Sharpay sat at the doctor's office patiently waiting for her name to be called. Quietly she tapped her manicured finger nail against the cover of the latest cosmopolitan magazine as she watched the coming and goings of the office. With a sigh she looked down at her phone and slid through the pictures she was looking at.
"Is there anything we should be doing for her?" Troy voice instantly filtered in from one of the halls and Sharpay looked up with curiosity as she leaned over the edge of her seat to see. Troy was standing in the doorway speaking with a doctor, his arms crossed as listened intently to the doctor's instructions.
"Just make sure she starts taking the prenatal vitamins and that she makes her next check up," the doctor said adjusting his glasses. "A healthy lifestyle is always important, but when you're living for two, it's that much more vital. Make sure she's getting enough folic acid, eating a healthy pregnancy diet, maybe consider a pregnancy-friendly exercise routine, and she's going to need plenty of sleep. Not every pregnancy symptom will happen to every woman, but educating yourself ahead of time can prevent you from being blindsided. She might experience nausea and vomiting, jaw-dropping fatigue, odd food cravings, sore breasts, and maddeningly frequent bathroom trips. And those are just the more common complaints." The doctor chuckled with amusement.
Sharpay almost jumped from her seat her excitement overflowing about the news. Gabriella was pregnant, a baby was soon to enter the Bolton family and she be an aunt. She watched as Troy nodded along with everything the doctor was telling him and tuck back into her hiding spot when he turned to looked down the hall. Another shiver of excitement ran through her.
"Thanks Doctor," Troy shook the doctors hand and watched as he walked away. Turning back into the room he let out a sigh, "Well you heard what the doctor said." He watched her closely as she sat there almost in daze lost in another world not even present as she stared at the paperwork in her hands. Above everything else she just looked petrified. Bending down he came to her eye level and placed a hand on hers. "Isabella?"
Her brown eyes shifted as she looked at him with worrisome eyes, "What am I going to do?" she asked him quietly. "I can't have this baby?"
"Think about what you're saying," Troy advised, "ultimately this is your decision but I think you sleep on it for a few days before reaching for that option."
Isabella's eyes watered as she chewed on her bottom lips. Her features reminded him so much of Gabriella and he felt a ping in his chest, the same need and desire to protect her that he felt for his wife. The Montez women seemed to be having that affect on him and no matter how much he tried to distance himself he was beginning to care a lot more than he should for a family that was only his temporally.
"How am I going to tell her," Isabella said with a shaky voice, "How am I going to look her in face and tell her what we did."
"It's alright." Troy's hand rubbed hers gently in comforting motion. "Gabriella will understand." Or at least he prayed that she would. At this point she was already suspicious of something having to do with Isabella, surly hiding this from his wife was not going to be easy. "You did the right thing by coming to me; we'll get this sorted out."
"I just want to go home."
"I'll take you," Troy reached for her hand and helped her from the seat. Gathering their things they slowly made their way from the doctor's office.
Sharpay causally held up the cosmopolitan magazine rereading the same line for the fifth time when she heard his voice coming down the hall asking if she were hungry. Sharpay's eyes looked up just in time to see Troy walking past the front desk with his hand on the small of Isabella's backside. Quickly picking the magazine up she hid her face and listened as they stopped by the front desk to check out.
"I hope your visit was well Mr. Bolton." The woman at the receptions said politely.
"It was, can we schedule another appointment with Doctor Rigdon?"
"Of course, how far along is she?"
"Seven weeks?" Troy asked with concern.
"Yeah," Isabella's voice was solemn as she confirmed.
"Well then we'll see you next month about the same time," the woman said with a chipper voice.
Sharpay listened as they mumbled the rest of the information and said their goodbyes. As soon as they were gone Sharpay let the magazine fall to her lap as she let her lips fall into a disappointed frown. She knew he was going to fuck this up. Tossing the magazine onto the coffee table she brought out her phone and quickly brought Gabriella up on her contracts list.
"Hey, Gabriella how are you holding up?"
"Alright I guess. Could be better, But I can't complain."
