“Hell, no,” I said a little too loudly. A few patrons turned our way. I lowered my voice. “I won’t take a chance there’s a screwup and they put the wrong sperm in you.”
“Better for you.”
“Better for us. I think I’ve proven that.”
Her lips twitched.
“There is one thing I should point out. From this moment forward, your pretty pussy is mine. I can’t chance that someone else will get you pregnant.” When she started to balk, I pointed at the check in front of her. “I think you’ve been properly compensated for your time.”
“That makes me sound like a hooker.”
“No, that makes you more like a surrogate.” That was the wrong thing to say as I watched her cringe. “I didn’t mean it that way, though if you are found to be an unfit mother, I will retain full custody.” Her back stiffened. “I don’t see that as a problem. And if you do, you will see that it’s language to protect our child. The language goes both ways. If you feel I’m unfit, you can seek full custody.”
She relaxed some and flipped through the pages like she was shuffling cards. “Why so many pages?”
I shrugged. “My lawyer drafted it. You can have a lawyer of your choosing review it. And with this first payment, you should have enough money to pay for one. But I will cover that expense as you need that money for more urgent matters. Just send me the bill.”
She nodded. “So what’s next?”
“Besides dinner?”
She laughed some. “Yes, besides dinner.”
I pulled up my phone. “I have an app that can assist figuring out when you’ll be ovulating after you answer a few questions.”
“Seriously?”
“No need to be shy now. We will be parents. I need to know when your last period was.”
She turned a lovely shade of red that made my dick uncomfortably hard. But she answered that and several more questions.
“It looks like this coming weekend you’ll ovulate. We need to get those tests run tonight.”
She pointed at her chest. “Just me?”
I shook my head. “Me too. You need assurances just like I do.”
“That’s magnanimous of you.”
“That’s selfish of me. I want inside of you with nothing between us as soon as possible. In fact, after tonight, you will be in my bed every night until I’m positive you’re pregnant with my child.”
Her brow arched. I lifted my glass of Scotch and sipped.
Then I added, “Unless you want to rip up that check and walk away.”
Seven
Molly
Tests. Ovulating. Sleeping with him every night. As the saying went, this shit was getting real. Then I reminded myself about Mom, the stack of bills, and Dad sitting behind bars.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m in.” I pulled my gaze away from my knotted fingers up to his magnificent silver-gray eyes. I found myself drowning in them as my worries about Mom and Dad faded away. All I could remember was Hugh sliding in and out of me, and how amazing the sex had been. I crossed my legs, hoping that would ease the building pressure. “Um…” I cleared my throat. “I also don’t have a problem sleeping with you either.”
A smile grew across his face. “Good. Then shall we proceed?”
“Proceed?”
“With our plans?”
“Oh, right.” My heart thudded in my chest.
“Don’t be nervous, Molly. I can’t be that bad.”
“No, it’s not that.”
“Then what?”
“What will I tell Chloe? She’s bound to call and wonder what’s happened to me.”
He leaned across the table and picked up one of my hands. “Don’t worry about Chloe. She no longer works for me. And when the time comes, we’ll figure something out.”
“I wonder why she hasn’t called me,” I mused out loud. I couldn’t believe she’d quit and hadn’t said anything to me.
“Why don’t we run by your place after dinner so you can pack a few things, since you’ll be spending your nights with me?”
My thoughts raced as words froze on my tongue. How awkward was this going to be? I would basically be living with him until my pregnancy was confirmed.
“What’s running around in that head of yours?”
“Nothing, other than figuring out what I need to bring.”
“You sure about that?”
Why was he so observant? “Yes, I’m sure.”
Our food arrived and the waiter asked if we needed anything else. Since my brain was so addled, Hugh had ordered for me. That was something I never let a man do, but he did not disappoint. Sitting before me was a lovely filet mignon and a mouthwatering stuffed baked potato. When I cut into the steak, it was cooked to perfection.
“How is everything?”
“Delicious.” I practically moaned the words. I never ate like this, being on the tight budget that I was.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”
I polished off my plate without even noticing that he was watching me eat. At least not until I finished and looked up to see him staring at me. I wiped my mouth with the crisp linen napkin and immediately stared down at my empty plate.
“I’m sorry,” I said in a hushed tone.
“Whatever for?”
“I inhaled my food and didn’t talk much.”
“You enjoyed a good meal and that’s important, especially if you’ll be carrying my child. Besides, I hate to see a woman pick at her food. It’s extremely annoying. You buy a dinner, you ought to eat the damn thing.”
I jerked up to see his mouth twitching with humor, and I laughed with him. He didn’t seem to be an overly lighthearted guy, so I was seeing a different side to him, and I liked it.
“You won’t have to worry about that with me. I enjoy eating, as you can probably tell.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I aimed my thumb toward my hips. “I’m not one of those super skinny girls. That’s all.”
“You look perfect to me and that’s all that counts.”
I took the compliment. I was never happy with my body, but then again, what woman was?
We finished our wine and Hugh paid the bill. For once, I didn’t worry about the price of the meal. What a great feeling it was, too.
Hugh escorted me outside and we waited for the valet to return with his car.
“No driver tonight?” I asked as we waited.
“No, I drove.”
A few minutes later, a silver Bentley pulled up. Hugh helped me inside and the scent of leather filled my nostrils. I’d never been in a car this fancy, other than the limo that had brought me here. Too bad this was only going to be temporary.
“Nice wheels,” I said.
“Thanks.” He pressed a button and we sped off toward my apartment. It didn’t take long to get there, as the restaurant was fairly close. I would’ve liked to stay in the car because the seats were more comfortable than my bed.
“You coming up, or do you want to just wait out here?” I asked.
“I’ll join you, if you don’t mind.”