Tears spilled from her eyes and he blinked back tears of his own. They looked at each other and laughed at the state they were in. Suddenly Chantelle realized that she was standing at work and that her coworkers and boss were sitting and standing around them, open mouthed.
Justin turned to Mr. Bob and said, “Thanks for helping me find her. I’m promoting this one.” Chantelle laughed at him as his eyes fell on the pressed daisy. “Honey, let’s take this with us and use daisies to decorate the baby’s room.” He spoke it softly in her ear for only the two of them to hear.
Justin and Chantelle went directly to Aunt Janine’s house. Aunt Janine immediately approved of Justin. They spent the rest of the morning talking about “Channy’s school days.” Aunt Janine got out pictures and also showed them pictures of her parents. Janine never spent too much time dwelling on her sister’s tragedies, but she loved her sister and she was never completely absent from her mind.
They made lunch together in the small kitchen. Aunt Janine was able to teach Justin how to make biscuits, although his were shaped like something from another planet. Janine hugged them each and told Chantelle that the distance wouldn’t seem so far if she could visit often. Justin wanted to bring Aunt Janine to Manhattan with them, but Janine couldn’t leave her neighborhood and the children who counted on her for a bit of safety in a difficult world.
Chantelle and Justin stayed in her apartment that night and she was pleased to find that as long as the rooms were relatively clean, he was content. “I can live without a penthouse and limo. You’re the only thing I can’t live without, honey.” He kissed her gently and rubbed her belly, although there was only the hint of a difference in her size. He hoped that it wasn’t odd that the idea of her carrying his child was arousing. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he needed to feel her around him again.
He asked her if they would have to wait until after the baby was born. Her laughter trilled through the room. “Of course not!” She laughed again and slowly started to walk toward the bed. With each step she slipped off another piece of clothing until she stood before the bed, her smooth skin gleaming in the light of a candle on her dresser.
Justin came to her and laid her down on the bed. He kissed her belly, where he knew his child was safely growing. His warm mouth moved down to the mound above her wetness. He looked up at her and, seeing approval in her yes, he flicked his tongue across her core. A bolt of lightning ran up her body and back down to her toes.
He moved his lips over her, delving his tongue into her deeply, tasting her until she writhed under his mouth and came. He held her hip with one hand and kept up with her needs until she was spent. She didn’t think she could come again, but he moved himself onto her and thrust his solid erection into her. This time was new because they had overcome their doubts and worries, and they were going to stay together.
They both felt the importance of this and knew that it was more of a joining than anything written on paper. In order to give her some time to recover from her orgasms and to keep him from exploding into her, he very slowly pushed his way deep inside of her. She let out a low moan and grabbed his hips, trying to get more and get it faster, but he teased her with his long shaft and pulled it out so slowly; so tantalizing was he that she wanted to beg.
They settled into a slow groove that began to mount. They were moving closer to orgasm, when he stopped. She moaned with longing. He rolled them around without taking himself from the inside of her body. Now she was on top. It felt as if he were reaching to the very back of her and she was able to position herself in the places that made her feel everything he had. His thickness filled her.
She moved up and down on him. She didn’t think it was possible, but when she found the right spot and began working back and forth, she came with such force that she brought him with her. She collapsed on him and they stayed that way, holding each other, not wanting to part.
The next morning, they awoke to the ringing of Justin’s cell phone. It was Justin’s father. “I understand that you’ve gone against my wishes.”
“Yes, sir” Just said it with a firm voice.
“I understand that you can’t marry Candace now. It’s a shame and a pity, but if you feel that strongly about it, we’ll find you another suitable girl. The Dunlops have a daughter who should be about the right age. That would make for a nice business alliance. Now, I will have some trouble with Candace’s family, but I suppose I can smooth it over.
We’ve run into rough spots before and worked things out. Besides, we can’t have a woman cheating on you during her fertile years. I want to know that my grandchildren carry my blood. We can’t be wondering if a little tramp like Candace is thinning our bloodline. I’ve worked too hard and made too much money t
o pass it on to some little bastard child.”
Justin cut him off. “Father, before you go any further I want you to stop, and this time I want you to listen. I am marrying Chantelle. She is already carrying your grandchild. I know you don’t like this, but you are going to have to accept it. If you can smooth over problems like my break-up with Candace, we can all work to develop solid business relationships without marrying into them.”
Justin’s father was annoyed, but at his age he had little energy for so much drama, and he had to admit to himself that it was good to see his son take a stand as a grown man. It made him think back to a young lady who he had adored and left alone because she wasn’t suitable. His old, wrinkled eyes softened for a moment and his memory took him to a sunny beach and a picnic with a lovely girl.
Justin stopped short and looked at Chantelle’s startled face. “Oh, damn. I’m so sorry, Chantelle, I should have asked you before announcing it.”
She sat up in bed and threw her arms around his neck. “Oh, baby. I am so glad. I don’t even care. You already got down on one knee and proposed to me once.” She paused. “This time I don’t have a gorgeous ring, but it’s more important that I have you.”