"That's my girl," Sharpay said with a small smile. "Hey I was wondering if you not doing anything this evening how about you and Troy come over for dinner. Mom is dying to test out this new carter she found."
"Sure, I don't see why not. I'll just ask Troy about it when he gets home."
"Where is that pesky little older brother of mine?" Sharpay asked with a raised brow.
"He went into the office, anything I can help you with?"
"No that's fine just wondering what he's been up to these days," she said looking at her nails with a new found interest. "How's your family by the way, I haven't heard much about your little sister what was her name again?"
"Isabella," there was a pause on the line, "We're not really getting along at the moment. It's been a challenge seeing eye to eye with the restaurant and now all the changes." There was another pause. "She hiding something from me I just wish I knew what it was."
"Siblings can do the craziest things sometimes, believe it or not I know just how you feel." Sharpay comfortingly as she thought about Troy and Isabella. "Look I'm at the doctor's office but I'll tell you want tonight me and you can crack open a bottle of Champaign and talk about it."
"Thanks Sharpay, I'm happy I have at least someone I can talk to about this stuff."
"What are sister in-laws for?"
Later that evening Gabriella stood at the kitchen table dicing her peppers, she was making a salad for dinner with her in-laws. She wasn't too sure about protocol when it came to her in-laws and homemade food but she was hard at work anyway.
It seemed like forever since the last time she played with food, since the last time she cooked just to cook a meal. Listening to the music play softly she busied herself around the kitchen, the restaurant was setting up when she left them an hour ago and she was almost itching to be back behind the stove. Two weeks was two weeks to long as far as she was concerned. Walking over to the frying pan she moved the chicken around listening to the sizzle it made against the skillet. The smell was wafting up and she was lost in the peppers and garlic of the dish.
When the door opened she turned to see Troy walking in with his over shoulder messenger bag brief case at his side, along with a dainty pink bag in one hand and a manila folder in his mouth. He let out groan as he turned around to lock the door behind him. Removing the manila folder from his lips he smiled at her. "I'm going to have to start jogging again, aren't I?"
Gabriella smirked as she moved over to the counter to see him better as he place his briefcase on the floor. "Where were you?"
Troy raised a brow as he began making his way towards her, "Careful there Gabs, you almost sound like a wife," he teased as he placed the pink bag on the counter next to the manila folder.
"No, a wife would have called you and demanded that you come home at once because a Sunday is no place for a man at the office this late," she said glancing at the time. "It's almost seven."
"I know," he said moving to come around the counter towards the fridge, "Unfortunately I wasn't at the office, I was with a client."
"Oh," Gabriella said tipping the pink bag in curiosity, looking into it she reached inside and pulled out the pink corset. Like a shot from the past she jerked a little as she held it up. It was the same one from that day she went shopping with Sharpay. "What is this?" leaning back he was there and the shock of his solid form being so close made her body tense.
"I had a meeting with Leila, she runs the store, said you eyeing it the other day," Troy mumbled as he came in closer pressing his lips against her the nook in her neck. "I want you to wear tonight."
Gabriella gasps as she looked at the fabric in her fingers, "Were going over to your parent's house for dinner," she announced, "Maybe some other time?" she quickly put the device in bag hoping he wouldn't notice the tremble in her fingers.
"Do we have too?" Troy said with an undertone in his voice that came off as annoyance. He pulled away from her and she instantly missed his touch.
"Sharpay invited us," she said turning around to face him, "I thought you'd be happy to see your family?"
"Yeah well, I'm not." Troy said bring hand to shift it through his hair. "I'm in no mood to be picked on, teased, or questioned this evening."
"Don't you think you're over exaggerating?" Gabriella said with a small smile, "I mean the restaurant is coming all great and your business plans are being carried out."
"No there not," Troy let out a sigh as he moved away from her towards the opposite counter where he leaned against it. "I sold the restaurant remember?" he said for a beer he must have removed earlier from the fridge. "I failed to meet the deadline, I cost the company money and wasted everyone's time."
