Keep My Baby Safe

by Bella Grant

  “Uh, no, I had a little something to take care of this morning.” As if on cue, a giggle sounded in the background that Michael tried to shush.

  “Dude, if you ruined this deal over a piece of ass, I will go to prison for killing you,” Travis threatened, imagining about four ways to kill his best friend as he said it.

  “Hey, man, take it easy,” Michael began. “I’m handling it. Already working on an email.”

  “Fix this.” Travis hit the end call button, wishing he’d been on the office phone so he could slam it down and hurt Michael’s ears. “Son of a bitch,” he cursed again, trying to expel some of the anger churning inside him.

  He sat down and gathered the paperwork so he could put it all back in the file folders. He’d managed to make a real mess of it, upending the files and dumping all the papers out in his desperate search for the copies he was certain were there. Michael hadn’t made a mistake like this since they’d started their business, which meant the paperwork had to have been filed and someone at city hall had misplaced it. However, there were no copies, meaning the man had fucked up.

  He reminded himself as he organized the papers that he would have to apologize later, but he’d wait until tomorrow. Michael deserved to sweat it until he’d corrected the monumental mistake. This project alone was worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the doctors had verbally agreed to open two more stand-alone ERs in suburbs around New Orleans. If they botched this, they could lose millions.

  When his phone beeped fifteen minutes later, indicating a text message, he debated ignoring it. His temper hadn’t cooled enough to deal with Michael, but he remembered he actually had someone else interested in texting him recently: Diana. Smiling and hoping it was her and not bad news from his partner, he reached for his phone and checked his messages.

  DIANA: Hello, handsome. I hope you’re having a great day.

  Travis smiled, as he always did when she texted. As he reread the compliment, trying to decide how to answer, his smile widened. She was always meticulous with her text messages, even when they’d been young and stupid. Typos were rare, and she never forgot her punctuation. Except when she was mad. He snickered as he remembered the erratic texts she would send when they were arguing. He would end the conversation when her words were misspelled or without spaces so they could argue in person.

  TRAVIS: Hello, gorgeous. Not the best day, but I get to see you tonight, correct? That’ll make it better.

  He realized for the first time that he made sure his punctuation was perfect when he texted her, but not when he texted anyone else. He wanted to impress her more than anything.

  DIANA: I was hoping you’d let me cook you dinner at my place tonight.

  TRAVIS: That would be perfect! I’ll bring the wine.

  DIANA: You know, you don’t have to get me drunk to get me naked.

  Travis was so surprised by her statement he almost dropped his phone. The woman who had been wide-eyed and innocent when he’d met her was so forward now. He loved it and couldn’t wait to explore her love of the erotic. She had surprised him more than once in the last two weeks, and though he wasn’t jealous, he wondered who she’d been with while they were apart. He kind of wanted to thank the guy. Or guys, he thought with a frown. Then he reminded himself he’d been around a time or two during the five years apart, and he had no right to expect her to have stayed home and waited for him.

  TRAVIS: I need some naked Diana in my life right now.

  DIANA: I’ll make you forget your bad day after dinner. Promise.

  She sent a little devil emoji with an evil grin on its face, and he chuckled.

  TRAVIS: You are a devilish woman.

  DIANA: You have no idea. What time?

  Travis glanced around his office and realized that without the proper paperwork filed, there was no work to be done. The ER was their only current project because they had known it would take so much of their time.

  TRAVIS: If you want, I can be there in twenty minutes.

  DIANA: Haha! Well, since I work until five, why don’t you wait and come over around 6:30. A girl has to fix her makeup for a date.

  TRAVIS: I like you with no makeup…and no clothes.

  DIANA: Don’t call me a devil, you dirty old man!

  TRAVIS: I’m only a couple years older than you.

  DIANA: Still older haha!

  TRAVIS: And certainly not prettier. I’ll see you tonight.

  DIANA: See you tonight. Totally casual, so don’t come over here in a suit and tie.

  TRAVIS: But I just had my tuxedo dry cleaned.

