Ripe: A Stepbrother Pregnancy Romance (18 page)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Jesse rounded the corner into the kitchen and found Elise struggling to regain her composure near the sink. “Elise…I never said I thought what you do is easy,” he whispered, coming up behind her.

“Right.” Elise glanced back at him and wiped her eyes with a rag. “What would you know? It’s not like you lived it.”

“And you’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”

“Give me one good reason why I should.”

Jesse backed Elise into a corner without a word. Their breathing was rapid and shallow as they stared each other down in a silent standoff.

Elise's eyes wandered down to Jesse's lips. The dull thump of her heartbeat was the only thing that kept her from doing something she’d later regret.

Jesse, however, wasn’t quite as coy. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answers to,” he warned.

Elise flinched when his warm breath grazed her neck. “You don’t
have
an answer.”

“Yeah, well, you wouldn’t be satisfied even if I did. I know you, princess. Don’t forget that. You and I both know that this blind hatred you have for me is the only thing that keeps you going. “

“Go fuck yourself.”

“Ladies first.”

“You’re right, I do
hate
you,” Elise spat. She knew how immature it sounded, but it still felt damn good to say it.

“Yeah, well, I’m not too fond of you right now either.”

Elise became ultra aware of the fact that Jesse’s face was just a few inches away from her own. She moved her hands to push him away, but he grabbed hold of her wrists before she could.

Elise's lips were parted and her blouse was slightly askew, giving him a fleeting glimpse of her cleavage. All Jesse could think about in that moment was kissing her. He gave into his desires when he saw her glance at his mouth a second time, but she turned away from him as soon as his face closed in on her own.

“Don’t,” Elise whispered, struggling against him.

Elise's movements might have convinced Jesse to back off, but something in her voice pleaded for him to keep going. He pressed himself against her insistently, forcing his warm mouth down upon hers. Their lips locked with such tenacity that she struggled to remain upright, but her body betrayed her almost immediately. Her fists no longer made a convincing effort at pummeling his chest, and eventually, she softened, moaning into him as his tongue cascade over her teeth and into her mouth.

Elise mimicked each one of Jesse’s gestures. When he let go of her wrists long enough to rip open her blouse, he wasn’t surprised to find her nipples standing to full attention before him. He pinched each one before dipping his fingers down between her legs, groaning at the familiar warmth he found between them.

Elise freed Jesse’s stiff erection from the confines of his pants. A mere touch from her was all it took to send intense shockwaves catapulting throughout his body. He devoured her mouth like a wild animal in heat, using his fingers to penetrate her long-neglected slit.

Jesse had just about reached the point of no return when Elise began to claw at his shoulders, as clear a sign as any that she was in dyer need of a release. He dropped to his knees and buried his face against her womanhood, pulling back only to force her down into his lap.

Elise was addicted to the all too familiar pain of being filled to full capacity by Jesse. It propelled every thrust of her hips as she rode him. He watched her writhe and moan above him as he spread her buttocks, inserting his finger deep into her hole. It was an action that resulted in her tumultuous orgasm, which catapulted her into far more forceful thrusts.

Elise awoke the following morning to an empty bed. She didn’t remember setting her alarm, but its blaring beep alerted her of the time nonetheless. After slamming down on the snooze button, she buried her face in her pillows and tried her best to comprehend whether or not she had dreamt up the previous nights events.

Elise pulled herself out of bed after a few seconds of self-loathing and shuffled towards the kitchen. She spotted her discarded bra on the tile as soon as she entered, and her heart raced.

It was still racing when she arrived at work.

Elise had no idea what her next encounter would be like with Jesse, but she tried her best not to focus on it. She pulled on her headset and connected her first call, but when she noticed Robert coming her way, she became immediately distracted.

“Elise, may I have a moment with you?” Robert questioned, motioning towards the empty break room.

Through the slightly ajar door, Elise noticed the Chairman of the board and two of the other men who’d been present at the meeting the other day. Excited butterflies immediately surfaced in her stomach. She was sure Jesse had put in a good word in regards to her transfer.

“Please have a seat,” Robert said, pointing to an empty chair at the end of the table.

Elise was a little confused by how formal he was being, but she figured it was just protocol.

“Elise, let me just start this meeting out by saying that you’re one of our top client care reps, and an overall exemplary employee. Prior to this incident, we saw you as a top candidate to make the move into our new case scouting department,” the Chairman stated, looking more than a little uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry…prior to what?” Elise questioned, glancing over at Robert for an explanation.

“Elise,” one of the other men spoke up. Elise vaguely recognized him as a representative from HR. “As you may or may not know, Stone has a strict policy against family members working at the same firm. We consider it to be a conflict of interest.”

“Okay…” Elise trailed off, still not following.

“With that said, I regret to inform you that we will have to be denying your application. We also have to request that you either transfer to one of our other firms or agree to accept a small severance package.”

