“Yeah,” he said after I shook him a dozen times.

  “Paula’s in labor. Get your lawyer shit in gear, and let’s go, Aaron.”

  He sat up quickly, and that was when shit got real. I ran to the phone to get Malcolm since I’d forgotten about him until I heard buttons being pressed.

  “Sorry.”

  “You’ve got your plan, right?” he asked.

  “I’m ready for this and getting dressed now. I’ll be there at the hospital shortly. Is she en route to the hospital?”

  “She is. Her mother’s driving her, but she’s going to the right place.”

  “Good. Let me get my part of the plan rolling. Does Domino know?” I asked while putting on my favorite suit.

  “He does. He’s on his way, too.”

  I smiled to myself, hoping that the preparation I’d done would work out.

  “Are you ready to send me that information that I asked for?”

  “Already done. Let me know if you need anything else. I’ll be with you the whole way.”

  I ended the call and walked over to Aaron, tying his tie.

  “You look amazing,” I whispered as I stood on the tips of my toes to kiss him.

  “You look even better.” His lips briefly took mine, and then he placed a gentle kiss on top of my forehead. “Let’s do this.”

  I put on my finishing touches, stole another kiss for luck, and jumped in my car. Destination? Success.

  I sat across the desk from an exhausted Chief of Operations, Derrick Horizon, in his fancy office at the hospital.

  “These pictures are of you and your hiring process. Interns, residences, doctors, nurses, and even patients who couldn’t afford to pay for treatments. And thanks to your excellent record-keeping on your phone, I have pictures and video of your preferred persuasion tactics.” I swiped left and right through the picture log of his perversions.

  His face paled while he shifted in his seat. “What do you want?”

  “I’m glad you asked.” I slid a list across the desk to him. “The patient’s name is Paula Tide.”

  He picked up the phone and made a call downstairs. I dialed Malcolm, and he answered on the first ring.

  “Send in the cavalry,” I said.

  “You got it.”

  I stood up and waited for Derrick to finish giving orders to the people downstairs. He hesitantly hung up the phone. “Let’s go.”

  Derrick stood up, and we went downstairs to the maternity ward. The room Paula was in was now empty. We walked through doors that took us to the end of the floor. He scanned his ID at the door, and they opened. There was a screaming woman behind those doors, and she was pissed.

  I walked into the room that was being arranged for the birthing.

  “You!” Paula pointed at me. “Where in the fuck is Domino?”

  I smiled at her, knowing that was just the beginning. “You don’t worry about that. You just make sure that those twins come out of there healthy. Those were the terms, right?”

  “You bitch!” she screamed.

  The monitors began beeping fast. Nurses rushed over to Paula to examine her. I couldn’t see around them, but when the nurse lifted the sheet draped over Paula’s lap, she looked over at the Chief.

  “She’s hemorrhaging.”

  “Call the doctor!”

  They shouted codes and instructions back and forth as they tried to stabilize Paula and the twins. Two doctors rushed in, sanitized and ready to deliver babies.

  “Emergency C-section. Let’s get these babies safely delivered, ladies and gents,” the doctor shouted.

  Derrick looked at me, but I didn’t have a thing to say. My job was to make sure that those babies were born and weren’t abducted. His job was to make sure that the twins get the best care possible.

  “If it’s a choice between them and her…” Derrick began.

  “There is no choice. Get those babies out here so they can meet their father when he gets here. The rest doesn’t matter.” I never moved my eyes away from everything buzzing about. I didn’t trust so many people being so close to the babies, but I’d protect them with everything I had.

  Malcolm called. “They’re stationed outside the doors.”

  Men were there to protect what was inside. More men were patrolling to make sure that all threats stayed in check. I didn’t move from that door, no matter what happened. It reminded me of Domino and all those years ago, watching over me. It was my turn to repay the favor to him.