  DIANA: I do love a man in a tux. As long as he’s wearing a vest.

  TRAVIS: Hope you like neon color schemes…

  DIANA: Good Lord. Get back to work.

  TRAVIS: See you tonight.

  Travis was tempted to add the I love you they used to end every text message with, but it was entirely too soon. She was not ready, and he wasn’t sure he was ready. The feelings were there, but the fear, in both of them, hadn’t abated in the least.

  That’s okay, he decided as he pocketed his phone and dug for his keys. He patted his other pocket for his wallet—a habit he’d picked up years ago after being pickpocketed one afternoon on the French Quarter—before heading for the door. He locked up and was rummaging through his brain for the best wine, although he had no idea what she was serving. He’d get a red and a white to be safe, and flowers, of course.

  He meandered down the sidewalk to the same flower shop where he’d bought the first bouquet for her two weeks before. When he reached it, he walked inside and inhaled deeply, smiling at the woman behind the counter, who recognized him immediately.

  “Hello, Mr. Mysterious!” she exclaimed, her smile like a grandmother’s as her eyes twinkled at him. “You have no idea the tears you left me with when you paid for that young lady’s wedding flowers.”

  He grinned at her as he leaned against the counter. “So I did leave enough to cover their flowers?”

  “Oh yes, and both she and her mother left you little notes in case you came back,” she told him, holding up her finger as she dug in a drawer. “Let me see…ah! Here they are.” She produced two small envelopes that would normally be tucked in a flower arrangement delivered to someone’s office.

  “Thank you,” he said as he took them from her and tucked them in his front pocket to read later. A quick look of disappointment flashed on the woman’s face, so he smiled and asked, “Do you own this shop?”

  “I do. Have for thirty years,” she announced proudly. As she looked around, her smile grew wistful. “Flowers are my passion, sir.”

  “And it shows in the perfect blossoms you sell. You must have your own greenhouse?”

  Her smile narrowed her eyes, and she chortled. “You’re a smart one, you are. And good looking. I assume since you’re back, your young lady liked the last bouquet.”

  “So much that’s she’s cooking dinner for me tonight,” Travis told her, winking at her.

  “You little charmer!” She giggled, flicking his chin with her finger like a grandmother would when he was being cheeky. She clapped her hands together and looked around. “Well, you gave her her favorite flower last time. Can’t give her the same thing, so what are you thinking this time?”

  With a big grin, he said, “What flower says I’m falling for you?”

  “Oooh! That is so sweet!” She fanned her face as if he’d said he was falling for her. “Such a romantic! Well”—she scurried around the counter to grab his hand and drag him to a display—“red roses are the obvious choice.”

  “Not too obvious, I hope?” he asked, teasing her a little.

  “Never! A woman who doesn’t love roses is incapable of love,” she said with such certainly he believed her like she spoke the Gospel.

  “Perfect. Can you please deliver them this time? I have her work address,” he asked.

  “Today? Hmmm, my delivery boy just left,” she said as she glanced at a clock over the counter. �
�What time does she leave work?”

  “Five.”

  “That gives us four hours. We’ll get them to her,” she promised, smiling. “Why don’t you write her a card while I ring this up?”

  “Oh no, no card. She’ll know who they’re from,” Travis told her.

  She wagged her finger at him. “Mr. Mystery.”

  She told him the price and he handed her cash again, making a mental note to always pay in cash when he stopped by. The sweet woman enjoyed the idea of his mysteriousness, so he’d give her something to gossip about with her friends. He just hoped she referred to him as the handsome man rather than that weirdo who paid for a bride’s flowers and sent anonymous flowers to some woman.

  Diana’s specialty, and one of Travis’ favorite meals she used to cook for him, was lasagna. But she felt cooking lasagna for him was in bad taste since that was the meal she’d made for him the night they’d decided to divorce. Instead, she’d chosen to make butter and garlic shrimp over risotto with a tossed salad. She’d forgotten he’d told her he would bring wine, so when she’d stopped and grabbed the ingredients for their dinner, she’d picked up a bottle of red. While cooking, she opened it and had a glass because the more she thought about her plan for the evening, the more nervously excited she became.