“Wait, there has to be some mistake,” Elise insisted. “I don’t have any family members who work here!”

“Unfortunately, Elise, our policy also extends to two individuals who have a child together,” the Chairman spoke up, getting right to the point. “You and our CEO, Mr. Jesse Stone, do have a son together, correct?”

Elise’s heart raced and her entire body tensed.

Jesse had screwed her.

Again.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“I don’t have anything left, Deanna,” Elise sobbed, wiping her nose with her sleeve. “He took everything from me just like I told you he would. He’s nothing but a plague, and all you kept telling me was that I was wrong!”

Deanna pushed a box of tissues across the table towards her friend. She was an emotional wreck, not to mention barely understandable as she tried to explain what had happened through a sea of tears.

“I can’t believe it,” Deanna said, shaking her head in disbelief. “What does he have to say about all of this?”

“I don’t know and I don’t care. I don’t ever want to see his smug face again, let alone talk to him.”

The day had begun so simply. The very last thing Elise expected after the intense night she’d shared with Jesse was to lose her job, but she should have known better. She’d let her guard down, and like the snake he always was, he’d slithered in to bite her right when she was most vulnerable.

“Elise, something isn’t right here, I’m telling you. This whole thing sounds illegal to me, not just unethical. They can’t terminate your employment just because you and Jesse have a child together.”

“Well, technically they didn’t.” Elise sighed and wiped away her tears with a tissue. “They gave me an option. I can either accept a severance package that equates to about two months pay, or I can get transferred to one of their other firms.”

“Oh,” Deanna said, perking up some. “Well that’s not the worst outcome in the world, is it?”

Elise laughed. “They offered me a position in upstate New York, and oh yeah, I have to cover my own moving expenses. In what world can I afford that? They might as well have fired me.”

“Why New York? I thought Stone was this massive player in the malpractice industry. They really don’t have any other firms in Maryland?”

Elise shook her head. “Trust me, I asked, but they don’t. It’s the whole reason they’re fine-tuning their firm here. The closest one they can transfer me to is in Albany.”

Elise’s situation was bleak, but Deanna couldn’t help but wonder what Jesse’s side of the story was. Elise was firm in her belief that he’d orchestrated this entire fiasco, but Deanna didn’t think he could be that cruel. Then again, maybe he really did just have her fooled.

“I have no idea what I’m going to do. I guess I’ll have to call my dad and ask him if I can come home. I really don’t want to do that…but what other choice do I have?”

“Come on, Elise,” Deanna reassured her, rubbing her arm. “You know he’d help. You just have to stop being so stubborn and let him.”

“Yeah, but he’s just going to lecture me on Jesse, and moving here, and every other decision I’ve ever made, and I’m really not in the mood for that.” Elise shook her head, changing her mind about the idea entirely. “No, you know what, he’s not an option. The last time I saw my dad, he made it very clear that he wasn’t in me and Isaiah’s corner.”

Deanna refrained from asking Elise what she was going to do once she left for Italy. It was painfully obvious that she had no idea, and the last thing she wanted to do was sprinkle salt on an open wound. “Elise, I’m sorry,” she said instead. “I really am.”

Elise nodded and exhaled a deep breath. She appreciated getting the chance to vent, but she knew she had to get home and start making preparations for her and Isaiah’s future. As she got up to leave, she saw Jesse’s reflection through the kitchen window and immediately tensed up.

“Please get rid of him,” Elise said, turning to Deanna. “I can’t see him right now.”

Deanna felt her blood pressure spike as she opened her front door to greet Jesse before he could climb the steps. “You have a lot of nerve coming here,” she noted, crossing her arms.

“Deanna, please,” Jesse said, sounding out of breath. “I need to speak to Elise. I’ve been looking for her all day. I have to talk to her. It’s important.”

“Yeah, well, she doesn’t want to talk to you.”

“Please,” Jesse begged, taking another step forward. “I need her to know that I didn’t have anything to do with this.”

“Save it. Everything was going perfectly fine for her until you showed up. What are you going to do? Tell her that it’s her fault you turned her entire world upside down?”

“Of course not!” Jesse’s brows furrowed the way they always did when he was irritated. “Deanna, please–”

“Don’t!” Deanna tore into him. “You’ve said enough.”

“Please,” Jesse begged. “There has to be something I can do to make this right.”

“Actually, yeah, there is. How about you do us all a favor and leave again?

“How can you think that this is what I wanted?” Jesse paused and cleared his throat, nodding at the door. “How can she think that I would do that to her? To Isaiah?”

Deanna frowned and turned to look over her shoulder, where she saw Elise standing in the hallway. She was concealed from Jesse’s view but hearing every word.

“Just leave,” Deanna prompted, stepping back inside and attempting to shut the door.

“Wait!” Jesse pressed his way through and entered the house. When he saw Elise, he rushed towards her, but she moved away from him just as quickly.