Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
“ R osie,” he started as he hurtled through the door of her office.
“Bathroom in her office, being sick and refusing any help or comfort. I hope it wasn’t the tablets,” Rosie mused.
“What tablets?” Jon asked making Rosie turn cold at his expression.
“Headache tablets, nothing heavy duty, just headache tablets.”
Rosie was relieved that there was no answer for her to wait for, Jon simply grabbed a bottle of water from the collection on her desk and charged into Steph’s office and found her huddled over the toilet, clinging to the bowl as her stomach managed to project her breakfast from her body, her lunch having passed already.
“Darling,” he called as he crouched behind her pulling her into his lap.
“Fuck off!” she snapped crying now as her stomach continued to spasm in an attempt to expel anything else that was left in it.
Pulling her hair into a ponytail in his hand he held it out of the way as her body disproved the belief that she had nothing left to lose.
“Steph,” he cooed as she cried gently with her head resting against the cold porcelain. “That was a complete and utter mind fuck on Vicky’s part, but it won’t happen again.”
“You don’t want children? What does that mean for Jelly Bean?” she asked desperately.
“I didn’t want children with Vicky.”
Another wretch left her body but was dry now. Lifting her so that she was straddling him, face to face, he opened the bottle of water and held it to her lips for her to sip.
“I love you, I love Jelly Bean. Do you remember my reaction to finding out you were pregnant? What about the first scan, the second scan, the fact that you are grounded, or what about the pictures of our unborn baby that occupy every room in our home and my office? Then we have feeling our baby move, I know you felt it like me this morning, Steph. You know that the two of you are everything to me,” he told her sad gaze that viewed him through eyes clouded by tears again as he rubbed across her belly causing the baby to really start moving which in turn made her cry more as she saw his face again, like it had been that morning.
“Why would she want to fuck with my head?” she asked, referring to his comment about Vicky.
“Because she wants what we have.”
“She wants what I have, you, if not your baby, your love, oh and your company.” She smiled weakly, “And I am guessing the hot sex.” Although the thought of Jon with anyone else usually resulted in a red mist descending, she contained it and waited for his response.
“Maybe, but most of all she wants your very beautiful, yet natural tits,” he said risking a smile and was rewarded with her arms wrapping around his back while her legs snaked around his hips and her face settled in his neck allowing her to cling to him as if her life depended on it. “Vicky never knew me, not like you do. You know how much I love you and our baby, how much I wanted the son I lost and how much I care for Penny. She never knew about them, I never wanted to share them with her.”
They stayed that way, together, for some time before Jon figured she was safe from further vomiting and got to his feet taking her with him into her office and prepared to set her to her feet before realising she was asleep.
“Maybe not then,” he said to himself carrying her out as far as Rosie where he paused briefly and said, “My wife is out for the afternoon, out for the count actually. Anything urgent she’ll be in my office with me, so call Andrea, otherwise you may see her tomorrow.”
“Yes, Mr Brooker. Is she okay?” Rosie was genuinely concerned, genuine enough that Jon smiled down at her and nodded and offered an explanation of sorts, not something he would normally have done.
“Mmm, just a tough day today, but tomorrow will be better, I’m sure.”
Andrea didn’t even pause for breath when she saw Jon appear with Steph in his arms.
“Rosie may call if anything urgent arises for my wife, but if she does it goes through me.”
“Of course, Mr Brooker.”
After settling Steph on the sofa in his office, Jon covered her with his jacket and returned to his desk where he began working in silence so as to avoid disturbing her.
Jon picked his phone up on the first ring a couple of hours later to be told by Andrea that Rosie had phoned to say that Dave Madeley’s wife had gone into labour and he was going which also meant he would be on paternity leave for the next month.
“That’s fine. Tell Rosie that’s all clear this end, but if she’ll let H.R. know, I will let my wife know,” he said as he noticed her standing up slowly, as if a little dazed.
“What are you letting your wife know?” She staggered slightly as she made her way to sit opposite him.
“Dave’s on paternity leave as of now because his wife has gone into labour, a few weeks early I believe, but not too early.”
“Oh that’s wonderful.” She smiled warmly, genuinely pleased for Dave and his wife who had trodden a very bumpy road to get to this point. “Why am I in your office?” she suddenly asked.
