I deleted the message and slammed my fist into the wall. A sharp white hot pain traveled up my arm before I fell to my knees. My chest constricted. There was no way. No way at fucking all that Jude would get his grip on her again. I reached for the phone and dialed Dean. A throat cleared and a female voice sounded in the background, asking him who was calling so early. "Go back to sleep, baby," he said, his voice muffled like he placed his hand over the receiver. "Mathis? What's wrong?"
I took a breath and told him about the message from Jude. "I'm fucking scared that he'll do something to her."
"I'm on it, my man. Extra protection?"
"Yes," I said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Don't tell Nora. I don't want either of the girls knowing."
"Understood. I'll have Ricky and Lee in your lobby twenty-four/seven until you tell me different."
"Thank you. I don't pay you enough for the shit you do for me."
Dean scoffed. "I do it ‘cause you're my friend. Not for the money. Didn't you know that?"
Now I did. "I love you, my man," I whispered. I didn't tell him that enough. I didn't tell him that I appreciated all he had done for me. Some illegal, and some not. Either way, he was there for me, even when I was difficult and an ass.
"Love you too, boss. Now go be with your wife. I have a hot little blonde that I need to fuck into exhaustion, again."
I chuckled and hung up the phone.
Leave it to Dean to always get the ball rolling and make me feel better. God, what would I do without him?
A couple of days later, the message from Jude momentarily forgotten, reigned full steam ahead in my mind as I walked into my brother's office. I didn't know why I was there. I didn't know what the hell I was doing, but while Jenny was out with Nora, I ended up at the front steps of my brother's office building. Shit had to be laid out. I didn't need drama from my brother as well. I had enough of that with Jude.
I walked down the pristine white hallway, the marble flooring glowing in the afternoon sun. Yan had done well for himself. As much as I hated the guy, I was happy for him.
"Can I help you … ?" The female voice trailed off as I looked at the young blonde receptionist. Her cheeks reddened. "You can go right in, Mr. Verlinden."
I nodded. I loved being me.
I pushed open the large cherry oak doors and smiled when Yan's wide eyed gaze landed on me.
"Tell your girl to take a break," I said, indicating the small body under the desk that was sucking him off.
He growled. "Leave."
The woman rose from behind the desk, straightened her navy blue pant suit and wiped her lips. She walked by me, but not before making sure to give me a once over.
I rolled my eyes. "Not on your fucking life."
She huffed and left the office with a slam of the door.
Yan chuckled and leaned back in his expensive leather chair. "What can I do for you, brother?"
"I need your help."
Chapter Nineteen
Sneaky Son-of-a-bitch
Jennifer
I sat across from Nora and spilled the entire story about how Mathis and I were never really married. It had been almost a week since we got married for real and I found out. While I wanted to kick him in the nuts and put them in my Michael Kors bag, I thought it was kind of cute in a fucked up sorta way.
"Whatever, you two are made for each other," Nora said, poking a fork full of salad in my direction.
I wanted to laugh or tell her she was wrong. But the truth of the matter was, she was right.
My cell phone beeped in my bag, my birth control alarm sounded. Right on time, like clockwork. Every day I needed that extra reminder, even more so now than before. A baby? Ha!
I started digging through my bag, looking for the small round package. Damn, I have way too much shit in here. When I got to the bottom and emptied everything onto the table only to realize the package wasn't in there, I started to freak out. Absolutely lose my shit.
Pressing Mathis' number into my phone and hitting send, I waiting on the other end until his voice soothed my panic. "Hello, love."
"Mathis, have you seen my pills? I can't find them! They aren't in my bag!"
He chuckled to himself. That son-of-a-bitch was laughing.
"Calm down, Jenny. I haven't seen them. Call your doctor and get some new ones. No big deal." His voice was calm as always. "Relax, enjoy your lunch and I will see you at dinner." The line disconnected and I couldn't help but think he had something to do with this.
"I'm gonna kill him," I growled as I picked up my glass of water and chugged it, trying to cool my hot temper. Yeah, that's not gonna happen!
"What now, Jenny?" Nora laughed across the table. I was glad she was amused by the newest drama.
I took a deep breath before laying it all out on the table.
"You aren't going to believe this! He wants a baby. A fucking baby, Nora! We've known each other what...three weeks at most? He's nuts! And now my birth control pills just magically grew legs and walked out of my purse. I swear he took them!" By the time I finally ended my long run-on rant, she was laughing with tears streaming down her face. Laughing at me. I should kick her square in the cunt for laughing at me.
"Jennifer Sunshine, or whatever the fuck your last name is these days, because I can't pronounce that European shit. Get your head out of your ass. A gorgeous, rich, swoon worthy man wants to make you the mother of his children. Men don't throw that around every day. They don't want baby mommas. They don't want spit up, and shitty diapers. He, my friend, is a keeper. So if he wants to put a mini Verlinden in that baby maker, you better fuckin' get on it."
I didn't want to admit that she was right, but in the back of my head I think she just made the best case for procreation anyone could have ever come up with.
Three hours, a trip to the pharmacy, and a lot of fuckin' thinking, I walked into the penthouse. It was quiet and Mathis was nowhere in sight.
"Mathis! Get your ass in here!" My screams echoed through the sprawling area. Soon I heard the study door slide open, as he held a finger up to his mouth and a phone to his ear.
"Call's over!" I yelled loud enough to scare off whoever was on the other end.
"I'm sorry, Yan. I'm gonna have to call you back. My demanding wife just walked in the door." He laughed and disconnected the call. A couple steps in my direction and I held up an arm to keep him away.
"You! Stop right there. Don't come a foot closer!" The dramatics, I should laugh. But everything in me wanted to yell and scream. Yup, I should have been an actress!
"Oh, Jenny. Stop!"
"Tell me one thing, and tell me the truth."
"Jennifer, I didn't take your pills. Go look on the nightstand in the bedroom. They are all there and accounted for. Mary, the maid found them under the bed this morning."
Okay, so now I was really embarrassed. Fuck.
"So you didn't take them?" My voice was suddenly quiet, full of disappointment. Did I really want him to play games and steal my pills? Did I really want to give him everything he wanted? Did I want a family? This was all just too much.
"No, Jenny. When you said you weren't ready, I respected that. I wouldn't do that to you. As much as I love playing games with you, having a baby isn't a game. I know what it's like to be unwanted. I would never do that to a child, let alone my own." His sincere tone made me want to melt into a puddle on the foyer floor. How did I get so lucky?
"So, you don't want a baby anymore?" I could feel tears stinging at my eyes. What in the fuck is wrong with me? Am I really about to cry over this? Why does this feel like I'm being rejected? Why does this man make me a bi-polar head case? Probably because I am?
"Honey, I want nothing more than to have a baby with you. But, not until that is exactly what you want too." His hand cupped my chin and his lips pressed to mine. "Why the tears, beautiful?"
I couldn't tell him. Could I?
"I...just. I don't know..." My quiet voice trailed off. I couldn't bring the words to come out of my mouth. My hand still tightly gripped the bag from the local pharmacy, full of another month's supply of birth control. Something I thought I wanted.
"Jenny, you can tell me anything."
Without any words, I opened the bag and took the pills out of the small case. One-by-one I popped them out all over the foyer floor. The small yellow pills bounced in every direction imaginable while Mathis stood still, watching every movement I made.
"Mathis..." I said as a single tear fell from the corner of my eye.
"Yes?"
"Make love to me tonight." And that was the moment I decided to throw all caution to the wind and give myself to Mathis in a way I thought I never could.
Chapter Twenty
A Love Like No Other
Mathis