“Nothing.”
As the waitress walked over with my drink, she also brought us our food.
“If there’s anything else you gentlemen need, just ask.” She winked at me.
“Listen, bro. You gave me your word. It’s time to pay up.”
“I’m really surprised at you, Julius. I honestly didn’t think you’d make it. Why don’t we extend the bet to three years?”
“Hell no.” He laughed. “You said we wouldn’t make it to our second anniversary, and we did. You lost, I won, and now you’ll honor our bet. So, I’ll get everything started on my end after lunch. I’ll expect you in my office tomorrow morning.” He smiled.
“One month, Julius. We agreed that if I lost, it would only be for one month.”
“You’re right and it will be. You have my word. Plus, I’ll bury you in the back so the chances of someone finding your profile will literally be zero.”
“I’m trusting you, Julius. I’ll be by your office tomorrow morning.”
Chapter 2
Harper
It was on my thirtieth birthday that I made my final decision to do something I wanted my whole life. There wasn’t any question or doubt in my mind. I’d had enough of men and the constant heartbreak that followed. The final straw was when my fiancé, Kevin, called it quits three months before we were to be married. He sat me down one night and told me he just wasn’t one hundred percent sure I was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He told me he still loved me, but maybe not enough for the rest of our lives. As you could imagine, it broke me beyond belief. We lost all the deposits we had put down on everything and my wedding dress was nonrefundable. So not only was I out a shitload of money, I was alone and heartbroken beyond repair.
“Are you one hundred percent sure you want to do this?” my best friend Charlotte asked.
“Yeah, Harper? This isn’t something you can back out of if you change your mind. Once it’s done, it’s done,” my other best friend, Laurel spoke.
“I know that. Come on. We’ve known each other since college. You know me and you know what I’ve always dreamed of.”
“Yes. We know,” Charlotte spoke. “But you’ll meet the right guy who will love and cherish you and want the same thing.”
“You still have time, Harper. You’re only thirty years old,” Laurel said.
“And we can see how well things have worked out for me. The clock is ticking away, and this is what I want.”
“Raising a child alone and on your own will be hard,” Laurel said.
“Technically, she won’t be alone,” Charlotte spoke. “She has us.”
“I know, but you know what I mean.”
“Why the hell do I need a man to raise a child? Men are basically children themselves and need to be taken care of. This is what I want and I’m doing it. With or without your support.”
Both Charlotte and Laurel got up from their seats, walked over to me, and gave me a hug.
“We’ll always support your decisions no matter what,” Charlotte said.
“And we’ll always be here for you.” Laurel hugged me tight.
Chapter 3
One Month Later
Grayson
I was sitting at my desk going over some contracts when my phone rang.
“Hey, Julius.”
“Grayson, can you come to my office? I have everything back.”
I sighed. “When?”
“I can see you in an hour.”
“Fine. I’ll be there but you better have some bourbon on hand.”
“Will do, bro.” He laughed. “See you soon.”
I ended the call and leaned back in my chair as I threw my pen across my desk. This was humiliating and I wouldn’t be in this position if Julius would have gotten divorced before the two years were up. Fuck my life.
“I’m heading to meet Julius. I should be back in a couple of hours,” I spoke to Christine as I passed by her desk.
“Don’t forget you have a meeting at two o’clock.”
“I haven’t forgotten.” I sighed.
“Good morning, Mr. Rhodes.” Brianna, his secretary smiled as she bit down on her bottom lip.
“Good morning, beautiful.” I winked. “He’s expecting me.”
“He told me to tell you to have a seat and he’ll be back in a few minutes. Can I get you some coffee?” She flirted.
“I’d love some.”
She got up from her seat and I watched her strut her sexy body down the hallway to the break room. Damn. What I wouldn’t give to fuck her. But I was under strict instructions from Julius that she was off limits. I figured he wanted her for himself, but it turned out he was only protecting her from me.
As I took a seat across from his desk, I picked up the picture of him and Yasmin. Rolling my eyes, I set it down as Brianna stepped in and handed me my coffee.
“Here you go, Mr. Rhodes.” She smiled. “If there’s anything else I can give you, all you have to do is ask. I would never say no.”
“Brianna, that’s enough. Shut the door on your way out,” Julius spoke as he walked in.
“How the fuck have you never stuck your dick in her yet?” I asked.
“Because I’m in love and I’m married. But you wouldn’t know anything about that.” He cocked his head. “And again I will warn you. Whatever filthy ideas you have running through that head of yours where Brianna is concerned, just stop. You are not to even look at her.”
“You’re such a fucking cock blocker. Now why am I here?”
“I have all of your test results.” He grinned as he held up a file folder.
“And?”
“First things first. Never fuck without a condom. Your sperm are some of the best I’ve seen in a long time. Strong and fast.”
“Of course they are.” A smirk crossed my lips.
“Second, your genetic screening came back perfect. I would tend to disagree, but the test results don’t lie. And you’re clean. No trace of any sexually transmitted diseases. Which surprised me with the women you sleep with.”
“You’re a douchebag, Julius.” I narrowed my eye at him.
He gave me a smile and continued.
“I need you to sign this waiver of parental rights form. Even though we’ll never need it, I need you to sign it. It’s just a formality, and it will be trashed with everything else in a month.”
“I can’t fucking believe I agreed to this.” I picked up a pen and signed the form.
“You need to be careful with your words, my friend. A bet is a bet. Here is your profile. I took the liberty of writing it for you.” He handed me the paper.
“Where the fuck did you get this picture of me when I was three?” I asked.
“Celia gave it to me.”
“My grandfather’s housekeeper?” I cocked my head.
“Yeah. I stopped by and told her I was putting a collage together for a party I was throwing you.” He laughed.