by Kira Blakely
“Thank you,” I tell her, returning her smile as I lower my glass. “Yours, too.”
It is beautiful. I especially like the golden accents on the bottom part of the gown. It’s too revealing, though, the neckline wide and deep all the way to the waist. Probably, that was the effect she wanted.
“I think you should have lost the necklace, though,” Marissa adds, pointing to it. “It doesn’t really go well with the gown.”
“I agree,” Mrs. Siegel pipes in. “It’s too small.”
I frown. The last thing I want is for her to agree with something Marissa says.
“Well, this necklace was given to me by my parents,” I say, rubbing the pendant. “I hardly ever take it off.”
“Really?” Marissa’s trimmed eyebrows go up.
“I don’t think we’ve met,” Mrs. Siegel says, eyeing Marissa. “You are?”
This is just getting worse by the second.
“Marissa Reynolds.” She leans forward to shake Mrs. Siegel’s hand. “My husband is Leon Reynolds. He’s a stockbroker. He owns a yacht.”
“Oh.” Dash’s Mom has clearly never heard of him. “Anna Siegel.”
“Dash’s mother?” Marissa’s jaw drops, her hand gripping Mrs. Siegel’s hand.
I look away and roll my eyes, having had enough of being forced to stare at her boobs, which I’m sure are as fake as the rest of her.
“Why, yes.” Mrs. Siegel stands up. “Are you a friend of Dash?”
Great. Just great.
“You can say that,” Marissa answers. “Though we were more than friends once. We went out for a few years.”
A few years? My eyebrows go up. I thought Dash said a few weeks.
“Really?” Mrs. Siegel’s eyebrows crease. “I thought he was with Janine the whole time he was on active duty.”
Marissa frowns. “He said that?”
“There was a time when Dash and I broke up,” I say, standing up in between them. “But it was only for a short while.”
“Oh,” Dash’s mother says.
I sip my champagne. “We thought we could live without each other. But we couldn’t. We couldn’t be happy with anyone else.”
I swear Marissa just snarled.
I grin winsomely down at her, taking another sip of my champagne to celebrate my small victory.
“Excuse me,” Marissa says, walking away.
That’s right. Walk away.
Halfway across the room, she pivots as Dash becomes available and makes a bee line for him.
Shit.
In seconds, she pounces on him, wrapping her arm around his and pressing her breasts against him. Laughing like he’s so hilarious. Making googly eyes at him like she’s on drugs.
My jaw clenches, my fingers clutching the stem of my champagne glass so hard it might snap.
“They’re still friends?” Mrs. Siegel asks beside me, confusion in her voice.
“Excuse me,” I tell her, leaving her side.
I stop by the refreshments table for two fresh glasses of champagne and then go over to where Dash and Marissa are.
“You look like you’re having fun.” I hand the other glass to Dash.
“I was wondering where you were,” Dash says, sliding easily from Marissa’s clutches to scoop the champagne flute from my fingers.
“We were just talking about you,” Marissa says, her eyes narrowed at me.
She’s not even hiding all that potent hate on her face. Her rudeness is frankly amazing.
“You two look so happy and perfect together,” she adds with a little sneer. “It’s almost too good to be true.”
I swallow but keep my smile on, placing my arm around Dash’s. “I agree completely.”
Marissa puts her hands together. “How did you two meet again? You never did tell me.” She shakes her head slowly. “Seems like you came out of nowhere.”
“We met in college, before I joined the Marines,” Dash says, pulling his arm away to put it around me. “We kept in touch ever since.”
“Even when we were together?” Marissa asks.
“Yes,” Dash answers.
“Liar,” Marissa accuses, the veins in her forehead becoming prominent. “You didn’t have any contact with any other woman then. I know. I checked your phone all the time.”
“Like I said, Dash and I took a break from our relationship,” I say, placing my arm around Dash’s waist. Dash and I might be liars, but we make a great team. “We still got back together. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. We’re married now.”
I look at Dash, giving him a sweet smile.
I’m about to kiss him, too, but suddenly, my stomach feels queasy.
I hand him my glass. “I think I need to go to the restroom.”
Without waiting for a reply, I dart through the crowd.
I can feel a few pairs of eyes staring at me but I ignore them, heading straight to the restrooms I saw earlier. That doesn’t mean they don’t bother me though. I hate being seen like this, maybe as much as I hate leaving Dash alone with Marissa.
And just when it was getting good too.
I walk faster, as fast as I can in my gown and stilettos, relieved when I find the restrooms in sight.
What is going on with me? Did I drink too fast? Is it something I ate before we left the apartment?
I don’t know. All I know is that the moment I’m inside the women’s restroom, I rush into the nearest empty cubicle, bolt the door behind me, and throw up into the toilet bowl.
Chapter 13
Dash
Janine is throwing up again.
I could tell that she felt sick earlier when she came out of the bathroom after a while, her face pale and her eyes teary. I thought it was just a spell, though. I thought maybe she just ate something or drank too much. I thought she was alright but obviously, she’s not.
“Do you want me to call a doctor?” I ask her as I hold her hair, keeping it out of her face.
