#no automatic reschedule so i rang for a new one within the week

[wild-at-mind]

Maybe I will get top surgery purely to avoid dealing with mammogram appointments in whatever state the NHS is in by the time I reach the age to get them!!

[imaginetonyandbucky]

Please comment and subscribe! (4 of 4)

Being with Tony was amazing. Bucky hadn't felt so happy in years. They now talked about everything and nothing, not afraid anymore that there was some line they could cross that would ruin everything. They often talked late into the night and sometimes morning, much to Steve's chagrin. But even Steve was happy and didn't tease Bucky as much about his love-struck face when he looked at pictures of Tony.

There was, however, still one problem between them and that problem was about the size of the US with Bucky living in New York and Tony in California. Despite Bucky's desire to see Tony in person and finally be able to touch him, run his fingers through Tony's hair, hold him and kiss him, he was scared.

Tony seemed to have resigned himself to waiting until Bucky was ready, he mentioned it casually on occasion but he never pressed the issue. Bucky was thankful for that but it didn't make it any easier for him. It wasn't just meeting Tony in person, thanks to Rhodey's assurance he wasn't scared of rejection anymore,  not as much at least. He still hadn't told Tony and there was still the low-key fear hanging out in the back of his mind that once Tony saw him, he'd just laugh and throw the door in his face.

But more than that it was traveling that terrified him. In the last couple of years, he had barely left the apartment, let alone the city. He had relied on Steve to go grocery shopping and run errands, the only times he really went somewhere was when he had a doctor's appointment and even then Steve usually accompanied him.

The thought of traveling alone was terrifying.

Of course Tony had offered to visit Bucky, but that would have meant he had to reschedule meetings with game developers, charity live streams etc. Bucky didn't want Tony to go through that effort just for him.

But Tony was suffering, Bucky could tell.

"I wish you were here," Tony mumbled sleepily. They were doing their nightly video call and both had already settled into bed with their phones.

"Me too, babe," Bucky answered. "Me too. I'm sorry. I'm such a bad boyfriend. I should just get my shit together and - "

"Hey, no, don't beat yourself up over it, cupcake." Tony prompted himself up on his elbow and adjusted the phone. "I can understand, Rhodey doesn't like to travel either, it's a fucking nightmare for him."

Bucky nodded somberly, beating himself up over it nevertheless. He had never specified the reason why he didn't like to travel and yet Tony was so understanding without even knowing what it was all about.

Flying across the country wasn't fucking rocket science, thousands of people did it every day. It wasn't that big of a deal, but the thought of going through security alone, people patting him down, made Bucky nauseous.

"Hey, stop that."

Bucky looked up at the phone, Tony was so close to the camera the screen was only showing his eyes and nose. "Stop what?"

"You've got that look on your face that tells me you're worrying too much and I don't want you to break your brain over me, okay?" Tony moved the camera even closer so only his eye was on the screen. He tried to sound serious but failed miserably. Bucky had to laugh. Tony's antics never failed to bring him out of a depressive thought spiral. "And now show me your neck so I can pretend to nuzzle you."

Bucky happily obliged.

(More after the break!)

----

Over the next couple of days, Bucky made a decision. He would face his fears and fly to California and he wanted to make it a surprise for Tony.

He talked to Rhodey who was fully supportive of his idea, to figure out a good date and then booked a plane ticket. He tried to ignore how much he was shaking when he was clicking on the confirm button to finalize his travel plans.

Steve freaked out that evening which did nothing to calm Bucky's nerves. He would only be traveling in a few weeks but Steve was bouncing around the apartment and putting together a travel kit with Bucky's medication, figuring out which bag to take so that it was allowed as carry-on and so on and so forth. When Steve asked him if he had all the necessary vaccines Bucky had to put a stop to it.

"It's fucking Malibu, Steve, not Malaysia."

"Oh."

Something good came from Steve's overzealousness, however, Bucky started to pack early. He kept the half-packed bag next to his desk and added stuff now and then. Preparing everything for his trip over the course of a couple of weeks helped Bucky keep his cool about it and when the day came he was ready. He had debated whether or not to take his prosthesis, it would make people stare less but it would also make the security check immensely more complicated. Bucky rarely used it at home because it was useless for gaming and a hassle to put on just for one or two things and he had Steve for that after all. So he had decided to leave the prosthesis at home in favor of a hopefully smoother travel.

Keeping the whole thing a secret from Tony had been difficult because despite Bucky's best efforts to appear casual he couldn't quite hide his giddiness and Tony was just too fucking smart. He definitely knew something was up but Bucky was pretty certain he didn't know what exactly and he had sworn Rhodey to secrecy.

The worst part was that Bucky had to keep up the facade while traveling as they rarely stopped texting each other these days.

When the day came and Steve drove Bucky to the airport Bucky didn't know whether he was more nervous about actually traveling for the first time in years or meeting Tony in just a few hours. He had barely slept that night and he had to fight the urge to run straight out of the airport when he saw the number of people there, but he pushed through and got in line at the check-in. He distracted himself by texting Tony sweet nothings and looking at cat memes on his phone. The security check was less of a hassle than he had anticipated and a nice security lady helped him pack his laptop again and before he even knew it he was sitting in the plane and was off to California.

After landing at LAX Bucky quickly spotted the person Rhodey had sent to pick him up. A middle-aged man who went by the name Happy and politely led him to a fancy car Bucky remembered from one of Tony's vlogs.

"Tony doesn't know I'm coming, right?" Bucky asked after he had settled into the comfortable back seat of the car. Now that the anxiety from the flight had left him his nerves were all Tony related.

"Not as far as I know, he has a stream today and should be finished when we arrive." Happy replied.

"I am fucking nervous," Bucky mumbled and watched the Californian landscape pass by his window. The trip from the airport to Tony's house took about 40 minutes but within this time his nerves had multiplied tenfold and he was shaking when he got out of the car and walked towards the front door. This was the moment, there was no going back now. He dropped his bag on the ground before he rang the bell, he wanted to have his hand free.

Bucky didn't hear the doorbell but he suddenly heard yelling behind the door.

"Someone get the door!" That was definitely Tony.

"No, you get it!" Rhodey yelled back and then there was some cursing and footsteps and then the door opened and Tony stood before him.

"Hey, Tony," Bucky said unoriginally and waved a little awkwardly.

"Bucky..." Tony checked Bucky out with wide eyes, letting his gaze run over his body from his head to his feet and then back up. Bucky noticed how his eyes only minutely lingered on his empty left sleeve and then he suddenly had Tony clinging to him, squeezing him tightly and he automatically put his arm around the other and held him close.

"You're here! You're really here!" Tony mumbled almost unintelligibly

Tony was smaller than he had thought and the top of Tony's head just reached past Bucky's chin and the way Tony nuzzled against Bucky's chest meant he could rest his chin on top of Tony's hair.

"Yes, I'm here. Tony."

They stood there for a long time, Bucky felt Tony shake against his chest, slowly hiccuping a few sobs, always mumbling how he couldn't believe it.

Eventually, Tony let go and stepped back, but kept his hands on Bucky, one resting on Bucky's right arm, the other against his left side.

"I am so happy to finally see you. I... I don't know what to say." Tony was still trembling.

Bucky stepped forward, all nervousness forgotten and cupped Tony's face and leaned down. "Don't say anything, babe." He whispered before he pressed his lips to Tony's and gently kissed him. Tony responded immediately and grabbed onto Bucky's jacket pulling him closer. Bucky thrust his hand up into Tony's hair and holding him tight. They kissed for an eternity, trying to make up for the lost time.

"Gross, get a room you two." Someone suddenly said behind Tony and that finally made them break their kiss. Bucky looked up to see Rhodey in the hallway, sitting in a wheelchair and suddenly everything made a bit more sense to him.

Tony turned around and wrapped his arm around Bucky's waist, pressing himself against Bucky's left side, resting his head on his shoulder and almost giving Bucky a heart attack with this simple gesture alone. "Rhodey, this is Bucky, Bucky, Rhodey, my best friend."

Rhodey nodded to Bucky. "How was your flight?"

"Good, uneventful, thankfully." Bucky grinned, his face still flushed from the kissing.

"Wait, you knew about this?" Tony suddenly asked gesturing between Bucky and Rhodey.

"It was his idea. I just helped with the planning." Rhodey shrugged and turned his wheelchair around. "Now, do you want to stand in the doorway all day or do you want to come in?"

Tony laughed, picked up Bucky's bag with one hand and grabbed Bucky's hand with the other and dragged his boyfriend inside.

"Wait, Tony...", Bucky hesitated and held onto Tony's hand without moving. Tony turned to him, tilting his head questioningly.

"Yes?"

"You -...about my arm."

"Oh god, I am so sorry. Was I too forward? Fuck, I didn't know, I should have asked. Fuck, just tell me when I need to fuck off next time, I-"

Bucky stepped forward and brought their joined hands up to Tony's mouth. "I just wanted to know how you knew."

"Oh.." Tony blinked a couple of times. "I didn't... I mean, I kinda figured you had something going on with your left arm, but yeah... I figured you were going to tell me when you were ready."

Bucky cringed and looked away. "I was scared, didn't know how you would react. I'm sorry. I should have told you."

Tony dropped the bag and reached out, he gently turned Bucky's head towards him again. "No, you shouldn't have, but you need to tell me when something I do makes you uncomfortable, alright?"

Bucky nodded and smiled. "I don't think anything you could do would make me uncomfortable." He leaned down and stole a soft kiss, which Tony deepened without hesitation.

Somewhere in the house, they could hear Rhodey yelling.

"For fuck's sake's guys! GET A ROOM!"

-----

Three months later Tony was getting ready to start his usual stream only this time there was no docket, no games planned. Bucky was sitting next to him, a bundle of nerves. He had his blanket around his shoulders and was hacking away at his laptop.

"Are you ready?" Tony reached out and tickled Bucky just behind his ear. Bucky made a surprised noise.

"Gah, stop that." Bucky waved at Tony's hand.

"Are you ready, I asked." Tony continued to try and tickle him.

Bucky finally turned and caught Tony's hand in his. "And I said stop that." Bucky bit the tip of Tony's finger and made a nomming noise.

"You're not ready, are you?"

"How can I be ready? Your stream is viewed by 10.000 people. I am not ready. I'll never be ready."

"It's going to be alright, I won't tolerate any bullshit. My moderators are ready to block people who are going to be rude and we're just going to talk a few minutes, introducing you and then we'll play some Minecraft. Later Rhodey is going to join us for some Don't Starve Together. It's going to be fine, once we start playing nobody is going to mind."

Bucky intertwined their fingers and held Tony's hand tightly. "I hope you are right. I am still not sure about all of this. I mean... I'm fine just staying in the background, you know that."

Tony used his other hand to slide under Bucky's hair and pull him closer by his neck. "I know, but I want to show my amazing boyfriend to the world." He fell silent for a moment. "But if you really don't want to, I understand, we can cancel. I don't want to pressure you."

Bucky shook his head. "No, I'll do it. Only so the unsolicited advances towards you stop. People need to know you are taken." He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Tony's lips. "I'm ready."

Tony let go and turned to his computer and the webcam, making sure Bucky's left side was mostly off-screen. "Going live in a minute now. I'll let the intro run." He heard Bucky take a deep breath and then felt him sneak his hand into his, out of view of the camera.

The intro finished and the view of the webcam went live.

"Hello everybody. This is Iron Man with the Iron Man Live Show and today we have a very special guest. You might know him already, please be nice to him. This is Bucky, aka, The Winter Soldier. My boyfriend."

The chat went wild.

[wsmith215]

A driver testing positive for the coronavirus would not cancel F1 race

A driver testing positive for the coronavirus would not automatically see a race cancelled once Formula One gets back underway next month, the sport’s CEO, Chase Carey, said.

