Alphas on Top

by Harper Sloan

  “It’s a dishwasher,” he says slowly, walking towards me.

  “Ye—” Before I can get the words out, his mouth is on mine. The kiss is deep, wet, and so yummy, that when he pulls his mouth away, my hands are wrapped around his neck and my legs are around his hips. I'm in an Asher fog so deep that he could tell me it’s not a dishwasher, but a microwave, and I would agree with him completely.

  My eyes flutter open. He’s looking down at me with a cocky smile and mumbles, “That’s better.” Then, he squeezes my ass in his hands, sets me on the counter and leaves the kitchen, putting on his shirt as he goes.

  “Holy crap,” I whisper. Beast looks at me and grunts walks to his dog bed and lays down, completely disappointed in my lack of willpower. “It’s not my fault,” I mumble to my dog. He lets out a breath and shuts his eyes, completely dismissing me. “It’s not,” I say, still mumbling. I hop off the counter, take Asher’s dishes from the dishwasher, rinse off the cream cheese so it doesn’t harden onto the plate, rinse out the cup then place them both back in the dishwasher. The whole time, I'm smiling.

  I go to the bedroom to get dressed. I pull on a pair of leggings and choose a loose, off-the-shoulder cream shirt, and throw a black open front, oversized sweater on over it. I know Asher says he loves my body, but I need to stop eating everything that is placed in front of me before I need a whole new wardrobe.

  Yesterday, I had to lie down to button my jeans, and let’s just say walking around all day and having my toes tingle from lack of circulation is a hazard to myself and those around me. I flop down on the bed, exhausted from getting dressed. I'm so tired that I feel like I could sleep for the next week. I close my eyes just to give them a rest. I feel a feather light touch run down my cheek. My eyes open slowly and I see Asher’s face.

  “Time to get up, sleepy head. Our guest is here.”

  I take a deep breath and stretch. “Okay, who is it?” I grumble, thinking that this guest better be awesome enough for my sleep interruption.

  “You’ll see.” He smiles and pulls me out of bed, tucking me under his arm and walking us out to the living room where there is a guy about Asher’s age. He’s wearing jeans and a black shirt with the words, Crystal Clear Pools and Spas written in white on the breast.

  “Oh my God!” I screech and start jumping up and down. My tiredness is a long forgotten memory. The guy takes a step back and looks nervously to Asher for help.

  Asher starts laughing. “Don’t mind her, Jack. She does this when she gets excited.” I look at him and I can see he’s thinking about when he told me he was taking me four-wheeling. I bite my lip when I see his eyes turn hungry.

  Jack clears his throat. “Nice to meet you, November.” He sticks out his hand and I place mine in his.

  “Nice to meet you, Jack,” I say then take a step back. “Sorry about scaring you. I’m just so excited,” I mumble, slightly embarrassed by my outburst.

  Asher pulls me back into him and his arms wrap around me, his chin resting on top of my head. I feel his body shaking with silent laughter behind me. “I think he got that, baby.”

  “Whatever,” I say quietly, wondering if it would be rude to elbow him in his ribs in front of a guest. I give Jack a big smile after I see him shaking his head.

  “So, do you guys know the type of set up you want?” Jack asks, looking between us.

  “Um, it has to be childproof,” I say, remembering Asher’s pool requirement.

  Jack’s eyebrows shoot up. “You havin’ a baby, man?” he asks and I wonder if it’s normal in Tennessee to ask a stranger that you’re going to be working for such a personal question. In New York, that question would surely get you fired, maybe even shot.

  Asher must feel me go still, because he starts talking. “Me and Jack have been friends since high school, baby. He used to spend every summer with my family up at the cabin. Now he owns the pool and spa company with his old man and does jobs for us when we have a client who wants a pool put in on their property.”

  I nod my head, thinking someone should shoot me. Asher’s friend, and not some stranger, saw me jumping up and down and being a total dork.

  “So, are you havin’ a baby?” Jack asks again.

  “Not yet,” Asher says, squeezing me. I don’t know if his words or the lack of oxygen is responsible for the dizziness I'm feeling.

