Her Asian Billionaire: A BWAM Pregnancy Love Story (4 page)

"Mama,
I hope you cooked enough for three people because Hayley invited
herself over for dinner," Rosa called out as she followed the
smell of fried chicken towards the kitchen with Hayley behind her.

"Aunt
Joan always has enough food to feed a zoo," Hayley said
cheerfully.

"Girls,"
Joan said in delight as she wiped her hands on her apron and came
forward to hug them. The small compact kitchen was warm and welcoming
coming out of the cold and smelled of fried chicken and sweet potato
pie. "How nice to see both of you, this must be my early
Christmas present." Rosa had placed a bag of groceries on the
kitchen counter and returned her mother's hug.

Joan
Hurley was small and neat and looked nothing like her daughter who
had taken her looks and height from her father.

"Hi
Auntie Joan, your cooking smells scrumptious as usual," Hayley
gave the woman who had been like a mother to a quick hug before going
over to steal a drumstick.

"You
never change girl," Joan shook her head with a fond smile. "Go
ahead and set the table while I finish up here," she waved them
away.

Before
long, they were seated around the small dining table with the food
spread out in front of them. It was not all the time she got company
and when she did she went all out.

"So
how has that young man of yours been treating you?" Joan
directed her question towards Hayley as the girl scooped collared
green onto her plate.

"Very
well thanks Auntie," Hayley told her. "We are trying to
plan a date for the wedding but his company is sending him overseas
for some training."

"I
hope it will be soon my dear," Joan turned to her daughter. "So
how is it going with your young man?"

"We
are not quite there yet Mama," Rosa bit into her chicken with
relish. Her mother made the best fried chicken she had ever tasted.
"We are taking it one step at a time."

"He's
quite taken with her," Hayley said; giving her friend a
painstaking look. "He has to be pressuring her to go out on
dates with him."

"That's
not true, we went to the movies a week ago," Rosa protested."And
we are going out Friday night. He is taking me to a fancy
restaurant."

"That's
great honey!" Hayley said enthusiastically. "Things are
looking up."

"When
am I going to meet him?" her mother asked with a smile.

"Baby
steps, mama," Rosa reminded her. "In due time."

They
finished eating and then volunteered for clean up, insisting that
Joan sit and relax while they worked.

They had
coffee and the sweet potato pie while Hayley regaled them with story
of what was happening at the store she managed.

Rosa
felt herself relaxing as she listened to her mother and her best
friend talk and laugh; letting the conversation flow around her. John
had been calling her every day, finding out if she was doing okay and
how her day went. She loved talking to him and found that the more
they talked, the closer she felt to him.

He had
wanted to see her before Friday but no matter how much she had tried
to shift around her schedule she could not make it work. Even though
the weather was cold, people seemed to be choosing the restaurant as
a place to hang out and eat.

They had
finally settled on Friday night and she had asked her assistant to
cover for her as she would be leaving work at six.

They
left her mother's house at nine and promised to come by again around
Saturday. Hayley dropped her off at her apartment and Rosa went
inside to try and clean up her apartment. She never got a lot of time
to clean up and even though she was going in at noon tomorrow she was
too wired to go to sleep.

She had
been so busy over the past years that she had had no time to feel
lonely. But now since she had met John she realized she had been
missing the companionship that came with having a relationship. She
wanted that but she was also afraid of what it entailed, she did not
want what a relationship brings to get in the way of her owning her
own restaurant, she'd had that dream for too long now to let anything
get in the way but she also knew she needed someone in her life. She
was tentatively hoping it would be John.

*****

She had
finally settled on an old black dress she'd had in her closet for
ages and she had all but forgotten about it. It was probably out of
style but a friend had told her a long time ago that little black
dresses do not go out of style, they are revitalized, whether that
was true or not Rosa did not know. It smelled slightly of moth balls
and Rosa wrinkled her nose uncertainly. She had bathed and had put on
what little make up she allowed herself in the bathroom and had
pulled the curls and brushed her hair and piled it on top of her head
with the help of styling gel and with a glance at her bedroom clock
she realized that it was almost seven. With a sudden decision she
decided to spray some perfume over it.

