CHAPTER EIGHT
MARNIE
I ROLL OVER INTO THE warmth that’s behind me, noticing a few aches in certain places. A hand encases my shoulders, the other grabs my ass, pulling me in, and I snuggle up closer, but something tickles my nose.
“AH-CHOO!” I sneeze myself fully awake and staring at a muscular chest speckled with auburn hair. Stunned, I watch the chest rise and fall with each breath. I glance up to see Z, mask still on, and all the memories from last night hit me all at once. The dinner, the dancing, the orgasm he gave me in the SUV. Oh God, my face flushes as images flash in my head of what we did. I never knew it could be so good with someone. I mean, I’ve had good orgasms, but none, and I mean none, have ever been earth-shattering like last night.
I squeeze my eyes closed when the shame hits me just as hard as the heat does. I paid someone to have sex with me last night. I scrub my face with my hands and turn back to Z. Seeing he’s still sleeping, I take the opportunity to make my exit. I slowly slither out of his grasp and pry his fingers off my behind.
I stand at the bed, gazing down at the sleeping man. Deep in my heart, I recognize him as something…something I don’t remember and not sure if I want to. I quickly gather my shoes and grab my mask laying on the floor from when I threw it last night after he had fallen asleep. My dress is in a heap on the floor. I throw it back on and quietly make my exit. I jog down the hallway and to the elevator where I franticly press the buttons and glance down to his door, praying he hasn’t woken up at. The doors part, and I jump in, hitting the main floor button.
A long, relieved breath escapes as I lean against the wall. Finally, I have some time to fully grasp what happened.
“Holy Hell, what did I do?” I ask the empty space. The elevator descends until it reaches the main floor. The doors ping open, and I fly out into the lobby. I avert my eyes from the welcome staff to hide my shame and make it out the revolving door into the cool of early morning where I stand at the curb raising my hand up hailing a cab. As the yellow vehicle pulls up, I hear my name being called behind. Unwilling to look back, I cowardly climb in.
“Where to miss?” the older cab driver asks. I give him my home address through my hands covering my face. Then, I lean back into the seat, biting the knuckle of my finger to keep from breaking down.
The driver turns a few corners and lands on the express. He tries to engage me in pleasant conversation, but I only have the ability to form short, one-word answers. After a few tries, he gives up, and I can retreat into my mind.
Twenty minutes later, we pull up to my apartment. I pay the man with a generous tip and exit the cab. In my apartment, I strip on the way to the bathroom. Once inside, I turn the shower on and step under the spray.
The cool water settles the anxiety that has been building since I woke up, and I can think clearly. I turn my face up to the spray and enjoy the water sluicing over it. I make quick work of cleaning myself and get out of the shower.
In my bedroom, my cell rings, and I know it’s my sister just from the god-awful ring tone she picked. “Hello?”
“Tell me everything and anything! Don’t you dare leave any of it out.”
I giggle at her demands.
“Ash, can I get dressed first? I just got out of shower.”
“Fuck no, details now!” she commands, and I can hear J.J. crying in the background.
“Your child is crying, maybe you should take care of him.” I’m hoping my nephew will detract her.
“He’s just pissed because I won’t let him have another cookie. Now, start talking.”
I let out a sigh. “Fine, it was…I don’t know…wonderful.” I flop on my bed, and I know I have a dreamy look on my face. I fill her in on everything that happen from the dance, to the car ride, and what we did in the penthouse.
“Aww, the cobwebs have been cleaned. Are you gonna order some pork again?” she asks, and here in lies the anxiety; I want to see him again, feel him again, and it goes against everything that I believe in.
“No, no I won’t. It was fun when it happened, but I can’t become one of those women who have to pay for men’s attention,” I quietly explain.
“Okay. I’m glad you had fun, maybe now you can get out of this funk you have been in and move on.” I know she’s right, and it was partly the reason why I made the call and set up the date.
