*****
Days without Andrew went on for both of us with an air of dragging and we felt his absence, though tried not to show it and keep ourselves busy. Cash was out of town here and there himself, so I simply stayed on task. I took lots of bubble baths, went for massages twice and sometimes three times a week, I shopped and I read and I wrote. Days rounded, weeks passed and things felt a little different, more than I could pinpoint why, and I felt it veered from just Andy’s absence.
I was quietly enjoying a book and some iced tea out at the park by myself when Cash called me.
“Hey, I just got in, I thought you’d be home around this time of the month,” he said almost jokingly but sounded quite serious in undertone actually.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Holly, I… can you come home?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there in a few,” I said and we hung up. Something was wrong. I walked in the door and he was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Holly, listen, I didn’t want you to worry but…” I raised my eyes to question and sat across from him. “I got a call a week ago that Andy’s team hadn’t responded and disappeared. I didn’t want to worry you. They assured me that the divers were probably fine but protocol was to call it in. Today they’ve called me and it’s way worse. Their main ship was found abandoned and damaged, no sign of the divers and no radio call for 8 days now. The officer I spoke to said they won’t close the case but considering their location and nature of the dives they were doing they’ve all thrown in the towel.”
I stood up, “What!? Thrown in the towel?!”
“He said they wouldn’t stop looking but that from the way it seemed there was little to no hope.” I sat silent. It would do no good to be angry, I heard what words he was given. I stared of with a surge of desperation creep up and put my face in my hands and just cried.
“We just have to wait to hear,” he said, and hugged me.
Those days were long and there was something much bigger to pass the time about now. I didn’t take bubble baths. I didn’t get massages. Or shop. Or read. I just stared off and waited. Meanwhile there was a bigger worry brewing in the back of my mind, which with what was going on, I could only keep private. Mother would come over to comfort me and bring me food but with all the emotions and lack of definition to life, I felt helpless. I missed him. He was the sweetest man alive, he just couldn’t go like this. Andy wasn’t much of a fighter, he was strong and would surprise you, but… I just couldn’t accept that he was gone.
Cash was out of sorts, too and began to drink heavily to forget everything, and he didn’t know what to do. He kept saying he wanted to go find him, but knowing he didn’t have a clue where to look or how to do it better than who was already, he stayed with me.
The summer began to look hot out and I barely left the house, I just couldn’t bear to do
anything
. I often found myself just standing at the window and staring out. Life with only us two would not do. Half of my whole heart was in his hands.
Mother came one day and gently insisted I come with her out to have some lunch, just to get some fresh air. It had been four weeks since Andy’s crew had completely disappeared and still no one had heard a thing.
She managed to cheer me up with her perfect motherly way, convincing me to stay strong and not lose hope and think about what Andy would want me to do. I shed a tear but with a bittersweet half smile, and rose to put some real clothes on.
I put on a dress to perk me up and in the back of my mind was something I also wanted to speak with her about, personally. I knew just the one, the Alexander McQueen silk chiffon sweet pea gown I had been saving for something special and for the day and purposes it was perfect. We ate al fresco and I turned down wine.
“I’m surprised with everything going on that you, too haven’t been drinking more. I always do when I’m really stressed about something to take the edge off. Although Cash has taken things a bit far by the looks of his eyes, I understand why. How has he been?” Mother asked.
“Not so good,” I said, “but having me to take care of helps him hang in there… I haven’t wanted alcohol though, lately.”
We ordered and ate and I stared off a lot the way I had been. With thoughts of emptiness and Andy at sea. Praying. It was so good to be with mother, and really just being with her relaxed and energized me. I wanted to talk to her about what was on my mind so bad but I just couldn’t find the words. Something was missing, it wasn’t time yet.
We pulled up to the house and she offered to walk me up but I told her I’d be okay and how lovely the afternoon was and thanked her and hugged her. Before I went in to our place I happened to glance at my phone, which I realized had been off, when I saw 29 missed calls!
