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20. Finding Her Nepenthes
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Her Dilemma 21. You're Not Ill . . . You're Pregnant
'Wakey, wakey.'Still pretty much asleep, Taissa slapped the tickling thing away. The giggle that followed broke her dreamy haze and she pried open her eyes, sitting up to shake out the cobwebs of sleep from her eyes.A smiling messy-haired blonde stood taller beside a grinning boy whose red hair looked like he'd stuck his hand in a toaster.'Happy birthday!' Yannis shouted. That got her full attention.'Birthday?' Naima frowned, turning to him.'Birthday?' Taissa said.Yannis sucked in his lips as though he'd just realized the meaning of his utterance. 'Um, is that not what you say when you bring me breakfast in bed?'For the first time, Taissa noticed the covered tray on the nightstand. 'Oh.'Naima palmed her face. 'No duh. That's because you mostly get breakfast in bed "on your birthdays"! ''Sorry, guess I'm just too used to that.' The little boy hung his head.'Sheesh!' Naima scolded. 'Mommy was supposed to guess the reason we were in her room.''Sorry.' His head couldn't go any
Her Dilemma 22. Barney's a Dinosaur
Taissa slapped her knee and laughed out loud. 'That's the best joke I've heard today, Marlee.'Marlee Ransom pursed her lips and sat down beside her friend, her face revealed no hint of comedy. 'It's no joke, Taissa. You're preggy.'Waves of shock, alarm and stark terror crashed over her Taissa like an angry tide. Her open mouth went dry and it felt like something had stuck in her tonsils. She was fairly sure her heart had missed the next few scheduled beat. She unconsciously flexed her suddenly numb fingers and searched for her voice. 'Pregn-nant?' she finally echoed.'I'm afraid so, babes.''How is that pos—' Taissa suddenly blanched. 'Oh my God, no. Oh my God, no. No, no, this did not happen,' Taissa said softly, hanging her head.Marlee sighed and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. 'I'm so sorry to have to be the one to tell you this. But you gonna be okay.' Even though she had bad news, she tried to wind up her speech on a positive note.Taissa shut her eyes and swallowed painf
Her Dilemma 23. Her Own Tune to Dance to
The kids had seemed okay by it, but Taissa wasn't convinced one bit about her daughter. It was obvious from the girl's expression that she had a million questions to ask.But Naima had always been a reasonable kid. She must have seen that her mother was going through struggles of her own at the moment and had decided to file her questions away for another time.After Taissa had made them promise not to tell anyone about it, for the time being, she kissed them and tucked them into bed. It was bad enough that she was single, broke and had two and a half other mouths to feed. If people knew she was pregnant, the onslaught of questions and pity and ridicule would be too much for her to bear.Taissa made up her mind to stay as clear-headed as she could be. She couldn't fool herself into thinking things would get better, but she could welcome the thought that things wouldn't get worse. She wouldn't let it. Not on her life.She sighed deeply as she shut the door to Naima's room, having just
Her Dilemma 24. Rock 'n Bike . . .
