Page 75 of The Seven Month Itch
I let out a long breath and wipe my eyes. “Hey, little one. Time to surprise Daddy.” I call Emma and let her know I’m coming early.
Chapter 36
Justice
“Get in, bitch.”
Emma’s white Mercedes pulls up to the curb. She loves crowded places, but for me they’re up there with an annual Pap smear during that time of the month. She still threatened to cut me when I offered to catch a Lyft.
I put my bags in her trunk and get a big hug after I hop into the passenger seat. She readjusts her rearview mirror before we speed off.
“How was your flight?”
Morning sickness is awful, but you can’t know I’m pregnant yet.“It wasn’t bad. Sorry you waited longer than expected. Baggage claim is an eternal pain.”
California sun bursts through the clouds with a vengeance. I say a silent prayer of thanks that the only threat I have to deal with is solar retinopathy and not upchucking my airplane snack.The last thing I need is to spray my best friend’s fancy car with vomit. The top is down. You get the rest.
“How long do I have before you leave me for Terrence?” I catch a glimpse of her smile.
“Aww. Don’t tell me you’re jealous, Em.” I reach to grab her cheek for a squeeze she loves to hate. “He has a business dinner tonight and will get in late, so you have me for the whole day. I went through all of my emails and calls before I boarded the plane. I’m all yours.”
The side of her lip curls. She signals to take the 405. “Well, if you want to surprise your man, you’ll need more than the Target panties you packed. Let’s look through some new pieces at the studio before lunch.”
It takes twenty minutes for us to reach her company’s office in the Pacific Palisades. Her hips sway in a tight red dress to the rhythm of her gold pumps gliding across the marble floor. She signals for me to follow her through a series of double doors that lead down a hall with a photo shoot in progress.
“This way.”
The room is dark except for a white light illuminating the silhouette of a seminude model with her legs in the air. She’s on a fancy chaise lounge wearing sky-high heels dipped in crystals that sparkle like a disco ball. A futureVoguecover in the making.
Emma walks to the photographer and kisses him on each cheek. They exchange quick pleasantries before he turns back to the model in the sheer bodysuit. Em motions to a rack of lingerie at the side of the room. The hangers are satin, so I know the bras and panties cost more than my mortgage. “These came in from Italy. Find your size, and take what you want.”
I stare at her like she asked me to steal the Hope Diamond and stuff it in my bra. “I don’t know, Em. This isreallyexpensive. I don’t want to get you in trouble.”
She pauses for a beat and levels me with a glare. “Sweetie, I don’t know what they do at your company, but when you’re the boss, you act like one. I scored a ten-million-dollar deal last week. I wish someone would flip out over some panties. Now, enjoy.”
The next forty-five minutes are a blur. My search for the perfect outfit somehow morphed into me in front of the camera in a black lace teddy. It’s backless, does little to cover my breasts, and has a huge slit from the cleavage down to the thigh. Emma stepped in and out to take calls and broke the sound barrier when her eyes scanned me from head to toe. One twirl led to a sultry shoot at her request. Tommaso, the photographer, snaps away with Italian commentary I don’t understand. I knowbellameans beautiful, a word he says a lot, but that’s all I got.
A sexy boudoir shoot at five weeks pregnant? When in Rome, or Los Angeles in this case.
“We’ll print these in black and white,” Emma says. “I’ll frame them in gold and ship them to your house.” Her eyes go back to the monitor. “These are exquisite, Jay.”
The hair and makeup team touched me up. My look is still natural, except for the heavy liner around my eyes. Damn, I do look good. This Justice needs to come out more often.
“I aim to please,” I say with a wink.
“As you should. Come on.” She takes my arm in hers. “Let’s get lunch.”
Chapter 37
Terrence
The levels of boredom one reaches in a meeting that could’ve been an email are endless. Here I am, on meeting number five of the day, in a fight to stay awake while someone reads out a slideshow presentation like we’re in elementary school. When we set this up, I thought it was to discuss any potential issues and next steps since I received said presentation weeks ago. Is this why I came to California and left my wife at home?
I sit up straight and rest my head in my hand, keeping it upright so I don’t fall out of my seat. It’s not that I’m ungrateful for the opportunity to have meetings about the training facility. They’re just way too long.
Another ninety minutes pass before the presenter starts to wrap up. He’s in the middle of recommending the next steps when a text from Justice comes in.
Sweet, merciful Jesus.
