Life Begins

by Taki James

  Like clockwork, Josif fell asleep with minimum effort. Desa followed him shortly after, making Žarko have to carry her to her own bedroom. Ljiljiana carried the baby to her crib, leaving Josie the chance to cover up her son and give him a nighttime kiss. Žarko was coming out of his daughter’s room just as she pulled the bedroom door to a cracked position. Ljiljiana brought up the video monitor to pass over. “I’m going to listen to some music and read for my next assignment.”

  “Have a good night,” Josie said. Then she was gone and off to do what she said she would do. Josie gave a smile to her husband. “She’s so grown.”

  “He shrugged. “What can I say? They are very responsible.”

  Josie made her way down the stairs first. “Did you eat?”

  “Ne.”

  She looked at him over her shoulder. “Good, because I set you a plate aside in the oven. You can eat that while I go and clean up the paint that desperately needs cleaning.”

  “Or,” he said, stopping her movement forward with a hand on her shoulder. “You can go into the baby’s room and make sure she is well and I will take care of the paint as I said that I would.”

  She held her hands up in surrender, knowing that she couldn’t argue with him about that. “Or, I can go into the bedroom with the baby and let you clean up the nasty paint stains.” She veered off into the nursery, but not before watching his backside stride down the hallway to the next set of stairs. She smiled, knowing that her husband was something else.

  Her baby girl lay in her crib, little arms and legs going strong as she watched the movement of her mobile over her head. Josie slid into the rocking chair as the side of the bed, watching her daughter through the white slats. It wasn’t quite time to give her a final feeding, so she decided to wait it out. She had almost gone to sleep when she heard the first gentle fussing.

  She responded swiftly, not making her daughter wait for her next meal. Part of her wondered if she should have just pumped some milk so that Žarko could have the enjoyment of feeding her. She supposed that would have been fun for him. “I bet that would have been nice for you, too, huh?” she asked her daughter. The baby always tended to stare with a confused look on her face anytime her father fed her. It often amused Josie. She finished feeding the baby and laid her down so that she could track down her husband. She found him in the den at the back of the house, on his knees with a bucket of soapy water next to him as he scrubbed.

  It was amusing. “Are you sure you don’t want me to finish up for you? I wouldn’t want your old back to go out.”

  He snorted, before climbing to his feet. “I did not think it would be so widespread. You said he painted himself.”

  Josie reached into the small garbage hidden at the side of the console table and pulled out a large jar of what was clearly child paint. “He dumped this over his head, the moment I turned my head. I’m just glad that it was non-toxic and washable because I had a hell of a time getting the green ring out of the tub.” She dropped the jar back into the can and moved to grab the sponge from her husband. “I think we should just pull out the steamer and see if that works.”

  She moved to grab the bucket, but couldn’t get far before Žarko grabbed her waist, pulling her back toward him. She tilted her head toward him for a kiss, knowing that was exactly what they both wanted. As soon as his lips touched hers, she practically melted against him. “I take it that things went well?” she said as soon as he separated from her.

  “Yes. I am pleased, and no one had to die.”

  She hugged him tight. “Good, because I need you not to do jail time and I don’t want to be the wife cleaning blood out of your clothes. I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from asking you questions that I don’t want the answer to.”

  “You showed me what I would be missing very well, but I might need another reminder.”

  She wanted to tell him, not with paint on her nice floors, but that would be a lie. She felt her husband picking her up and carrying her to the deep shadows in the back of the room. Her back made contact with the wall, giving her leverage to wrap her legs around him. “In here?” she whispered to him.

  “Right here. Girls are sleep. Son is sleep. Baby is sleep.” He let go of her left hip to reach into his pocket for the video monitor. He set that on the console table at his side. “Now, let’s take care of this.” He reached for the waistband of her shorts, pulling them down and away faster than she could blink.

