“Tony, you have visitors,” Allison, his secretary mumbled into the phone when they declared themselves. She knew who Sophia was immediately and refused to make eye contact with her. Sophia had seen some of her racy texts to Tony and knew that something had happened, though she had not bothered to factor that into the divorce. The real issue had been his escort mistress who had lived at the penthouse. Still, Sophia felt like laughing at this woman, who was not half as attractive as she was.
“Who is it?” Tony snapped. “Allison, how many times do I have to tell you. You know I hate it when you don’t declare the client names.”
“It's your ex-wife.” The secretary put emphasis on the ex part. Sophia shot her a sniveling smile.
Tony walked to the reception area and was met with stares from the three lovers who were waiting there for me . “Please follow me,” he said finally, not looking at all pleased.
The five of them walked silently to Ton's office. While they were walking, Blake discretely reached into his jacket pocket and turned on his audio recorder. Allison, stared after them as they entered his office, her mouth hanging open. Sophia was sure that she started listening at the door. At least Tony had a heavy door for privacy and confidential consultations.
“So,” Tony practically growled, as he settled heavily into his seat. He had gained some weight, Sophia noticed. “I sense that you are here to negotiate. But I want to make it clear that I am not open to negotiations.”
Really? Because in my world, everything is open to negotiation. I think there is a more delicate way to deal with this.”
“No,” Tony shook his head. “It’s quite simple. Sophia vacates the penthouse, or I show our families the photos of what you three perverts like to do.”
“So what do you hope to accomplish with this, Tony? What is this all about?” Blake went on. “I just don’t see what Sophia has done to you.”
Tony surveyed her coolly and didn’t speak.
“I think that this is all about spite and vengeance. It isn’t about the penthouse at all. You are just mad that I left you. Are you aware that I’m pregnant? Yes, I’m having a baby. It turns out that the fertility issue was never on my side.” Sophia felt the dig of her words and instantly regretted them. Perhaps that was too mean.
Tony indeed looked moved. “You little slut,” he growled.
“Don’t call her that,” Adam snapped.
“You are both fucking her! You don’t think she’s a perfect lady, do you? Good ladies don’t do that.” He slammed his fists on the desk. “Well have fun giving a bastard child a life. Get out of that apartment, or these photos will be everywhere. I might just send them to the newspapers, too.”
“Actually, you won’t.” Blake produced the recorder from his pocket. “First we are going to sue you and your law firm for blackmail. And if those photos get out into the newspapers, we will sue you for harrassment.”
Tony’s lips curled back as his eyes latched onto the recorder. “Well, you sure think you’re clever.”
“We can just avoid some trouble if you hand over the photos,” Adam said. “Let’s escape all of these lawsuits and just drop this whole business. Sophia is no longer your wife so it’s time to move on.”
“Remember, vengeance is not God’s way,” Sophia said softly.
He wheeled on her. “Really? Funny you should say that, since it seems that all of you have been doing is trying to get back at me.”
“I have been trying to live my life without you and move on after you shattered my heart,” Sophia replied, trying her best to keep her voice even. Tears were welling in her eyes. For the first time ever, Tony was finally showing emotion. That was all she had ever wanted from him.
He stared at her, then shook his head and snorted. “You are a piece of work. You mean to tell me that you are such a whore that you actually like these two nerds? You actually want to fuck these gringos, in my penthouse? You just told me that you’re pregnant not to get back at me?”
“I’m just doing what I want to do. And that is my penthouse. I told you about the pregnancy because you let me feel horrible about my infertility but you were wrong. But I feel bad for bringing that up. All I want is to go about my life and you go about yours. Find someone new. I don’t care if you tell my family, but don’t show them the photos. I plan to tell them myself. Because, Tony, this is me. I found myself. And you have no place in my life. But I will tell you that I am not leaving that penthouse.”
Of course, Tony would have none of it. He jumped off his seat and told the three in no uncertain terms that he wanted his condominium back by the end of the week, "or else".
Adam, Blake and Sophia walked out of Tony's office, but Adam slipped back in to discretely remind Tony about exactly who he was dealing with and the resources the Franklin Corporation could bring to bear to deal with the problem. "Tony, we're trying to do this the easy way, but I guess it's up to you." With that cryptic warning, Adam, once again stepped out of Tony's office and the three quickly left the building.
****
What putzes, Tony thought. He hardly gave his meeting with the Sophia and the Franklins another thought, and worked a full day at the office like usual. Tony left his office around 6 and took a cab home to his apartment. After making his way to his suite, Tony found his key, and opened the door, and flipped the light switch. Nothing happened. After flipping the switch up and down a few time, he walked down the hall and tried the kitchen light with the same result. Was the power off?
Just then a light in the family room turned on. Tony thought the power had come back, but it was only a table lamp that was illuminated. It didn't make any sense. Tony never used that lamp.
"What the fuck?" Tony said out loud. Then his heart skipped a couple beats when he saw that two very large men were sitting on his sofa, staring right at him. They were both dressed in identical black suits. More menacingly, they also each wore black balaclavas and had on black leather gloves.
"Good evening, Mr. Garcia."