  Domino got to the hospital around 8 a.m., and when he walked into the room, Saint and Ward were at his sides. He looked at me because the room reeked of blood and trauma. It was hard to miss when you entered.

  I’d moved to a fresh vantage point: one where I could watch the door and the sleeping twins in their bassinets.

  “Come on.” I motioned for him to come closer.

  His feet moved carefully, as if he’d break the babies if they heard his footfalls. Together, we walked to the sleeping babies.

  Domino exhaled a long stream of air from his lungs that I didn’t know if he was aware he was holding.

  “Twins,” he whispered.

  “They’re waiting for you to get the DNA sample,” I whispered back. It was a sarcastic statement because there was no way that he needed it.

  “He looks just like me.” He reached for him, and the nurse assigned to the babies interfered.

  “Can we get you cleaned up before you touch the babies?” she asked.

  “Yeah… yes.” Domino swallowed hard, catching my attention. Tears gathered in his eyes, but not a single one fell.

  I knew how much those babies meant to him, and they’d just met. “Take your time,” I whispered to him to make sure that nobody could hear.

  “Thank you,” he began. “Who knows what she was up to? I’m just glad that you were here to look after them.”

  “You’re welcome. I had to give them the same honor you gave me.” The baby girl moved to catch my attention. “What will you name them?”

  “He’s going to be Dominic for sure.” He turned to his daughter, silent, then in his thoughts. “She’s going to be whatever she wants to be. Look at her! How could she not?”

  They were beautiful babies, with the girl already having a head full of curly hair and pouty lips.

  Domino left to wash up before he held the babies.

  That was where he was when Aaron walked into the room dressed like he meant business. He went over to a sleeping Paula, waking her from her slumber. He propped his briefcase on the rolling table and waited for her to wake up completely.

  “What is going on here?” Paula asked.

  I knew she must’ve been tired, but I also didn’t care. She’d taken too much labor inducer so that she could get more money from the clinic, since there was a couple there who really wanted the baby. Courtesy of her angry mother, I now had most of the story.

  She was outside smoking when I came in. When I told her who I worked for, she spilled all the details, hoping to save her daughter from her shortcomings.

  “We’re signing the agreements for you to forfeit your rights as a mother to the babies, granting Domino full legal and physical custody.”

  “I’m not!” she screamed.

  “You will, or find yourself outside with the trash.” I jumped in, hoping not to be so forceful.

  “They’re going to kill you,” she blurted, snatching the pen from Aaron’s outstretched hand, and began signing.

  “No, they’re going to kill you,” I warned. “Not delivering on your promise does that to a person.”

  Domino, Ward, and Saint left to pick up things for the babies to prepare them for the departure. We still had a few days before that could happen, but until then, Domino was going to buy everything because he had no idea what to get, and it didn’t matter either. He had two babies that he was about to spoil rotten; their uncles would also take part in that, too.

  It took Aaron no time to get a signature from a judge. It pays to know people in high places, and once he’d called his judge contact in California, Aaron got what he needed in no time.

  Domino relieved me of guard duty. “Go get some rest,” he instructed. “You’ve got plenty of time to spoil them later.”

  “Deal. You’ll stay here with them?” I confirmed.

  “Nobody dares pull me away from them.” Domino picked up his daughter and cuddled her close. She was going to get everything that she’d ever wanted. When he picked up his son, he leaned him so that I could get a good look. “Jr., this is Abbey, she saved your life.”

  I smiled at him while trying to hold back all the emotion that I was feeling from the acknowledgement. “Hey there, cutie. I can’t wait to spoil you back at home.”

  Domino chuckled. “Rest. You’ve been up this whole time. I’ve got it from here.”

  I nodded, backing out of the room so that I could go chase dreams while I slept. “Call me if you need anything.”

  Domino agreed just before I exited the room. My job would be complete as soon as those babies boarded our flight home. Then I would be Auntie Abbey.

