One Night Stand (New Yorker III) (10 page)

Rich
grabbed his phone and called Katherine, hoping that she wasn’t too busy to come
and see Catalella. He combed his fingers through his hair in frustration as he
explained to Katherine what the problem was. Once he was done, he settled into
bed with Catalella, holding her against his body. A tear streaked down his
cheek when he felt her frail fingers try to hold onto his shirt. “Help is
coming, baby,
hold
on.”

* * *
*

Rich
watched as Katherine worked around Catalella’s frail body. His breath hitched
in his chest when she retrieved a portable ultrasound from her medical bag.
Part of him didn’t want to be in the room when she used it, just in case…

But the
father in him, the lover, wanted to know that his and Catalella’s child was all
right, for her sake more than his. Rich didn’t realize he was holding his
breath until a gasp escaped his lips. The thumping sound of his baby’s heartbeat
filled his ears and shot straight to his heart, almost bringing him to his
knees. He didn’t try to hide his fear, his relief or his emotion as a tear
rolled down his cheek.

“I knew
you would be okay.” He moved next to Catalella and spoke to her belly, all the
while not distracting Katherine from what she was doing.

“The
baby has got a strong heartbeat. But that’s to be expected—look who its parents
are.” Katherine smiled at Rich. “You two are the strongest people I know.”

“I
thought that was me.” A voice boomed from the door.

Rich
looked up and caught the disapproving look in AJ’s eyes. He knew her brother
would be angry with him, but Rich needed someone who would look at Catalella as
a patient more than as a little, defenseless sister.

“You
should have told me,” AJ roared as he moved toward the bed with three
determined, huge steps. “She’s my sister.”

“She’s
the mother of my child, and from now on, my responsibility,” Rich shot back.

“Before
I let you take any responsibility toward her, you need to do one important
thing first,” AJ warned.

Rich
knew what he was talking about. But even though he and AJ had been friends for
over five years, he couldn’t admit his mistake. He wasn’t sure how he felt
about marriage to Catalella. He knew it wasn’t something he should be thinking
about because one, he was still married to Ava—a little piece of information he
hadn’t told AJ or Catalella yet—and two, Catalella seemed repulsed by the idea
of marriage. He often saw her cringe when Harold, AJ or Adrian mentioned it.

“I’m
working on it,” he said in half-truth.

The
room went into silent anticipation when a moan escaped Catalella’s lips.

* * *
*

Catalella
felt the soft cotton on her skin. She could also hear voices around her, and there
was an odd sensation in her arm. Not odd…familiar. She knew it all too well. In
a panic she sat upright, her eyes flying open as a loud, heart-breaking ‘
no
’ escaped her lips.

“Shhh,
it’s all right.” She felt herself being pulled into a strong and yet comforting
embrace. She didn’t fight when she was lowered back into the bed but turned her
head into the pillow as she whimpered and cried. Catalella couldn’t figure out
how she got there.

She
remembered walking into the apartment, going into her room and taking a nap in
her bed. That was followed by the urge to throw up. She had shot from her bed
to her bathroom and emptied everything she had eaten that day. But then she
couldn’t get up when she was finished. Catalella remembered feeling weak and
forcing herself not to cry because of it. She remembered holding onto the
toilet bowl as she hurled each and every passing minute. When she was finally
done she couldn’t get up, and darkness surrounded her. As she slipped in and
out of consciousness she remembered hearing Rich’s voice, then someone forcing
a spoon of yogurt into her mouth. She threw that up too.

Chancing
a glance she looked at her arm where the IV protruded. She hated the sensation
of needles, the sight of bags with medicine and hated knowing that her body
couldn’t provide for itself what it needed to survive. She was weak and she
hated herself for that too. Her hand flew to her belly when she remembered the
other person who would suffer from her weakness.

“Our
baby is fine,” she heard Rich say, his voice soft and filled with endearment.

“Are
you sure?” Catalella lifted her head and looked around for the first time.
Katherine and AJ were here, and yet Rich was telling her that her baby was
fine? She shook her head in disbelief. “I want to hear its heartbeat.”

