Sam struggled to remain calm. She may have been raised in Iowa, but she hadn’t lived in New York City for the last six years without learning a thing or two about defending herself. She rammed her elbow into her attacker’s ribs forcefully, smiling grimly as she heard the rush of breath he exhaled. As his grip on her loosened, she turned in his grasp, driving her knee home. “Oh my God!” Sam cried out, as her assailant crumpled to the floor.
“I’m so sorry!” Sam aid as she sat down next to AJ, laying her hand on his thigh. AJ grimaced as he lifted her hand from his leg and placed it back in her lap. “Don’t touch me,” he grumbled.
“I said I was sorry!” Sam pleaded. “Ummmm. . . . did I forget to mention that I was taking self defense classes?” she asked tentatively.
“Yeah, I guess you did forget to mention it,” AJ said sarcastically.
“Oh come on AJ,” Dani chimed in, “The next time Marcus takes a couple of days off, Sam can moonlight as your bodyguard.” AJ ignored her and stared out the window at the hotel’s golf course. Howie, meanwhile, was struggling to maintain his sympathy for his fellow man’s discomfort. He reached out from the chair he occupied and pulled Dani into his lap. “At least I found a nice delicate woman,” he said, finally giving in to the urge to laugh.
“I’m just as delicate as the next woman and I’ll kick the ass of anyone who says differently!” Sam said, obviously offended. “Including yours, Dorough,” she added for good measure.
“Trust me D, you don’t want to tangle with her,” AJ said emphatically as he rose from the couch and limped toward the door. “Come on Bro, I need a drink.”
Howie shrugged. “I definitely don’t want to tangle with Sam after what she did to you. I want to be a daddy someday,” he said, lifting Dani off his lap and rising from the chair. “I’ll be back up in a little while,” he told her, kissing her cheek.
Sam waited until the men had left before reaching for her purse. “And speaking of Howie becoming a daddy…” Sam said casually as she pulled a home pregnancy test kit from her bag and tossed it to Dani, “The bathroom’s that way,” she pointed.
Dani stood, sighed, and headed for the bathroom, pulling open the top of the box. Sam sat back and awaited confirmation of what she already knew. She sighed, wondering if she would ever have the chance to be a mother. She smiled at the thought of AJ being the father of her child someday. A knock at the door jolted her back to the present. “Dani, someone’s at your door!” Sam called out.
“Sam, I’m kinda busy right now. Could you get it?” Dani called back impatiently. Sam laughed and rose to open the door. “Delivery for Ms. Davenport,” the bellhop intoned as he handed her an envelope. “Thanks,” Sam told him as she tossed the envelope on the table and picked up her purse. She dug out a five and pressed it into the man’s outstretched hand before closing the door. “Who was it?” Dani called out.
“Just a delivery for you from the front desk,” Sam replied as Dani opened the bathroom door and walked slowly into the room. She had tears in her eyes as she slowly raised the test stick to show the result to Sam. “I knew it!” Sam shouted as she ran across the room and snatched Dani into a big hug. “You’re gonna be a mommy! Howie’s gonna be a daddy! I’m gonna be an auntie!” she rambled excitedly, jumping up and down.
“Sam, stop jumping! You’re gonna make me puke,” Dani laughed.
“I’m sorry, I’m just so excited for you,” Sam gushed. “When are you going to tell Howie? How are you going to tell Howie? Do you want a boy or a girl?”
“Sam… SAM!” Dani interrupted. “If you’re this excited over mine and Howie’s baby, what are you going to be like when it’s your’s and AJ’s turn?”
Sam stopped jumping, a smile still on her face. “That’s a nice idea, isn’t it?” she said giddily.
“Well you’d better get busy, girl” Dani teased. “If you want our children to grow up together, that is.” Dani sobered and reached down and caressed her abdomen. “God, Sam, I’m gonna have a baby.”
Sam took Dani’s hands. “Dani, you are going to be a terrific mom. And you couldn’t ask for a better man to be the father of your children.”
“I know,” Dani smiled. The phone rang, making the women jump. They laughed as Dani went to answer it.
“I’ll go gather up the evidence,” Sam said as she headed toward the bathroom. “Wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise,” she said, grinning. Dani waved her on as she picked up the phone. Sam returned a few minutes later with a small trash bag to find Dani gathering CD’s and packing up her laptop. “Problem?” Sam asked.