1 Related

On Tuesday, Formula One announced plans to kick off its new season on July 5 in Austria with the start of a series of rescheduled races behind closed doors.

The first 10 races of the 2020 season were postponed or cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but F1 has now published its plans to go racing again, with eight races in Europe in the space of 10 weeks.

Further races will be confirmed in Asia, the Americas and the Middle East in the coming weeks, and the sport is still hoping to complete 15 to 18 races before the end of the year.

The F1 grid is made up of 20 drivers across 10 teams. Mark Thompson/Getty Images

F1 travelled to Australia for its planned opening round in March this year, but the race was cancelled after a member of the McLaren team tested positive for the coronavirus on the eve of the first practice session.

However, when outlining F1’s plans to return to racing in Austria, F1 CEO Chase Carey said a repeat — even if the infection were among the drivers — would not result in the race being cancelled.

“An individual having been found with a positive infection will not lead to a cancellation of a race,” Carey told Formula One’s official website. “We encourage teams to have procedures in place, so if an individual has to be put in quarantine, we have the ability to quarantine them at a hotel and to replace that individual.

“Some things we’d have to talk through and work through. The array of what-ifs are too wide to play out every one of them, but a team not being able to race wouldn’t cancel the race. I don’t think I could sit here and lay out the consequences. But we will have a procedure in place that finding infection will not lead to a cancellation. If a driver has an infection, [teams have] reserve drivers available.

“We wouldn’t be going forward if we were not highly confident we have necessary procedures and expertise and capabilities to provide a safe environment and manage whatever issues arrive.”

F1’s 10 teams will be restricted to 80 staff members, compared to the typical 130 at busy races in normal circumstances. The team members will be tested for the virus before they leave their home countries — and at regular intervals at the track — and will travel to events by charter flights before staying in block-booked accommodations near the circuit.

F1 CEO Chase Carey has outlined plans for F1’s return to racing. Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Carey said the sport’s governing body, the FIA, has gone to great lengths to ensure the safety of those at the track, with processes in place for everything from virus testing to going to the restroom.

“We have engaged with a range of outside experts,” Carey said. “And there is a rigorous set of guidelines — probably at this point it’s 80-90 pages — which will include everything from how do you travel there, what are the processes for being in hotels there to what are the processes that exist at the track, for meals, going to the restroom, downtime between tracks and testing processes.

“We will test before you go there. Then there will be testing every two days. There are processes if we find an infection. We recognise there is the possibility, so we’re prepared to appropriately deal with it if we find a positive infection. We’re working on putting in place tracking capabilities, we have two different tracking options.

“In many ways, it will be like living in a bubble from when you start travelling on charter planes. There will be controlled transportation to hotels, transportation back and forth to the track from hotels, and probably within it, sub-bubbles of people who operate different functions, and it is set up to manage the processes, make sure we have the right protective equipment and social distancing.

“Clearly, we recognise our sport is one which at times, we can’t have two metres between every individual on a team. When a car pulls into a pit and has to change four tyres, there won’t be two metres between every individual. We need to make sure we have procedures to manage all those risks as soon as possible.”

Carey said it was not yet clear when it would be safe for fans to return to races.

“We’d like to have fans at the events,” he added. “But we’re not going to have fans at our first events, so it’s certainly not going back to life as we know it. I think it is about taking careful, thoughtful steps, with appropriate protection and procedures around it to begin to move forward in the world we know.”

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[anavoliselenu]

freedom chapter 8

My foot bounced up and down irritably on the cold tile floor of the waiting room. I had been here ten minutes and was already about to make a dash for the exit. I hated hospitals. There were germs everywhere and sick people just never went away. This wasn't a good place for me to be. To top it all off, Selena was late.

This was our first doctor's appointment, and the news still hadn't really sunken in yet. I didn't want to let my mind drift into the fears I was having. I needed to talk to my therapist first before I started to freak out. That was a different appointment for a different day, though. I had to focus on Selena right now.

Where the hell is she?

Since yesterday, when I was blindsided by the fact that I was now going to be a father, I had suddenly became a new man; a man I couldn't really explain. I had always felt protective of Selena, but I was now obsessively trying to keep her from harm, especially with her past pregnancy. Everything around became a target for danger. This morning, I carried her down the stairs so she wouldn't trip. I didn't even want her to go to work anymore. I had to ward off all danger.

There was so much that could go wrong, and even though I wasn't really ecstatic about this news, Selena was. If she wanted a baby, then that's what she was going to get.

I checked my watch again and saw the hands ticking. Thankfully, my phone rang, pulling me away from boredom.

"Bieber," I answered.

"Justin, this is Jane. You have a conference call from Japan. They want to talk about your offer. I have them on hold."

"Shit. I'm at Selena's doctor's appointment."

"Oh," She squealed, "Is it a boy? Is it a girl? Can you see it? What does it look like? What did the doctor say? Is everything alright? Oh, God. Is she sick? Do you need me to come down there?"

"Jane! Please, let's stay focused. We haven't gone in yet. I'm in the process of buying the largest weapons manufacturing company on the planet and you're going on about baby stuff."

"Sorry. I got carried away. So, they're on hold. Shall I reschedule?"

"Yes. And cancel everything for the rest of the day."

"Will do, Justin. Oh, and the man with the Jackson Pollack wanted to know if you were still interested in buying."

"What's his price?"

"Just over two million."

"What do you think?"

"It's invaluable even if it is overpriced."

"Would Selena like it?"

"I'm sure she would. It's a beautiful painting."

"Alright. Buy it and have it placed in storage."

"No problem. Tell me everything later."

"Goodbye, Jane." I hung up.

Times were changing for me. Of course, I was thrown a wrench when Selena announced she was pregnant, but I didn't plan on stopping my life altogether. I was scaling down on my business, so that I could focus on "family work". I couldn't do it all and Bieber Inc. was going to have to be run by someone else.

Of course, I owned the majority of the shares, so I wasn't going anywhere. I just couldn't be at the office like I had been doing. I was neglecting my real work. Carlisle could take over whenever he came back and handle the business aspect of the company since he didn't have anything better to do. I still hadn't really told anyone yet, though. Not even Selena.

I was backing out of Bieber Inc., but I still hand other obligations. In short, I needed to make the Cullens the best crime family in the world. That included scare tactics so no one else would dare mess with us. What would happen if someone saw my name attached to a global weapons manufacture? I'll tell you what would happen. They would run. That was my ultimate goal.

To have the world's most advance firepower at my disposal was an amazing feat. I still didn't even know if it could be done legally, but I assumed this would be just as any other business transaction. Someone always has a price for their goods.

To the government or anyone else watching, I would be in control of defense manufacturing. Nothing super big such as missiles or anything like that, but I'm sure the CIA would love to know what I was up to. Now, instead of me going to buy guns, I could have them made and in large quantities. I could fund wars if I wanted. I don't think I would go that far, but it was an option. I still hadn't put the plans in motion yet, but it was going to happen. I still had a few things to work out. Forget miniscule real estate and car importing. Guns were all the money was at. I would be one the most powerful men in the world.

I wasn't supreme, unfortunately. I had constant reminders of how inadequate I was when compared to my peers. They all had their drug rings and slave trafficking systems. People in my circles had Illegal diamonds, dealt with political heists, accumulated ancient family wealth that could fund small countries. To be honest, the Cullens weren't doing so well with anything like that. We had guns, but no one was buying anymore. I planned on changing that. Everyone needed weapons and if I played my cards right, they could get them from me or go without.

"Is this your first time?" a very pregnant woman asked from next to me, making me realize that I was in the real world. She was reading a magazine and looked fairly uncomfortable with her rounded belly. I decided that she wasn't weird, and I could bless her with conversation.

"Yes, I'm waiting for my wife."

"That's so sweet." She pouted. "This is my fifth. By now, my husband and I just expect a baby about every year."

"Fifth? That's…a lot of kids."

"You have no idea." She pulled a candy bar out of her purse and started eating it. "But I love children so it's what I want. How many months along is your wife?"

"I'm not quite sure," I admitted. "This is our first appointment."

"You don't sound too excited."

"I don't know how I should feel."

"Most first-time fathers are like that. You'll change as the months go on. Do you have names picked out?"

I shook my head.

"This little one is going to be named Yani." She patted her stomach. "It means 'God's gift' in Hebrew."

I recalled my language skills. "Yes, but in Sanskrit, the pronunciation means 'female genitalia' and in England, it's slang for a monkey so…"

She thought for a second. "Damn. Now I have to think of another name." Her lip started to quiver. "But I really liked that name."

Large tears started to pour from her eyes almost instantly. I had no idea what was going on or what I should do. It was the weirdest thing I had ever seen. This woman was eating her chocolate candy bar while crying at the same time—and it wasn't just droplets of water. She was full blown, funeral sobbing as if her husband had just been buried. Not only that, but after a couple seconds, she started to wail.

"Um, you have to stop that." I awkwardly patted her knee when people start to stare.

"Now what am I supposed to name my son?" She sniffled.

"I…don't know. That's not my responsibility."

"What's your name?"

"Justin," I answered.

"I like that." She started to dab her eyes with a tissue. "I think I'll name him Justin."

"I would prefer you wouldn't."

"Why?"

"Because…that's my name."

"I know and I like it. You ruined my chances at having a good name so I'm taking yours." Just like that, she turned into some she-devil and was about to bite my head off.

What the hell is wrong with pregnant women?

"Justin!" Selena came running down the hall and out of breath. "Sorry I'm late. I overslept."

I popped out of my chair. "No, it's okay. I was worried."

Selena kissed me, and then looked at the woman still sitting. "What did you do to her?"

"Why do you automatically assume I did something?"

"Because you make people cry. That's your thing."

"He told me that my son's name sucked and then he wouldn't let me use his."

"I did not," I argued. "I was just informing her of what might go wrong if she insisted on sticking with the name. I didn't say it sucked."

Thankfully, we were saved by a nurse. "Isabella Bieber. We're ready for you now."

I almost threw Selena over my shoulder and carried her; anything to get away from the psycho lady.

"It was nice meeting you." She waved, still eating her candy bar.

"That woman was crazy," I whispered to Selena.

"She was pregnant. You can't say everything that pops into your head. Hormones are a bitch."

We followed the nurse down the hall and into a room cleaned room. I breathed a sigh of relief and looked around at the sterile environment, happy that I didn't have to wipe everything down with Clorox.

"So, the doctor will be in after I do the preliminary testing and things like that." The nurse smiled. She patted the bed for Selena to sit on. I stood by the door awkwardly.

Selena seemed slightly nervous, but was trying not to show it.

"Alright, so this is your second child?" the nurse asked.

"Um, second pregnancy," Selena clarified.

"Oh," She wrote on some kind of chart. "Well, first of all I'll need to check your hormones to see if you're even pregnant. Sounds like you are, but we just have to check. Then we'll determine your due date, take some blood, go over your medical history, and then you can ask the doctor any questions you have."

Selena nodded. "Sounds good."

The nurse turned to me. "Are there any questions you have for me, Mr. Bieber?"

"Not that I can think of at the moment."

"Okay, well then, let's get started."

I had to leave the room while they did their "lady tests". I didn't think I was prepared to see what was going on in there anyway. The nurse took some blood to be sure Selena was in fact pregnant. Selena was indeed pregnant and currently two months along.

"Can we see it?" Selena asked hesitantly.

"Well, unfortunately, not right now. It's a little too early. This is just your first appointment. We'll try again when you come back at twelve weeks."

"Oh, that's okay." She nodded, slightly saddened.

Within two seconds, I sort of had an epiphany. Watching Selena lay there silently, taking deep breaths with that look on her face was all I needed to see. She had that look which told me 'I already love this baby'. I wasn't overly enthusiastic about this situation, but I wasn't going to rain on her parade. This was my child. I had created something that she was now carrying.

That blew my mind.

I let out a gust of air in realization.

