MADDIE POV
My heels clicked on the carpeted floor of Justin's office as I walked down the hall towards Mario's desk. Unlike usual, Mario wasn't busily working, or sorting through paper, or typing frantically on his computer. He was face-down, snoring and slobbering on a bunch of files.
I tried not to laugh, but he really did look a mess-like he had been in that same exact spot all night. Since it was noon, I figured he must have gotten in really early. Justin usually made Mario come in right around the same time he did. I'm sureJustin would have a fit if he saw him in such a state of unprofessionalism.
"Mario." I tapped his head. He didn't move. "Mario!"
He shot straight up in his chair and snorted awake with a piece of paper stuck to his mouth. "Oh, shit."
"You looked peaceful." I rested my elbows on the tall desk. "Sorry I woke you."
"Please don't tell Mr. Bieber." He started to panic. "I didn't mean to sleep, but I just got out so late last night and then this morning...I didn't mean to; I swear."
"Calm down. I'm not going to tell him anything." I went around the desk and took his crinkled up jacket from behind his chair. "Get this dry cleaned before you come in tomorrow. Justin will kill you if he sees you looking like this."
"I really didn't mean to fall asleep." He got up, re-tucking in his shirt. "He's going to fire me."
"So say something."
Mario was a really good kid. The only reason Justin pushed so hard was because he saw his potential. He always told me that Mario's brain was too good to waste. He had to be productive at all hours of the day and in ten years or so, he would be some kind of super genius if Justin trained him right.
Mario's eyes grew to an unhealthy size. "I can't say anything. He would kill me or worse...fire me."
"I'm going to tell you something." I leaned in and whispered, "Justin needs you just as much as you need him."
"I don't think so. Mr. Bieber is like a legend." Mario shook his head. "A million people would kill for this job."
"And you're doing it wonderfully. Just get more sleep." I handed him back his jacket.
"Thank you." He smiled at me. "You're very nice to me."
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"I don't know. I just never thought Mr. Bieber's wife would be so...sociable."
"Justin is too; he just doesn't like to show it."
"I remember when you got arrested. Professor Nardi was my literature teacher, and he used to always talk about you. He said you were really smart."
I felt my blush heat up my cheeks. "I liked that class."
"Well, thank you for waking me up. I have so much work to do." He started to stack up some of the papers that had fallen off his desk.
"Have you eaten lunch?"
"No time for lunch." Mario carried files as he scurried away down the hall.
As I walked through the office, I noticed that everyone had that drawn-out, exhausted look to them. It wasn't healthy.
I arrived at Jane's desk. She was on the phone, which seemed to always be attached to her ear. She smiled at me and quickly hung up.
"Hi, Maddie."
"Hi, Jane. How are you?"
"Good. Lots of work to do today. Justin came in on a rampage this morning about how the company's stock went down in the Japanese markets last night. He has the staff on rotation. Half of them are here now and then the other half come in at night."
I sighed. "He's making everyone suffer because he's suffering. He won't see a doctor, he hasn't made an appointment with his therapist, and he's always on edge."
"Well, I would be too if I were him. He's got a baby to look out for now." She bit her lip, trying not to smile too wide. "We're all so excited. And he is too. I can tell."
"I wish he would talk to me about it."
"He hasn't said anything?"
I shook my head. "Not really. I think he's happy about it, but every time I try to bring up the baby, he changes the subject. I don't know what that means."
"Well, he talks to me about it."
"Really? What does he say?" I asked, eager to hear something about the topic.
"He's really stressed, as you could imagine. He freaks out if you get a paper cut and now you're just super fragile. He's trying to let you live your life, but he's worried about you...especially after last time."
"I figured as much."
"Did you know he pulled the connecting lines from your carbonator last week? That's why it hasn't been working."
"Yeah, I found them in his sock drawer. I let the driver take me everywhere now so I don't have to argue with Justin about it."
"He just needs to sort it out, but he's so busy."
Suddenly, the phone rang.
