David's Pov

Four meaningless meetings and a short lunch break later and I was staring at my phone, hoping in vain for a text, contemplating if I should call or not.

I drummed my fingers on my desk, my anxiety getting the better of me. It'd been an hour since I'd shot Dawn a text but up till this moment, she still hadn't replied.

An uneasy feeling tickled my stomach. Where the hell was she?

I stopped the drumming and pinched the bridge of my nose. I shouldn't have left home. I sure as hell haven't been able to do anything productive all day. Maybe she was asleep, or maybe she was really sick. Fuck, maybe it wasn't too late to call doctor Fin and have him come over.

I searched through my contact list for his number and was just about to press the call button when my secretary buzzed me through the office intercom. "Mr. Argent."

I resigned. "Yes, Camille."

"Your friends, Tanner and Luke are here to see you, shall I let them in?"

What the hell did those two want?

I was in no mood for a company but I couldn't send them away. As far as I knew, they were going to barge in here anyway.

"Yes," I replied, and the moment the call ended, Tanner walked in alongside Luke; my buddy from college. He was an imposing sight; tall, broad, had the physique of an athlete and the looks that made every woman turn to stare. The downside for him, however, was that he was married, unhappily.

"Hey, buddy." He hailed, strolling with ease to the mini refrigerator at the right corner of my office and helping himself to a full bottle of cognac.

I shook my head and turned my attention to my other casually dressed friend who made himself comfortable on the leather chair parallel to mine. "Dude, I'm gonna need to borrow your private jet for the weekend." He informed, looking pained.

"Sure," I leaned back in my chair, settling in. "What's the occasion?"

"Oh, you're gonna love this one," Luke interrupted, unscrewing the bottle and pouring himself a tall glass. "I laughed so hard, I nearly shit myself."

"Shut up, smart ass." Tanner scowled. "It's not funny." He shook his head and turned back to me. "I had no idea this new chick I hooked up with still had her V card and since I popped her little cherry, she hasn't stopped mooning over me."

"Wait a minute." My lips twitched, fighting back my laughter. "You fucked a virgin?"

Luke let go at that moment and tilted his head back to burst out in a fit of boisterous laughter.

"It's not funny, guys." Tanner frowned, throwing my office pen at him but he continued to laugh obnoxiously. "I'm afraid my dick is going to break. She keeps coming fire more. Last night, she came over and drained the shit out of me, and this morning she tells me she wants to move in." His face twisted with pure disgust. "She's like a crazy psycho with severe boundary issues and I need to get away."

"You're lucky bro." Luke piped, eyes red with tears from laughing hard. "I mean I've never tasted a virgin before but I heard it's a hundred out of ten, except the part where they cling to you like leeches."

"They do not cling, Dawn doesn't—" I stopped myself in the middle of that sentence, realizing where this was going but it was too late because my two friends already turned to give me the raised eyebrow look that could be interpreted as 'what the fuck?'

"Don't tell me..." Luke blinked a couple of times, his face brightening with excitement. "Fuck me, was Dawn also a—"

"Okay enough." I cut him. "What happens in La chambre de David, stays in La chambre de David."

Tanner exhaled. "You know what, I'm bummed. Let's do some shots tonight. Just got this fat check from training the minister's daughter so it's my treat."

"Sure," Luke voiced his agreement. "I need to get drunk and fucked hopelessly anyway."

His remark made me snort. "You're married, Luke." I pointed out dryly.

He shrugged. "I live with a woman who loathes me for getting her pregnant and values her vibrators more than my dick. Ever since she got pregnant, I've had to jack off like a freaking teenage kid in my bathroom because she won't let me anywhere near her. Call it tit for tat but I'm getting laid tonight so get your retired playboy ass up and pack."

"Well sorry guys, I can't join in tonight. Dawn's not feeling well and I need to be with her."

"Not feeling well as in really sick or not feeling well as in pregnant?" Luke asked shrewdly, causing this cold sensation to race up and down my spine.

"She's not pregnant." I laid off quickly, more to myself than anyone else in the room.

He shrugged a shoulder. "Well knowing you and how regularly you like to hit it, I wouldn't be surprised if she was."

My throat tightened. I mentally shook my head and fought the rising panic from surfacing. "Don't joke about things like that. She's not pregnant."

She couldn't be.

Luke laughed softly. "Chillax bro, why are you getting defensive?"

I opened my mouth to speak but I clamped it shut. He didn't know. It was best that way.

"Nothing alright, I just can't make it tonight." I deadpanned, exchanging glances with Tanner. He must have noticed the tension brewing in the room because he suddenly turned to Luke.

"I think I forgot my phone in your car, go help me get it."

He frowned. "Why me?"

He shrugged. "Because it's your car and you're the youngest."

He snorted. "You're two months ahead of me."

"I saw a pair of boobs before you did. Get on with it." He waved his hand dismissively and Luke narrowed his eyes.

"Fine." He slugged back the remaining contents in his glass, dropped it, and gave a two-hand salute before walking out and the minute those doors closed behind him, Tanner glowered at me. "You still haven't told her."

I exhaled, rubbing my face. "I want to, I do, but right now we're in a good place, she stopped pressing for answers and I don't want to ruin what we have."

"You're deluding yourself, David." He chided and I couldn't argue with that because it was the truth. I was deluding myself, looking for more excuses to run away from the truth.