AJ
stepped forward and, taking the scan from Katherine’s hand, he lifted
Catalella’s shirt and pressed against her belly to where he knew he would find
that glorious sound. Catalella bit down on her lip as she grabbed hold of
Rich’s hand. She looked at him, and the adoration in his eyes staggered her.
She only looked away when she heard the sound of her baby’s heartbeat. She
cried out and fell into Rich’s embrace and laid her head on his chest.

“Our
baby is fine,” Rich said.

Catalella
nodded in agreement, afraid to trust herself to open her mouth. She felt her
whole body shiver and Rich held her even tighter in response. After a couple of
reassuring moments, she pulled out of his arms and turned towards the two
doctors in the room.

“If
everything is fine I don’t need this IV,” she said, her voice cracked with
emotion.

“I
can’t take it out, Lella,” Katherine said. “The baby is taking everything from
you and until you’re able to get some fluids into your system without throwing
up, the IV stays in.”

Catalella
gave up on Katherine and turned her appeal to AJ. “Please.” She knew he
wouldn’t refuse her. AJ had a soft spot for her and she wasn’t too embarrassed
to use it.

“Peanut—”

“No!”
Rich’s voice was stern and firm. Shocked, Catalella turned towards him, but
from the look in his eyes she knew he had already made up his mind. Despite
this she opened her mouth to argue, but he silenced her. “I said no. As long as
my baby is in there, I’m not taking any chances. I’m sorry, but until you’re
able to keep some food down, Katherine will have to figure out some other way
of nourishment.”

“But—” He
doesn’t understand, Catalella thought.

“But I
do,” he said, as if he had picked her thought right out of her mind. He cupped
her cheek in his palm. When Catalella tried to pull away he held her in place.
Looking her right in the eyes he said, “I can only imagine how having an IV in
you makes you feel. But you wanted—
I mean, we want this baby
.
We would do anything for it, right?” He paused as he waited for her to agree. She
nodded in response. “I can’t bear to see you weak like that ever again. I
wouldn’t survive it.” Catalella was shocked at the emotion in his voice.
“Anyway, we need to do this for the baby. You need to do this for our baby.”

Catalella
watched him intently in silent awe as he kissed her forehead before he stood
and walked toward the door and AJ followed.

“He
loves you,” Katherine said.

Catalella
flinched and looked at Rich’s retreating body soon enough to see him flinch
too. He’d had the same reaction to Katherine’s comment. But, for the life of
her, Catalella didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing. She lay back in bed
as she tried to tolerate the bother in her arm and the odd flips that her heart
seemed to be making.

* * *
*

“Do you
love my sister?”

Rich
froze in the middle of the living room as the question hit him like a ton of bricks.
He swallowed hard, his hand resting at the back of his neck. Rich let out a
moan of frustration as he felt fresh tears well up in his eyes. “Truthfully?”
he asked as he turned to face his best friend, but all he saw was Catalella’s
protective older brother. “I was excited to come home, knowing that she would
be here waiting for me. And when I saw her lying—” his voice cracked and he
faltered, “—when I saw her on the floor, barely awake, as pale as a ghost, I
swear I felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest.”

“A yes
or no answer would do just fine.”

Rich
stared at AJ as he stared back at him.
A yes or no answer?
It wasn’t that easy, especially when it was about him and Catalella. “Ava and I
are still married.”

“What?”
AJ roared.

Rich
didn’t move as the six foot five muscle marched toward him and grabbed his
shirt. “You’re playing house with my sister and you still have a wife?”

“She
left me five years ago. Right after my father took away my trust fund, my car
and my apartment and named Harold guardian of the company. I had nothing and
the second her Lamborghini was repossessed she left.”

“She
walked out?” AJ asked as he took a step back, releasing Rich.

“She ran
out. She was afraid my father was coming after her Jimmy
Choos
’
and her Versace.” Rich laughed bitterly. “My father died not long after that.
They say it was a heart attack, but I’m sure it was from a broken heart.
Disappointment was his COD. I’ve been trying to prove myself to a dead man ever
since. But then your sister walked into my life. I don’t know if she told you
about how we met.” Rich looked at AJ and he shook his head. “Let’s just say I
insulted her and she gave as
good
as she got. Then she
told me about Michael and I knew I had to stay away from her. But when I met
her again that night, it was like I was caught in a whirlwind called Catalella.
I didn’t want to leave that night.”

