CHAPTER ONE
“I need you right now, Sondra.”
Sneaking a peek at the waiting room to ensure none of the other women were close enough to hear, she pressed her iPhone closer to her mouth, saying as quietly as possible, “You had me twice last night and once this morning. And isn’t Nagato coming today?”
“Tomorrow.” He exhaled raggedly. “That’s why I need you. It’s a madhouse here getting everything ready, and I had to fire Eleanor this morning.”
Sondra paused as she exited the doctor’s office, standing for so long in the doorway that someone cleared their throat impatiently behind her. Quickly, she stepped out and off to the side of the entryway. “What? I thought you couldn’t fire her without cause.” Jake had discussed his growing annoyance with Eleanor’s persistence and his frustration that corporate policies had stymied his ability to deal with her. “When you offered her a transfer, she threatened to sue, didn’t she?”
“She can sue me all she wants.” He muttered something that sounded like a curse. “When she strips naked and sits in my office chair, that’s too much. I don’t care about the consequences. I’m done with her.”
Sondra tried not to laugh, but she couldn’t completely stifle a giggle. “Oh, my poor darling. I know how much you love that chair.”
“I did, but I’m not sure maintenance can sterilize it to my satisfaction.” He sounded a bit reluctant to share the next tidbit. “She was very open to meeting me when I walked in. Very open. And all over my chair.”
His note of outrage at the discovery of the frosty Ms. Clevage masturbating in his chair sent her over the edge into a full-throated chuckle. She tried to regain control, but couldn’t help giggling for almost a minute.
“Yes, it’s terribly amusing, except when you’re the one with a ruined office chair, no executive assistant, and a contract meeting for a multibillion dollar merger happening tomorrow.”
Sondra somehow managed to stop laughing and turned to a soothing tone. “Linda should be able to step in.”
“I don’t know Linda.” He snorted impatiently. “I want you, Sondra. You know the office and my preferences. You can get me through this crisis.”
“Well, I suppose I could come in. I wanted to see you anyway.”
“Really?”
She smiled at the note of interest in his tone. “Sorry, Jake, but not for that. The doctor took some pictures.”
“Pictures? Of what?”
“The baby, of course. Today was the first ultrasound.”
His silence lasted a long moment, and he sounded cool when he spoke. “You didn’t think I would have liked to be informed about that, Sondra? I’d have enjoyed coming with you.”
“You’ve been talking about the merger meeting for two weeks, Jake. I assumed you wouldn’t have time.”
“You assumed wrong. I would have made time.” He spoke with crisp certainty that left no doubt of his sincerity.
“Oh.” She licked her lips. “I’m sorry. I’ll make sure to tell you next time.”
“Thank you. Now, how soon can you get here?”
She looked down at her comfortable yoga pants and loose T-shirt. “Maybe an hour. I have to change into office wear first.”
He sighed with impatience. “Darling, I don’t care if you show up naked, but hurry.”
“If I show up naked, you’ll never get anything done.”
“Except you.”
With a small laugh, she hung up on him and hurried out of the medical park plaza in search of a cab. The doctor she’d selected was a leisurely fifteen-minute walk from the apartment in Jake’s building, but she didn’t have time for that.
Back at her apartment, she shed her clothes as she hurried into her room, leaving a trail of garments behind her and hoping Maevyn was still asleep. Her closet yielded all of her wardrobe choices from when she had been employed at WWJ instead of as an independent contractor working from home. The problem was, none of them were maternity clothes, and though she was only twelve weeks along, she already had a rounded tummy that made most of the garments uncomfortable.
Finally, she settled on a blue dress that was a little too warm for the weather, but would have to do. It fit snugly around her belly, emphasizing her tiny bump, but she could hide that with a light jacket.
Heels were the bane of her existence pre-pregnancy, and nothing had changed there. She crammed her feet into the lowest pair she had, annoyed by how tight they were. The baby was tiny according to the pictures on the flash drive in her purse, so why were her feet swollen?
She vaguely remembered her mother had shown early with the two pregnancies she’d had while Sondra lived with her, so maybe it was genetic. Speculating about why she was showing already didn’t solve her wardrobe problems, which she would have to address today if Jake expected her to fill in for Eleanor until he hired a replacement.
Another cab took her the short distance to his office. It felt extravagant to take a taxi for the quick walk, but she knew he was waiting for her. When had Jake become so important to her that she would rearrange everything to be at his beck and call?
She couldn’t pinpoint exactly when, but they had grown progressively closer since the party. As she had expected, Whitney had been an issue, but so far kept it confined to subtly snide comments or more direct attacks when Jake wasn’t there as a buffer. Those occasions were infrequent, and she did her best to avoid spending time alone with his mother.
