Mistaken Identity

Opening up the first bag, she could immediately smell Jerome's scent and knew these were his items. Just as she was about to close the bag, she saw a plane ticket sticking out the bag. The name on the plane ticket was T.J. Lott.

Sticking the ticket back in its place, she washed up, put on make up just like Denise would wear and then found the most expensive outfit in the closet. The three thousand dollar price tag was still on it and she almost had a heart attack at that, but she recovered and found matching shoes.

The limo was on time and let the driver take her to the stadium for the game. She went through a private entrance, showed a V.I.P, card and was escorted to a private booth filled with food, seating area and a large window where one could view the whole stadium. There were also tickets and such where if she wanted to go into the stands and sit she could.

Soon as the attendant left her alone, she went over to the food and found something light to eat knowing it would come back up in the morning. After her third bottle of water, she promised herself to make an appointment with her doctor when she got home.

The door opened and Jerome filled the doorway with his uniform on. He looked even bigger and damn if he didn't look sexier with the uniform on.

He closed the door giving them complete privacy. "I didn't think you were coming."

She turned away not really knowing how to be Denise with him when she just wanted to leap in his arms and kiss him.

"I made arrangements. I felt I should be here since you asked nicely."

He snorted derogatively. "I didn't ask nicely."

"I was being sarcastic."

She could feel him coming over to her and he dropped his helmet on the ground. As powerful as he was, she could tell he was feeling insecure, but he didn't want to show it.

Turning around to him, he looked stone cold, but as he gazed into her eyes, she saw how he instantly softened. "Hey, D," he said before he lovingly took her into his arms and kissed her.

She tried to stiffen, but his warm mouth perpetrated her lips and her heart.

"I missed you, so damn much." His arms tightened so much, she thought her spine would crack, but she loved it.

"I missed you too."

"Say it," he ordered, nibbling on her ear.

"I love you, Jerome."

That bright smile returned to his lips and she was butter in his arms. "Do you really, D?"

"Yes, I do."

He kissed her again. This time more passionately, with a promise for more tonight.

There was a knock on the door and Jerome reluctantly drew away and picked up his helmet. "You'll stay for the whole game?"

"Yes!" she promised.

"I could get you a little cheerleader outfit," he said wickedly.

"Shut up and go before you get in trouble."

A playful wink and a pat on her ass, then he was gone. She missed him all over again. Why couldn't she see this horrible side that Denise saw. What made her bring out this wonderful man?

The Lions won the game and Jerome played very well. Every time he was tackled, she was biting her lip. She even went out in the stands to watch the game more closely and cheered along with the fans.

It was fun doing so, because in high school, she had to cheer for her school when he visited.

He was standing on the sideline and as soon as she was seated, he turned to her and they made eye contact. At first she thought he was going to run up in the stands and kiss her, but he only nodded.

It felt so good to know he acknowledged her and she felt like they were in high school, but this time she was his sweetheart and her heart soared.

This man was hers and he had claimed her heart a long time ago.

After the game, an attendant came to get her and take her down to the team locker room. He was just putting on his jacket and she was introduced to the whole team. Some of them had been at the wedding, but the day had been so hectic and mesmerizing for her, she hadn't remembered some of them.

Jerome was a whole different person around his teammates and she saw a lot of sarcasm and manliness, but still adorable.

"Want dinner?" he asked, as they headed toward the limousine.

"Just a little. Can we just grab something and go back home?" she asked.

He smiled. "I like the way you say that, D."

They picked up something and then headed home. She took the food inside while he paid the driver. When he came in, she had placed the food on the coffee table and moved the thick rug over to it.

He started a fire, but she had already lit candles and he sat on the floor next to her. "Aren't you worried about your clothes?"

She knew Denise would never sit on the floor in a two thousand dollar outfit. "I'll go up and change."

He pulled her under him and popped open the first button on her shirt. "I'll buy you ten outfits if you don't."

She didn't even know if she responded to his offer, because he was busy kissing her and tearing off the rest of her clothes. Amazed by his power yet gentleness, Dana let his enthusiasm encompass her and rival him.

