Chapter 61

Sticking to his promise, James arranged absolutely everything for the party – carrying in crates of drinks, extra chairs and never-ending bags of snacks. Then he set about cleaning the whole house.

“You do know you're going to have to re-do the whole house after the party, right?” I mumbled dryly through a mouth-full of crisps I'd stolen from the mountain of party-snacks stored in the garage. "People will stomp all over the house in their party-shoes, dropping crisps and spilling drinks everywhere…" I was comfortably nestled in the corner of the sofa, buried under a blanket and with Fusker perched in my lap. James froze in his tracks, floor mop in hand, and shot me a sideways glare of exasperation.

“You are enjoying this free-pass way too much, missus.” He pointed at me sternly.

“How about this; since you're doing all this I'm going to let you out of one weeks' worth of poopy diapers?” I offered. He laughed loudly.

“I'll remember that!” He warned, and went back to cleaning the floors. Part of me wished that James would've let me help a little more with the preparations; it would have distracted me from my restlessness and nerves. I was a big day, at least it felt like it to me. Later tonight, everyone we knew and cared about would know our big secret. A secret I wasn't sure neither James or I had gotten used to the thought of yet. Maybe we never would until the baby was actually born. But I was excited to tell everyone, and nervous. It was the right time. But I also worried about how people would react. Would they think it was too soon? James and I hadn't even been together a year. Or maybe they would think James was too old? People always had opinions about other people's life choices, and even though these people were our friends and most likely would be happy for us, I was still nervous. Personally I didn't worry about him being too old, but I knew that he probably still did, despite all my reassurances and arguments. And now I worried that people would say something to him, make some flippant comment that would upset or hurt him. He didn't need that, he had enough dealing with his own insecurities, and I wanted to protect him from the stupidity of other people. But I knew I couldn't always be there to do that. I just had to have faith that we had chosen our friends carefully enough.

James did such a good job on the party preparations all I had to think about was preparing myself. After having tried on all the dresses I owned, I realised that if I was to keep my pregnancy a secret until we revealed it ourselves, I had to wear a dress I had rarely ever worn, an unshapely, tent-like thing that was very loose-fitting. It was very comfortable, but I didn't feel comfortable in it, it made me look short and broad and boring. When I appeared downstairs James was busy sorting all the drinks and glasses, knowing people would be arriving within half an hour. He was dressed in dark blue jeans, one of the dozens of flowery shirts he owned and a suit jacket. Hearing my steps he turned around, looking me up and down.

“Don't say it, I look awful,” I sulked, plopping down on a barstool.

“What? No, that wasn't what I was... You look... That dress is really...”

“Boring,” I insisted.

“Yes, actually it is,” he admitted with a snort, and we both shared a laugh.

“I hate this dress, but it's the only thing I have that hides certain strategic body parts,” I said as I ran my hand over the ever-growing baby bump. “I can change to something else later, when we've told everyone. You look great, though,” I added as I slid off the barstool and walked over to him.

“Yeah?” He said, looking down himself.

“Mhm...,” I nodded, fiddling with the lapels on his jacket, giving him a flirty look. “Very charming and handsome. And sexy.” I smiled to him, running my hand over his hair and down his cheek, which flushed red as he blinked, looking down at the floor. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, walking closer to him, caressing the back of his neck. “You're mine, do you know that? And if I catch anyone flirting with you tonight, I will stomp on their foot with a very pointy heel,” I growled, leaning in. James expected a kiss, but in stead I took his bottom lip between my teeth and tugged at it.

“Oy. Oooow,” he whined, but before he could complain any further I took his lip between my own, kissing him deeply and slowly, making it all better. His whining turned into a happy, humming moan as he kissed me back, and I nudged him backwards, pinning him up against the kitchen counter. Our kiss was rudely interrupted by the doorbell, and I froze.

“Who is that?! They're early!” I moaned.

“That might be Simmy, I asked if he could come by a little early, help me out with some heavy lifting...” James said, looking apologetic. I huffed, frustrated at having been interrupted.

