by J. P. Comeau
“Only you can decide what’s best for your life, Margo. And if this man is what's best for you right now, then you shouldn't let anyone take that away from you. The only power people have over you is the power that you give. You are much stronger than you realize, dear. That’s one of the reasons I hired you.”
I searched her eyes as she continued to rub my hand.
“Are you serious, Guadalupe? I thought you hired me because of my license.”
My comment made her chuckle.
“Having a license in your work line is necessary, yes, but I’m a good judge of character, Margo. The way you held yourself during the interview told me you were reliable. And you haven’t let me down yet.”
Her words pulled at my heartstrings. Even before I became sick, there were times when I struggled to keep up with such a rigorous work schedule. Just knowing that she had faith in me started to make me feel better.
“Thank you, Guadalupe. That means so much to me.”
“So please, take back control over your life. Don’t let Ginger or anyone else keep you from being with Chase, all right?”
I nodded while giving her my best smile. “All right, Guadalupe. I won’t.”
She patted my knee while standing up.
“Oh, and you need to come with me.” She held out her hand to me, which I took even though I didn’t know where we were going. “We need to get you a pregnancy test, dear.”
My mouth fell open as she continued to hold my hand. All I could do was stare at her as if she had suddenly grown an extra pair of eyes. Then I finally found the courage to speak. “What…what did you say?”
“Come on, dear. You need to take a pregnancy test.”
“Why in the world do you have pregnancy tests on hand?”
Guadalupe simply laughed as she pulled me up from my seat, refusing to let it go as we walked further into her house.
16
Chase
It had been a long flight, and despite sitting in a comfortable first-class seat, I was beyond antsy. My leg didn’t stop tapping the entire fourteen-hour flight back to Key Biscayne, which I usually would have taken the time to enjoy. Before meeting Margo, I never wanted my trips to end because it meant going home to an empty house. The longer I was up in the air, the longer it would be until loneliness paid me an unwanted visit.
But as we gently flew over the Atlantic Ocean, I found myself staring at my cellphone more than the jaw-dropping view below.
Margo hadn’t been answering my text messages for quite some time. She had always had her “read receipt” option on. So as soon as she opened the message, I received an alert on my phone. It was a feature I appreciated, but not many people used. She also hadn’t been answering any of my calls. I even made sure to call her when I knew she wasn’t working, and each time I left her a voicemail, begging that she get back to me.
Margo had yet to do that, either, though.
Once again, I was forced to go over to her apartment complex on multiple occasions, where I ruthlessly banged on her front door, begging and pleading for her to open it. I couldn’t believe I had let a woman bring me to my knees, but I had completely lost control of my emotions. Margo had taken up permanent space in my mind, where images of her smiling back at me were on constant replay.
This was worse than when Amber had walked out on me.
Refusing to give up on what I knew to be a sure thing, I sent her one more text message before my flight landed.
Chase: Margo, I know this has something to do with Ginger. Whatever she said or did to you, please forget it. You and I both know we’re meant to be together. I can’t stop thinking about you, and I refuse to give up on us. Please, at least open up this message, so I know you received it. I’m begging you.
I hit the “send” button and then threw my phone back into my briefcase, knowing damn well that she wouldn’t respond.
As I stared out the window, forcing myself to enjoy the view as we got closer to landing, I found myself getting angry. Not at Margo, though.
I was furious with my sister.
I knew damn well that she was behind the Margo situation. She had done nothing but make a mess of things from the word go, and she had something to do with Margo refusing to read my text messages, answer any of my phone calls, and reply to my voicemails. Once again, my spoiled little brat of a sister had gotten her way by throwing a temper tantrum. But unlike other ones she’d had thrown, where the family and I just let her have her way, I wasn’t going to let her win this time.
As soon as the plane landed back home after my latest business trip, I would head directly to Ginger’s place and confront her. If she thought she could get away with ruining my life, then she had another think coming.
By the time my plane landed, I had spent far too much time contemplating how Ginger had gone too far this time. Even my driver had given me a concerned look, especially when I practically barked out my sister’s address.
I pounded on Ginger’s front door more aggressively than I did at Margo’s, and her voice came roaring through.
“Hang on a second, gosh! I literally just got out of the shower, Chase.”
“Open this door right now, Ginger! You’ve gone too far this time.”
It took her a good ten minutes to finally make an appearance.
“Chase, what’s wrong? Why are you pounding on my door, and what are you talking about that I’ve ‘gone too far’?”
“What’s wrong? I’ll tell you what’s wrong! You got into Margo’s head so bad with your nonsense that she won’t even open up a damn text message from me! What the hell did you say to her that I can’t even get a read receipt back?”
Ginger leaned back her head as she placed her palm onto her chest, shocked that I would accuse her of doing such a thing. It was just more drama from the queen. “Okay, first of all, you need to kick it—”
I barged my way into her apartment, then marched into her living room, where I began to pace back and forth. Ginger just stood in the entryway, watching me with a bewildered look on her face as my face turned red with anger.
