Page 13 of Under New Management

That is not really the response I was waiting for. "I don't know...something. Shouldn't we get in front of this before it spirals out of control? Tell them it's all made up?"

"But some of it's not. Some of it is very true."

I went to bed with the world making sense and woke up in an alternate reality. "Vin, they think I'm pregnant! I'm a fucking virgin!" I shouldn't shout but he just seems so nonplussed over all of this. "They're saying I'm jealous of Cora and that's why I'm out fucking you! This is going to ruin my career. Everyone will think I slept to get where I am. This will only make the other men think they can hit it and quit it too." The reality of what is happening hits me hard and I whisper the rest out to him, "I'll have to fight off advances left and right - more than normal."

The thought makes me want to hide and never come out from under the covers. Maybe I wasn't telling him so much as myself about the struggle to come.

"I will make sure people are well aware the whole Cora thing is bullshit. I am aware you are a virgin but no one fucking else needs to know that and no one is going to give you fucking shit about being easy or trying to 'hit' anything of yours because I will be right there to beat the hell out of any other man who thinks they can come close to you until they know not to even try it." Well, at least he isn't going to dump my ass. That goes a long way towards easing the worry that bubbled up inside when I thought he might walk away from all the crap surrounding me and I would have to handle it by myself; alone.

He keeps going and his next words stop my heart for a second, "And as for the baby shit...I'm trying - give me time." He leans over and kisses the tip of my nose before swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing. What the hell did he just say about babies and trying? I must have heard him wrong. There is no way he said he was...trying to knock me up.

He isn't wearing anything but tight black boxer briefs. How the hell did we not have sex in our sleep with him wearing those and me being naked? He adjusts himself while still looking at me. I don't know if its morning wood or if he is always that excited to see me but whichever it is he is filling those underwear out to perfection this morning. He cocks his eyebrow waiting on my reaction to the baby comment but I'm not sure how to react and his dick is taking up most of my brainpower right now. His smile as he walks into the bathroom tells me how much he is enjoying this.

I start typing out a message to Cora and then say fuck it and call. There is no way to say what I need to tell her in a text. The thing would be long and rambling and take two days to type. She picks up in the first couple of rings. "Hey Darlin' how do we feel about what's hitting the news? Are we happy or freaked? And tell Vin he doesn't get to say a damned thing to Mason about losing his temper from now on."

I love her. Just hearing her voice makes some of the stress melt away. "I don't know how to take it. Vin is acting weird about it. I mean he hit that guy and then threatened him if he came back around me. What the hell?" I lower my voice. "And he just said the oddest thing."

"What did he say?" I hear her munching on something on the other side. Since she got pregnant she has to eat when she can and before she starts throwing up again.

"Um, I was talking to him about the rumors or whatever and one of them was about a baby watch countdown and he said 'give me time'. What the hell does that mean?"

Silence is the only answer for a while. Then she starts laughing.

"Why are you laughing? Cora?"

"Nothing, sweetie. I shouldn't laugh. I have totally been where you are. These crazy fucking alpha males will drive you nuts if you let them. Date night with me and Demi? We can bitch about what assholes our men are and stuff our faces with ice cream."

"Cora, I don't have a man to bitch about. Just because the paper says we are together doesn't mean we really are."

"Right," she draws out the word, "tell me something, Monie," she uses her nickname for me making the sides of my mouth curl up in a genuine smile, "is the rumor true that you are living with him and that you all go home with one another every night?"

"Um, yeah." I'm not sure why I hesitate to admit it out loud. She knows the answer already.

"And is it true that he knocked the hell out of a guy who was giving you shit?" she doesn't let me answer before she continues, "because let me tell you, I have never seen Vin Payne lose control over anything. He's always a cool, collected man who has ice running through his veins but ever since he saw you he seems to be melting all over the place. Pretty soon we're all going to be stepping in Vin puddles..."

Both of us are silent, me waiting on Cora to realize what she has said and her because I think it is just dawning on her.

"Eww, not what I meant. You keep all the Vin puddles to yourself thank you very much. Oh I can't wait to get together so we can talk about all the dirty details though."

I hang up after we figure out a good time. Vin comes out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and something in his hand. His hair is wet from the shower he just took and water drops run down his chest leading my eyes to follow.

"Um, I talked to Cora. She said things aren't as bad as I think they are. Are they?"

I want him to reassure me that this is all nothing and that it will blow over quickly if we don't throw gas on it.

"Of course it's not bad, Sweets. Everything will be perfectly fine. In fact, this is a good thing."

"It is?" I'm still dubious when he takes my hands and pulls me in between his legs.

"It is. Now I don't have to pretend not to want you. Not that I was doing a very good job of that before. Some of these rumors aren't new news."

"They aren't?" that's kind of shocking. Why the hell did I not hear about the old ones? What do they say?

He shakes his head. "They've been wondering if me and you are a thing since the night of the awards show."

They have? Why? Do we look like a couple?

"Now, I am going to discuss your punishment with you." I thought he was just joking when he talked about it yesterday. "I want you to lie on the bed beside of me on your belly."

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