Gabriella was quiet as she watched him twist off the cap and chuck into the trash can. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine, the project is no longer considered to be mine anyway, Ryan brought in this client," Troy said shaking his head. "Mr. Figueroa, the same man who was going to try to buy your restaurant, before I interfered."
"What about all your plans for the companies' development towards rehabilitations of smaller companies and neighborhoods?"
"What about it?" Troy said with a shrug, "All my hard work is just being regurgitated and twisted to fit bigger companies and drive out smaller neighborhoods. I mean I should have known better of course because it's Ryan the golden child so whatever he says is a million dollar idea."
"Troy, you're father isn't like that." Gabriella frowned as she tried to understand all this information. "Troy I didn't know you were having problems at work," Gabriella said quietly as she watched him drown half the beer. "Why didn't you tell me things were going badly?" This was her fault, she was the one who dragged her feet with the change, she was the one who wasted everyone time and money and now she felt like a complete and total spoil brat.
"Because it's not your problem it's mine," he said softly. "Coming in second is a lifestyle choice for me. After all it's probably karma for all my asshole behaviors."
Gabriella raised a brow, "Do you think you're a bad guy?"
"I don't think, I know I am and so do you. After all your only here because I have the restaurant but that's going to change soon." Troy said pushing himself off the counter, "The restaurant is yours, if all the paper work is correct I just need your signature on the dotted line."
"But what about you're terms? What about your dads company, I thought you wanted to make this work long term?" Gabriella stopped herself before she got to the part when she asked what if she didn't want to leave yet.
Troy was quite as he looked down at the beer in his hands. "There are more important things to take care of now," he said walking over to where the Manila envelope was. "I'll be up in my office if you need me."
Gabriella eyed him cautiously, "What about dinner?"
"Feel free to join them, they like you. Just tell them I'm at the office," he said with a shrug.
"Troy are you made at me?" Gabriella asked watching him begin to walk away.
Troy lifted the Manila folder only to put it back down, "No."
"You sound so …"
"Yeah well what can I say, the days been sobering," Troy said lifting the Manila folder, "Besides wasn't it you who said that just because I'm quite doesn't mean I'm upset?"
"Yeah but," Gabriella shrugged as she shifted her weight, "Don't you want to eat together or talk?"
Troy let out a sigh, "I'd love to, but work must come first," he said with a nod.
Gabriella watched as he began up the stairs with his folder and beer. Her eyes narrowed as she placed a hand on her hip. Looking back at the kitchen she let out a sigh tipping the bag again she peeked inside and then smirked.
Troy sat in his office reading his computer screen and then looking back at the paperwork on his desk. Pushing his glasses up his nose he reached for the paper work and lifted it so he could read through the document clause one more time. He'd been working on this for what seemed hours but he check the clock it had been only one. Putting the paperwork down he lifted his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Troy moved his mouse to the bottom of the screen closing all of the windows and looking at his desktop background. It was a picture of Gabriella. His wife. On this occasion she was down at the beach on their trip dressed in a lemon sun dress, she looked delectable. She was moving shells around with her foot unaware that he had taken the picture, unaware of her simple yet alluring pull she had on him. His mouth compressed into a frown. She was solid gold.
"So why don't you just tell her?"
"Because that would devastate her," Troy said with his eyes on the road.
Chad brought a hand up through his hair. "You should have told her, now she going to feel like an idiot."
Troy frowned as he exited the airport parking lot. "I really like her," Troy said with a tight frown, "More than I expected to."
"Then tell her," Chad said with a shrugged, "Troy if she been around this long she obviously has some kind of feeling for you because I would've left your ass a long time ago."
"Gee, thanks." Troy let out a sigh as he merged onto the highway. "It's just that this restaurant is so important to her it's hard to make out what she really wants."
"Then give it to her."
"Just like that? Throw everything down the drain?" Troy sputtered.
"Yes because you love her and if you want to find out if this girl has any feelings for you give her the restaurant and let her make the decision if she stays or goes, you can't control everyone Troy."
Troy kept his hands on the steering wheel, "Do you think she'll ever forgive me?"
Chad was quite for a while as they drove down the interstate. "I think she'll love you."