"Is there anything you want to asked, Justin?" Selena said to me.

"Not right now."

She took my hand and squeezed. "Thank you for not freaking out."

"I'm not going anywhere, Selena."

We just sat there, waiting for the doctor, and I realized that maybe this wasn't the end of the world. A child could be a good thing. It obviously made Selena very happy, so all hope wasn't lost. I knew it was my job to produce heirs, but I never thought this would be happening so soon.

Then when, Justin?

I wasn't sure. It had to be sometime soon, so I supposed now was just our time.

Selena gave up so much to be with me, this was the least I could give her.

The doctor came in with an enthusiastic gait and immediately started in with a speech that I figured he gave all his newly expecting patients. It sounded very mechanic, but his smile was there to tell me, 'Everything's going to be fine. I'm a good doctor'. I would have to check him out later.

He gave Selena prenatal vitamins, put her on a healthier diet, and instructed us on what we should do in the first few months of pregnancy. I took precise mental notes because I didn't want to miss anything. He told us things like, 'This will be an interesting pregnancy' and 'I hope you're prepared for what's about to come'. That didn't make me feel any better, but I was trying not to let it show.

By the time we left the office, I was overwhelmed to the point of frustration.

"So, what do you think about all of this?" Selena asked me as we walked towards our cars, our hands intertwined.

"I'm not sure what to think yet," I answered truthfully.

"It's happening really fast."

"I know. Seven more months." I breathed deeply. "Wow."

Selena stood up to kiss me chastely. "I'll see you at home." She started to pull away.

"Wait, where the hell are you going?" I held her tightly.

"To my car. It's over there." She pointed.

I didn't like the sound of that at all. Something was telling me that this wasn't a good idea. She didn't need to be driving or walking for that matter. Anything could happen to her or the baby, and then it would be gone. I wasn't there with her for the last time, but I could only imagine the pain she must have went through. Selena still sometimes cried about losing Elizabeth, and it stabbed me like a knife every time I had to listen to her tears. I didn't think she could go through that again.

The doctor's explanation was that things just happened. I wasn't happy with that answer, but it was all we had to work with. We had to make sure she was healthy and safe; that was all we could do.

"Selena, how about I drive you and then I'll have someone come pick up your car later," I suggested.

"Oh, okay. Why?" She looked confused.

"I thought I heard something wrong with your engine the other day," I lied smoothly.

"Are you sure? It sounded fine to me."

"No. It's definitely broken. Let me drive you." I ushered her towards the other end of the parking lot and suddenly realized that my Saleen wasn't very safe. Regardless, I felt better with Selena in the car with me.

I opened the door for her and refrained from actually setting her into the seat like some precious egg. Selena wouldn't like that very much, but she had to realize that she was incredibly delicate right now.

We weren't losing this baby!

"How about we stop off at the grocery store so we can get you some of that food the doctor recommended," I said as I started the drive home.

She pulled out one of the brochures I had picked up at the doctor's office."This said I should keep eating normally and try to have a variety of healthy things. You don't have to go back to work?"

"No. I'm taking a few days off to make sure you're okay."

"Justin, you don't have to do that for me."

"Yes, I did."

"That's incredibly sweet of you."

"I can be that way sometimes," I chuckled. "So back to grocery shopping, anything specific we need to get?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Any cravings yet?"

"You know, I woke up yesterday with this strange need for peanut butter, even though I don't really like it. But I think it's too early for cravings."

"So, we need peanut butter for sure."

"I guess we do." She shrugged. "This is all so weird. How do we know what to do?"

"I think we're just supposed to learn and pay attention to changes in your body. I'm not quite sure."

"Can we call Esme?"

"No," I said adamantly.

"Why? She would know exactly what I should be doing."

"They left us here to be by themselves. It's obvious that they don't care enough to stay with their family, so why should we give them a call?"

"Are you still mad at them?"

"Yes, I am, Selena. Carlisle had no right to just bring me back here so that he could take a vacation."

She sighed, "I think you have to let your anger go on that one. He did what he thought was right."

"I still don't like it. Besides, I don't know where they are or what the number is. Only Emmett knows that information and he won't tell me."

"Well, we have to get in touch with them somehow. I'm having their grandchild. I think they would want to know that."

I swerved a little on the road at the word 'grandchild'.

Holy shit!

That baby growing in Selena's stomach was mine, meaning that it was the grandchild of Carlisle's, meaning it was the great-grandchild of Nicola. That was a big deal. A direct descendant of Nicola Bieber was a massive deal, especially since it was mine. An heir. Mob royalty was inside of Selena.

I slowed the car down to a pace of thirty miles an hour.

"Justin, what's going on? Did your car break too?" Selena asked.

"No, I'm just being precautious."

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby. We could get in an accident."

"We certainly will with you going so slow on the highway. Someone's going to run us over."

"I'm not taking any chances. I'm not going any faster than this for the rest of your pregnancy," I vowed.

It took us a full hour to make it to the grocery store. I would have normally made it in fifteen minutes. I didn't mind, though. As long as everyone was safe, I could deal with the current pace of my life.

"Don't move," I told Selena when I turned the car off in the parking lot. "I'm coming to get your door." I started to get out my seat.

"Justin, I'm not a doll. I can do things for myself." She reached for the door handle, but I locked her inside.

I went over and helped her out of the car. She scowled at me, but didn't say anything further.

"So, only healthy foods," I told her as she reached for a cart outside of the store. I wiped off the handle like I normally did with the handkerchief in my suit pocket.

"Why do you always do that?"

"The handle of a shopping cart is one of the most germ-ridden things on the face of the earth, slightly behind the telephone."

"The things you know are just astounding."

I held her close to me as we walked the aisles, looking for things that might be good for her to eat during pregnancy. I remembered the doctor saying something about a diet high in fiber and iron, along with lots of dairy. It seemed like I was the only one who actually cared, though. Selena seemed to be more focused on junk food.

"Selena, you're going to have to change your whole lifestyle now." I put back the bag of chips she had placed in the cart.

"I know that, but I can indulge a little. I like those." She reached for them.

"This is serious. Our baby has to be super strong and healthy."

"A spoonful of ice cream won't make him any less healthy."

"Him?" The sound of that brought an unconscious grin to my face.

"I think we're having a boy this time." She smiled brightly. "I feel it."

I nodded, not sure what to say.

"How about we get back to shopping." Selena took my hand, and we continued to stroll through the aisles.

By the time we were done, we had two carts. One had normal food in it for Alec and I, while the other had Selena's food. Half of her cart had peanut butter in it. Her eyes went wide when she saw just how many different varieties were in the store. She had to have them all; chunky, smooth, whipped. It all went in the cart.

I barely had enough room to fit all the bags into my Slaeen, but we stuffed them in there. I was on my way home at a reasonable speed a couple minutes later.

By the time we pulled up in the driveway, it was past lunch, and I figured Selena would be hungry. I knew that I was going to have to monitor her food intake now. She was one of those women who ate one big meal a day and then would nibble until she went to bed. No more of that. Three healthy meals and lots of liquids; that was what the doctor said.

I turned off the car, and we got out.

"Can I carry something in or am I too fragile for that?" Selena frowned.

"You got it exactly. Matter of fact, I don't want you to get off of the couch until you give birth." It wasn't even really about the baby anymore, but Selena's safety.

"That's ridiculous, Justin. I have a job and things like that. I can't stay in the house all day." She turned on her heel and went to unlock the door.

"You will if I have anything to say about it," I mumbled to myself, carrying in the first few bags of groceries. I put them on the counter in the kitchen and heard a roar bellow throughout the house.

"What the hell is that?" Selena asked.

"I think it was Alec."

We followed the sounds until we came to the family room. There were pillows scattered around, and Francis was laying on one of them, asleep. Bowls of junk food were half turned over, spilling onto the carpet, and Alec was jumping in the air in front of the massive TV on the wall. A gaming controller was in his hand. He had nothing on but boxers and looked like he had just woken up.

"What the fuck is going on in here?" I bellowed.

Alec spun around, his mouth full of God knows what. "Oh."

"Did you have a party?" Selena stepped over a bag of chips.

"No, um, I didn't have class today and I thought you guys would be out until dinner."

"Is this what you usually do when you have the house alone?" I was seething mad. There were smudges on my carpet and dirty crap all over the place.

"No, I just had a big test and I wanted to chill out. I swear I don't do this all the time."

"Do you have to be so loud?" Selena asked.

"I'm fighting this kid from Romania." He pointed to the TV screen innocently, where his war game was paused. "He keeps killing off our troops since my partner is shit." Alec paused for a minute, and then spoke in fierce Russian into the headset around his head. It sounded like he and his partner were at odds over who was the real master at this game.

"Alec, turn this shit off and clean up," I demanded.

"But I'm almost done," he pleaded. "I won't take too long. I can't let them beat us!"

"Alright, alright. Just make sure everything is cleaned up." Selena started pushing me out of the room.

I was about to put my foot up his ass until he tasted the sole of my shoe, but didn't have the chance.

"Let me go back in there and beat him." I ran my hands through my hair in frustration.

"No, he didn't mean to make a mess." Selena sat on a kitchen stool. "Leave him alone."

"He knows the rules. Did you see my family room?"

"He's a kid. That's what kids do. He'll have it cleaned up. Don't worry."

"I'm going to go say something." I stomped back over to him. "Alec, turn that shit off. We need to talk."

He spoke into his headset, "Derzhatʹsya." He told his partner to hold on. "What's up, Justin?"

"Why are you partying in here like you don't have any sense?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd be home for a while." He toed the carpet.

I don't know why I was so mad, but I couldn't help my frustration. "You know the rules and clearly disobeyed them."

"Well, I said I was sorry. I'll clean it up now." He started to shuffle around the pillows back onto the sofa. He had a major attitude.

"Did you just roll your eyes at me?" I seethed further.

He didn't reply, but muttered under his breath.

"I asked you a question."

"No," he replied, "I'm cleaning up."

"It better be spotless when I come back in here." I went to walk out of the room.

"You know, kids make messes, Justin. Actually, that's all babies do for the first year of their lives," Alec snapped at me with a vicious tone.

"You don't think I know that?" I shouted.

"How the hell are you going to raise children then? Don't scream at me because you're inadequate."

"Take that back." I stepped towards him, my fist clenched to beat his face. "Don't you ever talk to me that way again."

"You know why you're so mad at me? Because you don't know how to raise children. You keep thinking that if you don't talk about it, the pregnancy will go away. Here's a newsflash: you're having a baby. Get used to it!" He pushed passed me and I heard his feet on the stairs.

I made every intention to run after him, but Selena's hands were suddenly on my chest, keeping me in place. "Let him go."

"Did you just hear what he said to me?"

"Yes, I did. You both just need to calm down."

"Selena, I swear to God…"

"Justin, please calm down. You both get so heated, and then things just get blown further out of proportion. Remember the last time? You tried to strangle him."

"He strangled me first," I argued.

"I know, but just let him breathe. This is just a stupid teenage, rebellion thing. We all went through it."

"I didn't because I had respect for my father." I sat on the couch, pushing Francis out of my way.

"Really? Like the time you stole his car and then ran it into a tree?" Selena sat next to me.

"Stop being so amazingly logical about all of this." I threw my head back. "I want to get mad."

"You don't need to." She grabbed my hand. "Just take deep breaths."

I did as she said and let air feel my lungs. I hated to admit it, but I did feel better after a minute or two.

"Do you think he's right?" I asked her.

"About what?"

"About me avoiding the subject that I'm going to be a terrible father."

"You're not going to be a terrible father. I can assure you of that."

"How can you be so certain?"

"Because I know that good parents have two outstanding qualities: love and responsibility. You have both of those and in high doses." She rested her head on my shoulder.

"What if this baby hates me? What if I get mad because he makes messes?"

"Of course you'll get mad and frustrated and scared, but I think that's normal."

