Chapter 3 2 страница

“The thought of that makes me retch,” Kylie said, wrinkling her nose. “I’ll never use your bathroom again.”

“He’s been properly chastised,” Blair assured her. “He’s been banished to the guest bath.”

"Uhm … isn't that the bathroom I use when I visit?"

Blair nodded, trying to hide her smirk. “Better go at home."

"I think I will. So, how are things at home?”

Blair shrugged and said, “David's doing his best, so I’m trying to be patient with him. He’s clueless about pregnancy in general, and I have to explain every little thing. If I didn't know how bright he was, I would think I’d married a moron! Plus, my mood is all over the place. I'm either the happiest woman on earth, or I snap at him for tiny things. I’m really trying not to, but sometimes I can’t control myself. I don’t want to be one of those wives who bitches her husband out about everything, but I can see how you might get into that habit during pregnancy. Sometimes I feel like I’ve got a baby inside of me and another one sitting in a chair in the living room.

“What do you need from him? Is there anything I can do?”

Blair smiled and reached across the desk to pat her friend's arm. “No, it’s pretty husbandy stuff. For example, I’d like it if he’d make dinner, so I didn't have to smell it. But his response is that we should get carryouts."

Frowning, Kylie said, "Maybe he doesn't want to cook after a long day at the office."

"You're right, he doesn't," Blair agreed, "but I don’t want to eat pizza and burgers and all of that junk food. I'm not asking for a lot — I just want some wild rice or pasta or a baked potato. Nothing fancy.”

Giving her a very serious look, Kylie asked, “Are you eating right? ‘Cause if you’re not, I’m going to start bringing you dinner every night.”

“I think I am. I’m eating yogurt and fresh and dried fruits and some raw carrots during the day just to keep a little something in my stomach. Then I have starches and grains in the evening. I get sick in the evening more than the morning, and having a plain baked potato or something like that helps. Then I munch on dry cereal if I need something before bed.”

“That sounds okay if it’s all you can manage. You'll be fine if you just eat cereal for a few weeks, but you'd better be taking your pregnancy vitamins if you're not getting a balanced diet."

"Pregnancy vitamins," Blair scoffed. "Who invented those horse pills? They're huge!"

"I know, but you need some of those vitamins at this stage of your pregnancy. It's also a good idea to try to work in a little protein. Can you handle some cheese and crackers?”

“Maybe,” she said. “But cheese doesn’t sound very good these days.”

“Keep tinkering, Blair. I think you're doing pretty well for a woman who's having morning sickness.”

“Thanks for caring,” Blair said quietly.

Something about her tone made Kylie ask, “Do you think that David doesn’t care?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m sure that he does. He just isn’t showing it as much as I want him to. He never asks me what I’m eating.” She smiled wistfully and said, “I had this fantasy about how involved he’d be, and it’s not turning out that way. He doesn’t even get out of his chair when I’m in the bathroom retching my guts out. If I'm loud enough, he looks up from what he’s reading and asks, ‘You all right?’”

“Maybe he’s just not that kinda guy,” Kylie offered. “Some people are better at comforting than others.”

“But he used to be good at it,” Blair said. “That’s what has me stumped."

“You both have a lot of adjustments to make,” Kylie said, “but I’m concerned about you. When does he come home?”

“Friday.”

“Okay, for the next three nights, I’m either making dinner at your house, or you’re coming to mine. I’m confident I can tempt your tender taste buds.”

“Kylie, you don’t have to do that,” she said, making a face.

“I know I don’t. I want to. I have to make sure Baby Spencer has nice strong bones so we can play on my swing set together. I have completely selfish motives.”

“Don’t you have plans?”

“Just for Thursday. Nick and I are going to the symphony. But we don’t leave until 7:30, so I have plenty of time to get you fed.”

“Okay, I know when I’m beat. My house tonight?”

“It’s a deal. Just clean the bathroom sink before I get there — twice!”

„G

Late Friday afternoon, Blair came into the house not long after David had arrived. She was pleased to have him dash out of the bedroom clad only in his shirt and loosened tie, pants and jacket missing. “Is that you, baby?”

“Yeah,” she said, trying to sound perky. “Welcome home.”

He caught her as she was coming down the hall. While folding her into a hearty embrace, he kissed her head repeatedly. “I missed you so much. I was dreaming about you on the flight home.”

“Were you really?” she asked, delighted by his affection and interest.

“Sure was. In my dream, you were wearing fishnet stockings and a black bustier. Really hot,” he growled, wrestling with her a little.