Now, as she took the elevator to the top floor, she wondered if Whitney had been working behind the scenes to orchestrate Eleanor’s escalation in seduction attempts. She knew from Jake the woman had gotten bolder, and this morning seemed completely contrary to the Eleanor Clevage she had worked under—and it smelled of desperation. But whose? Which woman was starting to get the impression Sondra wasn’t going anywhere any time soon?
Hopefully both, and the other woman’s dismissal would solve the problem for good, but she wasn’t that optimistic. Sondra didn’t think she could be that lucky.
To her surprise, Jake drew her into his office the moment she opened the door. He closed it behind her and pulled her over to the desk. When he sat down and put her on his lap, she frowned. “What are you doing?”
“I want to see the pictures.”
Thrilled by his interest, but knowing they had work to do, she said, “Shouldn’t we do that later? Nagato—”
“Can wait.” He put his hand over her stomach, rubbing lightly. “Please show me our child.”
She nodded, reaching into her purse for the flash drive provided by the obstetrician. He put it in his computer, and the large screen on the wall changed from the WWJ logo to the four-dimensional video of their baby. “You can’t see much yet.”
“He’s beautiful.”
“Yes, he is.” She stared at the baby with Jake, feeling the same sense of wonder she had at the doctor’s office earlier in the morning. Their baby was a little blob with arms and legs and an oversized head. He was recognizably human, but even the top-of-the-line ultrasound machine could only provide so much detail. He was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen then, and the same awe filled her now.
“I can’t believe he’s in there moving around. Can you feel him yet?”
She shook her head. “No, and I probably won’t for at least a few more weeks. It might take longer because I’m chunky.”
He frowned. “You’re gorgeous and perfect.”
“I know.” With a saucy wink, she leaned against him as the video played. It was nearing the end when the office door slammed open and hit the wall with a thud.
Whitney Jacobi strode in. She froze in mid-step at the sight of Sondra on Jake’s lap. “Really, this is a place of business, Wallace.”
“Good morning, Mother.” He looked at the clock. “Or afternoon, I suppose.”
She was impressed by Jake’s cool tone, but wasn’t as brave as him. Sondra started to rise, but he held her firmly on his lap.
“Eleanor called me, completely distraught. You have to…” She trailed off as the screen flickered.
Sondra’s eyes darted to the screen, and she held her breath as Whitney looked that direction. She wasn’t ashamed of their baby, but she wasn’t dumb enough to think the other woman would be happy. Jake had been reluctantly agreeable to waiting until she was out of the first trimester before telling anyone, so the picture of the baby on the screen was a complete shock to the older woman.
Her expression was full of horror before morphing to rage. “Is she pregnant?”
Jake nodded. “Yes, we’re expecting.”
Whitney’s mouth dropped open for a second, and then she seemed to make an effort to regain her composure. “I see. Why didn’t you tell me sooner, darling?” Her eyes narrowed when she briefly glanced at Sondra. “Unless there was some doubt about—”
Anger swelled in Sondra, but she strove to match the other woman’s falsely polite tone. “We were concerned about miscarriage, but the chances of me losing the baby are less than five percent now.”
“Oh, I see.” Her expression indicated she would be thrilled about a miscarriage, but all traces of any emotion were gone when she looked back at Jake. “Congratulations, Wallace. You have always been an independent thinker, and I applaud you for making the brave choice to become a single parent.”
He frowned. “I won’t be a single parent.”
Her laugh was as patently false as her congratulations, and Sondra marveled that her lover could remain so oblivious. “You know what I mean, darling. Unmarried, I suppose, is the word I’m looking for. No Jacobi or Whitcomb has been so modern until you, but I’m sure there will be clients who will applaud your progressive stance on procreation outside of marriage. The company will be fine without those clients and investors who expect a more traditional lifestyle from their CEO.”
Sondra rolled her eyes, but before either of them could reply, Whitney changed the subject. “Now what has happened with poor Eleanor? I assured her there had to be a mistake, and you would certainly welcome her back.”
“You assured wrong.” Jake spoke with firm authority. “Eleanor crossed a line today, Mother, and she will no longer be welcome at my company or in my social circles.”
Her mouth dropped open, and she darted a gaze at Sondra. “Darling, I hope you aren’t making the decision to destroy a family friend because of jealousy.”
Sondra’s chest puffed with outrage, but Jake spoke before she could refute the accusation.
“If you’re implying Sondra asked me to get rid of her, that isn’t true. Eleanor brought this dismissal upon herself, and I won’t be changing my mind.”
Whitney gave a tight nod. “I see. I’ll have to relay that to the poor dear. Perhaps, when things have changed…” She trailed off. “When you have calmed down and can discuss the matter rationally, you might be amenable to her return?”
“No.” He spoke firmly, but with no heat. Clearly, he had decided and wouldn’t change his mind and had already moved on.