Every inch of skin on him she kissed, moving him around to his stomach to delve into his crack licking the masculine taste of him. Jerome at first was skeptical, but as she swirled her tongue around the dark opening, his shaft increased twice in size and he was gripping the rug in strained excitement.

He rolled over to his back and she pressed hard on the skin between his balls and anus as she put his dick in the back of her throat. His ejaculation almost choked her as it shot down her throat, but his hard on didn't disappear and she found she had opened up a new level of sexual stimulation for him.

By one in the morning, she was so exhausted; she didn't think she could raise an eyelid more less a muscle. Some how they had eaten and made it upstairs to the bedroom.

Part 15

They cocooned until dawn where she slept like a log until she smelled the scent of hot pancakes, bacon and eggs. Just the scent of it sent her running for the bathroom and losing all the contents in her stomach.

By the time he came up with the tray of food, she had locked the bathroom door and was running water to cover up the fact that she was still throwing up.

"D, you okay?"

She didn't answer because she was too busy throwing up.

"Open the door," he ordered knocking.

"No," she said, holding back a heave.

There was a moment of silence, but she knew he was still at the door. She hurriedly rinsed her mouth out with water and swigged mouthwash.

"Open the door or I'll break it down," he ordered.

At first she was tempted to see if he could. Yet, she remembered last night's game when Detroit had lost the ball and Miami picked it up. Jerome had tackled the man so hard, the other guy did a back flip, while Jerome caught the ball and ran back for a touch down.

A simple wooden door and her hundred and forty pound body pressed up against it, probably wouldn't stop that man from coming through.

"You're going to have to do better than that to stop me," he said as if reading her thoughts.

She opened the door partially and glared up at him, angry that he could read her so easily. "What's your problem?"

"I don't like locked doors. Especially in my house."

"Our house," she corrected him. "I'm married to you, which means I own half."

"Why is the door locked?"

"I was busy washing up."

"Are you ashamed to be naked in front of me?" he asked incredulously.

"Are you accusing me of something, Jerome?"

He slammed the tray on the ground and pushed open the door making her stumble back away from it. The bathroom was cleaned from her throwing up and she had just recently flushed the toilet to hide any evidence.

"Where's your precious phone, Denise?" he sneered.

"It's in my purse, which is downstairs." Hitting him in his steel chest, which only hurt her wrist, she said, "You're being an insecure ass. I wasn't doing anything, now get out." She rubbed her wrist.

His look of apology was instant and he took her wrist to examined it. "I'm sorry. I love you too much, D."

"I know."

He pulled her in his arms and she fought the urge not to heave. "I'll fix you some more food."

It took every ounce of strength not to throw up. Pushing away from him, she went over to the sink and drunk a glass of water.

"No, I'm fine. I don't think the food we ate last night agreed with me." This was partially true. The food last night didn't agree with the baby.

"Is there anything I can do?"

She shook her head and kept her back to him. If she opened up her mouth one more time, she would definitely hurl.

He walked out the room, closed the door behind him and cleaned up the mess from the tray, while she forced herself to keep it together.

Dana knew in ten minutes, she would be fine, but until then she had to hold it down with him being so close.

Once her morning sickness had passed, she was right as rain. She put on clothes and when she came out, he was already dressed, sitting in the kitchen cove finishing up the breakfast he had made for them.

"What's that guest house for?" she asked, trying to draw him into a subject that wasn't uncomfortable.

"Nothing," he snipped.

She couldn't tell if he was angry with her or not.

"Can we go out?" she asked.

"To do what?"

"To go somewhere."

Raising a brow, he asked thinking that he knew the obvious location, "Shopping?"

She had a feeling that would be Denise's response, but she didn't want to go shopping. "I've never been to Florida before."

"Yes, we have. We use to come here all the time to visit my parents during college vacations or whenever I could get away. I mean not to this house, but to their new home in Tallahassee they purchased when my brother and I went away to college."

"You've a brother?" she slipped out.

"Stop playing dumb." He looked rather offended.

"So those are your brother's things in the guesthouse?"

He cleaned off the table and announced, "I'm going out by myself."