  She couldn’t help, but giggle. “How can you make me this wet so fast?” He didn’t answer, instead choosing to kiss her into submission. She held tight to him, grinding her hips against him. His hands moved between them, brushing against her privates as he released the heavy weight of his cock. She spread her legs wider, wanting his immediate penetration.

  She could feel sticky fluid against her thighs. Žarko hooked his forearms underneath her thighs, tilting her into the right position to receive him. He pressed against and inside of her. It still stung, no matter how many times they had done this, now. She had to cry out, even as she arched her back to take him in deeper. Inside her mind, she started a silent chant that she hoped the children would not wake up. Then, she just didn’t care.

  Žarko buried his lips against her neck, sucking the skin hard. His hips pounded against her, hitting her at the right angle for his groin to always meet with her clit and his cock to strike her internal hot spot. She groaned, her short nails digging into his shoulders. It didn’t take long for her body to shudder into a strong climax, especially when he opened his mouth to bite her shoulder, enhancing her pleasure.

  They were like animals, tearing at one another, but it felt so good that Josie didn’t want it to change at all. For everything he did to her, she returned the favor. She grazed her teeth against his neck and shoulder. She practically threw her lower body against him. She did everything she could for both of their pleasure until he pressed her back further against the wall. “I’m too close for you to do that,” he growled just beneath her ear.

  “I don’t care,” she groaned out. “Come inside me.” She squeezed her inner muscles against him, keeping up a rhythm that she knew would drive him crazy. “Come. You know you want to.” He didn’t seem to listen, so she went further. “You can’t give me your beba if you don’t fill me with your cum. Don’t you want a baby with me?”

  That seemed to do the trick. He growled one last time, his hips beginning to move erratically as he came. She collapsed against him, letting him carry her weight. “You are such a bad girl,” he said with an out of breath chuckle. He lessened his grip on her hips.

  Josie hissed as her body resisted his removal. “You were really going hard. I may even come out of this with bruises.” He tilted her head, his fingers brushing lightly at the left side of her neck.

  “You are already bruising.”

  She winced. “I know. And we still need to get rid of the paint of the floor.”

  He grunted. “We’ll get that up tomorrow. Right now, I think we need to rest.” She couldn’t agree more.

  She lifted her arms to him. “Carry me, tata.” He swatted at her rear, but it didn’t stop him from picking up her and carrying her as she asked for. “Wait, don’t forget the video monitor.” He paused long enough for her to grab it and finally, they made it to bed. Josie flopped exactly where her husband dropped her. “I don’t think I want to move again,” she said.

  She heard him moving around the room. “You need to be ready for bed.” She sighed, working up some bit of energy to roll off the bed so she could finally take off her t-shirt and bra. She made a quick trip to the restroom to do a quick clean up. Then, she made her way to the dresser beneath their large television.

  Third dresser from the top, she found her pretty purple nightgown with the lacy top. Sure, she planned to slip on a pair of ugly shorts, but she wanted what she wore on top to be nice. “I have not seen that,” Žarko said from his position from the bed.

  She turned to model it for him. “I saw it at the
store the other day. Since it was on clearance I decided that I couldn’t pass it up.” It made her feel slim and sexy without trying. And, it was nice to see her husband’s reaction to it.

  “It looks good on you.”

  “Good. I thought so, too.” She crawled into bed beside with her husband.

  “You should take the shorts off so it can look prettier.”

  Josie squeezed her pillow against her face, so she could face her husband. “What if we have to get out of bed?

  He rolled close beside her, practically covering her body. “Who cares about waking up in night?”

  The heavy pole of his cock pressed hard against her bottom. Ah, now we came to the real reason. “Again?” She felt his shoulders move in a shrug.

  “Why not? I am awake and feeling energetic. You are awake and looking pretty. I say you should allow me to appreciate your prettiness.” His hands began snaking beneath her body so he could cup her breasts. “Such pretty lace needs to be appreciated.”

