Sugar and Spice Ch. 04

Amber didn't tell Mandy of her discovery of Murphy's paternity. Mandy, for the moment, was just pleased that they looked like a proper family. It wasn't easy to go back into the swing of things, though. They would have Murphy in bed by eight, then do schoolwork for three hours, then go to bed, on the weeknights. On weekends and minor holidays, Amber and Mandy would order in, and maybe watch a movie. That is, is Murphy wasn't very hungry, or very wet.

It annoyed Amber that she was stuck taking care of Ben's baby. She didn't even know if he knew that Mandy had been pregnant with his baby. Those three weeks in the hospital, only a week and a half for Mandy, constantly came back to her. She'd given the midwife the onesie, and kept a tight hold on the jewelry box containing the engagement ring, intended for Mandy. It was a daunting experience as the midwife had taken little Murphy Rose away from her, and she'd seen the nose.

It was almost as if she'd been hit by a ton of bricks, or of something of equal force. She just couldn't believe it. Knowing that the cheating had been mutual between them had been one thing, but knowing she was about to ask the woman that she loved to spend the rest of their life together...especially when she'd gotten pregnant by their ex... Amber just couldn't swallow it.

Thankfully, the classwork kept her busy. She decided to switch her art credit for her final semester from sculpting to acting. The work load wasn't as much, and she'd even been cast in a scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare. Everyone in the class would groan at his name, but for Amber, who had only heard his name in passing (and having seen the film Shakespeare in Love) decided to give it a go.

She smirked when she read her scene. She would be playing the role of Helena, who was totally hot for this other guy Lysander. The director, a wonderful homosexual man by the name of Andy Withers, decided to have Amber, in the form of Helena, grab Lysander in a fit of passion and kiss him. Delighted, the young man playing Lysander, a law major by the name of Felix, agreed that they should give it a go.

Not wanting to stick out, or be called named (although something told Amber that she wouldn't be judged as much here) agreed. However, Mr. Withers told Felix and Amber not to start the 'kissing bit', as he called it, until a week before performance. That way, he said, they would be so deep in heat and passion that it would seem more real.

Amber smirked and covered her face with her script.

"What?" Felix asked.

Amber pulled her script down and turned red. "Well, I..." She sighed. "I guess I should tell you this," she said, tucking a bit of hair behind her ear and looking away. "I'm bisexual and I live with my girlfriend."

Felix laughed. "Is that all?" He smiled. "Don't worry. I'm gay."

"You're...what?!" Amber cried.

Felix nodded. "Yeah. It's fine, really. I live with my partner Victor. He's just the best. We met our junior year of high school."

"How did you know?" Amber asked. "Like, when did you find out?"

He shrugged. "When I was five, I guess. I always had a thing for Barbie dolls or something, I don't know. Why? When did you find out?"

Amber sighed. "The summer after my senior year of high school," she admitted. "It was...pretty surprising, actually. And it all happened so fast that I..."

"What?" Felix asked.

Amber looked around. Everyone else had emptied off into separate the practice rooms, which were provided, leaving them alone in the theater. "I cheated on my girlfriend earlier this year," she said.

"Wow," Felix said.

"Do you think I'm a bad person?" Amber asked. Part of her wanted him to say that she was, but he ended up surprising her.

"No," he replied. "You're not a bad person. There's probably just something in your relationship that needs to be resolved."

"Well, I can tell you right now, that's not going to happen for another nineteen years," she said darkly.

Felix chuckled. "I didn't want to say anything... Are you pregnant?" he asked kindly.

Amber nodded. "Yes," she said. "I'm about six months now."

"But...you've got that 'I'm so tired 24/7' look. What's going on?"

"Oh, um...Mandy just had a baby."

"Both of you were pregnant?" Felix asked.

Amber nodded a second time. "Yes."

"Boy? Girl?"

"Girl. Her name is Murphy Rose Spezia-Zucchero," Amber said.

Felix grinned. "That's a great name... But what's the problem?"

"Well, we decided that I would be the one to get inseminated, but Mandy got herself knocked up over the summer...by our ex-boyfriend..."

"Your ex-boyfriend?"

"Yeah. We dated the same guy...he cheated on me with her..."

"Now, that is complicated," Felix said. "And I was all psyched because I was getting to fake kiss a girl for the first time..."

"Fake kiss?" Amber demanded sarcastically. "I don't fake kiss."

"Yes, but it'll be fake for us," Felix replied.

