Chapter 13
SOFIA
Three pregnancy tests line my bathroom counter, and I stare at each one like it’s a bomb that could blow any second. I bought three different brands because I want absolute certainty. But as the timer creeps closer to going off, I worry I’ve overdone it. This is too much. I don’t want to know.
When the timer goes off, though, it’s too late. I have to look. I pick up the first one. It’s the cheapest, and it has two little lines. According to the instructions, that’s a positive. I’m pregnant.
I frantically grab the second one, praying for a different result.
This one uses a plus or minus sign, and that plus sign is as bright as it could possibly be.
Shit. The third test was by far the most expensive, and it actually spells out “pregnant” or “not pregnant.” Third time’s the charm, and this one says, definitively, that I am “pregnant.”
There’s no room for interpretation. I can’t pretend I read the other two wrong. Three positive tests sitting in a row. It sounds like the start of a bad nursery rhyme.
“Okay,” I whisper to myself, trying to gather some courage even though none of this is okay.
I stand and wash my hands. The bathroom suddenly feels too small, especially with those things staring at me. But even in the living room, the truth follows me out.
I’m pregnant. There’s no question.
I put my hand on my stomach, then immediately pull it away like my skin is on fire. This is too weird. This can’t be my life.
It’s only been a month since Dominic and I slept together. My stomach is as flat as it’s ever been, thank you very much. I go to the kitchen and grab a bottle of water, just to do something with my hands.
I’m pregnant. With Dominic Vieri’s baby.
“Nope,” I say out loud. “I don’t want to do this.”
The walls of the apartment close in on me, so I grab my keys and leave. I don’t know where I’m going. I just need a walk to clear my head. I barely make it over the threshold of my building before the nausea hits. I puke into the bushes, then look around fast to see if anyone saw.
Blessedly, no one’s around, except for a man sitting in a black town car. He doesn’t seem to be paying me any attention, though. Small miracle.
I head off with no direction in mind. Three blocks down the street, it hits me that I can’t walk off a pregnancy. I can’t un-have sex with Dominic.
I go into my favorite corner deli, order all my favorites, and walk home with plastic bags bursting with food. Then I sit in front of my TV for the rest of the day, crying my eyes out as the weight of this reality settles over me.
I go back to work the next day. Dominic is in a foul mood, which is oddly helpful. There’s no way in hell I’m telling him about this while he’s being a dick. Still, I’m a little curious why he’s so upset. He seemed fine when we left Vegas. What could’ve pissed him off so much on a Monday?
Nina isn’t helpful. She hates covering my desk when I’m gone, and she tells me nothing out of the ordinary happened. He had his meetings and his slew of unscheduled visitors. I roll my eyes and answer a few emails on Dominic’s behalf.
An hour before the office closes, Dominic sends me an email that he needs me to go over a contract. I sigh. It’ll take me at least two hours to do. Guess I’m staying late tonight.
That’s okay, though, work makes this situation easier. If I’m buried under work, I don’t have to think about my pregnancy.
When I email back the contract, he comes out of his office.
“Thanks for staying late tonight,” he says. “I forgot to tell you, but we’ve just instituted a new policy. Anyone who stays late has to take a company car home. It’s a liability thing. Don’t try to argue.”
I narrow my eyes at him, but I don’t argue. I’m so tired, it sounds nice not to have to walk to the subway.
Apart from that, the next few days are awful.
Dominic is grumpier than usual, but that’s the least of my problems. My body’s decided to revolt against me.
My nose picks up smells it never has before, and they all seem to turn my stomach.
I have to politely ask Nina to wear less perfume, and she stares at me like I’m crazy.
“I don’t even have on perfume,” she complains.
I go downstairs to get food one day, and I can smell every single thing being made. It’s overwhelming. I grab a sleeve of crackers and ginger ale and run out of there before I puke.
Sounds become overwhelming, too. I can hear the squeak of the rats as I walk down the sidewalk.
That, obviously, does nothing for the nausea.
I also feel like I’m losing my mind. I swear to God, the same black town car is parked outside my building.
Someone is always inside it, and he never seems to go anywhere.
I tell Maya about it on Friday night when we go out for dinner.
“I bet it’s someone Dominic hired,” she says casually. “He’s probably having you followed.”
That’s not a comforting thought at all. Especially after four solid days of his stormy mood.
Is he actually having me followed? Should I be worried?
On top of everything else, it just feels like way too much, so I tell myself I’m being crazy and Maya is just being Maya.
That’s why I can’t tell her about the pregnancy yet. I’m terrified of what she’ll say.
I wake up the following Monday feeling like shit. I don’t want to call out because Nina is already being salty, so I force myself to get up. I eat the blandest breakfast I can manage, and head into the office.
By lunch, I wish I had called out. Dominic is in a worse mood than ever, and we’re in back-to-back meetings. He snaps at everyone, so at least I know he’s not angry with me. I just wish I could figure out what the hell is going on with him.
We eat a silent lunch together in the boardroom while we wait for the next meeting, and the day drags on with four more meetings that leave me wrung out. When the last person finally leaves, I turn to Dominic.
“I don’t think I can do that again,” I say, just as he’s saying, “You did extremely well today.”
We look at each other for a moment and then burst out laughing. Just like that, his face transforms from a terrifying monster to a Greek god. He smiles at me and says, “Thank you for everything lately. I know it’s been a rough few days.”
I nod. “That’s the job, right?” I ask, getting up.
He puts his hand on my arm to stop me. He’s still sitting, and when I turn around, I stumble. He catches me easily, leaving me awkwardly perched on his lap.
We stare at each other for what feels like a very long moment.
The air in the room seems to evaporate altogether, and I can feel my pulse in my head.
His hands move to my waist, whether an invitation for more or just a gentlemanly way to steady me, I can’t say.
My body takes it as an invitation, though, because I relax on top of him and my lips find his easily.
He kisses me back hungrily, his hands sliding up my blouse until he tugs it free from my skirt. Then they slip underneath the fabric, and the heat on my skin feels incredible. Apparently, my sense of touch is heightened right now too.
Heat pools between my legs, and then I feel him hardening beneath me. There’s no doubt or question in my mind. I want this so badly, but I’m not the only one. My hands reach for his belt as his move under my skirt. I feel him touch me, testing me, and he hisses out through his teeth.
“Fuck, you’re already so wet,” he says.
“Shut up,” I answer, as I carefully grab his dick and start stroking him.
The moan he lets out reverberates through my entire body. I feel it echoing in my head like a church bell. He moves my panties aside as I raise my hips, sliding down onto him until I feel like I might split in two.
He holds me tight as I throw my head back in pleasure, feeling like I’m not even tethered to the earth anymore. Then my hips start moving on their own, and I’m riding him with more enthusiasm than I’ve ever done anything in my life. Every thrust is heaven. I feel him everywhere, and it consumes me.
I chase the feeling, clutching his shoulders to have something to hold onto as I find the crest of my pleasure. My ears are ringing, and I’m biting my lip hard so I don’t scream out. The last thing I need is for some finance person who’s working late on an account to find us.
I feel him go slack underneath me and I know he’s finished, but his hand moves to my clit and I follow him, collapsing on top of him the second the orgasm crashes over me.
I could stay in his arms forever. My body convulses with aftershocks, and I’m so reluctant to leave this perfect moment, but then the door opens.
“Oh fuck,” I hear a voice say.
I whip my head back and see Rafe standing there, eyes wide. He looks at me, then at Dominic, then immediately covers his eyes.
“Sorry, Dom, but I need to talk to you,” he says. “Privately.”