“You fell asleep in the bathroom of yours and I was not prepared to sit in there all afternoon, but neither was I prepared to leave you alone.”
“Thank you,” she replied and then looking at his handsome and worried face she smiled. “I am sorry about lunch. I know you love me and Jelly Bean, and I know how much you want our baby, but hearing Vicky say that you didn’t want children threw me and then you admitted that you weren’t bothered and it was too much, but I am sorry.”
“How’s your head and why are you popping pills?” he asked, the frown creasing his brow making her laugh.
“Your frown scares Rosie!”
“Not you?” he asked with a wry smile.
“Maybe, sometimes, but not properly, I like to win those frowns over, even if it means I’ve been a bad girl and need to be punished,” she said breathing heavily.
“Not a chance, Steph!”
“Then you had better get your fill of fatherhood in one baby because we will not be making plans to add to the population again if you are going to deny me what I need,” she snapped with frustration.
“I hate to remind you of this but we didn’t plan on adding to the population this time so I have a feeling that one way or another Jelly Bean will not be an only child and with your libido there will be plenty of opportunities for contraception malfunctions.” He laughed and then laughed harder as she pouted again while his mobile rang on his desk. “Hello,” he answered still chuckling, “Oh hi, Dad, yeah we’re good, what? When? Well congratulations. How’s Lucy, and the baby?” he asked as Steph moved round the desk and settled into his lap as he put the call on speaker. “Sorry Dad, say that again please, Steph is here and you’re on speaker now.”
“Oh right, hi, Steph. Lucy had the baby, a girl at twelve minutes past two this afternoon, she’s beautiful and perfect and nine pounds twelve ounces.”
“Bloody hell,” shrieked Steph making Cameron laugh.
“Yup! She’s a whopper, but Lucy was brilliant, although she has suggested that Rebecca is likely to be an only child,” he said with another laugh. “You’re welcome to visit whenever you’re ready,” he added.
“Well Steph has been suffering with headaches for a few days so we could get her checked out and then visit, so a couple of hours, but I’ll text you once we get there.” He offered Steph no opportunity to discuss it.
“You’re right to get Steph checked out, it could be a sign of high blood pressure,” said Cameron reminding Steph that her father-in-law was a doctor, like her mother-in-law.
“Come on then, Mrs Brooker, let’s get you checked out and then we’ll go and visit my baby sister,” Jon said with a smile as he packed everything away.
“Where have they come from?” she asked pointing at a floral arrangement.
“They’re for you, yellow and white blooms with a little green foliage, non-committal colours for our baby. There seemed no point in them being in your office this afternoon when you were here so Rosie sent them down. Your stuff is out with Andrea, so let’s go.” Putting the jacket on she offered him, he took her hand in his.
The midwife sat them in a room and left them alone for a few minutes but seemed happy that Steph and the baby were fine.
“I missed my hormonal visit today, Mr Brooker.” She smiled.
“You start taking better care of yourself and our baby or you’ll be missing them until after your spa stay and Jelly Bean has put in an appearance,” he warned her with a heavy dose of a threat as the midwife returned. “Be good and we’ll have a bath and an early night, we can both make up for it,” he added oblivious to the midwife’s presence until Steph flushed, making him laugh. “I think she has already figured that we don’t sit up at night comparing etchings, darling.
The midwife’s laughter compounded Steph’s embarrassment.
After a number of checks on her health, a trip to the toilet to provide a sample to be tested and being attached to a monitor to trace the baby’s heart, the midwife sat opposite them both with the doctor.
“Everything seems to be going in the right direction, however your weight hasn’t increased since you were last weighed and your blood pressure is slightly raised, the latter may be causing the headaches, but you have no protein in your urine,” the doctor smiled reassuringly.
“I still vomit several times a week,” Steph told him. “Could that be the cause of the weight thing because I am getting bigger.”
“Yes, your measurements and those of your baby are increasing, but are on the lower end of expected so maybe you could try eating lots of smaller meals and snacks. It sometimes works in overcoming the nausea and vomiting,” he explained, making her nod her compliance.
“Consider it done,” said Jon shooting her a don’t argue, this is not up for debate look.
