by Katie Dowe
He went still for a moment and then turned to face her. “You said yourself that we are in our forties and having a child for the first time. I am scared that something will happen and we will lose the child. Please slow down.”
“Okay.” She went on her toes and wrapped her hands around his neck. “How did I get to be so lucky?”
“I have no idea.” He lifted her up against him and placed her on one of the stools. “You are about to get even luckier.” He sat on the opposite stool and took her feet into his lap and started rubbing them.
“Oh Lord, that feels so good,” she murmured as she closed her eyes. “Thanks.”
“You are welcome.”
*******************************
“You idiot, look behind you!” Alicia screamed, her eyes glued to the screen. It was the first Saturday in November and she had invited her friends over to officially meet Steven. They were planning to announce their engagement come Monday after she told her bosses. The wedding plan was well underway and the invitations had been sent out.
“Baby, she cannot hear you,” Steven said indulgently as he pulled her back into his arms. Donna and Elaine could not help but be envious at the way the man looked at her friend who appeared oblivious of the devotion showed.
“She is always like this, Steven.” Elaine reached over and scooped up a handful of popcorn. “We were banned from the movies several times because she cannot keep her feelings to herself.”
“That’s not true,” Alicia retorted as she reached for her can of ColaCo. “I just think that these lame movies are determined to make women appear helpless and idiotic.”
“And yet you insist on watching this channel,” Donna said dryly.
“It’s for women so I am being supportive,” she said with a smile.
“I am sure you are,” Steven teased as he kissed her neck lightly.
“Would you two like us to leave?” Elaine asked.
“What for?” Alicia asked.
“We will get on with it when you are gone,” Steven said with a straight face.
He winced as Alicia elbowed him in the ribs.
“Or we will just do it right here while you two watch,” she whispered as she grinned at her friends. Before they could respond she glanced over at the screen again. “Oh, for Christ’s sake! He is right behind you!”
Elaine and Donna threw Steven a telling look. They jumped as Alicia let out a loud scream the same time the perpetrator stabbed the unwitting woman in the back with a knife. She turned off the television immediately. “Next time we are watching a good old fashioned black and white movie,” she declared. “Okay, how about some pizza? I am starving!” she added as she leaned back against him.
*****
“I like your friends,” he murmured softly as he ran the sponge over her body, lingering on her stomach, his touch a little possessive. He felt strange and terrified at the same time knowing that his child was growing inside her womb.
She leaned her head back and smiled at him as she stretched languidly. “And they are a little in love with you. Donna whispered to me that you are the first man she would cheat on her husband with.”
“I hope you told her that I am taken.” He bent his head and kissed her slowly, heating her body.
She turned around and straddled him, lifting her body up so he could enter her. She sighed long and hard as he went in deep. “I told her,” she said with a moan as he pushed into her, his hands gripping her hips. He bent his head and took a puckered nipple inside his mouth. “Steven,” she moaned, dropping her head back as he sucked hard. His tongue swirled around her and she felt the fire flashed through her belly!
He lifted his head and stared at her fisting his fingers into her thick hair. “I need you,” he rasped. Water sloshed over the edge of the bath as he thrust into her with force.
“You have me.” She dug her fingers into his shoulders and hang on. “You have me, baby!” she cried out sharply as he lifted her up and came up to meet her, the tip of his penis edging against her mound for a moment before plunging into her. He turned her around and took her from behind, his hands loose around her stomach. She bent over and spread her legs as he went deep inside her. She sobbed and clawed at his hands at her waist. It was too much, she thought deliriously as he stroked her slowly at first and then hard, his wet body slapping against hers. They were no longer aware that the water was spilling onto the floor or they did not care! She lifted her head back and met his mouth in a kiss that bruised her! He increased the already frantic pace, his body shuddering and his heart slamming into his chest! He erupted inside her with a shout that reverberated around the room, his control slipping away in degrees. She followed soon after, her body slamming against his as the powerful orgasm took over!
*********
He lifted her out of the bath wet and dripping and clinging to him weakly. His knees trembled as he reached for towels to dry them off as he took her into the bedroom. She was still trying to recover! He placed her onto the bed and dried her off slowly, lingering at her pubic area. That night they slept in each other’s arms without a stitch of clothing on and when they woke up in the middle of night he made love to her with such tenderness that it had her sobbing against him!
