A Little Bit Pregnant

by Susan Mallery

“Uneventful.”

  She’d finally met with Boyd and had officially ended their rapidly dying relationship.

  “Yours?” she asked.

  “Take-out pizza and baseball.”

  “I don’t remember Heather liking sports.”

  “I didn’t see Heather. She went back to Dallas.”

  “Oh.”

  Nicki told herself the information was mildly interesting at best, but that didn’t stop her from feeling relieved. Zane bringing her coffee and waiting to escort her inside reminded her of the old days. B.N.—before naked. Were they finally on their way to returning to normal?

  “You ready for today?” he asked as they moved into the building.

  “I think so.”

  He glanced at her white shirt. “You sure you want to wear that?”

  She grinned. “It’s more dramatic.”

  “If you say so.”

  By ten that morning, the six new recruits were seated in front of computer terminals and learning about the basics of hacking.

  “Time is always an issue,” Nicki said from her place at the front of the classroom. “Even with our sophisticated password programs, you’re unlikely to get into a hard drive in seconds. If the information is vital and you have a clear way out, sometimes it’s simply easier to take the damn thing with you.”

  Several of the students laughed.

  She smiled. “Especially if it’s a laptop. But the real trick is when you need to get information without the person knowing you were there. Obviously then a little thievery is not going to work.”

  There was another appreciative chuckle.

  “Okay, let me explain the basic premise of the program,” she continued. “Any password is nothing more than a string of characters, be they letters or numbers or symbols. If you can—”

  The classroom doors burst open. Four people tore into the room and aimed rifles at the students.

  “Nobody move,” one of the men yelled. “Nobody breathe. Stay in your seats.”

  Nicki wheeled toward the man talking. “What do you want?”

  He aimed his gun at her chest. “Shut up, sweetheart, and no one gets hurts.”

  “Take out your wallets and cash,” a woman said. “Slowly.”

  Nicki glanced at her purse on the floor. “I have to move to get mine,” she said.

  The man swung around and shot out a light. One of the students screamed.

  “This is ridiculous,” Nicki told the man, her voice loud and heated. “You can’t just burst in here and rob us. I won’t—”

  But she didn’t get to say what she wouldn’t do. The man returned his attention to her, dropped the rifle to his side, pulled out a handgun and shot her.

  Nicki felt the thud against her chest, then spreading wetness. She glanced down and saw a red stain blossoming against the front of her blouse.

  The sight of it was enough to make her woozy. She glanced back to the man, then leaned forward and toppled onto the ground. There was screaming and the sound of tussling. Then footsteps as the group grabbed purses and wallets and fled.

  The lights went out. There was more yelling and screaming, then the lights flipped back on and Nicki heard Zane’s voice.

  “Stay calm, people,” he said as he crouched next to her.

  She raised her head. “I hit my elbow when I fell.”

  He helped her into a sitting position, then lifted her back into her chair. “You okay?”

  She rubbed the spot. “Sure. I’ll have a bruise, but that’s the price one pays for drama.”

  He chuckled. “You always make it look so real when you tumble to the floor.”

  “I don’t have that far to go, so it’s easier for me to relax.”

  He looked at her blouse and winced. “Is that going to wash out?”

  “It always does.”

  Nicki unbuttoned the blouse and shrugged out of it, then pulled off the fake blood pack and the plastic protecting her lightweight sweater underneath. After stuffing it all in a bag, she glanced at the students.

  They looked shell-shocked and more than a little stunned. Good. They were supposed to be.

  “Ready?” Zane asked.

  She nodded and wheeled back to her computer terminal.

  “All right, people,” he said taking his place in front of the class. “Take a deep breath and get focused. I want each of you to think about what just happened. Yes, it was unexpected, but attacks usually are. You have to stay alert in every circumstance. Now Nicki is going to take you through a series of questions. The purpose is to figure out what you think you saw versus what really happened.” He glanced at her. “Go for it.”

  She nodded and typed a few keys. The large screen behind her illuminated as it displayed what was on her laptop. She scrolled to the beginning of the list of questions.

  “We’ll take these one at a time. Go through the questions and write down your answers. Be as thorough as possible. Impressions, feelings and details. When you’re finished we’ll compare notes, then we’ll go through the scenario again, this time more slowly.” She grinned. “And while I’ll get shot a second time, there won’t be any blood.”

  The students chuckled, then went to work. As they wrote Zane moved close, then crouched in front of her.

  “Lunch,” he said. “Mexican. You’re buying.”

  “But I was just shot.”

  “Right. And you’re so excited to still be alive, you want to buy me lunch.”

  She grinned and nodded. The last of the tension inside of her faded away. After stumbling through some awkward moments, she and Zane were back on their regular footing. They were friends who cared, who teased and that was how she wanted things to stay. Better to be his friend in the long-term than his lover for a couple of weeks. Now she simply had to work on getting over her crush so she could move on with her life.

  Two weeks later Nicki pulled her luggage to the back of the van and prepared to lower both it and herself to the ground.

  “We need to talk about a ramp,” she said to Zane as he waited for her to come to a stop.

