Rodney
I hadn’t gotten a lot of work done over the past couple of days. By Friday, my production levels were at an all-time low. I was lucky the developer and my marketing team were on top of things because I wasn’t much use around the office. The only thing I had to do was look good for the paparazzi who were getting on my case more and more.
This morning, I’d had two journalists for tech magazines come in to interview me. I was in the popular phase again. This time, I didn’t like the media attention the way I usually did. I was distracted. I couldn’t get Danielle off my mind. I couldn’t believe I was going to be a dad again.
The last time I had gone through this felt like it had been in another life. I had been a much younger man then, married and in love. The baby had been planned. We had had a future in mind.
Everything was different now. We were going to have to build a future around a child that was already on the way. I was going to start something with a woman that was totally off limits. I had never allowed myself to consider something long term with her, but now, I had to.
I had no idea how I was going to make this work. I was having a child with a woman that was half my age and my best friend’s daughter. It sounded surreal. The whole thing was absurd.
At the same time, I was thrilled. I had no choice but to hold on to Danielle. When I let my rational brain do the decision-making, I had called it off. Now, my heart was back in charge, and it was looking forward to doing the right thing. I would be the man Danielle and the baby needed.
When I arrived at home after work, I pulled into the driveway just before my mom did. Tommy clambered out of the car before I came to a standstill. He ran to my mom with open arms, excited.
“Hello, darling,” she said, hugging him. My mom lived about an hour’s drive away, a little too far for her to see Tommy as often as she would have liked. When we did arrange for a visit, it was for the weekend.
“You looked stressed,” she said after one look at me. God, if only she knew.
“It’s a little rough at work,” I said. It wasn’t a lie. It just wasn’t the whole truth. “Tommy is so excited to see you, aren’t you, buddy?”
Tommy nodded, a big grin on his face. “I’ll go get my bag,” he said and ran toward the house. We had packed a bag that morning for the visit.
“Looks like I’m not going to stay for a cup of tea,” my mom said with a laugh.
We followed Tommy into the house, and within half an hour, Tommy and my mother had left me alone in the empty house. I locked up behind me and drove to Lisa’s place. I had promised I would pick Danielle up as soon as I could. She hadn’t been to the office again since Wednesday.
“How are you feeling?” I asked when she got into the car.
“I’m worried,” she said.
I frowned. I had been referring to her morning sickness. “What’s going on?” I asked.
“It’s my dad,” she said, and I already knew this was trouble. “He’s been trying to see me all week, but I can’t face him. Not now. I’m not going to be able to put on a brave face for him, and there’s no way I can tell him what’s going on yet. I don’t even know how I feel.”
I felt a little guilty. “I know Mark was looking for you,” I admitted. “He came by the office looking for you. I told him you were off sick.”
Danielle sighed. “That makes sense now. He’s tried to call me so many times today. I don’t know how I’m going to do this.”
I didn’t offer any advice because I didn’t know, either. We drove in silence for a while. Danielle looked out of the passenger window, lost in her own world.
“How are you dealing with the morning sickness?” I asked to break the silence. “Are you coping?”
Danielle looked at me, a little down.
“I’m coping,” she said. “It’s bad in the mornings and just after lunch. I struggle to keep food down then. But at dinnertime, I’m fine, and I can eat anything. I guess it’s just a routine I’ll have to figure out for now.”
I nodded. Chrissy had struggled with morning sickness when she had been pregnant with Tommy–all-day sickness she had called it. I didn’t understand everything a woman went through during pregnancy, but the morning sickness was something I had witnessed, and if anything, it had reminded me how happy I was to be a man.
Danielle looked depressed, and I wanted to do something to cheer her up. A thought struck me. We hadn’t done anything to spend time together, not since all of this had started. If we were going to have a child together, we had to start spending time together outside of working and fucking.
“So, you’re not sick now?” I asked.
Danielle shook her head.
“Right. Well, why don’t we go out to dinner?”
“Tonight?” Danielle asked.
“Why not?”
She thought about it for a moment before she nodded. “I’d like that,” she said.
Instead of driving home, I drove to a restaurant I often took my business associates to. I knew the atmosphere was calming, and the press usually left me alone there.