“Guess we'll have to let him in then...” I growled.

“Yes. Leaving him out there would be a little impolite..” James agreed with a snort.

“All right, go on then,” I sighed, gave James a final little kiss then unpinned him from against the counter.

Over the next hour there was a steady stream of guests arriving. Every time I had to hug someone I worried that someone would feel the baby bump, and I cursed having such huggy friends. As our house filled up with people I asked myself why the hell we'd never done this before. James and I liked the quiet and our privacy, but we were social people too, and I loved having all our friends around us, in our house, happy and talking. I noticed that James was twitchy and restless, anxious to get the big reveal over with, and as soon as I knew that everyone had arrived, I sidled over to him and squeezed his hand gently.

“Everyone's here now,” I said quietly so only he would hear. He nodded, looking tense and nervous, then turned down the music. The sudden drop in volume made almost everyone turn to look at James. He cleared his throat loudly, looking slightly flustered as he fiddled with his bottle of beer.

“Right,” he began, squaring his shoulders and taking a deep breath. “First of all, I want to thank you all for coming. I know how busy these weeks leading up to Christmas tend to be for everyone. We invited you all here because, well... You're all our friends and we like spending time with you guys, believe it or not. But we also invited you because we have an announcement to make.” People raised their eyebrows and there was a low murmur of wondering coming from the onlookers. “The announcement being that I'm going to be a dad,” James said quickly, as if he had to just dive into it quickly.

“What, to a crate of beer?” Jeremy challenged, then cackled loudly, showing his yellow teeth. James chuckled and shook his head, apparently at a loss for what to reply.

“If he's having a crate, then you look like you're having an entire brewery, Jezza” I retorted dryly. He really was an idiot for poking fun at James for his beer-gut when he looked to be about 5 months further along. At this James screwed up his eyes and guffawed loudly.

“And that is one of the thousands of reasons why I want her to be the mother of my child,” James said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

“Wait... So, what, you're actually serious?” Jezza gaped, his face even longer than usual.

“Yes, Jeremy, we're very serious,” I smiled.

“What, James had sex?” Richard piped up, making it sound like that was the biggest surprise of the evening. For someone who had secretly known about this for a while now, he sounded very convincing. The crowd of people started laughing, even James chuckled a little.

“Shut up, Hamster. Anyway, this is why I'm wearing this bin-bag of a thing, because well... I'm pregnant.” I pulled the fabric tight over my tummy, revealing the little baby-bump underneath. As I did this, most of the women squealed loudly, Mindy and Francie being the loudest of all. Everyone started to chatter amongst themselves, sounding very surprised but pleasantly so at the happy news. Mindy and Francie ran right over to me to hug and congratulate me, then they promptly proceeded to pat my stomach while bombarding me with questions. I laughed and raised en eyebrow in surprise, not used to people randomly fumbling my tummy. Hugs, cheers and congratulations hailed over both of us, and I was torn between relief, happiness and feeling awkward. I wasn't used to being the centre of attention like this. When everyone seemed to have done the rounds, I turned to James, snaking my hand into his. “You okay?” I asked quietly, taking a step closer to him. James just nodded and smiled, looking relieved and happy, just as I was.

“Yeah. I think... I sort of liked doing that, even if it was bloody nerve-wracking,” he admitted in hushed tones. “I like that everyone knows. It feels good. I love you. Both of you,” he whispered, pulling me in for a little kiss. At the same time he ran his palm over my tummy in the way he had gotten a habit of doing lately. His words gave me a big lump in my throat, and I swallowed hard and blinked rapidly a few times.

“I love you too,” I smiled back. “I'm just going upstairs, changing out of this... thing, I hate it,” I said, tugging at my oversized, unshapely dress. Everyone knew now, I had no reason to hide any longer.

Returning downstairs in a different, more shapely dress I bumped into Richard in the hallway. He stopped in his tracks, eyeing me up and down in the new dress.

“Wow, you've grown!” He said, stretching out an arm as if he had been about to touch me.

