Annihilate Me 2: Omnibus (Complete Vols. 1-3, Annihilate Me 2) Page 17

  “You look smoking hot,” he said.

  “I gave it my best shot without Blackwell and Bernie at my side.”

  “Then you won, Mrs. Wenn.”

  “Maybe you can take advantage of it later,” I said. “You know, to work off any frustration you might want to get rid of.”

  He shot me a look. “You’re in a mood.”

  “I’m just horny.”

  “Then we’ll take care of that.”

  I gave him another kiss, and slipped into the kitchen to make his martini. In the refrigerator, I’d already made a cheese plate with grapes, strawberries, pepperoni, crackers, and hummus. When I was finished making his drink, I brought it and the plate of snacks to him, and was happy to find him sitting on the sofa. He’d unbuttoned his shirt, thus revealing his chest to me.

  “What’s this?” he asked.

  “Fuel. You’re going to need it.”

  “You made it that fast?”

  “I might have made it for you earlier.”

  “What did I ever do to deserve you?”

  “I ask myself the same thing about you every day.” I gave him a look. “Seriously, Alex, you have to have something to eat. So try a bit of this. Enjoy your martini. There’s more where that came from.”

  “Where is yours?”

  I sat next to him and kissed him on the neck. “I had my share with Lisa. Enough is enough.” I picked up a cracker and put a slice of Stilton on it. “But cheese and crackers? Oh, I can do that.” I snuggled in close to him and placed my hand on his knee. “So, tell me,” I said. “What happened today?”

  “Besides our stock tanking?”

  “That’s right—and that will recover. What happened with Singapore?”

  “After spending hours on the phone with Wei Jei, let’s just say that I got nowhere with him, which isn’t acceptable. He says that the manufacturer who supplies our memory chips is nearly out of stock, yet I know for a fact that that manufacturer isn’t the only one who makes the chips we need to manufacture our phone. The real issue is price. Wei Jei doesn’t want to spend what it’s going to take to keep the SlimPhone coming off the line, even though he’s contractually bound to it. I tried to walk him through that fact, but he kept throwing up barriers. Which means one thing.”

  “What?”

  “We need to confront him in Singapore. We leave tomorrow night. We can’t let production of our phone halt now, for obvious reasons. I need you and Blackwell there for consultation, as well as Tank, Cutter, and Max for security. We’ll take the Boeing. The Lear would necessitate too many stops to refuel. We’ll fly into Los Angeles, and then make the fourteen-hour flight to Manila. We’ll refuel there, and then complete the final eight-hour leg into Singapore. You remember the drill—this isn’t our first time there.”

  “So, it’s that bad?” I said.

  “I need to put a stop to this before a word of it leaks to the press. Wei Jei knows that we’ll be there in two days. Because we’ve done business before, and out of a sense of honor to me, he’s agreed to keep all of it private—which frankly also serves him. This trip is about as covert as it gets. I need to get ahead of this before it becomes a real problem. If the media catches a whiff that we might be having manufacturing difficulties with our phone, what do you think would happen to our stock then?”

  “Nothing good. So, we go. Have you told Blackwell yet?”

  “Yes. She’s on board. So are Tank, Cutter, and Max.”

  “How long will we be there?”

  “I have no idea. We’ll either be there until he bends, or until I have to threaten him with a suit. I told Wei Jei that I wouldn’t bring legal with me because I thought that if we all got in a room together and discussed this face-to-face, we could come to terms. Does he want to face a lawsuit that he will lose? No. Do I want to sue him? Obviously not. It will just hold up production.”

  “If this is all in the contract, then why is he balking?”

