Her Lover's Face | Sample Only

Chapter One

"Huh, what?" She bolted straight up in bed, nearly smacking her head on the overhead lamp. The phone rang again, startling her. "Get a grip, Laryssa. You brought the phone in last night." She reached out and grabbed the phone off the night stand.

"Hello?"

"Laryssa, where are you?" a voice shrilled in her ear.

"What? Oh, Melissa?" She shook her head to clear away the cobwebs, as she let her legs dangle over the side of the bed.

"Of course it's me. Have you looked at the time?" Melissa's voice lowered to a whisper, "The meeting is in 40 minutes."

"You've got to be kidding me." She turned the clock on the nightstand; it read 9:30 am. "Peachy. I'll be right there."

Placing the phone on the bed, she stood up quickly and experienced a sudden bout of nausea, which had her rushing to the bathroom. Not again, would this never end? Every morning she found herself with her head in the toilet. The only bad thing, this time, was she couldn't jump in the shower to refresh herself. Slowly standing back up, she went to the sink and splashed cold water on her face. Exhaustion evident by the dark bags under her eyes; which was, she guessed, how she ended up sleeping through the alarm.

Laryssa rushed through her bathroom routine, and then hurried back into the bedroom. She grabbed the red three-piece suit which hung in her closet and stared at it before putting it on. This was the first maternity suit she'd treated herself to. She'd bought it the day the doctor told her she was going to have twins. The revelation of that was still enough to dazzle her senses. She had finally accepted she would be a single working mother with one baby. The thought of having two frightened her. How would she cope when she could barely afford to feed herself? Even though weeks have passed since the doctor gave her the news, she still felt overwhelmed at times.

Quickly grabbing a bagel, Laryssa rushed out the door; it wasn't the most nutritious of meals, but she couldn't afford to be late and lose her job. She had to work full-time just to make ends meet. The days following Aidan's death had been agonizing. The lawyers informed her that she'd been left with nothing. He never had a cent to his name. Since the death had been his fault the insurance company didn't have to pay her anything either. All his debt and bills had fallen squarely on her shoulders. She could barely pay the mortgage, as it was, with her semi-decent administrative assistant wages, let alone all the other bills that plagued her.

She'd thought about selling the house, but with being pregnant and working full-time, who had the time to get it ready? As it was, the doctors told her she needed to rest as much as possible. If she could afford it, she'd pay someone to help her, but whatever money she received disappeared as quickly as it arrived. It was times like this she longed for her parents. Unshed tears burned in her eyes. Get over it, Laryssa.

She slid into the driver's seat, started the car, and executed a perfect u-turn to get going in the right direction. She was glad she took the advice of her friend, Melissa, and applied for a job a month ago. The job helped her re-gain, not only her independence, but her life as well; a life that didn't include him. Well, almost. His face still haunted her, not only in her dreams, but during her waking moments as well.

With only five minutes to spare, she pulled into the parking lot of Richards Enterprises. Wasting no time, she hurried inside and skidded to a halt. It couldn't be possible, could it? A man, who looked frighteningly familiar, stood in the elevator across the lobby. She rushed to the elevator before the doors closed and squeezed inside, keeping her eyes trained on the floor. Her heart pounding like a runaway freight train. Willing herself, she looked up at the man who stood beside her. Her stomach twisted and cramped as though someone punched her. The ground opened up and she lost her balance, bumping into him. She reached for the hand rest on the side of the elevator as it ascended.