CHAPTER 137

Stephanie's POV

This was luxury! Who knew the magic that went on behind closed Red Doors?

I had a heated pillow tucked behind my neck, my nose was filled with the relaxing scent of lavender, and my feet were being masterfully massaged by Tiffany, and I swear it was almost better than sex. I even had a half full glass of chilled champagne within reach if I got thirsty.

Mary Lou lay face down on the padded table next to me, covered in a pristine white sheet, moaning and groaning with the sheer pleasure she was feeling as Amber kneaded her shoulder muscles. We were experiencing the ultimate in relaxing massages, and across the room, Tina and Keira were reclined back in padded leather chairs getting the Red Door's signature facials. Amanda and Melinda had opted to get their nails done first and were down the hall in the beauty salon. While I didn't want my massage to end, I also couldn't wait to get a facial… and a mani and a pedi and a makeup session.

The six of us had already toasted to Rosa's generosity at the beginning of our day at the Red Door Spa when our hostess greeted us with cold glasses of champagne as soon as we entered the Spa. Keira and Tina had opted for sparkling water instead of champagne. Keira didn't like champagne and Tina said her stomach was a little queasy. The rest of us loved being plied with champagne in long-stemmed crystal goblets. This was going to be some day to remember!

Tiffany had moved up my legs and was now massaging my neck and head. I didn't know which was better: the head massage or the foot massage. Top to bottom, it was all good. Mary Lou was now lying on her back and receiving the same heavenly foot massage I just had. I thought I was a loud moaner, but Mare sounded like she was having an orgasm. Who knows… maybe she was.

Both Tina and Keira had chosen a chocolate mask as part of their facial and as the aesthetician warmed the concoction, the aroma of dark chocolate wafted throughout the room. Suddenly, Tina sat upright, her face as white as the sheets we were lying on.

"What's wrong?" I asked, watching Tina struggle to get out of the recliner. She didn't answer; she raced from the room, her hand clamped over her mouth. The rest of us just looked at each other, hoping one of us would know what just happened. Since Mary Lou and I weren't exactly dressed for running through the halls, Keira went after her. A few minutes later, Tina and Keira returned.

Tina looked a little sheepish as she got back in her chair. "I guess the excitement finally got to me. My stomach has been a little touchy lately and early this morning, I indulged in a greasy bacon and egg sandwich." She put her head back and apologized to the girl doing the facials. We all relaxed and let the Red Door Spa treatment make us feel like royalty.

When it was time for us to switch places, Tina lay down on the table I'd vacated and Tiffany selected a scented massage oil she thought might help Tina's queasy stomach. Tina took one whiff of the peppermint oil and made another beeline for the restroom. When she returned, she declined the massage and said she wanted to get her nails done and would join Melinda and Amanda in the beauty salon. As Tina left the massage room, Keira shook her head and confided, "I hope Tina isn't coming down with something. She's been talking nonstop about this trip for days. It'd be a shame if she missed any of it."

"Tina's a trooper," I said. "She rarely gets sick and it would take something like the bubonic plague to keep her from enjoying Afternoon Tea and our night out on the town." I was a little worried, though. I had noticed she'd declined the massage and I knew she'd really been looking forward to that.

Mary Lou, Keira and I caught up with Tina in the salon and she was back to her laughing self, joking with Melinda and Amanda about the fun time they were going to have once we hit the nightclub later that night. Just as I figured, it would take a major catastrophe to keep Tina down.

Keira and I sat side by side to get our manicure, our hands soaking in a moisturizer, while Mary Lou started her pedicure. Tina, Amanda and Melinda were just finishing up their salon treatments and their nails looked terrific. Keira chose Passion Purple for her nail color and I was debating between Sapphire and My Blue Heaven, both gorgeous shades of blue that would look fabulous with the dark blue dress I planned to wear later tonight.

We'd been so busy at work, Keira and I hadn't had a spare moment to catch up on our personal lives. Curious, I asked Keira if she was seeing anyone special.

She was quiet for a minute before answering, "No. In fact, I haven't been on a date in months. I… I just haven't been attracted to any one since…" Her voice trailed off and I could see she was embarrassed.

"Since…?" I prompted.

She blew out a big puff of air and tossed her head back. "There's someone I can't get out of my head, but I can't bring myself to call him. After we first met, he called me several times until I finally told him not to call anymore until he was free."

"Oh, is he dating someone else?" I asked and then whispered, "He's not married, is he?"

She shook her head. "If you must know, it's Pierre, um… Tank. I don't want to start dating him, and then liking him, and then…"

"And then what?" I coaxed.

Keira sighed deeply. "And then have him leave. Probably for months at a time. Tank's in the Army and I know he has to go when and where they send him. And since he's a soldier, he could get hurt or..." She sighed again and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I… I couldn't go through that again."