If only his mother knew him as well as she did, thought Sondra, then the other woman might back off. Her machinations would cease, as would her attempts to select a proper wife for Jake, instead of the black floozy bearing his child.
She stilled at the thought. They hadn’t discussed marriage or anything permanent. She had sensed Jake was on the verge of bringing up the subject, but she had diverted him each time. Sondra wasn’t ready to face that topic yet, or make any further life-changing decisions. She was content with what they had at the moment.
Whitney left a few moments later, no doubt heading back to her lair to conspire with Eleanor. Sondra wasn’t sorry to see her leave, but she did wonder what next scheme they would plot.
Jake distracted her from that thought, and all others, when he started unzipping her dress.
“We don’t have time for this, and anyone could walk in.”
He cupped her breast. “There’s always time for this, love, and if they walk in, do you know what they’ll see?”
She moaned as he thumbed her nipple, unable to form words.
“They’ll see the woman I love getting thoroughly satisfied, and they’ll be jealous that they don’t get to touch you.”
She moaned as he eased the dress off her shoulders before cupping both her breasts through the sensible white bra. “Even Martha in Accounting? She has to be about eighty.”
“Seventy-four.” He spoke in a low rasp. “She’d be green with envy that I’m inside you.”
“Maybe because she wanted you for herself.” Sondra put her hands on his face, bringing his mouth to hers for a long kiss. “Most women do.”
He frowned. “I’m offended. You’re supposed to say all women want me.”
She laughed and patted his cheek before kissing him again. “Sorry, lover, but I’m sure there are a few women who can resist your charms.”
“I can’t resist yours.” Jake opened her bra carefully, but his mouth was less than gentle when he took one of her plump nipples between his lips. He sucked greedily as she squirmed on his lap, pressing her breast deeper into his mouth.
He moved his mouth to her other nipple, and Sondra shifted to sit facing him. They both groaned when that pushed more of her areola against his tongue. Grasping a handful of his hair, she held him against her as she undulated her hips, pressing against his erection through their layers of clothes.
Jake had a wild air as he pushed up her dress. Her panties provided little deterrent since he shoved the crotch to the side to expose her dripping folds. “I love everything about you, Sondra—your snarky comments, your heavenly body, and your sweet pussy.” His fingers surged inside her to emphasize his point.
She arched against his hand. “I love you too, Jake.” It still felt strange to say the words. It was only the second time she had attempted to communicate how she felt, other than the night of his party when she had admitted she was falling fast for the stubborn billionaire.
The words didn’t come naturally to her, but seeing the pleasure in his expression at hearing them made her vow that she would offer them more freely in the future. Staring into his eyes, she couldn’t pretend she didn’t love Jake. How it had happened was still a mystery, and she had fought it, but it had been a futile battle.
With a bit of fumbling and a couple of curse words, Jake freed his shaft from his trousers and underwear. Sondra assisted him as best she could in his endeavor to join them, and she sighed with satisfaction when he slid inside her a moment later.
&n
bsp; “I can’t get enough of you.” He thrust into her slowly, his pace building leisurely, as though they had all day rather than a hectic afternoon of work ahead of them.
“Same here, Jake. I think we’ll still be doing this when we’re ninety.” Sondra moaned as he hit a sensitive spot that sent sparks shooting through all her nerve ends. She bit her lip to hold in a cry when he did it again and again. Soon, she arched against him mindlessly, lost in the pleasure he gave her. When she came, he was a scant second behind her, and they clung to each other as the blissful aftermath faded.
Eventually, he pressed a tender kiss to her temple before easing her away. “I wish we could do this all afternoon.”
She smiled. “So do I, but duty calls.”
“Let’s run away. Forget the merger and everything else. Hop on the company jet and escape to Tahiti.”
Sondra grinned. “I’ve never been, but it sounds wonderful.”
“You could go topless.”
Pressing a hand to his chest to stabilize herself as she stood up, she patted him. “So could you.”
“We could escape all the responsibilities. WWJ, Nagato, the Stock Market—”
“Your mother.” Sondra froze in the process of restoring her appearance to some semblance of passable, horrified by what she had allowed to slip through her lips in an unguarded moment.
Jake frowned. “What do you mean?”
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
His frown deepened, making his forehead furrow. “No, you meant something.”
Biting her lip, she decided to proceed carefully. “She doesn’t like me, Jake.”
He waved a hand. “She barely knows you, Sondra. That will come in time.”
Poor deluded dear. “Perhaps.”
“You don’t sound confident.”
She shrugged a shoulder. “She doesn’t approve of me, Jake.”
“Are you saying she’s racist?” He seemed shocked by the idea.
Diplomacy warred with honesty and finally won. “No, not at all. I don’t know her well enough to make that assessment.” Shrugging again, she added, “I’m sure it’s just me personally she doesn’t like, not all black women.”