Caged Heart

Early one morning she heard knocking at the door. The visitor wouldn't quit and she began to get irritated. She expected it to be her mother and was ready to be rude to her for the first time in her life. When she opened the door it wasn't her mother at all. Instead, a gentleman in his late 40's was standing there. Something about his face seemed familiar and she thought that he might be one Tony's coaches. She waited as he introduced himself.

"Hi... Uh I'm not sure if I have the wrong apartment but I'm looking for a Selene?"

"Yes, that's me. Can I help you?"

"Oh, good. I'm sorry for the intrusion but I really wanted to talk to you. It's about Dominic. Can I come in?"

"Yea, sure." and she led him to the living room.

"I'm sorry to trouble you at such a difficult time. I was really sad to hear about Tony's death. I'm Domino Jaidon and I don't want to waste your time, so I'll cut to the chase. You see Dominic's been very depressed over everything that happened. From what I've heard, you've been avoiding him and he's in a very bad place right now. Trust me I don't go around trying to find all his romantic interests to give them a pep talk...but when he spoke about you, something seemed different."

"I'm sorry sir. I just don't know what to do right now. I do care about him. A lot...it's just that..."

"Then talk to him Selene. He's lonely. I think he might be in love with you. I know my son and he has never been like this with any of his exes."

"I think Tony's death is just very difficult for him... for all of us. I wouldn't consider that as him being in love with me." she replied doubtfully.

"Well you may be right but I know my son well enough and he seems to care about you more than any of the women he's introduced me to. Can't you just talk to him? There's only so much I can say to him. You seem to hold all the power."

"I don't assume to have any power over him at all. I'm just really messed up and there are some things that I have to think about."

"Well...just consider meeting with him, please. He doesn't talk much anymore and I want to say something to cheer him up but I can't get through to him."

The man seemed kind enough and she felt that she could tell him what was going on with her. She had no one to confide in and Isha was already gone.

"Mr. Jaidon, Tony's death isn't the only thing bothering me. I... I'm pregnant. By your son." and she waited expecting to hear harsh words from the old man.

"Well...I can't say that's all bad news." he chuckled.

Selene didn't respond, partially because she felt shame.

"Are you going to keep the baby?"

"I...I want to but I don't know what Dominic will say... I'm not in the best circumstances right now and worst case scenario I might end up having to...well you know." she said sadly.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about honey. My son's a good man. I'm sure if you just take the time to talk to him, he'll take care of everything. He's my only son and I've always wanted to be a grand-dad. I thought he would never find someone but I just might be wrong." he smiled.

She smiled at Domino and tears began to fall from her eyes. She hadn't expected him to be sympathetic. Even Isha had seemed offended by the idea of her being impregnated by Dominic.

"I... I'm sorry things ended up this way. If I had known all this would happen I would've been more careful."

"Listen honey, I believe everything happens for a reason. Ultimately it's your choice...but I'm telling you, Dominic won't be upset at you. Don't cry honey, you'll be alright."

She wanted to believe him.

"Tell you what. I'll give you my card and if you need anything just call me. It seems like you don't have anyone to talk to at the moment. You can call me, alright?"

"Ok." she mumbled between her sobbing.

"Just promise me that you'll give him a call. He's really worried about you."

"Can you not say anything about me being pregnant to him yet...I want to be the one to tell him."

"Sure honey and don't worry so much. He's been going down to the boxing center everyday now for the past week. If you wanna talk to him in person, you'll find him there." he said kindly.

Selene thanked him for coming and promised to see Dominic as soon as possible. She got herself together and began to clean up. By the time she composed herself, it was late but she decided to go down there anyway. She threw on a pair of jeans and made her way to the boxing center where Tony and Dominic used to train together. The place would probably be empty and she didn't want Dominic to come over for fear that he might see evidence of her drinking episodes.

She was still experiencing tiny waves of nausea but she had to get this done. It was almost like the fear had given her some kind of resolve. She planned to simply break the news to him and leave right away. Either way she was going to do it tonight.