"Ah, it's your wonderful husband." Jane pushed a button on the screen of her computer.
"Jane, I need you to go into my office and find my silver cufflinks. I know I had them when I left the house. Maddie put them right next to my watch."
She held up said cufflinks in her hand and shook her head at me. "You took them off to fix your shirt this morning and then got that call from the Mayor so were distracted. You left without them."
"And you didn't tell me? What kind of secretary are you?"
"The one who knows that theses cufflinks didn't even go with that suit you had on. I saved you."
"I have impeccable fashion sense."
I laughed behind my hand, trying to disguise my presence. Of course, he heard me.
"Is that Maddie? It sounded like Maddie. Maddie, are you there?"
"No," Jane snapped. "Pay attention to your lunch meeting. You have to be back here in an hour for a conference call to Japan."
She hung up the phone without another word.
"You're the only one who can talk to him like that," I said.
"Because I'm his work wife. He hired me to be a hardass. Whenever I let him get away with things, he scolds me."
"Well, keep it up. Can I go in?"
"Sure, Lydia's waiting for you."
"Perfect."
"Bye, Baby Justin." She waved at my stomach. "See you soon."
Everyone in the family was doing that these days.
Today was a good day on the pregnancy scale. I only threw up once, and it didn't even hurt. I ate a sensible and healthy breakfast. I snacked on a rice cake for lunch and was supposed to meet Justin for dinner before going to work. I even walked to the fucking treadmill in the basement since Jaxon said I was getting fat. I almost cried when he said that. I blamed it on hormones.
I had only gained about five pounds so far. Olivia assured me she couldn't tell. I did see a more defined bump this morning in the mirror, so I guessed that was good. It meant that the baby was growing. I never got to see a bump with Elizabeth.
All-in-all, it was a wonderful start to my day.
I walked into Justin's large, vacant office, which looked pristine. Nothing was out of order-not a sheet of paper, or pen, or chair. The TV on the wall was on and playing the news. Justin always kept the news playing.
I sat behind his desk and the computer screens immediately came on, sensing someone. There were four of them, spread out over the table. A bright blue design started to swirl across the monitors like it was possessed.
"Madeleine Bieber," I spoke and the computers identified my voice.
"Welcome back, Mrs. Bieber," a sweet, feminine tone replied.
"Hello, Lydia."
"I trust you're having a wonderful day."
"I am, thank you."
Lydia was the coolest thing I had ever seen in my life. She was a voice activated, automatic computer that didn't even have a keyboard. She could hold conversations and do whatever you wanted just by talking. Justin loved her. We also had one at the house, and they were supposed to be incredibly secure. I didn't even think the government had the technology to break into this.
A lot of different things started to pop up on the screens.
"What can I do for you today?" Lydia asked.
"I need to schedule some appointments for Justin. Can you find some space for them within the next couple of days?"
A calendar appeared and it was filled with small notes of appointments or meetings. I honestly didn't know how Justin slept.
"We have a few spaces open early tomorrow..." she started to say, but then stopped. "No, my mistake. Jane just booked that hour."
"Well, you'll have to cancel something. He needs to meet with his doctor for a physical plus a therapy appointment as soon as possible."
"About the baby?"
"He told you?" I sputtered. "Has he talked to everyone about it but me?"
"He's just worried, Mrs. Bieber."
"Well, make him those two appointments." I crossed my arms.
"I'm canceling a breakfast tomorrow with the Congressman for this."
"There will be many more breakfasts, Lydia."
"Anything else, Mrs. Bieber?"
"No. Thank you."
Lydia went back to sleeping or whatever the hell she did. Justin chose that exact moment to waltz into his office. He looked exhausted, but anyone else wouldn't ever know. He hid it very well. His black-rimmed glasses sat on his nose, and I had a sneaking suspicion that he might have had bourbon for lunch. Not healthy. My pregnancy nose could smell it from a mile away.
"You're still here?" He let out a seemingly happy sigh, coming over to kiss me.
"Yes. I had some time to kill before dinner."
