Jake and Antonia

My deal with daddy didn't say I had to stay with the company for a year after the baby's birthday just that I stay married to Toni. Leaving now seemed to be the best solution. If I waited for the axe it would probably come under circumstances that would preclude a decent recommendation from ZYX when I went job hunting. Now would be the best time. Toni would be on maturity leave for the next two months and her dad was still in charge. I knew daddy wouldn't be happy with me, but he knew the circumstances and I felt he would give me a decent recommendation if called on for one.

Toni's parents showed up while Toni was in the delivery room so we sat and talked until we were told we could view the baby. They oohed and aahhed and then after a short visit with Toni in the recovery room her father went back to work. Regina and I were shooed out of the rooms Toni could rest and once out of the room Regina asked me to join her for a cup of coffee in the hospital cafeteria. Once seated with our drinks she asked me what my plans were. I saw no reason not to tell her so I did.

"Isn't that jumping the gun?"

"I don't see it that way. I see it as getting out while the getting is good. If I wait I've no doubt that Toni will see to it that everyone will think I left under a cloud and that would surely hurt my chances in finding a good job."

"What would it take to get you to stay?"

"Why would you ask me that? You know the deal I have with your husband."

"You have been a good influence on my daughter. Since you came along she has grown up at least in my eyes. I'm afraid of what might happen if you leave. I know you only consider it a marriage of convenience, but it is more than that to Toni. The girl has come to love you. You might not see it but I do."

I thought she was nuts, but I didn't say it.

"Back to the question; what will it take you to stay?"

I smiled as I thought of a way to get her off the subject.

"Won't take much. I've had the screaming hots for you since the night we met. How about we get together at least once a week and do the horizontal mambo."

"I'm serious here Jake. What will it take?"

"I'm serious about it too. Once or twice a week and I'll hang around."

"Not going to happen Jake."

"I didn't expect it would, but I needed a way to show you that my sticking around isn't going to happen."

"No chance?"

"There are some other things that have been going on that you are not aware of that make my leaving Toni a sure thing."

"You can actually walk away from your child?"

"Not mine. She doesn't look anything like me or anyone in my family."

I looked at my watch and said "I've got to get back to work."

I got up and left her there.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Before I went back to the plant I stopped by the headquarters building to pay a visit to my father in law. I got right to it.

"I need some clarification on our arrangement. Do I have to wait until after the baby's first birthday to file for divorce or can I file before as long as the divorce doesn't come final until after the first birthday?"

"You can't be serious."

"Of course I can. You have always known that I've never believed that the baby was mine."

"But you and Antonia have been good together. Everyone sees it. So what if you don't believe you're Reggies father? You can't know for sure unless you do a DNA test on her so why can't you just let things lie?"

"Are you still having her watched?"

"No. I gave that up when the two of you got married. Why?"

"If you were still having her watched you would know why I'm bailing out when my year is up. She has been cheating on me and I have no room in my life for a cheating wife."

"I don't believe it. Antonia would never do something like that. You have any proof that she has been cheating on you?"

"Nothing that would meet the standards of proof that a court would require, but I'm satisfied with what I have."

"To answer your original question you can't file until after Reggie's first birthday, but the deal was made so that our social standing wouldn't be hurt. A divorce for infidelity would most certainly put a stain on it."

"It won't be for cheating. I'll use irreconcilable differences for a reason. There is one other thing. I won't be able to work here with Toni as my boss. I know her well enough to know she will do her best to run me off or fire me once we are divorced and you have retired and she gets to be the big boss. I need to start looking now. What I need to know is will I get a good recommendation from you once you start getting calls for references?"

"Nonsense Jacob. I told you one of the benefits of marrying my daughter was guaranteed lifetime employment."

"That was from you. Once you are gone I very much doubt that Toni will honor the agreement."

"What if I make it impossible for her to disregard the agreement?"

"How can you do that?"