Chevrolet never knew deciding what to get for your niece could be such a big job. He wished again that he hadn't promised to get her a present. But she'd been so forlorn for so long that he'd feared she'd die of sadness, so his plan to cheer her up had been to promise her anything she wanted, but Racquelle wasn't inclined.It was on his way driving back home from a stressful day at work that he'd seen the bright pink and green neon signs of the store. Rock n' Bike.The perfect place to get a gift. So he'd pulled off the A1 into the parking area. Rock n' Bike stood beside the channel and the occasional sounds of the sluicing river and vessels coupled with the noise of the traffic overhead created a somewhat perfect symphony for the store setting.He paused to dig for a camouflage. He didn't wanna find out what'd happen if a crazy fan ran into him at the store. He couldn't find anything in the glove compartment. He uttered profanities and pulled a latch inside the compartment that slid
Her Dilemma 25. . . . 'n Kiss
She put a hand to her throat where her pulse was fluttering madly.What did he want from her? Her only offence had been to call out to him. What if he was a murderer?The breath caught in her throat at the thought. Sweet God, she was pregnant, she had two kids and they'd be orphans if she died. Her mouth dried. She looked around for any object with which to defend herself, but she saw, to her dismay, nothing within reach. Why did it have to be in a quiet corner where no one would hear her die? She prepared to scream when his hand closed over her shoulder a second before his mouth descended to claim hers. Taissa thought she heard him mutter her name at that second but she didn't give much mind to it as her mind was on another alarming thought. He was kissing her! She wasn't being murdered, she was being plundered. Crazily, she didn't fight him. It almost felt familiar, the kiss that is. But she hadn't kissed anyone in ages, well, save for Channing Chevrolet. There was nothing she cou
Her Dilemma 26. The Gentleman Already Paid for It
Channing watched as she moved away from him. What had he done wrong? He closed his eyes and the memory of her moaning like an animal in heat came to him. He was powerfully aroused.She was so sweet he could still taste her mouth on his. The hot swollen ache that bulged between his legs threatened to unbalance him. But the inexplicable tenderness he felt for her was way more dangerous than his desire.'Please, let me go,' she said sidling along the wall, looking so scared and uncertain he wanted to take her in his arms and kiss away her fears. Her tears shimmered pain lingering in her eyes. He glimpsed regret and sorrow in those shining eyes.'Taissa,' he reached out to her, 'you don't have to be scared of me.'She stabbed him with her hot eyes. 'I have every reason to be, Channing Chevrolet. You're way too dangerous for me. I don't know you and—' I'm carrying your baby. But she couldn't say that. He'd laugh at her and tell her to look well for the father of her baby, hell, at worst h
Her Dilemma 27. Running Crazy
Channing Chevrolet was outside an event centre on the other side of the city. He had been seated in his car outside for a bit over an hour now. A friend of Racquelle's who also happened to be a family friend was having her ninth birthday party and Racquelle had insisted he bring her to the venue himself.Today, he was in a silver-red Lexus, contrary to the black Tesla he had taken to work this morning. He had been going for the don't-notice-me look, but he might have missed as people kept staring at the car as they pulled up for the party. Thankfully, the windows were smoked, so they couldn't possibly see him inside.A thought struck him that he should get a chaffeur, being a busy businessman and all. Leighton usually took the wheels or he put the car on autopilot.On arriving at the party, he had tried to kill time by video calling Chauncey. But the call had ended in a heated row when it was obvious his elder brother was having the time of his life and felt no remorse whatsoever fo
Her Dilemma 28. A Dreadful Feeling
A dreadful feeling lay heavy in the pit of his stomach, it had lain there all day. His father, Chauncey Chevrolet the Third was arriving today. And now that he was on his way to the airport to pick him up, the feeling slowly mushroomed.He managed a sad smile as he merged into the interstate. One wouldn't believe Ice King Channing Chevrolet could let himself be rattled by anything, but then his father solely had that power over him, had always. He let out a shaky breath and concentrated on the road he was driving on."What, uncle? Aren't you excited about meeting Grandpa?" Racquelle asked from the passenger seat, where she was busy on her tablet.Channing scoffed. Excited? That was the last word to describe how he felt. He was going to do this alone, Racquelle didn't count, she loved Dad to a fault even though she had met him in person pretty much just twice or thrice and only gets to video call him once or twice a year. He silently swore at his selfish brother. The recreant had dumpe