"We have a couple hours, actually." He checked his watch.
"I didn't want to sit in the house any longer. I can go if you're busy."
"Um, well I am busy, but do you promise to let me work?" He grinned.
"Yes, sir." I got up from his chair and went to sit on the couch. Maybe I could take a nap.
"How are you feeling today?" Justin asked.
"We had a good morning. No excessive vomit or tiredness."
He let out an exhale of relief. "Good. When is your next appointment?"
"In a couple of weeks." I laid my head down on the sofa and stretched out. "I'm going to sleep so I don't bother you."
"You never bother me."
Justin was being especially sweet today-almost too sweet. He was about to do or say something that I wasn't going to like.
"How is your day going?" I asked.
"Okay, I guess."
"I heard you were pissed this morning about something."
"I'm always pissed when I lose money," he replied coldly.
"For a man who has so much of it, what's a meager million dollars?"
"I can't believe you just asked that. It's like you don't know me at all." He feigned shock. "My time is very precious and I use it for two things: you and money. Soon I'll have to make room for a baby."
"I feel so honored." I rolled my eyes, even though they were closed.
"Maddie, I thought you weren't going to distract me." Justin's voice was suddenly closer and I could smell his scent above me.
"I'm just sitting here, minding my own business..." I was cut off by lips-searing lips that caused me to moan immediately. It was kind of pathetic at how easily I melted at just his touch or a stare.
"As much as I would like to climb on top of you right now, I have work to get done," he said lowly. "You and the baby need to rest."
"That we do." I tilted my head up, capturing his lips with mine again. I couldn't help it. "But I don't want to sleep anymore."
"You're so naughty these days." He chuckled.
"Hormones," I answered.
Our perfectly sexual moment was cut off by the phone. It shrilled on his desk like it needed all the attention in the world.
"Damn," Justin huffed and left me alone on the couch.
I didn't think I was that tired, but I obviously was. I don't really remember much after that until I was being shaken awake.
"Maddie," Justin said quietly, "Maddie, wake up. We have dinner reservations."
"Oh." I tried to roll over and being the clumsy fool that I was, almost fell off of the couch. Thankfully, Justin caught me.
"We're going to have to work on that." He sat me up on the sofa.
"I can't help it."
"You can walk a mile in heels, but fall off a couch if I blow on you too hard."
"That sounded dirty." I giggled, still in a drunken slumber.
"Go freshen up." He laughed. "We're almost late."
"Okay, okay. I'm going." I stood up and wobbled slightly. Justin held onto me on the way to the bathroom that was connected to his office. "I'm fine. I can walk."
"I'm afraid to let go of you."
"Give me five minutes." I closed to the door. I really had to pee. My bladder was always filled these days. I brushed my teeth and made sure my makeup wasn't messy before walking back out.
Justin was on the phone, looking out of the large window, shouting and getting very red. I had no idea who he was talking about, but whoever it was should be scared.
"Listen to me, you little shit, I'm about to go on a trip and I need that information immediately...No, I don't care about the cost...Get me what I need or there will be hell to pay. Do I make myself clear?" Justin hung up the phone and ran a hand through his hair.
He must not have known I was behind him, because he jumped a little when I cleared my throat.
"Oh, are you ready to go?" he asked, regaining composure.
I nodded, putting on my shoes. "You're going on a trip?"
"What?" Justin put on his sunglasses.
"You're going on a trip?"
"No." He shook his head and kept his hand on the small of my back on our way out of the door. "Jane, we're going to dinner. If you're not here when we get back, make sure I have those reports on my desk."
"Jaxon and I are going out as well, but you'll have your reports." she replied without raising her head.
On our way down to the first floor on the elevator, Justin didn't even turn his head towards me. Of course, his eyes were covered so I couldn't search for answers in them, but I wasn't letting up.
"On the phone, you said you were going on a trip."
"You must have misheard me," he countered.
"Don't lie to me, Justin."