  Jack nods his head. “Alright, so the only request you have is child safety?” he asks, looking at me.

  “Um…” I know nothing about pools except how to swim in one. This isn’t as fun as I thought it would be.

  “You want a Jacuzzi, a grotto, a deep end?” he asks, looking at me expectantly.

  “Um...” I repeat, feeling like an idiot.

  “You got any books or pictures of work you’ve done that we can look at for ideas?” Asher asks and I'm thankful that he’s smart. I sag into him with relief and he kisses the top of my head.

  “Yeah, of course. Let’s go to the table.”

  “Would you like something to drink?” I ask as we make our way into the kitchen.

  “Coffee would be good, if you’ve got it.”

  “Of course.”

  I pour him a cup of coffee and get one for me and Asher as well. I set out sugar and cream on the counter and then take a seat between Asher and Jack.

  “So these are some of the pool designs we did last year.” He pulls out three pictures. The first one looks like a tropical paradise. It has tons of flowers and plants around it. The pool is bright blue with sand colored cement surrounding it. The second is a plain, bean shaped pool with an area for chairs and a table. The third is large and has two areas for sunbathing. It had a Jacuzzi that you could get to from inside the pool by walking up a set of stairs or you could get to it from outside the pool. It also had a shallow end that you could lay in and the water would only be about five inches deep. If you had kids, you could stay with them in that area.

  “I love this.” I point to the third picture.

  “I like this,” Asher says, indicating the first picture.

  “Well, we can incorporate what you both like into your pool.”

  “Awesome,” I whisper.

  “So, when can you start?” Asher asks, and I turn my head so fast that I'm surprised it doesn’t fly across the kitchen.

  “Don’t you think we should discuss price?” I ask.

  “You like it?”

  “Uh yeah,” I say in a duh tone.

  “So we’re getting it.”

  “I like the pool, babe, but I also like diamonds. I still wouldn’t buy one without knowing the price,” I say quietly.

  “I would,” Asher says with a completely straight face, causing me to do a double take.

  “I guarantee the price is competitive,” Jack cuts in. “And you’re getting the family discount.”

  “Oh.” It’s all I can say.

  “So, when can you start?” Asher asks again and I shake my head. I don’t think that it’s normal to make this kind of decision in less than twenty minutes. The prices of pool installations that I saw in my research online were twenty thousand or more. That seems like a lot of money to spend just by looking at three pictures.

  “It should take a week or so to get the permit then. We can break ground. After we start to dig, it should take about six-to-eight weeks to finish. You guys should be swimming by the time the weather really changes.”

  “Wow, that’s so fast,” I say, smiling at Jack. He smiles and shakes his head, looking over my shoulder at Asher.

  “You get it?” Jack says, looking at Asher. I look at Asher, wondering what the heck he’s talking about. He pulls me close and kisses my temple.

  “Alright, man. Send me the blueprints,” Asher says, standing. “Let me know when you get the permit and are gonna break ground.”

  “I’ll call you later this week,” Jack says, putting all of his stuff back in his folder.

  “Next weekend is Gran’s birthday. Everyone will be expecting you.” Asher changes
the subject and reminds Jack of the upcoming celebration.

  “I'm driving to Atlanta with Meg this week, but we should be back in time for the party unless her family convinces her to stick around through the weekend.”

  “Bring her.”

  “What?” Jack asks, shoving his folder under his arm and walking towards the front door.

  “Bring Meg.”

  “Bring Meg?” Jack repeats.

  “Yeah, why not?” Asher shrugs like it’s no big deal.

  “You hate Meg,” Jack says, looking at me. I shrug. I have no idea who Meg is or what her history is.

  “No, I hated that Meg was a friend and she believed the bullshit that bitch fed her about having my baby. Then, I was pissed that she confronted me in front of people in town about abandoning Joan after I knocked her up without ever asking me about it first. To top it off, she told Joan where I lived, so when I got home from a public blow out with Meg in town, I had to deal with Joan sitting on my front porch waiting for me.” Wow, I didn’t like Meg very much right now either. How could you claim that someone is your friend then believe a stranger over them?

