The Road to Price (19 page)

“Are you okay?” he
asked me.

I was going to
lie. I had to lie

“I’m fine. I just
felt dizzy for a second. I, uh, actually already took my pill today. I took it
this morning.” I hoped he couldn’t tell I was lying.

His smile grew
wide as his tongue came out to lick his bottom lip.

“I never thought I
would be so excited to hear about a woman being on the pill. Only a few more
weeks and I can stop wearing those fucking condoms. That night we should have a
celebration and burn the condoms box. What do you think?”

I laughed lightly
at this because he was so happy as I replied, “that sounds perfect.”

We headed to the
limo to go to the hotel in downtown Miami. I thought us driving together was a
bad idea. It might make everyone suspicious if he was seen leaving the limo
with another woman so I offered to stay in the vehicle and enter a few minutes
later.

Sebastian
immediately shot this idea down. We were to pick up Darcy and her assistant at
Sebastian’s condo downtown. The four of us were going to enter the event
together and no one would be the wiser.

Once we had Darcy
and her assistant in the limo we drove to the hotel. The ride only took ten
minutes but it felt like ten hours. I couldn’t stop thinking about my period
being late. Sebastian bringing up the pill earlier affected me more than I
thought.

 This past
week I had no desire to confirm if I was pregnant but now… It was killing me
not knowing. Every second that went by made me more and more anxious. I wasn’t
going to make it through the night.

The four of us
entered the ballroom of the hotel together and then we went our separate ways.
Darcy and her assistant mingled with some men by the bar while I was introduced
to several of Sebastian’s business associates.

Even though he
didn’t introduce me as his girlfriend, he also didn’t try to demean me by
introducing me as anything else. He simply referred to me as Ms. Dechino, with
no other explanation.

Halfway into the
night I couldn’t take the suspense anymore. We were talking with two men from
the law firm that represented Sebastian’s company. We had been standing here
with them for a while when I excused myself to go to the washroom.

Sebastian grabbed
hold of my elbow to get my attention as I started to walk away.

“Everything okay?
Are you still dizzy?” Sebastian asked me. His concern for me made me want to
jump in his arms and never let go. He was the perfect man.

“Everything is
fine. I just need to freshen up.”

He released his
hand from my elbow and with a small smile I walked out of the ballroom.

It took me a few
minutes to find a bathroom but I did find one. I was lucky that very few people
had to use the washroom at this moment.

A few minutes
later I was sitting in the handicap stall, in the nicest hotel in Miami,
staring at the pregnancy test I took.

Pregnant. It was
as clear as day.

I was pregnant.

My emotions were
everywhere but I was forcing myself not to cry. I didn’t want to draw attention
to myself. The last thing I needed was everyone talking about the woman crying
in the handicap stall of the women’s bathroom.

I pulled myself
together and stood up in the stall. I tucked the pregnancy test back in my
purse and walked out of the stall. I approached the sinks against the wall by
the front doors.

On the outside I
looked fine. Not a hair out of place. On the inside, I was dying.

I washed my hands
and took a deep breath before stepping out of the bathroom. I couldn’t stay
here and pretend everything was okay. I was about to have a melt down and I
needed to have it in private. This was Sebastian’s night and I didn’t want to
ruin it.

I spotted Darcy
out the side door of the hotel near the bathrooms. She was having a smoke with
her assistant. I walked over to the doors and stepped through them. Darcy was a
little surprised to see me out there with her.

“Mia! I didn’t
know you smoked. You need a light?” Even Darcy’s tenderness towards me was
making me emotional. The pregnancy hormones must have kicked in.

“Um… no. I
actually don’t smoke.”

“Oh, Okay. Did you
need something?”

I could see the
confusion across her face. She was dumbfounded on why I would be out here with
her if I didn’t need to smoke.

“Yes, actually.
I’m not feeling well so I was going to go back to the estate and lay down. I
didn’t want to disturb Sebastian on his big night so could you make an excuse
for me.”

