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, one-hundred-twenty 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 The Punishment Pit, Rachel was about to ask him about his kids when a nervous Ethan Walsh, the club manager, stepped between them, his back to Rachel.
"She's taken, Chamberlin. Step back." Ethan not so gently shoved the Dom backwards.
Chamberlin at least had a good sense of humor about being manhandled. "Relax. I didn't know you were married, Walsh. I was just talking to your little woman here about kids. I didn't mean anything by it." He lifted his hands, palms out, as if to surrender.
Rachel stepped up to pull Ethan's hand away from the Dom's chest. "Ethan, it's fine. Really. He didn't do anything wrong."
Finally listening to her, Ethan stepped back to turn towards Rachel. He looked her up and down, his eyes getting bigger by the second.
"Holy shit, Rach. You're so big!" The second the words left his mouth, his face flushed red. "I mean... wait, that didn't come out right. You look..."
Rachel giggled. "It's okay. I agree. I feel like I'm carrying a watermelon around." She self-consciously rubbed her baby bump, as she often did.
Chamberlin had remained close enough to hear the exchange. "Sooo... I'm guessing this isn't your husband. Either that, or he's doing one piss poor job of keeping up with your pregnancy." The humor in his eyes put Rachel at ease. She liked this guy.
It was Ethan who injected an answer. "Me, married to Rach? Hell no. The bosses would kick my ass if I got too friendly."
"Mitchell and Parker? Why's that?" The stranger was curious.
She wasn't used