"I know, I just—" I exhaled again and bowed my head. "This whole shit is messed up."

"Well, it's about to get even messier because I have news for you."

I lifted my head. "What news?"

He hesitated, goading me, deciding whether to spill or not.

"What news, Tanner?" I pushed. "Tell me."

"Remember Stella? Stacey's little sister?"

The mention of Stacey's name made Ice slither down my spine. I sat upright, no longer relaxed as my muscles locked. "What about her?"

"She's back in town." 

My brows pinched together and that rising panic I tried so hard to subdue was surfacing again. "W-Why?"

"I don't know but she came over by the gym and asked to speak with you urgently, I told her you were out of town but I'm not sure she bought my story."

"This doesn't make sense." I blanched, my voice growing thick and unsteady. "Why is she looking for me? What could she possibly want with me? The only thing that binds us together is—"

"Stacey." He answered, looking as mystified as I was. "Look, I don't know what she might want with you, we aren't even sure if Stacey told her the whole truth about what happened to her pregnancy but what I do know is that you need to sort things out with Dawn because I can't dust off this feeling that things are about to turn upside down."

My head pounded with tension. I rubbed my hand over my face and parted my lips to speak but Luke walked back into the office, halting my statement.

***

For the next one hour, I wasn't myself. I couldn't be. Not with the nagging pain in my gut intensifying by the minute.

I had a thousand questions prowling my mind, questions I wasn't even sure I wanted the answer to because once you knew something, there was no way to unknow it.

"Camille, forward the drafted email to me, I'll work on it from home," I instructed, heading towards the elevator.

By six, I was ordering dinner in Dawn's favorite restaurant whilst trying not to think too much about Stella's return but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious to know how Stacey was.

I hadn't seen her since our drastic separation and frankly, I wasn't sure she wanted to see me, not with the way I treated her, not after the awful things I made her do.

The lights in the house were dimmed when I walked in. I placed the food bags on the dining table, kicked off my shoes, and walked up the stairs to our bedroom.

As expected, she was asleep. I turned on the side lights and shrugged off my blazer before walking slowly to her side of the bed. Her breasts rose and fell as her parted plump lips allowed breath in and out, causing the gentle baby-like snore that steadily rose in the air. 

A smile married my features as I sat gently by the edge of the bed and stroked her cheek with the back of my index finger.

God, I didn't want to lose her. Ever.

After a while of watching her sleep, I got up, stripped, and went into the bathroom for a quick shower. It was soothing and helped me forget what transpired in my office.

When I walked out of the bathroom with a towel around my waist, I found Dawn awake but still in bed. Her skin seemed to have regained its color. I was relieved.

"When did you get back?" She asked me, pulling her hands above her head for a good stretch and I couldn't help but notice how her silk pitch night dress revealed every curve of her body, from her succulent hips to the luscious length of her scar-free legs. She was indeed a fine woman, and the best part, she was mine.

"Not long, my love," I discarded the towel and started towards my wardrobe for my shorts. "And I bought your favorite dish."

Her eyes twinkled with excitement. "You did?"

I nodded, stepping into my shorts. "I'll set the table, join me when you're ready," I told her and tossed a grey shirt on before proceeding down to the kitchen. 

Aside from this ache in my belly telling me something was wrong, everything seemed conventional. I arranged the table and placed the meatballs drizzled in almond sauce down alongside the omelet stuffed with potatoes and rice loaded with shrimp and lobster. Dawn padded barefoot down the stairs just about when I returned with two glasses and a bottle of wine.

"Smells so good." She observed, sitting on the chair I pulled out for her.

"Had to bribe the chef to let me have the last piece of Tortilla because I know how much you love them," I said, sliding into place next to her.

"Thank you, David, I really appreciate the gesture."

I smiled. "Bon appétit."

The meal was a healthy mix of flavor and texture and I concentrated on depleting my plate, taking large spoonfuls of my paella and I didn't look up until when Dawn all of a sudden, coughed out.

"I'm sorry." She apologized, turning away from the table to cough again.

My brows knitted together with concern. I shifted a glass of water her way. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "I'm just feeling a little nauseous."

Worry clawed up my throat as Luke's last statement flashed in my mind.

"Not feeling well as in really sick or not feeling well as in pregnant?"

I shook off the thought. As much as this frightened me down to the soles of my feet, I needed to dig deep for composure and calm myself down.

"Maybe I had too much shrimp." She tried to reason, clutching her belly in discomfort but I wasn't buying it.

"What did Paula say was the problem?"

"She took a sample and is running some tests. She thinks I might be—" she stopped herself from talking. "She says I'll be fine."

I tilted my head and studied her for a moment. She was keeping something but I wasn't in the mode for another battle. "It's alright." I exhaled. "Go up and rest, I'll finish up here," I assured.

"Thank you, David." She smiled and got up and just as she headed towards the stairs, the doorbell suddenly rang.

I got on my feet and turned to stare at the door.

Who could it be?

"Go and check it out." Dawn urged just as the doorbell rang again with the sound ricocheting off the walls.

I nodded in agreement, proceeding towards the door.

The doorbell just kept ringing and it annoyed me so bad that I unlocked the door and swung it open, ready to scold whoever couldn't take a chill pill but what I saw made me halt, frozen on the spot.

I took a step back, feeling the blood in my veins drain.

The clear white skin, scarlet hair, creole eyes

It was Stella.