Take the Money and Come

Chapter 8: Secrets

Chapter 8: Secrets

What Maya hadn't realized when Michael had told her they'd be vacationing in St Lucia, was that they'd be vacationing at a private resort in St. Lucia, with the entire area all to themselves. There wasn't another person in sight as the limo pulled up to the front entrance of the most extravagant hotel she'd ever seen. Well, that wasn't entirely true; a pair of men stepped outside, both wearing attire that signaled they were employees of the resort. As the limo came to a stop, a group of others exited the hotel, all coming to stand several feet from the vehicle and then scurrying to gather luggage as the passengers stepped out. “Wow,” she thought, feeling even more out of her league.

One of the employees came around to Michael, taking his luggage and hers, and then ushering them through the front entrance and up to one of the three penthouse suites. The man had barely closed the door behind him when Michael crossed the few feet between them, lifting her off the floor, crossing the distance to the bed and lowering her there. Unzipping his fly, he pulled out his c**k, spreading her legs as he settled between her thighs. He slid inside her wet slit slowly, but Maya couldn't wait. She thrust her hips upward, meeting him as he filled her to the hilt. What followed was frantic, fervent need, spurring them both onward as he plunged deep inside her over and over again, Maya meeting his every thrust as she clung to him, her legs wrapped around his waist and her hands clawing at his back. Their orgasms followed in close succession, one leading to the other until they both collapsed, tired and spent, and in need of at least enough of a break to catch their breath. Maya didn't know s*x could be so...so...passionate, urgent. Though there were hours left in the day, the two of them never left the suite, both of them drifting off to sleep just long enough to recuperate before delving headlong into the next. Finally, as the sun began to lighten the sky, Maya's eyes heavy and her body exhausted, she fell asleep in Michael's arms, more satiated than any human should ever be.

When she awoke in the morning, the room was empty, but she quickly found Michael's note, letting her know that he'd gone in search of sustenance and he'd be back shortly. But as she sat there reading, her stomach began to turn violently, sending her rushing for the bathroom in a hurry.

“Are you okay?” she heard a woman's voice a few moments later. “Are you sick, Maya?” the voice continued, coming closer until finally the bathroom door opened and Sabrina walked in, not bothering to close the door behind her.

“No, I'll be just fine in a minute,” she replied, not thinking about her response.

“Oh my god, you're pregnant,” Michael's sister-in-law exclaimed. And then without taking a breath, “That's why the two of you got engaged so quickly, isn't it? Oh, and here I was thinking I was going to be the first one to start a new generation of the family. I hope the two of you aren't rushing into marriage because of Michael's father. You know, the man comes off as a hard-ass sometimes, but he's really a big softy at the core. But that's crazy, right? It's so obvious the two of you are in love...” Sabrina finally took a breath, only then noticing Maya's panicked expression. “Oh don't worry, I won't spoil your surprise. Are you going to make the announcement before the trip's over?” she continued before Maya could make a sound.

“Sabrina! Stop, please,” she pleaded. “Michael doesn't know—nobody knows. Oh god, this wasn't supposed to happen. You can't know about this,” Maya whispered emphatically, holding her head between her hands as the world began to spin around her. What was she supposed to do now? If she just disappeared after their arrangement had come to an end, Michael would no doubt find out about her secret. God, how she didn't want it to end; after the past twenty four hours, of course she didn't want it to end. But it was more than that, she realized suddenly. She didn't know how it had happened, but it did. She loved Michael, from his strong, generous character to his passionate lovemaking, she loved him. “Dammit!” she cursed silently, knowing that it didn't matter because it wasn't part of the plan. But she had other problems at the moment, Sabrina standing there with a knowing smile on her face, thinking there was nothing wrong with this situation.

“Look, this was never supposed to happen,” she tried to reason with her without giving more information than necessary. “It's complicated, and I was never supposed to be pregnant, and I don't want Michael to know...”

Maya's voice trailed off as she saw Michael from the corner of her eye, walking into the bathroom with a look somewhere between hurt and anger on his face.

“Oh god, no,” she thought, her heart sinking. He didn't understand...or maybe he did. Did he think she got pregnant on the sly or some other clandestine plan? Did he think she was no better than the gold-digging, conniving women he'd spoken of?

“Michael, please wait,” she whispered right before her stomach turned again, demanding her attention elsewhere, Sabrina holding her hair back as Maya lost whatever was left of yesterday's meals. She expected Michael to be gone by the time she lifted her head again, but he was still there hovering next to Sabrina, worry overshadowing any other emotion he was feeling.

“I can do this, Sabrina. Thanks,” he told her, sitting down on the floor next to Maya. God, this was not how she wanted him to see her. Sabrina left, an apologetic look on her face as she whispered, “I'm sorry” to Maya. She nodded in response, knowing it wasn't Sabrina's fault.

“You stayed,” Maya turned to look at Michael, confusion in her expression.

“It's our arrangement, right? That's why you weren't going to tell me?”

“Yes, well no. Sort of. You didn't want to be tied down, and you didn't want some conniving woman who would use a baby to sink her claws into you. But mainly, I didn't want you to feel stuck here, you know?”

“I didn't want to be tied down. But things aren't the same as they were a few weeks ago, Maya. And I couldn't possibly believe that you're anything like those women. I know that. I also know that I don't feel 'stuck here'.”

Michael was silent for a moment and Maya didn't know what to say. This wasn't what she had expected at all. At least her stomach had finally stopped churning, letting her breath a sigh of relief, leaning her head against Michael's chest.

“I wasn't going to do this yet,” he smiled as he reached into his pocket. “But while the setting's a little odd, I think it's time,” he told her, holding something in his closed hand. Maya looked up at him with a quizzical expression on her face. She really wasn't following what he was saying. That was, until he opened his hand and there in his palm was a ring unlike the cookie-cutter engagement ring she wore on her finger as a prop for their charade.

“Marry me, Maya?” he queried, whispering just a hair's breadth from her ear.

Her mouth fell open, completely caught off guard. Even so, she didn't hesitate for a moment. “Of course I will, but are you sure?”

“I love you Maya Cullen,” he replied emphatically, answering her question.

“I love you, too, Michael Black,” she smiled. Wow, in just a day and a half her world had changed forever. No longer was she looking at a lonely future, suddenly, she was engaged to the man she loved, and carrying his baby. Who knew life could change so dramatically so fast? She couldn't wait to see what their new world had in store for them.

THE END

Billionaire Romance

Dirty Money

Kathleen Hope

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Love and Robotic Unicorns

Chapter 2: The Tech Goddess of Black Earth

Chapter 3: The ‘Work It’ Factor

Chapter 4: Feed Me Fireworks

Chapter 5: Sisters and Stalkers

Chapter 6: An Equal and Opposite Reaction

Chapter 7: Interference In Love

Chapter 8: My Buddy Buzz

Chapter 9: Pack the Handcuffs

Chapter 10: Loneliness Ends

Epilogue