“Good,” the doctor said with a warm smile as he pushed his fingers through his brown hair that was peppered with a splattering of grey revealing his forty something age. “We will monitor your blood pressure quite closely because if it is raised now it may continue to rise as your pregnancy progresses.”
“That’s fine,” agreed Steph who then blurted out, “The weight, could it be that I’m burning more calories than I’m eating?”
With a small frown the doctor asked, “Do you do lots of exercise, or are you an athlete of some sort?”
“No,” she flushed and then after a deep breath finished her sentence. “I meant, not exercise like you mean, just sex, lots of it, I really can’t get enough!” she revealed stunning everyone else present.
“Darling.” Jon reached across and stroked her hand gently.
“Sorry,” she started but the doctor smiled across at her as she asked, “Is that normal?”
“Obviously any physical exertion is going to burn calories, including sex, so it could contribute. Increased libido is quite common in pregnancy and has no detrimental effect on the pregnancy or the baby unless it is causing you pain, discomfort or bleeding, so as long as it works for you, and Mr Brooker . . .”
“It works for me.” Jon did nothing to hide his salacious grin.
“Good. And we’ll see you next week, or at least your midwife will to keep a check on your blood pressure.”
Walking along the corridor heading towards Lucy’s room Jon began to laugh, yet again making Steph punch his arm.
“Ouch!” he cried and laughed again.
“Stop laughing at me Brooker or I will divorce you,” she threatened idly but suddenly found herself pressed against the wall with Jon towering over her and glaring down, managing to look angry whilst holding a pink balloon and a large fluffy rabbit.
“Darling, we have agreed the foul mouth tirades need to end and they have been curbed but that is a step too far for me. Seriously, I mean it,” he told her confusing her.
“What? What did I say?” she asked indignantly.
“Divorce, you said you will divorce me,” he said sounding hurt as much as angry now.
“Jon, it was a joke.” Steph thought he was seriously overreacting.
“No it wasn’t. Do you see anybody laughing about it? No,” he said replying to his own question. “Your cursing and swearing rarely bothers me, certainly not beyond it potentially impacting on Jelly Bean, yes, I know I sound like Lindsay,” he told her as she stared at his admission. “But the divorce word shouldn’t be in your vocabulary in relation to us and it won’t be from now on because you are mine forever, Stephanie; there will be no divorce, no significant or insignificant others for us and the idea of that not being the case drives me fucking crazy with jealousy. So then add the new dimension that Jelly Bean brings, the notion of my baby seeing any man that isn’t me first thing in the morning and last thing at night, well I go beyond crazy, you are my wife, forever and our baby will have just one mummy and one daddy, do you understand?”
“Yes, of course. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. It really was a joke and I feel the same. You and me forever and the idea of another woman playing mummy to our baby, I hadn’t even considered it, but now that I have it makes me want to cry, I’m sorry,” she repeated stemming the tears as another emotion took over. “I love you, I love our baby, even if he makes me really insane and is taking over my body in a way I don’t like, in ways that make me really think Jelly Bean is likely to be an only child,” she admitted. “But right now I love you more than ever. Every time you say these things you make my heart swell and ache at the same time, my heart and several other things,” she revealed from beneath lowered lashes.
“You’re horny? I go bat shit crazy at your threat to divorce me as a joke and it makes you horny?” he asked exasperated and amused in equal measures.
“I can’t deny it,” she admitted with a blush and a shrug.
“Nothing too rough, you need to take better care of yourself. Correction, I need to take better care of you, so the plan for tonight is, visit the baby, coo in all the right places and then we go home for dinner and a bath and some sweet and gentle love.”
“Jon,” she pleaded.
“Now? You want me to get you off now? At the hospital?” He was beyond stunned.
“Not full sex, maybe you could just make me come, once,” she suggested in a whisper suddenly aware of their surroundings.
“No! Baby visiting first, then we go home, then I will make you come, once, followed by dinner and then lots of coming with a bath and sweet and gentle love.”
“Jon,” she began.
“One and only offer on the table, Mrs Brooker.”
“I am sorry about the divorce comment. You are never going to be rid of me and you told me half the business is mine so you’re stuck with me.”
“Good and the only reason I told you half of the business was yours is because I am confident that the business, like us will remain together, now come on before Rebecca celebrates her graduation.”
Entering the room Steph found it difficult to believe that she would be in a room like this in a few months with a baby in her arms, like Lucy currently was.