“It's okay.” I smiled kindly at Richard, reaching out for his hand and placing it on my tummy. After what had happened between us, and all the conversations we'd had after that, I felt strangely close to him now. He'd become a good friend, someone I trusted and valued, which maybe was a strange thing, considering the kissing. But more than once he'd come to me for support, for advice and for comfort, and he'd provided the same for me. He caressed me tentatively, looking at his own hand then up at me.

“You look amazing,” he said, his smile showing a hint of sadness. I returned his smile, eyeing him closely.

“How are you?” I asked, placing my hand on top of his.

“I'm... okay. Mindy and I are in a better place than we were before. We've had some good moments, we're... working on things. I just wanted to say thank you for... everything, for how well you handled everything and for all the advice you've given me. Mindy wants to say thank you, too, she knows you've helped me.”

“You're welcome, Richard.” He wrapped his arms around me in a hug.

“I'm still not sorry about kissing you, I can't get myself to be sorry about that,” he whispered, burying his face in my hair briefly before letting me go. The look that met me when he pulled back was full of boyish mischief. I shook my head at him, unable to keep back a laugh.

“Are you drunk already?” I said, trying to make a joke of it.

“No,” Richard said with his usual, daft giggle. Turning serious again he cleared his throat. “James seems so happy about becoming a father, I don't think I've ever seen James so excited about anything. Look, he's already pulled out the ultrasound images now,” he observed, looking pointedly through the hallway and into the living room.

“He has?!” I squawked, following Richard's line of sight. I spotted James, surrounded by Simmy, Rory, Andy Wilman and their respective better halves, ultrasound imagine in hand.

“Wow, that didn't take him long...” I mumbled, slightly shocked.

“I don't blame him. He loves you so much, Emily. And he's so proud of you, that he has you, and that you're having his baby.”

“Don't you know better than talking like that to a pregnant woman, I'm going to cry!” I said loudly, stomping my foot as I flapped my hands in front of my eyes, trying to waft away the tears welling up in them.

“Sorry, sorry!” Richard said with panic in his face, patting his pockets down for a handkerchief or a tissue.

“Oh, it's fine. Just.. no more mushy talk,” I sniffed. “Now go. Find your wife. Get drunk. Flirt outrageously. But no shagging in my house,” I warned, pointing at him. Richard guffawed with laughter, then gave my hand a squeeze before returning to the party.

Seeing all of these people around me getting increasingly loud, happy and chatty as they drank made me feel a little left out and lonely, which I knew was stupid. It made me strangely restless and impulsive, I wanted to feel the same thrill that drinking sometimes gave. Going to the bathroom I took off my pantihose and stuffed them in a cupboard, then slipped off my lace knickers. Returning downstairs and weaving my way through the crowd I balled the underwear into my fist as tightly as I could, hoping no one would see them. Scanning the room I spotted James, and made a bee line straight for him. James was deep in conversation with Jezza and Colin about something. When I approached him I smiled quickly at the two other men before sidling up to James as close as I could, making sure to place myself in such a way that the other two wouldn't see what I was up to. I stretched my neck, standing on tippy-toes as if to whisper something in his ear. He shot me a quick, puzzled look before leaning down a little.

“Your office. Five minutes,” I whispered, placing my mouth much closer to his ear than necessary, breathing heavily. Leaning in to him I slipped my knickers into James' pocket, making sure he would feel me doing so. Then I pulled back from him, smiled at the three men and left them. My heart was thumping in my chest, the blood rushing through my veins. Had the other two noticed anything? What if people knew I was walking around this party with no underwear on underneath my dress? Making a detour for the kitchen I was picturing how James would wonder what the hell I had slipped into his pockets, his mind working furiously as he tried to keep up a conversation. How he'd wait for a minute or so before casually slipping his hand into his jacket pocket. And how he'd perhaps swallow hard or blush a little as he felt the lace under his fingertips, maybe even feel the damp spot on them, realising what it was. I had a few sips out of a can of pepsi, then headed towards his office, trying desperately to avoid contact with anyone. I breathed a sigh of relief as I entered the room, the sounds from the party dulled as I closed the door behind me, the music and people chattering and laughing fading away. Walking over to his desk I removed a few piles of paper and sat down on the edge of it, facing the door, legs crossed in a lady-like fashion. I pulled the skirt of my dress up a little, making sure to reveal as much of my legs as possible. A few minutes later, and right on time, the door opened and James appeared. As he entered he closed the door and locked it, slowly and thoroughly. Remaining by the door he stared at me, narrowing his eyes a little as they trailed along the entire length of my body, from my hair to my heel-clad feet. I supported myself on my arms either side of me, leaning forward a little, shoulders slightly hitched up, purposely pushing my breasts together, showing them off.