"I have a feeling there's more to this story. Do you want to talk about it?"

She took a deep breath and exhaled noisily. "I haven't talked about this in years. But… when I met Tank and… and realized I was really attracted to him, well, it brought it all back up again." She fidgeted a little and blinked rapidly trying to get her emotions under control. I waited patiently. Finally she continued, "Seven years ago, my boyfriend, the guy I'd been dating since my senior year in high school, decided to enlist in the military. It was right after 9/11."

I nodded. Many of the boys I went to high school with had joined up after the terrible events of 9/11.

Keira sniffed. I could see she wanted to blow her nose, but her hands were soaking in lotion. She continued with her story, "I supported him wholeheartedly. I was so proud of his patriotism and dedication. We got engaged just before he left for Basic. I wrote him every day he was in boot camp. And then he got sent overseas, to Afghanistan." The tears began to roll down Keira's cheeks. My heart fell. I knew what she was going to say next and tears welled up in my eyes, too.

"His parents got the word first and called me. I couldn't believe it. He couldn't be gone, but he was. He died a hero, but still… he… died! He was the love of my life…" Her voice quavered and she stopped for a moment. "I felt like my life was over. I vowed never to get involved with anyone even remotely connected to the military." She shook her head as I started to speak. "I know, people die every day, but I just can't handle the stress of being with a soldier. I don't think I could date a policeman either. I'm just not cut out for that kind of life. And Tank is a soldier. No matter how attracted I am to him, I just can't deal with it." She lifted one dripping hand up and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. We both sat silent, each contemplating the complexities of love.

Carlos had told me that both Tank and Lester planned to leave the Army soon and go to work for him to get Carlos' security company established. It didn't seem to be a secret. "Keira, would you feel differently if Tank was a civilian?"

She gave me a wan smile. "If he was in a regular nine to five job, I'd be all over that big hunk of delicious dark chocolate in a heartbeat. You know what they say: dark chocolate is good for you. Just a little bite every day," she grinned.

"Don't you mean just a little bit every day?"

Keira winked at me, "You eat your chocolate your way, and I'll eat mine my way."

I grinned back, thinking she might have the right idea about chocolate, even the mocha latte kind. "I have it on good authority that Tank will be out of the Army very soon. Also, that he plans on settling down in Jersey."

Keira's grin widened from ear-to-ear. Tank was a big strong man, but I wondered if even Tank could handle a determined, lustful Keira bent on sampling his chocolatey goodness on a daily basis.

A few hours later, we were all relaxed, exfoliated, painted and primped to within an inch of our lives as we entered the elegant Palm Court of the Plaza Hotel. All six of us were dolled up in our best Sunday-go-to-meeting dresses and hoped we blended into the upper crust crowd, though with our mouths hanging open as we took in the ornate splendor of the restaurant, I doubt we achieved that particular goal.

We were escorted to our table by the maître d, and I felt so classy as he held out my chair and gently pushed it under my legs as I sat down. You don't get that kind of service at McDonalds. I glanced around me trying not to look like a gawking hillbilly, but the place was magnificent. To start, the ceiling was a huge domed skylight of delicate stained glass and the trim was gleaming gold. The walls were painted a light beige and the dark woods and towering graceful green palms accentuated the grandeur of the room. The arched mirrored doors made the space seem airy and light, and carved marble columns separated each door. None of us had ever been in so sumptuous a room and now, we were going to experience an elegant afternoon tea service. My little pinkie finger automatically lifted up.

And then the food and drink began to arrive. First, we were offered our choice of teas. Not in tea bags, of course. That would be too ordinary. The loose tea was steeped right at our table in beautifully painted porcelain teapots and poured with elegant pomp and circumstance into equally beautiful teacups. We took a moment to lift our teacups to Dawson Books, thanking him in absentia for our lavish repast. Then the waiters placed on our table several multi-tiered trays of crustless finger sandwiches. Each rectangle of bread was smeared with luscious tasty spreads and piled high with things like cucumber, smoked salmon, prosciutto, roast beef, and truffled quail egg salad. Those dainty bites were followed by freshly made hot scones laden with Devonshire cream, lemon curd and fruit preserves. And then there was the endless assortment of pastries. I was in heaven.

The motto of The Plaza is "where dreams become memories" and today was truly becoming a dream-like memory. We were all thoroughly enjoying ourselves until Tina bit into a chocolate cupcake. Her eyes got big, her face took on a greenish hue and she clamped a hand across her mouth as she shoved her chair back from the table and fled from the room. I immediately stood up and rushed to follow her. I found her hunched over a toilet in one of the most beautiful bathrooms I'd ever been in. Whatever had troubled her was over as quickly as it had begun. I helped her clean up, but she looked terrible.