Justin jumped out of bed and practically ran to his jacket. He pulled a small package from his breast pocket. He withdrew the diamond engagement ring. “Would you mind if we put these rings to use again?”
Two months later, Chantelle was standing in the dressing room of the grand sanctuary of St. John the Divine in New York. She hadn’t tried to maintain her weight for the wedding because the health of her baby was the most important thing for her, but she wasn’t showing yet and the fullness of her breasts added to the appeal of the satin gown. Aunt Janine was fussing with her veil and making sure that the train was fully down so that it would flow properly as Chantelle walked down the aisle.
Her bridesmaids had been allowed to choose their own dresses within the framework of complimentary colors and styles. Of course, D’aja had already caught the eye of the best man. Sam had been talking about D’aja for months and when he saw her in her black satin gown, he almost tripped over his own feet. For the first time in history, D’aja herself seemed to get a little tongue tied and quiet around Sam. Her loud flirtation was usually just an act to get attention and now that she really liked a man, she found herself at a loss for words.
Cherlyn wore a flowing gown. The colors seemed to shift subtly in the light. She managed to maintain her earthy style while striking a lovely and formal figure. Kaya was never to be shown up. She tried to out-dress even the bride, but Chantelle found Kaya’s quirks endearing, and she knew that Justin only had eyes for her. They were finishing their final preparations when someone knocked on the door.
“That better not be you, Justin.” D’aja called to the door. “You know it’s bad luck. You can keep your hands off of her for one hot minute while we get her to the damn alter, can’t you?”
A voice on the other side of the door spoke quietly. “Ah, yes, hello. This is Justin’s father.” D’aja slapped her hand over her mouth and mouthed ‘sorry’ in a dramatic way. She ran to the door and let the old man in. He came forward apologetically.
“Young lady, I wonder if I could have a brief word with you.” The two moved into the small adjoining dressing room and Mr. Fullerton sighed. “Chantelle, I know we got off to a bumpy start. I must tell you how sorry I am for any misunderstanding.” Chantelle thought to herself that there was no misunderstanding. This man wanted her out of his son’s life and there wasn’t any confusion about that, but she chose to control her tongue and give him a chance to speak.
“I’m here to welcome you into the family. I hope you will be very happy with us. You are a lovely young woman and I must say that I am very pleased with your behavior over the past few months. I wanted to give you this. It belonged to Justin’s grandmother. I thought you might still need something blue and old, other than your new father-in-law’s eyes.” He grunted a chuckle at his own joke.
Chantelle gave him a cautious smile and took the small box. She opened it to find a dazzling blue diamond necklace; the blue center stone was complimented by sparkling, white diamonds. She looked at him and asked, “Are you sure?”
He began to retreat from the room while speaking, “My dear, Justin’s grandma was part Choctaw and she used to tell us that we were getting too set in our ways. Sometimes she would go out to the woods and I wondered what kind of thoughts she was thinking. Of course, she always came home and did her duty, and every time she dressed for a major event, she wore this. Justin adored his grandmother and he always loved this jewel. I want you to have it as a token of trust and to show you that I’m not such a bad old guy.” He left the girls and headed to his seat in the church.
Aunt Janine put the necklace around Chantelle’s neck. She looked into the large mirror and saw her new life and her old life merging in a beautiful way. Her friends and her auntie stared back at the mirror. Justin’s beautiful ring sparkled on her finger, the blue diamond was dazzling on her chest.
She stroked her belly and thought of the baby who would be born into this family. Just then they heard the music coming from the hall, signaling the start of the wedding. Chantelle smiled at her wedding party and went to the door and stepped out into her new life.
THE END
Authors Personal Message:
Hey beautiful!
I really hope you enjoyed my novel and I would really love if you could give me a rating on the store at the below link!
YES, I WILL RATE YOU CJ!
Thanks in advance and if you want to check out all my other books and add them to your collection then just visit my Amazon Author page here! :)
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ALSO BY CJ HOWARD
THE BILLIONAIRE'S
CONVENIENT BRIDE
Billionaire Peter has found that his reputation for being a playboy is beginning to have a very negative effect on his business. So he needs a wife to help him shed his playboy image and he is willing to do what it takes to make it happen.
Emmaline is a woman with a heart of gold with big plans for her life but her job as a waitress does not make it easy for her to get where she wants to be. A payment of $3 million dollars to be the convenient bride of a billionaire for 3 years would set her up for life and it is not one she is going to turn down.
This was meant to be just a simple marriage of convenience with a clear end date and with both getting exactly what they want. However, once Peter takes time to get know Emmaline he begins to wonder if he ever wants this to end....
START READING THIS NOW AT THE BELOW LINKS
Amazon.com > http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WJ4Y5CE
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Amazon.ca > http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00WJ4Y5CE
Amazon.com.au > http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00WJ4Y5CE
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