Pregnant with My Roommate’s Dad by Sofia T Summers

7

Ian

Pulling the keys from my ignition, I was ten minutes late arriving at Lily Santiago’s house, and it was all Maxie’s fault. Two days after the kitchen incident, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Standing in that bathroom, I saw the shape of her clearly through the thin fabric, but her insolent glare and sharp tongue made it even more damning.

I couldn’t decide which was worse, her body or her brazen attitude.

I spent the last two nights fantasizing about capturing all her spiteful words in a kiss. Right there in the kitchen, I would’ve pinned her against the counter and given her a real reason to yell at me. I craved to devour every inch of her until she screamed my name, burning up that contemptuous fire that lived in her earthen-green eyes.

After spending the day doing woodwork, I’d taken a shower before heading out, and the dream tormented me again. My body demanded penance for thinking of her. I couldn’t just will my unwanted erection away. Standing there in the steaming hot shower, I let the daydream play out.

I remembered the smell of her gardenia perfume and the curve of her breasts. Taking myself in hand, I wondered what it would feel like to have her fingers trace my length, tease my tip, and have her whisper my name.

She hardly ever said it, but I hadn’t noticed until she barked it back at me. The sound of it stopped me in my tracks. It didn’t matter if she was laughing or annoyed in my fantasy. Her honeyed voice had the body of a rich red wine. I could’ve gotten drunk on her words, drinking them from her pouting pink lips.

Every desirable inch of her consumed me. Finding my release, I was left with the guilt of thinking about her like that. She was Brandy’s friend. Indulging these fantasies was a dangerous game. No matter how much I wanted to leave my fingerprints on her skin, Maxie would never be mine to claim. She was too wild and too young, and I . . .

It just wasn’t right.

Maxie Lawson was out of my head, once and for all. I’d just spent one too many nights alone. I had to shake it off.

“I wondered what was keeping you,” Lily called from the covered stoop of her brick Tudor-style home.

Walking up the front sidewalk, I noticed she wore a red velvet dress tailored to accentuate her slender curves. This wasn’t the usual jeans I’d usually see her wear when she was off-duty. I’d only worn my old gray knit sweater and my better jeans, and that was just because they were my last clean clothes.

“There was traffic,” I lied. “But I’m here now. You said you wanted to talk about some more renovations? Margo said you really liked what we’d done so far.”

Lily had been spending her ex-husband’s money on renovating the house they used to share, using my company. I’d been over here on Saturday nights before. Those nights, she hadn’t been so well dressed, and she didn’t smell like powdery perfume.

“Of course,” Lily answered with a coy smile. “Won’t you come in, Ian? It’s much easier to chat where it’s warm.”

I saw the intent in her warm brown eyes and practiced smile. This was starting to feel like a trap. I hadn’t set clear boundaries when Lily began to flirt with me. I thought it would just go away. Now, it was definitely about to get worse.

“Yeah.” I sighed, hustling up the brick steps to follow her.

I was already thinking through my speech about staying friends as the warm air filtered through the front door. I heard the sound of soft instrumental jazz coming from the living room. Looking around, the place looked particularly clean, and I could make out the smells of herbs and steak.

“Can I take your coat?” Lily asked me. “I don’t think you’ll need it here.”

“Sure . . .” I reluctantly agreed.

Shrugging out of my navy waxed-cotton coat, I handed it over to Lily. She was all smiles as she put my coat up in the nearby closet.

“The chandelier here, it’s new, right?” I said, looking up in the foyer, looking at the tiers of crystals.

“Yes, your team did an excellent job, Ian,” she complimented me. “It’s been wonderful to feel so . . . taken care of. It had me thinking I might like to expand my master suite, maybe give it a little sunroom big enough for two.”

I swallowed hard as I met her dark eyes. I knew I’d been out of the dating game for some time, but I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen the signs. Every word of my planned speech abandoned me.