Gabriella Marie Bolton was his. But sometimes like now, when the quiet put him into a more contemplative mood. Troy was seriously spooked by what he did to Gabriella. Once or twice he had endeavored to get himself to the point of discussing his attitude to her when they first met, but he had not known what he could possibly say. He knew that what he had done was unpardonable and he was just as aware that she had a lot of heart and not a spiteful bone in her beautiful body. Unfortunately he was equally conscious of her principles, her outlook on the world, her essential trusting innocence. How could she forgive betrayal? Or cruelty? How could she ever understand that he let this whole thing get out of hand?
His phone lit up and with a sigh he reached for it to read the screen when he saw the message was from Gabriella, his body seemed to relax a little.
Do you want to play a game with me?
Troy's lips pulled into a smirk as he read the message. This was new? Just as he was going to respond the room went dark. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness as he looked around his office. The power must have gone out. Troy frowned as he stood up from his desk. Just as he was about move the phone lit up again.
Meet me in the living room or I'll make this darkness permanent.
A chuckle escaped his lips and he removed his glasses placing them on the desk and moving to leave his office. When he came down the stairs there was a dim glow flickering in the living room. Candles maybe? What was she up to? When he came to the last step his breath was knocked from his lungs as if he momentarily forgot to inhale. Standing there in the candles warm flickering light was Gabriella, wearing nothing but the corset. Her long hair had let down and was now hanging over her shoulders the curls more wild than he ever seen them before. Shadows played over her features giving a look on mysterious devious behavior. A smile pulled at his lips and he tucked his phone into his pocket. "What's this?"
"We're going to have a meal and talk." She said lifting her chin and almost daring him to say otherwise.
"Sweetheart, if you wanted to talk you shouldn't have put on the corset," he said already feeling himself growing with excitement as his blood was rushing south.
"I'm making my offer more tempting Mr. Bolton," she said motioning to the coffee table that was covered in a white cloth and set up with food, glasses of wine and two place settings.
"We have a dining room you know?" he said looking around the living room. The candle light made everything that much more mysterious.
"And this is more intimate."
"Are you trying seduce me?"
"Are you seducible?" she responded playfully.
Troy smile stretched out and he moved to step into this enclosed warm glow of intimacy. "Only when it comes you."
Gabriella watched nervously as excitement bubbled through her making her fingers shake and her stomach jump with each step he took as he slowly came into the room.
"What's on the menu?" he asked with a raised brow looking down at the food.
"Everything you see here," she said motioning to the table.
Troy's eyes roamed the table, the food smelled delicious but the vision of her was overpowering so much so that he couldn't thinking of taking a bite before tasting her first. "Does that include you as dessert?"
It was the way he said it that made her insides warm up and sent tingles spreading instantly through her girle parts. He was still wearing those clothes, the ones that looked so out of place on him. That gray shirt, blue jeans that hugged him and cupped his bottom snuggly with denim. "Maybe?"
"Well in that case I've always been tempted by the idea to have my desert before the meal," he said coming to a stop in front of her and lifting a finger to gently touch the top of her breast.
The warmth of his touch was searing and that simple pass of his fingers felt so wonderful in ways she would have never expected.
"Have we talked enough?"
"I want to get know you," Gabriella said with a hitched breath.
Troy came closer to her his hands coming to rest on her shoulders, "We'll have time for that later," he said quietly before he smothered her protest with his deep open-mouthed kiss that left her burning with love and desire. His lips seared a path down her neck, and she threw her head back, opening herself to him completely.
"I need you now," he growled in her ear and just the sound of his voice fired a tremor of relentless passion into her blood.
Gabriella's hands slid down his firm thigh and wonder to herself how she gotten to this point from where they started. "Not yet…"
In a new found brave and nervous movement, she unfastened his jeans and slid her hand inside. He responded with a groan of pleasure, while she touched her lips to the fine curve of his collarbone. Troy arms shifted reaching for the hem of his shirt and pulling it off to toss it over to the side. As soon as the fabric was gone she bent to taste the delicious salty flavor of his skin, nipping gently her lips followed the line down his chest. She kissed the smooth corded surface of muscle at his stomach. She was on her knees in front of him as she shifted his pants down to his ankles and grabbed hold of him as he sprung out from the waist band of his boxers.
