Chapter 32
Jeremiah
“Morning,” I said from the dining room table as my eyes strode over Sadie’s pink pinstriped sleep set.
It was the same one I had taken off her last night before ravaging her.
While her bump has barely begun to show, her breasts have seemed to have doubled in size.
It was like I needed physical restraints to keep myself from her.
“Morning,” she said sleepily, padding into the kitchen.
“Coffee is ready for you,” I called after her.
“Thanks,” she called back, joining me at the dining room table carrying the same fingerprint mug she seemed to always use.
An eclectic little cup compared to my white and glass sets lining the cabinets.
Sadie hardly had anything when she moved in here a month ago, but the things she did bring over added a little pop of color to the apartment.
She settled into the chair across from me, taking a sip of coffee as the steam rose to kiss her fresh face.
She opened her What to Expect When You’re Expecting book and began reading.
I smiled to myself before looking back down at my phone, scrolling the morning news.
This morning routine of ours had come to be one of my favorite parts of the day, aside from meeting back here after work when our pent-up sexual tension we’d had to stifle in the office came to a head, and we very well may explode if we didn’t act on it.
Once I was done scrolling my phone, I headed into the kitchen to make French toast, Sadie’s craving of the week.
Last week it was a pepperjack omelet with green chiles.
The week before that it was Belgian waffles.
Thankfully, my personal chef had meal-prepped everything I needed for her ever changing moods when it came to breakfast.
“French toast, right?” I called from the kitchen as I opened the fridge.
“Yup. Baby is still set on it. Extra powdered sugar, please,” she called back.
I chuckled to myself and began pulling out the brown sugar and cinnamon egg mixture, along with the thickly sliced brioche bread. As I began dredging the bread, Sadie wandered into the kitchen and set her empty mug in the kitchen sink.
“I miss that second cup.” She sighed longingly before lifting herself on the black marble countertop.
“I know, but you heard the doctor. You have to limit your caffeine intake.” I placed the dredged bread in the hot skillet on the stove, the egg sizzling loudly.
“Maybe if you hadn’t kept me up most of the night, I wouldn’t be so tired,” she said playfully.
“You’re right. You do need your rest. According to what I’ve read, you should be getting at least eight hours.”
“Then I guess we will have to start earlier,” she said, tucking her bottom lip under her front teeth.
I laughed out loud. “You’re insatiable.” I shook my head as I flipped the bread over in the pan.
“I can’t help it. It’s the hormones!” She giggled.
I turned toward her, scooching her to the edge of the counter where she wrapped her arms around my neck, her full breasts pressing against the silky fabric of her pajama top.
“Are you sure it’s not me?” I asked, leaning in and kissing along her jawline.
“Oh, you definitely play a part,” she answered.
I could have her here easily. My growing erection was begging for it, but we would risk being late to work. I groaned as I reluctantly pulled my mouth from her soft skin.
“You need to eat,” I said firmly.
“So bossy.” She smirked.
We ate our breakfast right there in the kitchen, with Sadie on the countertop and me leaning beside her, the French toast practically melting in my mouth. I would miss this particular craving.
After we finished, I washed the dishes while she went to get ready for work.
Our routine was pretty much the same every morning.
She left for the office an hour before me to not raise any questions.
It was the same after work. One of us left earlier, and waited eagerly at home for the other to arrive.
She emerged from her bedroom thirty minutes later, her red hair pulled into a high bun on her head, wearing a cream shift dress.
I whistled when I saw her. She waved me off with a little giggle before slipping on a pair of white heels she had carried out with her.
I admired the curves of her ass as she bent down to do so.
“We should just play hooky,” I said.
“Now who is insatiable?” she asked with a raised brow.
I strode toward her and pulled her against me. She leaned up and nipped my bottom lip with her teeth.
“I’ll see you soon,” she said, pulling away and grabbing her purse.
“Tease!” I called after her with a laugh.
Her laughter followed her out the door before it closed behind her. Today was going to be hard. Little did I know…
I arrived at the office an hour after Sadie left, leaving me with the only option of a cold shower to calm the arousal she had left me with.
As I walked the hallway to my office, I noticed curious stares trailing me.
I cleared my throat and straightened my shoulders, trying to brush it off, but something was up.
I gave Sadie a nod as I passed her and stepped into my office.
I turned on my computer and was surprised to see my email’s inbox was crowded with unread messages from IT. Curiously, I opened one with the subject line of: You might want to see this…
My stomach sank as I saw a thread of emails from this morning among a few of the employees.
In the thread, they were speculating about Sadie and me.
One employee guessed that we were sleeping together.
Another guessed that I was paying her for sex.
Another guessed that she was blackmailing me into giving her a raise because we were sleeping together.