“Jake is going to take over duties tonight. Wanna hit the town and dance our tails off, maybe get a few numbers and some ass slaps?” I guffaw at Ash’s request, roll over onto my stomach and contemplate the idea. A night with dancing and hanging out with my favorite person is just what I need.
I smile. “Yeah, going out sounds like fun. No place too crazy, just some local dance bars.”
“Yessssss!” she hisses with delight, and I’m sure she did a fist pump. “Okay, I’ll pick you up tonight. We can go for dinner then get our groove on.” I hear some yelling in the background from Jake. “I gotta go, Jake can’t find clean underwear. See you tonight.” She clicks off as I continue to giggle at Jake whining about no underwear.
Six weeks later
“Oh God, there can’t be any more in me.” I hurl again into the toilet bowl, but now it’s bile and some dry heaves. For the past four days, it has been nonstop, any food I look at makes me puke, any fluid I gaze at makes me puke. Hell, waking up in the morning makes me dash to the bathroom, just in time not to hurl all over myself. I’m in my own personal Hell, and there’s no end in sight.
“Hello, Marn, where are you?” Ashley calls from out in the kitchen, and her footsteps get closer and closer.
The door creaks open. “Jesus Christ, Marn.” Ashley jumps when she sees me plastered against the cool tile of the floor.
“What, it feels good against my face, and I don’t have to work much when I puke again, and I know I will,” I mumble; my mouth as dry as cotton balls makes forming words hard.
“Babe, hun, I think it’s time for a trip to the ER, you need fluids. I can see from here that you’re dehydrated, and I have no medical knowledge.” I shrug in agreement with her. At this point, I’ll do anything to feel better.
“Let me call Jake, and he can help us get you there.”
I nod my agreement and close my eyes.
A sharp stab in my hand jolts me awake. The bright lights above me make my eyes water. I look down to my hand to see a petite blonde pulling the needle out of my IV. She looks up, and her name tag says “Lilly.”
“Welcome back, hun. You had us a bit worried there,” she tells me as she attaches the IV tubing. Within seconds, a salty taste hits the back of my mouth and makes me nauseous.
“Why is she so sick? I’ve never seen her like this,” Ashley asks from behind. I glance up to see her and Jake standing at the head of my bed.
“We’ll know more about her once we get the blood results, but the doc did order a urine test for pregnancy. Just to rule it out,” she kindly explains. I try to laugh, but it comes out as a cough with a dry heave.
“I’m not pregnant! Not a chance. The last time I had sex was over a month and a half ago, and we used protection.” My eyes bug out as my voice raises with each word. I try to crawl out of bed, but a small and large hand pins me back.
“Easy, champ,” Jake’s soothing voice floats over me, “let’s just rule it out then go from there.”
“Ugh…fine, where’s the cup I have to piss in?” I hold my hand out, demanding to get this over with.
Lilly looks to my family and asks them to leave. I hear shuffling and a door quietly closing. I glance up to Lilly. “Okay, now that we are alone, I’ll help you to the toilet so we can get the sample.”
Minutes later, I’m back in bed and completely wiped out. A cold sweat beads across my forehead, and Ash and Jake are back in my room. An older man, in a white coat with graying hair, steps in with papers in his hand.
“Hello, Miss Novak, I’m Dr. Anderson, a pleasure.” He reaches out and shakes everybody’s hands.
“Okay, stop with the suspense and just get on with it,” I tell him curtly. I just want to go home and sleep forever.
He chuckles at me, placing his reading glasses on and then focusing on the top paper. “Well, you are dehydrated, severely, that we already knew. What we didn’t know is that you’re pregnant.”
“Umm…excuse me? Can you repeat that, because I sure as shit can’t be pregnant?” As soon as the words roll out of my mouth, a portly woman with a large machine rolls right in. The doctor steps away and leans against the wall with a smirk on his face.
“Hello, I’m the radiology tech, and I’m here to do a sonogram for dates,” the older, dark-haired woman explains. “My name is Rita, and if you could lift up your gown, we’ll get this over, and you’ll have the first picture of your baby.”