Voyeurism

Jessica’s Apartment – Two Weeks Later

Jessica lay awake with insomnia. She was in her own bed for the first night in two weeks and wouldn’t you know it? She couldn’t fall asleep without him.

She had gone to Ghost Command to be with Jake every night while Eddie, Tracey and Belfry were away. They had tried to conceive for the entire time. That much, she could tell the undead denizens of Ghost Command still didn’t know. She was hoping it stayed that way. She knew it would look to them as if she was just using Jake as a breeding stud, but he meant so much more than that for her to want to do this with him at all.

There was never even another possibility. Jake was the only male friend she had who was decent enough, trustworthy enough, and sexy enough for her to even consider making a child with him, especially “the old-fashioned way”, as Jake had insisted they do this. He vehemently resisted the idea of artificial insemination. He said that if she didn’t want to make a baby with him the natural way, then she didn’t really want to make a baby with him. It was good logic. She just thought that he would be more at ease doing it the other way. She didn’t think he would be willing, but she was thrilled that he was. Their lovemaking wasn’t going to be an easy thing to give up once she was pregnant.

She smiled when she thought of how he ran over to her after that last bust and told her about his partners’ trip to Vermont. He said their lovemaking needed to be at his place as he had to take emergency calls if they occurred. At least until Eddie and Tracey got back. She told him that she would have to check her temperature and menstrual calendar to see if she was ovulating and would get back to him. She called him that evening to tell him in code that she believed she was.

She remembered being terrified at the prospect of really doing this, but she had agreed to meet him at his front door at midnight so his haunted housemates wouldn’t know either. And it was a lucky break that Eddie and the others had gone skiing during the time she thought she was ovulating. Now she and Jake were completely committed to making this pregnancy happen.

So why did she feel so bad about it? ‘Because of your stupid terms, that’s why.’ She hated it when that little voice inside her head scolded her. “I wonder if everyone’s conscience has such a big mouth,” she muttered in irritation.

Her conscience was right though. Although Jake had agreed to give up paternal rights and he said he was willing to just stop seeing her once she conceived, she couldn’t help but wonder when she saw how he looked at her if perhaps he had other plans.

‘He agreed to those terms. He didn’t think they were stupid.’ But her conscience told her that if he cared about her anywhere near as much as she cared for him, maybe he’d say anything to be with her. Maybe even lieut but being okay with losing her later.

She shook her head abruptly, not wanting to even consider that thought. Jake’s job was too dangerous. He, Eddie and Tracey were lucky they’d lived this long. And she’d been in dangerous situations many times just by being associated with them. She couldn’t do that anymore. Not with a baby to take care of all alone. And she wouldn’t condemn herself to one day explaining to her child that daddy would never be coming home again.

No. She had to distance herself and her child from Jake, no matter how much she wanted to stay with him. No matter how much she loved him. ‘Well, at least you’ve stopped trying to deny that you love him!’ her conscience argued.

Jessica frowned and took her frustrations out on the late movie she was pretending to watch. “Stupid movie,” she said and turned off the TV. She picked up a paperback her sister-in-law loaned her and started to read. It was a collection of erotic short stories, and she felt really naughty reading about the exploits of the characters. Only fifty pages in, she was horny as hell, and no longer cared for discretion.

‘So his partners will probably know. Who gives a shit? I need it bad!’

She picked up the phone and dialed the familiar phone number. She thought of their New York counterparts and laughed aloud. “Who ya gonna call is right!”