"I've never been normal." I shut my eyes.

"And our baby won't ever be either. Don't worry, Justin."

"I have to worry. That's my job."

"Exactly. That means you care about this baby already."

Bingo!

"I know," I said quietly.

Selena and I sat in silence for at least an hour among the mess and debris that Alec had left behind. I got lost in my thoughts, once again. That seemed to happen a lot these days. I just couldn't understand why my life was going to shit. I had lost all control over things that I used to have a handle on. I was getting sloppy that is just unacceptable. I needed to do better. I had a crime syndicate to run and I hadn't been doing much of that since coming home. Times were about to change.

"I think you need to apologize to him," she said to me after a while.

"Hell no. I don't apologize."

"He's just as stubborn as you are and someone needs to fold first."

"Well, it sure won't be me. He knows he did wrong. Look at this place."

"Alec was right. Babies make messes. He's a teenager."

"So he should know better. I'll probably have to replace this carpet." I saw the smudges on the fabric.

"Or…get a vacuum cleaner."

"No, it's ruined." I sighed. "This is why I can't have anything nice."

"You're already starting to sound like a parent." She kissed my check before getting up. "Let him cool off some more and then go talk."

"I'm not apologizing."

"I said talk."

I sat on the couch and thought about what Alec said. Maybe he was right. This whole thing shouldn't have pissed me off so much, but it really did, and I wasn't sure why. Correction: I knew why. I was losing control of my house. I might be over exaggerating a little bit, but that's how I felt. First Alec took over the family room, and then everything under my roof. And he was just one kid.

What would happen when the baby arrived? I wouldn't have a sacred space left. I guessed that was the point, though. Once you have a child, your whole life changes. That was probably what I was confused about the most. My life never changed. I had a strict schedule from the time I woke up until the time my head hit the pillow. How was I supposed to accommodate a baby?

"Um, I didn't mean to snap at you." Alec plopped down on the sofa next to me. "I know you're not going to apologize, so don't bother."

"I would if I wanted to," I claimed bitterly.

That was all we said to each other, and it was almost as good as an apology.

"Look, I need to ask you a favor." I said quietly, so that Selena wouldn't hear.

"Anything,"

"I need you to look after Selena…when I'm not around. I need to know that she's safe and taken care of."

"Doesn't she have bodyguards and shit for that?"

"I'm not talking about physically. Sometimes, I feel like she doesn't want to open up to me about certain things because she's afraid I'll overreact, which is probably true. I just don't want her to think that she has to hold it all in. She likes talking to you."

"Because I'm awesome," He shrugged, "I've got her. She can always cry on my shoulder."

"Well, thank you. That's what I need from you."

"No problem. Selena and this baby are my first priority."

"So…what's this game you're so obsessed about?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"It's the best thing ever." Alec's eyes glazed over in excitement. "You can connect with people all over the world and create teams to beat other teams."

"And it's a war game?"

He nodded.

"What kind of weapons do they have?"

"Anything you could possibly want. Let me show you." He got off of the sofa and thrust one of the controllers at me.

An hour later, I was just as obsessed. I had never really been into video games, but this shit was addictive. It was so real and unlike anything I had ever played before. Mario and PacMan was good for a few minutes of fun, but they were nothing compared to the awesomeness of this. I wasn't an expert…yet, but I was getting there.

Our new team was comprised of some kid from Australia and another one from France. They both sucked ass, but swore that they were the best.

"Hey, Justin, why don't you go sit in the corner of that building and just wait for us to finish out the game." The snotty, sixteen-year old said in my ear from the headset I was wearing.

"Marcel, shouldn't you be in bed?" I snapped, clicking furiously on my controller, shooting anything that moved in the dark. More often than not, I would kill one of our guys. As in life, I went with the 'shoot first, ask questions later' philosophy.

"Both of you need to watch your backs," Alec said in my head and from next to me.

"Okay, this is ridiculous. Do you two have any idea what time it is?" Selena came into the room, chomping on a carrot or some kind of vegetable. I wasn't paying attention enough.

Alec and I erupted in a chorus of protests for her to move away from the TV.

"I don't understand men and their toys," she huffed. "Did you two even talk about the fight you had?"

"That's difference between the sexes, Selena." Alec tapped feverishly on his controller. "We don't have to talk. We just understand each other."

"Exactly," I agreed. "Can you move, sweetheart?"

"Why are men so one-track minded?" Selena sat between Alec and me. "Teach me how to play."

"Not right now." Alec was so into the game that he started to lift off of the couch in anticipation of a win.

Selena leaned her head against my shoulder and within minutes, was asleep.

It was late that night—might have been early morning—and I couldn't sleep. I hadn't really gotten more than a couple hours a night for the past couple of weeks. Tonight wouldn't be any different.

Selena's chest rose and fell lightly as she snored softly. This baby must be making her really tired. In all the years I had known Selena, she never snored, and it wasn't like we did anything strenuous today. She looked incredibly peaceful, though. Her normally vivid dreams seemed to have calmed down, so I couldn't complain with the lack of kicking under the sheets at night.

I tried to see if I could see any difference in her appearance. I figured the pregnancy would make her look completely different, but nothing had happened yet. At least, nothing I could see.

"Selena, are you awake?" I whispered.

She didn't reply.

I shifted so that my body was hovering over hers. I started to lift up her shirt, little by little, trying not to wake her. I got it past her stomach and stared down.

"How is it supposed to look?" I asked myself.

"I can see it," Selena said sleepily.

"Oh, you're up."

"You woke me up." She didn't open her eyes.

"Go back to bed. I was just checking."

I don't know what made me do it, but I leaned down and placed a kiss on her stomach. She giggled at the touch, so I did it again.

"I wonder if he can feel it," I said. "The whole process of pregnancy has become fascinating to me."

"It's even more fascinating going through it."

"Are you in pain?"

"No, just discomfort sometimes."

"I don't like the sound of that."

"It's normal. Pregnant women have to go through a lot of gross stuff."

"That's what the books say," I agreed, placing another kiss over her stomach.

"You've been reading the books?"

"In my free time…If I have free time."

"You work yourself too hard." She started to stroke my hair. "I'm worried about you."

"Don't. You're not supposed to be stressing."

"Last week, you left the house every day at five and didn't come back until after midnight."

"I can't help that." I sighed. "I took off today, didn't I?"

"You need more vacation time."

"There's no such thing. If I'm not at the office, I have family shit to deal with."

"Don't curse around the baby," she scolded.

"He can't hear me," I said hopefully.

"Well, I'm still worried about you. What has the doctor said?"

"Um, I'm healthy."

"You haven't seen the doctor yet, have you?"

"No, I don't have time." I rolled off of her.

"Justin, we've been back more than a month and you haven't had a physical yet. You need to get checked out."

"I'll do it this week," I promised.

My cell phone rang loudly on the nightstand, breaking our conversation.

"Don't get it." Selena groaned and rolled over.

"I have to." I sighed, recognizing the number. "Hello."

"Justin, we have to go," Emmett replied. "That meeting you wanted; it's happening now. He just called me."

"Get Jasper and bring him here in five minutes."

"Will do."

We hung up with each other rather quickly.

"What is it now?" Selena asked.

"Family business." I kissed her shoulder. She was mad at me, that much I could tell, but there wasn't anything I could do about it.

"What time should I expect you for breakfast?" She rose up on her elbows, watching me get dressed in my gray suit that I had set aside specifically for this occasion.

I checked my watch, which read three. "I won't be out long. I'll be back by seven."

"Be safe," she called as I rushed out of the door.

I banged on Alec's door. "Get up! We have to go."

"No," he shouted back.

I went into his messy as fuck room and pulled his covers off, "Get up."

"It's so early." He hugged Francis close to his body for warmth. "What's going on?"

"We have things to do."

"Son of a bitch." Alec huffed and shuffled out of bed to get dressed.

"What the hell is that smell?" I sniffed the air.

"I don't smell anything."

"When we get back, you're cleaning up because this is ridiculous." I couldn't stand the sight of his room anymore so I left.

I waited downstairs for him and tapped my foot on the tiled floor in the kitchen until he sauntered in.

"You look like shit," I commented, handing him a cup of coffee.

I didn't really hear his reply through the mumbling, but I could only guess at what horrible things he replied with. We shuffled out of the house, and I made sure to lock up.

I stood at the door, wondering if I should be leaving Selena alone now. I didn't feel right with her being in this empty house alone, if even for a minute.

"This is going to drive me crazy," I said to myself, shaking my head as I climbed into my Aston Martin with Alec already waiting in the front seat.

I pulled out of the driveway. Almost immediately, Emmett and Jasper were behind me in the Hummer. The followed me towards the city and through the early morning traffic. I never understood why Chicago had so many cars, even at this hour, but the traffic never ceased.

Taking longer than it should have, I finally arrived at the large residential building downtown. I noticed that it was the only property on the block that I didn't own. That pissed me off.

It was strange to me that there wasn't any security as we parked underground, but I was sure there was more than enough upstairs. I was betting on it. Before getting out of the car, I checked the chamber of my Eagle. Alec did the same with his own weapon.

"My penis itches," Emmett said as he hopped out of the Hummer.

"What the hell?" Alec scrunched up his face. "That's gross."

"I just thought you all should know."

"That has nothing to do with why we're here." Jasper fixed his tie. "This is work."

"I'm just saying; I think I should go to the doctor."

"I told you from the beginning that Rosalie was a cesspool of God knows what," I muttered on my way to the elevators.

"Yeah, you would know. I'm still pissed that you two fucked."

"Get over it. She wasn't even that good." I didn't turn around, but I could hear Emmett making a move to hit me. Jasper was talking quietly with him, trying to calm the nerves. I silently smirked at how easy it was to piss him off. It wasn't like I actually cared about Rosalie—or any other woman of my past. That thing between us was just physical and as mentioned, not even that good. Maybe it was too soon to joke about it. Well, for some people, not me.

The doors of the elevator opened and we stuffed ourselves inside. Emmett stayed on the opposite side with a major scowl on his face.

"This is not about personal shit. Let's get our heads in the game," Jasper scolded. "You two are like teenagers."

"He started it." Emmett kicked the wall.

"No. You're itchy penis started it," I shot back.

"I can't believe I got up for this shit." Alec rolled his eyes.

The elevator stopped abruptly, jolting us to a halt, and the lights shut off. It was silent and we didn't move for about half a minute.

"This is always how horror movies start," Emmett said in the dark.

Something started to beep on the side panel of the wall and I searched in the dark for the button.

"This is just a routine security check point," a hard voice said over the speaker. "Names."

"Justin Bieber…and guests," I replied. There were various forms of admonishments from my brothers at them being called "guests". I silenced them with a snap of my fingers.

"And why are you here?" the voice asked.

"We have private business to deal with."

"I need a better answer than that."

"Well, you're not getting one."

I waited for a long minute, with my finger on the button, waiting for a reply that never came.

"Hello, sir. I don't know who you are, but I have things to do," I snapped."Let us up."

Still no reply.

"He's going to make me lose my cool." I stepped back, more agitated than I should have been. I reprimanded myself for not taking my pills before I got in the car. I was more on edge than ever now.

Thankfully, before I went completely crazy, the elevator lights came back on and we started to move again.

"See, no need to get mad." Alec clapped my shoulder. I pushed him away.

The ride up was quick, and then we finally arrived on the right floor.

As soon as the doors opened, we were roughly pulled out and pushed against a wall by security men.

"Watch those hands," I snarled as one of them silently searched me.

"You can't have guns." The man took the Eagle out of my belt and disabled it.

I spun around, and pressed my forearm against his neck as I pushed him back into the wall. He was taken completely by surprise and didn't have enough time to react as I held him steady.

"No one touches my gun." My other hand twisted his wrist until he let it fall to the floor.