Danielle and I walked into the restaurant, and we were taken to a quiet table for two in the back. The restaurant was decorated in light tones, and soft music floated from invisible speakers, giving a calming atmosphere.
“This is nice,” Danielle said after I ordered wine for me and sparkling water for her. “I don’t go out to restaurants often, unless it’s for a family birthday or something.”
The wine and water arrived, and we were silent while the waiter took care of our glasses.
“How are things at the office?” Danielle asked when we were alone again.
“Well enough,” I said. “Leon is about ready with a beta program for us. The press is picking up, though. I’m sure you’ve noticed.”
Danielle nodded. “I did. Do they follow you around sometimes?”
“I get the odd reporter or two that doesn’t have something better to do with his time, but generally, it’s around the release dates that I’m in the press. Sometimes, I get sick of it, but it’s not like I’m a celebrity. My life isn’t important enough for that.”
I smiled. Danielle smiled, too.
“I’ve known you my whole life, but at the same time, I didn’t know you at all,” Danielle said. She frowned. “You don’t think we’ll be seen here, do you?”
I shook my head. “I come here for a reason. I usually arrange my business meetings here because no one bothers us. And we’re technically in business together, you and I. So, we’ll just call it that if anyone sees us.”
Danielle nodded, smiling. It was good to see her mood looking up again. I hadn’t seen a genuine smile on her face for a week.
The food was good, and Danielle didn’t complain about feeling sick. I was relieved that she didn’t. I had heard of pregnancies where women weren’t able to eat at all. Where the smells alone put them off. It was still early on in the pregnancy, and I didn’t want Danielle to suffer. Things were difficult enough as it was.
We talked about our private lives, getting to know each other. It was like she had said, we had known each other for a long time, but at the same time, we were practically strangers. I learned that Danielle was creative and enjoyed poetry, that studying communications in college had been to learn about the psychology behind getting through to people.
I told her about Chrissy and about what it was like before she died. Talking to the future mother of my child about my deceased wife should have been weird, but it wasn’t. In Danielle, I found a woman that was more mature than her years, someone interesting and beautiful. It made sense that I had fallen for her.
When dinner was over, Danielle looked tired.
“Let’s get you home,” I said to her.
She nodded. When we stepped outside, it was raining. We hadn’t realized it inside. Danielle ducked her head, and I pulled her closer to me for shelter. We walked to the car like that together, and I opened the passenger door for her. When she was safe inside, I ran around to the driver’s side and climbed into the car.
“It’s strange having the house so quiet,” Danielle said when we were home.
I nodded. When my mom took Tommy for the weekend, I never knew what to do with myself. My life was hard with him in it, but it was so empty without him.
Danielle put her bag down.
“Would you mind if I took a shower?” she asked.
I shook my head. “Please, go ahead.”
I walked ahead, and she followed with her bag. I led her through to my bathroom. The guest bathroom was great, but mine had a large shower and massage shower heads. I wanted her to have the best.
When Danielle stepped into the bathroom, she commented on the size of it.
“I’ve been here before, but I can’t get used to it. It’s the size of a bedroom.”
I nodded. “It is. When you’re done, I’ll shower, too.”
Danielle gave me big, innocent eyes–the first sign that what she had in mind was anything but innocent.
“You can always shower with me,” she said. “You know, to save water.”
I grinned at her. “For the sake of efficiency, right?”
She smiled, nodding. She pulled her shirt over her head, unclasped her bra, and dropped it on the floor. I stared at her as she wriggled out of her jeans.
When she was completely naked, she walked into the shower, all rolling hips, and turned on the water. I watched as steam surrounded her, and the water cascaded over her naked body.
God, she was such a tease. Her ass was perfect, full and round. Her waist was narrow, and her back was smooth. She looked over her shoulder with big eyes.
“Are you coming?” she asked.
Almost.
I didn’t let her ask me twice. I stripped myself of my clothes, kicking them to the side, and found two towels in the towel cabinet. I dropped them on the floor next to the shower before stepping in under the water as well. My dick was already hard. I couldn’t help it. Everything about Danielle drove me crazy. She glanced down at my erection, and a smile spread across her face. She tipped her head back and let the water run through her hair until she was completely wet.
I stood to the side, but Danielle grabbed my wrist and pulled me under the water with her.