"Alright, fine. I didn't want to tell you because I'm not sure if I'm even going. I could send Keegan if I wanted to stay home."
"Okay, that's a start. Is this a legitimate thing?"
"Yes. I need to go to Tokyo for a few things. It's nothing mafia related, but it would be for about a week."
"Tokyo for a week!" I said louder than I meant to. I calmed down quickly. "Wow. That's a long time."
"I know and I didn't want you to unnecessarily worry."
"I'm not worrying." I shook my head quickly.
"Yes, you are. The doctor said you shouldn't be...especially after last time. We can't take any chances. I don't want you to know about the work I do when it's nothing you need to be concerned about." He wrapped an arm around me, bringing my body close to his.
"Alright," I agreed, "but you're being safe, right?"
"Yes. That I can promise you."
"Then the secrets are fine."
"They aren't secrets. I'm just protecting you."
I didn't get a chance to say anything back because the elevator doors opened and we strode out onto the marble floor of the lobby. There were greetings from secretaries and security staff-none of which Justin acknowledged. He owned the whole building so everyone knew him. I tried to at least wave to everyone so they didn't think we were total jackasses, but Justin pretended like no one existed but us.
There was a black Aston Martin with dark tinted windows waiting for us on the curb. A sandy-blonde haired man held the door open with a smile. "Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Bieber."
"Hello, William," I replied. "How's the new baby?"
"Wonderful. She's so adorable." He beamed.
"And this is your third?"
"Yes, ma'am." His smile was so big, it looked like it hurt. I hoped Justin would smile that way about our baby, "She's the most precious thing in the world."
"I'm happy for you two."
"And how are you doing today?" He motioned to my stomach.
"Fine, thank you."
"We're all very excited for you two. Maybe yours and mine can get have a play date one day."
"Well, it's nice to know my baby already has friends."
"Of course, ma'am."
I slid into the backseat. Justin didn't follow me immediately. I heard him accost William. "You've been driving me around for a while now. Since when have I ever given you permission to talk anything but business with me, let alone my wife?"
"I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again." William's voice was professional and remorseful. "I was just answering her questions."
"I don't care if she asked you to carry her through fire. You check with me first."
"Yes, sir."
Justin ducked his head and situated himself in the car next to me. The door shut.
"You didn't have to be so mean," I whispered.
"That's the second time I've had to say something to him. His father drove me to high school every morning. I would hate to fire him over simple instructions."
"I'll have to send his wife flowers in congratulations. We pregnant women have to stick together."
"She was pregnant," Justin told me.
"Same thing." I shrugged. I knew he didn't want me having conversations with people who worked for us, and I understood that, but I could at least say "hi" once and awhile.
The drive to the restaurant was tense. William was trying to stay in line, and Justin was starring daggers at him. I could feel his anger rolling off of him. I took his hand and he let up slightly, but still seemed pissed. In Justin's mind, he had to keep a clear line between "us" and "them". The sad thing was I understood the theory. Does that make me a bad person? Stuck-up? Pretentious?
We pulled up to the front of the restaurant and William came to open the door. My hand stayed in Justin's as we climbed out of the car.
"Thank you. You can pick us up in about an hour. Maddie needs to get to work," Justin said to him.
"No problem, sir." William bowed his head. "Have a wonderful dinner."
"I'll send flowers," I whispered, not so quietly. William smirked at me and nodded.
Justin led me inside and we were ushered up the stairs to a private dining room by a confident hostess. She swayed her hips and puckered her lips, trying to show off what she had to offer.
The room was minimalistic with its earthy tones and fine dinnerware. There were a couple private rooms on the second floor, and Justin made sure we had one tucked away at the end of a long hall. He pulled out my chair and I sat down, trying not to jostle the table.
"My name is Melony and I'll be your waitress for the night. Can I get you two anything to drink?" she asked.
"I'll have a glass of Pinot Grigio," Justin said sternly, not looking at her. "What would you like, sweetheart?"
"We'll both have water. Don't bring the wine." I told the waitress.