"Gentleman, no need for fighting. This is a civil meeting," someone said from down the hall.

I let the guard go and picked up my firearm, cocking it back in place.

Aberto Mangicavallo was wobbling on his feet. Possibly drunk. In a robe and with sex hair. I could actually smell the sweat and raunchy filth from his skin.

"Did you forget about our meeting?" I asked.

"No. I was waiting." He snorted. "Please, follow me." Aberto walked back down the hall, expecting us to follow.

"Keep your cool, Justin. Don't get so hotheaded," Alec whispered to me.

"I don't know how to control myself," I admitted. "It's not my fault."

Just don't kill him, Justin. Not yet.

We soon arrived at his office at the end of the long hall. It was a dark and moody room with sleek, metallic furniture.

"You can leave," Aberto told his bodyguard.

"But, sir…"

"I'm sure everything will be alright." He shut the door. "Just give me a second to change." Aberto put his bottle of gin down and scurried into the bathroom.

"This place looks like Cher's bedroom." Emmett touched the black painted walls.

"I don't think I like him very much," Alec said. "He seems kind of…off."

"Just keep your mouth shut and I'll handle everything," I told them.

Aberto reemerged a couple of minutes later in a smart suit that I was surprised actually looked good in his drunken stupor. He seemed to have sobered up pretty well during that time in the bathroom.

"So, gentlemen, please sit." He pointed to a row of chairs in front of his desk. We did. "I heard you'd like to speak with me, Justin. I'm very glad because I've been dying to meet you myself. Your father was a very…interesting man. I assume you're no different."

"Carlisle's not dead yet," I reminded him. "And I'm a very different type of man."

"Well, you called this meeting, so what is it that you wanted?"

"I need all the territory back in Chicago. You've had your run with it for a couple of years, but that's Bieber territory. You know it."

Aberto chuckled darkly. "I was under the impression that that was Aro's land. He gave it over to us."

"Your assumptions were wrong," I said with finality. "I need for you to stay away from the West End."

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I have very…lucrative business in that area."

Don't kill him.

"I will run you out if I have to," I told him. "I'm not a very patient man and I suggest you just cut your losses."

"I can't do that, Justin." He scratched his chin. "I just can't."

I sighed, "This won't end well for you. I'm trying to be more diplomatic and I don't want to outright kill you."

"You could try." He shrugged. "You wouldn't succeed. And I don't think you'd like to risk the things most important to you."

"What do you mean by that?" I sat up in my seat.

Aberto pulled out a large black-and-white photo of Selena, taken from afar. She was walking into work and had no idea someone was photographing her.

He took a lighter and lit the picture. It started to burn red and orange, before crumbling to ashes a couple of seconds later. "I would hate to see your pretty wife to suddenly go missing. Kill me, and I'll start a war you won't ever win."

Don't kill him.

Easier said than done.

I pulled out my Eagle and pointed it straight at his face. The silencer on the end, muffled the bullet as it blasted through the gun and into the wall behind him.

"Threaten my wife again and I'll make sure that hits its mark," I growled angrily. "I don't ever want to hear her name come out of your mouth. Is that understood?"

Aberto seemed more rattled that expected. He jumped in his seat slightly. He nodded.

"He threatened Selena. You heard him," I said.

I saw Alec nod from my side view.

"You'll get what's coming to you, Bieber."

"I'm counting on it. This was your first warning. Get out of town."

"Do we have any other options?" His brow furrowed.

"Work for me. If that doesn't appeal to you, then stay out of my way." I threw my business card on his desk. "I can't stay at this meeting any longer, unfortunately, because I have to talk to some Brazilians about a cocaine shipment. Call me when you're ready to talk again."

I stood up and began to walk out of the door. I could feel my brothers following.

"Well, done, Justin." Emmett clapped my shoulder. "We don't have to bring out the body bags."

I let out the breath I felt like I had been holding my entire time in there. One thing that I wouldn't put up with—above all else—was my family being threatened. Selena, especially. Aberto knew that was a stupid move, and if he didn't make the right choices in the next couple of days, things might get a little scary for him.

We stood in the elevator to go back down and just as the elevators were about to close, I saw Aberto at the end of the hall with a look in his eyes that told me, "This isn't over".

My heels clicked on the carpeted floor of Justin's office as I walked down the hall towards Mario's desk. Unlike usual, Mario wasn't busily working, or sorting through paper, or typing frantically on his computer. He was face-down, snoring and slobbering on a bunch of files.

I tried not to laugh, but he really did look a mess—like he had been in that same exact spot all night. Since it was noon, I figured he must have gotten in really early. Justin usually made Mario come in right around the same time he did. I'm sure Justin would have a fit if he saw him in such a state of unprofessionalism.

"Mario." I tapped his head. He didn't move. "Mario!"

He shot straight up in his chair and snorted awake with a piece of paper stuck to his mouth. "Oh, shit."

"You looked peaceful." I rested my elbows on the tall desk. "Sorry I woke you."

"Please don't tell Mr. Bieber." He started to panic. "I didn't mean to sleep, but I just got out so late last night and then this morning…I didn't mean to; I swear."

"Calm down. I'm not going to tell him anything." I went around the desk and took his crinkled up jacket from behind his chair. "Get this dry cleaned before you come in tomorrow. Justin will kill you if he sees you looking like this."

"I really didn't mean to fall asleep." He got up, re-tucking in his shirt. "He's going to fire me."

"So say something."

Mario was a really good kid. The only reason Justin pushed so hard was because he saw his potential. He always told me that Mario's brain was too good to waste. He had to be productive at all hours of the day and in ten years or so, he would be some kind of super genius if Justin trained him right.

Mario's eyes grew to an unhealthy size. "I can't say anything. He would kill me or worse…fire me."

"I'm going to tell you something." I leaned in and whispered, "Justin needs you just as much as you need him."

"I don't think so. Mr. Bieber is like a legend." Mario shook his head. "A million people would kill for this job."

"And you're doing it wonderfully. Just get more sleep." I handed him back his jacket.

"Thank you." He smiled at me. "You're very nice to me."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know. I just never thought Mr. Bieber's wife would be so…sociable."

"Justin is too; he just doesn't like to show it."

"I remember when you got arrested. Professor Nardi was my literature teacher, and he used to always talk about you. He said you were really smart."

I felt my blush heat up my cheeks. "I liked that class."

"Well, thank you for waking me up. I have so much work to do." He started to stack up some of the papers that had fallen off his desk.

"Have you eaten lunch?"

"No time for lunch." Mario carried files as he scurried away down the hall.

As I walked through the office, I noticed that everyone had that drawn-out, exhausted look to them. It wasn't healthy.

I arrived at Jane's desk. She was on the phone, which seemed to always be attached to her ear. She smiled at me and quickly hung up.

"Hi, Selena."

"Hi, Jane. How are you?"

"Good. Lots of work to do today. Justin came in on a rampage this morning about how the company's stock went down in the Japanese markets last night. He has the staff on rotation. Half of them are here now and then the other half come in at night."

I sighed. "He's making everyone suffer because he's suffering. He won't see a doctor, he hasn't made an appointment with his therapist, and he's always on edge."

"Well, I would be too if I were him. He's got a baby to look out for now." She bit her lip, trying not to smile too wide. "We're all so excited. And he is too. I can tell."

"I wish he would talk to me about it."

"He hasn't said anything?"

I shook my head. "Not really. I think he's happy about it, but every time I try to bring up the baby, he changes the subject. I don't know what that means."

"Well, he talks to me about it."

"Really? What does he say?" I asked, eager to hear something about the topic.

"He's really stressed, as you could imagine. He freaks out if you get a paper cut and now you're just super fragile. He's trying to let you live your life, but he's worried about you…especially after last time."

"I figured as much."

"Did you know he pulled the connecting lines from your carbonator last week? That's why it hasn't been working."

"Yeah, I found them in his sock drawer. I let the driver take me everywhere now so I don't have to argue with Justin about it."

"He just needs to sort it out, but he's so busy."

Suddenly, the phone rang.

"Ah, it's your wonderful husband." Jane pushed a button on the screen of her computer.

"Jane, I need you to go into my office and find my silver cufflinks. I know I had them when I left the house. Selena put them right next to my watch."

She held up said cufflinks in her hand and shook her head at me."You took them off to fix your shirt this morning and then got that call from the Mayor so were distracted. You left without them."

"And you didn't tell me? What kind of secretary are you?"

"The one who knows that theses cufflinks didn't even go with that suit you had on. I saved you."

"I have impeccable fashion sense."

I laughed behind my hand, trying to disguise my presence. Of course, he heard me.

"Is that Selena? It sounded like Selena. Selena, are you there?"

"No," Jane snapped. "Pay attention to your lunch meeting. You have to be back here in an hour for a conference call to Japan."

She hung up the phone without another word.

"You're the only one who can talk to him like that," I said.

"Because I'm his work wife. He hired me to be a hardass. Whenever I let him get away with things, he scolds me."

"Well, keep it up. Can I go in?"

"Sure, Lydia's waiting for you."

"Perfect."

"Bye, Baby Justin." She waved at my stomach. "See you soon."

Everyone in the family was doing that these days.

Today was a good day on the pregnancy scale. I only threw up once, and it didn't even hurt. I ate a sensible and healthy breakfast. I snacked on a rice cake for lunch and was supposed to meet Justin for dinner before going to work. I even walked to the fucking treadmill in the basement since Alec said I was getting fat. I almost cried when he said that. I blamed it on hormones.

I had only gained about five pounds so far. Alice assured me she couldn't tell. I did see a more defined bump this morning in the mirror, so I guessed that was good. It meant that the baby was growing. I never got to see a bump with Elizabeth.

All-in-all, it was a wonderful start to my day.

I walked into Justin's large, vacant office, which looked pristine. Nothing was out of order—not a sheet of paper, or pen, or chair. The TV on the wall was on and playing the news. Justin always kept the news playing.

I sat behind his desk and the computer screens immediately came on, sensing someone. There were four of them, spread out over the table. A bright blue design started to swirl across the monitors like it was possessed.

"Isabella Bieber," I spoke and the computers identified my voice.

"Welcome back, Mrs. Bieber," a sweet, feminine tone replied.

"Hello, Lydia."

"I trust you're having a wonderful day."

"I am, thank you."

Lydia was the coolest thing I had ever seen in my life. She was a voice activated, automatic computer that didn't even have a keyboard. She could hold conversations and do whatever you wanted just by talking. Justin loved her. We also had one at the house, and they were supposed to be incredibly secure. I didn't even think the government had the technology to break into this.

A lot of different things started to pop up on the screens.

"What can I do for you today?" Lydia asked.

"I need to schedule some appointments for Justin. Can you find some space for them within the next couple of days?"

A calendar appeared and it was filled with small notes of appointments or meetings. I honestly didn't know how Justin slept.

"We have a few spaces open early tomorrow…" she started to say, but then stopped. "No, my mistake. Jane just booked that hour."

"Well, you'll have to cancel something. He needs to meet with his doctor for a physical plus a therapy appointment as soon as possible."

"About the baby?"

"He told you?" I sputtered. "Has he talked to everyone about it but me?"

"He's just worried, Mrs. Bieber."

"Well, make him those two appointments." I crossed my arms.

"I'm canceling a breakfast tomorrow with the Congressman for this."

"There will be many more breakfasts, Lydia."

"Anything else, Mrs. Bieber?"

"No. Thank you."

Lydia went back to sleeping or whatever the hell she did. Justin chose that exact moment to waltz into his office. He looked exhausted, but anyone else wouldn't ever know. He hid it very well. His black-rimmed glasses sat on his nose, and I had a sneaking suspicion that he might have had bourbon for lunch. Not healthy. My pregnancy nose could smell it from a mile away.

"You're still here?" He let out a seemingly happy sigh, coming over to kiss me.

"Yes. I had some time to kill before dinner."

