The Baby Contract

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN

Bran

At home, I was well into a second glass of scotch in an attempt to calm my nerves as I rehashed the day. I damn near begged Anne to stay and talk to me after having spectacular sex on my office couch.

The look on her face when we finished, the way she couldn’t get away from me fast enough, should have pissed me off. It sort of did, but mostly, it hurt. Was I so vile to her that being touched by me revolted her?

I shook my head. She didn’t seem put off when I was kissing her, touching her, fucking her.

No. She’d been as active a participant as I’d been.

Immediately after coming, I’d thought that perhaps this year-long partnership wouldn’t be so difficult after all. I’d always thought she was sexy and while I didn’t think I’d sleep with her as my surrogate, now that I had a taste of her, I want to do it again. In my bed. Or anywhere else in my house.

But her reaction effectively killed off the warm feelings. The way she ran out made me suspect our deal was off. She hadn’t said that, but what else was I to think?

Maybe I could sway her back if I backed off on some of my conditions. Living with me was non-negotiable.

I wanted to be there through everything as my child was conceived and grew. Anne would see it as controlling, but was it really so crazy to want to experience every moment of my child’s life starting at conception?

Perhaps I could offer her more money. I could pay her ten thousand dollars for each month she lived in my house.

Harper told me once that Anne wanted to start a business. Perhaps I could assist her with that. We could work on it over the next year so that once the baby was born, she’d have her twenty-five million and a business to run.

But maybe I needed to accept that she’d run out in horror and wouldn’t be back. Fuck.

I went to my home office and grabbed the portfolio of women willing to be a surrogate. The agency told me I couldn’t require them to live in my house, which was one of the reasons I wanted Anne.

But now I had little choice. I’d have to find a way to have regular updates and contact with the woman so I could be sure my child was getting the best care available.

I finally settled on a woman with blonde hair and gray eyes. It didn’t escape me that she resembled Anne, except this woman’s hair was straighter than Anne’s thick locks. I called the agency and made arrangements for the woman, Rachel, to meet me in my office for an interview tomorrow.

Later that night, I went to bed with the vision of Anne writhing underneath me seared in my brain. How hadn’t she felt the power of us? Had it scared her? Or was it me, the man she’d reviled, that sent her running?

Of course, I woke up the next morning with a hardon.

I tried to ignore it. I needed to put what happened with Anne behind me. But once in the shower, it was clear that my cock wasn’t going to go anywhere.

Pissed at Anne, I grabbed my dick and stroked until I came in an angry growl over the tiles of my shower.

Once at the office, I pushed all the bullshit in my life aside and focused on work. The project with Dane and Ethan was coming along. I had my fingers in many different pies, all strategically chosen and all doing extremely well. I had my looks, money, and respect. Why couldn’t Anne see that?

Fuck. Why did I care?

At eleven, Rachel arrived. I greeted her, shaking her hand. She had a lovely smile. She was beautiful, but she also gave off a caring vibe. Like a mother. All were good points in her favor.

I offered her a seat. “Thank you for coming.”

“Of course. After reading your portfolio I was excited to meet you.”

Was it the money?

“For a man who values family, you’ve had such a loss.”

I sat at my desk. “I have.”

I started off asking more about her hobbies and interests. I knew her medical history from the file the agency sent. I also knew she was in a relationship so I wouldn’t have to worry about her getting thoughts about sticking around after the baby came.

“Your husband is okay with all this?” It didn’t make sense to me that a man would be okay with his wife carrying another man’s child.