One More Time

“So when will this happen?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“The sex,” she replied. “When are we going to hook up?”

“Oh, well – ummm – let me talk to my lawyer and we'll set up a meeting to go over everything first,” I said. “From there, we can decide the next steps.”

“But you need this to happen fast, right?”

I nodded.

“Alright,” she sighed. She pushed the cheesecake over toward me, with only a few bites missing. “Here, have some, I feel bad eating it all.”

She had cheesecake on her lips and licked it off. The sight of her perfect, pink tongue sliding along her full lips, sent a stirring in my pants that caught my attention. I'd been so focused on the business aspect of this relationship, that it had only just occurred to me that the idea of having sex with Casey wasn't at all a bad thought.

Gorgeous. Curvy body. Full lips. Dark hair and pale skin. Oh, and smart, strong-willed and hilarious? Honestly, she ticked off a lot of the boxes of what I liked in a woman. Maybe, too many.

I took a bite of the cheesecake, and Casey smiled at me.

Yeah, a guy could do worse.

CHAPTER TEN

CASEY

“You are going to do what, now?” Raya screeched at me.

She dropped the carrot she was holding and stared at me, her mouth opened as wide as her eyes. A look of pure disbelief and astonishment were etched upon her features.

After agreeing to have Malcolm's baby, I needed to talk to someone. My mom was a Catholic and had constantly preached about waiting for marriage to have sex, which meant, I couldn't talk to her. My dad was – well – useless. I'd rather talk to the homeless guy who stands on the corner shouting at the telephone pole. Hell, the conversation might be more enlightening than one with my dad.

My siblings were far too young for that kind talk. Besides, what could a couple of young teens tell me about having sex? They wouldn't understand the situation and wouldn't have any words of wisdom to offer.

That left Raya.

I'd texted her and asked her to meet me at The Grove after Malcolm went back to work. We were sitting by the fountain, surrounded by people still, but none of them seemed to matter in that moment. Thankfully, none of them even seemed to be paying attention to us.

“Yeah, so – I took your advice and left the club,” I said. “And that same night, Malcolm made me an offer I couldn't refuse.”

She looked at me like I'd suddenly sprouted a second head. Maybe a third. Not that I could really blame her. What I'd just told her seemed to be a radical solution to my problems.

“Casey, are you sure about this?” she asked. “I mean, most of the time, surrogates come with certain requirements – like having had a successful pregnancy before. Which, correct me if I'm wrong here, but I'm pretty sure you haven't.”

I shook my head to answer her question, and then I cocked my head to the side. “How do you know that?”

She shrugged. “My mom's done it a few times,” she said. “She likes bringing joy to other people's lives, and hey, it's helped keep the shop open. But she's done it through an agency and all that jazz. She didn't just meet some in a club and agree to have his baby. That's a bit – dangerous – don't you think?”

She was right. It was a bit crazy and maybe even a bit dangerous. But, even crazier – seriously, bordering on sheer madness – was the fact that for some reason I couldn't identify or explain, I trusted Malcolm. I couldn't say why I did, but there was just something about him that made me feel safe.

“He's been tested for STDs,” I said. “He's also going to require I get tested too. There's no danger, at all.”

“Umm, except he could back out of the deal or – ”

“We're going to have a contract written up by a lawyer,” I said. “I'm not worried about that. I know he's not going to screw me over that way, Raya.”

“Okay maybe not that,” she said. “But, there are always the possibility of complications during pregnancy and childbirth.”

My pulse raced, and I felt a stomach in my knot tighten up painfully. That idea hadn't even occurred to me. “What? Are we back in the eighteenth century again?” I asked with a laugh I hope didn't sound too forced. “Women don't die during childbirth anymore.”