"We have a couple hours, actually." He checked his watch.

"I didn't want to sit in the house any longer. I can go if you're busy."

"Um, well I am busy, but do you promise to let me work?" He grinned.

"Yes, sir." I got up from his chair and went to sit on the couch. Maybe I could take a nap.

"How are you feeling today?" Justin asked.

"We had a good morning. No excessive vomit or tiredness."

He let out an exhale of relief. "Good. When is your next appointment?"

"In a couple of weeks." I laid my head down on the sofa and stretched out. "I'm going to sleep so I don't bother you."

"You never bother me."

Justin was being especially sweet today—almost too sweet. He was about to do or say something that I wasn't going to like.

"How is your day going?" I asked.

"Okay, I guess."

"I heard you were pissed this morning about something."

"I'm always pissed when I lose money," he replied coldly.

"For a man who has so much of it, what's a meager million dollars?"

"I can't believe you just asked that. It's like you don't know me at all." He feigned shock. "My time is very precious and I use it for two things: you and money. Soon I'll have to make room for a baby."

"I feel so honored." I rolled my eyes, even though they were closed.

"Selena, I thought you weren't going to distract me." Justin's voice was suddenly closer and I could smell his scent above me.

"I'm just sitting here, minding my own business…" I was cut off by lips—searing lips that caused me to moan immediately. It was kind of pathetic at how easily I melted at just his touch or a stare.

"As much as I would like to climb on top of you right now, I have work to get done," he said lowly. "You and the baby need to rest."

"That we do." I tilted my head up, capturing his lips with mine again. I couldn't help it. "But I don't want to sleep anymore."

"You're so naughty these days." He chuckled.

"Hormones," I answered.

Our perfectly sexual moment was cut off by the phone. It shrilled on his desk like it needed all the attention in the world.

"Damn," Justin huffed and left me alone on the couch.

I didn't think I was that tired, but I obviously was. I don't really remember much after that until I was being shaken awake.

"Selena," Justin said quietly, "Selena, wake up. We have dinner reservations."

"Oh." I tried to roll over and being the clumsy fool that I was, almost fell off of the couch. Thankfully, Justin caught me.

"We're going to have to work on that." He sat me up on the sofa.

"I can't help it."

"You can walk a mile in heels, but fall off a couch if I blow on you too hard."

"That sounded dirty." I giggled, still in a drunken slumber.

"Go freshen up." He laughed. "We're almost late."

"Okay, okay. I'm going." I stood up and wobbled slightly. Justin held onto me on the way to the bathroom that was connected to his office. "I'm fine. I can walk."

"I'm afraid to let go of you."

"Give me five minutes." I closed to the door. I really had to pee. My bladder was always filled these days. I brushed my teeth and made sure my makeup wasn't messy before walking back out.

Justin was on the phone, looking out of the large window, shouting and getting very red. I had no idea who he was talking about, but whoever it was should be scared.

"Listen to me, you little shit, I'm about to go on a trip and I need that information immediately…No, I don't care about the cost…Get me what I need or there will be hell to pay. Do I make myself clear?" Justin hung up the phone and ran a hand through his hair.

He must not have known I was behind him, because he jumped a little when I cleared my throat.

"Oh, are you ready to go?" he asked, regaining composure.

I nodded, putting on my shoes. "You're going on a trip?"

"What?" Justin put on his sunglasses.

"You're going on a trip?"

"No." He shook his head and kept his hand on the small of my back on our way out of the door. "Jane, we're going to dinner. If you're not here when we get back, make sure I have those reports on my desk."

"Alec and I are going out as well, but you'll have your reports." she replied without raising her head.

On our way down to the first floor on the elevator, Justin didn't even turn his head towards me. Of course, his eyes were covered so I couldn't search for answers in them, but I wasn't letting up.

"On the phone, you said you were going on a trip."

"You must have misheard me," he countered.

"Don't lie to me, Justin."

"Alright, fine. I didn't want to tell you because I'm not sure if I'm even going. I could send Emmett if I wanted to stay home."

"Okay, that's a start. Is this a legitimate thing?"

"Yes. I need to go to Tokyo for a few things. It's nothing mafia related, but it would be for about a week."

"Tokyo for a week!" I said louder than I meant to. I calmed down quickly. "Wow. That's a long time."

"I know and I didn't want you to unnecessarily worry."

"I'm not worrying." I shook my head quickly.

"Yes, you are. The doctor said you shouldn't be…especially after last time. We can't take any chances. I don't want you to know about the work I do when it's nothing you need to be concerned about." He wrapped an arm around me, bringing my body close to his.

"Alright," I agreed, "but you're being safe, right?"

"Yes. That I can promise you."

"Then the secrets are fine."

"They aren't secrets. I'm just protecting you."

I didn't get a chance to say anything back because the elevator doors opened and we strode out onto the marble floor of the lobby. There were greetings from secretaries and security staff—none of which Justin acknowledged. He owned the whole building so everyone knew him. I tried to at least wave to everyone so they didn't think we were total jackasses, but Justin pretended like no one existed but us.

There was a black Aston Martin with dark tinted windows waiting for us on the curb. A sandy-blonde haired man held the door open with a smile. "Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Bieber."

"Hello, William," I replied. "How's the new baby?"

"Wonderful. She's so adorable." He beamed.

"And this is your third?"

"Yes, ma'am." His smile was so big, it looked like it hurt. I hoped Justin would smile that way about our baby, "She's the most precious thing in the world."

"I'm happy for you two."

"And how are you doing today?" He motioned to my stomach.

"Fine, thank you."

"We're all very excited for you two. Maybe yours and mine can get have a play date one day."

"Well, it's nice to know my baby already has friends."

"Of course, ma'am."

I slid into the backseat. Justin didn't follow me immediately. I heard him accost William. "You've been driving me around for a while now. Since when have I ever given you permission to talk anything but business with me, let alone my wife?"

"I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again." William's voice was professional and remorseful. "I was just answering her questions."

"I don't care if she asked you to carry her through fire. You check with me first."

"Yes, sir."

Justin ducked his head and situated himself in the car next to me. The door shut.

"You didn't have to be so mean," I whispered.

"That's the second time I've had to say something to him. His father drove me to high school every morning. I would hate to fire him over simple instructions."

"I'll have to send his wife flowers in congratulations. We pregnant women have to stick together."

"She was pregnant," Justin told me.

"Same thing." I shrugged. I knew he didn't want me having conversations with people who worked for us, and I understood that, but I could at least say "hi" once and awhile.

The drive to the restaurant was tense. William was trying to stay in line, and Justin was starring daggers at him. I could feel his anger rolling off of him. I took his hand and he let up slightly, but still seemed pissed. In Justin's mind, he had to keep a clear line between "us" and "them". The sad thing was I understood the theory. Does that make me a bad person? Stuck-up? Pretentious?

We pulled up to the front of the restaurant and William came to open the door. My hand stayed in Justin's as we climbed out of the car.

"Thank you. You can pick us up in about an hour. Selena needs to get to work," Justin said to him.

"No problem, sir." William bowed his head. "Have a wonderful dinner."

"I'll send flowers," I whispered, not so quietly. William smirked at me and nodded.

Justin led me inside and we were ushered up the stairs to a private dining room by a confident hostess. She swayed her hips and puckered her lips, trying to show off what she had to offer.

The room was minimalistic with its earthy tones and fine dinnerware. There were a couple private rooms on the second floor, and Justin made sure we had one tucked away at the end of a long hall. He pulled out my chair and I sat down, trying not to jostle the table.

"My name is Melony and I'll be your waitress for the night. Can I get you two anything to drink?" she asked.

"I'll have a glass of Pinot Grigio," Justin said sternly, not looking at her. "What would you like, sweetheart?"

"We'll both have water. Don't bring the wine." I told the waitress.

She stood, looking between the both of us.

"You can't have it with your medicine." I dug through my purse and pulled out his anti-anxiety pills. He hadn't been taking them regularly because he seemed calm, but I could tell he needed help. His cold tone and demeanor with everyone was getting to be too much.

Justin grumbled, "Waters will be fine."

"Would you like to start off with something?" She smiled. "We have a wonderful spicy and sweet carrot soup that you might like, Justin."

Justin?

"My name is Mr. Bieber," he seethed. "And no. Just our drinks for right now."

The waitress kind of did an awkward curtsey before leaving the room, shutting the door behind her.

I looked at him suspiciously."That was strange."

"Yes, I know." He took his pills from me and downed two of them. "Do you really think I need to be taking these and why exactly do you have them?"

"I always have a stash somewhere on me. You're lucky I don't carry a tranquilizer around an your attitude is so snippy these days."

"With everyone except you. I make sure to save my good side for you." Justin grinned. "Because I love you."

I squinted at him.

The waitress returned with our drinks. "Anything else?"

"We'll have the salads and two orders of the short ribs. One without the wine sauce," Justin said mechanically.

She nodded. "Of course, sir."

"What is going on?" I asked when she left the room.

"I think I've slept with her before." He bit his lip.

"You think?" My whole body heated up in anger.

"I did," he corrected himself. "A long time ago."

"I'm really getting tired of this. They're everywhere."

There was a knock on the door, and a burly man with red hair stuck his head in. "I was just coming to introduce myself. I'm the manager of this restaurant. Is there anything I can get for you two?"

"Actually, yes." I turned to him. "Our waitress' name is Melony. Can you have her fired?"

His mouth dropped in surprise. "I'm…not sure I can do that. Is there a complaint, Mrs. Bieber?"

"Yes, I don't like her," I said and crossed my hands on the table. "She needs to be fired."

"Thank you for stopping by. Everything is fine," Justin assured him, chuckling.

The manager left without another word.

"Who has the bad attitude now?" Justin asked me.

"Why is it that everywhere we go, another one of your whores is right around the corner?"

"I've had a lot of experience." He shrugged. "I can't apologize for my past."

"Well, make sure they know that you're off the market."

"I'm pretty sure they do by now. You're very scary when you want to be." He placed his hand over my clenched fists, "I wear the wedding band that you gave me. Don't forget that."

"Don't touch me," I snapped. "If I could drink, I would right now."

"Too bad." He chuckled again. I think he found it amusing at how ticked off I got these days. It happened a lot, and most of the time I was back to normal within a couple of minutes. He knew not to take any of my crazy thoughts seriously. This whore situation, though, was something I would probably always be dealing with. They were everywhere. I knew Justin would never do anything, like cheat on me, but I still didn't like it.

"I have no more relations with any of the women of my past. If I see them, I turn my head."

"You better." I took my napkin and roughly put it in my lap.

"And what about you? I see the way men look at you and it takes all I can not to kill them on them on the streets." He argued.

"Out of the two of us, I'm not the one who cheated. Lest we forget that faithful Christmas vacation you took to the Bahamas."

"Are we going to bring that up again?" Justin was playing with my anger. He could tell that none of this would matter once the food got here. I would be too preoccupied.

"I just want to remind you."

He held up is hand in front of my face so that I could see the gold band around his ring finger, "I'm locked down for life."

That made me smile.

"You've tamed the beast." Justin leaned across the table, begging for a kiss. I gave him one.

Melony was replaced by a more docile male waiter who brought our salads. After my anger washed away with the coming of food, Justin and I were able to converse normally.

"This looks really good," I moaned in anticipation. "I didn't realize how hungry I was."

"I hear pregnancy does that to you."

"I'm surprised I haven't devoured it all yet." I licked my lips.

Justin took the beets from my plate and put them on his, while I stole most of his croutons.

"You left some." He pointed around his plate in disgust, "Hurry before them mix with the rest of the salad."

"I can't reach those."

He picked out the rest and placed them on my plate. "Extra carbs will be the death of me. I've gained five pounds since being back in Chicago. I can't afford anymore."

"Don't get me started on weight."

"You're supposed to gain weight. I need to go running and get my exercise schedule back."