Amber left her acting class that day with half her lines memorized, a new friend, and a dinner invitation. Amber arrived at the condo, which was a late Christmas present from Mandy's parents, but the tenants hadn't moved out until three weeks ago, at around four o'clock.

Felix and his partner Victor lived off campus, too, and Felix said he'd be delighted to have Amber, Mandy, and little Murphy over for dinner sometime in the next week. He and Victor entertained a lot, he'd just have to check with him for a good date. Victor, from what Felix had told her, was twenty-three, and was working at his father's hospital nearby. They also had a son, who was conceived in a surrogate mother, named Nathan, who was four.

When she got home, she excitedly shared the news with Mandy and Murphy, who were online looking at baby clothes. Mandy grinned and kissed Amber on the cheek, happy that she'd made a friend.

A week later, they all arrived at Felix and Victor's upscale apartment and knocked on the massive door. Felix answered it and grinned at the three of them. "Hello, my acting partner!" he said, embracing Amber. "And this must be Mandy and Murphy," he cried. "Mandy, you're just as gorgeous as Amber said you were, totally Grace Kelly gone brunette all the way! And Murphy, aren't you adorable! We need to call our connections at Calvin Klein and/or Gerber! I see a child model!"

Victor appeared in the doorway behind Felix and draped his arm casually around him. "Oh, Felix," he said, playfully shaking his head with a smile on his face. "Did he tell you about sending Murphy to Calvin Klein or Gerber?" he asked.

Amber and Mandy nodded.

"Oh, Felix!" he said, kissing him on the cheek. "Come on in," he said, making way for them. "There's hors d' oeuvres on the table. Nothing fancy, just cheese and crackers and mineral water. Felix, help me take their coats, please!" he reprimanded gently. "And there's Nathan practicing his yoga. I must admit, I haven't known another four year old to do that. Sweetie, come say hello to Amber, Mandy and Murphy!"

Nathan instantly listened to Victor and came over to them. "Hi," he said, a large grin on his face. "Murphy's really small!" he said.

Amber giggled and looked at Mandy.

"Yes, she is," Mandy replied. "She was actually born about two months early. It's a medical miracle that she survived."

"Wow," said Nathan, clearly interested. "Is she okay now?"

"Yes, she's okay now," Mandy said.

Nathan shuffled from foot to foot, clearly wanting to ask more. "May I hold her, please, Mandy?" he asked.

Mandy looked at Felix and Victor, who gave her a, It's your call, look. She looked again at Nathan, his little face wishing for a yes. "Of course," she said, grinning down at the boy. "You just have to sit back on the couch and be very gentle."

"I can do that!" Nathan said, hopping across the room to the totally retro black leather couch and sitting in the left corner.

Amber went to the couch and sat beside him. She put two pillows around him and watched as Mandy handed over Murphy, who seemed perfectly content with the world around her.

"Support her head," Mandy instructed. "If you're careful, you can rock slowly back and forth. She might fall asleep."

Nathan did as he was told, a small smile creeping onto his face. "She's beautiful," he said.

"Shall we have dinner?" Felix asked, coming out of the kitchen then. "I've just checked, and everything is cooked to perfection. Shall we eat?" he asked, taking off his apron with the words Kiss the Cook written on it in an amusing font.

"Sounds good," Mandy said, taking Amber by the hand.

"Will he be okay?" Amber asked Felix, nodding at Nathan and Murphy.

Felix nodded. "Yes. He's good with everyone. My sister had a daughter about Murphy's age and he's always great with her. Besides, we can spy on them from the dining room."

"Everything will be all right," Victor reassured them, leading the way into the dining room.

As Amber and Mandy turned around, they smiled at the scene before them in the living room. Nathan was whispering sweetly to Murphy. Then, just as they were about to turn around, he said, "Someday, I'm going to marry you."

Back at home later that night, Murphy went to bed after having a bottle without so much as a peep. Amber pulled Mandy into their bedroom and shut the door. She undressed her hurriedly and then herself, before she pushed her onto the bed, and began to rub herself all over her. "God, I am so wet," she whispered. "I want you to make me come, Mandy..."

Mandy grinned. She reached into her bedside table drawer for her strap on and put it on. She turned Amber over and entered her from behind. "Have you ever done it like this?" she asked, gleefully watching Amber's pussy becoming wetter and wetter with every thrust.

Amber thought of the first time she and Gabrielle had made love. She bit her lip on her positive reply. She simply shook her head as Mandy began thrusting so hard and so fast, that she made her come in under a minute.