“I
don’t need to know the details about my sister’s sex life.” AJ frowned.

Rich
chuckled. “It’s probably for the best. I wouldn’t put it past you to toss me
out of that window. Anyway I found out more about her and it scared me. I ran,
like the coward that I was. I ran.”

“She
got pregnant that night,” AJ said, his voice softening.

“I blew
my top when she told me. I was under the impression she couldn’t get pregnant.
I wasn’t ready for the added responsibility, plus this isn’t how I planned to
have my first child.” Rich fell into a thoughtful silence. “I want to marry her
out of honor and duty more than anything. But your sister is against marriage
and there is Ava. I feel something for your sister, but I don’t know if it’s
love.”

“So the
answer to my question is no?”

“It’s I
have no freaking idea.” Rich dropped onto the sofa next to him in an exhausted
heap. “I want a life with her, but I don’t know.”

“You
better figure it out.”

Rich
watched as AJ and Katherine left the apartment. AJ had given him something to
think about. He walked to Catalella’s room and watched as she rested in a
peaceful sleep. He pulled his shirt off and lay next to her. He drew her
against his chest and rested his hand on her belly where his baby was. After
hours of just watching her sleep and listening to her soft breathing, he fell
into a deep sleep.

Chapter Nine

Catalella
leaned back in her office chair and sighed. She looked at the beautiful orchid
flower on her desk and at the fruit bowl that had accompanied it. She peeled
the note stuck to the top of the fruit bowl cover and read it out loud: “Feed
my baby.”

She
hadn’t forgotten the scare that they had two months back. Although she couldn’t
figure out what had happened to Rich when she was unconscious, she could see it
in his eyes, in their uncertainty. The way he looked at her and studied her
growing belly made her sad. She knew it wasn’t his intention to make her feel
pitiful, but she had learned from her family. Whenever you see a person in a
state of weakness, no matter how hard you try, you can never take that image
away from your mind.

But she
desperately wanted Rich to look at her in a different way. Ever since that
night he slept in her bed, his hand firmly pressed against her belly as if he
was afraid if he let go the baby would disappear. Catalella felt that way every
second of the day, which was why she had scheduled secret ultrasounds with
Katherine every day at twelve. She had gotten out of the lunch dates with Rich,
assuring him that she was trying to expand his business and networks. She was
paranoid and Katherine had told her as much, but she just had to make sure her
baby was fine.

“Hey!”

Darcy’s
piercing voice pulled Catalella out of her thoughts. “What’s up?”

“We are
pretty much done for the day. Can I head out?”

“But
it’s three o’clock. Something else might come up,” Catalella said. The
something else could be that she needed another chocolate or a glass of water,
or her back to be massaged and Darcy knew it.

“Well
Richie Rich is downstairs waiting for you. It’s Friday…
pleeeaaase
!”
Darcy begged.

“Rich
is here?” Catalella asked as she looked past Darcy.

“He’s
downstairs in his car and has asked me to escort you. Apparently you are going
to your parents’ house today.”

“Oh
God.
I
forgot about that.” Catalella cursed. She was forgetting more and more as her
pregnancy progressed. The next day was Katherine and AJ’s engagement party. Her
mother had wanted Catalella there early so that she could rest before the next
day’s festivities.

Catalella
grabbed her purse and looked over her desk, hoping she hadn’t forgotten
anything. Once she was sure she had everything she rushed her six months’
pregnant body to the elevator, Darcy holding onto her arm as she moved. She got
to Rich’s black Range Rover and was ushered into the back seat. There Rich was
waiting for her with a smile on his lips and work papers littered all over his
lap.

“Hi,
sweetheart,” he said as he kissed her cheek. Catalella realized that she was
getting tired of this gesture.

Although
Rich had spent the past weeks in her bed, he would do nothing but hold her. She
thought back to the one and only night when things almost got out of hand. He
was sitting in his bed, his strong, beautiful chest bare. Catalella couldn’t
resist the urge to stroke and kiss him. He responded to her, that much was
obvious. But when she made her intentions known he pulled away from her,
retreating to the office in his bedroom.