“Yes” Dani said disappointedly. “That was Wilks’ secretary. There’s some kind of glitch in the new programming. It has to be fixed tonight if they’re going to start the new production run tomorrow.”
“It’s awfully late, Dani. Are you sure it can’t wait?” Sam questioned. “I figured you would be anxious to tell Howie the news.”
“I am, but this really can’t wait. The sooner we get this behind us, the sooner we can all get on with our lives. And I won’t be gone long. I’ll call Jeff on the way to the plant and have him meet me there. I’ll have to eat a little crow,” Dani grimaced, “but Jeff will be able to find the problem and fix it in no time. He’s good.” She closed her computer case and stood up, throwing the bag onto her shoulder. “Besides, Howie can keep AJ company while he nurses his wounds.” The women looked at each other and broke into laughter. “I’ll drop by the bar and tell them where I am going,” Dani added as they left the room.
“I’ll call down from my room and get the valet to bring the hotel limo around for you,” Sam offered.
“Thanks,” Dani told her. “Jeff has a rental car. I’ll get him to bring me back. I guess you’re going to try and wait patiently in your room till AJ cools off?” she asked. Sam nodded. “Smart woman,” Dani laughed as she turned to head to the elevators. She stopped suddenly and walked back to Sam. “Thanks for being the best, best friend a girl could ask for.” Dani hugged her friend and then returned to the elevators. She found Howie in the midst of a heated game of pool with AJ. She motioned him over to her. “Is he feeling any better?” she asked as Howie slid his arms around her waist, giving her a light kiss.
“Physically, he’s fine. And after he’s had a few more Coronas, his pride will be fine too,” Howie grinned.
Dani proceeded to explain the situation at the plant much to Howie’s disappointment. “It’s so late Dani. Let me go with you. I’ll just go tell AJ that we need to go back to the plant for a little while. Sam can keep him occupied. ”
“No, Howie, it’ll only take an hour or so. I am going to call Jeff and have him meet me there. And AJ needs a little more time to cool off and he needs you here to make sure his bruised ego doesn’t screw up the best thing that has ever happened to him.” Dani hoped in vain that the fact that Jeff would be present hadn’t registered with Howie.
“Jeff is going to meet you there?” Howie questioned, annoyance in his voice.
“Howie,” Dani cautioned, “everything will be fine. I need Jeff to help me fix the bug in the program. It would take me twice as long to find it myself. I want this done fast so I can get back here and we can celebrate the ba…, I mean, our engagement.” She rubbed her body against his and ran her hands down the back of his arms.
Howie sighed. “Oh all right. I never can say no to you anyway. I probably should stay here and make sure AJ stays out of trouble. And as much as I hate to admit it, I am glad Jeff will be there. I know he would never let anything happen to you, but be careful. Okay? I don’t know what I would do without you. I love you so much.” He drew her into a deep kiss. Dani smiled contentedly as he broke the kiss. “Thank you. For loving me. Your love is the best gift I have ever gotten.” She smiled coyly. “Well, second best,” she added with a laugh, giving Howie a quick peck on the lips and turning to go.
“Second best?” he asked, an offended look on his face.
“I’ll explain when I get back what the best gift is!” she called back over her shoulder as she darted out the door.
Sam picked up the remote control for the television and plopped down on the sofa in her hotel room. She clicked
on the TV, hoping that the 10 o’clock news would help her resist the urge to go down to the bar and check up on
AJ. She knew the smart thing to do was to give him plenty of time to cool off on his own. She also knew that AJ
probably wouldn’t wander back up to their room until Dani returned. “She should be back soon, she’s been
gone for a while now,” Sam muttered to herself. She tried turning her attention to the news as the anchor
announced yet another murder in the big city. A common occurrence in New York City, Sam barely registered
the newsman’s words until the victim’s name penetrated her thoughts. She sat bolt upright, listening intently to
make sure she had heard correctly. Her heart skipped a beat. “Oh my God!” she cried out as she bolted for her
cell phone. Ripping it frantically out of her purse, she hastily dialed Dani’s cell phone. She threw her bag over
her shoulder and grabbed her keys. Without even realizing it, she was running for the hotel bar. She punched
repeatedly at the elevator button as she listened to the endless ringing of Dani’s phone. Panic filled her.
“Answer the phone, damn it! Dani, please! Answer the damn phone!”
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