She was
ready by the time he got there and had managed to teem the dress with
a black and gold scarf she had found when she rummaged in one of her
drawers. It was amazing what the scarf had done for the dress and
Rosa took her coat from the hanger as soon as the doorbell rang.

His eyes
widened as he saw how different she looked. Her small dainty ears had
some big round hoops, big enough to go on his wrist and the way she
did her hair highlighted her high cheekbones. She was stunning.

“I
am going to be the envy of every man in the restaurant tonight,”
he murmured as he took her hand in his and they headed towards the
car.

“And
I am sure I am going to have to fight off the women tonight as soon
as we get there,” she teased. He was looking quite handsome in
a blue silk shirt and a charcoal jacket suit. The shirt was opened
slightly at the neck and Rosa caught a glimpse of the hollow of his
throat.

“They
will be fighting a losing battle because the only woman I need is
right here,” he told her softly as he made sure she was seated
in the passenger side before going to the driver’s seat. He was
doing it again. She thought, her hands trembling slightly as she
tried to secure her seat belt, making her feel things she had thought
was dormant.

“So
how are you?” he asked her as soon as he had put the car into
drive.

“I
am great,” she told him settling back against the soft leather
upholstery with a sigh. “It was not very busy today so I did
not have to run around like I am crazy, trying to sort things out.”

“You
need pampering and I want to be the one to do that,” he told
her in a matter of fact voice, glancing at her briefly before
returning his eyes to the road.

Rosa
felt her heart slowly picking up the pace but she allowed reality to
settle it down. “ I am a grown woman John and I certainly do
not need a man to pamper me.”

They had
arrived at the restaurant by then. He leaned forward and for one
panic moment Rosa thought he was going to kiss her but all he did was
release her seatbelt from its latch, she caught a whiff of some
expensive scent he had on. His nearness managed to fluster her so bad
that she felt a tremor going through her body.

“We
all need pampering at one time or another in our lives Rosa, no
matter how grown up we are,” his deep voice had dropped a
decibel and his mouth was very near to hers, so much so that she
could feel the stirring of his breath.

His
mouth came down slowly, his tongue touching her bottom lip softly.
“You have a very beautiful mouth,” he murmured. She had
parted her lips slightly in anticipation. “So full and moist,
just waiting for me to taste and savor.” He was too close, she
thought breathlessly. “May I?” he whispered, holding her
eyes with his. She nodded slowly and without a word he took her lips
with his, his tongue meeting hers as he explored her mouth. He
swallowed her moan and Rosa found her arms reaching up and digging
into his soft black hair as he pressed her back against the seat. She
felt her nipples hardening and aching for his touch; he did not
hurry, and he took his time, slowly pulling her out so that she was
practically whimpering as he moved his lips over hers gently. He
pulled away from her suddenly, his breathing harsh as he laid his
head back against the head rest fighting for control. Rosa felt
bereft but at the same time a little relieved. If he continued for
much longer she would have disgraced herself by begging him to take
her. She had never felt feeling that powerful before that threatened
to engulf her. She needed time to process it. He turned suddenly and
reached over to her and she shrank back, not sure she was able to
take another minute of him touching her. “I am just fixing your
dress,” he told her huskily and Rosa realized to her
mortification that her dress was leaning drunkenly off her shoulders,
almost revealing her still painfully hard nipples.

“When
we make love Rosa, it won’t be in a space like this,” he
told her huskily. “It will be in a space large enough for me to
explore every inch of your beautiful body.” Before she could
formulate a response, he had opened the door and got out of the car
and had come around to her side to help her out.

He gave
the valet the key to park the car and took her arm as they made their
way into the restaurant. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves
and stop the shivering still invading her body as they stepped inside
the soft ambiance. The place was dimly lit, so much so that a waiter
carrying a lantern had to escort them to their seats. There was a
single candle on their table and the soft music playing over the
speaker was not intrusive.