She stood, looking between the both of us.
"You can't have it with your medicine." I dug through my purse and pulled out his anti-anxiety pills. He hadn't been taking them regularly because he seemed calm, but I could tell he needed help. His cold tone and demeanor with everyone was getting to be too much.
Justin grumbled, "Waters will be fine."
"Would you like to start off with something?" She smiled. "We have a wonderful spicy and sweet carrot soup that you might like, Justin."
Justin?
"My name is Mr. Bieber," he seethed. "And no. Just our drinks for right now."
The waitress kind of did an awkward curtsey before leaving the room, shutting the door behind her.
I looked at him suspiciously."That was strange."
"Yes, I know." He took his pills from me and downed two of them. "Do you really think I need to be taking these and why exactly do you have them?"
"I always have a stash somewhere on me. You're lucky I don't carry a tranquilizer around and your attitude is so snippy these days."
"With everyone except you. I make sure to save my good side for you." Justin grinned. "Because I love you."
I squinted at him.
The waitress returned with our drinks. "Anything else?"
"We'll have the salads and two orders of the short ribs. One without the wine sauce," Justin said mechanically.
She nodded. "Of course, sir."
"What is going on?" I asked when she left the room.
"I think I've slept with her before." He bit his lip.
"You think?" My whole body heated up in anger.
"I did," he corrected himself. "A long time ago."
"I'm really getting tired of this. They're everywhere."
There was a knock on the door, and a burly man with red hair stuck his head in. "I was just coming to introduce myself. I'm the manager of this restaurant. Is there anything I can get for you two?"
"Actually, yes." I turned to him. "Our waitress' name is Melony. Can you have her fired?"
His mouth dropped in surprise. "I'm...not sure I can do that. Is there a complaint, Mrs. Bieber?"
"Yes, I don't like her," I said and crossed my hands on the table. "She needs to be fired."
"Thank you for stopping by. Everything is fine," Justin assured him, chuckling.
The manager left without another word.
"Who has the bad attitude now?" Justin asked me.
"Why is it that everywhere we go, another one of your whores is right around the corner?"
"I've had a lot of experience." He shrugged. "I can't apologize for my past."
"Well, make sure they know that you're off the market."
"I'm pretty sure they do by now. You're very scary when you want to be." He placed his hand over my clenched fists, "I wear the wedding band that you gave me. Don't forget that."
"Don't touch me," I snapped. "If I could drink, I would right now."
"Too bad." He chuckled again. I think he found it amusing at how ticked off I got these days. It happened a lot, and most of the time I was back to normal within a couple of minutes. He knew not to take any of my crazy thoughts seriously. This whore situation, though, was something I would probably always be dealing with. They were everywhere. I knew Justin would never do anything, like cheat on me, but I still didn't like it.
"I have no more relations with any of the women of my past. If I see them, I turn my head."
"You better." I took my napkin and roughly put it in my lap.
"And what about you? I see the way men look at you and it takes all I can not to kill them on them on the streets." He argued.
"Out of the two of us, I'm not the one who cheated. Lest we forget that faithful Christmas vacation you took to the Bahamas."
"Are we going to bring that up again?" Justin was playing with my anger. He could tell that none of this would matter once the food got here. I would be too preoccupied.
"I just want to remind you."
He held up is hand in front of my face so that I could see the gold band around his ring finger, "I'm locked down for life."
That made me smile.
"You've tamed the beast." Justin leaned across the table, begging for a kiss. I gave him one.
Melony was replaced by a more docile male waiter who brought our salads. After my anger washed away with the coming of food, Justin and I were able to converse normally.
"This looks really good," I moaned in anticipation. "I didn't realize how hungry I was."
"I hear pregnancy does that to you."
"I'm surprised I haven't devoured it all yet." I licked my lips.
Justin took the beets from my plate and put them on his, while I stole most of his croutons.
"You left some." He pointed around his plate in disgust, "Hurry before them mix with the rest of the salad."
"I can't reach those."