Tony thought he was a tough guy, but the sight of these two gorillas in his family room scared the shit out of him. His first thought was to turn and run out of his condo into the hall, but then he saw that a third masked man had entered from the hall and was now blocking his exit.
"Please come and sit down, Mr. Garcia," the gorilla on the left said emphatically.
There was nothing Tony could do, so he sheepishly made his way and sat down on a chair that had been strategically placed for him opposite the couch.
"Please listen to me carefully, Mr. Garcia, because I am only going to say this once."
Chapter 13
After leaving the meeting with Tony that morning Sophia went to work and spent most of the day staring at an article she was trying to write, but without much success. The day went by in a daze, and mercifully, before she knew it, it was 5:00 and time to leave for home.
She met the Franklin boys after work for dinner, and the three spent the evening lounging in Sophia's suite. At precisely 10:00 p.m. a knock on the door interrupted their evening. Sophia was surprised and quite concerned about a caller that late in the evening, but neither Blake nor Adam seemed perturbed whatsoever. In fact, they each seemed to be expecting it. The three went to the door and Sophia opened it. Without saying a word, a large man in a black Armani suit handed her a sealed envelope and then left.
Sophia opened the envelope and saw that it contained photographs - their photographs.
"What's this?" She asked.
Adam explained that they had someone from the Franklin Corporation visit Tony and convinced him to give up his photos and to leave her alone. After a few concerned questions from Sophia, she was reassured that Tony wasn't hurt and that he voluntarily gave up the pictures, and that none of them would hear from Tony about it again.
After popping a bottle of champagne and pouring a glass for each of them, Blake took the envelope and put it into a wastebasket, and then invited Sophia and Adam to join him on the balcony. Once everyo
ne was outside, Blake pulled out a lighter, set the envelope on fire and dropped it in the wastebasket. Smoke curled into the air as the fire consumed the envelope and its shameful contents. The three lovers held each other and watched as their current troubles quite literally went up in smoke.
When the last of the flames died out, they were each so elated they decided to take their party to the bedroom to celebrate.
Chapter 14
With great trepidation, Sophia picked up her phone. It took great determination and willpower for her to press on her mother’s contact name. Seeing the picture of her mother beside the number made her heart ache, since she knew she was about to lose this woman in her life forever. Her mother might as well be dead, for how their relationship would become after this phone call.
This was the type of thing she needed to do in person, but she just could not bring herself to visit her family. She knew that their reaction would be fiery, extreme and negative, and she could not face it, especially in her hormonal pregnant state. The phone offered an uncertain and false layer of protection. Nevertheless, she wanted to hide behind that layer, however uncertain and false it was.
Maybe she had not let Tony win. In an obvious way, she had won, and taken away the leverage that he had thought he had over her. After all, he had apparently agreed to drop the threats and had handed back the photos. But he was still close to her family and he could easily tell them everything just to hurt her. In any event, the news was going to some out sooner or later. Sophia could only truly win if she broke the news to her family herself. So far Sophia had managed to circumvent every possible twist and turn of Tony's plot . Imagine his shock when he went to tell her family about the Franklins, and found out they already knew everything!
Maybe it was time for her to come clean, anyway. How else could she proceed with her life? She was starting to show and there was no more waiting. She was about to have a baby and her family had to find out. This could not be a secret forever. Of course, she could lie about who the dad was, but she didn’t want to carry that paranoia that Tony might tell or they might find out some other way for the rest of her son’s life.
****
“Allo?” her mother answered on the second ring. She always kept her phone on her in case one of her children called. Often she complained that they did not call enough. She was always ready to talk, even when she was busy cleaning and cooking. The house was her domain and she kept it perfect, always smelling of Fabuloso and simmering beans. The special smell of home filled Sophia’s nostrils and made her briefly homesick. She would miss all of this! One should not live without family!
“Allo? Sophia?” she repeated.
“Hi, Mama.”
Her mother let out a cry. “You have not called for weeks! You kicked me out of your apartment and you never call! You hate me!”
“I don’t hate you,” Sophia sighed. “I love you, Mother.”
“Then why do you act like you hate me?”
“I don’t Mama. I just needed space.”
“Space? Ah, what kind of daughter are you!” Her mother let out a string of aggravated Spanish. “I have been so worried.”
“Well, thanks for being patient. It took a lot of courage for me to make this call.”
“Why? You can call anytime, girl! What on earth would make you scared to call your mother?”
“Because I have some news, Mama.”
Her mother cried out. “Oh, no. I knew it. You were robbed and attacked, weren’t you?”
“No, Mama, nothing like that.”
“Oh, God.” She heard her mother sitting down. “What is this news?”
“I’m pregnant.”
Her mother was silent. Then she whooped. “Pregnant? With a baby?”
“Yes, with a baby.” Sophia would have laughed normally, but she couldn’t now.
“I knew you and Tony would work things out! Hallelujah!”
“No, Mama, it isn’t Tony’s baby.”
“Oh.” Then her mother began scolding her. “What have you been doing in that big city? Who is the father then? He better not be some no-good thug!”
“The father is…well, it's complicated. I don’t know who he is.”