My heart was skipping beats and it was Cash calling. Shit. What happened? I started panting, and felt I just couldn’t take it, couldn’t take any news. He wouldn’t call me like that unless it was big news or he really needed me badly. I walked up to see if he was home before calling him and didn’t see him, so I went to call him on his cell when I thought I heard his voice outside. I went out the living room doors to the terrace and nearly had a heart attack. Andy!
Andy! I ran crying to Andy and Cash sitting on the terrace and they stood, I jumped to hug Andy and never let him go. I sobbed my eyes out and held him so tight. With my tear covered face buried in his chest I didn’t care where he had been I just didn’t want to ever let him go. I looked at Cash and he was wiping the tears running down his cheeks.
“We were going to die, Andy,” I spoke out crying, looking into his eyes, “we were going to die without you.”
He hugged me so tight and so gently saying, “I’m so sorry babe, I’m okay. I won’t leave you. I’m right here.” I held on to him tight and from the side looked at Cash and outstretched my arm for him to come and take my hand. He came near and I looked at both of them with crying tears.
Still sobbing, I said, “I’m pregnant.”
Both of their jaws dropped and I don’t remember the remarks of shock but with smiles and confirmations it quickly turned to sobbing laughter and we were all hugging. I cried through my tears how I’d known for a while, and couldn’t bear to think of it with him gone.
“It must’ve been that morning, my birthday,” I said. We were the happiest three we could be. We didn’t know who’s it was, we didn’t know if it would be a boy or a girl, but we knew—all of us now, that we were going to have a baby, a family. Being submerged in the most beautiful and sweet love in the world, all my worries about us having a child melted away as all the other worries did and I knew we were going to be just fine.
THE END
Another bonus story is on the next page.
Bonus Story 2 of 10
“I can’t believe this is happening to me!”
Alicia thought depressively. She was broke and her monies were running short, not to mention about her lonelinesss. A month had passed since she lost her job at Aurora Kindergarten School, all that because of that nasty rich snob’s mother who thought she was above all, and would not take advice from a simple black girl about her child’s bad situation at school.
The school director didn’t care that she was right or one of the best teachers of Aurora, she upset Mrs. Roman, and Mrs. Roman was a very important client to have unhappy. So they kicked her out to smooth things with the rich snob socialite, who didn’t care that her fights at home with her cheating husband was prejudicing their sweet girl Tamara.
That’s what led her to the current situation.
Broke. No job. On the brink of losing her apartment, and top it off: alone.
She felt sorry now that she never made time to date and go out to have fun when her beautiful best friend insisted she come. How regretful she was now, at the young age of 25, to be a single, broke, black woman with no job who didn’t enjoy life while she could afford it.
But well… she took a deep breath.
After she fixed her financial situation, she would go out and have fun more, she promised herself. More animated she resumed her job search on the internet.
Her mother used to say she didn’t have to work, because she was a pretty girl, all she had to do is find a nice rich man and marry him. Ah. That made her laugh, pretty girl, her? She never saw herself as overall pretty, just cute, and her curvy body was far from what men preferred in woman: Victoria’s Secret models. No, she was more of a woman made with of flesh and bones, with curves in all the right places.
Anyway, being pretty didn’t help her keep her job. So, if she wanted to at least have a place to sleep, she had to get her pretty little ass, and start working. Oh goodie. She rolled her eyes to the ceiling, while collapsing on the bed, thinking.
She regained her forces and again browsed the infinite list of job posts. She had applied for many jobs, but none of them were giving her good feedback. So she had to keep looking until she got lucky, browsing on the HR website something popped and she froze:
Looking for a Private Teacher and Companion for a 5-year-old girl
.
Bingo!
She was a teacher. An excellent kindergarten teacher, she was used to kids, taking care of one single kid would be child’s play. She jumped off the bed and did a happy dance, before she sat up again and read the rest of the post, then applied with all her heart´s hope that this would be it, because she liked the specifications of the job.
She checked all the points required, the only thing that bothered her a little was the part that she had to live with her employers. For the first time in her life she was glad she didn’t have a boyfriend because if she did, that arrangement wouldn’t work. They required a 24-hour companion for the child, with only Saturday night and Sunday as breaks.
She was up for it.