“Hi,” whispered Steph as she leaned in to kiss Lucy’s cheek and looked at the baby swaddled in blankets.
Jon was shaking his father’s hand and greeting his sister, Alex, who it seemed was less thrilled to be meeting her baby sister than Jon.
“Have you held her?” asked Jon of his sister.
“No, she was asleep and then feeding.” She smiled tightly. “And now she is most likely to be sick, so no.”
“Where are the kids?” asked Jon wondering why his sister was so anti their father extending his family.
“School, although Eugene will have collected them now.”
Jon looked across as Steph had just accepted Lucy’s invitation to hold Rebecca.
Taking the seat next to the bed, Steph gazed down at the sleeping, pink, squishy bundle in her arms and was completely overwhelmed by the sensations and emotions she could feel rising in her; was this her maternal instinct kicking in or just the realisation that she was going to have a baby. Jelly Bean was a real life baby, hers and Jon’s and would be their responsibility forever, when he cried for food, changing, comfort, it was all down to them.
Jon smiled warmly at the timeless image of mother and child, although the child wasn’t his even if the mother most definitely was.
“Are you scared?” asked Steph of Lucy. “The responsibility of being a parent is huge, isn’t it?” she asked fidgeting and nervously biting into her lip.
“I haven’t really thought about it, not in those terms, but I think the pros of parenting far outweigh the cons and I love her more than anything.”
Alex spoke, “Steph you do know that you’re not the first woman to have a baby, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do actually,” snapped Steph. “However this is the first baby that I have had.”
Rebecca began to wriggle in Steph’s embrace but as she rocked her gently and stroked her cheek she stopped and fell back into her deep slumber.
“You’re a natural.” Cameron grinned while Jon leaned down and kissed his wife gently.
“May I?” he asked with arms outstretched towards Rebecca.
“Be my guest, but don’t wake her,” Steph warned making him smile at her.
The scene of Jon, big, dark and one hundred percent masculine holding the tiny baby made her pulse race and her sex dampen, shocking her. If this was going to be her reaction whenever she saw her husband cradling a baby she was going to be in a permanent state of arousal once their baby was born, more than she was now.
Once the baby was returned to Steph’s arms, she felt herself relaxing again, able to ignore Alex’s barbed comments and only half listening to the business talk Jon was sharing with his dad, but it was one of those conversations that caught her attention.
“Yeah, well Steph is taking a few days off.
“No she’s not,” pouted Steph angrily.
Jon pulled his phone from his pocket. “Who shall I call first darling? You choose, Grant, to have your access to my building revoked or the spa to prepare for your stay?”
“Oh fuc . . . you are infuriating,” she said proud that she hadn’t sworn over Rebecca. “I’m working from home then.”
“Fine, and then I’m in the office until Monday,” he said returning to his conversation with his dad. “But I have to fly to Rome for a couple of days and then back via Barcelona,” he revealed.
“Since when?” asked Steph stunned to find her husband was going away on business.
“Since this afternoon, when you were sleeping. You can come with me or you can stay behind and hold the fort at work,” he offered.
“Can I occupy your office while you’re gone?” she asked with a cheeky smirk making him arch a brow.
“Why not? What’s mine is yours. Right, if I can prise my sister from my wife’s arms we should go, we have plans,” he explained already standing before Steph and reaching down to retrieve the baby who was now stirring. Passing her back to her mother, Jon leaned in and kissed Lucy on the cheek as he said, “Well done, and thank goodness she looks like you.”
“She has a Brooker nose.” Getting to her feet, Steph smiled down at the baby.
“And a beautiful nose it is too,” said Cameron as they all exchanged kisses and farewells including Alex.
After a content silence on the journey home they had barely walked through the front door when Jon pounced and had Steph pinned to the hall wall.
“I’ve missed you, Mrs Brooker,” he told her against her lips. “And seeing you in full yummy mummy, nursing mode seriously turned me on.”
“Even though I’m fat?” she asked as her dress suddenly appeared around her middle.
“Oh yeah.” He grinned, pulling it over her head before throwing it across the hall. “So, I am going to make you come, darling, just once, maybe twice and then we eat dinner, then I might eat you,” he told her making her gasp as his erection jabbed her bump.