He did not go back to sleep when she did. He crept from the bed and left the room reaching for one of the damp towels they had used to wipe off to wrap around his waist. He made his way to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of wine. He would have preferred something much stronger, but she had nothing like that. He swirled the liquid around and stared at it thoughtfully. He had the ring: a diamond with tiny pearls around it. A family heirloom that had been passed down through generations and had been given to him by his mother to give to his bride. He was in love with her! In all his forty-three years, he had never felt something so strong and it scared the hell out of him! He lifted the glass to his mouth and downed the wine in one gulp! He had to tell her! He had almost done so when he was deep inside her from behind. She brought out things in him that he never dreamed he possessed. When he was with her he was like an animal staking its territory! He had always been quiet and gentle. Even with the few relationships he had in the past, the sex had been comfortable and sane. With her it was like reaching for the mountain or even higher. He had left marks on her skin, bite marks as well as marks from his fingers digging into his flesh! He hated when he had to leave her and was like a freaking schoolboy when he was waiting for her to come home. She had a power over him that he was afraid of! He looked up as he heard footsteps and saw her framed in the doorway completely naked, her hair untidy and falling over her shoulders.
“What are you doing here in the dark?” she asked him sleepily as she came into the room. “I woke up and you weren’t there.” She climbed into his lap and snuggled. His arms went around her body and he sniffed her hair.
“I could not sleep,” he admitted.
“So you came in here to drink?” She lifted her head to look up at him. “Steven Hughes, what’s going on?”
“I have never met anyone like you.”
“I should hope not. I am kind of a one of a kind,” she told him cheekily.
“I know.” He brushed back her hair. “I don’t want to lose you with my smothering.”
“You won’t,” she promised. “I spent my life building a career that I am proud of and telling myself that it was enough until you showed me otherwise.”
“Do you regret it?”
“Regret the most magnificent sex in the world and creating a child from it?” She laughed softly. “No regrets here.”
“Is it just the sex?” he asked her seriously.
“It’s the entire package, darling.” She wrinkled her small nose at him. “You are quite a catch.”
“Thank you.” He bent to kiss her. “How about going back to bed?”
“Hmm.” She wrapped her hands around his neck. “Not just yet. Let’s stay here for a little bit.”
He wrapped his hands around her and he
ld her close, a smile on his lips.
Chapter 9
Alicia felt the cramping in the last part of November! She had been following up with her appointments with Dr. Whittingham and he had been pleased with the way her pregnancy was advancing. The wedding plans were well under way and the papers had been buzzed with the fact that COO of ColaCo and billionaire Steven Hughes were expecting their first child! She had spoken to the owners of the company and they had wished her all the best.
“I hope that this does not mean we are losing you, my dear,” Simon had said anxiously.
“Not a chance,” she had told him with a laugh.
Allen had been beside himself. “No more late night meetings for you, missy,” he had told her firmly. “I am looking out for the hot billionaire and protecting his interests.”
“I am my own woman,” she had told him dryly.
“Are you?” He had angled his plucked brows as he looked at her.
She had fitted a dress and met with Monique Romano and they had hit it off immediately! She was familiar with several of the wives as they ran in the same circle.
She took a deep breath and leaned back into her seat. She had been cutting back on her hours, but it was November and there was a lot to do for the coming Christmas season.
She went back to what she was doing on her laptop but stopped when in a few minutes she felt it again! She gasped and doubled over. She straightened and pressed the intercom. “Allen, call Steven now!”
*****
Steven clutched her hand as the doctor did the examination. She had started spotting and it had frightened her intensely! Steven had reached there within an hour and had whisked her off to the medical center. He had not said anything for the entire trip but had a grim look on his handsome face.
Dr. Whittingham pulled off his surgical gloves slowly before turning to them. “You are in grave danger of having a miscarriage.”
“How?” Alicia whispered, her hand trembling in Steven’s.
“You are over forty and having your first child. It is always a danger where you are concerned. I am afraid I am going to have to put you on complete bed rest for the next two months.”
Alicia stared at him in shock. “My work!”
“If you want to keep this baby, Alicia, I am afraid you are going to have to do this.” He looked up at Steven who had remained silent throughout the conversation. “I will be in my office.”
“I cannot stay in bed for two months,” she said in agitation when he had left.
“Do you want our baby, Alicia?” Steven asked her quietly.
“What do you mean? Of course I do!”
“I asked you to take things slow-“
“And I cut back on my hours,” she interrupted him.
“I want this with my whole heart. I have never wanted anything the way I want our child and for you to be my wife but I have a feeling that it is not the same with you.” He had gotten to his feet and started pacing.
“Steven, my job is important to me. You know that. There is our busiest season coming up with promotions and product launch.”
“You are running a goddamned company for someone else!” he said harshly, causing her to stare at him in surprise. “You are killing yourself trying to put money into someone else’s pockets and in the process you are killing our child.”
“That’s not fair and you know it,” she told him coldly as she started to ease off the bed. He came forward automatically to take her hand and helped her off the bed, but she dragged her hand away from him. “I am not helpless.”
“I am not going to apologize,” he told her coolly. “You are going to pack up and come home with me.”
“I am staying at my apartment.”
“No, you are not!” he rasped. “I know you are independent and used to having your own way, but this is my baby too and I have a say in what happens.”
“Fine,” she told him as she put her clothes back on.