  “You are being such a bad boy again.” Not that she cared because her hips already rolled against him. She also couldn’t help the whimpers leaving her lips because of him playing with her sensitive breasts. “We just had sex and you’re act like you’re starving for it.”

  He kissed the side of her neck, as if he were determined to mark her whole body. “I’m being a good boy. Do not pretend that you don’t want this.”

  She gave her hips a good roll against him. “You know I want this.” She always wanted him. “I was just pointing out that we had already done this. I would not think that you’d be ready so soon.”

  She felt his half smile against her. “I’m always ready.” After that, he set out to prove it to her, keeping her awake until baby Juljiana decided that she had had enough of sleeping and wanted some food and attention. Josie allowed Žarko to bottle feed the baby while she got some early rest. The last image she had was of her husband staring at their daughter with near wonder in his eyes.

  Josie had to smile. Juljiana had that same type of power on her.

  Chapter 18

  Her stomach felt a bit queasy the morning she was supposed to go with Žarko to the lawyers. It didn’t feel quite like nervousness, but she was sure that was part of what she was feeling. She also had to deal with the fact that someone she hadn’t met previously was going to be watching over her children.

  She finished putting the final touches on breakfast, trying her best not to over worry herself when the doorbell rang. She saw Žarko moving toward the door, followed by Josif. “Josif,” she called after him, but the little boy didn’t stop running after his father. She sighed. That little boy could move fast when the mood struck him.

  “Ljiljiana, Desa, do you guys want toast with your breakfast?” Both heads bobbed from where they sat on the floor with baby Juljiana. “Okay,” she said softly to herself. She pulled the toaster from the top of the fridge, then pulled out the loaf she’d just purchased from inside of it. She loved the six piece maker because it was pretty much one shot for her and she was done.

  She kept an ear out as she heard the door opening and the person calling out a greeting to Žarko. She glanced over her shoulder, to see a relatively tall young man standing beside her husband. Clearly, like Žarko, he was Eastern European. He also had strong features, like his face was made out of granite. It was almost frightening.

  Desa was already on her feet and running toward the young man. “Uncle Nenad.” She jumped into his arms, hugging tightly to his neck. He responded to her in Serbian.

  Not knowing what else to do, Josie headed into the living room with the rest of the family. Ljiljiana had already scooped up Juljiana and had joined the conversation with Desa and their…uncle. She had no idea what was being said, considering all parts of the conversation were in Serbian, but okay. Josie figured that she could get through it.

  Žarko cleared his throat, gaining everyone’s attention. “Josie does not yet speak srbski, so it would be wise to speak only in English for now.” Josie tried to hide her wince, but knew she wasn’t very successful, because even her son was getting the hang of Serbian better than she was, and she wouldn’t be surprised if baby Juljiana’s first words were in Serbian. But, she knew that her husband hadn’t said it to shame her. Instead, he simply stated a fact. She couldn’t speak the language and didn’t have much time to learn anything other than a few baby words.

  “If I’d known I was going to marry a Serbian I would have gone out of my way to study it years before now. Since that wasn’t the case, here I am, an English speaker.” She completely ignored her husband’s grunt.

  Good thing Nenad seemed to find the humor in the situation. “It’s no problem. I’m American born myself, so I understand how it must feel for you.” He held his hand out for her to shake. “I’m Nenad Crncević, babysitter extraordinaire.” And bodyguard, considering the muscles on him and the outline of a gun she saw hidden in his jacket.

  “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Josie.”

  “As in from that movie in the early 2000’s?”

  Josie laughed. “As in the comics the movie derived from. I was born well before the movie came out.” Suddenly, she had Žarko gently pressing between them, making sure that everyone in the room understood who she belonged to. Josie had to smile at that, because clearly, this guy wasn’t interested in her. “I have breakfast ready, if everyone is hungry now.”