“I thought it was dinner, bath, then sweet and gentle love?” she asked as his shirt hit the floor and his shoes that he was toeing off literally flew across the hall.
“That was the plan, darling, but plans change, so now we are going to come before dinner, then dinner, bath and then I am taking you to bed where it may well be sweet and gentle for you, but I have a feeling it could be fraught and frantic for me.”
“Jon,” she moaned, desperate for him already.
“I am way ahead of you there.” He grinned as fabric tore and he held up her torn knickers before lifting her above his erection and then lowered her onto it until she was completely full and moaning as she clung onto him, preparing for a less than gentle ride but she knew sweetness was guaranteed.
Watching Jon cooking a stir fry, she wondered if she should plan her time better in order to cook a couple of times a week. Maybe she could batch cook and freeze it or could they afford a cook, of course they could, she knew how much Brookers was worth, give or take a million or two.
“Penny for them darling?” he asked looking up at her sitting at the breakfast bar in the open plan kitchen wearing just his shirt from the hall, while he wore the trousers and nothing else.
“Should we get a cook? To go with the cleaner, and what about a nanny, will we need a nanny?” she asked nervously as Jon divided the stir fry between two bowls and pulled a stool from underneath the breakfast bar enabling him to sit opposite her.
“Do you want a cook or a nanny?” Jon passed her a fork and some chopsticks deciding the cleaner was a definite and had some suitable candidates from the agency lined up, as well as a couple via his mother.
“We don’t need a cook, not really, do we?” She had already decided that a full time cook was unnecessary.
“Not unless you want one; we can afford one and it would be one less thing to think about, but other than a cleaner I’ve never really gone in for domestic staff, maybe if you’re born into that set up you just hire them but neither of us were.”
“Okay, no cook and we’ll think more closely about cooking between us, especially after the baby’s born. We can’t eat out or have take away each night with a baby and Jelly Bean won’t be brought up on a too unhealthy diet. What about a nanny?” she asked with a grimace before filling her mouth with stir fry from a fork while Jon chose to use chopsticks.
“You don’t look thrilled at the notion of a nanny and I have no objections to us getting some help with the baby from time to time, but mainly I think we should be bringing up our baby, but there are alternatives, leave that with me.”
“You’re up to something, Brooker,” she accused making him smirk. “So, no nanny, no cook, just a cleaner.”
“Yes, a cleaner, and as you’re taking a few days off maybe you could interview a few.”
“What if we find one who is happy to do a bit of occasional cooking and in time maybe we’ll trust her with Jelly Bean,” brokered Steph.
An arch of Jon’s brows was followed by a shake of his head before he replied, “Darling, appoint a cleaner and if on top of that she is a willing cook come baby sitter, cool, but don’t employ an unsuitable cleaner because she cooks and likes kids.”
“Do you trust me to do this, alone?” she asked nervously.
“Of course I do. Are you going to be alright while I’m away next week or do you want to come with me?”
“If you don’t need me as an accountant, I’d rather stay at home while I’m pregnant if you don’t mind,” she said with a rub of her belly.
“Of course, but if you need me, you call and I will be back in a couple of hours.”
“Am I driving the Audi or the Range Rover while you’re away?” Steph’s face had a clear expression of smugness spread across it.
“Neither, you’re grounded, remember?” he replied equally as smug. “I have arranged a driver for you and a car, so you won’t be in the Audi or the Range Rover. He will collect you every morning and will be staying locally until I return so will be at your disposal twenty-four seven.”
“At my disposal, is he young and attractive?” She knew Jon was unlikely to appreciate her sarcastic inference but she was pissed off with this whole ‘grounding’ thing.
“Don’t fuck with me, Stephanie!” he warned.
“Why? What you gonna do? Spank me?”
“You wish, darling! You have two choices here, Mrs Brooker, you play this my way or . . .”
“Or?” asked Steph curiously.
“No, I was wrong, one way or another you will play this my way. Now if you’ve finished trying to piss me off you can get your sexy arse upstairs and run a bath while I clear the washing up away.”
“And if I say no?”
“For fuck’s sake, Steph, what do you want? Do you want to share a bath and then go to bed which essentially means more fucking or do you want to get all prissy and then we will forgo fucking and sexual gratification until after Jelly Bean is born?” he asked with a serious brooding expression.