Dana didn't want him to leave angry, so she called his name. He instantly stopped at the doorway, but didn't turn around to face her.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just wasn't feeling well."

"You're never feeling well around me."

"I want to spend the day with you, like we did on our honeymoon."

He turned around to face her. "You're driving me nuts. I don't know how to be around you."

"How do you want to be around me, Jerome?'

At a loss for words, he huffed in frustration. "I don't know. I want to be me."

Cautiously, she moved up to him. "Then be yourself."

He took her hand and led her out the room. There was a car in the garage and he drove her around Tampa, the nearby city and she had so much fun.

By the time they returned home with bags of stuff, they fell asleep wrapped up in each other's arms on the couch. Her bout of sickness hit her really early in the next morning and didn't last as long. After she washed up and lay back down, an hour later they made love again slowly as if every second was to be embedded into their memories.

He had to leave in the afternoon for a team meeting, but returned shortly after and she found herself in bed with him again. He seemed refreshed and enthusiastic all over again as if he hadn't just made love to her hours ago.

By nightfall, she awoke in the bed alone and decided to cook something for them, but she wanted to find him and let him know her intentions.

He wasn't in the house, so she checked the backyard. There were lights on in the guesthouse and she was positive she heard two voices coming from that direction.

"Jerome," she called.

A door slammed and he appeared at her side out of nowhere.

Kissing her, he smiled mischievously. "I didn't tire you out?"

She giggled wickedly. "You almost did, but I'm starving."

"You should be, you haven't eaten a good meal in almost two days. Are you okay?"

"Yes," she assured him and then looked at the guesthouse again. The lights were out, but she was sure they had been on just seconds ago. "Do we have guests?"

"No, the lights are on a timer," he answered and drew her into the house.

Dana dropped the subject and let him lead her in the house where they found something to eat on and then ended right back up in bed.

Since they had slept through the afternoon, they were both wide-awake.

"You aren't pregnant, are you?" he asked suddenly when she had come from the bathroom and lay back in bed with him again.

She paused for a moment very tempted to spill her beans, but then decided against it. "No, do you want me to be?"

"Hell, yeah," he said.

Giggling at his exuberance in the matter, she spilled out, "Denise wouldn't like that."

There was a moment of quietness in the room.

Dana quickly corrected herself. "You know, the bitchy Denise, the part you don't like about me."

Jerome relaxed a little. "Yeah, her," he agreed and kissed her.

She relaxed as he drew her against her. "Are you cheating on me, Jerome?" she asked suddenly. She really didn't know why she was asking and knew this would most likely put them back on the outs.

He took a moment before he said, "Yes."

His honesty shocked her and she didn't know how to respond. "How long? With whom?"

"Does it matter? I thought I was spending this weekend with my wife? You asked a question and I had to be honest with you. I can't lie to you, D."

Pushing away and sitting up, she looked at him. "Do you love her?"

He sat up. "Please, D. Don't ask questions that you can never possibly understand. I don't understand it. We all have reasons why we cheat, don't we? Have you ever been in love with two people?"

She didn't know how to answer this again without sounding like herself. Denise would get up and leave or make him leave, wouldn't she?

"I want to leave," she said suddenly.

He got out the bed not protesting. "I'll take you to the airport."

"Could you go down and get me a bottle of water?" she asked suddenly.

When he was out the room, she went over to his cell phone by the bedside table and took his number down. Since she still had time, she scrolled through his phone book. There was no one outside of his teammates, coaches, some business numbers, a few friends including Andre and Gloria that were at the wedding, his parents, Denise's cell phone and then there was a person listed as TJ's cell. The area code was three-one-three, which meant that this TJ lived in Detroit or in its surrounding area.

He was coming back up the stairs and she quickly put the cell phone down. Going over to her bags, she pulled her jacket out and sat in a chair.

Handing her the water, he said, "I don't want you to go."

Looking up at him, she had a million and one questions to ask him, but if she did, she wouldn't be Denise. No, she had to make him angry enough to stay away.

"Take me to the airport, Jerome."

He grabbed his clothes and went to the bathroom. She sighed reluctantly.