“I don’t think I have a bustier. You didn’t buy me one at the airport, did you?” she asked, leaning back in David’s arms and tapping his chin with her finger.

“No, they don’t have those at the airport news stands. You have that black satin tank-toppy thing with the thong …”

“Eww, honey, that would look downright nasty. The tank top fits too snugly, and I’m completely losing my waist. The thong might still work, though. Wanna try it?”

As she spoke, his smile dimmed and changed until it began to look forced. “Sure. That’d be fun. Let’s go out and have some dinner first, though. I’m really famished.”

She started to ask why his obvious ardor had cooled so quickly, but she decided to let it pass, hoping she could tempt him after dinner.

They settled on a small restaurant close to their house. Livorno had a few outside tables tucked up onto a still-sunny deck, and they were there early enough to find one. To Blair’s delight, a helping of mashed potatoes went down and stayed down, and she was able to eat several bites from David’s roast chicken.

They talked about his trip and the weather in Cleveland and how nice his hotel had been. She told him about having Kylie come over to cook for her and a few details of the house she was in the process of listing. It felt good to have things be so normal, and she felt remarkably happy that David was home. After dinner they walked all the way to the ocean ¾ a distance of almost two miles ¾ while he told her of his travel plans for the remainder of the summer. They caught the sun just disappearing before turning for home.

On the way, Blair held onto David’s arm with both her hands, leaning against his shoulder. "I'm so happy to have you home. Actually, I'm just plain happy."

"I'm happy, too," he said, smiling at her. He stopped and placed a tender kiss on her lips, then said, "Let's go to bed and have a little welcome home party."

She looked at him for a moment, a smile on her face. “I don’t know … only non-smokers can party with me.”

“I don’t know if I’m a non-smoker,” he said. “That sounds like a permanent kinda thing. But I didn’t smoke when I was away. Not even one,” he said, waving a solo finger at her.

“Oh, sweetie, I’m so proud of you.” She hugged him tightly. “This means a lot to me, David. I know how hard this is for you.”

“Oh, I think it’s easier to quit smoking than it is to have to throw up half the day. I’m getting off easy.”

“Speaking of easy, I think you could have me tonight — if you wanted to,” she said, giving him her most overly dramatic sexy look.

“Let’s go,” he said, his smile bright. “I’ve missed you, and I can’t wait to see you naked. Very naked.”

"Sounds good to me. As usual, I'm as horny as a toad."

"You say that like it's a bad thing. I say, the more the better."

"Ooo … that's not gonna be true when it comes to buying new clothes." She made a face and said, "I did some window shopping online, and the things I'm gonna have to buy are just hideous! The thought of wearing those massive pregnancy panties turns my stomach. It's gonna be tough for you, Mr. Sexy Lingerie."

He just nodded, his attention fixed upon a house that was being renovated. When are you ever gonna learn that men don't care about clothes? You're wasting your time trying to get him to care about the yucky things you have to buy — especially when his inner construction worker gets tweaked.

When they arrived home, she was so tired, she could hardly put one foot in front of the other. He helped her get undressed and stood behind her, holding her up while she brushed her teeth and muttered how she hated being so tired. Tucking her into bed, he bent to kiss her, and she mumbled, “We didn’t get to play dress up.”

“No rush,” he said, smoothing her hair. “Plenty of time for that.”

She fell asleep as if she’d been clubbed, her last thoughts how patient and loving David had been, and how much she'd missed him.

„G

The next morning, David was up two hours before she was, and when she finally forced her eyes open, she called out, “David? Can you get me some Cheerios?”

“Sure, honey. Milk and sugar?”

“No. Just the box, please. I don’t even need a spoon.” He came into the bedroom wearing only a pair of briefs, carrying a box of Frosted Cheerios. “I need the plain ones, babe,” she said as patiently as possible. “Those are yours.”

“Oh.” He looked from her to the box, saying, “You sure you want the plain ones? These are really good.”

“I’m sure. Can you shake a leg, please? I can’t sit up until I have something to eat, David, and I’m about to wet the bed.”

He shrugged and went to get the proper box, returning with it moments later. Sitting next to her on the bed, he said, “I never thought you were going to get up. I was forced to make myself breakfast. I tried to make eggs like you do, but the first one had something weird sticking out of the yolk. Kinda like a tiny beak or something … honey? Are you okay?” he called to her fleeing form.

„G

She’d had to vomit into the wastebasket, since she knew she’d pee all over the floor if she delayed another second. Putting the plastic receptacle outside the door, she called out, “David, come get the wastebasket and throw it away, will you, please?” and closed the door again. She got into the shower and spent ten full minutes reminding herself that just because he wasn’t sensitive to her dietary phobias, didn’t mean that he was the spawn of Satan. Coming back into the bedroom, she saw him sitting on the bed, looking guilty. “Uhm … it was stupid to talk about the beaky eggs, wasn't it?”