“No. I’m fine.”
She flushes the toilet then goes to the sink, gurgling.
“Hey.” I reach for her hand. “Everything’s alright.”
“Everything’s alright?” She pulls her hand away. “I just went to a party full of pompous strangers in a gown I didn’t choose, had to put on a fake smile for a bunch of fake people, saw your ex wrapped around you and then had to run to the restrooms to throw up, with of course, everyone around me listening and some of it ending up in my hair and on my gown.”
“Shh.” I pull her into my arms. “It’s okay.”
She pushes me away. “I didn’t want to go. I shouldn’t have gone. I knew something like this would happen. Look at me, I’m a fucking mess.”
I shake my head. “You’re beautiful. Come here.”
I try to pull her into my arms again but she steps back, raising her hands. “Sorry but I stink. I’d like to take a shower now.”
I raise my hands as well. “I understand.”
I keep them raised as I exit the bathroom. I stop right outside the door, though, unable to leave Janine alone. How can I when she’s suffering, beating herself up for nothing?
I have to find a way to make her feel better. But how?
Suddenly, an idea comes to me.
I go back inside the bathroom, kicking off my shoes and taking off my tie. I toss it on top of the pile of Janine’s clothes on the chair. She’s in the shower already, the water running and trickling down her naked body, and when she sees me, her eyes and her mouth gape.
“What are you doing here?” she asks, hands covering her breasts.
“Joining you.”
I strip, taking off my pants followed by my shirt, boxers, and socks, leaving them all on the bathroom rug. Then I open the sliding door.
“I need a shower, too.”
“Now?” Janine asks, still puzzled.
“Why not?”
I step inside, standing right next to her.
I see her eyes dart to my crotch but immediately look away. I purse my lips to ho
ld back a chuckle.
“Come on.” I take her arms off her breasts. “It’s not like I haven’t seen those before.”
The blush on her cheeks deepens.
She turns around, her back to me. I place my hands on her shoulders.
“Relax. It’s just a shower.”
I massage her shoulders, staring at her back, at how those droplets of water trickle down her spine and disappear into the crack of her ass, some going over the firm mounds of flesh and flowing down the back of her thighs.
Until now, I never realized how sexy her backside was, the sight of it making my cock stir to life now.
Once she’s relaxed, I move closer to her, my hands sliding down her arms. I plant a tender kiss on her shoulder and then a more passionate one on her neck.
Janine leans back against me. “I thought this was a shower.”
“It is,” I whisper in her ear. “See how I’m washing you.”
I let my hands slide down her arms and rest on her hips. Then I trace the soft curve of her belly upwards until my hands brush against the bottom of her breasts.
She gasps.
I cup her breasts, which fit perfectly in my palms.
She throws her head back.
I grip her chin, kissing her while the water falls on our faces, then leave it in place so I can stroke both of her breasts, pinching her nipples gently. She grips my hips, straining against me.
As our tongues play, I let my other hand wander, dipping between her legs. I find the nub between her drenched curls, stroking it and swallowing the moan she gives me in response.
She’s trembling in my arms now, her knees shaking, and when I move my finger lower, I find her wet for a different reason. I slide my finger in and she tears her face away from mine, gasping. I kiss her neck, sliding in another and beginning to stroke her slowly.
For a moment, Janine just stands there, supported by my weight, her body shaking against mine as the water trickles down her skin. Then she turns around.
She wraps her arms around my neck, kissing me.
I grip her hips and push her against the wall, pinning her against it, grinding my erection between her legs.
She moans then reaches between us to wrap her fingers around my cock, stroking it.
I let her play with it even though I’m shuddering with need, squeezing her ass and kissing her hard, letting my moans spill into her mouth. Then when I can’t take the pleasure anymore, my body like a spring that has been stretched beyond measure, I push her hand away, wrapping her arm around me.
“Hold on tight,” I tell her.
The moment she obeys, I lift her legs, wrapping them around my waist as I sheath myself inside her.
Janine lets out a soft cry, clinging to me, nails raking across my skin.
My hands on her ass, I begin moving my hips, moving inside her. She clutches me tighter.
“Don’t worry,” I whisper in her ear. “I won’t let you fall.”
I capture her mouth before starting to moving faster, moving my hips as fast as I can. It isn’t easy and I can feel the strain on my muscles, the sweat building on my skin in spite of the shower, but it’s worth having her wrapped around me so tightly. It’s worth being buried so deep in her delicious heat.
Besides, I want her to feel all of me.
Suddenly, she breaks the kiss. “Dash!”
As Janine cries my name and clings to my neck, she throws her head back, her eyes falling shut as she trembles and tightens around me. I manage a few more thrusts before capturing her mouth again, pinning her against the wet tiles, and clutching her ass as I come deep inside her.
After that, I let her down, my legs still shaking slightly. She keeps her arms around me, though, resting her head against my heaving chest.
I place my arms around her, too. “Feeling better?”
Janine nods then looks up at me with a grin. “I think we need to start the shower all over again, though.”
