Dawn of Eve - MJ Howson (read full novel .txt) 📗

“Isn’t it lovely?” Dawn asked.

“Yes, but isn’t all of this a bit, well, soon?”

“You’re worried I’ll have another miscarriage, aren’t you?” Dawn let go of Jacob and looked away. A bowl filled with lavender-scented gel beads sat beside the nightlight projector. Dawn suddenly found little comfort from the flowery scent.

“I just don’t want you to get your hopes up. You told me how difficult the others were.”

“This time’s different. I can feel it.”

Dawn walked to the cradle in the middle of the room and motioned Jacob to join her. He went to her side and took her hand, letting his eyes settle on the white cotton blanket tucked inside the empty crib.

“Jacob, I know this wasn’t what we planned. But it’s our future now.”

“Like I said, let’s take this day by day, okay?”

Dawn nodded and lowered her head.

“Hey,” Jacob said.

Dawn looked up into Jacob’s eyes.

“I’m here for you,” Jacob said. “Whatever happens. We’re in this together.”

Dawn threw her arms around Jacob and buried her face against him. She said, “I love you, Jacob.”

“I love you too.”

Jacob pulled her closer, and the two began to sway back and forth. Dawn looked around at the nebulas swirling across the room. Jacob’s embrace always brought her comfort. She glanced at the crib. Deep down, she knew Eve’s arrival would complete the family she longed for.

Jacob ran his fingers up and down Dawn’s back. The scruff of his chin tugged at her hair as he gently kissed the top of her head.

Dawn found Jacob’s touch intoxicating. She slid her hands up his torso and began to unbutton his shirt. Dawn said, “You, know, we . . . we haven’t had sex in weeks.”

Jacob stopped swaying. He said, “The doctor said we shouldn’t. Not with your history.”

“I know.” Dawn sighed and pulled Jacob closer. “It’s going to be a long pregnancy.”

“You know, there are other ways I can satisfy you.”

Dawn looked up to see Jacob’s crooked smile looking down. She grinned and said, “I do recall you being a man of many talents.”

“You know me so well.”

“Just . . . just be gentle.”

“Don’t worry. I know your limits.” Jacob leaned down and kissed Dawn, cupping her backside and thrusting her into the air. “So, here or–?”

“The nursery?” Dawn laughed as Jacob lowered her to the ground. She took his hand and led him into the hallway. “Follow me, young man.”

The owner’s suite made up the entire top floor. One-third of the space was an elaborate wardrobe room that included some of her mother’s most celebrated items. The bedroom contained a large northwestern-facing terrace.

Jacob pulled Dawn onto her king-sized bed and began to undress her, passionately licking and biting her neck and earlobes. Dawn peeled Jacob’s shirt off, revealing a perfectly trimmed and muscular chest perched atop a deep six-pack. Jacob ripped his pants off as Dawn slid beneath the sheets. She threw her head against the pillow and looked up. A black spherical metal clock beside her bed projected the time onto the ceiling–11:55 p.m.

“Remember, go gentle,” Dawn said with a grin.

Jacob gave her a wink and then dove beneath the covers. Dawn giggled and twitched as she felt him unlatch her bra and lick her nipples. He soon emerged, his gelled hair slightly rustled, displaying her bra in his teeth. He flung the bra to the side and said, “One more to go.”

Jacob kissed her chin and disappeared beneath the covers. His fingers caressed her torso and inner thigh. As his hands slid beneath her panties, he suddenly stopped.

Dawn’s smile faded as Jacob remained motionless. She looked down at the frozen figure beneath the sheets and asked, “What?”

Jacob sat upright, causing the sheets to fall from his shoulders. A look of shock covered his face.

“What?” Dawn said again, her heartbeat pounding in her chest.

Jacob raised his hands and showed they were now covered in blood. Dawn began to scream.

Four

14 Park Tower

Jacob stared at the wine-soaked white cotton towel clenched in his hand. Droplets of crimson-red liquid fell from the rag into the stainless steel sink below. Seeing the red pool form brought Jacob back to the night Dawn lost the baby. Although it happened a month ago, the image of his bloody hands still haunted him. The clamor of the patrons in the bar slowly pulled him from his trance. Jacob tossed the towel into the sink before turning around to get back to work.

The Harbor View cocktail lounge occupied the western side of the twentieth floor of 14 Park Tower, the latest luxury hotel to hit Chelsea. Situated between 14th and 15th Streets bordering the High Line, the five-star hotel was the talk of the town when it opened last year. The building quickly earned a reputation for impeccable service and unsurpassed quality. The unobstructed view of the sun setting over New Jersey across the Hudson River looked exceptionally tranquil this first week of June.

Decked out in a mid-century modern look, the lounge’s teal and cream-colored chairs, sofas, and booths popped against the dark walnut-paneled walls. Thick glass tables reflected the orange urchin-style pendant lights descending from the ceiling. The spiky orbs hung at varying lengths created a unique glow throughout the space.

As a highly sought-after model during his early twenties, Jacob often found himself at posh establishments such as Harbor View, hobnobbing with society’s finest. For years, Jacob had been the guy wedged into a booth enjoying high-end champagne and beautiful women while the wait staff bent over backward to please him. Never did he imagine himself a bartender on the opposite side of the velvet rope watching the world’s richest gossip and indulge.

These days, as one of the top bartenders in Harbor View, he still got to mingle and flirt with the rich and famous–just in a different way from the days of old. Jacob certainly couldn’t complain about the tips, even if they often involved putting up with painfully trite advances from men and women he had no interest in getting to