All of a sudden the anger is replaced by fear.
Am I going to have to run again?
“Once you mentioned Simon, I knew exactly how he’d try to coerce you,” Ethan tells me as he picks up his tablet and turns on the video call option. He looks at me and smirks. “You might be interested to know that Cheryl is in California right now.”
My heart leaps up into my throat and Ethan recognizes the look.
“Yeah, don’t worry,” he says. “It’s not that hard to figure out where you used to live in California and that your agent was Robert McIntyre.”
I don’t have a chance to explain or even question because that’s when Cheryl comes on the screen.
“Hey there, Cheryl,” Ethan says with a cheery voice. “What’s the status?”
“Robert McIntyre never got a chance to see Today USA,” Cheryl says into her phone, her expression blank. She glances at me and even across the country, I can tell she’s sizing me up. Seeing if I’m any threat to Ethan. “He’ll never catch the reruns of what happened either.”
Ethan nods. “Do I want to know why not?” he asks.
Cheryl doesn’t answer. She just shakes her head.
There’s a moment of silence.
I don’t even know what to say. Is Cheryl saying that he’s dead? Did she have something to do with this?
“Thank you so much,” Ethan says and without any further ado, pushes the END button.
He looks at me.
“You’re free,” he says.
“Ethan?” I ask, going closer to him. The prospect of being free of having to look over my shoulder is insane. “What happened to him?”
“Sometimes porn is still a dirty fucking business, babe,” Ethan tells me, his voice and face serious. “If we don’t ask questions, we never have to lie.”
It sends a small chill. The power that this man wields.
But it makes me feel safe. Because with everything Ethan knows, and with everything it turns out he can do, what he wants most in the world right now…is me.
“Free,” I say to him, smiling.
“Free,” he repeats, pulling me closer. “It’s time to fucking celebrate.”
I feel his mouth approaching mine and I’m about to give in to him. To surrender to this man who seems to have tamed me.
But not so fast!
Ethan Kane has played me very well. That’s for damn sure.
“Ethan, wait,” I tell him, pushing against his chest with one hand. “One second.”
He looks at me, puzzled.
“What’s wrong?” he asks gruffly. I can tell he’s ready. He needs to be inside of me. And that makes holding him off even sweeter.
I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’m finally free. I want to celebrate by having filthy, dirty, sex.
But I can’t let him win on every single front.
“I have something to tell you as well that you don’t know,” I say, keeping a serious face.
He looks at me, backing up on the sofa slightly. I relish the moment.
Ethan Kane thinks he’s all that, does he? Thinks he’s so smart for pulling off this coup? Playing me?
Watch me make him crumble.
“I’m pregnant, Ethan,” I say to him softly. And then with a smile, “We’re pregnant.”
It takes literally a minute for the words to go from his ears to reflect in his eyes and then his face.
He smiles brightly. Then the smile transforms into a grin and there’s no stopping him – his arms are wrapped around me and he’s holding me close.
He’s hugging me. He’s kissing me. He’s kissing my neck. My earlobes. My face. My ears.
His cock is pushing into me.
“That’s fucking fantastic!” he says, pulling back. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” he asks.
I look at him as he asks again, “Why keep it a secret?”
Really?
I roll my eyes and shrug, using his own words. “I had to make a decision as to what was best for you. And for us,” I say.
He looks at me for a moment, digesting those words. And then he breaks out into a smirk.
“Alright then,” he says. “It’s going to be fun keeping you in line from now on.”
“Right back at ya, hun,” I tell him as we kiss.
Before long, his arms are pulling off my shirt and I’m undressing him.
It’s time to live freely. With the man I love.
For the first day of the rest of our lives.
Well, I guess I can do that.
136
Brittney
I’m finally free. Free from Simon, free from the shadows of my past. And, better yet, I found love. And we’re having a baby!
When I came to New York, ready to start a new life, I never expected I would ever be this happy. But then Ethan happened.