“You,” he began in a stern voice, slipping his hand into his pocket to extract the lace panties curled up inside. He held them out in front of him, taking a moment to look at them before pinning me with another glare.

“Me?”

“You are a really, really... naughty... woman.” He crossed the floor as he spoke, pointing sternly at me, jabbing the air while still holding my panties. I bit my lip innocently and raised even more innocent eyebrows.

“I am?” I inquired politely, tilting my head to the side and looking up at him. He stopped a few feet from me, still with that stern look on his face. Inwardly I was fighting with myself no to smirk at him teasingly.

“You completely ruined that conversation just now, I completely lost the thread,” he huffed, taking a step closer.

“And why is that?” I asked. Without even thinking I untangled my legs. He took another step, dropped the panty onto the desk next to me and then I felt his fingertips graze the inside of my knee.

“Because all I could think of...” he said quietly, leaning towards me, hovering close to my mouth. “.. was how much I wanted to do.. this...” As he spoke I felt his fingertips trail up the inside of my thigh. He ended the sentence with a kiss, his fingertips still travelling up the inside of my thigh. He groaned into my mouth as his hand reached the naked, warm wetness between my legs. I parted my legs a little, pulling him closer and wrapping an arm around him. I winced against his mouth as his fingers began working on me, then sucked hard on his bottom lip. Letting go of his lip I trailed kisses along his jawline and onto the side of his neck. At the same time I inched my hips forwards a little, spreading my legs, offering myself to him. I ran a palm over his shirt-clad chest and down to his stomach, my hand playing at his belt.

“James?” I breathed quietly into his ear.

“Uh.. Yes...?” He hummed distractedly, his fingers slipping rhythmically over my wet clit. When I began talking again, I let my hand travel downwards another few inches, feeling him through his trousers, finding him almost fully erect. “James.. I want you to turn me around... Hitch up my dress... Bend me over your desk... And fuck me.” I punctuated every wish with a kiss or a nip at the skin on his neck, firmly rubbing my palm against his erection as I spoke my desires. As I said the last sentence he froze, an involuntary groan escaping him. When he straightened up to look at me his face was flushed, and the look on his face was black with lust. Without another word he wrapped an arm around me and hastily scooped me off the desk and onto my feet. Hurriedly he took hold of my hips and flipped me around, hitched up my dress and firmly forced me to bend over his desk, exposing my bare bum and legs to him. My heart was pounding so loudly in my ears I could barely hear the distant din of the party going on in the rest of the house. For a few seconds I stood there, bum in the air and face against the cold wood of his office desk, waiting. James swore under his breath as he struggled with his belt and trousers. With his own foot he forced my feet a little further apart. In the next moment I felt one hand on my hip, and how he thrust himself inside me, quickly and fully. “Holy fuck!” I swore loudly, gripping onto the edge of the desk. James groaned too, then shushed me, reminding me our house was full of people. For a moment he remained still inside me, and I could hear him breathing heavily. I pushed back against him, horny and impatient. James' hands fell to my hips as he began moving in and out of me, slowly at first. Then he stopped, his cock deep inside me, gyrating his hips a little. “Shit....” I groaned, feeling every inch of him inside me. I rocked back on him again.