"I'll put you under contract. I'll write it in a way that if Antonia tries to fire you she will have to buy out your contract."

"How would that work?"

"Tell me how long you plan on working before you retire."

"I figured I'd do thirty years before going."

"You have six in with us now right?"

"Five and a bit."

We will make the contract for twenty-five years. It will say that if you are ever let go for any reason whatsoever the company will be required to buy back the years remaining on the contract using your highest rate of pay. It will also say that even if you were demoted or transferred your pay rate can't be reduced. If she were to eliminate your position she would have to put you in another position in the company. Say she moved you from manager to janitor. She would still have to pay you what you were making as a manager."

"I just don't know if I could work for her after a divorce. I like my job and I can see her working to make me as miserable as she can."

"So what? You can smile at her and think "Do your worst, but you can't get rid of me unless you want to fork out a lot of money. Think about how that will grind on her."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you doing this? Making this offer?"

"Because I've seen the two of you together. I know you both have strong feelings for each other. The problem is that you both are too hard-headed. Even if you leave her this will keep the two of you close and I'm betting that as long as I can make that happen the two of you will end up together. And I need to keep you close enough that my granddaughter has a daddy."

"I don't know about that. You have always known that I don't think she's mine."

"Do you know for sure?"

"No>"

"Then all things are possible."

In the end I accepted the deal. The way I looked at it was we had butted heads all the way through school so what was the difference now?

I put in several hours on the job and then I left work to go back to the hospital for visiting hours. I got there as Toni was feeding Reggie (the grandparents and Toni had already given her the nickname) and I watched and engaged in general conversation. When Toni was finished with feeding the baby she said:

"Get over her and pick her up. It is about time for you to hold your daughter."

It wasn't the time or place to have the conversation I knew I was going to have with her so I got up from my chair and went over to pick up the baby.

I don't care how hardhearted or hard headed you are there is no way you won't melt a bit when that innocent face looks up at you and makes those gurgling noises a baby makes. I smiled at her and admitted to myself that she could possibly be mine. Then I noticed that her tiny hand had a grip on one of my fingers and she wouldn't let go. Even though I wasn't sure I would claim her it looked like she was claiming me.

A nurse came in to take the baby back to the nursery and when they were gone Toni started saying the things that I knew would be coming.

"She looks just like you. We sure make pretty babies. The next one will be a boy; I'm sure of it."

I told her I'd see her the next day when she was released and I picked her up. I got up and started to leave.

"What?!! I don't get a kiss?"

I went over to her, kissed her and then left.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I picked her up at ten the next day and the drive home was silent for the first five minutes or so and then Toni asked:

"What's wrong baby; you seem down."

What do you expect? You've known all along that I've never believed that the kid is mine. Now she's here and in spite of what you said yesterday she doesn't look anything like me or anyone in my family."

"Nonsense! I can see you in her even if you can't. The DNA test will prove it."

"I don't think I'm going to do a DNA test."

"Why not? You want proof don't you?"

"I'm better off believing that she's not mine. It will make it easier when I leave."

"When you leave? Jesus Christ Jake; why can't you get it in your thick head that you belong here with us?"

"That's the hell of it Toni. Three months ago I was becoming happy with what we had and had pretty much decided that as long as the kid was white Caucasian I'd skip the DNA test and stick around after the kid's first birthday. But then you fucked that plan up."

"Me? What did I do to change things?"

"Cheating on me with other men."

"Cheating?"

"Yes Toni, cheating. That is what fucking other men behind your husband's back is called."

She shut up and didn't say another word. When we got home I helped her into the house where her mother was already waiting to help mother and child settle in. I went back to work and finished out the day.

When I got home Regina was still there and she had fixed dinner for us. She gave me a list of things I needed to do for mother and child and then said she needed to get home to her man. I walked her to the door and she went up on her toes and kissed me.

"Take care of my girls okay?"

"Okay. I'll do it for you."

