Fake Daddy To Be

I shake my head at her dirty mind. “Fine. Since you must know, yes, the sex is mind-blowingly amazing.”

She nods as she chews. “Continue.”

I laugh again.

“We can talk for hours and hours about nothing and because he’s such a great conversationalist, he can make anything sound interesting. I’ve never been so happy than when I’m around him.”

Ava shakes her head impatiently.

“But what about the sex?” she mock-wails again. “Who cares about conversation? I want to hear the dirty parts!”

I laugh.

“Okay, if you must know, we did backdoor the other day and it was amazing. Channing’s huge and I honestly wasn’t sure I could handle it, but he was incredibly gentle and got me really excited to the point where we’ve been doing it the entire week.”

Ava’s eyes go round.

“Are you serious? The one time I tried anal with my ex Jimmy, it hurt like hell. And now you’re doing it on the reg?”

I nod with a sparkle to my eye.

“Yep, and I think I might even like it more than straight sex, if you can believe it. Channing always leans in and whispers the most amazing compliments in my ear as he takes my behind. It’s sooo romantic.”

Ava looks impressed while taking another bite of mac and cheese.

“Jo, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anal loving being called “romantic.” You’re the first. Plus, have you considered the fact that you may be in love with this guy? I mean, it definitely sounds like love from your description. Again, doing it in back is usually described as, ‘Oweee! OMG that hurt!” and not, ‘Yes, I love it so much I’m offering it to him all the time.’”

I jerk back, even while laughing at Ava’s words. But then, her comment makes me stop. Wait, have I fallen in love with Chan? I consider the way my chest tightens when he’s nearby and the butterflies that tickle my stomach when he touches me. I think about how much I miss him right now, though I’ve only been away from him for half an hour. Maybe I do love him? The problem is that I’m not supposed to. As soon as I realize this, a rush of nausea overtakes me.

I shove away from the table and bolt to the toilet, where I vomit everything I’ve eaten in the last couple of hours. Ava comes to my aid, pulling my hair out of my face and rubbing my back. When it’s passed, I wipe my mouth with a bit of toilet paper, and I flush it all down the toilet. I move to the sink and swish some water around in my mouth before following up with some spearmint mouthwash.

“You okay, hon?” my bestie asks, her expression concerned. “Was it my mac and cheese?”

“No, no,” I pant, wiping my mouth. “Sorry. I guess I’m a little allergic to salad,” I joke.

“Was it the conversation?” my friend tries again. “Surely, you must know that you love him, Jo. You’ve been singing Channing Saint’s praises for thirty minutes now. Plus, he’s a billionaire and incredible in bed, so it’s hard not to be in love.”

“No, no, it’s not that,” I say, although my heart is beginning to pound. “He’s paying me to stay with him, remember? I can’t be in love.”

Ava looks somber.

“Yes, but things don’t always turn out the way you expect,” she says slowly. “Or maybe you’re pregnant? Have you thought of that?”

I shake my head, vehemently this time. “No, that can’t be it. Channing and I always use protection. Always.”

“Are you sure?” Jolene asks with a skeptical look. “The two of you have never had unprotected sex?”

I start to shake my head again, but then I remember the night of the Black and White Ball. We made love without using anything because things were too rushed, not to mention hot and heavy. That evening, we were just “Chan” and “Trixie” to one another, never to meet again.

My hands fly to my mouth as shock sends ice through my veins. “Oh god,” I gasp. “There was that one time. Oh my god, oh my god. Am I pregnant with Channing Saint’s baby? What will I do?”

“Hold on,” Ava says calm. “No need to panic.” Then she disappears into her bedroom, and when she comes back, she’s holding a pregnancy test. My friend shrugs in answer to the question on my face. “I bought a couple of these last month when I had a scare after hooking up with my ex. I only ended up needing one of them, so here, take the other.”

She hands it to me and gives me some privacy while I pee on the stick in the bathroom. Then I place the indicator deliberately on the counter, stare at myself in the mirror, and count to ten. I can’t be pregnant. Channing wanted a sexy woman at his disposal, not a baby. But now, I may be giving him the latter.