I hesitated before
I said my next words.

“Don’t tell him I
went home sick or he will just leave to check on me. You can tell him I left at
the end of the night. Let him believe I am still at the party mingling with
guests. Can you do that for me?”

Darcy looked me
over skeptically, “You sure you’re just feeling sick. Nothing else happened did
it? If someone said something to you, you would let me know right?”

Darcy seemed to
honestly be concerned for me. I wanted to ease her concern.

“No, no one said
anything to me. I’m really not feeling well.”

“Okay then take
the Limo. Gary, our driver, will take you home. I'll call him now to bring the
limo around,” Darcy said as she grabbed her cell phone from her purse.

A few minutes
later I was siting comfortably in the back of Sebastian’s limo on my way to his
estate. My mind was racing with all of the possibilities of what I would do. I
knew if told Sebastian I was pregnant, he would want to keep it.

I couldn’t keep
it. I couldn’t raise another baby.

Could I have an
abortion? I knew the answer to this before I finished asking myself it. I
couldn’t… I wouldn’t have an abortion. It was my choice and I knew I couldn’t
do that to my baby.

This left
adoption.

Could I give my
baby up to some stranger? Would I feel okay knowing someone I didn’t know was
raising my son or daughter? I know there are a lot of couples in the world
looking to be parents. I know that most of them would and are great parents but
I couldn’t do that. I wouldn’t risk the possibility of giving my child to the
wrong family.

Sebastian would be
devastated if he knew I gave up our child. We haven’t spoken much about
children, probably because I flipped out on him the one and only time it was
brought up, but I knew him enough to know that he would want this child. He
would want our child.

Maybe Sebastian
could raise the baby on his own. He would be a great father. He would love our
child enough for the both of us. Darcy seemed like a great woman; maybe she
would help Sebastian so the baby would have a mother figure in his or her life.

What was I saying!

If Sebastian
raised the baby that meant we couldn’t be together. I couldn’t give up
Sebastian, could I? I loved him so much. He made me happy. He made me feel
safe. He made me feel loved. No one has made me feel loved the way he has.

The thought of
losing Sebastian made me physically sick. I threw up in the trashcan in the
pack of his limousine. When I finally stopped I realized we were back at the
estate.

This is where I
had my moment of clarity. I was finally seeing straight for the first time
since I entered the limo. I knew what I had to do.

Our baby had to
come first.

I may not want to
raise it or be in its life, but I wanted to protect it. Our baby deserved the
best life possible and I knew there was only one scenario that could make this
happen.

Gary opened the
back door of the limousine for me and I thanked him for giving me a ride to the
estate. I immediately went up to the room I shared with Sebastian. When I
walked in the doorway I paused for a moment to take everything in.

This would be the
last time I stood in this room.

I would never get
to see Sebastian again, talk to Sebastian again, kiss Sebastian again, and…
make love to Sebastian again. These thoughts killed me but I knew it was what
was for the best.

I was leaving
tonight. I would go through this pregnancy alone. I would deal with the next
eight or so months alone. Once I delivered our little boy or girl I would
contact Darcy.

I would let Darcy
know what happened and schedule a meeting with her to give her my baby so that
she could give him or her to Sebastian. Sebastian was the only option for our
child. Sebastian was the best option. He would love his child unconditionally
and that is all a mother could ask for.

If I stayed during
the pregnancy I knew he would change my mind. I would do anything for Sebastian
and he would convince me to keep the baby. He would convince me to raise the
baby with him.

I couldn’t do that
to Miles.

I walked into our
closet to grab the duffle bag I arrived here with a few months ago. I filled it
with the few items of clothes I came here with. I then went to my dresser to
fill it with the few other items I had. I closed up the bag and was ready to
go.