  “He’s saying that he can get the memory we need in two weeks, which won’t be soon enough given how swiftly the phone is selling. He thinks that a brief cessation of our phone on the market won’t cause us a hitch. I’m sorry, but we both know that’s bullshit, particularly given the scrutiny we’re under right now. What all of this comes down to is that he didn’t plan correctly. He didn’t think that the SlimPhone would sell as many units as quickly as it has. He was unprepared for it, but that’s his problem. Unfortunately, it’s also become mine since he’s giving me push back. He needs to get his act together, face the fact that he’s going to have to spend more money than he’d originally planned to, and make this happen for us, or there will be a lawsuit, which would only hurt his reputation, not to mention Wenn’s. I have to prevent that from happening. So, we go to Singapore. Are you with me on this?”

  “Is that even a question? You know I am. I’m with you whenever you need me. I know their culture is different from ours—I get it. Women in big business don’t exactly rest well with them. But I’m not blind to what I can do to him, and to others. I can charm them.”

  “In the right situation, you can be far less abrasive than I am. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but you will be able to beguile him. And his team. You have a way with businessmen that I don’t. When we first went to Singapore, you were a hit. You know that. They not only saw your beauty, but eventually they also saw your intelligence. I hate that they don’t immediately look beyond your appearance to hear what you have to offer to the conversation, but we both know that’s just how it is in that culture.”

  “I understand that. Look, Alex, I get these people. And I love playing chess. So, you know, let me have at them.”

  “I need all the help that I can get.”

  “And you’ve got me. But I have to ask—where does Blackwell fit into all of this?”

  “Her instincts are critical. She’s probably one of the smartest people I know. Do you know of a sharper person who is as intimate with Wenn as we are?”

  “I don’t. In fact, she’s far more savvy than I am when it comes to Wenn.”

  “Which is why we bring her with us. She charms people in a different way than you can—in that culture, her age is seen as a plus. She also knows how to work behind the scenes, and bring things around to our favor. My father used to use her for situations such as this. If you get Blackwell in a room filled with resistant men like Wei Jei, she somehow can tap into whatever vibe they’re giving off, and use it against them to disarm them. She knows how to bait a hook.”

  “I can see that.”

  “I see you both as a two-pronged attack. Blackwell is older and, to them, wiser. So, we’ll use that. You are young, beautiful—and disarmingly smart. We’ll use that, too. And we’ll use my influence. Hell, we’ll use whatever we’ve got to get what we need. But I resent having to use you as a showpiece.”

  “Let’s get real—I know how they value women there. I’m just glad that I can still be a showpiece. And besides, we need to win. For me, you go into business with whatever you’ve got. To some women, all of this would be insulting. To me, it’s a game that I want to win.”

  “God, I love you,” he said. “I was worried about this talk. I didn’t want to offend you.”

  “Why would you? Actually, it will be kind of fun—I’ll have Blackwell make me look especially attractive in ways that their culture appreciates. Nothing too brazen—but everything left to the imagination. Physically, I’ll do my best to give them what they desire. But between the cracks, I’ll make sure that I help to get us what we want from them. Blackwell will work her own magic, and so will you. We’ll be a great team. Now, have a sip of your martini before it gets warm. I know what’s ahead of us, but I have a few ideas I want to run by you first.”

  He took a long swallow, and then paused before taking another one, which told me exactly how much pressure he was under. When he put his glass down on the coffee table in front of us, I slipped my hand beneath his shirt and covered one of his pecs with my hand while
I pulled him close to me.

  “So, let me propose this,” I said.

  “What’s that?”

  “Since we’re taking the Boeing, we should take a few extra people along with us.”

  He furrowed his brow at me. “Who?”

  “Daniella and Alexa are soon going to flee to the Hamptons. They only just arrived in the city today, and this week was supposed to be spent with their mother before they escaped for the summer. As far as I see it, we might be in Singapore for at least a week before we return home. Barbara hasn’t seen those girls since Christmas. Why don’t we bring them along so they can experience a different culture?”

  “Do you even know what you’re asking? Daniella and Alexa could personally destroy Singapore if they wanted to. Especially Daniella.”