With her eyes nearly popping from her head, she cried, “Don’t you dare do that again!” She grabbed the Cheerios box and started shoveling handfuls of the cereal into her mouth. After getting enough in to calm the storm in her stomach, she sat down next to him. “Have you ever had a really horrid hangover?”

“Yeah, sure. Dozens of ‘em.”

“What’s the worst one you ever had, and what were you drinking?”

“Senior year. Spring break. Rum punch,” he said, grimacing in memory.

“Have you had rum since?”

“Nope. Never will, either. The mere thought of it …” He nodded, getting her point.

“When my stomach's upset — which is most of the time ¾ almost any food is my equivalent of rum. I’m sorry to be such a baby, but this isn’t fun for me, either. It should pass within a month or so, but these next weeks are going to be challenging, and I need some help from you.”

“Okay,” he said, nodding soberly. “What can I do?”

“You can be in charge of dinner. If you don’t do it, Kylie will, and I don’t think you want that.”

“No,” he said, laughing. “I’d rather be alone with you in the evening. But I’m such a lousy cook, baby. Doesn’t it make more sense to get carry outs?”

“Yes, it makes sense, but, no, I don’t want that. You can bring home carry outs for yourself, David, but I need something blander than that most of the time. All I need for you to do is throw a package of wild rice in some boiling water, or stick a potato in the microwave. You don’t have to do a thing to it — just put it on a plate. I know it sounds crazy, but I can't be around food while it’s cooking.”

“But nobody wants to eat that,” he argued. “Don’t you need me to do something fancy to it? You used to make potatoes with that gooey cheese ¾” He clapped his hand over his mouth. “Shit, I almost did it again, didn’t I?” he asked when he saw her widening eyes.

“You were on the edge of the cliff,” she said, gobbling another scoop of cereal.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I don’t mean to be an idiot, but I don’t get sick very often, and I forget what it’s like.”

“I know,” she said, stroking his leg. “I know you’re trying to be supportive.”

“I need some remedial training,” he said, smiling at her. “Treat me like a dog that you’re trying to teach a new trick. Repetition is the key.”

“Damn,” she yawned, “I haven’t been up for an hour, and I need a nap. I'm gonna brush my teeth, pee an ounce and go back to sleep." When she was finished, she lay down, and he lay next to her, letting her cuddle up to his chest. “Just a quick nap,” she mumbled. “Don’t let me sleep all day.”

“Okay,” he said, kissing her forehead. “I promise.”

„G

She opened her eyes and blinked for a moment, then smiled when she saw David gazing at her. "You're so pretty when you sleep," he said. His fingers trailed along her cheek, then followed the planes of her face. "So pretty."

"C'mere, you handsome thing," she said. He placed a hand next to each of her shoulders and braced himself on his hands. They kissed for a long time, each of them trying to crank the heat up slowly. "I love Saturdays," she murmured.

He swept her hair away from her face and kissed her again. "Me, too. No rush, neither of us in a hurry to get up. Very, very nice."

Their eyes met, and she gazed at him for a long time. He looked at her with a question in his eyes, and she nodded slightly. His dark, soulful eyes blinked slowly, and she tilted her chin to be able to kiss his enviably long, black eyelashes. The late morning sun burnished his skin with golden hues, highlighting his olive coloring. She kissed the tip of his nose, thanking her lucky stars that he had inherited his father's straight, nicely shaped one. His eyes were deep set, and she liked to tickle around them with the tip of her tongue. The tiny cleft in his chin got the same attention, and he pulled back and smiled at her. "Love me?"

"Oh, yeah," she sighed. "I love you every day, but I love you best of all on the weekends. You're … more you when you haven't been at work."

"More me, huh? How would you like all of me … right now?"

"I can handle you, big talker. Let's see what you've got."

"Just lie there and let me have fun," he said. He started to undress her, rolling her onto one side and then the other. When he had her naked, he took his own clothes off, then put her on her side and got behind her. He lavished attention on her body, kissing her from the back of her neck all the way down her legs. "God, you've got a beautiful body," he mumbled. He continued to kiss and nibble on her pale skin, trying to elicit the soft moans that she always uttered when he hit a sensitive spot.

"Come inside me," she said. "I'm so ready for you."

He was more than ready and urged her onto her belly. She gasped in surprise when he pushed one of her legs up and went into her from the rear. "Mmm … nice," she purred after a few seconds. "You've been watching porn in your hotel again, haven't you?"