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Her Dilemma 28. A Dreadful Feeling
A dreadful feeling lay heavy in the pit of his stomach, it had lain there all day. His father, Chauncey Chevrolet the Third was arriving today. And now that he was on his way to the airport to pick him up, the feeling slowly mushroomed.He managed a sad smile as he merged into the interstate. One wouldn't believe Ice King Channing Chevrolet could let himself be rattled by anything, but then his father solely had that power over him, had always. He let out a shaky breath and concentrated on the road he was driving on."What, uncle? Aren't you excited about meeting Grandpa?" Racquelle asked from the passenger seat, where she was busy on her tablet.Channing scoffed. Excited? That was the last word to describe how he felt. He was going to do this alone, Racquelle didn't count, she loved Dad to a fault even though she had met him in person pretty much just twice or thrice and only gets to video call him once or twice a year. He silently swore at his selfish brother. The recreant had dumpe
Her Dilemma 27. Running Crazy
Channing Chevrolet was outside an event centre on the other side of the city. He had been seated in his car outside for a bit over an hour now. A friend of Racquelle's who also happened to be a family friend was having her ninth birthday party and Racquelle had insisted he bring her to the venue himself.Today, he was in a silver-red Lexus, contrary to the black Tesla he had taken to work this morning. He had been going for the don't-notice-me look, but he might have missed as people kept staring at the car as they pulled up for the party. Thankfully, the windows were smoked, so they couldn't possibly see him inside.A thought struck him that he should get a chaffeur, being a busy businessman and all. Leighton usually took the wheels or he put the car on autopilot.On arriving at the party, he had tried to kill time by video calling Chauncey. But the call had ended in a heated row when it was obvious his elder brother was having the time of his life and felt no remorse whatsoever fo
Her Dilemma 26. The Gentleman Already Paid for It
Channing watched as she moved away from him. What had he done wrong? He closed his eyes and the memory of her moaning like an animal in heat came to him. He was powerfully aroused.She was so sweet he could still taste her mouth on his. The hot swollen ache that bulged between his legs threatened to unbalance him. But the inexplicable tenderness he felt for her was way more dangerous than his desire.'Please, let me go,' she said sidling along the wall, looking so scared and uncertain he wanted to take her in his arms and kiss away her fears. Her tears shimmered pain lingering in her eyes. He glimpsed regret and sorrow in those shining eyes.'Taissa,' he reached out to her, 'you don't have to be scared of me.'She stabbed him with her hot eyes. 'I have every reason to be, Channing Chevrolet. You're way too dangerous for me. I don't know you and—' I'm carrying your baby. But she couldn't say that. He'd laugh at her and tell her to look well for the father of her baby, hell, at worst h
Her Dilemma 25. . . . 'n Kiss
She put a hand to her throat where her pulse was fluttering madly.What did he want from her? Her only offence had been to call out to him. What if he was a murderer?The breath caught in her throat at the thought. Sweet God, she was pregnant, she had two kids and they'd be orphans if she died. Her mouth dried. She looked around for any object with which to defend herself, but she saw, to her dismay, nothing within reach. Why did it have to be in a quiet corner where no one would hear her die? She prepared to scream when his hand closed over her shoulder a second before his mouth descended to claim hers. Taissa thought she heard him mutter her name at that second but she didn't give much mind to it as her mind was on another alarming thought. He was kissing her! She wasn't being murdered, she was being plundered. Crazily, she didn't fight him. It almost felt familiar, the kiss that is. But she hadn't kissed anyone in ages, well, save for Channing Chevrolet. There was nothing she cou
Her Dilemma 24. Rock 'n Bike . . .