"I'm so sorry I'm ruining your bachelorette party, Stevie. I don't know what's wrong with me. I feel fine one minute and then I'm puking my guts out the next. Except for my stomach muscles being sore, I feel fine now that I barfed up that delicious and extravagantly expensive lunch." She gave me a weak smile and leaned over the sink to slurp up a little more cool water.

"What do you want to do now? Do you want to go home?" I asked, concerned about my suffering friend.

"Hell, no! I can't wait to burn up the dance floor tonight. Give me a couple of hours to rest up and I'll be primed and ready to go." We rejoined our friends in the Palm Court, but the tea service was over. We made our way to our own private elevator that would take us to our unbelievably decadent suite.

Dawson had really splurged and reserved the Royal Plaza Suite. It was big enough to accommodate all six of us and then some. It had a grand piano, a dining room with seating for 12, a fully stocked kitchen, an incredible library, and even its own gym. And talk about opulent. The furnishings were to die for. I was afraid to touch anything or even sit down. The place looked like it had been lifted straight out of some royal palace of a past era, except for the state-of-the-art flat screen TVs and iPads that controlled the room environment.

Tina was glued to one of the windows, taking in the spectacular views of Fifth Avenue and Manhattan. She turned around with a look of awe on her face. "Shee-it! This must have set Dawson back several pretty pennies. I've never seen so much gold and brocade and marble. And look at these paintings. I bet they're real, not fakes like in most hotels. This sure beats the place we stayed in for Stella's bachelorette party." We all laughed as we gazed around the living room and its luxurious furnishings. As we trooped though the entire suite, each room seemed more spectacular than the last, right down to the 24-carat faucets in all the en-suite bathrooms.

Mary Lou, an avid history student, remarked, "I feel like we've been transported back in time to 18th century France." She went on to explain a bit about life in 18th century France and then she giggled, "And we are like highly sought after courtesans preparing for a night of royal decadence in King Louis XV's court."

"Thanks, Professor Stankovic," Tina quipped. Mary Lou flipped her off and disappeared into the library, and knowing Mare, she'd be there for hours reverently fondling the many first edition books that lined the dark wood shelves.

Ever the practical one, Keira announced, "Well, if we're going to dance the night away, I'm going to get a few hours of shut-eye." She looked at Amanda, her roommate for the night, "You coming, dear?"

The rest of us followed suit, though I didn't think I would actually sleep. Boy, was I wrong! Even though it was Tina lying next to me in the king-sized bed instead of Carlos, I slept like a baby.

Tina stirred and woke me up. We still had a couple of hours before the limousine was to pick us up and my stomach was growling. I stretched languorously and took in the grandeur of our bedroom. I still couldn't believe the opulence of our surroundings. My stomach growled again and I slid out of the comfy bed.

"Hey, sleepy head," I called over to an awake but still-recumbent Tina, "I'm going to call room service and order a snack. How does a cheeseburger and fries sound?"

Tina went from looking rested to looking like a ghost. She put both hands over her mouth as she leapt from the bed and darted into the bathroom. I heard the distinctive heave and then a long splash as the contents of her stomach sprayed into the bowl of the toilet. This was getting serious. I heard the flush of the toilet and then water running in the sink. When Tina returned, she looked weak and embarrassed.

"I don't know what's going on with me. I don't feel sick until I think about food."

"Do you have any other symptoms? Headache, diarrhea, stomach ache?" I asked. She shook her head. "Do you want to see a doctor?"

Tina violently shook her head. "I don't feel sick, Stevie. I just keep vomiting. If I had food poisoning, wouldn't I feel bad? Wouldn't I also have the runs?" She sat back down on the bed just as the rest of the girls came in.

Mary Lou sat down next to Tina and asked, "Did you get sick again?" When Tina nodded, Mare felt her forehead. "You don't seem to have a fever. Are you still nauseous?"

"No. It's weird. I only feel like puking my guts out when I think about eating," Tina replied.

Mary Lou chuckled and asked the question no one had wanted to bring up. "Could you be pregnant?"

This time, Tina didn't make it to the bathroom. She grabbed the fancy gilded wastebasket and heaved into it. Amanda ran to the bathroom and returned with a wet washcloth and handed it to Tina after she stopped dry heaving. Tina wiped her face and then Mary Lou took the washcloth, folded it and put it on the back of Tina's neck. "Well, could you be?" Mary Lou reiterated.

Tina glanced up at me and then at the rest of the girls. You could see the gears in her brain turning and then grinding to a halt as her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. "Fuck!" was all she said.

I fell back in one of the winged-backed chairs, my mouth also dropping open. "Tina! Are you telling me you and Lester didn't use protection?"