Part 16

As soon as she was back home in Detroit, she got on the Internet. She was able to research a little of Jerome's history. In high school down in Florida, he surpassed a lot of sports records and still kept a perfect G.P.A. He was an accomplished swimmer, baseball player and also played classical piano, before coming up here in his eleventh grade year in high school and finishing off in Detroit valedictorian of his class. At South Florida A&M, before he transferred to Michigan, he still had a perfect G.P.A. and was able to still excel in at least four top sports. Even when he came to Michigan, he kept up the progress.

This was unique. Good players did well at one thing, but not at all things. Jerome wasn't just good at one thing though. He was good at everything!

Dana did a search on T.J. Lott. The closest she came was finding a Tyrone Lott that played in the European league, but that was it. There were no picture on the Internet and there was no history on him. He played for two seasons, did some amazing stuff and two years ago went into oblivion.

After catching up on work, she found a good movie to watch and let the television put her to sleep. She had taken a Lions season schedule and knew the first home game wasn't until the middle of September. By then she would be over a month pregnant.

At the initial doctor's appointment, they confirmed she was pregnant, but the doctor seemed to have some reservations about the pregnancy. Her urine had produced some strange test results, so he told her to come back before her third month to run some more tests.

A medical billing conference was in Chicago the week of Jerome's first home game so she knew she missed him. When she returned home Tuesday morning, she found roses on her doorstep and a phone number on the card that said, "I just want to talk."

She called the number and was surprised that a woman picked up. "Marriott Hotel Detroit, how can I help you?"

"Jerome Lott?" she questioned.

"One moment." There were several clicks before he came on the line.

"Dana?" he asked.

"Yes," she said.

He sighed with relief. "Come to me."

"No."

"It's not a request, Dana."

"I'm not your wife, Jerome. You can't order me around."

He chuckled. "Then come to piss her off."

She laughed this time. "I won't come to piss her off."

"Even if I told you I really need you?"

The man had a weakness for her and she enjoyed the power she had over him. "Twelve."

"Thank you, Dana."

Hanging up, she smiled to herself. This was crazy, but she was going to see him.

Arriving at the hotel desk, she was personally escorted to a private elevator that delivered her to a very luxurious suite.

He was standing at the elevator when she stepped off and she was given a big hug as she moved into his arms.

When she looked up at him, she slapped him as hard as she could.

"What the hell was that for?!" he exclaimed.

She threw the money at him. "Don't you ever leave money at my home like I'm some mistress, Jerome."

"I was helping, Dana! Dammit! I knew you wouldn't take the money from me."

"I don't want anything from you, Jerome!" she cried exasperated. "Why would you think I would want something from you?"

"Because all I've ever given you was myself. It didn't seem enough. You deserve more and that's what I could give." He pulled her in his arms even though she resisted, but soon she allowed him to mold her body against his.

She pushed away slightly and looked up in apology. "That hurts, Jerome."

At first he looked a bit reserved, but then he looked down at her stomach and his eyes opened wider as he realized her fullness in her breast and body.

"You're pregnant?!"

Dana nodded.

Dropping to his knees, he kissed her stomach. "When? How long, Dana?"

His concern overwhelmed her and she was truly touched by all the questions he asked her.

As they had lunch on a terrace, he seemed really put out that he hadn't been there from the beginning.

"Dammit, Dana, I'd quit right now to spend more time with you."

"Jerome, should I remind you that I'm your sister-in-law and that we can't go on like this?"

Reserved sitting back, he nodded. "I'll divorce her."

"To be with your child? No, Jerome, that won't work for me." She didn't want him to do anything unless he was doing it because of her.

Leaning forward on the table, he declared, "I'll divorce her to be with you, Dana. I've been doing a lot of thinking and I figure if I can't have the woman I fell in love with all the time, then I'll be satisfied with the woman who loves me."

"But you don't love me, Jerome."

"I'm honest with you, Dana. I can't help it that I lost my heart to her a long time ago, but I have a feeling I won't ever get her back. She's too far gone."

"What do you mean?"

"She hasn't been to the house. The whole time I was on the road, she hasn't been living there."

"Where has she been living?"