Since she had no kids, Lily decorated the house in shades of ivory and tan with pillows and blankets specifically placed. The electric fireplace burned in a blue glow. Fresh white roses decorated her coffee table. Beyond the brand-new kitchen, the dining room was set with glowing candles and fine china.

“I was so happy that we’re able to celebrate our fiftieth flip sale,” Lily told me as she led me through her living room. “I know you’ve been so busy.”

“Yeah, work’s been a little hectic,” I mumbled. “If I build you a sunroom, it will be even busier.”

“I know.” Lily laughed while flipping her hair over her shoulder. “I’ve been so busy finding the perfect house for this new young family. They want to be in such a specific neighborhood for the school district, but they hate all the houses on the market. Can I get you something to drink, Ian? Wine? Whiskey, maybe?”

Not trusting stronger alcohol, I told her, “Wine’s fine.”

“Good!” Lily chimed. “We can both drink this new merlot I just picked out. It should go great with the steak I made in my fabulous new kitchen.”

I looked around at the cabinetry which still smelled of fresh paint. The crisp white cabinets and brick backsplash were something I’d been thinking about doing again in Brandy’s bungalow. I fought back the urge to groan audibly. Lily’s tricks were turning me on, but not in the way she hoped.

The kitchen renovation only took me back to Thursday morning. The smell of rich red wine reminded me of Maxie’s voice. Even Lily’s red dress had me thinking her curves were nothing to that girl’s body. It was awful to compare them. God, it was worse to be thinking about either of them. I took the glass of wine gratefully.

“Thanks,” I told her.

Closing the space between us, she replied, “Should we toast to something?”

“The fifty houses?”

“Here’s to fifty more,” Lily declared, clinking her glass with mine.

Looking up at me through her black eyelashes, I knew Lily wasn’t interested in the dinner she made. She was far more interested in dragging me across the living room toward her master suite. Working hard not to lose my attention, Lily took a long sip of her wine. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she finished.

“What a great wine,” she mused. “I’ll have to buy it again. Don’t you think, Ian?”

“Yeah,” I muttered, realizing I should’ve taken the whiskey.

“Maybe we could share the second bottle too.”

Lily tucked her dark shoulder-length hair behind her ear, leaning toward me in hopes that I might reach out. It would’ve been easy to try and forget Maxie in the arms of this eager woman, but I didn’t want to do that. It felt like betraying my fantasy was somehow betraying Maxie herself.

“I hate for that dinner to get cold!” I remarked, nerves creeping up my spine. “You’ve really put out quite the, um, spread, Lily.”

“Thanks.” Lily laughed, smiling at my jittery energy.

She couldn’t know why I was so uncomfortable. I wondered what she presumed it to be. Maybe she figured it was just first-date nerves? Did she think her dress had worked its magic? Neither of those things were true.

I just hoped neither of us got so embarrassed tonight that our working relationship fell apart. At the same time, I needed to stop thinking about Maxie Lawson before my arousal became physically obvious in my jeans, yet everything seemed to be reminding me of her. I needed a neutral and boring distraction.

“You know,” I recalled, “speaking of more houses, I noticed a new foreclosure was posted on Dexter Avenue. It looks like the exterior has been well cared for. Maybe we should go check it out sometime.”

“As much as I enjoy any time together, I don’t want to talk about work.” Lily sighed.

Wandering over to the dinner table, Lily pulled a cast-iron skillet she was keeping warm in the oven with potatoes and two filet mignon steaks. She had already plated two simple salads at each place with rolls and butter. It was like she was putting on a whole affair to impress me, but I couldn’t think of anything worthwhile to say.

Tapping my fingers against the table, I asked her, “What should we talk about then?”

“I want to talk about you,” she declared, setting the plate before me. “I feel you’ve never told me much about yourself, Ian. I’m not even sure where you live.”

“I live in a house not far from Ford Lake in Ypsilanti,” I explained. “I bought the house when Brandy was three. It was close to a good Montessori school.”

“How darling!” Lily gushed. “My ex never wanted kids, and I thought I’d get over it. That was probably a sign that we shouldn’t have married in the first place.”

