Chapter Thirty-Five

Olivia woke up with a start. An arm was draped over her chest, pressing her down. She turned her head to the left and came face to face with a sleeping Owen. She smiled to herself. It wasn’t a dream, after all, she thought.

She was itching to caress his face, but she dared not, fearing she might wake him up. Instead, she watched him sleep peacefully and let her mind drift back to last night’s events.

“Spend the night with me, Olivia,” he had told her, once he ended their kiss, leaving her out of breath and asking for more.

It took a minute to put her dazed brain back in motion enough to form coherent words. He took that as reluctancy, apparently, and thinking that she needed to be convinced, Owen pressed her hand on his hardness.

“I feel like a teenager about to explode. I want you so bad.”

Olivia tried to give him her best seductress look, but there was mirth in her voice when she said, “Lead the way, lover boy!”

Owen was out of the hot tub in a flash, pulling her along.

“Our clothes from the changing room?” Olivia asked.

“We’ll get them in the morning.” He helped her into her robe, and taking her hand in his, he led the way back to his suite. “I don’t want to wait that long, Olivia.”

She laughed and followed him willingly.

His room was a lot bigger than hers—Martha had probably booked him the presidential suite. Not that she had much time to admire her surroundings, anyway. The minute the door closed behind her, Owen scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the king-size bed. He gently lay her down and then removed his robe, letting it pool on his feet. His swimwear followed suit.

“I think you have too many clothes on you, Olivia.” He climbed in bed next to her. “Let’s fix that now, shall we?”

Olivia laughed and draped her hands behind his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. Never leaving her lips, Owen opened her robe and started untying the straps of her bikini. Soon enough, she was naked, her skin feeling hotter than ever, and ready for a night of endless passion.

***

Owen’s turning to the other side of the bed brought her back to the present. His hand removed, she was now free to get off the bed. She gathered her bikini and bath robe from the floor and headed to the bathroom as quietly as possible. Her gaze fell on the clock on the way. They would soon have to meet Martha for a new round of meetings with clients.

It won’t look good if Martha finds me here, she thought. She quickly got dressed and left Owen’s room, making sure she didn’t wake him up.

In her own room now, she threw the robe on her bed and grabbed a pair of underwear from her suitcase. After a quick shower, she stood in front of the mirror and started applying her day cream. Oddly enough, although the subtle fragrance of the product had never bothered her before, it now made her stomach queasy and soon she felt bile rising up her throat.

Olivia ran to the toilet just in time to avoid making a mess on the bathroom floor. She then put the lid down and sat there for a minute to catch her breath. She rubbed her stomach. Do I still have that bug? she wondered. Did I drink too much wine last night? Is that it?

She got up and went to the sink. After splashing cold water to her face, she looked in the mirror. Her face was flushed, but she realized it wasn’t the only part of her body that felt hot at the moment. She touched her breasts and found them sensitive to the touch and a little swollen. “I must be PMS-ing, after all,” she said to herself.

She started counting the days in her head. When she remembered the exact date she had last seen her period, she shook her head in disbelief. That can’t be right, she thought. She was always a regular. Maybe she had just mixed up the dates. After all, her mind was so occupied with everything going on currently in her life that she was getting forgetful.

She went back into the room and fumbled into her bag until she found her planner where she was also keeping a record of her monthlies. Her eyes bulged when she read the last account. “Oh shit!” she said out loud. “I’m late.”

She sat on the bed and put her head in her hands covering her face. What if I’m pregnant? What will I do? she wondered. It certainly wasn’t the right time for something like that. What about Owen? Do I tell him?

She got up and got dressed. First of all, she had to make sure she was actually pregnant before letting her mind get carried away. She recalled having seen a pharmacy near the hotel on the drive here. She quickly left her room to search for it.

On the way to and back, she couldn’t help but thinking of the possible ways this could go once she broke the news to Owen, both good and bad. If I am pregnant, she kept reminding herself. It might be just a scare and I am overthinking in vain.

But now, as she was standing in the bathroom, the pregnancy test resting on the sink, she felt a bundle of nerves and excitement. She touched her flat belly, thinking of the possibility. Will it be that bad if I am indeed carrying Owen’s baby? Will he be happy about it?

Her gaze fell on the test again. These were to be the longest fifteen minutes of her life. She sighed, willing time to go faster, so she could know what the future held for her.

A few beats later, she saw the lines forming on the surface of the pregnancy test. “Po—” Her hand flew over her mouth. She was in shock. I’m going to be a mum, she thought.

A huge smile spread on her face. “I am having a baby!” she screamed excitedly at her reflection in the mirror.