“I’m not playing, Lisa O’Malley.”
I shake my head, getting on my feet to make my way to Malik’s luxurious bathroom. I rummage where he told me I could find a new toothbrush, make myself somewhat presentable and return to the room enveloped in my makeshift toga.
“I will not move in your house while you’re not here, Malik Ford.” Before he can argue, I add, “but I love you wanting that. And I’m be totally open to discussing it when you return. Okay?” I ask, cupping the side of his handsome face with my hand.
He turns into my touch to briefly nuzzle my palm.
“I feel like you’ll forget.”
I frown, not sure hat he means.
“If you go back to your place, your house, your life before we met. You’re gonna think it wasn’t real.”
I bring my other hand up and frame his chiseled face.
“I won’t do any such thing, sweetheart.” I take one of his hands and rest it between my breasts. Pressing to flatten it, make him feel the beat of my heart. “Thiswon’t let me,” I finish softly.
Malik’s gaze flies from where he was looking at his hand resting over my heart, to my eyes. His expression cautiously hopeful.
“It better not,” he gruffs out, but his tone misses some of his usual assurance.
“Now,youbetter not forget about me, Mister jet-setter.”
He shakes his head, the side of his mouth reluctantly pulling up.
“I’ll jet-set with you anytime, baby. This is just work.”
I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat, a nasty sensation of foreboding twisting in my stomach.
* * *
FIRST WEEK
“Hi babe.”
“Oh, hi! How are you?”
Static on the line.
“… miss you so much.”
“I miss you too, baby. I hope everything is going well.”
“…great… Jakarta… then… next week…”
Static intensifies.
“I can’t really hear you, love. Maybe you can call me again from a different spot?”
“…can’t hear you well, either… call back… okay?”
“Okay, honey. Call me back when you can.”
The line goes dead…
SECOND WEEK
I look at the plastic stick in my hand and shake my head with incredulity. Thirty years on this earth, I’ve never even had a pregnancy scare, and all it took was one night of getting stuffed with Malik Ford’s super-sperm for this to happen.You gotta be kidding me, universe!