Expecting it All (Punishment Pit #7) - Livia Grant

Chapter One

Rachel

"You sure this is where you want to go? It seems like a dangerous place for a pregnant lady."

Rachel Parker held out a twenty-dollar bill to the Chicago taxi driver. "I'm sure. Just wait until I get inside the door, please."

The older Asian driver flashed her a look that told her he thought she was crazy. Considering it took her a full minute to pull her ballooned body out of the back seat and stand upright, she couldn't really argue.

Doubt invaded her mind, and she almost climbed back into the cab. With a deep breath, she forced herself to buck up. Her marriage was suffering, and she was on a mission to do something about it.

Rachel slammed the car door closed, silently cursing the driver as he took off down the dark alley without waiting even one flat second for her to get safely inside the building. A brisk October breeze whipped around and urged her to pull up the collar of her winter coat to guard against catching a chill. Her Daddy would be upset if she caught a cold.

She reached in her purse for the magnetic keycard she needed to gain access to The Punishment Pit. It had been six weeks since she'd been to the private club. It felt like a lifetime. Before she got pregnant, she would spend hours every day in this building with her husband, Derek. Days were spent at Titan Securities on the fourth floor. Nights were spent here at The Punishment Pit, watching her husband on stage and joining him in most shows.

A now familiar paralyzing fear gripped her as the reality of how much had changed in her life closed in. And all because of one simple decision.

She wanted to be a mom.

With three older sisters, all good Catholic procreators, Rachel had been blessed with a baker's dozen nieces and nephews, all of whom she adored. When she started to feel left out as the only sister not to have kids, she'd convinced Derek it was time to take the plunge into parenthood.

The months since that little stick turned blue had taught Rachel that some decisions were not meant to be made in the spur of the moment. She hadn't considered that having a real baby would ultimately bump her out of the baby role in their family.

As if he could read her thoughts, her young son shifted inside her, reminding her he wasn't going anywhere.

It's all right, boo. Mommy still loves you. I just need this last chance to be the baby of the family again.

Rachel forced herself to put one swollen foot in front of the other until she was in the foyer of the club. Pounding music coming from the other side of the thick door told her the show hadn't started yet. That made her happy. She couldn't wait to surprise her husband. He had tried many times to get her to come with him to the club over the last few weeks, but she'd always turned him down. It was hard to feel sexy when you'd packed thirty extra pounds onto a petite, 120 pound frame. Every part of her body was retaining water. She was sure she'd pop if someone poked her with a pin.

Rachel used her keycard to gain entry to the main floor of The Punishment Pit. It was busy for a Thursday. She should have called ahead and asked Ethan to save her a seat at the front of the club.

She paused near the door, scanning the space, unsure whether she wanted to see friends in her condition, or try to remain anonymous. Considering she was wearing more clothes than the next four submissives she saw combined, her chances of going unnoticed were slim.

What she hadn't expected was a new Dom to approach her before she could even get her coat off.

"Well, hello there. Looking for a playmate tonight?" A handsome man in his forties she'd never met crowded close, daring to reach out as if to take her heavy coat. She peeked up tentatively to see an amicable smile on his tanned face.

Feeling playful, Rachel opened her coat wide, showing off her protruding, eight-month-old baby-bump. She couldn't resist. "Sorry. I already did my playing a few months ago. I'm here to meet my husband."

Genuine humor twinkled in the stranger's blue eyes. "Lucky bastard, although I've already done the kid thing. I'm too old to go back to that stage in life again."

Surprised to be conversing with a stranger about children at