***

As she made her way down the hallway of the building, she could hear the echoing sounds of a strong fist hitting a punching bag. She knew it was Dominic and her heart melted as she walked closer to the ring. She almost wept as feelings of love and loneliness swept over her. Selene knew that she'd already fallen for Dominic. As much as she wanted to deny it, she loved him.

Was his father right about him not being angry with her? She didn't know and wanted to run back home. Her feet kept moving regardless and carried her to the center of the dimly lit room.

Dominic's back was turned to her and she could smell the heat and musky sweat emanating from his skin. His body glistened under the stage and his taut muscles became more defined as he punched blow after blow onto the misshapen sand bag.

"Dominic?" she said quietly; not really wanting to get his attention.

The harsh sounds of his fists coming down on the punching bag made her flinch. She began to think that she should be that punching bag and didn't deserve his kindness. She was almost ready to turn around but he quickly looked in her direction.

"Selene?"

She forced a smile as he blinked harder under the glaring light. It seemed that he didn't believe his eyes and he stood there for a moment, frozen.

"Hi."

"Oh my God! Baby!" and he jumped over the stage and ran to her.

He embraced her tightly, as if he had gone years without seeing her. She took a deep breath as all her emotions began to overflow. She didn't realize how much she had missed him and how good it felt to be embraced. She was so alone and now being in his arms, she felt joy as well as sadness.

She couldn't contain her tears because she knew that all this might be short lived. Never had anyone embraced her like this. Not even her mother had ever held her like that. It was a foreign feeling. To feel wanted, secure and loved. Her arms were rigid and at her sides as he hugged her but she slowly embraced him in return. His hard body burned with heat but the feel of him comforted her. She wished that he would never, ever let her go.

"I missed you so much." he whispered, as he still embraced her.

"I missed you too... and I'm sorry. About everything." she said as she withdrew from his embrace.

"Don't say sorry Lene. You don't know how happy I am that you're here babe. God I missed you! I know you probably blame me for Tony's death and..."

"Dominic I don't blame you. It's just that I have a lot going on and you've done so much for me already."

"Selene I did it because you mean a lot to me. I would do anything for you."

"I...I need to tell you something ...and please, please don't be too mad at me. I uh...If I have to I'll take care of it but I...I wanna get this over with. I'm pregnant."

He scanned her face as if trying to legitimize what she just said.

"Are you sure?" he asked with a blank face.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I know you're probably not ready for this with your career and I will get rid of it if..." and he leaned forward and crushed his lips to hers, ending her stammering.

He held on to her as if for dear life, soaking her blouse with his sweat.

"Selene...don't worry about that right now. It's gonna be alright." he whispered in her ear. "You were afraid weren't you?"

"Yes... I was." she sobbed against his chest. "I didn't know if you would be mad at me."

"No Lene, never. I'm here for you. Listen, how about I drive you home. It's really late. You shouldn't have come down here all alone. Why didn't you call me?

"I wanted to tell you face to face Dominic."

"Well next time just call me and I'll come to you okay? I don't want you taking any chances." he whispered and his hand rested on her belly.

She didn't expect to feel his hand on her and looked down at it as if in a trance. His finger lifted her chin and he leaned in to kiss her lips again.

"Come on babe. I'll take you home."

***

Selene woke up the next morning feeling only a little better. Dominic had driven her home the night before and he wanted to make up for the time lost. He planned to pick her up tonight so they could have dinner together. He had been very quiet during the drive and she didn't know what to think. She knew that he would take responsibility but he never gave her the impression that he was entirely happy about her pregnancy. Everything happened so fast.

Her intention was to get to know him better and spend more time with him, maybe meet his parents in the long run. Things had taken a left turn and the order in which they were supposed to happen was completely reversed. Still, she was thankful that she would get to see him again. Not many positive things happened to Selene in her life and her usual plan was to just run with it. In the end she expected to be alone and without Dominic. At least she could enjoy what little time she had left tonight.

Dominic picked her up at 9pm sharp and dressed to impress as usual. He had a black Dolce and Gabbana suit on and looked as if he had just stepped out a magazine cover. Selene wore a knee-length, satin emerald dress with a black lace bodice which hugged her figure beautifully. Her hair was tied up into a bun and she wore black pearl earrings to complete the ensemble. Her attire was simple and not very impressive in her eyes, but Dominic made her feel beautiful. He twirled her around and admired the dress. He was very good at making her forget the doubts in her head.