Chapter 14
Janine
This is a new start for Dash.
As I watch him from the corner of the boardroom, shaking hands with the shareholders of Security by Siegel Inc. who are congratulating him for being their new CEO, my chest swells with pride, a lump forming in my throat as I wrap my hand around it.
I still can’t believe that Dash is now the new company CEO.
He did mention that he had inherited shares of his father’s company but I didn’t think he’d take it over, especially not just a few weeks after the company party. I suppose it’s normal, though, now that his father is gone and he’s no longer on active duty. But was it expected?
My gaze goes over to Billy, who is also receiving handshakes and pats on the back from the shareholders in the room, a smile on his face for the first time.
This is a new start for him too. Now he can finally go back to medical school and be the doctor he always wanted to be.
I fold my arms over my chest, leaning against the wall. I guess it’s never too late, after all.
“Speech! Speech!” some of the shareholders begin to chant at Dash with clapping hands.
Billy has just finished his speech so I suppose, now, it’s Dash’s turn.
He goes to the front of the boardroom, wearing a smile and standing with his shoulders back, already looking every bit the top executive in his dark gray coat and pants, pale blue shirt, and navy blue tie.
“I’m not very good with speeches,” he says as he slips his hands into his coat pockets and holds them apart. “I consider myself more a man of action than a man of words.”
“Good for you, son,” one of the older shareholders praises.
“I just want to take this opportunity to thank Billy for what he’s done so far.” He stretches his arm towards Billy. “He is the true hero, having brought this company to where it is now and helping to improve countless lives.”
The room erupts into applause.
“And I want to thank you all for your support,” Dash goes on, shifting his weight on the other leg. “And I hope that you will continue to support me as I work to make my father’s company even more successful. I am well aware that it is not an easy task. Fighting in a war may well have been easier.”
A few shareholders chuckle.
“But I will do my best not to let anyone down. I will leave no man behind.”
Again, the room erupts into applause. I lift my hands, clapping as well.
“Oh, and one more thing.” Dash scratches the corner of his mouth. “I would like to thank and introduce to you all my wife, Janine Siegel.”
I hold my breath.
“Come here, Janine.” Dash stretches out his arm to me.
Reluctantly, I move to the front, wringing my hands, aware that all eyes are on me.
“I may run the company but she’s the boss at home so I have to make sure I thank her properly or I might get a burned dinner,” Dash jokes.
Laughter fills the room.
“Very funny,” I tell Dash as I stand next to him.
He places his arm around me as he continues to address the crowd. “Without my wife, I would not be where I am today.”
The members of the crowd clap again, this time for me.
I try not to blush, smiling nervously.
“Do you want to say something?” Dash asks me.
I clasp my hands together, glancing at Billy. “I just wish Billy the best of luck and…” I look at the shareholders. “I hope you’ll understand if my husband doesn’t hold late night meetings with you because he’s probably holding them with me.”
They laugh.
Dash rubs my arm then whispers in my ear. “Listen to you. You’re playing the part of the CEO’s wife perfectly already.”
It does seem I have another part to play.
“Oh, he didn’t whisper anything important,” I tell the people who are still looking at us, waving my hand dismissively. “Just…”
I pause, suddenly feeling short of breath. I grab Dash’s arm, wobbling as a w
ave of dizziness and nausea washes over me.
“Janine?” Dash gives me a concerned look.
I look away, my hand sliding down his arm as I fall on my knees, clutching my stomach as I throw up on the carpet.
“Janine!”
* * *
“I’m alright, Dash,” I tell him in the backseat of the car minutes later, the spell of nausea and dizziness already over. “You don’t have to bring me to the hospital.”
“But I am,” he says, his arm around me. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you’ve been waking up in the middle of the night to vomit.”
I blink, eyes wide. He noticed? “That only happened twice,” I tell him, looking out the window.
“And what about that time when you threw up at the company party, hmm? That makes three times in a week.”
I shake my head, burying my face in my hands. “I can’t believe I’ve made such a mess of myself again.”
“That doesn’t matter.” He grabs my hand. “What matters is your health. I want to make sure that you’re alright.”
“Fine.” I sit back.
The truth is I’ve been curious about what’s going on with my body too. I’m thinking it’s just stress but what if it’s something more? What if I have some rare disease? Or what if I have cancer like my mother? It’s not just the vomiting, after all. I’ve been feeling more tired than usual, too, and my breasts seem tender.
I push away the thought, inwardly shaking my head.
I’m sure it’s nothing serious.
Please let it be nothing serious.
* * *
“This is serious,” Dr. Janet Liu says as she looks at the papers on her desk, the results of my tests from the past hour.
I hold my breath, gripping Dash’s hand that’s on my thigh tighter.
What? What is wrong with me?
“Seriously amazing,” Dr. Liu says as she puts her hands on top of the papers, smiling.
My eyebrows furrow. What?
“Congratulations! You are pregnant, Mrs. Siegel,” she announces with a wider smile. “You and your husband are having a baby.”
Both my hands go over my mouth as I gasp.
“Are you serious?” Dash asks the question I’ve been thinking.