A Twist of Fate
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Leila was so excited. The thought of finding her little girl was just too much for her! She had been dreaming of nothing less since Mike told her that he was looking for her. In her excitement, she told Mike that she and Lauren had made up. She told him that she asked Lauren to be April's Godmother. Mike's face became dark. He jumped up off the bed and grabbed Leila hard by the arms. "What?! What did you say? Tell me you didn't" he screamed at her. "Mike, you're hurting me..." Leila said with a little voice. Mike seemed to catch himself then. He relaxed his grip on her shoulders. I'm sorry, baby," he said, "I just got so angry when you told me that! What ever possessed you to do that?!" Leila had tears in her eyes when she answered. "Lauren was a big part of April's life for a long time, Mike. Afterall, Lauren and I were hoping to adopt April together until I met you. Mike, please, you know I love you - only you!"	The next morning, Mike woke early to leave for the hospital. He told Leila that he promised Max he would stop by and check on Emma. He didn't think it was anything serious, but Max and Madra were worried about the little girl and he wanted to assure them that she was alright. Mike sat on the edge of the bed putting on his shoes. Leila began telling him of her meeting with Lauren the day before. She hadn't wanted to mention anything in front of April so she had waited until now. She told him that she meant to mention it to him last night, but he was so tired, she didn't want to keep him up. She told Mike what Lauren had said about using the assumed name and that she told her what it was. Mike looked at Leila and asked, "How do you know we can trust her? She hasn't been exactly happy with us lately, you know." "Oh, Mike," Leila began, "I know she was telling the truth! I could see it on her face! Please, can we at least try?" Mike looked at Leila's hopeful face and said, "Of course we can try, honey, we'll try all available means to find your little girl."
	Mike closed his eyes. He realized that he was being ridiculous - jealous of another woman! "I'm sorry, baby," he said, "I guess I just wasn't thinking. Of course, you can have Lauren as April's Godmother if it makes you happy. I love you, too." He wiped the tears from Leila's face saying, "I never want to hurt you Leila - I love you too much. I only want to make you happy. Please don't cry." Leila gave a weak smile and said, "You do make me happy, Mike, I love you more than anything!" He bent down and kissed his wife then and told her he had better leave. "I'll make it up to you tonight when I get home. And, don't worry, I'll call the investigator and give him the name Lauren told you. I guess it can't hurt to check it out" he said. "Thank you, Mike, you'll see, Lauren has forgiven us - she's changed. She's really not a bad person. She was just hurt and confused" Leila replied. "Well, I certainly hope so," Mike said, "at least for your sake." With that he walked out of the room.
After he left, Leila sat down on the edge of the bed. She was still a little dazed and confused by Mike's reaction. What just happened she asked herself? I've never seen him so volatile! He was almost frightening. Maybe he is just stressed she thought. He has been putting in a lot of hours at the hospital. Some nights he doesn't come home at all. He's just working too hard, she thought.

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When the barn door opened, Jax was surprised to see a young woman enter. "Mrs. Wheeler?" he asked. "That's me," she replied. Damn, Jax thought that old coot managed to get himself a very pretty young wife! Good for him. As she got closer, Jax realized that he knew her. "Gia?" he asked. "Right again," she replied. "I never thought I'd be seeing you again, Jax." "Well, I'll be," he said. "Congratulations on your marriage." "Thank you, and you, too, I understand." she replied. "Yes," Jax said, "Gene and I are very happy and expecting a child soon!" "A baby!" Gia cried. "Well, congratulations again! I wish you and Gene the best."	Jax made sure Gene was well cared for. He had to go out of town for the day to check out some new horses for the ranch. He hired a day nurse and made sure his mother was going to be around to watch over her. He knew his mother needed the distraction anyway. This damn trial has her all wound up. I still can't believe that anyone would ever think that my mother could kill anyone! I just can't figure out how Olivia wound up in her trunk, he thought. He was heading out to the ranch of Ted Wheeler. He had bought horses from him before and knew that his stock was top notch. He hadn't seen the old coot in a while and was looking forward to his trip. When he arrived at the ranch later than afternoon, he entered the stable and a particular palomino caught his eye. He told the stable hand to fetch Mr. Wheeler right away. The stable hand told him that Mr. Wheeler was away but that Mrs. Wheeler would come and help him. He then ran off to fetch her.
All at once, she was in his arms, kissing him. Jax felt the stirring inside of him. God, he thought, it's been so long. With all the problems Gene has been having with the baby, we don't dare.... Gia could sense that Jax was weakening to her. She never for one minute believed that any man could resist her. She pressed her body close to his and kissed his neck. She could hear him give a little moan. She knew it was all over for him then. He would be hers!	Gia eyed Jax carefully for a moment and then said, "You know, Jax, I think we still have some unfinished business. I don't like to leave things unfinished, you know." And she moved in closer to him. She pushed his hat back on his head and began stroking his hair. "The last time we were in a barn, we...." Jax cut her off. "Ah, Gia, we're both married now and I don't think this would be quite appropriate. After all, Ted is a nice guy and you wouldn't want him to find out, would you?" Gia laughed, "Ted is an old coot," she said. "And, he loves parading me around! He'll do anything to keep me happy - anything. I tend to tire him out, if you know what I mean, so he usually looks the other way when I have one of my little indiscretions."
	They tumbled down on the soft hay of the barn floor. Gia was moving on top of him in a way that made Jax' head spin. Before you knew it, he was unbuttoning her blouse. He could feel her soft flesh and his longing grew stronger.
She was unbuttoning his shirt, rubbing his chest with her soft hands. He flipped her over and climbed on top of her. Oh, this felt so good. He found himself whispering, "Oh, I love you....I love you, Gene." "Gene!" Gia quipped. "Honey, you're with me now. You can forget that little wimp of yours, I'll show you what a real woman is like." With a start, Jax looked at Gia. Oh, my God, he thought, what am I doing?
	With one strong motion, Jax was up on his feet, his hat in his hands. He looked down at Gia and said, "I'm sorry, Gia, but I love my wife. And, as much as you are a very beautiful woman, I intend to be faithful to Gene!" With that he turned and left the barn to head home. Gia was furious! She spat back at him all sorts of threats and obscenities! "You will never get away with this," she shouted. "I'll see to it that you are ruined in these parts! You won't be able to do business with any ranchers within miles! Do you hear me, Jax.....Jax!" But it was too late. Jax had gotten into his car and drove off. He was heading home to his beautiful Gene, his wife, and love of his life.