“Hi.” She
scanned the papers around him. “You really didn’t have to come with me today.
You could have met me there tomorrow.” Rich shook his head in disagreement. “At
least let me sit up front and give you some room.”

“I
don’t want you sitting in the front, just in case—the air bag could hurt you.”

“You
mean could hurt the baby.” Catalella snickered as she leaned back in the chair.

“What
is it?”

“Nothing.”

The
rest of the trip proceeded in silence and when they finally arrived at her
parents’ house in the dead of the night, Catalella feigned exhaustion—which
wasn’t hard to do in her condition—and went to her room.

* * *
*

“What’s
wrong with you?” Lisette asked as she winced and rubbed the spot where the baby
had probably kicked her.

“Nothing.”
Catalella groaned. More than
anything she wanted to enjoy this ambiance. Her family was around her, her
father’s friends and their children. Harold with his sons Harold Junior, the
twins Christopher and Christian and his daughter Katherine and Dennis with DJ
and Daniela were also there. Plus she had Rich and her little baby inside her.
But the annoyance of Rich’s constant sexual rejection was eating at her.
Throwing caution to the wind she leaned closer to her sister and asked: “Does
Reno…” She faltered. “Do you and Reno…you know…do you do the
deed
when you’re pregnant?”

Lisette’s
laughter earned them an audience. Reno and Rich looked towards them, Reno with
a smile for Lisette while Rich just studied her as he always did.

“Of
course we do. That man can’t keep his hands off me.” Lisette chuckled. “Why do
you ask?” Catalella didn’t answer but Lisette went on. “It can be a bit tricky,
but with some effort and experimenting you’ll find the perfect position for
both of you.”

“Yeah,
right,” Catalella muttered under her breath. She blinked fiercely as she tried
to hold the tears back. “He won’t touch me, and I think I disgust him.”

Lisette
sat upright. She stared at Catalella for a second before she jumped to her feet
and marched toward the men. Catalella didn’t have time to react when she saw
Lisette grab Rich by the ear and pull him into the house. Everyone watched in bewildered
amusement. Getting up, she followed Reno in his pursuit.

“What
is wrong with you?” Catalella heard Lisette hiss.

The
surprised expression on Rich’s face told her that Lisette hadn’t let her secret
out…she still had time to salvage the situation.

* * *
*

Rich
had to douse himself in a cold shower every night for the past two months
before he crawled into bed with Catalella. He watched her with her sister and
the loose white dress she wore wonderfully accentuated her new curves. Her wild
hair was held back with a hair band, giving him a clear view of every inch of
her face. But it was her full, juicy lips that called to him more. He always
desired Catalella, but ever since she got pregnant his need became deliriously potent.
Something about knowing that she was growing round with his child sent his
libido into overdrive. Rich wanted her, but he didn’t dare try to have sex with
her. He was worried that his desperate need would take over and he would end up
hurting her and the baby.

Rich
took a gulp of his iced tea, wishing he could take one of the ice cubes
swirling in his glass and put it in his boxers. He snapped out of his desire-driven
haze when Lisette’s laughter rang in the air. But the look on Catalella’s face
told him that she didn’t find the same amusement in whatever she had told
Lisette. He watched for a few minutes,
then
saw
Lisette’s back go rigid. His curiosity grew even more as he watched the very
pregnant woman stomp in his direction, a scowl on her face. He yelped when she
grabbed him by the ear, pulling him down to her five foot four inches and
dragging him along and into the house.

“What
the hell was that for?” Rich moaned. He was about to say something else when
Lisette’s angry gaze silenced him. Just then Reno walked in and he sighed in
relief. Reno would decipher whatever was wrong with his pregnant other half.

“Why
did you do that, Lisette?” Reno asked. But Lisette didn’t answer, her fingers
were balled into fists on her hips and her foot tapped the floor impatiently as
her head shook each time she opened her mouth to speak.

Rich
lifted his gaze to see Catalella walk in and that was when it dawned on him. He
didn’t know the exact cause of Lisette’s anger but he knew it had to be in
relation to whatever Catalella had told her.

“Pregnant
women are very sensitive,” Lisette finally bellowed out. “What is wrong with
you? My sister is beautiful.”

