Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 95147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Did she slip me truth serum or some shit? The more she just sat there looking at me as if she’d lost the ability to speak or think, the more my mouth ran. “That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? To have a baby? Don’t cry; why are you crying?” I reached over to catch the first tear on my fingertip before it fell.
“How did you….?”
“Didn’t we have this conversation already?” I kinda thought we did, but that first night and morning together seemed so long ago that maybe I just thought we’d talked about her drunken proclamations. “Never mind that now. It’s true, isn’t it? That you want to have a kid.”
Her mouth opened and closed three times before she gave up and nodded her head. And what the hell was going on with me? I wasn’t even thinking about this shit, and now here we are having this conversation. Now I have to play this shit off like there wasn’t a golf ball stuck in my throat.
“So, you didn’t answer my question; how do you plan to handle pregnancy and weight gain? I’m telling you right now; you’re not starving my kid with your bullshit. In fact, give me a list of all the foods you like; I know some of them already. I’ll go over the list, and we’ll work out a menu.”
Yeah, some shit is wrong with me. I think between my sister and her ex-family, I’d flipped my shit. Maybe somewhere in the back of my mind, I saw this as the only way to protect her, by making her mine. I wish my subconscious mind had clued me in first before popping off at the mouth.
“You heard our conversation that night? But how?”
“The whole place is bugged.” I filled her in on what was going on, and somehow the conversation went smoothly from the minefield I’d just opened up to her wanting to help catch criminals. I’m gonna have to look out for my kids because their mother is fucking nuts.
“No, you won’t be doing any of that, and if you try getting Nat involved with any of the shit you just said, I’ll ban both of you from my place.” She pouted and rolled her eyes, but at least we were off the topic of me breeding her.
STEHANIE
I’m not sure how often I pinched myself once I got back to the office, but it was enough that I could feel it. I had barely planted my ass behind my desk when Xavier came waltzing in all smiles. “Well, well, well, missy, let me tell you. If you let this one slip away, we’re gonna have a problem.”
I looked at him askance because I had no idea what he was talking about. “Did something happen with the Thompson job? I didn’t know there was a problem.” He rolled his eyes and dropped down in the visitor’s chair in front of my desk.
“Why are women so myopic? I could care less about the Thompsons and their billion-dollar estate right now. No, I’m talking about Mr. Mace Donovan. I’m telling you, sis, the man is as good as it gets.”
“You didn’t.” I finally noticed the folder in his hand, which he placed on my desk.
“I sure the hell did. We don’t need another shyster in this family, and I have a wife and a kid to take care of, so I can’t do time in the pen. This was the best way to avoid all that. I ran a check on Nat’s guy as well because you two just can’t be trusted.” He said all this as if it was the most natural thing in the world to be running background checks on people.
I’m quite sure whatever he did was top-notch because a few of the guys from his fraternity had very high-security clearance, if you know what I mean. I reached for the folder with trepidation, not quite sure what to make of it. What I wasn’t expecting was the shadow that entered my office doorway or to look up to see Mace standing there.
“Ah, I see, it was you. Hello Xavier, I’m Mace; pleased to meet you.” He walked in with his hand held out, and Xavier stood up and took it. I always wondered why men are so much different from women when they first meet. The two of them gripped each other’s hands and grinned like buffoons for no reason that I could see.
“I heard about what you did with the asshole, good job.”
“You do good work too yourself, I hear. I’m glad to know that she has someone here to look after her when I’m not around.”
“Say no more, brother. I’m on top of it. I’ve been waiting to get my hands on….” Xavier cut himself off and looked back at me as if only just remembering that I was in the room.