"Just once! I swear, it was just once. We ran out of condoms and I thought I was in a good place in my cycle. Oh, shit! I can't be pregnant! I'm not married yet. My mother's going to kill me!" And then she screamed, "Lester! What do I tell him? We both want kids, but not now! Shit, shit, shit, shit!"

Amanda sat down on the other side of Tina and grabbed her hand. "How long ago was this?"

Tina took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "It was sometime last month."

"Have you missed a period?" I asked.

"I'm a little late, but that's not uncommon for me. I don't have a clockwork cycle like you do, Stevie," Tina spat out, the reality of the situation beginning to hit her. "Fuck, fuck, and double fuck."

Amanda patted her hand. "Wait! Don't panic. You don't know for sure. Let's get a home pregnancy test and see."

I chimed in, "That's a good idea. I'll go out and find a drugstore. Stay put and don't do anything you'll regret… like calling Lester. Let's take the test first, OK?"

Tina nodded, her breaths coming more quickly. I grabbed some clothes and started to change. Tina jumped up and cried, "I'm coming with you."

"Why don't we all go. It'll be like a scavenger hunt, racing down Fifth Avenue in search of a drugstore and a pregnancy test," Mary Lou said, giggling.

A half hour later we were back in the suite, loaded down with a half dozen different pregnancy tests. Tina had gone a little crazy in the drugstore and rather than argue with her, we let her pick out whatever she wanted. The bag also included some crystallized ginger for Tina's nausea and candy bars for the rest of us.

The five of us sat in the bedroom munching on candy bars and waiting while Tina did her thing in the bathroom. In less than a minute, she rushed out, holding the plastic stick as far from her body as she could and pleaded with me to take it. "I can't look, Stevie, you look and tell me what it says," she cried.

I gingerly held the stick between my thumb and index finger and stared at it. Tina started pacing and Mary Lou moved to my side. Slowly, a faint line started to form in the middle of the stick. Nervously, I glanced at Tina, who had stopped pacing. We locked eyes for a moment and I could see her begin to panic. I looked back down at the stick and saw a "plus" sign. I showed it to Mary Lou, who sucked in a big gulp of air.

"It's positive," I whispered.

"WHAT?" Tina gasped. "Hunh-uh!" She rushed over and yanked the stick out of my hand. "No-no-no-no-no!" She stared at me for a minute and then grabbed another box off the dresser and ran back into the bathroom.

Oh, boy!

As Tina took two more tests, the rest of us shared horror stories about the times we thought we were pregnant. It was amazing how many of us had done the deed without protection, each of us thinking at the time 'it couldn't happen to me.' Luckily for most of us, those few days of worry were for naught. Mary Lou was the only one of us who had actually been pregnant and we turned to her as our source of information.

Needless to say, none of us were really up for a wild night on the town. Tina couldn't drink alcohol now and our festive mood had shifted substantially. In a unanimous decision, we cancelled the limo and ordered room service. After all, we had a 12-person dining room to break in and a fully stocked kitchen to raid.

The rest of the evening was actually fun. Well, fun for five of us. Tina made good use of the other three pregnancy tests and slowly adjusted to the fact that she was indeed "with child." Tina alternated between laughing and crying as she tried to plan out how she was going to tell Lester about her being pregnant. We offered up baby names, and speculated if she'd have a noticeable baby bump when she and Lester got married in July. We all shared our feelings about having kids and how that would change life as we knew it. Mary Lou could attest to that.

And then Tina's phone rang.

She just stared at it as it continued to ring.

"Are you going to answer it?" I asked.

"It's Lester!" she replied. "What do I tell him?" All of us motioned for her to talk to him. It only took hearing his voice and she lost it. She started, "Les…" and the waterworks began. Tina sank to the plush carpeted floor and cried into the phone. There were no coherent words, only sobs and tearful babbling. I gently pried the phone away from her clenched hands.

"Lester? This is Stephanie." Lester was shouting into the phone, concerned about his sobbing bride. "Lester, calm down. Tina's okay. She's a little emotional right now, but she's fine." Lester's voice dropped back to normal, but he was still talking a mile a minute, asking question after question. How could I explain what had made Tina so emotional?

Mary Lou and Amanda helped Tina to a chair and gave her some water to drink. She stopped crying, but now she had the hiccups. I handed her the phone back and motioned for the rest of us to leave Tina and Lester alone while she told her fiancé the news.

Before I closed the door, I heard Tina say, "Lester… hic… remember the… hic… night we played Secret… hic… Agent Man and the rocket launcher? Well, your… hic… rocket was successful in bursting through my… hic… defenses. I'm… hic... pregnant!" Tina pulled the phone away from her ear and even I could hear Lester's very loud response, "Yeehaw!"

TBC