*****
She refused to speak to him. All the way back to her apartment she turned her head away and looked out the window at the passing scenery and did not say a word to him. The doctor had given her a prescription and told her to take it easy only getting out of the bed to go to the bathroom. She was supposed to take quick showers and stay away from baths for now. She was also supposed to take small walks around the room to keep the circulation going. Steven had stared at her angrily as she asked if she could at least run her office from her laptop.
Doctor Whittingham had told her yes as long as she did not get stressed.
“My dear, come on in.” Grace Hughes took her arm and led her inside out of the cold. “Sophia set you up in Steven’s suite. We are going to take very good care of you, don’t worry.” She linked her hand with hers as they made their way through the maze of rooms before reaching Steven’s suit. He was behind them with her bags which he put near to one of the sofas. “Are you hungry?” Grace asked her as she took her seat.
“Actually, Mother, could you give us a moment, please?” Steven asked her quietly.
“Of course.” Grace looked form one to another. “I will ask the chef to prepare something filling for lunch.”
She left and closed the doors behind her.
“I love you.” The simple statement had her looking at him startled. “Yes.” He smiled slightly. “I am in love with you and for the first time in my forty-three years I have finally found someone who is so important to me who I am scared of losing and our baby. I am not going to apologize for saying what I did. I am scared as hell! I am in my forties and just starting a family and you mean the world to me.” He had wandered over the large bay window to look out. He had taken off his tie and loosened the top buttons of his crisp light blue shirt.
“I am not supposed to move. Could you please come over here?” she asked him softly.
He did, sitting next to her.
“Okay, Steven.” She reached over to take his hands. “I rather think I am in love with you too. Why else would I be putting up with this?” She smiled gently. “You are the best man I know and I really want this to work, but you are going to have to bear with me a little bit. I am not used to being pregnant and having to put someone else first. I have been eating my vegetables, you know that, and I have cut down on my hours. You can ask Allen! He has been making sure that I don’t overdo it and making sure I eat a very good lunch. He is a pain in the ass, but he has been helping. I want this as much as you do and I am going to make sure that I do not do anything to jeopardize our baby. Is that good enough?”
“More than.” He lifted her into his arms and cradled her. “I just want you and our baby safe.”
*****
“I have more than enough bodyguards around,” Alicia said dryly as she eased up on her pillows. She was catered to around the clock. The maids came in with refreshments each time and Grace would pop in before she went anywhere and after she came back. Steven called to make sure she was okay and when he came home he would come straight to the bedroom to make sure she was okay. He had his dinners with her even though she told him she was fine with him having it with his mother.
“Donna and I are planning to pop over for a visit. We kind of want to see the mansion for ourselves and to look for you of course,” Elaine said with a laugh.
“Of course.” Alicia checked her email to see if Allen had done what he was supposed to. It had been a week since her bed rest and she had gotten flowers and get well cards from both Simon and Peter as well as members of staff. Allen had been over one day last week to bring some files and had exclaimed in wonder at the place! “I am cooped up in bed, not allowed to move unless I am going to the bathroom, but at least I am not bleeding.”
“That was some scary shit!” Elaine exclaimed. “Remember when I almost lost Orlando?”
“You cried for two whole days and said that if you lost the baby you were not going to get pregnant again,” Alicia said in amusement.
“And I meant it too. I had to take it easy too. I kn
ow it’s hard on you because you have this big position at work, but you have to focus on the bigger picture honey. This is your kid’s life you are talking about.”
“I know.” She sighed. “Steven and I told each other the ‘love’ word.”
“Honey, that’s great!”
“I never thought I would find love and start a family at this age, but I guess he was the one for me.”
“And the fact that you were building a career and had no time for anything else.”
“Now I am finding that I want this more than anything else in the world. It’s weird how things turn out. I am getting married in January and in April of next year I will be delivering my child.”
“Motherhood changes things a great deal. I remember when I held Orlando in my arms for the first time and I felt such a love that I had a hard time breathing in. You are going to see for yourself. Every discomfort, nausea, swelling, and peeing every five minutes and not to mention the labor disappeared from my mind the minute I looked into that baby’s eyes and realized that he came from me. He was made by his father and me and I was going to do anything I could to keep him safe. Even though now I feel like I want to push him back into my womb! He is a teenager with raging hormones and have become a pain in my ass!”
Alicia laughed. “But you still love him.”
“Honey, I could never stop loving him or his sister if I tried.”
*****
“It’s official! No more beef stroganoff,” Alicia said weakly as she leaned back against Steven.
“I thought you were over this phase.” He rubbed her back gently.
“I read that it can last up to six months.”
“You are almost five months pregnant.” He bent his head and kissed her on the side of the neck. He was finding it more and more difficult to be near her and not want to make love to her, but he did not want to sleep away from her. He loved falling asleep with his hand around her stomach which had not started to show yet. “The wait is killing me,” he whispered as his tongue touched her smooth skin.
“Steven,” she moaned a little as she moved against him.