by Lulu Pratt
But I don’t mind. I would do it all again. I’m just glad that Simon is okay, and as I leave Ben’s home and the morning sun hits my face, I relish the chance to head home and take a nap.
“Thanks again,” Ben says to me as he walks me to my car. “Seriously. Simon will be okay. A small concussion, nothing he can’t handle. Should be up and running again in no time.”
“It’s okay, really,” I respond as I climb in my car. “You would do the same for me.”
“And I hope that one day, I get the chance,” he says back.
I know what he means. He wants me to have a child of my own almost as much as I want a child. He’s my biggest champion and thinks that I would make a great father. I hope that soon, I will be able to prove him right.
***
I wake up to the sight of the setting sun. It’s disorientating, and it takes me a while to collect myself and remember what happened the night before. But as I sit up, it all slowly comes back to me.
I’m in my own bed, back home. As soon as I got back from Ben’s place, I took a much-needed nap. That nap evidently turned into full-on sleep. The setting sun indicates that I have been out for at least seven hours.
Still a little out of it, I reach across my bed and pick up my cell phone. I dial Ben’s number, wanting to see how he and Simon are doing.
“Hey bud, how are you feeling?” Ben asks the moment he answers.
“I’m fine,” I say dismissively. “How’s Simon, though? He’s the one who was in hospital. Not me.”
“Oh, he’s fine. Janet’s with him now,” Ben sounds happy, and I’m glad that his son is okay. “Say, what are you doing?”
“Nothing,” I say. “Passing time until it’s dark enough for me to go back to bed.” I am still tired and knew that the moment I am able, I would be back in bed.
“Feel like getting a drink? It’s on me.”
“Now how can I pass that up,” I say with a chuckle.
***
The bar that I meet Ben at is about as close to a neighborhood bar as Ben or I have. He lives about twenty minutes away from me, so the bar is as close to halfway between our houses as we could find. We always meet here when he can pull himself away from the family.
“You look awful,” he jokes as I pull up a seat at the table. He got here before me and, in true Ben fashion, has already ordered my drink. I pick it up and take a long, deep sip, savoring the taste.
“Thanks. I didn’t have time to do my hair unfortunately.”
“Well, in the future, can you make the time? I’m the one who has to look at you.” He chuckles to himself as he joins me in the drink. “Now tell me, Blake, what or rather who was it that I pulled you away from last night? I know it was something.”
“Oh,” I begin, suddenly realizing that I really don’t want to talk about Carrie. And it’s not because I don’t care about her, but the exact opposite. I don’t want Ben, or anybody else, judging her. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
“Damn, she’s that serious?” He asks, nodding his head to himself as he does, as if he already knows the answers.
“What? No. I mean, who said it was a girl I was with?”
“Well, you just did. Plus, how long have I known you? Where else would you be?”
“At work? Meetings? Clients? I could have been doing lots of things.” As I speak, I notice the look on Ben’s face. He isn’t having any of it. “Okay, fine. I was on a date. You happy?”
“Always,” he beams to himself. “But it has nothing to do with you. Now tell me, who is she?”
“Just a girl,” I begin, as I try my best to act nonchalant. “Her name’s Carrie. We met at my high-school reunion. She was a waitress there. We’ve been on a couple of dates. So, it’s no big deal. Last night was our second, and truth be told, it was actually pretty good and…” I trail off as I become aware of how much I am talking. The whole time, Ben watches me, nodding while wearing a very obvious smirk.
“Sounds like you’re in love,” he jokes, taking another sip of his drink.
“What?” I say, a little too quickly. “Not possible. Not by a long shot.”
Although I say the words, I don’t believe them. Not fully anyway. Although I don’t want to say the L word, there is definitely something between Carrie and me that defies explanation. There’s more there than just a fling.
“Okay, whatever you want to say,” he continues, still wearing that same smug look. “Just know that I’m your best friend, and I’ve never heard you say more than two words about a girl. Ever.”
“Whatever,” I say as I shake my head.
But as I take another sip, watching Ben out of the corner of my eye, I can’t help but hate how much he knows me. And worse than that, I can’t help but hate how on the money he is.
Despite what I tell myself, I’d be lying if I don’t admit that I have feelings for Carrie. Ones that I can’t explain, no matter how hard I try.
Chapter 14
CARRIE
I’m sitting at my laptop, staring at the screen in shock, my mouth hanging open. I look at the page several times, and each time that I do, I become more and more convinced that what I am seeing isn’t true. It can’t be? And yet, there is no way that it isn’t.
I woke up with thoughts of Lyndsey. Even though I wasn’t adopted into her family until I was eight, she always did her best to make me feel like I belonged. For that, I was forever grateful and could never thank her enough.
So, as I lay in bed, I decided to do something that I hadn’t done since she had died. I was going to delete her Facebook page. Her parents, well, my adoptive parents, asked me to handle the technical side of things concerning Lyndsey’s death and I readily agreed. Closing her Facebook account may seem like a small thing, but to me, it is a huge deal. It’s an admission that she is gone. Forever.