"Well, take Alec with you. He has too much energy these days."

"Agreed."

Justin was chill and relaxed with me. No one was around to trigger his mood swings, and I didn't have to worry about him upsetting any of the restaurant staff.

"This is so good." I ate a piece of the short rib from dinner. "Why haven't I had this before?"

"I don't like coming here a lot."

"Why? It's nice."

"They always get my order wrong." He picked up an onion from his plate, pushing it aside.

"I don't recall you giving specifics."

"They should just know."

"Ah, I see," I responded.

During dinner, Justin's phone would vibrate violently. If it was a call, he ignored it, but he always replied to texts or emails.

"I really wish I could turn this thing off," he complained.

"Why don't you?"

"Do you know how much money I make a minute?" he asked without looking at me, his attention still on his phone.

"A lot?"

"Yeah…a lot. I can't just disregard my work." Justin placed his phone on the table next to his plate. "I don't mean to ignore you."

"No, it's not bothering me. I'm just worried that you work too much."

"Always worrying when you shouldn't," he sighed.

"Money isn't everything, Justin. And it's not like you actually contribute to society at all."

"Did you know that Ben&Jerry's donates five percent of their profits each year to charities?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Well, I figured during your pregnancy, I will be donating five percent of my wealth to Ben&Jerry's. It all works out."

Damn him. Now I wanted ice cream…really bad.

"I want to live in your head," I said. "It must be fascinating."

"You have no idea."

It was late Saturday night and thankfully, Justin took my advice and stayed at home. The phone was turned off, Lydia stayed asleep, and work was all but forgotten.

We had spent all day in bed, talking, watching TV, or just napping. I was trying to get his blood pressure down. My plan was fatally flawed when I woke up with Justin's mouth doing delicious things to my body. I was defenseless and let him have his way with me…over and over and over again.

Justin was currently resting on his stomach, his arms wrapped around his pillow. I hadn't seen him look this peaceful in a long time. I drew circles on his back.

I kissed the large tattoo over his right shoulder, "When are you going to get another one of these?" I asked.

"Why? You like them?"

"I didn't use to in high school. Mike had one and I hated it. But…I like yours."

"I don't want to talk about your ex-boyfriend right now."

"In any case, I find your tattoos very sexy." I kissed it again.

"I'll get another one when the baby is born. Once we figure out a name." He said nonchalantly.

My heart fluttered a little, "Have you thought of any names."

He shook his head, "Not yet."

And then, like always, he changed the subject.

"Selena, I have something to tell you."

"You do? And what might that be?"

"Remember yesterday when I told you that I needed to make a trip to Tokyo?"

"Yes, for business."

"Right. Well, those plans have been changed recently."

"So you're not going anywhere?" I asked hopefully.

"Unfortunately, no." He opened his eyes. "I'll be going to Spain for two weeks. I'm leaving on Monday."

"What?" I almost fell out of bed. "On Monday?"

"Calm down." He wrapped his long arm around my naked body.

"No, I will not calm down. That's so long." I tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but he wouldn't let me go.

"If you'd shut up, I could ask you if you'd want to come along."

I stopped moving. "Come along…to Spain?"

He nodded. "I really only need to be there for a week so that I can get my business done, but I have a free week and since I owe you a honeymoon, I thought we could do it right."

"In Spain?" I repeated like a broken record.

"Yes, Selena. Am I not explaining myself thoroughly?"

"No, no. You just took me off guard." I sat up against the headboard. "I would love to go, but it's so soon. I have to work and I have a doctor's appointment and I'm supposed to help Alice with her charity benefit thing she's doing…"

"Selena, stop it," Justin commanded sternly. "That's too much on your plate and I won't have you working so hard."

"My life can't stop just because I'm pregnant."

"I forbid it." His lips went into a tight line.

"You forbid it?"

"Yes. Unless you take this trip with me. I'm just asking for a week."

I sighed, thinking of any way out of work. I had just started and it wasn't like I could ask for a whole week off because of a vacation.

"I want this to be just the two of us, but unfortunately Emmett, Jasper, and Alec have to come with me. I'm sure the girls will want to tag along. I know it's not much of a vacation, but we can get away." Justin started to trail his fingers up my leg. "Please, Selena. Come with me."

"I want to." My body, on its own volition, sunk down the headboard until I was lyingon the bed. His hand went higher, distracting me. It was now between my thighs and creating pulses of pleasure that radiated over my legs.

"I can call your boss and ask him to let you have the week off."

"You're not my father, Justin. You don't have to do that," I breathed when his hand reached the Promised Land. My bare pussy was waiting to be played with, and Justin knew it.

"I just need to make one call and it's done. Please, Selena." His voice was low and sensual in my ear with his pleading. He kissed my neck, his hand cupped my center; his hard body pressed me into the mattress. I was in heaven. "One call."

"Okay," I whimpered when he entered a finger into me. "I'll go with you."

"Thank you," he whispered.

Needless to say, it didn't take very long for me to be convinced that I had to go on this trip or suffer more sexual torture.

After I was exhausted to the point of no return, I lay on my back and stared up at the ceiling.

"We leave in two days." Justin hopped off of the bed giddily. "I knew you'd say yes."

"You tricked me with your Svengali-like magic."

"Or your willpower is just incredibly low." He smirked his way out of the door, in nothing but boxers. "I have a few accommodations to make."

"No working!" I shouted when he went into the hallway.

"Yes, ma'am."

I lied in bed for a good half hour, trying to calm my sexual nerves. I didn't know if pregnancy was supposed to release new endorphins or something, but pregnant sex was the best kind. I didn't know how to describe it. I just knew that I wouldn't be able to just have normal sex again.

There was a knock on the door that brought me back to the present. "Uh, Selena, I know you two are having a good time in there, but I was wondering if I could trouble you for some food." Alec's voice sounded so small.

"Go make a sandwich."

"I would, but there's absolutely no food in this house. I could order a pizza."

"No. I'll go to the store." I looked at the clock. It was nine at night, but thankfully, the fresh market was open twenty-four hours. I climbed out of bed and started to get dressed. I decided on simple jeans and tee-shirt. It was too late to dress up in anything else.

"Selena, I can just order something. Don't worry yourself," Alec said.

"You and Justin don't need to be eating that kind of garbage," I replied, but now that I thought about it, a pizza did sound nice. "Plus, I need to pick up a few things."

"It's so late at night."

"I'm leaving in half an hour. Go see what we need."

"Alright," he said through the door.

I checked with Justin to see if he wanted anything. He was on the phone, so I didn't even think he heard me say I was leaving. Even though I told him not to work, his face was red in anger as he shouted to someone. All he ever did nowadays was shout. It wasn't healthy.

I left the house with a short list of things that I needed to get and took one of Justin's nicer cars. Since he broke mine, I had to use something. I chose the black Bugatti Veyron, which probably wasn't the best idea since Justin hadn't even driven it himself. He just polished the thing for hours on end. It was sleek, beautiful, and fast; Italian engineering at its best.

I was out of the driveway and tried not to blast through the streets, but it was hard to stay under the speed limit in a car like this. I arrived at the fresh market entirely too fast, but it was fun while it lasted.

I sat in the car after turning it off because my phone had been buzzing since I put it in my pocket. Of course, Justin knew his prized possession was missing and told me so over some very heated voicemails.

"Isabella Bieber, if you don't bring my car home right this instant, I might just lock you out of the house! I mean it, Selena!"

That was one of the more tame ones. I left my phone in the car so I wouldn't be tempted to pick up if he called while I shopped. I was in big trouble, but a marriage is about compromise. I agreed to go on this vacation with him, so I think I had the right to use the car.

I found an empty cart and claimed it as my own. You'd be surprised at how many people shopped late at night and some of these old women got feisty if you took their carts. As I was pushing into the store, I accidently bumped into a group of men standing outside, smoking.

"Oh, sorry about that," I apologized. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"It's no problem," one of the men said. He looked really sick with pale skin and shaking hands, trying to take drags of his cigarette. The other three in his group looked the same. They couldn't have been older than sixteen at the most.

"Is that your car?" another of the guys asked, nodding to my parking spot.

"Uh, my husband's," I replied awkwardly. I didn't really want to strike up a conversation with them.

"That's a sweet ride."

"I'll be sure to let him know you think so."

All the guys nodded and took pulls of their cigarettes at the same time.

"Sorry again," I said and pushed past them, through the sliding glass doors.

The grocery store wasn't massive, but happened to be very popular. Even on regular Saturday nights like this, there were about twenty people milling around, which was a lot for a place this size. They specialized in fresh, organic food, and I made it a point to shop here more. My family needed all the help they could get. I didn't think I'd ever seen Alec eat a vegetable voluntarily.

I leisurely perused through the aisles, ignoring the list in my pocket and just picking up things I saw. I was in the middle of examining apples when I heard the sound that I had become so accustomed to in the past couple of years.

A barrage of bullets left a gun from the front of the store. It sounded like a semi-automatic; maybe an Army tactical rifle or some kind of hunting firearm.

My body immediately hit the floor as a reflex. There were a lot of screams from shoppers, and I was suddenly on high alert. My eyes honed for anything sign of danger, my heartbeat sped up to a rapid pace, my head started to pound, and my breathing came out in harsh rasps.

I cowered behind a canned soup display at the end of the aisle. Thankfully, I was in the back of the store and tried not to make a sound.

"This is a stickup!" a voice came over the intercom. "I need everyone to make their way to the back of the store."

A few more gunshots scared the shit out of me, and I bit my lip to stop myself from crying.

Why did you leave your fucking phone in the car?

There was a lot of movement, and some people came near me since I was in a corner. No one dared speak or breathe, for that matter.

A man appeared, showing off his large weapon, and I recognized him as the one who complimented my car outside.

"I need everyone's wallets, jewelry, and phones!" he commanded. "Now!"

People started to slide things over to him, and he gathered it all up in a plastic bag.

"What's going to happen to us, Mommy?" a boy asked next to me. He was in the arms of his mother.

"I don't know, honey. Everything's going to be all right."

I realized that I had more than myself to care for. I was carrying a child. I brought my feet up to protect my stomach, thankful that I wore a big shirt. I didn't want this crazy person knowing I was pregnant. Then I started to think about all the things that I hadn't done yet. My parents didn't even know I was having their grandchild yet. I wanted to wait a little longer to tell them.

Please, God, don't have me die like this. Not yet.

"No one make a sound," the man said harshly.

A group of older ladies kept on whispering to each other and huddled together.

"I said, no talking!" The guy with the gun ran over and pulled one of them away, dragging her across the tiled floor. She screamed for him to let her go, but he didn't and threw her down an aisle where another man with a firearm was waiting to take her. She disappeared after that.

"If I hear another word out of any of you, I'll kill you." He came back over to us. His hands were still shaking, making the gun rattle as well. There was nothing worse than a guy who can't hold a gun straight. That makes it infinitely more dangerous. His voice was strong, but falsely so. He didn't have any confidence, and I guessed he was some kind of lackey to his stupid friends.

"What are you going to do to us?" the boy next to me asked him boldly. "When can we leave?"

"Not for a long time, kid. You all just became ransom. I'm sorry." His eyes looked like he was really trying to apologize, but the gun in his hand said otherwise. "All you can do now is sit and wait." He pointed the gun straight at me, daring anyone to say anything.

I was now very, very, very scared.

[moyconsulting]

Roofing in COVID-19: Keep Your Roofing Business Afloat via FREE Video Conferencing

Repeat after me: Never EVER will I put my roofing company in this kind of situation ever again.

With this coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, a lot of roofing companies have kind of slowed down a bit because they're unable to go out and get that face-to-face interaction with homeowners, seeing as most of them are quarantined. They don't want to have any physical connection with anybody coming door-to-door, and so a lot of them have locked themselves inside, and they're not taking any more door-knocking.