He picked out the rest and placed them on my plate. "Extra carbs will be the death of me. I've gained five pounds since being back in Chicago. I can't afford anymore."
"Don't get me started on weight."
"You're supposed to gain weight. I need to go running and get my exercise schedule back."
"Well, take Jaxon with you. He has too much energy these days."
"Agreed."
Justin was chill and relaxed with me. No one was around to trigger his mood swings, and I didn't have to worry about him upsetting any of the restaurant staff.
"This is so good." I ate a piece of the short rib from dinner. "Why haven't I had this before?"
"I don't like coming here a lot."
"Why? It's nice."
"They always get my order wrong." He picked up an onion from his plate, pushing it aside.
"I don't recall you giving specifics."
"They should just know."
"Ah, I see," I responded.
During dinner, Justin's phone would vibrate violently. If it was a call, he ignored it, but he always replied to texts or emails.
"I really wish I could turn this thing off," he complained.
"Why don't you?"
"Do you know how much money I make a minute?" he asked without looking at me, his attention still on his phone.
"A lot?"
"Yeah...a lot. I can't just disregard my work." Justin placed his phone on the table next to his plate. "I don't mean to ignore you."
"No, it's not bothering me. I'm just worried that you work too much."
"Always worrying when you shouldn't," he sighed.
"Money isn't everything, Justin. And it's not like you actually contribute to society at all."
"Did you know that Ben&Jerry's donates five percent of their profits each year to charities?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Well, I figured during your pregnancy, I will be donating five percent of my wealth to Ben&Jerry's. It all works out."
Damn him. Now I wanted ice cream...really bad.
"I want to live in your head," I said. "It must be fascinating."
"You have no idea."
_____________________________________________________________________________
It was late Saturday night and thankfully, Justin took my advice and stayed at home. The phone was turned off, Lydia stayed asleep, and work was all but forgotten.
We had spent all day in bed, talking, watching TV, or just napping. I was trying to get his blood pressure down. My plan was fatally flawed when I woke up with Justin's mouth doing delicious things to my body. I was defenseless and let him have his way with me...over and over and over again.
Justin was currently resting on his stomach, his arms wrapped around his pillow. I hadn't seen him look this peaceful in a long time. I drew circles on his back.
I kissed the large tattoo over his right shoulder, "When are you going to get another one of these?" I asked.
"Why? You like them?"
"I didn't use to in high school. Jimmy had one and I hated it. But...I like yours."
"I don't want to talk about your ex-boyfriend right now."
"In any case, I find your tattoos very sexy." I kissed it again.
"I'll get another one when the baby is born. Once we figure out a name." He said nonchalantly.
My heart fluttered a little, "Have you thought of any names."
He shook his head, "Not yet."
And then, like always, he changed the subject.
"Maddie, I have something to tell you."
"You do? And what might that be?"
"Remember yesterday when I told you that I needed to make a trip to Tokyo?"
"Yes, for business."
"Right. Well, those plans have been changed recently."
"So you're not going anywhere?" I asked hopefully.
"Unfortunately, no." He opened his eyes. "I'll be going to Spain for two weeks. I'm leaving on Monday."
"What?" I almost fell out of bed. "On Monday?"
"Calm down." He wrapped his long arm around my naked body.
"No, I will not calm down. That's so long." I tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but he wouldn't let me go.
"If you'd shut up, I could ask you if you'd want to come along."
I stopped moving. "Come along...to Spain?"
He nodded. "I really only need to be there for a week so that I can get my business done, but I have a free week and since I owe you a honeymoon, I thought we could do it right."
"In Spain?" I repeated like a broken record.
"Yes, Maddie. Am I not explaining myself thoroughly?"
"No, no. You just took me off guard." I sat up against the headboard. "I would love to go, but it's so soon. I have to work and I have a doctor's appointment and I'm supposed to help Olivia with her charity benefit thing she's doing..."
"Maddie, stop it," Justin commanded sternly. "That's too much on your plate and I won't have you working so hard."