"Nope." He latched onto her neck, sucked in a bit of skin and bit lightly. "Don't need porn. Just need you."

„G

The following Thursday, Nick wasn’t able to make one of his regular Philharmonic dates with Kylie, so Blair stood in for him. “If I can swing it, I’d love to go with you guys next year,” she said as they traveled down the Santa Monica freeway in Kylie’s surprisingly ancient Honda Civic.

“Swing it?”

“Yeah. I’m not sure how we’ll handle babysitting duties.”

“If you’d don't mind a piece of unsolicited advice, it's important to do things that you like once the baby's here. It’s a big mistake to let him or her be the sole focus of your life.”

“I know that — conceptually at least. I’m just not sure how willing David is going to be to change his habits.” She stretched a bit within the confines of her seat belt and said, “Oh, well, we can afford a babysitter."

Kylie shot her a look. “You seem down today. Feeling puny?”

“No, I feel fine. I’m … I … oh, never mind. I’m sure you’re sick of hearing me complain by now.”

“Blair,” Kylie gently chided, “you don’t complain. We’re friends, and you share things that are bothering you. I do the same thing with you.”

“Not nearly as often,” she grumbled, making a pouty face.

“Things are going really well for me right now,” Kylie reminded her. “You should've heard me when Stacey and I were about to break up. Every day was some new revelation of how incompatible we were. Nick was about to charge me by the hour just for having to put up with me.”

“I doubt that, Kylie. You’re the most upbeat person I know.”

“Not when things in my personal life are upsetting me. I'm a regular depressive. Now tell me what’s bothering you — if you want to, that is.”

"Okay." She sighed and said, “Something's been bothering me, and today it dawned on me that David must think I’m having puppies instead of a baby.”

“I don’t know what you’re getting at,” Kylie said, “but if you do have puppies, I’ll take one.”

That comment earned her a rather sharp slap to her leg. “I’ll give you a puppy,” Blair grumbled.

“Come on, get to the point. I’ve never known you to beat around the bush.”

“I’m a little embarrassed,” she said quietly. “This is about sex, and I’m not sure how comfortable you are talking about it.”

“I love to talk about it,” Kylie said, grinning widely. “Lord knows I don’t have it, so I might as well talk about it.”

“Okay, but this is pretty personal.”

"I operate on people's reproductive organs, Blair. I'm not squeamish about sex. Really."

Blair sighed again. “All right. It's bothering me, so it might help to talk about it."

"’Atta girl," Kylie said, giving her a smile.

"Here goes." Blair took in a deep breath and said, "We only have sex doggy style ever since I started to show.”

Kylie's lower lip jutted out, and her expression grew thoughtful. Blair was afraid that she was seeing her friend’s discomfort, but soon realized that the doctor was merely giving the issue her full consideration. “That’s not uncommon. A lot of pregnant women prefer that position. As you get bigger, you might find that’s the only way he can even reach you. Side entry or rear entry are the only games in town in the third trimester.”

“It’s not my idea, Kylie. It’s his. I've never been a big fan."

Kylie shot her a look and blinked. "Oh, and you're not satisfied …"

Annoyed, Blair shook her head. "I knew this was gonna sound stupid. I am enjoying it. A lot. I get excited more easily now, and I reach orgasm more easily, too. I used to need to have a free hand, if you know what I mean, but I don't now."

Giving her a smile, Kylie said, “I'm the world's foremost expert in all of the intricacies of self-pleasuring. I know exactly what you mean.”

“It’s not that the position isn’t good,” Blair said, “and it isn't that I'm not satisfied. We've been having sex a lot, and we're enjoying it more than we have since before we started trying to get pregnant." She let out a final sigh and said, "One of the things that really connects us is sex. I hate to complain now that we're connecting again."

"But something's bothering you. What is it?"

"I don't think I'm imagining this, Kylie, although God knows it's easy to hurt my feelings now." She looked out the window, knowing she was on the verge of tears, and tried desperately to fight the urge. After biting on her lip for a moment, she said, "It feels like he doesn’t want to face me while we’re having sex.”

“Oh, Blair,” Kylie soothed, “that can't be true!"

She felt some of her anger well up, and she said, "This is a big change, Kylie, and it doesn't seem like a coincidence to me."

"Maybe he’s in a little rut. Maybe you did it that way one day, and it felt so good, he doesn’t want to change.”