  “How about some kind of hoist?” he asked. “We could load you like a bag of rice.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m in a wheelchair, Zane. You could be a bit more delicate.”

  He considered her statement then shook his head. “Where’s the fun in that?”

  “Oh, yeah. This is a real thrill a minute.”

  She rolled off the van’s ramp and let Zane take possession of her luggage. While she raised the ramp and locked her van, he carried the suitcase to the private company jet they would use to get to Los Angeles.

  After pocketing her keys, she headed for the gleaming white plane. When she’d locked her wheels, Zane swept her into his arms and carried her up the stairs.

  “Watch my head,” she told him. “Last time you crashed me into the doorway.”

  “I did not. Your hair might have lightly grazed the edge—”

  She cut him off with a laugh. “I nearly had a concussion.”

  “If your mother knew how much you lied to me, she would be desperately disappointed.”

  “If she knew you’d nearly killed her only child, she’d slap you silly.”

  His only response was a shake of his head as he stepped into the plane.

  Nicki knew Zane was right—her hair had barely brushed against the door frame, but she wanted the distraction of them teasing so she wouldn’t notice how good he looked…or smelled. There was also the thrill of being in his arms as he carried her into the plane and set her carefully in a plush leather seat.

  “Oh, to be rich,” she murmured as she stroked the smooth covering. “Were these upscale seats standard or did you pay extra?”

  He sat across from her and stretched out his legs. “When you drop twelve million on a plane, they throw in the leather.”

  “How nice.”

  The copilot walked back. “You two ready?”

  Zane looked at Nicki who nodded. “I’m braced for air flight,�
� she said.

  “Then we’ll head out.”

  “Are you going to do the in-flight announcements?” she asked Zane.

  “Keep your seat belt fastened or I’ll toss you off the plane.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “You need to work on your people skills.”

  “All my skills are in excellent working order. That’s why I’m going to meet with this very important client. I’ll dazzle him.”

  “I didn’t think guys were your style.”

  “I’m ignoring you,” he told her.

  “Maybe I should do the dazzling,” she said.

  “Did you bring your braces?” he asked. “Then you’d be upright and he could pinch your butt.”

  “That does sound thrilling.” She pretended to consider the opportunity. “Maybe later.”

  “Speaking of fun, how’s Brad?”

  She’d wondered if he would get around to asking about him. “Boyd is probably fine, but I don’t know for sure. We aren’t seeing each other.”

  She braced herself for teasing or questions, but there wasn’t, either. Instead he slumped down in his seat.

  “His loss,” he said quietly.

  The plane taxied to the end of the runway, then turned and moved forward. When they were airborne, the captain’s voice came on over the loud speaker and gave them an estimated flying time.

  “We’ll be landing at the Santa Monica airport. The limo is already confirmed.”

  “Limo?” Nicki raised her eyebrows. “How very upper class.”

  Zane tossed a magazine at her. “Quit acting as if all this is a surprise. We’ve used a limo before.”

  “I know but it’s fun to tease you.”

  “Actually Mr. Sabotini is the one providing the limo, and we’re staying in his hotel.”

  Nicki was surprised. “I’ve never met anyone who had his own hotel.”

  “I believe he’s part owner in the chain. Don’t get too excited. There’s a Mrs. Sabotini.”

  “Bummer. How about sons?”

  “The oldest is about sixteen.”

  “Hmm, for part ownership of a hotel chain, I could hang around for a couple of years until he comes of age.”

  Zane grimaced. “Not funny.”

  “Oh, sure. Because it’s a woman showing interest in a younger man. But if you had an eighteen-year-old woman hovering around…”

  He shook his head. “Too young. Despite your low opinion of me, I actually like to have conversations now and then.”

  Nicki sensed they were heading into dangerous territory. She didn’t want to think about what had happened between Zane and herself, let alone talk about it. Time to change the subject.

  “Mr. Sabotini seems to have gotten himself into a little bit of trouble,” she said.

  “Agreed. International banking can be difficult at best, but when he inadvertently financed some nasty business in the Middle East, all bets were off. There have been multiple death threats on him and his family. The police are involved, but he wants something extra. Which is where we come in. Coffee?”

  “Sure.”

  While Zane walked to the small galley, Nicki leaned forward and grabbed his briefcase.

  “Okay if I get out the files?” she asked.

  “Help yourself.”

  She withdrew the thick folders on Mr. Sabotini, then flipped open to the presentation Zane and Jeff had worked up.

  “Is he going to agree to pull his kids from their school?” she asked.

  “I have no idea, but if he doesn’t, he’s a fool,” Zane said. “These people don’t play around.”

  He returned with two cups of coffee and set one on the small table next to her seat.

  “Jeff briefed you on the plan before we left, right?” he asked.

  She nodded. “I think it will work, if our client cooperates.”

  “That’s part of our job. To convince him that we’re the right company and to remind him that cooperation on his part means staying alive.”

  The limo pulled up in front of an elegant white building just off Rodeo Drive. Nicki glanced around at the exclusive shops and familiar designer names.

  This area wasn’t exactly in her price range, she thought, but if there was some free time, she wouldn’t mind looking around.