  After their happy hour, Alyssa had talked Diana into going to a sex toy store. They’d giggled their way through the aisles, and Diana had talked herself into buying not only a sexy outfit—which she now wore under her simple t-shirt and jeans—as well as some lubricants and scarves in bright red that she could tie around the bedposts and his wrists. The woman at the counter had taught her a knot to use for the first few times until she and her partner were ready. The knot, while somewhat secure, with the right movement of the wrists and hands would unravel easily.

  Once she’d thought about it, she wasn’t ready to be tied up, but she did want to experiment. She hoped he would let her tie him up first with the promise that he’d get a turn later. Her stomach hitched at the idea of proposing such a wild scheme, but she pictured him on her bed, his arms spread wide, his wrists tied to the bed, his beautiful body on display for her, and her panties soaked right through at the sex toy store.

  She told herself if he didn’t seem into it, she’d drop it, but she had a strong belief that he wouldn’t knock it without trying it at least once. But he would expect her to reciprocate, and she shivered at the idea. A sizzling sound stole her attention from her short fantasy, and she jerked her attention back to the stove before she burned the shrimp. Checking the clock, she realized he’d be there any moment, so she turned on the pot of water to boil for the pasta.

  Her doorbell rang at precisely 6:30, and as she walked to the door, she ran her fingers gently over the petals of the roses he’d sent her that afternoon. When she opened the door, his smile lifted her heart and she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

  “Whoa, whoa,” he said between kisses on his lips, cheeks, and chin. He hadn’t put his arms around her. “I don’t want to drop the wine.”

  Diana laughed as she stepped back and welcomed him in to her tiny apartment. Compared to his home, she lived in a box under the bridge, but she loved it because it was hers. She wasn’t the least bit ashamed of her home. “Welcome, welcome. I’m glad we’re finally hanging out at my place for a change.”

  “Me too,” he answered as he watched her lock the door. She gestured for him to follow her the twelve steps into the kitchen. “I see you’ve started without me.”

  She looked at him, and he gestured to the wine. With a shrug, she explained, “If you can believe it, I was nervous. I haven’t had a man in my apartment in I don’t know how long.”

  Travis chuckled as he opened the fridge and deposited two bottles onto the shelves. Regardless of the type of wine, Diana had always liked hers chilled, and he remembered it every time.

  “I’m glad you are allowing me the privilege,” he teased. He leaned against the counter, barely three feet from where she stood cooking at the stove. “What are you making? My mouth is watering!”

  “Butter and garlic shrimp over risotto,” she answered as she tossed the risotto in the waiting water. “Still about ten minutes before we can eat. Unless you’d like to have your salad?”

  “No, we can wait.” He smiled down at her, and her heart flipped.

  “Thank you for the roses. They are lovely and smell so amazing,” Diana said, stepping closer to kiss his lips gently. She ran her hand down his body, and when she reached his pocket, she felt an odd shape. “What’s that?”

  “Oh,” he snickered as he reached into his pocket. “I forgot about these. I didn’t change pants before coming over.”

  “I noticed you were dressed fancier than me, even though I told you casual,” she teased, pulling at his polo. She looked down at the little envelopes in his hand curiously. “What are those?”

  “Um, well, this is kind of embarrassing,” he began, his face turning red as he ran his hand over his perfectly straight hair, which was, as usual, pulled back. “I, um, paid for a woman’s flowers for her wedding. Spur of the moment when I bought you lilies before our first date.”

  Diana’s mouth dropped. “You did what? That must have cost a fortune!”

  “Not as much as I thought,” he assured her as he opened one of the envelopes and pulled out a little card. “I didn’t tell them my name, so she and her mom left these notes at the florist’s, hoping I’d stop in again.”

  After reading the first, he handed it to Diana. She read it, this one from the mother, and was awed by the kindness of this man in front of her. When she read the second, her eyes teared up. “Oh, Travis. You really are a sweet, sweet man.”

