My back hurt. It had been hurting all day, low in the back between my hips. I decided a hot bath would feel nice, so I started the water and shed my clothing. The tub began to fill, and I began to remember how nice it felt to feel aroused like that. My mind didn’t go where I thought it might, though. Phillip had started the sensations, but it was Derek I wanted.
When the tub was full, I slid beneath the warmth of the water and relaxed, but the urge to touch myself didn’t go away. I tried to fight it, but when I closed my eyes, thinking maybe that would help, all I could do was imagine Derek’s hand dipping into that water and sinking between my legs. My hand instinctively touched, sliding across my clit and feeling the slick lubrication, the slightest difference in viscosity from the water around it.
Once I started, I couldn’t stop. My pussy ached so bad, I needed to come. My bathroom transformed into Derek’s, my fingers into his. I pictured him kneeling there beside that tub, massaging my clit. My body shuddered as I imagined him sinking fingers into me and pushed my own in. His kisses raked over my chest and round stomach, his teeth returning to tease my nipples. I pinched a nipple and rolled it beneath my fingers, simulating the sensation of him sucking and playing with it.
The way I felt, I knew I’d come easily, even without my toys. It had been so long, but I wanted to be filled. Frantically, my eyes searched the area around me. If I climbed out of the bath and dried off just to get my vibrator, I’d lose all this momentum, and I wanted something faster. My eyes locked on a shampoo bottle, round but not too thick. I snatched it without a second thought.
The bottle wasn’t at all like my toy—or Derek’s dick—but it did the trick. With one hand I pushed the bottle into my pussy, and with the other I rubbed my clit in a circular motion. In my head, Derek was in me, pumping his cock as deep as he could. Each time I begged him, “Fuck me deeper,” I forced the bottle in harder. My muscles clenched around it, making it difficult to thrust into myself, and I wondered if when he was fucking me, he had to fight to push into me like that.
The thought tipped me over the edge—Derek’s ass muscles clenching as he drove his hips forward, thrusting his cock into me so deeply it hurt. My body spasmed, the water sloshing a bit as I came. I squeezed that bottle so hard I thought the lid would pop off. My eyes rolled back in my head, and every trace of the imagination I had vanished. I was left with glorious waves of convulsions that made my pussy scream for more.
I slid that bottle in and out of myself, wishing it were him, until my body calmed. Then I let go, relaxing my hands to my sides until the bottle slid out of me on its own and floated to the surface of the bathwater. I laid my head back on the rim of the bath, letting the feeling of relaxation kick in through every fiber of my being. It was incredibly peaceful.
Until my stomach started to hurt.
I rested my hand on my baby bump and felt my entire abdomen rock hard and drawn up. My eyes popped open, and I stared at the solid mass that was my belly. One of the babies squirmed, causing so much pain I thought I’d scream, but the moment passed and my stomach relaxed. I tried to relax again, but I couldn't. I felt crampy. My back hurt worse than ever.
After several more episodes just like that, I decided the bath was not my friend. I climbed out and dried off, leaving the water to drain out. My bed offered me some slight comfort, and eventually, the worst of the cramps went away, but my back never stopped hurting. I vowed to myself that if I woke up during the night in pain or if the cramps returned, I’d call my doctor.
I just wasn’t ready for babies yet. I felt like I needed more time.
CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE
Derek
Rick Sanchez,hospital CEO, sat across from me grinning like a fool. The news couldn’t have been better. A wealthy investor had heard of the hospital’s need for an update in their maternity ward, and after digging, discovered I had been hired as interim director. Said investor had graciously offered to build an entire new mothers birthing center.
“Rick, that’s incredible. Did they say when they will break ground? Out the east side of the building?” I was gobsmacked. After settling into the new job for the past four months or so, I had put a lot of thought into the prospect of doing the same thing. So to see someone believe in this place as much as I did was incredible.
“Yeah, the east side. And they are working with an architect now. If we get approval from the zoning commission, we will break ground in April.” Rick smacked his hands on his lap and stood.
I counted silently the number of months until that date, putting us at five months out. With Christmas only a few weeks away and the weather getting downright frigid, it made sense to wait until spring. I rose with him, thinking I was seeing him out of my office so I could tend to other business. I didn’t realize he had more to say.
“So, would you like to meet him?” If it were possible, Rick’s smile got bigger. I felt like I was looking at the face of a proud father only seconds after his newborn entered the world.
“Wait. What?” My jaw dropped. “He’s here?”
Rick stepped into the concourse, and I followed him toward the elevators. He explained how the investor had gotten the idea months ago and had been in contact with him, and only recently had they finally decided to go ahead. I was amazed. For those same months, I’d done my job as a doctor and as the director. I’d spent time securing an office space for my practice and finding a local OB and CNM to share the space with me.
My days had been spent working hard, networking with other doctors and professionals and building my career—same as the past. My nights, however, had been spent hanging out in grocery stores, the library, cafés, and any other place I thought Maggie might mysteriously appear. I hadn’t seen or heard of her once. I even asked around a bit, but no one had heard of her except for one orderly who had gone to high school with her. I knew more about her recent history than he did.
We stepped onto the elevator, and Rick pushed the button for the third floor, where our conference rooms were. I felt honored to meet the man but a bit nervous at the same time. I knew the hospital was searching for a permanent director, but as the interim director, it was my responsibility to represent the entire health network. That was a huge responsibility.
“He said he’s eager to meet you, even if you will not be taking the position permanently—which I still hope you will.” Rick elbowed me gently then continued. “I’m sure you will get along with him just fine. For the time being, he will work with you and the architects to lay out everything you think the hospital will need for its new wing. The state-of-the-art equipment and all the latest science, all yours to select.” He pushed open the door of the elevator when it went slower than he expected, then stepped out.
“You will have to stay within the budget set by him, but given the numbers he tossed around, I’m certain we can go all out. And” —Rick thrust open the double doors that led to the suite of conference rooms— “best of all, you already know each other, so you should have no trouble feeling very comfortable.”
“Know each other?” I looked at him in confusion then started racking my brain. I didn’t know anyone wealthy enough to donate enough money to build an entire hospital wing except myself. I wasn’t being prideful in my assessment. I just knew my inheritance was quite large, and I knew how much hospitals cost to build or even remodel.
“Go ahead. Room 304.” Rick nodded at the hall and stepped aside.
“You’re not going?” I paused, wondering what the deal was. Rick’s face remained vibrant and smiling. He shook his head.
“No. You don’t need me for this. This is why I hired you. You know what you’re doing. Report to me later this afternoon with some numbers and a plan. We can set an expected timeline once the blueprints are drawn up.”
Rick winked and retreated through the double doors, and I turned to face the hall full of doors. My feet carried me forward, but my chest began to pound. On my own, to meet a donor wealthy enough to give enough money to build an entire hospital wing, as interim director of obstetrics. Never in a million years had I expected to be in this position.
The door was shut, and the light was on. I could see through the small rectangular window, but not enough to view who I was going to meet. My hand trembled on the doorknob. I took a deep breath and turned it, then pushed inward. The door swept open, and the man standing alone next to the conference table turned and smiled at me.