“I don’t ‘need’ to do anything, Ginger! You’ve gone too far this time. What the hell are you even saying to her at work? Huh? Are you telling her that it’s only a matter of time before I cheat on her, or are you saying that she deserves a better man? Yes, you have had to comfort a few of my ex-girlfriends after I broke their hearts, but how many times do I have to tell you that it’s different between Margo and me?”
“Chase, before you continue can I just—”
“No,” I shouted. “No more ‘saying’ anything, Ginger! God, you are an incredibly selfish and insane human being! In what world do you live in that you think any of this is okay? So your best friend is dating your older brother? Why is that such a big deal? Even you admitted that I am a good man!”
She leaned against the entryway, folding her arms across her chest, raising her brow. “If you’ll just let me say that—”
“Are you telling Margo that it’s only a matter of time before she’s crying on your shoulder, wondering why you let her get close to me? Or maybe you’re telling her that I treat women like property and that she’s just another notch in my belt?”
“Chase Bowers, if you’ll just let me—”
I threw my hands up into the air, not allowing my little sister to get in a word. “What gets me the most, Ginger, is that we’ve always been so close. All of those times when you needed help while in college, be it to cover a few bills or a place to stay while you found a cheaper place to live. And what about all of the stuff I did for you when you were in high school, covering your ass while you were dating guys behind Mom and Dad’s back? Taking you to the prom—for the love of God, Ginger, I bend over backward for you. I swear I have never known a more selfish person!”
Ginger pushed off the wall she’d been leaning on, furrowed her brow, and put her hands on her hips, undoubtedly on the verge of unleashing one of her temper tantrums.
“You�
�re not fair to me at all, Chase! Please—”
“Fair? You wanna talk about fair? I’m not the same man I was ten years ago. Hell, I’m not even the same guy from a year ago! I’m not going to break Margo’s heart! Do you honestly think that I would be banging on her door, demanding that she speak to me if I didn’t have genuine feelings for her? No man in this world would act that way toward someone if all they were after were sex. I can get laid anywhere.”
Ginger continued to stand in the doorway, shaking her head back and forth.
“If you’d let me speak, then you’d know that I haven’t seen or heard from Margo in a week, Chase!”
A lump formed in my throat, as I suddenly realized what that meant. “Wait, why hasn’t she been at work all week?”
Ginger shrugged, clearly as perplexed as me. “Apparently, she put in for some vacation time, but she hasn’t been there long enough to have any vacation time. We don’t get any for the first year.”
I ran my hands through my hair, suddenly worried about what was wrong with Margo. She didn’t seem like the type of person who would just go into hiding without telling someone.
As I made my way past Ginger and toward the door, she began to speak again.
“Wait, Chase! Where are you going? When’s the last time you heard from her? Chase, get back here!”
By the time I made it out to my car, Ginger’s questions had toned down to a low muffle. Even if I owed her an apology for barging in on her like that, she had put me through enough hell to wait. Margo was my biggest concern right now. The two of us might not have known each other for too long, but I knew her well enough to sense that something wasn’t right.
As soon as my driver got back into his seat, I rattled off Margo’s address and asked him to go as fast as possible. “If you get pulled over for speeding, I’ll have my lawyer expunge it from your record somehow.”
He nodded while weaving in and out of traffic with ease, pulling into Margo’s driveway right as the sun was starting to set. I jumped out and raced up to her door, where once again, my fists made short work of the wood.
“Margo, I know you’re in there, so please open up! I’m begging you! Just open the door so we can talk about this, I need to see you!”
The door handle started to turn, and I stepped back as my heart started racing a mile a minute. I had never felt so much anxiety wash over me at once.
Finally!
When the door finally opened, an elderly Cuban man was smiling back at me. “Good evening, I’m Yuslan, Guadalupe’s husband. You must be Chase.”
I shook his extended hand, then immediately noticed a large black bag at his side. It wasn’t zipped yet, and I could see some bras and panties peeking out.
“You’re taking that to Margo, aren’t you?”
Yuslan continued to smile at me while holding the bag. “A man is only worth his weight in salt if at first, he grinds himself down into it.”
What the hell is this guy talking about?
Yuslan put his hand on my right arm before proceeding to speak. “Sometimes, all you need to do is give a woman a bit of time, even if that does grind your gears.”
I was still confused about what the hell Yuslan was talking about, plus I was in no mood for mind games. “Look, I’m worried about Margo, and I need to see her. Please.”
Yuslan nodded and gave me a wink. “That’s a good place to start, Chase.” Yuslan put down the bag, reached over to a table in the hallway, and scribbled down an address on a piece of paper.
He didn’t say a word as he slipped it to me either.
17
Margo
The guest bedroom at Guadalupe and Yuslan’s home was gorgeous. It was decorated in light pink and lime green, which brought out the beautiful flowers directly outside of the big window. It also had a California king-sized bed with large, fluffy pillows, and sheets with a thread count higher than my budget could ever afford. They also brought in fresh flowers every day and placed them on the bedside table.
It was the same bedside table whose drawer contained my positive pregnancy test.