“Jesus..” James mumbled. I felt his palm caressing my lower back and my bum. “You are so fucking sexy...” Then it was as if he lost what little self-control that remained in him. His fingers dug into my hips as he began thrusting into me in a relentless rhythm. All I could do was tighten my grip on the edge of the desk and hang on for the ride. Despite biting my lip, winces and moans escaped me. James' strong hands moved to my bum, kneading my buttocks firmly, then spreading my cheeks a little in an effort to come even deeper into me. Even if I couldn't see him, I could sense there was something going on inside him, something primal and raw. I felt it in the way he touched me, his huffs and moans, his relentless thrusts into me, the way he was just claiming me, taking me hard. It was something I didn't see in him often, he rarely let out that part of himself and I didn't know why he had done now. Maybe it was the fact that we had a house full of people, the risk of it, the naughtiness of it, or the fact that he'd had a bit to drink. It didn't matter, because in any case it was exactly what I had wanted and needed. I was meeting his thrusts as much as I could, the sound of our bodies slamming into each other almost drowning out or huffs and moans.

“Harder!” I commanded, feeling like I couldn't ever get enough. James let go of my bum, but only to place his hands on my shoulders to push me harder against himself. The increase in force made me throw my head back and moan a little too loudly. I tried as best as I could to push back against him, to meet his thrusts. The air was stinging in my chest and I could barely breathe, every muscle and cell in my body were tensed up, working towards my climax. “Fuck, James.. Don't stop, I'm coming!” I gasped. He obeyed my command, not slowing his pace or the force with which he was thrusting into me. My legs began to wobble ominously as the orgasm neared and I gripped even harder on the desk, taking out every last remnant of strength within me to keep up the thrusts against him, and to keep my legs from giving out on me. As the orgasm slammed through me I gasped and then held me breath, screwing up my face in an effort not to scream out my pleasure as it peaked. I shook against the hard, wooden desk. A few strained groans escaped me and I shuddered and twitched as a few after-shocks washed through me. Panting heavily I wondered if I was going to pass out from lack of oxygen. I had no idea if James had had his release, my own orgasm had been far too powerful, I hadn't been able to focus on anything else. Still inside me I felt James leaning over me, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“Bloody hell...” he murmured weakly, his breath unusually warm against my skin as he kissed the back of my neck lazily. Arms still wrapped tightly around me he gently raised my upper body from the desk until I was standing upright. He hugged me tight from behind, kissing the side of my neck before turning me around in his own arms. The look on his face was one of mischief, of surprise and of mystery. I was still breathing raggedly as I ran a thumb tenderly over his cheek and kissed him deeply. “Like I said: very naughty...” he repeated as I pulled back, still slightly out of breath. With a sly smile I bent down, trailing my hands all along his body down. His boxers and trousers were gathered around his ankles, and still hunched in front of him I pulled them back on, closed the button and the zip and then did up his belt, staring into his eyes all the while. When I was done he took me by the wrists and hoisted me upwards, then pushed me back towards the desk, making me sit on the edge of it again. My discarded panties were still on the desk, and he snatched them up and went down on his knees in front of me, slipping my legs back into them and pulling it upwards as far as it would go. He stood upright and proffered a hand, and I got up so he could pull them up the rest of the way. Having finished redressing each other again we stared at each other for a moment, rosy-cheeked and smiling. “We better get back... People are going to wonder where we are...” He said quietly, blinking a little and looking almost embarrassed. I just nodded at him, unable to take my eyes off him. He was just about to turn around to walk out, but I held him back by the wrist.

“Hey, wait a minute.” He turned back to face me again, an eyebrow raised inquisitively. “How are you feeling? Having fun?” I asked mildly. James nodded.

“Yeah, I am. I like having everyone here. We should do this more often.”

“What, have babies?” I smirked, and James laughed. “So, what do people think of you becoming a daddy?” I pushed on.

“They seem.. really surprised, but happy. Much like I am, really.”

“That's good.” I was glad to see nothing but excitement and happiness in James. I cupped his face in my hands, holding him close. “I love you so fucking much,” I breathed as a wave of pure love washed through me, then I kissed him furiously. He returned my kiss with the same passion.

“I will always love you more,” he retorted as he broke away, then took my hand and led me back to the party.