  “So, you’re tellin’ me you’re over that shit?” Jack asks, looking like he understands why Asher was mad. I think anyone would understand why Asher was mad.

  “No, I'm tellin’ you that I know it’s not easy to choose sides, and that I'm willing to work on my relationship with Meg so you don’t have to choose.”

  Jack looked relieved. I could understand that. I'm sure it’s not easy loving two people who don’t get along. “Okay. We’ll be there for the party,” he says, opening the front door. “It was nice meeting you, November.”

  “You too,” I say as the door closes behind him.

  Once Asher locks the door, I yell, “We’re getting a pool!” And I launch myself at him.

  “No, I'm getting summers full of you in nothing but a bikini,” he says, giving me the dimple.

  “Ugh.” I scrunch up my nose. “I have never worn a bikini.”

  “Well, you’re not getting in the pool without one.” He looks at the ceiling, smiles and looks back down at me. “I will make an exception for you if you’re in your birthday suit.”

  “Of course, you will,” I say sarcastically. “How generous of you.” I shake my head. “Hey, what are you doing?” I screech from my now upside down position.

  “I'm going to make sure your birthday suit still fits, baby.”

  “Oh.” I smile as he carries me to the bedroom and shows me his birthday suit. Let’s just say that his fits him perfectly. I didn’t ask how mine fit, but I did note that he wasn’t complaining.

  I couldn’t believe it. I looked at the calendar again, thinking that something had to be seriously wrong. But every time I counted, I came up with the same thing. I was not only late, I was L-A-T-E, as in three months of no period. I knew that my pants were fitting tighter, but I had also been eating like a pig. Now I knew the reason why I had been eating like a pig and the reason for my tightening clothes. If I was correct, I was about three months pregnant.

  “Holy shit,” I whispered into the top of the desk where my head had landed with a loud thud, I was on the shot. I had been on the shot since I was sixteen and my mother forced me to get on birth control. She quickly found out I wasn’t very responsible with taking the pill, so she made my nanny take me to the hospital where they offered several different forms of birth control. I chose the shot only because I never had to think of it after I got it. Obviously, I didn’t think about anything. I didn’t think about my clothes becoming tighter. I didn’t think about feeling tired. I thought about nothing. If I hadn’t been planning on getting my shot prescription refilled, I wouldn’t have thought about the fact that I hadn’t had my period. I would have ended up on that show where the girl says, “I didn’t know I was pregnant until I felt the baby coming out of my vagina.”

  No woman wants to think that she’s so out of tune with her body that she doesn’t realize when another human is growing inside of it. I started to laugh, and then a sob came out.

  What was Asher going to think? Seriously, we had only been together for a few months. I needed to buy a test. I needed proof. I let my head thud on the desk a few more times, hoping that it would put my brain cells back in order. I called Asher and told him that I was leaving the club, got in my car, and began the mission of getting proof.

  I asked Liz to go with me to Target. Her job was to provide a distraction if we came across anyone that we knew while in the store. Lord knows, if anyone from town saw me buying a pregnancy test, they would assume that I had gotten knocked up on purpose and rumors would run rampant.

  “So, you’re late?” Liz asks, looking over at me.

  “Late is an understatement,” I tell her as we walk down the aisle of the store. It’s ironic that tampons and pregnancy tests are located in the same section.

  “So, what are you going to do if it’s positive?” She holds up a box, reading the back.

  “I don’t know,” I say quietly.

  “Well, you know he loves you so I'm sure everything will be okay.” She gives me a reassuring smile. I smile back and pick out a test. I thought about putting it in my purse until we reached check out, but I really didn’t want to get arrested for shoplifting, so I just put it under my arm, trying to hide it. Going towards the front of the store, my worst fear is realized when Trevor walks around the corner.

  “Hey, sis,” he says, trying to give me a hug but the test is still under my arm and I don’t want it to fall out, so I half pat his back. “Liz,” he says, smiling, and I watch her face turn pink.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask, looking around, trying to come up with a plan to abort the mission.