"You look beautiful Lene." he smiled. "Ready to go?"

"Yea, but you never told me where we were going." she replied curiously.

"It's a surprise!" he winked and led her out the door.

He drove her to an area in town where mostly wealthy people lived. She was very quiet as she admired the huge mansions and realized that he was probably taking her to one of the fancy restaurants in the area. Every time they hit a red light he would lean towards her seat and make out with her, or kiss her neck. She had no idea if he knew it, but he was turning her on.

It first started when she saw him in the suit. Now her desire for him was growing every time he touched and kissed her. She kept herself in check and tried to control her thoughts. She was thinking of straddling and riding him in the car but there were too many other things on her mind which diminished the wonderful fantasies. For now she behaved and tried to calm her urges.

After a few minutes Dominic pulled up to a large white mansion. Selene marveled at the gorgeous estate and assumed it was a private hotel from the sheer size of it. It was surrounded by large palm trees and decorative pools of water encased in white marble. Something about the expansive lot made her realize that it wasn't a hotel at all. For one there was a security gate leading up to the estate and there were no other vehicles outside to indicate that guests were housed inside. Selene looked to Dominic who was already expecting the reaction to come.

"Is this...is this where you live?"

"Yup!" he exclaimed.

"Wow...on a fighter's salary?"

"Well babe besides fighting I took courses in business and stock management. I made some good investments and yeah...this is home."

"You are full of surprises aren't you? And to think I called you a meathead." she said feeling embarrassed.

He only laughed as he parked the car.

"You haven't seen anything yet!" he winked.

Dominic led her through the French doors of the house to a white parlor which was lit by large cylindrical glass vases containing flickering, floating candles. In the center of the white marble room was a white table with a violet tulip bouquet and two white tapered candles in the centerpiece. On the table were two covered courses on each side. White bowls of assorted berries and cubed slices of pastries were arranged neatly next to a white chocolate fondue fountain.

She giggled as they approached the gourmet masterpiece. She didn't expect such an exquisite layout and turned to Dominic.

"This is really beautiful Dominic... I don't know if I deserve all of this. It's just too much!"

"Selene, come on! You deserve more than this! I don't know why you feel like you're so insignificant. Ever since I met you I wanted to tell you how beautiful you are. I even told Tony how I felt about you. Don't you want to be my lady?"

"I do... I'm just not used to this treatment."

"It's ok babe...Tony told me everything...about your mom, your past...your drinking."

"He-he told you?" she said in a startled tone.

"Yea...and I'm not trying to make you feel bad Lene. But you're gonna have my baby. I want both of you to be healthy. I'm not gonna criticize you because I drank a lot when I was a kid, so I know what depression and anger feels like. I care about you Lene... I don't want anything to happen to you or our child."

"Dominic...I was just expecting something else. Like scolding or you saying that you weren't ready. I thought that most men would feel trapped in a situation like this and I was ready to be on my own. You never said that you were happy."

"That's because I was surprised babe... I never really thought that I would ever be a dad or even find a good woman. Believe me Selene... I want you and our baby to be happy. I spent all my time in the cage, running away from life. I never seemed to meet any women that were worthwhile. But when I met you...I don't know... I saw something that made me stop to think about my life and my priorities. I didn't want to hurt you and I didn't want to go against Tony either. I made a decision and I've been working ever since to help you see how special you are."

Selene could only smile at his confession. She didn't feel so alone anymore. It's true that Tony was gone but Dominic was slowly filling the vast emptiness inside her.

"Come on babe, we can't let all this go to waste." and he motioned for her to sit down as he pulled out her chair.

He lifted her tray and presented a dish of Penne and Italian sausage. Its savory aroma made Selene's mouth water. She hadn't eaten all day, partly because she felt a little sick and also because her nerves were on end. He made his way to the opposite end of the table and sat down.

"I hope you don't mind but we're not having any wine tonight."

