Rugged Daddy

“Look, if you’re really going to do this, at least be careful.”

“The agency guarantees secrecy,” I said.

“But still. Double and triple check everything.”

“I know, I know. I hear you,” I said.

“And for the love of all things holy, don’t get attached.”

“After what Leslie did to me, trust me. If anything, I’ll be glad to get this over with.”

“Not sure that’s healthy either. Maybe you should add a psychologist to your payroll. And by psychologist, I mean a professional, not ranting to your self-defense instructor.”

“So you have been checking up on me,” I said.

“Goodbye, Andrew.”

I let out a big sigh and hung up the phone.

The evening was pretty quiet, but I didn’t sleep much. My nightmares loomed on the edge of my mind, and I wasn’t ready to fight with them. I wanted to get my head in the right space for this consultation with the agency. Audrey was in school Wednesday through Fridays with the option of half-days on Saturday, so I was going to make the best of my time while she was there. I lay in bed and drew out all the pros and cons that could come from something like this.

“Mr. Thompson come right in,” the woman said. She boasted a bleached smile and a Botoxed face that didn’t move.

“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice,” I said.

“We aim to please. So, you are interested in our services?”

“I am. I’ve wanted another child for quite some time. My daughter’s ready for a sibling, but circumstances in my life haven’t put me in front of the right woman.”

“And we aim to fix that. We have a wonderful selection of healthy women ready to give you what you seek.”

“Is it possible for me to get to know her one-on-one before we sign anything? I really want to make sure of the woman I’m trusting to carry my child.”

“Oh, we encourage it,” she said. “There are certain rules in place that protect both parties, however. The meeting has to be mutual and funded by you. It also has to be somewhere safe. If the woman reports any activity she feels uncomfortable with, it drops you from our program.”

“Understandable. I like that you look out for them in that manner.”

“We look out for the men as well. We charge a large sum of money, but that comes with a lot as well. The best women at the peak of their health. The most fertile, as well. It also comes with total secrecy with regard to your income, who you are, and where you reside. Should you choose to reveal that at a later date, that is up to you. But that information never gets transferred from us to the woman or anyone else, for that matter.”

“Good. That’s my number one requirement,” I said.

“Do you have any preferences in traits or characteristics? Hair color? Eye color? Social status? Educational history?”

“That’s why I want to get to know her a little bit. It isn’t about what she looks like or what she does. It’s more about her personality. The kind of woman my child comes from is important to me,” I said.

“Well, if that’s the case, then I think we have the perfect candidate for you. She’s a recent applicant, so some of her health tests still have to come back. But she’s passed our very extensive initial application process.”

The woman handed me a file, and I took it. The second I opened it up, I was taken with her.

She was fucking gorgeous.

I looked up at the woman who leaned back into her chair and smiled at me

like she knew she’d hooked me as a client. My eyes fell back to the applicant’s file, and I couldn't stop looking at her picture. She had long chestnut hair with natural highlights in both red and honey blonde. They played against her dark brown eyes, perfectly almond-shaped and slightly turned up. It lent her a mysterious look. Her smile was innocent. Kind. And her body was salaciously sweet. In another world—in another time—I would’ve definitely walked up to this woman on the street and introduced myself. Anything to get my hands around those sweet handfuls of curves she boasted.

“So, what do you think?” the woman asked.

“Hard to tell much about her character from a photo,” I said.