Troy didn't say a word he just stood there looking down at the woman who had changed so much since he first met her. A woman who was now coming into her own sexuality, who was becoming more bold and daring in a way that mystified him and left him without words. He watched as she kissed the tip, then used her tongue, the feeling was warm, wet, and wonderful. Her small mouth closed over him and in two swift movements he thought he would lose everything he had in him to stay standing upright.
Oh God, yes, he thought as she took him in her mouth again. he reached down and buried his hands in her hair and enjoyed. Arousal built and rippled through his body as everything in him focus on the exquisite sensation of having her pleasure him. A part of him wanted it to go on forever. Another part of him to bring her to her feet and bend her over so he could thrust inside her until they both climaxed in a mindless burst.
As she drove him toward the edge, he moved his hands from her hair to her shoulders. He needed to find control, "Enough," he panted, seeing spots of light in the air.
Gabriella got to her feet and reached a hand up to his chest pushing him gently to the couch, "Lie back." She pressed her palm to his chest and guided him down. "Relax."
"That's not possible." His tone was low and laden with desire.
His hands came up to touch the fabric of the corset. The contrast of her skin next to the pink was driving him crazy. Gabriella reached to the side and at first he didn't recognize what she was holding until she brought it up over his eyes.
"Close your eyes."
He made no argument. But when he felt something cover his eyes and her tie it at the back he stiffened. A blindfold? "Jesus."
"You can't control everything," Gabriella mumbled quietly against his ear. "We need to trust each other, more importantly you need to trust me."
Troy was quite, her weight shifted on him as she took his wrist and tied them up as well. He never thought or imaged that she was the kind of woman who would do such things. His mouth was instantly dry. "Now I want to get to know you," he said with a dry laugh.
"Don't be too surprised, I read this in a book once."
"What kind of books do you read?" he asked as she moved his hand up and behind his head. He could feel her straddling him, her chest against his as she secured him. He could smell her perfume, feel the heat between her legs, her thighs were soft and at the same time imprisoning his. Then her hands were everywhere. He didn't know he could get so aroused so quickly, but the mental images of her sitting on top of him in that corset was dancing in his mind behind the blindfold.
"I like to read romance novels, poetry and murder mysteries," she said in low voice.
She shifted her weight again and he tried really hard to listen to what she was doing. He could hear the familiar tear of a foil packet. Then closely he felt her cover him using her hands to roll the condom down over his erection which was pulsating with want and eagerness. "I should buy you more books." As soon as he spoke Troy nearly felt his eyes roll back in his head. He started to feel her heat as she sank slowly over him taking him inside her inch by wonderful inch. God, she was tight. His body got the better of him he jerked upward pushing himself the rest of the way into her. When she gasps a spear of panic went through him. He didn't want to hurt her and this position would have him going in deep.
Her hands press against his chest pushing him further down into the couch, as she lifted up and sank back down this time going a little further than before without his help. Thinking he might die if she didn't take all of him he went to touch her but realize quickly that he couldn't. She'd tied his hands behind his head. A loud groan escaped his lips as she finally had him completely, gloriously embedded inside her. "You're going to be the death of me."
Gabriella let out a moan of her own as she came back down on him. Her senses swirled as she eased herself down onto him at her own pace, melting a little more with each thrust. She felt powerful, in control and sexy all at the same time. Slowly she moved with controlled effort. The hard swell of him filled her with a soaring pleasure.
"God," he moaned, as he sat there helpless to her touch.
She moved rhythmically her hands on his chest free to touch him wherever. Her nails dug into him with each grind and he began mumbling her name, under his breath. She needed more, so she thrust faster, impatiently, until she was drained of strength, her body depleted of its power to thrust any harder. With on more grind she was there, exploding into a million pieces and Troy following right behind her clenching his teeth as he tipped over the edge feel falling into that senseless burst of happiness.