C H A P T E R 1 : S E X I S S T I L L O N T H E M E N U
J A V I E R S U M M E R S
Javier Summers placed his mug down on the table then stood. As he wandered about his office, he could not help but feel guilty for doing things behind Ella Stanford, his fiancé’s back. His decision had been risky yet necessary. Or at least from his point of view, he believed that it was necessary for a child to meet her parent. According to him, it was rather unfair of Ella to judge her biological father so harshly without ever meeting him. After all, there were two sides to every story and thus far, she had only been listening to her mother’s side of the story.
Still, no matter how he tried to justify his action, he could not help but having that growing guilty feeling inside his heart. It bothered him constantly to no end like a debt collector. He knew that once Ella found out about what he had been doing for the last two weeks, she could be angry and that would not be good for their baby. He should tell her. He should confess to her and ask for her forgiveness. Yet somehow, his guts told him that if he informed her about his investigation on her biological father, she would not be willing to meet the man.
She hated the man. She hated him for leaving her and her mother behind. Javier would hate this man too but his head refused to simply exhaust his emotion on someone without knowing all the facts about them. Perhaps he should not tell Ella. Not until her father agreed on the meeting. Then and only then he would tell her and beg for her forgiveness. For now, it was better to keep it a secret.
There was a knock on the door of his office before the handle was turned and the door was swung open. Ella stepped inside with a small smile on her face. “Are you ready for the doctor’s appointment?”
Javier swallowed a small lump on his throat and forced himself to give her a smile. “Of course. Would not miss it for the world.”
* * *
E L L A S T A N F O R D
“The little one is healthy and you are in a good condition to carry a baby so there should be no issue,” said Dr. Marc with a reassuring smile. Although he was evidently a gynecologist, he would look good as a dentist too with his perfect crystal white teeth. “Have you both thought of the name for the baby—”
“I am sorry but I have to stop you right there, Doc,” said Ella with a grin. “We do not want to reveal the gender. We want it to be a surprise.”
Dr. Marc Bordeau gave her an understanding smile. “I shall try my best not to use any pronoun that might reveal the baby’s sex then.”
“Thank you.”
A nurse came shortly after and offered Ella a warm glass of water which she accepted gratefully with a smile and a small note of thanks. She drank half of the glass before placing it on the table.
“Okay, is there any questions or concerns? I know young couples usually have tons.” Dr. Marc glanced at Javier then added, “I know ten questions that Mr. Summers has asked me before we began were only a premonition to what would come.”
“I have done my research, Doc, so I do not have any question for now.” Then as if she suddenly recalled what had happened about a week ago, she quickly added, “Although there was one thing that I know would not be an issue but Javier here was worried.”
“And that would be?”
Almost instantly, Ella could feel her cheeks getting warmer and warmer each passing second. She could not say it even though she knew that the doctor was her gynecologist and he had seen her in her most vulnerable state but she just could not bring herself to ask the question. Dr. Marc, on the other hand, kept switching his gaze from Ella to Javier.
With a blank expression on his face, Javier made eye contact with the doctor and said, “We just want to know for sure whether it is safe for the baby should we, uh,” he paused to cough under his breath then continued, “have sexual intercourse.”
There was a small glint on Dr. Marc’s grey eyes but he remained professional and calm. “I can assure you that having sex will not hurt your baby. A penis or penetrative sex toy cannot penetrate beyond your vagina, and the baby truly can not tell what is going on so you both have nothing to worry about. Although—”
Dr. Marc seemed a bit hesitant but Javier, who had been listening to each and every word, immediately tensed. “Although, what?”
This time, it was the doctor’s turn to cough and glance at Ella nervously. “Although it is normal for your sex drive to change during pregnancy. This might not something to worry about, but I do believe that it is helpful to talk about it between the two of you.”
“Are you saying that I might find Ella to be repulsive just because she is pregnant?” Javier narrowed his eyes, looking every bit offended. “If you are, then I can assure you that there is no change at all from my end. She is looking even radiant and beautiful now that she is pregnant and carrying our baby.”
Ella knew the doctor could not possibly mean that but she accepted Javier’s hand and squeezed his hand back in return while pursing her lips and trying not to smile.
