The blonde bitch held up her finger at Lateisha like she was a child, “Yes. Well take a seat he will be right with you.”
Lateisha took a deep breath and cursed under her breath. This was bullshit and she didn’t have time for snooty, rich assholes. On the verge of leaving she turned towards the glass double doors, poised to grip the handle.
“Lateisha?” A man said, the hint of a British accent just under the surface of his deep voice.
Lateisha turned, her face distorting with surprise at the person attached to the voice. That was Mr. Henderson? He was at least six-foot-two, with light brown hair grazing his forehead, hazel eyes and the looks of a GQ model. Momentarily frozen in place by the revelation that Mr. Henderson was not a sixty-five year old man, Lateisha stood in front of the doors, her jaw practically touching the floor. Why did she think he was an old guy? Maybe she was thinking that because what kind of hot guy in his twenties would want to have a baby by surrogate?
Finding her voice, finally, Lateisha spoke up, “Hi Mr. Henderson, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Lateisha stepped up and offered her hand.
“Please, call me Bryce,” He said, shaking her hand with a tight grip. “Please come with me,” He added, turning and starting down a short hall and into another doorway.
Lateisha followed, her anxiety temporarily dissipating as she watched his tight ass bunch underneath his designer suit as he walked. Heat flooded her body and she thought she must be going insane. This situation was strange enough and now she was picturing the man whose child she was planning on carrying naked. Shaking her head in disgust at herself, Lateisha walked into the impeccably decorated office and planted her ass in one of two chairs sitting in front of his desk.
“I’m so glad you responded to my ad,” Bryce said, collecting forms on his large desk into a pile. “Tell me a bit about yourself.”
Lateisha swallowed with anxiety. Here goes nothing, she thought.
*****
Bryce watched the woman fidget in her seat. She was young, at least several years younger than he was, but her deep brown eyes captivated him. He wasn’t sure what it was about her; she wasn’t model gorgeous, but she had a light about her that made him feel drawn to her. Bryce sat for a moment and stared at her as she smoothed her hands down her white blouse. The contrast of her caramel colored skin and the color of the blouse were stunning. Realizing that he was staring, Bryce shook his head to get the distraction of his attraction to her to dissipate. This was business, that’s all.
Clearing her throat she began to talk, “I’m twenty-one, and I recently graduated college with a bachelor’s degree in nursing.”
“What hospital do you work for?” Bryce asked, his pen poised above a note pad ready to write everything down.
“I, uh, I don’t work for a hospital,” Lateisha mumbled, her voice lowering.
“Oh, nursing home then?”
“No, I’m not actually p
racticing right now. I work at McDonald’s until I find something that fits my needs,” Her chin jutted out stubbornly as she added the last part as if she were waiting for Bryce to judge her.
He hid a smirk, she sure was a spit fire, “Okay then. How many hours a week do you work?”
Lateisha answered his question, along with several others and Bryce was relatively satisfied with her answers. Sure she didn’t make a lot of money or live in a large place but he was going to be covering her living and medical expensive while pregnant so that wasn’t a problem. She talked extensively about how healthy her family was and even had a living great-grandmother who was close to one hundred years old. The only thing that troubled him was the fast food restaurant. Bryce silently wondered if she ate a lot of the crap they sell at that place. Keeping his baby healthy was important and he didn’t think consuming massive amounts of junk food while pregnant would achieve that. Lateisha was also quite directionless when it came to work and her future and she seemed quite happy to keep working at the fast food restaurant for the duration. Not that it was any of his business but he wasn’t sure if that would carry over to the way she took care of herself while she was carrying his child.
“Before we agree to anything,” Bryce added, “I’d like for you to get a physical by my doctor just to determine if you are healthy enough to carry a baby and there are no underlying medical issues that will cause an issue with a pregnancy. After that we will meet again and sign all of the paperwork, depending on the results.”
Lateisha nodded. “Okay sounds good,” She said standing and adjusting her black slacks.
They shook hands again and Bryce handed her his business card. “If you have any other questions for me, don’t hesitate to email or call.”
Bryce silently hoped she would check out and he would finally be able to become a dad.
*****
Lateisha started out of the office and Bryce followed behind. She turned with confusion, opening her mouth to say something and then closing it. Being polite and proper seemed important to him and she needed that thirty-thousand.
“I’ll walk you to the lobby if you don’t mind? I have a dinner meeting anyway.” He said.
That was when she realized he was carrying his briefcase and had shrugged into his suit jacket. When did he do that?
“Sure. I don’t mind,” Lateisha replied, standing taller and trying not to fidget with her uncomfortable dress clothing.
They filed into the elevator and Lateisha pressed against the wall on the right side. Instead of moving further away, Bryce stood next to her, his arm brushing her shoulder. Lateisha ignored the feeling of electricity that shot through her at the contact. Bryce Henderson was not the type of guy she usually went for. He was too buttoned up and proper. Besides, this was a business deal and she didn’t want to complicate it with sex or whatever it was she felt for him. Lateisha broke the contact, leaning further into the wall of the elevator. Bryce shifted a bit to the left, seeming to need the distance as much as she did. Lateisha didn’t risk looking at him, afraid of what he would say or do. The elevator reached the lobby and they both went for the doors at the same time, their bodies brushing against one another again.
“Sorry,” Lateisha muttered, stepping back to let Bryce go through.