I sighed without thinking. “I know the feeling.”

“Oh?” Lily tilted her head in curiosity. “Is that what caused trouble between you and Brandy’s mother?”

“Kinda,” I replied while shifting in my seat. “But Brandy and I were happy, just the two of us. I’m glad things worked out for her and the house. You should’ve seen the horror show those burst pipes caused in that little apartment.”

Lily laughed. “I’m sure it was quite the sight.”

She worked hard to ingratiate herself to me over dinner. I watched as she drank most of the merlot herself. I had the excuse of driving home to just nurse the one glass, but part of me wished I’d taken more of the merlot.

With every sip, Lily seemed to be leaning closer. She was fawning over me by the time she brought out flourless chocolate cake for dessert. When she ran her foot up my leg under the table, I couldn’t write it off. Lily was drunk and getting more eager with each passing moment.

I just couldn’t think of a good enough lie to leave. There was no place for me to go but back home. I could continue working on the pair of outdoor rocking chairs, listen to my radio, and maybe have a beer to help numb tonight’s sting. When there was no more food to be had, I thought I could make my exit, but Lily came prepared.

“I’ve got a sparkling wine to try too!” Lily grinned, the wine making her more relaxed than ever. “Ian, why don’t we sit in the living room and enjoy the fireplace? I know how much you like those.”

Lily had noticed my habit of preserving fireplaces, but who didn’t like watching the flames crackle in the darkness? I could spend all night under the stars, watching a bonfire turn to smoldering embers. It was mesmerizing in its simplistic beauty.

Thinking of no way out, I sat on the far end of the large ivory sectional. Lily refreshed our glasses with the sparkling wine from the refrigerator. I watched the artificial blue flames burn in the electric fireplace while Lily turned up the jazz I’d forgotten was playing.

Lily had a tipsy grin on her face when she cozied right up next to me. On the ten-foot sectional, she had to sit only six inches from me, handing me my wine glass with a flirtatious expression.

“It’s called Franciacorta,” she told me happily. “The wine shop clerk said it was the champagne of Italy.”

“That’s . . . nice,” I offered, trying hard to keep my distance.

There was no avoiding the conversation now. I had to let Lily down gently. I didn’t want to be her rebound. I wasn’t looking to be the father of the kid she’d been craving. Somewhere out there, a man perfect for Lily was waiting, and he wasn’t me. I was content with what I had.

“Do you like it?” Lily pressed.

Honestly, I knew nothing about wine. It all tasted the same to me, but I didn’t want to stomp out her fire so cruelly. Lily still looked so hopeful.

“It’s nice,” I offered after taking a sip. “But I think we should talk.”

“Okay,” Lily agreed, wiggling closer. “What about?”

I opened my mouth to speak as my phone hummed in my jeans pocket. I didn’t know who the number was, but it looked familiar.

“Sorry, I should take this,” I said, standing.

“Of course,” Lily agreed, sipping her wine.

“Hello?” I greeted the person hesitantly.

I wasn’t ready to hear the complaining voice shouting on the other end.

“My tenants?” I repeated to him, trying to make sense of his tirade.

Then, it became clear. This was Brandy’s neighbor, an old man and his wife who had complained about the noise when we were replacing the roof of the house last fall. Apparently, the girls were having some raging party, and the couple were about five seconds from calling the police.

“Sir, I’m so sorry,” I insisted between his griping. “I’m coming over to sort out the situation right now.”

Hanging up the phone, I didn’t know if I was more angry or relieved.

“What’s wrong?” Lily fretted as I hurried toward the coat closet.

“It seems the girls are having a party that’s spilling out onto the streets,” I grumbled. “I’m sorry. I’ve got to go.”

“It’s okay,” Lily assured me tenderly. “We’ll talk another time.”

Lily kissed my cheek softly as she opened the front door. It was chaste and quick like something you might give a grandparent, but I could see the longing in her face. She wanted it to be the first of many.

“Thanks for dinner, Lily.”

I didn’t have anything else to say as I hurried off into the night.