“Rebecca, if you have any delusion of becoming something more, I’d rather you decline the offer now.”
She rolls her eyes. “Relax, I’m only teasing.”
“I hope that’s true. Otherwise, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.”
“Got it.”
“I can’t stress it enough—this is nothing more than a business arrangement.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.” She salutes. “I’ll take it home to review. Now that that’s out of the way, are you ready to head up to the room?”
“I think I’ll call it a night. You have a lot to think about, and there’s no better time than while it’s fresh in your mind.” The last thing on my mind is sex. It sickens me to have done this at all, and fucking her right now isn’t an option. I highly doubt I’d be able to get it up.
“Don’t you want to remind me what else I’ll be getting in the deal?” she asks seductively.
“You’ve had plenty of reminders. Give me your answer next week, and we’ll talk about resuming our weeklymeetings.”
She chuckles. “Oh, really? You’re holding sex over my head to convince me?”
“The money was meant to convince you, but if my skills in the bedroom are the deciding factor, my ego thanks you.” I smirk. “The truth is, if you decide not to do this, I’ll need to find someone else, so our arrangement will end anyway.”
“All right, all right. Next week. I’ll reach out if I’m ready before then.”
“Take your time. This isn’t a decision you should make overnight, and you need to go into it with your eyes wide open, so review every line of the contract before you commit. Text me if youhave questions,” I say, laying enough cash on the table for a quick retreat, more than ready to get the hell out of here.
Seeing Rebecca out, the first thing I do after starting my car is dial up Sebastian.
He answers the phone with no pretenses. “Did you do it?”
“Yeah, it’s in her hands now.”
“What’re you thinking? Will she go for it?”
“There’s no doubt in my mind.”
“I guess congratulations are in order.” I can hear his smirk.
“Fuck off,” I say, ending the call.
16
REALITY
Cici
I’m standing at the copier waiting for papers to come out when Matt walks up to chat. Since telling him I didn’t want to be romantic, we’ve become good friends and often socialize in and out of the office. It’s common for the three of us to be together these days rather than just Poppy and me. However, I’ve not revealed my pregnancy, hiding behind baggy clothes and empire-waist dresses. I’ve still only told Lily and Poppy. I’m too afraid to tell my parents for fear of more disappointment, and I’m not sure what will happen when Jackson finds out. I don’t want to burden him with the secret, nor do I want to ruin their friendship if he takes it badly or puts the blame solely on Eli. I’m the only one who deserves that since the antibiotic issue was my fault. Technically, though, I could pass the mistake off on the doctor who prescribed them.
The thing is, I don’t think of it as a mistake—it suddenly feels like a miracle. I’m not sure when it switched, but I’m fully committed to being a mom, even looking forward to it. I’m taking the role veryseriously. No longer concerned about my mental health now that I understand why I’ve been so crazy, I’ve been much happier. And realizing there’s something so important and dependent on me has made me determined to do everything right. I have a lot of time to make up for since I didn’t find out I was pregnant for three months, so I’ve become obsessed with reading up on what I should do to ensure my baby’s health. It’s given me something to focus on rather than Eli and has worked like a charm. Eli who?
While Matt and I are talking, the copy machine suddenly goes haywire, and papers start shooting out. I rush toward the end of the machine, reaching frantically to catch the flying papers, when a sharp pain in my abdomen brings me to my knees, and I clutch my stomach in agony.
Matt crouches beside me. “Cici, what’s wrong?” he asks frantically.
“I don’t know. Shit. Can you find Poppy?” I croak out through the pain.
He doesn’t move. “Do you need a doctor? Should I call 911?”
I shake my head fiercely. “No. Just get Poppy. Please,” I plead.