  “That’s why we also bring Lisa with us,” I said. “Look, what’s the big deal—we’re going to be there anyway. We can set them up in the same hotel as us, and let them explore a city they might otherwise have never seen. It’s not as if they’re going to get in the way of our work. I’ll talk with Lisa. I know that woman as much as I know myself. She’ll oversee the girls, and she’ll make sure that they’re kept in line. Plus, at night, she’ll be able to spend time with Tank. If everyone is up for it, why not bring along the girls and Lisa so they can enjoy the city while we do our work?”

  He thought about that for a moment and then shrugged. “Why not? Lisa would enjoy it, and God knows those two girls could benefit from seeing how others live. Especially Daniella.”

  “So, is that a go?”

  “It’s a go.”

  “We’ll need to bring along one other person with us,” I said.

  “Who’s that?”

  “First, let me get you another martini.”

  “If you’re talking about Epifania, I’m out.”

  I laughed at that as I stood up, reached for his glass, and went into the kitchen to make him a fresh drink. “I think you know better. Eat some crackers and cheese. Have some grapes. You don’t have enough in your stomach.”

  “Who is this mysterious person?”

  As I started to shake his drink, I felt a mixture of excitement and dread. Is now the time to spring my news on him? Given the circumstances, what other choice do I have? I have to tell him now. “Just that—a mysterious person.”

  “What does that mean?”

  I returned to the living room, handed him his drink, and met his inquisitive gaze with my own. “You might want to take a long swallow, lovey,” I said.

  “Why is that?”

  “Just do it.”

  He did. And then, likely because of the look of expectation on my face, he took another.

  “What are you up to?” he asked.

  I felt a thrill of joy and terror as I leaned down toward his ear. “I’m pregnant,” I said. “We’re going to have a baby.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  His eyes widened. “We’re going to have a what?” he asked.

  “Let me just say it again, because frankly, I can’t believe it myself. I’m pregnant. We’re going to have a baby. I am, as they used to say back in the day, with child.”

  He finished his martini in one gulp. Then he turned to me, and when he did, his face lit up in such a way that it was as if his entire rotten day had lifted off of him. He beamed at me. “We’re going to have a baby?”

  “Let’s just call it a miracle,” I said. “I don’t know how it happened—I’ve been on the pill religiously because we both agreed that we’d wait for another two years so we could enjoy our lives alone together for a while longer. But something must have gone wrong—or right, depending on how you look at it. Obviously, things happen for a reason. The pill isn’t foolproof. The reason I didn’t go back to work today is that Lisa made me take a pregnancy test and I called my doctor immediately after it came back positive. My doctor saw me, she did another test, and she confirmed it. By her estimation, I’m about one month pregnant. In another eight months, we’re going to be parents.”

  “Is this why you’ve been so sick this week?”

  “It could be a mix of both stress and the pregnancy. Probably both, but I have a feeling that it’s due more to the latter. I handle stress well—you’ve seen that. I kind of get off on it. As for a baby—obviously, I don’t handle that well at all.”

  Without hesitation, he gently swept me into his arms, pulled me into his lap, and held me close to him. For a long moment, we didn’t talk. Instead, he just kissed me and held me in such a protective way that the love that came through his embrace was as real as it was palpable.

  “I can’t believe it,” he said with genuine excitement. “A little boy. A little girl. Have you told anyone else?”

  “Only Lisa and my doctor know. Lisa’s the one who suggested that I get checked out after I threw up at lunch.”

  “What happened at lunch?”

  “I got a whiff of her salmon, and that’s all it took to make me hurl. After I lost it in the ladies room, she waited for me to collect myself and then she cornered me and asked the question. I told her I wasn’t sure. She said I needed to be sure, so she went to a drugstore, got me a pregnancy test so nobody from the press would see me buying one myself, and then she came back here. I did my duty on one of those sticks, and then I did my duty on another stick. And with that pretty much sewn up, I got my butt to the doctor. We’re pregnant. End of story.”

  When Alex spoke to me again, his eyes were bright with emotion. “I can’t tell you how happy I am,” he said.

  And here was the relief and the support that I needed. “Alex, I promise you that I never missed my pill.”