  “I came with Cash. He’s picking up a cable for his TV.” He looks between me and Liz. “What are you doing here?” he asks and I look at Liz, hoping that she’ll think of something since my mind has gone blank.

  “Tampons,” Liz blurts out and I notice a few people stop and look at us as she covers her mouth. Trevor seems taken aback for a second then he laughs, shaking his head.

  “Well, I’ll let you guys get back to that.” He bends over and kisses my cheek and then reaches over and tugs a piece of Liz’s hair. Without another look, he turns around and walks away.

  “Tampons,” I hear Liz whisper to herself. I start giggling. “You owe me huge for this,” she says, groaning. After Trevor is out of sight, I run to check out with Liz following behind me.

  “You guard the door while I take the test,” I tell Liz while walking into the small stall.

  “Let me know if you need me,” she says from the other side.

  “Holy shit,” I whisper. There it is. The proof I wanted is right there in black and white. Okay, white and pink, but it is there in my face, proving that I'm an idiot. I’ve taken four tests, all different brands, so I know they couldn’t all be wrong. When I bought the first one and it came out with a giant plus sign, I left the stall that I had been holding up in.

  With Liz following behind me, we went and bought water from the coffee shop and a few more tests. Now all the tests have been taken and they all say the same thing. I had my proof. I shove the boxes and all except one of the tests into the little garbage can that hangs on the wall in the bathroom stall.

  “You’re pregnant!” Liz squeals with excitement. I want to be happy, but I’m afraid about Asher’s reaction. “I hope it’s a girl. They always have so many cute girl things. So, what now?” she asks, looking at me expectantly.

  “I…um, need to make a doctor’s appointment. I need to have them confirm it.”

  “I'm pretty sure that the four tests you’ve taken confirm it.”

  “I know. I mean, I need them to tell me that everything is okay, and that I haven’t harmed the baby over the last few months.”

  Liz must have read the look on my face because she pulls me into a hug. “Hey, everything is going to work out,” she says quietly.

  We decide
to wander around Target for a while. I need time to think. I need to figure out what the heck I’m going to say to Asher. There is no way I can keep this from him. I don’t want to keep this from him. I want his support. I need him to tell me everything is going to be okay.

  By the time we go to check out, the cart is overflowing. I know how I’m going to tell Asher that I’m pregnant. Even if we didn’t plan this, I want it to be special. I also bought a few pairs of maternity pants with the stretchy material at the waist. My jeans are becoming so tight that I have to lie down to button them. I had been avoiding buying a bigger size because I didn’t want to admit to gaining weight. Now I know I have to wear something bigger. It can’t be healthy for the baby to be squashed inside of me like that. Liz and I walked around the baby aisles looking at clothes, bedding, and toys for a lot of the time we were there. There were so many cute things and Liz’s excitement started to rub off on me.

  I was sitting at the island in the kitchen when I heard Asher’s jeep pull up. I had been trying to read, but my mind was so busy going over all the outcomes of the news I was getting ready to announce, that I ended up reading the same page about five times already. The minute Asher walked through the door, I wanted to throw up. Normally when he walked through the door, I wanted to throw myself at him. But now, my stomach was in knots, and I was having a difficult time breathing.

  “Hey, baby,” he said as he walked to me, kissing my forehead. “What’s wrong?” he asked. I started to tell him, but then I smelled nothing but the paint that was splattered on his clothes. I ran to the bathroom. Apparently, the baby didn’t like that smell. My hair was lifted out of my face and off my neck and then a cold cloth was laid there. “Feel better?”

  I nodded, even though I didn’t feel better. My nerves were shot. “Come shower with me.” He didn’t give me a choice. He picked me up, my head laying on his shoulder and my arms going around his neck. He sat me on the vanity in our bathroom, and then started the shower. I hopped off the counter and started brushing my teeth, watching him in the mirror as he got undressed. I knew I needed to do this now before I completely chickened out or ended up in an Asher-fog where I would forget everything.