  She shooed everyone to the breakfast nook so that she could get everything set out. She was glad that she’d made a lot, because she hadn’t been sure if the babysitter was going to eat or not, and had wanted to be prepared. She set the plates in front of everyone before returning to the kitchen for baby Juljiana’s breakfast, pears because that’s what the baby currently liked.

  She and Žarko weren’t going to eat because he wanted to take her out for breakfast, but it didn’t stop her from wanting to sit with the kids. Nenad was going to take the girls to schools, even though the girls didn’t want to go. Yeah, that was a conversation that had no business happening. Josie wasn’t having it become a habit for the girls to miss school. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t taking them.

  Baby Juljiana also wasn’t having momma take the spoon with her food too far away from her either, and so kept her hand on top of the spoon and Josie’s hands. She loved her oatmeal and pear mix too much to let anyone stop her from eating. Josie could barely take the time out to wipe the extra mess off her face, she just wanted to eat immediately.

  After the girls had finished eating, and Josif had gotten as much food in his mouth as he could without spilling, Žarko sent them to get ready for the ride. He and Nenad went to transfer the car seats for the smaller ones to ride with him. Josie took that time to finish feeding her daughter, topping her off with a bit of breast milk.

  She got her baby ready in her spring jacket and sat waiting with her. As soon as the men were ready, the baby was taken from her and Josie found herself in the car with her husband. “Are you sure Nenad is going to be okay with the babies? I know he’s watched the girls, but can he change diapers?”

  Žarko patted her hand, absently. “It’s fine. He knows what he’s doing. Nenad’s mother owns a daycare and he has often helped her, so he is versed in changing diapers and chasing toddlers.”

  “And we’re not going to have a news story situation where something happens to my children because we trusted the wrong person? It happens all the time.” She allowed her husband to hold her hand as they drove downtown. It kept her somewhat comforted, even though part of her worried about an unknown man in her house watching over all of her children.

  The silence between them remained unbroken for a long while, except through the music Žarko enjoyed listening to. Then, when she had almost forgotten the conversation enough that she was driving herself crazy, she heard him say, “He knows I would kill him if anything bad happens to the babies. We both know that is not a threat.”

  Josie released a heavy sigh. “Thank you. I’m guessing h
e’s one of your normal henchmen.”

  “He speaks English so no one thinks about him and the girls are used to him because he helped with them after my move to this city.”

  That gave her more comfort. She sat back and spent the rest of the ride to breakfast relaxing. Then, after a nice and calm meal, they headed to the lawyers office, so that Josie could finally feel part of the case. Žarko’s lawyer was a nice elder gentleman, with silvery hair and startling green eyes that shined through the crinkles of his wrinkles.

  He practically went out of his way to ensure that she felt comfortable. “Ah, so we finally meet Mrs. Knežević. I’m Harrison. Your husband has been your biggest advocate in this case, so you know I have already been warned about upsetting you.”

  Josie laughed. “I would imagine so.” She took the plush red velvet seat he offered her. Žarko sat next to her, taking her coat to hold it over his knee. She gave him a thankful smile before turning her attention back to the lawyer. “So, now that I’m here, let’s get this going. What do you need to know from me?”

  She watched him shuffle through the papers on his desk, a pair of reading glasses on the tip of his nose. “I have all of the paperwork from the divorce, exactly as your lawyer sent them. I guess, what I’m concerned about is, emotionally what happened to cause your ex-husband to give away his parental rights.”

  Josie gave a snort of laughter. “There’s not a lot to talk about. My ex-husband and I married at the age of eighteen. I agreed with him that we should spend time getting used to marriage before introducing children in our relationship, but eventually, I did desire a child and expressed that need to him. I won’t say that my first pregnancy three years ago was planned. It wasn’t but I was glad for it, until I found out that my ex-husband actually had no desire for children whatsoever.”

  She watched him write everything down, occasionally nodding to keep her speaking. It was still a bit hard to talk about, but if it helped to keep Gary out of her life, she was willing to do anything to keep him out of it. “What else happened?”