  “So what? Things happen for a reason. We’re going to have a baby. I’m going to be a father!”

  “We’ll see how excited you are about that when our child first pees in your face or throws up on you.”

  He grinned at that, and I thought I’d never seen his dimples go so deep. He was genuinely over the moon. He dipped me down again and smothered me with kisses. Then, when he allowed me up for air, we looked at each other in a stunned kind of silence, and each of us laughed.

  “So much for waiting two years,” I said.

  “Who cares? I’m ready if you are. Are you OK with this?”

  “Actually, I am. I wasn’t expecting to be, but I am. I have your child inside of me. I’m carrying our baby. I’m a hormonal mess—you’ll need to deal with that, by the way, so my apologies going forward—but it’s a good kind of mess. I’m delirious. It’s like this light shined down on us just when we needed it most. So many times from so many girlfriends, I’ve always heard the same thing—it’s a gift. But until now, as happy as I was for them, I didn’t understand just what that happiness felt like. Now, I get it. It’s profound. I’m about to be a mother.”

  “And you’re looking at daddy.” He took my hand in his own, and held it to his heart. “Can you feel that? That’s how excited I am. I can’t tell you how happy you’ve made me. I can’t tell you what this means to me. I want to shout it out to the world, I’m so happy. I want to tell everyone I know, I’m so happy.”

  “Slow down, cowpoke. The doctor said that we need to get through the first trimester before we go public with anything. Obviously, we can tell our closest friends—since Lisa already knows, that means Blackwell and Tank should know. But there is a risk of complications that we need to be mindful of. My day-to-day duties at Wenn won’t change—the doctor assured me of that. Neither will my day-to-day life, which will go on as usual, albeit with some continued morning sickness. I have to take vitamins, make sure that I get enough rest and exercise, and eat well—which I already do. But otherwise, it’s life as usual. Including sex!”

  “I don’t know about that, Jennifer.”

  “Alex, I’m hornier than I’ve ever been. My body has been taken over with hormones. Your job is to help alleviate them.”

  “She said that sex was safe?”

  “I’m pregnant, not broken. Yes, it’s perfectly sa
fe—right up to the point that it becomes uncomfortable for me. I asked her just to be sure. She said that I likely was going to have the best sex life of my life—which means that you are, too. Though I probably will make you work harder. I’m sorry, love—but I’m about to become one wanton, demanding wife.”

  “As if I needed a reason to please you. But just hear me out, OK? I have questions, too. What about work? I worry about work—and especially about this trip, which will be grueling. I don’t think you should come. We can’t risk anything happening to the baby.”

  “By sitting on your private Boeing? Which happens to have two bedrooms and a suite? Nothing is going to happen to this baby. If I’m tired, I’ll just lay down, as I would if I were here or on the sofa in my office at work. And as for dealing with Wei Jei, I live for that shit—and it will give my hormones a target should they need one.”

  “That’s what kind of freaks me out. You, uh, sort of have a bit of a filter. But what happens should you lose it?”

  “Who knows? If he crosses us, we might just get the memory we need. But enough of that.” I reached down between his legs and cupped his bulge in my hand. “Did I happen to tell you that I’m horny, Alex? Like really super horny? Because I am. The doctor says it’s perfectly normal—so get ready, stud. Just sitting here in your lap is enough to make me want to crawl out of my skin. So, how about if we go to the bedroom, and take our minds off the day with an unexpected celebration?”

  “You’re sure it’s safe?”

  “Yes, it’s safe. Just make love to me—please? Pretty please. I’m dying here.”

  Within an instant, he was on his feet and I was in his arms, and he was leading us toward our bedroom. When we entered it, he lowered my feet to the floor and pulled me toward him so we could kiss while he hastily removed our clothing. Off came my top. Off came his shirt. Off came my shoes. Off came his pants. But off came my skinny jeans? The ones I’d needed to shovel my ass into earlier? No way. Without assistance, it wasn’t happening.

  “I can’t get out of my jeans,” I said.