I hadn’t so much as touched it since she passed as she hardly used it, and now, it is like I am erasing her. But it has to be done. For closure, if nothing else.
But before I deleted it, I decided to go through her old photos, and that was when I saw him. Photos of Blake, a much younger Blake, plastered throughout an album of her high school memories before Facebook. As I devoured each photo, I very slowly began to realize who Blake is.
He is Lyndsey’s ex-boyfriend. The two dated in high school and broke up just before college. I never met the guy, but I knew of him. One thing in particular, I remember it like it was yesterday. Lyndsey came to me in tears. She told me that she had gotten pregnant by Blake. But that wasn’t why she was crying. She was crying because she said that he dumped her once she told him she was pregnant. She then had a miscarriage and to cope with the sadness she started drinking and doing drugs, which spiraled out of control over time. Her twenties were spent in and out of rehab. My sister had only just got her life back on track when she died.
I sit at my laptop, still staring at her Facebook page. I can’t believe that it is him. I should have known that he knew Lyndsey, as the two went to the same high school and were in the same year, but I never made the connection.
And now, he wants me to have his baby. The irony isn’t lost on me one little bit.
What is odd is how torn I am by the whole thing. On the one hand, a part of me has hated this man since that day Lyndsey came to me. I used to lie awake and plot what I would do if I ever came across him in real life. The revenge I would seek. But now, I don’t know what to do. I like him. I do. But do I like him enough?
Sure, he’s handsome and sweet, but he hurt my sister. He broke her apart, and from that, she never recovered. Despite my feelings for the guy, I just don’t know if I can go through with what he wants.
I seethe as more and more memories come back to me. That day in particular, as my sister wept on the floor of my bedroom. Lost in the moment, I come up with a plan, a delightfully devilish one that my sister would be proud of.
I am going to have his baby. And I will take his money. But when I do, I will also take the baby with me. I w
ill disappear off the map and raise the baby as my own, in honor of Lyndsey. Yes, that’s all I can do. It’s what I have to do.
The moment the plan settles in, I pick up my phone and text Blake, “I’ll do it.” I know that if I don’t, I will chicken out. The text goes through, and I stare at my phone, wondering if I have done the right thing. Yes, I have.
It’s as I stare at my phone that it suddenly vibrates in my hand. It’s Blake calling me. I consider not answering. I don’t know if I can speak to him right now. But cooler heads prevail and I do.
“Hello,” I say.
“Do you mean it?” He asks on the other end of the line.
“I do,” I say.
Despite myself, I can’t help but smile.
“Amazing!” he says. “I’m looking forward to making a baby with you.”
“Oh yeah?” I say coyly. “Make? I thought we were going to do an insemination type thing?”
“We could do that, I suppose,” he says, sounding as if he is thinking on it. “But where is the fun in that?”
“I didn’t know this was for fun,” I say. As I do, I stand and walk over to my bed, sitting on the end of it.
“It isn’t, but why not have some anyway? It will be worth your while, I promise.”
“Oh, yeah,” I breath down the line, making my voice nice and throaty. “How worth it?”
“I wish I didn’t have to leave the other night. Then I would have shown you. But let’s just say that you’re going to be getting more than you bargained for. A whole lot more.”
I don’t know how it has happened, but I suddenly find myself becoming very hot. Intolerably hot. And not from the weather, but the words being spoken by Blake. His voice is deep and sexual, and his words are even more so.
I imagine him on the other end, playing with himself, and it sends a pulse of electricity up my spine. Sure, I plan on ruining him, but why not have some fun in the meantime? Just like he said.
“Tell me more,” I breathe again. “Will I be able to handle it?”
“Oh, we’ll make it work. One inch at a time.” I can hear his breathing intensifying.
I moan. “How many inches. I’m not very big down there.”
“I am,” he says. “But don’t worry. I’ll slide all ten of them in, nice and slow. Right up to the base.”
“Ten?” I gasp, not even by accident. If he is telling the truth, then he is well-endowed. Just the thought of that makes me wet. I can feel it.
“That’s right,” he says, and I can almost hear him smiling. “Do you like big equipment?”
“I do.”
“What do you like to do with them?” He asks.
I pause as I contemplate what I am doing and if I should continue. I’ve never had phone sex before, and I wonder if now is the time. But I am alone in my room and incredibly turned on, so I figure why not.
“I like to grip it in my hand,” I say. “I like to stroke it up and down.”
“Keep going,” he says.
“I like to put it in my mouth and swirl my tongue around it until it’s nice and wet.”
“And then?”
“And then I like to sit on it. I like to feel it slide all the way up me. Fill me.”
“Tell me more, Carrie. You have my attention,” he chuckles down the line.
I want him. I want to be wherever he is and do the things I talk about, but for real. I can’t, since we’re not together right now. So instead, I settle for phone sex. I see it as a warm up to the main course, a course I can’t wait to eat.
“And once you are inside me,” I begin, lying on my back.
My hand moves down to my thighs. It’s about to be one hell of an afternoon.