“Mi Dios! Sophia!” Her mother sounded stunned. Indeed, it was out of character for Sophia, who had previously only been with one man.
“Mom, you have to listen to me. And you may never talk to me again after you hear this. But I need you to listen. I have made a decision that you won’t understand.”
“You aren’t having an abortion, are you?”
“Of course not.” Sophia sighed. “Please just let me speak. I have a lot to tell you. Listen, Mother. I have been dating two men. They are brothers. And either one of them may be the father of this baby. We have agreed to raise the baby together, to be a family. We’re all together, in a relationship together.” She kept speaking to fill the void of her mother’s chilly silence. “Well, they are not dating each other. But they are both dating me and they know about each other. And they have both stepped up to be the father of this baby. And Tony even knows about this.”
Suddenly, the line went dead.
Sophia sat there, feeling cold. She was not sure if she should call back or not. She decided to wait until her mother called back, which took fifteen minutes. Her mother was sobbing as she cursed her to Hell in Spanish and told her how she would burn for eternity and she had fallen so far from the good angel she used to be. “You are not a part of this family! And your filthy whore self is not allowed in my house again so don’t you dare come over or bring by that bastard child! Perverts!” she screeched before hanging up the phone.
Sophia leaned back with the phone against her chest and sobbed into her couch pillows. Then she called the brothers to come join her and comfort her. It took her all evening to cry out her broken heart. Then she finally wiped the tears from her face and saw both brothers, who looked guilty.
“We've ruined your life,” Adam said bitterly.
“No, you haven't. About that I am very clear. You are my family now. And you helped my life begin. I can’t cry over her. She doesn’t want me and its her choice. Hopefully, with time she will reconsider.” Sophia set the phone down. She had been holding it this whole time, as if it were her portal to her mother’s heart.
“That took a ton of courage. I didn’t think you had it in you,” Adam commented. “We’re proud of you.”
“Yeah, well, I suppose it had to be done.” Sophia stretched the kinks out of her neck. “Well, that’s that. I beat Tony and I told my family. What else is there to hold us back?” She offered both men a weak smile.
“Now we just need to stick this out and wait for our child to be born,” Blake said with a shrug.
“Sounds good to me,” Sophia agreed.
Chapter 15
It was a happy day. Sophia was swollen, eight months’ pregnant. She looked like a basketball was under her shirt. She was carrying quite well, however, and if you saw her from the back you wouldn't have known she was pregnant. Sophia attributed her trim look to eating well and exercising every day. She also really loved her new prenatal yoga class, which she attended four times a week at the sleek and upscale gym in the Times building.
The two brothers stood on either side of her as they climbed the stairs into Dan Shrader’s office. Dan was waiting behind his old-fashioned desk with all of the documentation.
A few weeks before, Sophia and Marcy had had a gender reveal party with the brothers. Marcy had brought her two boyfriends. She had finally managed to get her own polyamorous relationship, though the two men were not brothers. She loved calling Sophia and they would exchange details about their exciting threesomes and offer each other advice for how to navigate jealousy and fights. When Sophia bit into her cupcake and saw blue, she cried with the brothers. She had intuitively known that it would be a little boy.
Now here they were at Dan’s.
“Are you sure about this?” Dan asked, as he pushed two separate pack
ets of papers at the brothers.
“Totally sure,” Adam said with a cheeky grin.
“Not a doubt in my mind,” Blake said.
Sophia sat between them. She didn’t really need to be here, but it felt ceremonial to her. She watched as the brothers read over the terms of their wills and then signed. Dan and a secretary signed as a witness.
“I have set up a five million dollar trust fund for our son,” Adam declared, the first to finish signing the packet. As he pushed back toward Dan along with the old-fashioned ink pen, he grinned at Sophia. She clasped his arm and snuggled into him to thank him.
Then Blake said, “And I've done the same.” Sophia clasped his arm and planted a firm peck on his cheek. He was letting his beard grow out at her request, since she liked feeling the bristles against her inner thighs when he went down on her. She had also requested Adam to remain clean-shaven and he had obliged her.
“You do know that you have just agreed that your child will be your sole heirs and will inherit the Franklin Corporation in the event of your deaths?” Dan confirmed.
Both brothers nodded eagerly. They had already thought about all of this. When Sophia had questioned if they really wanted to do this, they had both said yes without any hesitation. They did not have any other children, nor did they plan to. They promised to reconsider the terms of their wills if they ever did have other children, but for now, their unborn son was their sole heir.
“And now here’s the financial agreement between the three of you, as per Adam and Blake's request. In addition to the trust funds they just set up, Blake and Adam Franklin agree to help support Sophia Nueva with her living expenses and all expenses related to this child, until he reaches the age of 21 years, and they agree to support this child in any of his future educational pursuits. They accept full responsibility for all expenses associated with your son, including educational and medical expenses. This agreement protects you and your son even if your romantic relationship together ends,” Dan went on. He produced many more papers for the men to sign. He glanced between the three of them, looking unsure of how to judge this situation. But like any good lawyer, he reserved judgement and remained discreet about the strange affair his clients were entertaining with this woman.
PRIZE: An MMA Fighter Secret Baby Romance Page 57