  The pilot on Domino’s personal jet explained that we could all leave here after the babies were two weeks old. He wouldn’t recommend flying before then. That gave me time to spend with Aaron without all of the drama attached. I just hoped that all the distractions weren’t what made us good together.

  At home, I was alone. Aaron hadn’t made it back yet. I stripped down, curled up on his side of the bed, pulled the comforter close, and dove headfirst into sleep. I woke up to Aaron not being in bed, but I could hear the TV in the living room.

  Angrily, I got up and went into the living room to see him drinking a bottle of beer.

  “Not coming to bed?” I asked him from the doorway.

  “This is our last night together before I leave to go back to Morocco. Domino wants to get that deal done fast so he can get back home to the babies.”

  “And you’re going to spend it out here by yourself drinking instead of holding me while you can?” I hadn’t thought about the end of us; the birth of the babies would also mean my agreement with him was also up.

  “Yeah, I think that’s best.”

  “I don’t.” I walked over to him, laid on the couch with my head in his lap, facing him sideways. “This is where I want to be. I’ve been trying to climb into your arms all day, and now you don’t want me to? What gives, Aaron?”

  “All day?” he asked. He ran his fingers down the center of my back and then up through my hair, where he massaged my scalp.

  “Yes, all day. I missed you,” I confessed. I didn’t overthink it, being honest and trying to figure out why Aaron was putting distance between us.

  “I missed you, too.” He set his beer on the table and leaned down to kiss me.

  I met him the rest of the way to seal the connection.

  “You’re so damn beautiful. Perfect in all the right ways,” he mumbled.

  “Mmm…” I closed my eyes, enjoying his hands. He was caressing me all over.

  The bulge in his lap caught my attention. He was wearing shorts that left little to my imagination since they were a thinner fabric.

  I ran my lips over his shaft, whispering kisses as I went. I pleaded with my eyes, glancing up at him while teasing him.

  “Permission…” He paused when I began a trail of kissing up his stomach until I reached his ear.

  “Please?” I whispered while caressing his arms. “Let me do this for you. Can I please make you feel as good as you always make me?”

  I looked into his eyes and hoped to see some kind of desire for me burning there.

  He pulled my lips to his, gripping my hair to hold me close. Between us, he’d freed his erection. And when he was done abusing my lips with his, he lowered my mouth to where my attention was needed the most.

  “Wet me with your tongue, and then take as much of me in your mouth as you can,” he directed.

  I wanted to let him know that I’d done this a time or two, but decided not to. Maybe he was showing me how he liked it. That was what I was more interested in, anyway.

  He tasted fresh, like he’d recently gotten out of the shower. Smelled of it, too.

  “There’s no such thing as too wet,” he said as I continued licking him, sucking him into my mouth and licking around the girth. “Just like that.”

  I followed where he led me by the hair. It didn’t take long for me to catch the pattern. Sucking was good, but he liked the feel of my tongue massaging him as we went. Even with receiving, he was still in control.

  The tempo increased, and I gave him everything he needed. He was close, and I didn’t let up on the treatment. I slipped my hand up to massage his sac the way I did the morning he told me about permission.

  “Mhm… that’s my good girl.” His head dropped back to rest on the couch.

  He pumped his hips into my mouth as he climbed toward a climax just out of reach. He groaned his approval and moaned my name over and over, chanting as he reached the peak before falling over.

  Messy. He came in my mouth, and I slowed my movements to keep from spilling any of it.

  “In your mouth, on your ass,” he growled. “And every time, it makes you look damn good.”

  I swallowed his release and watched him fight for air into his lungs. We eventually rested in the bed, but I couldn’t sleep, and it wasn’t just because of how aroused I was.

  “When we get back to California, we go back to normal, right?” I asked him.

  “Guess so. That’s all the agreement was for. Aren’t you glad to get rid of me?” he asked.

  “Hmm…” I rolled over away from him. “Only if you’re tired of me.”