Another guessed that she was pregnant with twins.
With my heart beginning to race, I continued opening the various emails my IT guy had sent me, with more email threads gossiping about Sadie and my relationship.
All there for me to see because they had stupidly communicated through our work server, which they knew full well I had access to.
Or at least it was in the fine print of their contracts.
I clicked out of all the emails. I had seen enough, and the rumors were just growing more outrageous the more I continued to read. I let out a long sigh and leaned back in my chair, trying to gather my thoughts.
How did they find out about us? We had been so careful.
We timed our arrival times and exit times carefully, so we were never coming in or leaving together.
Even at the apartment, we were never seen together.
For all they knew, Sadie still lived downstairs, especially since I had taken over her Airbnb payment, so as to not raise questions from other tenants or staff.
Here at work, whenever Sadie came into my office, the shades were raised and the door was open.
We were always visible to anyone passing by.
Our emails to each other were strictly professional. I just didn’t understand.
Everything had been going so great, and now these rumors would destroy it all.
I had to talk to Sadie, but I wasn’t about to call her in here when I knew everyone was watching like hawks. I looked out the door to see her at her desk chatting with Tanya. She seemed oblivious to the emails that had been circulating. She must not know yet.
I strode out of my office, giving Tanya a cool nod, which made her stand up a little straighter. I ignored the fact that she wasn’t where she was supposed to be and addressed Sadie.
“I have an early lunch meeting I need you to join me for.”
“Yes, of course,” said Sadie, playing her part of dutiful assistant.
I walked toward the elevator, barely giving her a chance to gather her things. I could hear the hurried footsteps as she tried to keep up with my long strides. I stepped into the elevator where she caught up with me, hushed whispers following in after us before the doors closed.
“That was odd,” murmured Sadie.
“They know,” I said sharply, hitting the button for the lobby.
“Wait. What?” she asked in surprise.
“They know,” I repeated myself. “They’ve been emailing about us. Speculating. Spreading rumors.”
“What kind of rumors?” asked Sadie worriedly, her green eyes wary.
“The kind that say we are sleeping together and that you’re pregnant.” My voice lowered to a whisper on that last word as my eyes wandered over Sadie’s midsection. She wasn’t showing at all. It just looked like maybe she had a big breakfast.
The elevator doors opened and I quickly strode out of them toward the large glass doors to the street where my town car was already waiting.
A place of privacy where we could get to the bottom of this.
Sadie followed behind me quickly, out the doors, and into the backseat.
I closed the privacy partition to the front before turning to her, where she sat wide-eyed.
“They know. And I want to know how,” I said, my eyes narrowing.
“You think this is my fault?” she asked, her brows raising.
“I haven’t told a soul. So, how else could they have found out?”
“Jeremiah,” she started, reaching for my hand calmly. “My two best friends are the only ones who know, and they would never betray my trust. Plus, they don’t know anyone at the office. It makes no sense.
“Maybe people just put two and two together. I did have to run to the bathroom a few times. I’ve also been hyperaware of smells lately, especially in the breakroom. I’ve had to excuse myself a few times. Can you believe Tanya brought in egg salad one day?” Her face drained of color at the memory.
I shook my head. “There’s no way anyone has been paying that much attention. Either you told them or your friends did.”
“I can’t believe you would accuse me of saying anything,” she snapped, her cheeks finding color again in her anger. “Or that my friends would. I trust them with my life.”
“Well, I don’t. I don’t know them. Shit, I hardly know you.”
The way Sadie’s face dropped at the last words told me that I had gone too far. I regretted what I said immediately, but was too angry to apologize.
Sadie didn’t even give me a chance to before she said her own pointed words.
“You are something else, you know that?” she said sharply.
“You act like we haven’t spent the past few months together.
Hell, we’ve lived together for the past month.
And you don’t know me?” She laughed, her bitterness dripping.
“Maybe you don’t know me. But I know you.
You are a bully. A control freak,” she continued.
“You can’t control everyone in your life, whether they’re on your payroll or not.
Shit happens. Did you really think people weren’t going to talk?
It’s not like we would be able to hide this forever. You have to let it go.”
She was right, and I knew it. I just didn’t think we would have to deal with all of this yet. I thought we had time.
“I think it’s best you don’t come to the ultrasound appointment today,” she murmured softly.
It sent a crack right through me. We had both been looking forward to this appointment for weeks. I opened my mouth to protest, but Sadie just shook her head.
“I need space,” she said.
She opened the car door and closed it behind her. All I could do was watch as she headed back into the building. I wished I could chase after her and make this right, but I couldn’t. Not under the watchful eyes that were weighing so heavily on me. On us.