"My life can't stop just because I'm pregnant."
"I forbid it." His lips went into a tight line.
"You forbid it?"
"Yes. Unless you take this trip with me. I'm just asking for a week."
I sighed, thinking of any way out of work. I had just started and it wasn't like I could ask for a whole week off because of a vacation.
"I want this to be just the two of us, but unfortunately Keegan, Finn, and Jaxon have to come with me. I'm sure the girls will want to tag along. I know it's not much of a vacation, but we can get away." Justin started to trail his fingers up my leg. "Please, Maddie. Come with me."
"I want to." My body, on its own volition, sunk down the headboard until I was lyingon the bed. His hand went higher, distracting me. It was now between my thighs and creating pulses of pleasure that radiated over my legs.
"I can call your boss and ask him to let you have the week off."
"You're not my father, Justin. You don't have to do that," I breathed when his hand reached the Promised Land. My bare pussy was waiting to be played with, and Justin knew it.
"I just need to make one call and it's done. Please, Maddie." His voice was low and sensual in my ear with his pleading. He kissed my neck, his hand cupped my center; his hard body pressed me into the mattress. I was in heaven. "One call."
"Okay," I whimpered when he entered a finger into me. "I'll go with you."
"Thank you," he whispered.
Needless to say, it didn't take very long for me to be convinced that I had to go on this trip or suffer more sexual torture.
After I was exhausted to the point of no return, I lay on my back and stared up at the ceiling.
"We leave in two days." Justin hopped off of the bed giddily. "I knew you'd say yes."
"You tricked me with your Svengali-like magic."
"Or your willpower is just incredibly low." He smirked his way out of the door, in nothing but boxers. "I have a few accommodations to make."
"No working!" I shouted when he went into the hallway.
"Yes, ma'am."
I lied in bed for a good half hour, trying to calm my sexual nerves. I didn't know if pregnancy was supposed to release new endorphins or something, but pregnant sex was the best kind. I didn't know how to describe it. I just knew that I wouldn't be able to just have normal sex again.
There was a knock on the door that brought me back to the present. "Uh, Maddie, I know you two are having a good time in there, but I was wondering if I could trouble you for some food." Jaxon's voice sounded so small.
"Go make a sandwich."
"I would, but there's absolutely no food in this house. I could order a pizza."
"No. I'll go to the store." I looked at the clock. It was nine at night, but thankfully, the fresh market was open twenty-four hours. I climbed out of bed and started to get dressed. I decided on simple jeans and tee-shirt. It was too late to dress up in anything else.
"Maddie, I can just order something. Don't worry yourself," Jaxon said.
"You and Justin don't need to be eating that kind of garbage," I replied, but now that I thought about it, a pizza did sound nice. "Plus, I need to pick up a few things."
"It's so late at night."
"I'm leaving in half an hour. Go see what we need."
"Alright," he said through the door.
I checked with Justin to see if he wanted anything. He was on the phone, so I didn't even think he heard me say I was leaving. Even though I told him not to work, his face was red in anger as he shouted to someone. All he ever did nowadays was shout. It wasn't healthy.
I left the house with a short list of things that I needed to get and took one of Justin's nicer cars. Since he broke mine, I had to use something. I chose the black Bugatti Veyron, which probably wasn't the best idea since Justin hadn't even driven it himself. He just polished the thing for hours on end. It was sleek, beautiful, and fast; Italian engineering at its best.
I was out of the driveway and tried not to blast through the streets, but it was hard to stay under the speed limit in a car like this. I arrived at the fresh market entirely too fast, but it was fun while it lasted.
I sat in the car after turning it off because my phone had been buzzing since I put it in my pocket. Of course, Jusitn knew his prized possession was missing and told me so over some very heated voicemails.
"Madeleine Bieber, if you don't bring my car home right this instant, I might just lock you out of the house! I mean it, Maddie!"
That was one of the more tame ones. I left my phone in the car so I wouldn't be tempted to pick up if he called while I shopped. I was in big trouble, but a marriage is about compromise. I agreed to go on this vacation with him, so I think I had the right to use the car.