“No, I am sorry, perhaps I should be clearer. I am talking about Ella here,” replied Dr. Marc. “She may find having sex very enjoyable during pregnancy, or simply feel she does not want to. Together you both can find other ways of being loving or making love. The most important thing is to talk about your feelings with your partner.”
“Oh.” Javier gave the doctor a nod. “Duly noted.”
Dr. Marc gave both of them a kind smile. “You do not need to worry about sex during pregnancy until much later in your pregnancy where orgasm or even sex might cause Braxton Hicks contraction. But for now, it is all good.” He looked at Javier and then Ella before asking, “So, is there any other question you would like me to answer?”
* * *
After they had thanked the doctor and paid for the bills, they walked out of the clinic where Pedro had been waiting for them. He let Javier open and close the passenger door for Ella before opening the door for his boss.
“Where to, Sir?” He asked once he was settled behind the steering wheel.
Javier shifted in his seat and turned to Ella. “Do you still want that spicy cheese ramyeon you have been craving since last night?”
She eagerly nodded like a child and caused his smile to stretch wider. “Yes, please.”
“To the usual Korean restaurant, Pedro. Thank you.”
“Got it, Boss.”
As the car slowly entered the road and was on the way to their favorite Korean restaurant downtown, Javier pushed the button in between their seats and the privacy glass slid up.
“Ella, I need to ask you something and I want you to be honest with me.” He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You do not need to think about my feelings or anything. Just tell me straight.”
She frowned but she obliged regardless. “Okay. What is it?”
“Do you—” He sighed, looking as if he was having trouble saying the words. “Have you lost your sexual desire?” Looking at how she glanced nervously at the privacy glass, he added, “Do not worry. He will not be able to hear anything.”
“Honestly, no.”
“No?”
“Nope. You and I both were there that night. I really want it but you are the one who held back.” She leaned forward and placed a small kiss on his nose.
“I was worried that we might accidentally hurt the baby.”
“I have told you we would not.” She cupped his face with both of her hands. “You know, I should be the one asking you instead, Sir.” Wiping a small bead of sweat off his forehead, she realized that he had been nervous to ask and she found it somewhat sweet. “Is sex still on the menu tonight?”
His lips crushed hers in a heated, rough, all consuming kiss. Her lips parted almost immediately and his tongue slipped in and tangled with hers. She let out a soft moan, careful not to alert Pedro, as his fingers were on her hair and his teeth bit down on her lower lip. Javier gripped her hips and lifted her until she was straddling on his lap. One of his arms hooked around her waist as the other dives back into her hair for a bruising kiss. He let out a low, hungry growl before breaking the kiss to catch a breath and give her the answer to her question. “Hell yes.”
* * *
Hello again, Dear Gentle Readers! Hope all of you are safe and healthy! This author is so excited about this second book. Finally, we get to see Ella and Javier again. Hope you all enjoy it! And please, do give some love in the review section! It has been a while :)
C H A P T E R 2 : T H E U N T O L D T R U T H A N D T H E W R A P P E D U P L I E S J A V I E R S U M M E R S It was about three days later when Javier had finally received a phone call from Derek Williams, Ella’s biological father. He was lucky that he had informed the person he had paid to find Derek to only give his cellphone number to Derek, without telling him who he actually was. The reason was simple, he did not want Derek to find stuff about him on the internet that may lead him into dialing his office instead. Ella could not know about it until the day where he had arranged for both of them, father and daughter, to finally meet. “Hello,” he answered the phone once he had made sure that the phone number of the caller was the exact same one his private investigator had informed him last night.