  “I try,” he said, reddening. “I heard her mother talking about the expense of a wedding, so I thought I would help.” He shrugged as if his good deed was no big deal. “I mean, every young woman deserves a pretty wedding.”

  “Yes, she does,” Diana said with a sad smile. “And every young man, too. At least the romantic ones.”

  He put his hands on either side of her face and kissed her gently. “You deserved one seven years ago. I’m sorry.”

  Diana shook her head as much as his hands would let her. “I had what I wanted. You.”

  “And if you’ll have me, I’ll be yours again,” Travis said, a small shock running across his face at his own words.

  Her face, she was sure, mirrored his shock, so she chuckled and stepped back. “Let’s take it one day at a time, okay? If we move to fast, we’ll burn up.”

  Travis sighed, but he nodded in agreement. “I want this to work, Diana. I really do.”

  “Then we will,” Diana said simply. “Now, let’s eat some supper.”

  Diana scurried away from him, directing him to set the table. While she dished the risotto and shrimp into a serving dish, she guided him around her kitchen until everything was ready. Her table was so small, she lifted the roses, which covered most of it, and carried them to the living room, where she deposited them on her coffee table. They sat across from each other, and after pouring the wine, Diana gestured for him to serve himself first.

  After the first bite, Travis was moaning. “Good God, this is delicious!”

  “Thank you. Of course, I did you the courtesy—and myself—of buying you a toothbrush for after. We are going to have garlic breath!” she exclaimed as she spooned up another bite and let the flavors dash over her tongue.

  “So you’re planning on a little kissing later, huh?” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

  “Well, actually, I wanted to ask you something,” she began, setting her utensil down so he wouldn’t see her nervous hands shaking just a little. Travis had forked in another bite, so he raised his eyebrows at her to continue, curious but hungry. She chuckled and said, “Um, I would like to try something a little…risqué in the bedroom.”

  Travis stopped chewing to look at her. He swallowed his food, then a gulp of wine, before he could ask, “Risqué i
n the bedroom?”

  “Um, yes. I’ve never done it. You might have, I don’t know, and it’s okay if you have. You can tell me, I won’t get mad or anything.” She could hear herself babbling and bit her lip to stop it from flapping and making more of a fool of herself.

  “Diana, you know you can trust me. I won’t make fun or freak out,” Travis promised, his full attention on her now. Though he did pick up his wine for a quick sip, his eyes never left hers.

  With a deep breath, she said in a rush, “I’d like to try a little bondage.”

  Chapter 13

  Travis choked on his wine and coughed for thirty full seconds. He was actually grateful for the time to digest the words that had spewed out of his ex-wife’s mouth. She rose and hurried around to slap his back, asking if he was okay two or three times before his throat cleared. When she returned to her seat, she stared at him, amusement in her eyes.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked for the fourth time.

  “Um, yeah,” he said, clearing his throat again. He could feel his face burning, partly from the coughing fit, but also because of what she had said to him. “Bondage?”

  Her face reddened as he stared at her, the incredulous expression matching what he was feeling. She shrugged self-consciously. “Well, Alyssa and I were talking about one of her clients, who happens to be an escort, and she told Alyssa it’s a lot of fun.”

  “An escort?” he questioned, even more startled. He cleared his throat again, hoping the high pitch would lower to his usual timbre. “Like a prostitute?”

  Diana frowned. “Yeah, I guess. But that doesn’t change the fact that bondage might be fun.”

  Travis sat back and gazed at her, astounded. When he didn’t speak for a several seconds, she put her hands on the table and pushed away. “Hey, what are you doing?”

  “You’re obviously not interested, and I’m embarrassed, so I need a minute before I can look at you again,” she replied hastily as she stomped into her bedroom.

  Travis leapt to his feet and followed her. “Wait! Diana!” He grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him. “I didn’t say I wasn’t interested. I’m caught off-guard, that’s all. You surprised the hell out of me.”