***
In the same week Alicia got her response. They wanted to schedule an interview with her and she promptly accepted. The address was at a business venue in town, full of successful companies and busy people.
When she got there, she was really surprised by the tall building that had Sky Enterprises marked at the top of the building with black bold letters. She expected someone rich, but not this. It felt surreal that she was really going to have an interview with someone who worked at that beautiful building. She was a simple girl who was used to simple things, so this contemporary business luxury feeling was new to her, and it thrilled and scared her.
She looked up, took a deep breath:
Stay strong and confident
. She repeated her mantra and walked inside. The inside was oppressing as the outside, a true multimillion dollar company scenario greeted her.
With a big welcoming smile, she went to the reception area and greeted the young beautiful Asian woman. She was in her early twenties, looked dynamic and easy to approach. Looking at how smart and sexy the woman was dressed, she felt a little out of place with her simple black skirt and blazer and pink blouse. People around her looked like they had tons of money to spend on clothes.
They probably did.
“What I’m doing here? I don’t belong with this people!”
She took a deep breath to reassure her panicked mind and spoke to the woman explaining why she was there.
***
Gabriel did a once over scan of the woman who just entered his office, and was announced as Miss Sanders, the candidate with the excellent resume he was going to interview to be the tutor for his trouble maker daughter.
The beautiful girl was still standing silently waiting for him to tell her to sit. It was not rudeness that kept him from telling her to sit and be comfortable. He was simply surprised by the beautiful and fresh chocolate that landed in his office provoking a hurricane inside of him.
He didn’t expect such a young, beautiful, full of life woman like her to apply for this job position, was she even aware of the living arrangements and free time required for this job, a woman like her wouldn’t want a job like this, right?
Was she even a kindergarten teacher!
Just look at her: smooth chocolate skin, curly suave black hair, kind and nervous brown eyes, and that mouth, full of sensual promises with a glint of innocence, a heart shaped face and a body to die for, with all the curves in the right places that compliments her clothes very well.
Was someone in the office playing a prank on him?
Because there was no way that this sexy bombshell was his new daughter’s tutor…
It couldn’t be because he would die of sexual tension if he had to live with all of that. She had a sinuous body, which was almost illegal to walk free on the streets. She was pure temptation. She had big breasts, which he could graphically imagine his dick between them, rocking them up and down. He couldn’t see her ass, but he was sure as fuck, that it was a nice little number.
What the hell was he thinking!?
Blame it to his self-imposed celibacy. But between work, Yolanda and other matters, there was little or no time at all to think about sex. He was so used to not missing it, that this sexual discharge messed with his functionality: body, mind and soul.
He couldn’t help but get aroused by the images that were filling his mind without control. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind to pay attention to the reincarnation of his wettest dream. Clearing his throat, he greeted her and offered her a seat which she immediately took it. By her moves she was really nervous to be there, and he couldn’t blame the girl, he examined her like a coyote ready to strike.
He bet she wanted to run away from him, but the important thing was that she was still there, and by the way of things, she was not a delicious prank, but a true candidate for the job.
Pity. They could have had some fun.
“Miss Sanders?” Even though, he cleared his throat; his voice still came out hoarse and deep.
“Yes.” She answered with a smile and Gabriel wished he was dead.
Was it possible for the woman to become more tempting when smiling?
Gabriel…
okay. Back to business.
“I’m Frank. Gabriel Frank, the CEO of Sky Enterprises. I’m the one you will interview with for the position of a live in tutor for my daughter, okay?”
She was silent for a second, as if surprised by this turn of events, but quickly recovered before Gabriel could say another word.
“Nice to meet you Mr. Frank.”
“The pleasure is all mine Miss Sanders.”
A moment of utter silence passed between them, the word pleasure playing his trick.
“So tell me about yourself. What made you apply for this job?”
“Right,” she nervously readjusted in her seat and looked back at Gabriel with an innocent killer smile that got him thinking about nothing innocent.
She licked her lips, the tip of her pink tongue on her bottom lip, was she doing that on purpose, or she really wanted to kill him with seduction? “Well,” she smiled again, but this time, she outlined a professional smile. Oh boy, she was good.