“I know
that,” Rich stated, growing nervous when AJ and Katherine entered the room.

“Then
why won’t you make love to her?”

Rich
was shocked and he was sure the expression on his face conveyed the same
emotion. He looked up at Catalella and saw her eyes saucer-wide and pleading. A
flash of anger coursed through him, but it was immediately doused when he
realized how insensitive he’d been. Catalella must have thought that he didn’t
find her sexually attractive anymore.

“It’s
perfectly normal for a new father to be nervous,” Katherine explained. “But
don’t worry. I’ve been checking Catalella every day for the past two months and
she’s perfectly capable of sexual intercourse.”

“What
did you say?” Rich asked.

“It’s
safe to have sex.”

“Not
that. What do you mean you’ve been checking her every day for the past two
months?” When he didn’t get an answer he went on. “Is something wrong with
Catalella and my baby?”

“No,
they’re perfectly healthy. We’ve been listening to the baby’s heartbeat to put
mom at ease.” Katherine put in.

“I
wanted to make sure…” Rich could hear the fright in Catalella’s voice. She was
making sure that the baby was still there, still alive, every single day as if
she expected something to happen.

“So sex
is safe?” Rich asked Katherine. Once the doctor nodded in agreement he marched
toward his girlfriend or lover or baby momma…he wasn’t sure what she was just
yet. He took her hand and led her upstairs, leaving behind an echo of cat
calls. He was going to show her how desirable he thought she was.

* * *
*

“Uhmmm…Rich?”
Catalella watched as Rich locked the door behind him and started undressing
before her.

“Yes?”
His voice was low and husky. The desire in it sent chills through Catalella’s
body. His eyes darkened and an eerie feeling of need, excitement and fear
rushed through her. Heart pounding and her breathing coming in short spurts,
Catalella watched as he pulled his belt off.

“Do you
really want to do this?” Her voice quivered. She was afraid he would change his
mind. She desperately wanted to feel his weight on her body, his hands
caressing every inch of her and his throbbing desire moving inside her.

“I want
you so bad I’m afraid that I could hurt you.” Rich’s hands dropped from his trouser
button as he walked toward her. “Every night, lying next to you and not being
able to make love to you, was torture.”

“Then
why didn’t you?”

“I know
you’re uncomfortable. I didn’t want to be selfish. Already you’re giving me the
greatest gift ever. I couldn’t ask any more from you.”

“You
should, because I intend asking everything of you,” Catalella said as she
slipped her hand under the band of his boxers, her fingers reaching and finding
the velvety touch of his desire. She flushed and glanced at him when he hissed
out her name.

“You…need…
Oh God…you need to let go,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Lisette
said we would have to be inventive, because of my huge belly.” She watched the
emotions play out on his face as she squeezed his member tighter.

“We’ll
figure that out later. Right now I just need to be inside you.” Rich groaned as
he pulled her hand out of his boxers.

He
moved her in front of the large mirror and stripped her down. Catalella wanted
to turn away from the large girl staring back at her. Alone, she would bathe in
the excitement and love of being pregnant. But in front of Rich, when he was
about to make love to her, she wasn’t too sure about her massive body.

“Don’t
look away.” Rich lifted her chin and turned her back to the mirror. “You are
beautiful, the most beautiful woman in the world.”

A tear slid
down her cheek as a sliver of relief shot through her spine. Ever since Michael
left her because her body wasn’t up to par, she wasn’t confident about her
looks. But having Rich’s eyes look at her full of adoration she felt like she
was special.

“Kiss
me,” she whispered as she turned around to face him.

“My
pleasure.”

* * *
*

“Where
is my sister?” AJ asked Rich when he appeared in the backyard alone.

“She’s
taking a nap.” Rich cleared his throat. Catalella had fallen asleep the second
they were finished making love. He wanted to stay with her and lie next to her
for the rest of the day, but he couldn’t. He still had to make an appearance in
front of their whole family.

“What
was that about before, with Lisette?”

“Nothing
really.”
The
suspicious look on AJ’s face told him he wanted more. “I was a little worried
about having sex with your sister when she was pregnant. After seeing how weak
she could get, I didn’t want to risk it. But Katherine says it’s all right.”