"Oh it's fine... I got rid of all the alcohol in the apartment a few days ago."

"Good babe, I'm happy to hear that."

"Did your dad tell you that he came to see me?"

"Yea...he did. I went to him after I dropped you off last night, to tell him the news. He admitted that he already knew and he calmed me down."

"So you were upset?" she said in a disappointed tone.

"I was afraid Lene. Everything happened so fast. I just needed a little advice, that's all. He set all of this up for us you know."

"He did?"

"Yea, he knew that I wouldn't have the time to do it so he and mom helped me out."

"I should thank them." she said with a smile.

"You'll see them soon babe. Mom really wants to meet you."

"Do you think she would like me...I'm a little nervous about that." and she shifted in her seat.

"My mom is really cool. You guys would get along great."

Dominic spoke more of himself and his education as the two enjoyed their courses. He worked very hard to get where he was. He also let Selene know that he planned to retire from fighting in the cage after his next fight. After what happened to Tony he didn't want Selene to worry about anything, especially about losing him. He planned to open a center for underprivileged kids where he would coach instead. Selene was very flattered to hear this. She had no idea that he put so much thought into their future together.

As soon as they were done eating he took her hand and led her up a white staircase. To the right of the long hallway, was a path of red rose petals leading to a closed door. Selene felt like she was dreaming. This only happened to women in the movies. He opened the door with a smile and both stepped in.

"What do you think babe?"

"It's gorgeous Dominic! "

"This is your room... or I should say our room." he grinned.

The large room was furnished with black and white Italian furniture, with a king sized black canopy bed covered with the crimson rose petals. The walls were painted with a cherry red color and stylish black and white picture frames lined the wall. In the ceiling's center was a grand crystal chandelier which sparkled in the dimly lit room.

"Dominic...I don't know what to say. I..." and she stepped forward to look around.

"Say you will Lene." he said behind her.

"What?" and she spun around expecting to see Dominic towering over her.

Instead Dominic was down on his knee, holding a tiny silver box in his hand, big enough to fit a ring. She was frozen in place as he gingerly opened the box and presented her with an emerald cut engagement ring.

"Say that you'll marry me."

There was a lump in her throat and she couldn't speak.

"I know everything happened so fast... what do you say we do this the right way babe? I want our baby to grow up in this house with a mom and dad."

"Oh my God...Dominic." she whispered as hot tears sprang from her eyes. "Yes!"

"I guessed the size but we can always have it fitted." and he rose to his feet as he placed it on her finger.

It was one size too big but Selene didn't care. She wiped the tears from her face and Dominic happily embraced his new wife to be.

The tears were still falling and he leaned forward to kiss her lips.

"Don't cry baby, you're supposed to be smiling, not crying."

"I'm just really happy Dominic... I never thought any of this would ever happen!" she said as she wiped her face clean.

"How am I supposed to make love to my fiancé if she's crying?" and as he said this his hands traveled down her back, over the curve of her buttocks and hiked up the back of her dress. "You look so pretty in that dress tonight, but I think you look much more beautiful with nothing on."

Those words caused a flood between Selene's legs and she caught her breath when she felt Dominic's fingers reaching into the back of her thong, pulling the flimsy strings down her legs. He cupped the soft cheeks of her bottom and lifted her up.

"How about we break the bed in tonight?" he asked with a sly smile.

She could only laugh as he carried her and put her down on the soft fragrant sheets. He pulled the dress carefully over her head and began to take his clothes off in front of her. His jacket came off first, then his shirt, his trousers, his shoes and finally his boxers. He was already hard and erect and he leaned forward, hovering over her body.

"Ooh so do I get a show like this every night?" she giggled.

"Every day...every night...anytime you want baby." he said as he kissed her collar bone between his words.

His finger reached under one of her bra straps and slid it down her shoulder.

"I wanna watch you take it off" he whispered. "and uh take your hair down too babe."

Selene's hair was only neck length and curly. It didn't look like the long flowing tresses of super models. Still she did as he requested and let her hair down first. She undid the hooks of her bra and freed her heavy breasts from their harness.