“You wouldn’t, you couldn’t.” The idea of it had her panicking as her hormones showed no sign of calming down where sex was concerned.
“Wouldn’t be easy, but a sight easier for me than you. So, are we done fucking with each other’s heads or do you wanna play hard ball?”
“God, I could cheerfully fucking punch you at times,” cried Steph heading towards the stairs with an annoyed strop.
“Mmm, you haven’t decided yet then, we’ll see how that pans out for you shall we?” Jon asked with a single laugh before looking across at a framed photo of their unborn child and smiled. “Oh yes, you’re another woman, just like your mother who is going to drive me fucking crazy, aren’t you? We need words young lady, and you need to know just who calls the shots around here . . . ” He sighed. “Who the fuck am I kidding? You’re going to run rings round me most of the time aren’t you, Jelly Bean, just like Mummy? But when Daddy says no, he means it, which is what your mother needs to understand.”
“You bastard!” cried Steph as Jon withdrew all contact from her just as she was about to climax, something he’d done countless times since joining her upstairs.
“Still undecided then, Mrs Brooker. Come on, darling, what’s it to be, compliant wife or prissy wife, last chance.”
“Please Jon, please,” she pleaded hoarsely, wondering if he would ever let her come or if he was going to spoil it which he’d done once before when they had argued and Steph was still refusing to resolve things with him. He’d brought her to the very edge of her climax multiple times, like tonight and then when all she’d required was a single touch, he’d given it to her, but so light a touch that it had triggered her climax but had lacked intensity and left her desperate and frustrated.
“What do you want darling?” he asked darkly resting back on his heels, positioned between her open legs where she was completely spread before him.
“You, please Jon, I need you, really I do. I need you inside me, fucking me, the only person who will ever fuck me, ever, til I die.” Her desperate pleading seemed to do the trick judging by the speed with which he was buried inside her, staying perfectly still so as to prolong her pleasure and delay his climax until she was satisfied.
“Would be the right answer, Mrs Brooker. You’re mine, all of you, everything you are, mine,” he told her seriously as he lowered his body across hers, careful not to apply too much weight or pressure to her belly, but lowering his lips to hers he kissed her gently and allowed the kiss to deepen as he began to move inside her triggering electric jolts that had her tensing around him, squeezing him firmly and driving them both on towards satisfaction.
“Oh God!” she mewled as her hips gathered pace and complimented his movements perfectly.
“Darling don’t, not yet, wait for me, let’s do this together.”
“I don’t think I can,” she told him seriously as her panting quickened and her insides pulsed around him.
“Fucking hell!” he cried as he quickened his pace hoping he could drive himself to the point of no return without hastening hers.
“I can’t stop,” she cried as she pulled his face to hers and as his tongue invaded her mouth she sucked the length of it as if it was his dick. He was instantly there with her in a mixture of shouts, sweat, cries and expletives.
“Shit! I am glad we’re agreed then, Mrs Brooker.” He groaned as he slowly pulled free of her. “But if you ever doubt who you belong to just let me know,” he said with a grin as he rolled onto his back breathlessly.
“Our opportunities for shagging are going to be seriously compromised by a baby, aren’t they?” she asked as she took his hand and placed it on her belly where Jelly Bean had sprung into life.
“Maybe, but we’ll make it work because I really cannot get enough of you and your hot little body,” he told her as he leaned down and kissed her belly. “Hey there, baby, it’s Daddy again, something for you to think about while you’re in there, you need to be a really good sleeper, at night because Mummy and Daddy really do love each other very much so we need the nights to be ours, okay? Oh and it wasn’t really a question, Daddy is very bossy, ask Mummy if you don’t believe me,” he said littering dozens of kisses across Steph’s belly and apparently driving their baby wild.
“Oh jeez, this baby has to be a girl to be jumping through hoops at kisses from you,” Steph said quite seriously.
“You’re the only girl I need jumping through hoops for me, baby, however if my kisses make our daughter more compliant, I can do that too.” He grinned and then scowled as he realised, “Shit, Lindsay will be compiling a wedding list if we do have a girl.”
Steph laughed and then laughed louder still when Jon passed her ringing phone to her. “She is some kind of witch, it’s Lindsay.”