“I had been a kindergarten teacher for three years at Aurora Kindergarten. A very prestigious school here.” Gabriel nodded agreeing with her. Aurora was known as one of the best kindergarten schools in town. If his daughter wasn’t such a trouble maker, she would have gone there. “I recently lost my job there, because of a misunderstanding,” that made Gabriel uneasy, “but you can call them, they will confirm that I was an excellent teacher. I get along very well with kids, and I’m very professional.” she quickly covered.
“I applied for this position because it called to me. I read the job post and all the points clicked for me. I have no problems with the conditions stipulated. So if you are looking for someone with experience and who knows how to deal with kids, I’m the one.” She presented her best argument.
The interview continued. When Gabriel was satisfied with himself he had another image of the beauty next to him. She wasn’t just a pretty face. She had a functional head which was uncommon for a beautiful woman of her age nowadays.
It was refreshing to find a beautiful, smart, and simple woman who he could have a great conversation without getting bored. There were beautiful professional and successful woman he knew, but none could hold his attention for more than a roll in the bed or an hour of conversation. Surprisingly with this girl he found himself wanting to spend more time with her, just to simply hear her melodic sweet voice talking about her passion.
She really loved teaching kids; he just hoped she wouldn’t hate it when she met Yolanda.
“I don’t usually do things like this Miss Sanders, but you convinced me. Let’s do a test drive. If everything works out in a month, the job is definitive yours!”
She gasped and was static for a full minute.
“Miss Sanders?”
“I can’t really believe!” she was ecstatic.
“Yes, it’s your luck day! I was looking for someone with your profile for months now. So I won’t pass you by or play games with you. I´m a straight forward guy, remember that. Honest. Truth. Direct to the point is how I conduct my business. So if you are planning on staying with us for a long time, it’s better that you assimilate those trends. Besides I’m kind of in a hurry to fill this position.”
“Don’t worry Mr. Frank, you won’t be sorry. I’ll do a great job!”
“I know, that’s why I hired you.”
“Well, when can I start?” Asked Alicia trilled.
“Next week, to give you time to pack and take care of your things before you move in with us. Is that okay with you?”
“More than okay.”
“Glad to hear that, but I’ve got to warm you once more, Yolanda is not the easiest kid, so are you really prepared to deal with a troubled kid such as her, as I explained?”
“Yes, Mr. Frank. As I told you, I’m used to this type of case. I´ll do my best to smooth her, you have my word on that. I won’t give up on your daughter as long as she’s in my care.”
“Good. Pass by Human Resources to receive your papers. Eleanor, my secretary will take you to them. I´ll call the HR department to have everything ready for you. You have two days to read it. Feel free to contact my secretary if anything comes up.”
“Thank you so much Mr. Frank, I promise you won’t regret giving me this chance. I´ll do my best to satisfy you and your family’s needs.”
Don’t say things like that…
Why did she have to ruin everything when he was starting to not look at her as a sexual prize to conquer and take. Now, after her naïve words all the buried sexual tension came back rising to the surface.
He quickly got up to shorten their meeting so the temptation would go away. She imitated his gesture and took his extended hand and pure electricity ran through them. Immediately they dropped their hands and an awkward silent took over them.
Gabriel broke the silent first, “I´m calling Eleanor right now to accompany you to the HR department.”
She cleared her throat too, a bit shy and smiled professional. “Right. Have a nice day Mr. Frank.”
“You, too, Miss Sanders.” He picked up the phone and she quickly took the hint and left his office.
Gabriel cursed inwardly when he saw the sweet tight ass she had. Was this some kind of sick joke to see if he could resist temptation. As much as he tough Miss Sanders was a peach, he couldn’t tap that, because the last thing he wanted was a sexual harassment lawsuit linked with his name.
His brother’s scandals were enough to deal with. It will be a PR nightmare if he too decided to act recklessly and do something stupid like fuck that sexy goodness who would be his daughter’s new tutor, but why did he felt regret of his responsibilities and hated his logic mind set now?
If he didn’t watch himself, that woman could be his downfall.
Exasperated he fell down on his chair and loosened his tie.