I still had my
dress on from this evening so I slipped it off and laid it out on the bed with
my
Louis Vuitton shoes
. I also left the borrowed necklace I wore tonight
and the diamond stud earrings Sebastian gave me. I wouldn’t feel comfortable
keeping the earrings.

I slipped on jeans
and a t-shirt from my bag. Now I was really to go.

I thought about
leaving a note for him. I wanted to explain to him why I left. I wanted to tell
him how much I loved him, I wanted him to know I would miss him everyday… but I
didn’t.

This was real
life, not some romantic movie. I wasn’t the heroine. I was going to forever be
the girl who left him during one of the biggest night of his career.

I snuck out the
back of the estate and walked around the house looking for a way to leave the
estate without drawing attention to myself.  I didn’t want anyone to see
me leave. They might call Sebastian.

After several
minutes I realized I had only one choice. I was going to have to jump over the
gate. There was a part of the gate that was low enough for me to escape from.
It was about five hundred yards from the security entrance of the estate.

Hoping I wouldn’t
get caught, I threw my bag over the gate. I climbed over the gate next.

Once I was on the
other side, I grabbed my cell phone out and called for a cab.

The cab picked me
up about a mile down the road from Sebastian’s estate. I had no idea where I
was going to go. My car was still on the estate grounds and I couldn’t chance
driving it out of there. I had some money but not a lot.

Leaving me no
other choice, I told the cab driver where to take me.

“Miami
International Airport, please.”

I didn’t sound
confident in my decision on where to go but I knew it was my only option.
Without a car, I didn’t have the freedom to go wherever I wanted to.

“Where you headed
off to,” the driver asked me.

I didn’t want to
answer him. I wanted to stay here and be with Sebastian but I was making the
right decision. I was making the only decision that was right for our baby.

With tears in my
eyes I answered him, “I’m going back home… to Georgia.”

Sebastian

I watched Mia as
she walked away to use the washroom. Something has been off with her all night
but I can’t quite figure out what it is. Maybe she’s just nervous because we
are in such a public place together around all my colleagues.

This night was a
big fucking deal for me. I had been working on this oil contract for the past
several months. Knowing the deal has finally closed is such a relief. This will
free up a lot of my time so that I can spend more time with Mia.

Mia.

She looks so
fucking great in that dress. She looks good in everything she wears. I am so
glad that she started taking her pill today. I can’t wait to claim her as mine…
again.

Don’t get me wrong
because sex with Mia is amazing. I never knew it could feel this great but I
hated having anything between us. She was mine and I wanted her to feel me
inside her. To know, as she went about her day, that a part of me was inside
her.

I know it’s a man
thing, a way to stake our claim but nothing is sexier than knowing that the
woman you love is filled with your cum inside her. The condoms we were using
conflicted with my plan of claiming her body as mine… daily.

I excuse myself
from Jared and Timothy, my lawyers, and start to make my way over to the bar. I
want to have an ice tea waiting for Mia when she gets back. She has been
drinking them all evening.

Unfortunately
everyone seems to want to stop and talk to me about this deal. I understand
their enthusiasm. This deal will make a lot of people a lot of money and
hopefully make life a lot easier for millions of Americans.

I put a smile on
my face when I am talking to the people who stop me. I try to be polite while
keeping the conversations short. The truth is I can’t think about business
right now, not when I know Mia is walking around here looking hotter than fuck.

It feels like it
has taken forever to get over to the bar. I order an ice tea for Mia and a
scotch on the rocks for myself. I look around the room as the bartender makes
our drinks. It’s been close to a half hour since Mia went to the bathroom so I
know she should be around here somewhere.

After looking
around with no success, I grab our drinks. I continue looking for her
throughout the ballroom but she is nowhere to be found. Frustrated, I set our
drinks down on the closest table and head out to the lobby.

Maybe she was
stopped by one of my guests out here.

I don’t see Mia
but Darcy is leaning against the wall next to the washrooms having a
conversation with her father. Maybe Darcy knows where she is?