She gave me a funny look and said "Do it for yourself Jake" and then she was out the door and gone.

Dinner was quiet (the baby was sleeping) until I got up and started cleaning things up and doing the dishes. Toni was sitting at the table and I was leaning over the sink when she said:

"I did it for us." I turned toward her with a look of disbelief over what I'd just heard and said:

"What?"

"I did it for us. I didn't consider it cheating. I did it because I love you and I didn't want to lose you."

I almost laughed at her, but didn't.

"This I have got to hear. You fucked someone else because you love me?"

"It's true. I've fallen in love with you and I didn't want to lose you. I've always known you were Reggie's father. I can't explain it, but I know. When we married it was because I wanted Reggie's father in her life, but by the time my fourth month rolled around I'd fallen in love with you. Around month six I started thinking what if I was wrong? If the baby was white I knew I could keep you around. I'd give you a sex life that only a moron would walk away from, but what if the baby was mixed race? I knew you would be out the door and gone no matter how good the sex was.

"There were three blacks and two Latinos at that gangbang. What if one of them was the father? For my own peace of mind I had to make sure that you were Reggie's daddy. I looked up the five and had sex with them over the course of a month and then using their sperm I had a fetal DNA test done and I was able to eliminate them. Once that was done I concentrated on making sure that you would never want to leave me.

"I didn't see it as cheating Jake. I was just trying to make sure I wouldn't lose you. I never thought you would find out. I was careful not to give you any clue as to what I was doing. How did you find out?"

"I had a feeling."

That's it? You accused me of cheating because you had a feeling?"

"Get off it Toni; it works both ways."

"Both ways? What the hell does that mean?"

"You just knew I was the baby's father? Well I just knew you were getting fucked by someone during your seventh month. That's it in a nutshell Toni! I just knew!"

She was silent and I went back to doing the dishes. I was drying the last of them when she asked:

"What are you going to do?"

"Do my year and then get out."

"You could just walk away from your child? I can understand you being pissed at me, but Reggie?"

"You know I don't believe she's mine."

"But she is Jake. Do you think I went to all the trouble of testing those guys and didn't test you at the same time? You are Reggie's father Jake. You don't believe me then get your own test done, but you are her father."

Just then the baby started fussing and Toni got up and went to her. Five minutes later I went into the living room and found Toni sitting on the couch cooing at the baby while breast feeding her. It was a sight that tugged on the heart strings.

Toni was still tending to the baby when I went to bed, but I hadn't fallen asleep by the time she came to bed. I sleep naked so Toni's hand had no trouble getting right to my dick and as always her touch had it growing. Without a word having been said between either of us the covers were pushed down and Toni bent her head and her mouth took me in. I don't care how pissed you are or how unforgiving you may be, but all that shit melts away (at least for a while) when a gorgeous woman is giving you a blow job. Toni got me off and when she pulled her mouth off me she said:

"I'm going to keep you Jake. I've got a year to work with and by the end of that year you won't even think of leaving. Doctor said it would be six weeks before we can make love again, but you won't be going without. My mouth will take care of you for a week and by then I'll be ready to give you my ass. I don't care what your big head thinks Jake, but I promise you your little head won't ever want to leave me."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

How did it work out? Call me weak, call me stupid or call me just plain pussy whipped, but I did buy into her story that she only strayed to see that we stayed together. It has been almost three years and we are still together.

We are getting along great. Toni does her best to spoil me rotten and Reggie has a hold on my heart that can never be broken. I did do my own DNA test and Reggie is indeed mine. Has Toni ever strayed again? I don't honestly know. I think she might have on a business trip to Boston, but I have to admit I have no evidence that she might have, just a thought. Not even a feeling; just a thought.

But I have to be honest with myself. I know that in my mind lurks the thought "Once a cheater always a cheater" so I'm always going to wonder if she does or doesn't. Human nature people; we all have it and it isn't going to go away.