I'm making this video for those of you who still want to be able to sell the job with roofing contractors. For those of you guys who are already online still generating estimates, then this is particularly for you. This will give you the ability to still sell the job while having that face to face interaction, just online. So bear with me, by the end of this video, you'll know exactly how to set up a system to where customers can book a call with you, to be able to sell the job.

[embed]https://youtu.be/C8dmswIR6LI[/embed]

My name is Mats Moy. For those of you guys that don't know me, I put out videos just like this one every single Wednesday, so be sure to hit that notification bell and Subscribe button so that you get notified every single time I release a video just like this one every Wednesday. All that I do is simply help roofing companies, just like you, get online and start generating leads from their online presence.

So later on, I'm actually going to share with you a way that you can get in touch with me so that we can start generating leads for your company online. So stick around to the very end for that.

Sign up for a Calendly account

Calendly is essentially the platform in which customers can now book a free estimate via video conferencing with you. This is the software that we're gonna be using.

The easiest way for you to sign up is with Google, so make sure you have a Gmail account. If you don't already have one, you'll want to go to Gmail.com and create an account. It'll take you less than five minutes to do and this is what you'll now be using to schedule those calls with the homeowners.

Head over to Calendly.com and click the sign up button.

Click "sign up with Google."

Click Allow.

Calendly is 100% free and they have been oh so nice to make integration tools such as GoToMeeting or Zoom, all the way through June, to make sure that you can get through and still get in front of customers to be able to sell your roofs.

Set up your Calendly account

Create our Calendly URL. This is essentially our main link. This is not gonna be the link that you're gonna be sending customers to. You can just name it your business name.

Select your time zone. It'll automatically detect it, but if for any reason it doesn't, then go ahead and click that time zone, and make sure that it's on the right one.

Confirm your email address. Now this is very important, because you are now gonna have to pay attention to this particular particular Gmail account that you've created or that you already have. Click Continue. (Note: Download the Google Calendar app on your phone. That way you get the notifications for when you have something scheduled, and it's coming up, within the next two hours or so.)

Choose your available hours. When are you working? When are you available? If it's only from nine to five, then go ahead and put that in. If you don't want to take calls at midnight, make sure you block that time out. Click Continue.

Choose your role at work. You can simply say Sales and Marketing, just for the sake of this. It doesn't really matter what you put in it, it just makes your experience a little bit different.

Create a Calendly event

Click + New Event Type.

Click Create under One-on-One. We're gonna allow invitees to schedule individual slots with you.

Add an Event Name. Just say Free Estimate, and then your company name. Make it simple.

Select Zoom as Location. What you'll notice it'll say, "Zoom is not connected. Visit Zoom integration page to connect your account." We'll go ahead and do that shortly, but for now we're gonna fill out the rest of the information.

In the "Description/Instructions," write a summary of what it is that the person is going to expect. What should the customer that's booking this call with you expect? Let them know ahead of time who they can expect to get a phone call from, and then put in your company information, your business name, your address, your website, if you have one, and a phone number.

Create an Event Link. This is going to be the link that you send customers so that they can now book that call with you. A great place to put it would be on your website or you can simply send them this link, so they can schedule the call with you. Make sure that it's simple and easy for you to send out to your customers and they're able to schedule that call with you.

Customize your Calendly event

Choose your Event Duration. How long do you figure this call is going to take on average? Will it be a 15 minute call, a 30 minute call, a 45 minute call, or a 60 minute call, or custom?

Select a Date Range. How far out can someone schedule a call with you? Now this is important, because we want to make sure that the people who are scheduling this call with us stay warm. We don't want to have them book a call today and then for them to speak to us a week later. We want to make sure that it's somewhat close.

Select your Event Time Zone. so if you didn't select the right time zone earlier, here is another place for you to do that, so make sure you're in the right time zone.

Confirm your calendar setup under Availability. This is a preview of what your calendar would look like. Click Edit if you wish to make any changes.

Head over to Events and set the Frequency of Available Time Slots. A setting of 30 minutes simply means that if I take a look at the calendar, you'll see they're all in increments of a half hour. Now, however you want to make it happen, however you want it to show up, just go ahead and select whatever is applicable for you.

Set an Event Max Per Day. How many calls can you realistically take per day? If you set this at 5, all this simply means is whenever five people have booked an estimate via video conferencing with us for a particular date, then it'll no longer show any more time slots for that day.

Set a Minimum Scheduling Notice. Let's say we're on a roof and somebody happens to book a call with us in the next 10 minutes. Oh crap, I'm not ready for that. So this is what this is here for. We want to set a buffer in between the current time and the time that you're available to take a call.

Set an Event Buffer. This will give you some wiggle room. If your event duration is set at 30 minutes and somebody books a call for nine o'clock, then we don't want anybody else to book a call right there at 9:30 because the nine o'clock could go over a little bit. That's what this buffer is for.

Add Invitee Questions by clicking Add New Question. You want to ask as little questions as possible. Make it super easy and simple for customers to schedule an estimate with you. We have their name, we have their email, and you may want to add their phone number or anything else. Make sure you require it if you need it. Hit Apply then click Save.

Customize your Notifications. If you wish to turn on a specific notification, just hit On and click Personalize to plug in your own message. Here are the types of notifications you can send out:

Email Reminders. This will be sent to them prior to the call actually happening. We can send it however often we want them to be sent out. Multiple notifications can be sent days, hours, or minutes before when they can expect our call, just so they get that heads up.

Email Follow-Up. This will be sent to them after the call.

Text Reminders. Same as Email Reminders, you can personalize the timings as well.

Customize your Cancellation Policy. You can include or choose not to include Cancel and Reschedule links in the email notification.

Personalize your Confirmation Page. Whenever they schedule a call with you, it's gonna display a Calendly confirmation page or you can redirect them to an external site. This would be a good opportunity for them to learn a little bit more about your company, if need be. So you can redirect them to your company by choosing "Redirect to an external site" and inputting your company website URL. Hit Save and Close.

And that's it, that's how you go about customizing the back end of this stuff.

Edit your Calendly Account Settings

I want to show you quickly how to display your business details on your event calendar.

Go to Accounts then click Account Settings.

Change your Account Name to your business' name.

Click Upload Picture then hit Apply. That way, they'll know exactly who is calling them. You can put in your company logo as well.

Hit Save Changes.

So now, when you come back to your Event Calendar, we have your face, we have the company name, your event name, other information, and then people can start booking the call right there.

Now, there's a bunch of stuff that can still be customized even more. However, this is a free account. If you want to get a paid account, let me just quickly run through how much it'll run you.

Pricing is very inexpensive, eight bucks a month. I think it's totally worth it, and they'll give you a little bit more. Especially if you have multiple sales reps that can sell the job, then this'll go per user per month. So that's two calendars available for each user. You can go up to six calendars per user. So this all depends on how many users you want to go. This is billed annually. If you want to go monthly, it's 10 bucks a month.

Set up your Zoom account

So now that we've gone ahead and set up Calendly properly, there's still one more thing that needs to get done. So let's head on over to Zoom, which is the software platform that you will now be using to start hosting these live video conferences.

Both Calendly and Zoom are 100% free for you to use for the purposes of having a video conference.

Head over to Zoom.us and click Sign Up.

Click Sign in with Google and select the same exact Google account that you used to sign up with Calendly.

Click Create Account.

That's pretty much it. There's nothing else that you need to do here. So that's how you go about setting up Zoom.

Connect your Zoom account to Calendly

Head back over to Calendly.

Click "What event is this?" and click "Zoom integration page" to connect your account.

Click Connect Zoom and sign in.

Click Pre-approve and then Authorize.

Go back to Calendly and hit Save and Close.

So there you have it, that is what it is. That is the process to set up video conferencing, to give out those free estimates, and still have that face to face interaction.

Send out your calendar

Now, what does the customer do, right? How do we go about sending them this link? What should they do once they get this link? Let me walk you through that process as well.

On Calendly, just go over to Event Types.

Click Copy Link on your Free Estimates event. This is the link that you're gonna want to copy, and whenever you want to send someone to this page so that you can schedule that estimate with you, you'll just copy this link.

Once they get to this page, they should just select a time and hit Confirm. It's gonna ask them for some details and once filled out, they should click Schedule the Event. And that's it.

Once they've gone ahead and scheduled that call, they'll get an email invitation.

Start the call

When the time comes, your client will get notifications. If you set up that personalization, they'll get the notifications to say, "Hey, you're gonna get a call from me in one hour," or 10 minutes, or whatever it is that you set up, and what they'll need to do is the following:

Prior to the call, let them know about the calendar invitation in their email account.

Ask them to download the Zoom app. This goes the same for you.

Ask them to click the Zoom link. This is the link that they're gonna have to click on to get connected; same thing for you.

Click Open Zoom.us.

Now you can start to host that video conferencing.

You're gonna need a microphone so if you have a headset, great. Otherwise, if your computer has a built-in mic, that's also awesome. If not, you're gonna have to purchase one, use the speakers on your computer, or again you can just use regular headsets, and that way you'll be able to communicate. The same thing goes for the person on the other side.

Maybe that's something you want to communicate in your personalized options, that they'll need a microphone and speakers, if they don't already have one built into the computer that they're gonna be using.

Alternatively, you can use your cell phone. Download the Zoom app on your smartphone and start utilizing that to be able to have that one-on-one video conference.

It would however be a better idea to have it over computer. It just makes it a bigger screen, they can see you better. You won't be holding the phone and then shuffling and whatnot. You can have it set up directly, eye-to-eye contact, so you can sell that roof.

One thing you'll have to note is with a free Zoom account, the longest that you can have these calls for is 40 minutes and then it'll cut you off. So, if you want to invest around 20 bucks into the upgraded plan where you can have unlimited times as far as how long these conversations can go, then go ahead and upgrade to that. Otherwise, keep in mind when you're having that convo, that you can only have it up to 40 minutes and then it'll just cut off. You can then just recall them so that it starts back from scratch.

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So there you have it. That is how you go about setting up video conferencing in these tough economic times, times where you cannot have that face-to-face, physical interaction with the customer anymore.

This is a beautiful alternative for you, and as I mentioned earlier, I have a few spots open for that one-on-one call with myself, where we're gonna speak about your roofing company and how we can start generating leads online. If you are somewhat dissatisfied with the current state of your online advertising, then definitely book that call with me. Let's get you set up. That way you can start to generate leads for your roofing business online.

Now I would be a liar if I said that the clients that I'm working with haven't taken a hit, as far as the leads that they're generating online. However, they are still generating leads. This is a system that's working for them, and producing leads for them without them having to essentially do anything.

So again, if you want to be one of those customers, then definitely reach out to me, schedule a call. Be sure to fill out the survey application that follows once you book that call, so that I can come up with a game plan for your roofing business and get you results in the shortest amount of time possible.

Also, if you want to join a community of roofers just like yourself who are learning about this forever-changing space, be sure to join my free online Mastermind Facebook group where I share up-to-date information to help you generate more roofing leads online.

Lastly, if you enjoyed my video, please give me a Like. Hit that Thumbs Up button, subscribe to my channel, and hit the notification bell so that you get notified every single time I drop a new video, just like this one, every single Wednesday.

Again, my name is Mats Moy. Thanks for watching and I will see you next week, peace.

Book A Call With Mats: https://matsmoy.com/apply

Calendly: http://calendly.com

Zoom: http://zoom.us

Be sure to join the secret Online Roofing Leads Mastermind Group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/onlineroofingleads/

TWEET THIS VIDEO: https://ctt.ac/65c7b

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Article Source Here: Roofing in COVID-19: Keep Your Roofing Business Afloat via FREE Video Conferencing

Moy Consulting 60 Queen St E #103, Brampton, ON L6V 1A9, Canada https://goo.gl/maps/hodRjHCYkvtjSwFW8

[bridgingthegapwellness-blog]

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