.
Her question once again made Neal aware of the fact that his plan was insane. So many things could go wrong, but he was also painfully aware of the fact that his capabilities were limited. This was the only path that he could see forward. He felt a stab, knowing that George might have come up with a far more efficient plan. One that didn’t involve a complete stranger, who had less than kind opinions about him.
“Umm… I am,” Neal said quietly.
“Of course,” Elena replied sarcastically, “of course you are. How stupid of me, and how do you intend to get me pregnant?”
Again, Neal questioned everything, but he had gone too far to turn back now. He pushed his reservations aside and battled on ahead. Elena watched him struggle. She knew that he understood that what he was asking her was crazy, but the fact was, he was still doing it, which proved how desperate he was. Somehow, incredibly, she understood how he felt. She knew what it meant to be desperate.
“We… we would… have to have sex,” Neal said, his face turning red, “but only until you get pregnant.”
Elena held her head in her hands. Her head was starting to hurt.
“Neal, why on earth would you think I would agree to this?” she asked disbelievingly.
“Because,” Neal said quickly, “I don’t intend for you to leave this deal with nothing.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that I will pay all of your student loans. I will give you one million dollars, and I will make sure that you have your pick of jobs. I know a lot of wealthy people and at some point – they all want sculptures. It's the way they are.”
Neal watched her absorb this. He hoped that it would be enough to get her to agree to his proposal. He had no back-up plan. If Elena said no, he could attempt to find other women to agree to his plan, but he needed to find someone who would be believable as George’s girlfriend.
He needed to find a woman who was intelligent, pretty, and capable, and he had no idea where to look for one. He waited breathlessly, hoping to God that Elena would be swayed.
Elena kept repeating the three things that Neal had just promised her, over and over again in her head. She was on the verge of giving him an unequivocal no when he made his offer. She couldn’t deny that it was a lot. It was not something she could afford to refuse without really considering it. She was close to broke, her career was flat lining and her bills and loans were piling up.
Her only other option was to take her parent’s help. Her only option was to move back in with them and allow them to pay off her loans. She reminded herself of what she would have to go through if she took Neal’s deal. Nine months of pregnancy. The child would be hers. Elena had never thought of herself as a mother, but it was one thing to decide never to have children. It was an altogether different thing to h
ave one and then be expected to give it up. Elena wasn’t sure. She wasn’t sure about anything.
“Neal,” she started hesitantly, “you can’t expect me to answer you right away.”
Neal sighed. “I understand Elena, but this problem is obviously very time sensitive.”
“I’m not asking for much,” she cut in, “just give me three days?”
Neal stared for a moment. Then finally, reluctantly, he nodded in agreement.
“You’ll get back to me in three days? You promise?”
“I will,” Elena said. "I promise."
Chapter6
The house was immaculate. The garden sprawled out, flanked by brilliant rows of neatly pruned hedges and rose bushes that held large red blossoms. The cab pulled up right in front of the long, intimidating driveway. She could see her mother coming down the path, dressed in chinos and a beige sweater set. She always looked so put together that she never really looked real. She looked more like an actress in a movie than an actual person in the real world.
Elena got out of the cab and quickly rummaged through her purse to pay the cabbie before her mother reached her.
“How much do I owe you?” Elena asked urgently.
“Sixty-two fifty,” the cabbie replied coarsely.
Elena nearly did a double take. She had expected the cab fare to come in at around fifty dollars. She didn’t have to look to know that she didn’t have the money. Her face flamed red, knowing that she would have to ask her mother for the balance.
“Don’t worry, dear,” her mother’s voice beat her to the question, “I’ve got it.”
She already had the money in hand, and she passed it to the cab driver easily. She gave him a tight smile and motioned him away. He complied readily, leaving Elena standing there, feeling terrible.