  “That’s the problem; I’m not,” he said.

  He refused to elaborate, and I chose sleep over arguing or creating a problem. If he wouldn’t tell me what was going on with him, who was I to press?

  Aaron

  I flew home to California with everybody else to exchange my clothes and refresh my luggage. Plus, I needed to see my son. He spent the weekend at my house, and I was going to fly out again on Monday. I dropped him home Sunday night to make sure I forgot nothing I needed.

  Packed, I made dinner and drank a glass of wine to help me relax. Instead of unwinding, the silence in my house made me think of Abigail. I’d even grabbed a wine glass for her when I went to get my own.

  I hadn’t heard from her after we got on the plane. She’d chosen to sit far away from me, too. And when we piled into the cars, she’d opted to ride back alone. That was the last time I’d seen or heard from her.

  I couldn’t be upset at her when all she’d done was abide by the rules we’d had in place. The agreement was for Cincinnati and nothing more. I’d gotten addicted to everything about her. Smell, taste, sound, the way she looked, and her sassy behavior had become the highlight of my day.

  I just needed to move on because there was no way it was meant to be more. The last time I’d gotten wrapped up in somebody like this, it was my ex-wife, and that situation didn’t have me in knots like this.

  I ate some of the food on my plate, but I drank until I passed out on the couch. I knew I’d regret it in the morning, but I could sleep for the entire flight without worrying.

  When the sun rose, I wore sunglasses to hide behind after I showered and dressed.

  At the airport, I arrived early to find that I wasn’t the only one going on this trip. Domino was on the plane. His approach was to get in and get out. Desperate to get back to his babies, he wanted nothing to hold him up. That was before my phone rang and Abigail’s picture popped on the screen. She was asleep and resting peacefully in the photo.

  “Hello?” The surprise at her call wasn’t something I could hide.

  “Get off the plane, please. I need to tell you something quickly, and I want it to be in person.”

  The crew was still getting things settled, so I stepped off the plane to see her standing at the bottom of the steps. I went to her and waited to see what she had to say.

  “I was fine before you came along with your rules, games, breakfasts, dinners, and those amazing kisses you give at just the right time. Now, I can’t think of anything but you. I know we don’t know one another all that well, but I’m willing to try a relationship if you are. I can’t promise you love, but I will stay committed as much as you are.”

  Surprised at how open she was, I knew I had to do the same. “We can try. I don’t know when I’ll be back from this trip, though. Will you wait for me?”

  Abigail closed her eyes, taking a minute for herself. “Only if you do the same.”

  I held her face, kissing her lips until I knew it was time to go. “I’ll talk to you soon, Abigail.” Stealing another kiss before walking her to her car and helping her get inside. “When I come back, we’ll talk some more.”

  “Okay. Be careful.”

  “I will, beautiful.”

  And now I had something to look forward to. The exhaustion was distracted by me getting what I wanted. I had energy flowing through me. And when I looked outside of my window, she was still sitting there watching me leave. And though she was blocking her eyes with glasses, I was positive she was crying.

  I wanted to jump off, but I couldn’t. Her wanting me almost had me being reckless and saying screw this trip. I didn’t, though. Instead, I leaned back in my seat to plot the things that I’d do to Abigail when I returned. I had an entire flight to think and plan. And it was like she said, If it didn’t work, we could back away. I had a feeling the end wasn’t near, but for now… She was mine, and I was hers.

  Abigail

  I sat in front of John, watching him fight to stay awake. I’d tied him to his bed so he couldn’t move. All I wanted were answers. He didn’t have to die today.

  “You shot me in the clinic, and because I didn’t die, you came to finish the job? You’re a lucky bitch, you know that? Lucky but dumb. Catching me off guard seems to be the only way that you can take me.”

  “Maybe I’m not here to kill you, though you definitely deserve it. I’m here because I have questions. As long as you answer them without hassle, you should live.”

 

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