I pulled it out just as a warm breeze entered through the open window and stared at the double pink lines yet again. There was no denying that I would have Chase’s baby. Between the positive pregnancy test and all of my physical ailments, I was definitely with child.
I shoved it back inside of the drawer, then lay back down on top of the bed. Guadalupe and Yuslan had been letting me stay with them while I tried to process everything, and I kept waiting for something to jolt me out of my trance. I didn’t know what I was going to do, and there were moments when I was still in shock.
Am I really pregnant? Is this really happening to me? Will I ever see Chase again?
I hadn’t even been at the spa for a year, which meant I was still building up my clientele. I also lived in a tiny, one-bedroom apartment. It was beautiful and had breathtaking views, but it certainly wasn’t conducive to raising a child. And there was the fact that I would probably end up being a single mother.
Right before moving to Miami Beach, I had a game plan for how my life would play out: I would build up my clientele and reputation at the spa, meet a man, fall in love, get married, and then start a family. That’s what normal people do.
Normal people don’t get pregnant by a man they barely even know.
I rolled over and closed my eyes, hoping a short nap would snap me back into reality. But as I started to doze off, all I could think about was Chase. Tall, dark, and handsome Chase, standing in front of me in head-to-toe black, handing me a rose. I dreamed that we walked along the beach again, to the spot where we had made love for the very first time.
It was the spot where I gave him my virginity.
As we started rolling around in the dream, my hand drifted down and rubbed my swollen clit. My fingers went to work as I pictured Chase on top of me, sliding off my silk dress and my dripping-wet panties. I dreamed that his engorged cock found my moist pussy, and as he entered me, so did my fingers in reality.
My back arched in my sleep as he buried himself inside of me, thrusting into me while sucking my nipples.
God, how I loved his attention.
His hands roamed all over my body as we became one, making love under the full moon once again. Even though it was my fingers inside my core instead of his cock, I could feel his thick, long, swollen member in my dream. With every thrust, I pushed myself closer and closer to the edge until finally, both of us climaxed at the exact moment.
I clasped my hand over my mouth as I came, hoping that neither Guadalupe nor Yuslan heard me. It was never my intention to pleasure myself in their guest bedroom, but I couldn’t help it. Chase was all I could think about lately, so of course, I’d dream about him.
And gosh, how I so badly wanted to feel him inside of me yet again.
My eyes opened up right after I climaxed.
I need a shower.
After taking a quick shower in the attached guest bathroom, I lay back down on the bed right as Guadalupe knocked on the door.
“Come on in,” I said.
She was carrying a large tray that contained tea for two and an assortment of her delicious, homemade pastries.
“I hope you’re hungry, dear, because I need an excuse to eat something sweet and share a moment together with you.”
Guadalupe set the tray on the edge of the bed and then poured some tea. I sank my teeth into one of her pastries, and it was like tasting a piece of heaven.
“You’re going to spoil me with these treats, Guadalupe.”
She waved her hand in front of her face and winked. “Are you kidding me? When you’re pregnant, you have the best excuse for indulging in desserts. So take advantage while you can! How are you feeling, by the way?”
I took a long sip of her tea, allowing the herbs to make me feel better as they always did. “I don’t know what to do, Guadalupe.”
She put her hand on my thigh, rubbing it for emotional support. “The only t
hing you can do is the most you can do.”
I smiled and nodded, once again thankful that she was in my life. She and Yuslan were full of wisdom, and I was in desperate need of their little sayings right at that moment. Even when I was feeling as blue as possible, their words of wisdom always made me smile.
“I just keep thinking about him, Guadalupe. Chase. Aside from being alto, oscuro y guapo,” she chuckled, “the connection between us is unlike anything that I’ve ever felt. I just can’t see spending the rest of my life without him in it, especially since I’m carrying his child.”
Thinking about raising the baby without Chase, its father, was enough to send me over the edge. I started crying directly into my herbal tea, causing some of it to slop out and cover the rest of my half-eaten pastry.
Once again, Guadalupe was there for me.
“Darling, please don’t worry so much. Everything has a way of working itself out. Plus, when you’re pregnant, stress is horrible for your body.”
I looked up at her and nodded, all the while drying my tears.
“I know it’s just hard sometimes. If only Ginger weren’t his sister, then maybe everything would be different. But it’s not, and I still can’t believe I got mixed up with her older brother. And not just mixed up, but pregnant! You should have seen the way she glared at the two of us dancing at the wedding. I can’t imagine how she’ll look at me when she finds out that I’m carrying his child.” I started to cry again, but this time, Guadalupe didn’t stop me; she understood that when a woman needed to cry, you let her cry.
“It must be very hard on you, dear. I’ve seen the way you and Ginger are with each other at the spa. It’s as clear as day that you two are very close.”
I nodded, thinking about all of the good times she and I had shared. “I miss Ginger so much. She’s like the sister I never had, and even though she’s a bit of a drama queen at times, she’s the person I turn to when I need comforting.”
“It sounds as though you two are destined for a great friendship, then.”