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Meanwhile, Mike was sitting in the doctor's lounge, hoping for a few minutes of quiet in his busy day. He was still fuming over Leila and her ridiculous notion to have Lauren be April's Godmother. He just couldn't believe that she didn't consult with him first. He was angry with himself for being jealous of her relationship with Lauren. Hadn't that woman done enough! He thought she was out of Leila's life for good when they got married. Now, she managed to wangle her way back in. He heard the door open and soft footsteps. It was Sophia, his secretary. She came in holding a cup of hot black coffee. "I thought you might want this." she said. "Thank you, Sophia, that's very nice of you, but not necessary." he replied. "I've already had too much coffee today." She put the cup down and moved behind him. "Perhaps you could use to have your shoulders rubbed," she said. "You seem a little tense to me." She began rubbing his shoulders and she could feel him relax under the gentle pressure.
With that he pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. "Oh, Sophia," he said, "you are always there when I need you! What would I do without you?" She put her arms around him and sighed. "Oh, Mike, let's not talk," she said as she slid off his lab coat.	"Oh, that feels good," Mike sighed. "I had forgotten what a wonderful touch you have." She ran her one hand over his chest while the other caressed his head and said, "I think you have forgotten more than that." He looked at her and remembered how sweet she smelled and how wonderful the feel of her flesh was. "I haven't forgotten," he said.
He pulled her top off and flipped on top of her. He kissed her hard and passionately. He could hear her moaning.	Mike pulled off his shirt and then pulled Sophia down on top of him. He couldn't believe how much he wanted her. He whispered in her ear, "Sophia, I want you, I want you now." "I want you too, Mike, now." she replied.
	He couldn't believe how strong his desire for her was. His senses were on fire! From the sweet smell of her soft, smooth skin, to the thick shiny luster of her hair. He made love to her forcefully, hard, and full of passion. He made love to her the way he never could with Leila. Leila was a delicate flower to be savored and coddled. But this girl, she was a woman meant to be ravished! And he could tell she loved it, too! She was moaning and writhing. At one point, he thought she might scream and he went to stiffle her so no one would hear. When he was done, they were both spent. He felt an exhileration he hadn't for a long time. He got up and put on his pants. Sophia sat up and covered herself with his labcoat. He looked at her and said, "You are amazing!"
She looked up at him, her eyes wide and sparkling. "Oh, Mike, you are wonderful!" she said. As he continued to get dressed, he began explaining to her that Leila must never find out about their affair. He assured her that he would see to it that she got everything she needed or wanted. He told her that he would come to see here every chance he could, but that Leila was never to know. The disappoitment must have been evident on her face because he looked at her and said, "Honey, you know I want to be with you. You're the best! I'll take good care of you and see you every chance I get, but..." he continued, "Leila is my wife. We have a family now and I have to see to it that nothing happens to ruin that. Do you understand?" She looked at him and smiled, "Yes, I understand, Mike." She handed him his labcoat and took great pleasure in watching his face as he looked at her body. She then got dressed herself. He kissed her goodbye and told her that he was looking forward to their next meeting. With that he walked out of the room. Patience, she said to herself. Patience is virtue. Sophia understood and she knew what she had to do.

To be continued.......