The next seven weeks passed without a hitch. Amber went to her acting class and bonded further with Felix, and even managed to impress Mr. Withers enough for him to ask her to assistant direct the spring musical, Wicked. It made Amber sad to decline, because she said, as she was pregnant, she wouldn't be able to fit it into her schedule.

Amber came home on a day in mid-May. She heard Mandy in the nursery, softly singing a lullaby to Murphy, who was due for her late afternoon half hour nap. Amber put down her things and went in to see them.

Mandy grinned when she saw her. "Can you take over?" she whispered as Amber took off her coat. "I need to give her the bottle before I put her down," she said.

Amber nodded and took Murphy in her arms. She gave Mandy a quick kiss as she went into the kitchen to get the bottle. "Hey, sweetie," Amber whispered to Murphy. "You're gonna meet some new people. Only Mommy number one doesn't know about it yet. Mommy number two is going to tell her later, okay?" She kissed Murphy on her forehead just as Mandy came back, holding the bottle.

Amber handed her over and went into their large bedroom at the back of the house. She dug in the closet where she found the jewelry box, and the onesie she'd taken back from the midwife, in favor of the, I'm So Cute one, which had quickly become a favorite with their daughter. She decided to get Murphy up herself, change her into the onesie, have a talk with Mandy, and then propose to her. She just had to think of a way to...

"Mandy!" Amber called quietly as Mandy shut the door of the nursery. She quickly put the things back into the closet and took off her sweater, jeans, socks, and shirt. She lay on the bed in her bra and panties, and awaited her lover. "Hey," she said coyly.

"What's this?" Mandy asked.

"Well," Amber said, standing up, "I thought we've been working so hard we need to have a little fun." She shut the door and flicked on the baby monitor. She then pulled Mandy towards the bed, the sly smile still on her face. "Come on," she said. "It'll be fun." She began to slowly undress Mandy, until she was completely naked. Then she playfully pushed her onto the bed, and spread her legs apart. "You need to get off...and you're already wet!" she accused playfully. She leaned forward then and began to lap greedily at Mandy's clit.

Mandy soon began to wriggle and squirm. "Oh, God...!" she said in what was a cross between a whisper, a gasp, and a moan.

"Yes," Amber said. "You like it when I lick your pussy, don't you?" she said, a giggle escaping her lips as she began to lick harder and faster. "I want you to say it," she whispered against Mandy's pussy lips. "I want you to say that you love it when I lick your pussy."

Mandy responded by bucking her hips back and forth. "Y-yes!" she cried, grabbing ahold of Amber's hair as gently as she could. She pulled as hard as she could without hurting Amber and yanked her closer to her pussy. "I want you to finger me!" she cried. "Finger me and make me come!" she screamed then, forgetting about Murphy in the next room.

Amber did as she was told and stuck two fingers into Mandy's pussy, now dripping wet. "Do you like that?" she asked. "Do you like it when I finger you, Mandy?"

"Oh, God, yes!" she cried.

Then Murphy started screaming from the nursery. Amber's fingers whipped out of Mandy and held her down.

"I'm not going to just let her scream!" Mandy said, her eyes defiant. "She's too young for that, and you know it!"

"I'm not saying that at all," Amber said, pushing Mandy back into bed. "All I'm saying is just lie back and relax. I'm her mother, too. I'll take care of her, okay? You take a shower, then take a nap. When she's calm again, I'll come in and join you before dinner, okay?" Amber grinned down at Mandy and wiggled her index finger at her. "Maybe someone will get lucky and actually orgasm this time."

Mandy smile melted onto her face like a ray of sunshine on a perfect summer day. She put her arms around Amber and kissed her passionately on the mouth. "Okay," she said, getting up and crossing daintily to the bathroom. "I'll take a shower, ma'am. Then, you'd better get back here as soon as Murphy stops crying and goes back to sleep." She let out another giggle before stepping completely into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

Amber let out a quick sigh and took a sanitation wipe out from their dresser and wiped her hands with it, so they smelled fresh and not like Mandy's pussy. She then crossed to the closet just as she heard the shower turning on, and imagined all of Mandy dripping wet and not just her pussy. She pictured her lover pleasuring herself in the shower, her finger moving in a circular motion on her clit as she brought herself to a full orgasm, for the eleventh time this week, no doubt.

