When he began to make love to her, she realized how much she'd needed a man to cling to and how wonderful it felt to be filled by one. When she felt his thick desire splashing into her, she came too. Her spasms were strong, and they made her scream out. The noise she made was an attempt to drive out the pain forever.
They slept for hours, and when Tyra woke, she noticed it was daylight. It was her day off, and she was looking forward to spending it with Dima. She looked across at him. He was asleep. He was lying, half under the sheet. The sight of his tight buttock and hairy thigh made her want him again, and she began to massage his back. He grunted, opened his eyes, and turned over. She smiled. He was big and rock hard again.
“Tell me about work,” he said when they were finished. His body lay entwined in hers, and she felt relaxed.
“What do you want to know?” She ran her hand over the hair on his chest and stomach and cupped his manhood. He smiled and shook his head.
“How much does that job mean to you?”
“Everything. Mr. Samuels and his wife have been so kind. Without them, I wouldn't have made it.”
“Then you wouldn’t want to help me steal the Hope Diamond?”
She laughed. “No, but I'll help you get this big man up and running again,” she said as her hand began to rub him. She loved the contrast between her black hand and his white shaft.
“I'm not joking. I want the Hope Diamond.”
She stopped what she was doing and raised herself onto one elbow. “You are joking, right?”
He shook his head. “You can show me how to get it. You are close to all the security. I have a friend named Sergey. He is a genius when it comes to stealing things from high-security areas. He could tell you what he needs to know, and over the next few weeks you could give him the information he needs.”
“You bastard. You absolute bastard.” She thumped his chest hard. He tried to hold her arms, but she ripped them from him and jumped out of the bed. “Have you been planning this the whole time? Make the stupid bitch fall in love with me and she'll tell me all,” she said, mimicking his Russian accent. “How could you take advantage of me like this? If my dad were alive, he'd kick your ass, you piece of crap. I never want to see you again.”
*****
“You're what?” Radley said, the furrows on his forehead looking deeper than ever. There was a distinctly cool atmosphere in his office as they discussed Tyra's situation.
“She said she was pregnant,” his wife intervened. “Unmarried and pregnant. Tyra, I'm very disappointed in you. How could you let us down like this?”
“Steady, Eliana. Don't be too harsh on her. Accidents happen. She's had a rough time lately, and maybe she needed a bit of love.”
“Well, whatever she thought, she's let us down. She'll be off work for lord knows how long now. And even when she returns, she'll be cutting her days short to look after the child.”
Will you stop talking about me as if I weren’t here? Tyra thought. “I'm sorry. It wasn't intentional, and we took precautions. Something went wrong.”
“Who's the father?” Eliana asked, leaning forward in the armchair.
“He’s Russian. I met him when he came to buy jewelry. He asked me on a date. I wasn't thinking straight; I'm sorry.” Tyra was feeling ill. It was just going on nine, and for the last three days she'd had terrible morning sickness.
“A client. Tyra, you have been fraternizing with one of our clients? You know we frown on that kind of behavior.” Eliana slapped the arm on the chair in frustration.
“Does he know?” Radley asked.
Tyra looked up at him, startled. “No, and he never will. I will keep the baby and bring it up on my own.”
“Then I'm afraid we will have to think what else we can do with the business,” Eliana said. “Under the circumstances, it would be foolhardly to go ahead with our plan to leave it to you. I don't want a Russian's bastard getting his hands on it in the future. You can keep your job here, but that's all.”
“Eliana!” Radley exclaimed. But when he looked at his wife, he knew it was time for him to keep quiet.
*****
When Tyra got home to her studio in Washington Heights, she undressed and got into bed. She put her hands on her belly and closed her eyes. She began to wonder when life would stop kicking her, but she was so exhausted she could come up with no answer before she fell asleep.