Chapter 15
BLAKE
The spread in front of me looks delicious. It’s made up of sandwiches, pastries and, of course, mini chocolate cakes, Carrie’s favorite.
I check my watch, grimacing when I see that Carrie is late. It’s only a few minutes, but it disappointments me. That’s just the way I am, and more importantly, it’s why I am where I am today. I decide not to make a big deal of it though. Not today. Today, we have bigger things to discuss.
I can’t even describe how pleased I was the other day when Carrie texted me that she agreed to have my baby.
And if that wasn’t enough to make the day the best I had experienced in a long while, the phone sex we had after was something else. If she is half as dirty as she made herself out to be on the phone, then having this baby with Carrie is going to be one hell of a ride. And I mean that in the most literal sense.
It’s because of her decision to go through with my proposal that I am currently waiting for her. I’m in my office, located at my production company’s headquarters. I chose the spot for its formal setting and for what we have to do. She is coming over to hammer out the agreement and the legalities behind it. It’s a boring process, but one that has to be taken care of.
As I check my watch again, I reach forward and pluck a pastry off the table. I hired a catering service to bring some food over, deciding that they best drop off the food and leave before Carrie arrives.
I don’t know how those who work in catering feel about other caterers, and I want to avoid the awkwardness. Not to mention the fact that I want Carrie in the best mood possible. Today is everything.
I finish eating the pastry and am about to take another when my receptionist calls through to announce Carrie.
Carrie walks in. As always, she looks divine. Today, she wears a simple strapless blue dress that hugs her waist. It flares out at the bottom and stops short of her knees. The dress accentuates her firm legs, and her bosom sits tightly in it, too. If I were to guess, I would say she isn’t wearing a bra.
“Sorry, I’m late,” she puffs as she closes the door behind her. “I got lost.”
“That’s fine,” I say. “Something to eat?”
“Oh,” she says in a surprised tone as she spots the food. “No, I’m sorry. I ate earlier. Plus, if we’re going to do this.” She pats her stomach, as if implying that she needs to watch her weight.
“Please,” I say with a smirk. “I think you’re the last person who has to worry about that. Have you seen you lately?”
“Not in the last few hours.” She smirks back as she walks up to my desk. Reaching it, she leans against it so that she is facing me. “So, should we get started?”
“All business?” I say. “I like that. But okay, here goes. The first thing I want to ask about is STDs and birth control.”
“Wow,” she exclaims. “To the point.”
“Always,” I say seriously, maintaining eye contact. I’ve entered business mode, and I need her to know that now, I am in charge. Playtime is over.
I pull out a sheet from my doctor that confirms I have been tested for STDs and that I am clean. I hand it to Carrie, who looks over the sheet as she takes a seat.
She reads it over and then speaks. “Well, as far as birth control goes, I have been using condoms and foam as I haven’t been in a serious relationship for a while. No point in messing with hormones when you don’t have to. And as for STDs, here you are.”
She reaches into her handbag and pulls out a piece of paper.
I take the paper and look over it. Like mine, it’s from a doctor, indicating that she is free of any STDs. I hated having to ask her, but I’m careful like that.
“Next up is ovulation.”
“Saturday is when we will be able to start trying, I hope,” she says. “I’m not going to bore or confuse you with the finer details.” She smirks.
“Perfect!” I say, crumpling the notice and tossing it in the trash. “Now, what’s next?”
“The money,” she hurries.
I can tell that this is what has really been on her mind. I can’t blame her, as it’s the primary reason that she said yes in the first place.
“Oh, of course, the money,” I say, leaning back in my chair and whacking my forehead as if it had slipped my mind. “What wa
s the agreed-upon amount again?”
“Two million dollars,” she says, licking her lips as she does.
“And you’re getting laid regularly,” I joke. “You’ve really hit the jackpot.”
“To be honest, it’s more money than I’ve ever seen, let alone had. I don’t know what I’ll do with it all.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” I say as I reach into my desk drawer. Opening it, I pull out a document that I had my lawyers draft. It’s a legal form in duplicate that stipulates payment of the funds once the baby is born.
I hand them over to Carrie to sign. Once she has them, she reads through the contract meticulously, more than I would have thought. In fact, as I watch her, I am certain that she reads it twice. And it is only when she is satisfied that she takes a pen and countersigns both copies.
“There,” she says smiling. “Done and done.”
“Perfect!” I exclaim, taking one of the signed forms and slipping it back into my desk drawer. “The other one is for your records. Now, have I told you how perfect you look today?”
“No,” she says, trying to hide her smile.
“Well, you do. More than that even.” I walk over to her and slip my hand around her waist, pulling her onto my lap. She lets me, falling onto it.
“But wait,” she says, still smiling. “I don’t start until Saturday.”
I frown. “You know what? I’m willing to get an early start on the whole thing if you are? Just in case.”
“Just in case,” she nods.
I smile as my hand strokes her back, slowly moving across her soft skin. Holding her stare the entire time, I sit myself up straighter, leaning forward. She copies, leaning down and kissing me on the lips. I can already feel the fire.
Chapter 16
CARRIE