I found an empty cart and claimed it as my own. You'd be surprised at how many people shopped late at night and some of these old women got feisty if you took their carts. As I was pushing into the store, I accidently bumped into a group of men standing outside, smoking.
"Oh, sorry about that," I apologized. "I wasn't watching where I was going."
"It's no problem," one of the men said. He looked really sick with pale skin and shaking hands, trying to take drags of his cigarette. The other three in his group looked the same. They couldn't have been older than sixteen at the most.
"Is that your car?" another of the guys asked, nodding to my parking spot.
"Uh, my husband's," I replied awkwardly. I didn't really want to strike up a conversation with them.
"That's a sweet ride."
"I'll be sure to let him know you think so."
All the guys nodded and took pulls of their cigarettes at the same time.
"Sorry again," I said and pushed past them, through the sliding glass doors.
The grocery store wasn't massive, but happened to be very popular. Even on regular Saturday nights like this, there were about twenty people milling around, which was a lot for a place this size. They specialized in fresh, organic food, and I made it a point to shop here more. My family needed all the help they could get. I didn't think I'd ever seen Jaxon eat a vegetable voluntarily.
I leisurely perused through the aisles, ignoring the list in my pocket and just picking up things I saw. I was in the middle of examining apples when I heard the sound that I had become so accustomed to in the past couple of years.
A barrage of bullets left a gun from the front of the store. It sounded like a semi-automatic; maybe an Army tactical rifle or some kind of hunting firearm.
My body immediately hit the floor as a reflex. There were a lot of screams from shoppers, and I was suddenly on high alert. My eyes honed for anything sign of danger, my heartbeat sped up to a rapid pace, my head started to pound, and my breathing came out in harsh rasps.
I cowered behind a canned soup display at the end of the aisle. Thankfully, I was in the back of the store and tried not to make a sound.
"This is a stickup!" a voice came over the intercom. "I need everyone to make their way to the back of the store."
A few more gunshots scared the shit out of me, and I bit my lip to stop myself from crying.
Why did you leave your fucking phone in the car?
There was a lot of movement, and some people came near me since I was in a corner. No one dared speak or breathe, for that matter.
A man appeared, showing off his large weapon, and I recognized him as the one who complimented my car outside.
"I need everyone's wallets, jewelry, and phones!" he commanded. "Now!"
People started to slide things over to him, and he gathered it all up in a plastic bag.
"What's going to happen to us, Mommy?" a boy asked next to me. He was in the arms of his mother.
"I don't know, honey. Everything's going to be all right."
I realized that I had more than myself to care for. I was carrying a child. I brought my feet up to protect my stomach, thankful that I wore a big shirt. I didn't want this crazy person knowing I was pregnant. Then I started to think about all the things that I hadn't done yet. My parents didn't even know I was having their grandchild yet. I wanted to wait a little longer to tell them.
Please, God, don't have me die like this. Not yet.
"No one make a sound," the man said harshly.
A group of older ladies kept on whispering to each other and huddled together.
"I said, no talking!" The guy with the gun ran over and pulled one of them away, dragging her across the tiled floor. She screamed for him to let her go, but he didn't and threw her down an aisle where another man with a firearm was waiting to take her. She disappeared after that.
"If I hear another word out of any of you, I'll kill you." He came back over to us. His hands were still shaking, making the gun rattle as well. There was nothing worse than a guy who can't hold a gun straight. That makes it infinitely more dangerous. His voice was strong, but falsely so. He didn't have any confidence, and I guessed he was some kind of lackey to his stupid friends.
"What are you going to do to us?" the boy next to me asked him boldly. "When can we leave?"
"Not for a long time, kid. You all just became ransom. I'm sorry." His eyes looked like he was really trying to apologize, but the gun in his hand said otherwise. "All you can do now is sit and wait." He pointed the gun straight at me, daring anyone to say anything.
I was now very, very, very scared.