Her Best Friend's Baby by Teona Bell Page B

transferred her, but she dialed over to a catchall mailbox, one she knew was not Leith’s personal box. After a few minutes, she checked the box that all the assistants had access to and heard Jenna’s whiny voice begging Leith to call her. Zaierra rolled her eyes and pushed the number for delete. Leith was free of that woman, and if she had anything to say about it, he would not fall into her trap again. No more using him for his money and for eye candy when it worked for her.
    She fielded two more calls from Jenna over the next two hours and wondered just how long Cammie needed to pick up some dang pads from the store. When she called in sick and didn’t return, the brunt of taking care of the executives fell on Zaierra’s shoulders for the rest of the day, and late that night, she finally made it home to collapse on her couch, face down. If nothing else, she needed to move on structuring her life for a lot more meaning, and it would start with Leith.
     
     

Chapter Two
     
    Zaierra must have dozed off because she became aware of hands touching her. She opened her eyes to find Leith sitting at the end of the couch massaging her feet. She moaned and closed her eyes. Her friend tended to be around more when he didn’t have a woman in his life, but he never stayed single long, not with his sexual appetite.
    “Hey,” she said.
    “Hey, yourself. I’m sorry you had to deal with so much today.”
    She grunted. “All in a day’s work. I’m Superwoman if you didn’t know.”
    “Yes, I already knew that.” He pressed an expert thumb in a crucial spot at the base of her foot, and she moaned again.
    “Mm, that feels so good. Yeah, right there.”
    Leith shifted on the chair. “Stop that. You make it sound like I’m fucking you.”
    She smirked. “You wish.”
    “Maybe I do.”
    She opened her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. “Please, that sampling of a black woman ship has sailed. From my last count, you’ve had two black girlfriends and one Asian.”
    “You make me sound like a man whore.”
    Zaierra didn’t comment, and he gave her an extra jab that made her yelp. She kicked him and sat up. Tiredness lined his eyes, and she felt sorry for him. Leith probably deserved a massage too.
    “Turn around,” she ordered. “Let me get your shoulders.”
    He did as she asked, and Zaierra slid up close. Not intending to, she bumped his back with her breasts, and he stiffened. She worked the tension from his shoulders, going after every knot she found. They sat in silence a long time while she worked up the nerve to ask him about her thoughts.
    “Jenna called you all day.”
    “Why?”
    “I don’t know. She said it was important.”
    “Not interested.”
    “I didn’t think so.” She chewed her lip for a bit. “Um, you know I’m not getting any younger, right?”
    He chuckled. “Neither of us are. We’re thirty-one.”
    She clicked with her tongue. “I’m still thirty, thank you very much. Let me have my three months.”
    “Pardon me.” His deep, rumbling voice sent a sensation through her she didn’t care to explore.
    “Anyway, I was thinking.” She swallowed, her heart hammering in her chest. “None of the guys I’ve ever gone out with have turned out to be any good. For the first time in a really long time, we’re both single. I want a baby.”
    Leith sprung up from the chair, almost knocking her onto the floor. She caught herself and straightened, frowning at him. He stood above her, eyebrows practically in his hairline. “What are you saying?”
    Zaierra stood up, not liking how he towered over her. She rung her hands and paced in her tiny living room. “I’m not asking for us to see each other, but I need a man to father my baby. I can’t even fathom going to a sperm bank. The thought makes me cringe, but my biological clock is ticking away, and it’s looking like my eggs will be powder long before anyone decent comes along.” With a small bit of bravado, she turned to face him.