Chevrolet never knew deciding what to get for your niece could be such a big job. He wished again that he hadn't promised to get her a present. But she'd been so forlorn for so long that he'd feared she'd die of sadness, so his plan to cheer her up had been to promise her anything she wanted, but Racquelle wasn't inclined.It was on his way driving back home from a stressful day at work that he'd seen the bright pink and green neon signs of the store. Rock n' Bike.The perfect place to get a gift. So he'd pulled off the A1 into the parking area. Rock n' Bike stood beside the channel and the occasional sounds of the sluicing river and vessels coupled with the noise of the traffic overhead created a somewhat perfect symphony for the store setting.He paused to dig for a camouflage. He didn't wanna find out what'd happen if a crazy fan ran into him at the store. He couldn't find anything in the glove compartment. He uttered profanities and pulled a latch inside the compartment that slid
Her Dilemma 23. Her Own Tune to Dance to
The kids had seemed okay by it, but Taissa wasn't convinced one bit about her daughter. It was obvious from the girl's expression that she had a million questions to ask.But Naima had always been a reasonable kid. She must have seen that her mother was going through struggles of her own at the moment and had decided to file her questions away for another time.After Taissa had made them promise not to tell anyone about it, for the time being, she kissed them and tucked them into bed. It was bad enough that she was single, broke and had two and a half other mouths to feed. If people knew she was pregnant, the onslaught of questions and pity and ridicule would be too much for her to bear.Taissa made up her mind to stay as clear-headed as she could be. She couldn't fool herself into thinking things would get better, but she could welcome the thought that things wouldn't get worse. She wouldn't let it. Not on her life.She sighed deeply as she shut the door to Naima's room, having just
Her Dilemma 22. Barney's a Dinosaur
Taissa slapped her knee and laughed out loud. 'That's the best joke I've heard today, Marlee.'Marlee Ransom pursed her lips and sat down beside her friend, her face revealed no hint of comedy. 'It's no joke, Taissa. You're preggy.'Waves of shock, alarm and stark terror crashed over her Taissa like an angry tide. Her open mouth went dry and it felt like something had stuck in her tonsils. She was fairly sure her heart had missed the next few scheduled beat. She unconsciously flexed her suddenly numb fingers and searched for her voice. 'Pregn-nant?' she finally echoed.'I'm afraid so, babes.''How is that pos—' Taissa suddenly blanched. 'Oh my God, no. Oh my God, no. No, no, this did not happen,' Taissa said softly, hanging her head.Marlee sighed and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. 'I'm so sorry to have to be the one to tell you this. But you gonna be okay.' Even though she had bad news, she tried to wind up her speech on a positive note.Taissa shut her eyes and swallowed painf
Her Dilemma 21. You're Not Ill . . . You're Pregnant
'Wakey, wakey.'Still pretty much asleep, Taissa slapped the tickling thing away. The giggle that followed broke her dreamy haze and she pried open her eyes, sitting up to shake out the cobwebs of sleep from her eyes.A smiling messy-haired blonde stood taller beside a grinning boy whose red hair looked like he'd stuck his hand in a toaster.'Happy birthday!' Yannis shouted. That got her full attention.'Birthday?' Naima frowned, turning to him.'Birthday?' Taissa said.Yannis sucked in his lips as though he'd just realized the meaning of his utterance. 'Um, is that not what you say when you bring me breakfast in bed?'For the first time, Taissa noticed the covered tray on the nightstand. 'Oh.'Naima palmed her face. 'No duh. That's because you mostly get breakfast in bed "on your birthdays"! ''Sorry, guess I'm just too used to that.' The little boy hung his head.'Sheesh!' Naima scolded. 'Mommy was supposed to guess the reason we were in her room.''Sorry.' His head couldn't go any
Her Dilemma 20. Finding Her Nepenthes
Taissa Allendale barely managed to slip the two glass flutes unto the coffee table before she collapsed into the sofa, her right arm hitting Marlee. 'Sorry,' she mumbled.'With your damn work taking it out of you you're really gon' kill yourself before your time, girlfriend.' Marlee's nagging voice made her feel worse.'Oh, for fuck's sake, Marlee!' she grumbled out loud.'Okay, okay.' Marlee seemed amused.Taissa sighed in relief and waved to the liquid in flutes. 'Make yourself at home.'Marlee picked up a flute and sipped from it rather daintily. 'Since when did you start having liquor in the house?''It's only margarita, Marlee. I got one at a c-store on the way home.''I didn't know they had this kind of stuff at c-stores.'Taissa sighed and said, 'This particular one had. Marlee, I've got a headache building up.' So stop yanking my chain. But she didn't voice that. Instead, she glared at her best friend meaningfully.'So, you thought the best thing to do was buy a drink on yo