"Well, we did have a great time one day …" She shook her head and said, “No, that's not it. Damn it, he doesn’t touch the front of my body — even during foreplay. He gets behind me in bed and caresses my back and my butt and my thighs, but his hands never gravitate to my breasts or belly. And before now, he was most decidedly a breast man. You’d think he’d be all over them since they’re significantly bigger!”

“You'd think so,” Kylie said slowly, looking puzzled. “Jesus, that’s where I’d be living!” She paused for a moment, then her mouth dropped open and she quickly turned to Blair and back. “I can’t believe I said that! I didn’t mean it like it sounded!”

“Tell me how you meant it, and I’ll tell you how it sounded,” she said, giving her friend a puzzled scowl.

“I didn’t mean I’d be on yours,” she explained. “I just … I’m very … Okay, I guess I have to tell you more than you want to know to get myself out of this one.” She took in a deliberate breath. “I think pregnant women are incredibly hot, and if my partner were pregnant, she’d probably need to get a restraining order to keep me off her.” For the first time that Blair could recall, Kylie was blushing — a deep pink flush that colored her entire face and even took in the tips of her ears.

Blair giggled quietly, “Well, I guess we both revealed something personal tonight. Are you okay?”

“Uh-huh,” Kylie said, clearing her throat. “I just don’t want you to think that I think lewd thoughts about you, Blair. I swear I don’t.”

“At this point, I’d welcome your attention. I love to have my breasts played with, but even more than that, I wanna look him in the eyes!”

"Damn, I wish I could help you out," Kylie said, giving her a lascivious look. "We could both get our needs met."

"Funny." Blair slapped her thigh. "It's really nothing to laugh at. I don't feel attractive anymore, Kylie. David's always been so hot for my body. He's made me feel like the prettiest woman in the world. Now, I feel …" She slumped down in her seat and put her hand on her belly. "I feel fat and frumpy."

Kylie glanced at her, then nodded her head slightly as if she'd made a decision. “I wouldn't normally say this to a friend, but I have to be honest with you. From a purely objective standpoint, you’re an uncommonly beautiful woman, Blair. And you grow prettier each day.” She reached over and placed a hand on her passenger’s knee, giving it a squeeze. “I mean that sincerely. You’re prettier than the day I met you, and that’s no easy feat. I think the changes in your body have added to your appeal — tremendously,” she said, giving her friend a slightly embarrassed smile.

“Would you mind writing that down and giving it to David?” Blair asked softly. “I’d love to hear that from him, even if it wasn’t an original thought.”

"Are you sure that didn't offend you?" Kylie asked. "I'd never want to upset you."

"No, not at all. It'd make me uncomfortable if I thought I filled your fantasies, but I don't think that's true … is it?"

Kylie laughed, sounding relaxed and playful. "No, I'm complimenting you from a purely objective standpoint. I'm sure I could fantasize about you, but I'm pretty happy with my current stable of luscious beauties."

"You need to get a human girlfriend," Blair teased. "You'll never meet a woman as good as the ones in your fantasies."

"I'll make you a deal," Kylie said. "I'll stop fantasizing about gorgeous women when you get me a date."

"I'm working on it," Blair said. "Just be patient."

"Patience isn't my thing," Kylie said. "Get busy! If you don't get something going for me, I'm gonna have to start playing with your breasts."

"Promises, promises," Blair said, sticking her tongue out at her grinning friend.

„G

On the way home, Blair sat in the passenger seat, trying to control her temper. "I can't believe you let me do that!"

"I didn't ‘let’ you do anything," Kylie said, trying to keep the edge out of her voice. "We've been over this four times already. The woman didn't mind. We made eye contact, and she gave me a signal to tell me not to wake you."

"Kylie, I slept on a woman's shoulder during the performance. I drooled on her!"

"She had on cotton," Kylie said, wincing when she heard how weak it sounded.

Blair slapped the doctor on the leg and said, "Don't ever let me do that again! It was mortifying!"

"I'm sorry," Kylie said. "It just seemed like the prudent thing to do. She was a nice old lady. Heck, she said she'd had four kids of her own. She knew what it was like to be pregnant."

Taking in a deep breath, Blair tried to let her temper seep out. "I'm sorry for snapping at you. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm just lashing out." Giving her friend a contrite smile, she asked, "Forgive me?"

"You don't need to be forgiven. Remember, you get lots of leeway while you're pregnant. Just don't snap at me after the baby comes, or I'll cut you."

"And you could!" Blair said, a smile peeking out from her scowl.

„G

When they reached Blair's house, the blonde looked at Kylie and asked, "Wanna come in?"

Kylie turned in her seat and asked, "For?"

Дата добавления: 2015-09-04