“What
is this place?” Rosa whispered, it was unlike any other eating
establishment she had ever been and she had been to quite a few,
scouting for new ideas for when she opened her own restaurant.

“It's
called ‘Quiet Ambience’ and it's well known for its
privacy and the discreet way each person is dealt with,” John
whispered back. As a matter of fact people have been known to have
sex right where they are sitting,” he added with a straight
face.

“You
are lying!” Rosa said her eyes round.

“Maybe,”
he said with a grin. “But don’t you agree that it’s
possible?”

“You
are awful,” Rosa gasped, choking back a laugh. “I can
barely make out anyone here,” she said, peering into the dim
light to try and see what was happening.

“That’s
the idea,” he told her. The waiter came over to take their
orders and poured the wine John had ordered.

He told
her about his travels to Europe and the Caribbean and the summers he
had spent in China as a child. “My parents wanted me to stay in
China and grow up there with my grandparents, but I begged them to
let me stay in America. They agreed reluctantly under one condition,
I had to maintain my average in high school and college or there
would be no questions asked, I would be shipped off to China.”

“They
sound very strict,” Rosa said sympathetically as she spooned
the delicious creamy pumpkin broth into her mouth.

“I
guess they have their reasons,” he told her with a shrug. “They
hate the American culture that allows children to do whatever they
want and they believe in a child being a child. They brought me up
the way their parents brought them up and they refuse to accept a
different lifestyle. They made their fortune in import and export and
still do not believe in living lavishly.” He shook his head.

“My
mom and dad brought me up to appreciate life and what was given to
me. I was told time and again to give thanks for what has been
provided and never envy another person for what they have because in
due time if I am to have my own I will.” Rosa said with a
reminiscent smile. “There was not a lot of money in my house
but there was tons of love and I will be forever grateful for that. I
was brought up to have respect for people. One day I shouted at my
mother for something I don’t remember right now and I got a
paddling from my dad. He explained I should never shout at her or
anyone again,” she grinned, her white teeth flashing as John
laughed softly at the image of her getting a beaten. “My behind
was sore for a week!”

“My
parents never spanked, they just gave me one look and that was enough
to get me so terrified I would not repeat the action, they do not put
up with indiscipline and made sure I knew that and respected their
authority.”

The main
course was brought out and to her surprise it dawned on her what the
person running the restaurant had achieved. It was like they were the
only two people in the entire place. They were shrouded in a kind of
privacy that left them feeling as if they could do anything and there
was no one watching, it was a brilliant idea. The feeling of intimacy
surrounded them like a partition and Rosa shook her head at the
ingenuity of the idea. “I like this place,” she said
softly as she cut into the most tender roast beef she had ever had,
the meat melted inside her mouth and she tried to identify the
different herbs and spices the chef had put into it.

“I
knew you would,” John said in amusement. “You are
probably making mental notes as to what you should do when you get
your own restaurant.”

“You
are starting to know me too well,” Rosa said flashing him a
smile.

“I
want to get to know you better,” he murmured, leaning forward
to use a napkin to wipe some gravy off her lip. “I wanted to
lick it off but I might start something I cannot control.”

“You
have to stop,” she whispered achingly, the napkin was still
hovering near her mouth and his words were making her weak in the
knees.

“I
already told you I cannot do that,” he murmured, leaning over
to taste her lips, pulling in her full bottom lip and nibbling it
with his teeth. The sensation ran through her body like a sharp iron
and Rosa moaned. She wanted him so bad she was trembling with the
need rushing through her. What was he doing to her? She felt his hand
reach under the table and drift up her thigh. She had worn leggings
to ward off the cold but his hand felt like a hot poker on her as he
reached further and further up to cup her. “So warm,” he
breathed against her mouth. “I want to touch you, to feel you,
to slide my fingers in and work my way up to your core.” His
words had a potent effect on her and he slipped his hand inside her
leggings, pulling the fabric down so that he could feel her. His
finger touched the bud of her womanhood and rubbed it gently before
slipping a finger into her wetness.