C H A P T E R 3 : T H E N I C E B A C K R U B A N D C H I L D H O O D M E M O R Y J A V I E R S U M M E R S It would not be Summers’ dinner if there was no drama especially with the return of their long lost son, Draven. Ten years ago, at seventeen years of age, Javier had willpower bigger than anyone else’s. Draven had been framed and regardless of how many times he had tried to explain, no one believed him. No one except Javier and his mother. To make things even worse, their grandfather had written Draven’s name off of his will which could only mean that he was no longer a part of the Summers family. Being one of the older siblings, Javier had tried to talk to both Thornton and Piers, but Thornton had sided with Piers and their grandfather and deemed their little brother as ‘an ungrateful, entitled asshole’. Javier had been the only person who had secretly helped Draven to secu
Later that night, Ella lay in Javier’s arms, in the warmth of their bed and the soft glow of good sex and candle lights. She had gone with Damon and Tanner after work to get some shopping done and by the time she had arrived at her flat, Javier had been in an apron. Yes, Javier Summers, the CEO of Summers Entertainment Industry had been wearing her pink apron and standing in her kitchen cooking steak. It appeared that during her shopping with Damon and Tanner, he had arranged everything from the candlelight dinner at the balcony surrounded by her beautiful flowers and plants to the candlelight bedroom. In all honesty, Javier would have gone for a candlelight bath too but since Ella only had a shower and he had promised that he would not complain so he gave it a rest. With her back pressed into his chest, he ran his hand down her smooth arm to her wrist and subtly touched her engagement ring. “You know, we have never t
C H A P T E R 5 : T O L E A R N T H E H A R S H , P A I N F U L , A N D U G L Y T R U T HJ A V I E R S U M M E R S “Let’s just say that what you have been telling me so far was the truth, do you have any proof?” Javier asked while checking his emails on the computer. When Ella’s father had yet to reply, he added with a more pressing tone, “Please think very carefully as this might be our last conversation should you have no proof at all.”“There is no proof." The man let out what sounded like a mix of a grunt and a sigh. "I am afraid you just have to take my words for it, Young Man.”Javier gave it a thought. “Then I suppose I could not take you to meet Ella. Thank you for telling me your side of the
Ella stared at her trembling hands and clenched her fists. This was not happening. Just when her life was getting good and everything fell to the right place, life decided that she got off easy and created problems for her. A small tear slipped out of one corner of her eye and she quickly wiped it away. What hurt more was the fact that Javier had not told her beforehand. He had not asked for her opinion even though it was crystal clear that it was her past that he had been digging. He had no right to do that. He should at least talk to her, ask for her opinion. They were partners. They were supposed to sit down and discuss things over and yet he had made decisions on his own without consulting her. Would this be the course of their relationship? Him deciding things on his own based on what he thought might be the right thing to do or the best course of action. Closing her eyes, she leaned back against the back of the seat and
The second Javier entered the house (Ella’s flat), he knew that she had been there and without even calling for her name or searching through the rooms, he also knew that she had left. The only question was where she had gone to. He started by eliminating places where she could be like the office and Damon and Tanner’s flat — because it was during working hours and there would not be anyone at their home. The next thing that came to mind was her mother’s place just right outside Seattle. He fished out his phone and sent a text to Ella, asking where she was. He wanted to call her but since he had seen her car was not parked, he assumed she was driving and he did not want to take her eyes off the road. With text, she could simply read it later. Then he dialed Eleanor’s number. The first call went to voicemail but Eleanor did pick up the next one. “Hello.” “Eleanor, this is Javier and I am wondering if Ella is there.”
Javier paced along the laminate floor of the waiting room, his fingers running through his messy hair. This was not the first time he had done this. His tie was discarded somewhere carelessly without a car. He continued to pace, probably burning a hole in the floor but he could not think of anything else to do. He needed to do something, anything. “Javier?” He jumped and finally stopped pacing as he glanced at Draven who was walking towards⁰⁰ him. Javier struggled to hold back his sob as he headed straight for him, his arms locking around his younger brother in a tight embrace. He nuzzled his face into his neck and fought his best not to cry right there and then. Draven locked his arms around his brother and held onto him tightly while muttering, “I am sorry. I came here as soon as I can. Do not worry, Brother. She is gonna be okay. Ella is going to be alright, Brother.”
“I know you do not trust me, Javier,” said Aimee once Nurse Jo had left. She was sitting on the sofa with her hands clasped on her lap while Javier was sitting on the chair next to Ella’s bed. “And I do not blame you after what has happened between us but you should know that this is work. I would never implicate anyone’s life or health.” When he did not say anything and still kept his eyes on Ella, she continued talking, “It has been ten years. You should forgive and forget about it. I have lost count of how many times I said that I was sorry. It was a careless mistake. I should not have done it. If that did not happen, perhaps—” she took a pause and let out a sorrowful sigh, “perhaps you and I are still together. Maybe we are even married and have one or two kids.” Without even looking at her, he muttered under his breath, loud enough for her to hear, “Stop talking.” Yet Aimee continued with her chatter as if she had