  She studied the level sidewalks and wheelchair accessible curbs. At least she wouldn’t be dependent on Zane to cart her from place to place. Unlike getting in and out of the limo. As they pulled up to the hotel, she waited patiently while he went around back and collected her wheelchair, then set it next to the rear door.

  While she couldn’t complain about his attentive service, she had to admit that she didn’t like being dependent on him. Yes, being held in his arms got her hormones dancing, but that charming reaction didn’t override the sense of being helpless and a bother. Nicki much preferred to make her own way in the world, which was why she’d designed her life so that was possible. Unfortunately situations during business travel weren’t always within her control.

  There was also the underlying uneasiness from their recent intimacy. She’d traveled with both Jeff and Zane, but always in the capacity of an employee and friend. Never as an ex-lover. She didn’t want things to be different between them but she couldn’t help sensing that they were.

  “Ready?” Zane asked when she was settled in her chair.

  She tucked her small handbag next to her hip and nodded. “What time is our meeting this afternoon?”

  “Two. We have a couple of hours to get settled. Want to order room service for lunch?”

  “That would be great.”

  She could use the extra time. While specially equipped handicapped rooms made travel easier, there were still problems that had to be worked through.

  They approached the front desk. Nicki was pleased to see it was low. Most were so high, she couldn’t see the person she was talking to. Either she had to go around to the end, or the person assisting her had to hang over the front.

  “May I help you?” a young woman in a navy suit jacket asked.

  “We have reservations.” Zane gave their names.

  The woman touched several keys on her computer keyboard, then raised her eyebrows. “Of course. You are both special guests of Mr. Sabotini. We are delighted to have you staying with us.”

  Nicki glanced around at the elegant decor of the spacious lobby. In this kind of place, everyone received excellent service. However as she and Zane were “special guests,” she had a feeling they were going to be overwhelmed with attention. Not bad duty.

  “If you’ll sign the registration cards, please,” the woman said.

  Nicki took hers and glanced at it. “This doesn’t say anything about the room being wheelchair friendly,” she said. “I want to confirm that it is. I made the request last week.”

  The woman stiffened. “I’m aware of that, Ms. Beauman, but there isn’t a handicapped room available. I’m so sorry. We’re happy to upgrade you into something much nicer.”

  Nicki swallowed panic. “I don’t want nicer,” she said, keeping her voice calm. “I didn’t ask for the room on a whim. As you can see, I use a wheelchair. I require the amenities that come with the room.”

  The woman nodded and picked up the phone. Zane initialed his form and passed it back.

  Nicki held onto hers. Hotel rooms were not her friend. The walking areas were often narrow and littered with obstacles. The vanities were too high, the toilets a nightmare to get on and off of. She could never use the closets because the racks were well above her reach. Then there was the horror of a regular tub, which meant having to step over the side—something she couldn’t do.

  Looking distraught, the woman hung up. “I’m sorry, Ms. Beauman, but we only have two such rooms in the hotel. The first is occupied by a guest who also requires special amenities. The second had a pipe break and was flooded. It is currently under repair, but is not habitable at this time.”

  For the most part Nicki was able to ignore her condition. It simp
ly existed and she lived her life, doing pretty much what she wanted. But every now and then circumstances conspired to make her life complicated. This was one of those times.

  “A regular room won’t work,” Nicki said, trying not to panic. “My wheelchair won’t fit between the pieces of furniture. There’s no way I can step over a regular tub. Or use a closet. I can’t reach that high. Even with my braces, I’d find the room a hazard.”

  Zane listened quietly. He’d never considered the difficulties Nicki experienced when she stepped out of her routine. For him, one hotel room was like another. But for her…

  He thought about her house. The hardwood floors, the heavy furniture spaced far enough apart that she could easily wheel around it. He’d never used her private bathroom, but he didn’t doubt it had been modified, just like her kitchen.

  He knew they could change hotels. While he would normally suggest that, in this case there was the problem of their client.

  “Give us a second,” he told the clerk, then led Nicki away from the desk.

  “What if I helped?” he asked. “It could be fun. You like bossing me around.”

  She shook her head. “There’s no way I’m going to phone you every time I need to move around my room.”

  “I was thinking more along the lines of us sharing a suite. I’d be there to fetch and carry. You could just lie back and give orders.”

  She didn’t smile, which he’d kind of hoped for, but her tension seemed to ease a little.

  “You’re not my servant.”

  “Agreed, but admit it. There have been times you’d like me as your slave.”

  One corner of her mouth quirked, then stilled.

  “There are personal things involved, Zane. Things that are outside of the bounds of friendship.”

  He leaned close and lowered his voice. “Nicki, I’ve not only seen you naked, I’ve pretty much had my tongue and mouth on every inch of you. How many mysteries could there be?”

  She shifted in her seat. “Okay, you might have a point there. But the whole idea makes me uncomfortable.”

  “I don’t want that.” He touched the back of her hand. “I’m happy to share a suite with you and do whatever needs doing. Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t suggest it.”

  She sighed. “But Mr. Sabotini owns the hotel and he’ll be offended if we stay somewhere else.”