She nibbled her bottom lip and got out the onesie and the jewel box from the closet and slipped on one of her over sized t-shirt. She then left the room to check on Murphy, but was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing. She went into the nursery, got the now calm Murphy, set aside the onesie and the box in the nursery closet before going through the living room and towards the front door.

She looked through the peephole, but had to turn on the light to see who it really was. She doubled back when she saw it was Ben. Curse words rang in her mind as she stamped her foot, but allowed herself to open the door to him, anyway.

"What?" she demanded, and her anger rose when she saw a suitcase and his small duffle bag with his initials in a stupid curly font.

"Amber?" Ben asked, narrowing his eyes. "Wow. You haven't changed a bit!" he said, immediately putting his arms around her and giving her a massive bear hug.

"What do you want?" Amber cried, pulling away, and quickly bouncing Murphy so as not to upset her.

"I want to see my kid," Ben said, entering the condo without permission and setting his bags down in the hall.

"What kid?" Amber said, trying to play dumb. She could still hear the shower running, so she knew she had some time.

"Um, Murphy?" he asked, reaching out and taking the child out of Amber's loving and secure arms. "Hey, girl! Daddy's here! Yes, he is! Oh, yes, yes, yes, he is!"

Amber crossed the arms and resisted the urge of hitting him in the balls. "I would appreciate it if you don't talk to my daughter as you would a dog," she said through gritted teeth.

Ben narrowed his eyes at her. "She isn't your daughter, Amber," he said, as if he was speaking to a small child. "The only way she could be is if you and Mandy were married and if you'd adopted her. But, you don't have my permission as the birth father to do so, now do you? So back off, you lesbo, and let me spend time with my kid!"

The words hit Amber so hard that she nearly staggered back. She lowered her eyes so that Ben couldn't see them filling with tears. "Fine," she said submissively, and took another step back. Her knees began to shake, and she instantly felt as if she'd wet her pants. Struggling to keep calm, she said, "Why don't you go into the living room? I'll go tell Mandy that you're here." She crossed to their bedroom, where she could still hear the shower. She pulled on her most comfortable sweat pants, and put on a pair of sandals and a sweatshirt. She scrawled a quick note to Mandy, saying: I'm in labor. Ben is in the living room with Murphy. I don't know if I'll be back. Then, she grabbed the duffle that had been ready for the past month and went out the side door, located in the office. She ran up the street, to Felix's, and dialed his number.

"Felix!" she cried.

"What's going on?" he asked, immediately concerned.

"I'm in labor!" she gasped. "My water broke..."

"I'm on it," he said. "Where are you?"

"Third," she said.

"I was just driving home from that convention I told you about. I'm on Fourth. I'll be right there."

She saw Felix's Mercedes pull around the corner then as she hung up her phone and ran toward the car. "God, this hurts!" she cried.

"You look terrible," Felix said as he began to drive. "What's going on?"

Amber shut her eyes. "He showed up."

"No!" Felix cried. "Not...Murphy's sperm?"

"The one and only," she said darkly. "Oh!" she cried, and gripped Felix's free hand. "Damn contraction...I hate this!"

"Breathe," Felix ordered.

"How's...Victor and Nathan?" she asked. "They doing good?"

"They're fine," Felix said. "They're spending time with Aunt Lucy today. You know...my sister with my niece Grace?"

"Yes, of course," Amber said, tensing up with another contraction. "I know, of course I know."

They pulled into the hospital parking lot and parked the car.

"We have to say I'm your brother or something, or they won't let me back in with you," Felix said.

Amber laughed out loud. "Yay...I've always wanted an older brother. My younger one sucks."

Felix got a wheelchair and wheeled Amber inside the hospital. "Woman in labor!" he cried.

Nurses and doctors immediately surrounded them.

"How old are you?"

"I'm twenty," she said, beginning to pant from the pain.

"What's your name?"

"Amber Zucchero," she said.

"How far along are you?"

"I'm three weeks early," Amber cried, crossing her legs in another wave of pain. "Oh...God!" she screamed.

"Who are you?" a nurse asked Felix.

"I'm her brother," he said. When they looked at him skeptically, he said, "I have a different mother."

They shrugged and wheeled Amber back, Felix sprinting to keep up. They got her into a room, where they administered an epidural with her profuse permission. Amber literally fell back on the table, gasping in pain. She didn't know what was happening, especially when everything started going completely fuzzy. She saw Felix holding her hand, telling her to breathe, and a doctor going between her legs.

"She's nine centimeters," the doctor said. "It'll be any time now."