So, I was determined to find a surrogate to carry a child for me. The scare that I’d had with the doctor giving me the bad news made me realize that there wasn’t much time left. I needed to make a baby right away— not only because, according to Dr. Milton, if I didn’t act now I might lose any chance I may have, but for other reasons I didn’t even like to think about because they were too damn depressing.
After eight calls to different agencies and being flat out turned down or being told that I basically had to jump through hoops of fire to get a surrogate, I started to get a little disappointed. It seems that paying a lot of money to have someone carry my baby is harder than I thought it would be.
But then, I mentioned how much money I had. And how I would happily pay any amount required to have a baby. Then, everyone changed their tune. Suddenly, it was all about getting me what I wanted— but not nearly in the way that I wanted it, or on my own timeline. Apparently, not even a shit ton of money can buy those things.
One of the things that they told me is that I would have to leave the house to do this. I tried to see if arrangements could be made for a surrogate to come to my house. I was even willing to pay a lot extra for it. No such luck.
It was going to be a parade of lawyers, surrogacy agency representatives and potential candidates, not to mention that I didn’t want just any surrogate. I wanted one that I was comfortable with and that’s a tall order. So, that meant tedious interviews until I found the perfect one. It just seemed like the agency wanted me to take part in some type of lottery where the nearest surrogate would be assigned to me. I wasn’t okay with that.
I was starting to get a headache just thinking about the process. I didn’t want to do any of it. I wanted to keep my peace and privacy. I didn’t want to be exposed to the rest of the world, have people staring at me, reminding me why no one would ever accept me in the first place.
Plus, for those reasons I didn’t like to think about, I needed to start the surrogacy process now, for real, so that I could have a baby for Christmas. If I didn’t, it would be too late. So, I didn’t have time to go through all this rigmarole. I needed the pregnancy to start right away.
My terrible secret was eating me up. It was part of the reason why I didn’t want to be around anyone.
If anyone were to ever know…
I couldn’t help but think about what had happened, the incident that made it hard for me to connect with other people. As much as I had tried to hide from it and forget about it, there it was almost staring me in the face.
I couldn’t think about it. As soon as I had a baby, I could face it, but not before then. It looked as if I really would have to do this process the old fashioned way. It seemed that even though Mother Nature worked slowly, her timeline was surprisingly faster than waiting around on some agency to make decisions.
It was clear that I was going to have to take matters into my own hands— or, cock. And hopefully I could find a willing participant.
Chapter 8 – Hope
I had never dressed up to work at cleaning job, but before I left home, I put on a skirt with a tight sweater. I took extra time to fix my hair and tame my wild curls. I even threw on a little makeup.
I wanted to do whatever it took to make up for my mess up. I needed to try to smooth things over and hope to God that it worked well enough for Mr. King to let my mom keep her job. As upset and stressed as she already was, I knew that losing her highest paying client would have stressed her out even more.
Pulling up to the gate, my heart started to beat faster. I could almost feel the blood rushing there. My stomach started flipping so much. I was afraid that I was going to puke. I had to will my sweaty hands to stop shaking or else the warm apple pie I was holding in my hands was going to be on the ground.
“Get it together, Hope,” I said under my breath as I stood at the front door.
I walked inside and through the hallway, listening carefully to any sound that might tell me where Mr. King might be. I heard papers rustling from his office. The door was slightly cracked and the light was on. I took another deep breath, walked up to the door, and knocked.
“Who is it?” came his gruff, impatient voice.
“It’s Hope. Eve’s daughter.”
There was silence for a few moments.
“Yes?” he finally asked.
“I was hoping that I could talk to you. And I come bearing gifts. I baked you a warm apple pie. It’s still warm. Fresh out of the oven.”
“Well, put it in the kitchen. I’m busy.”
That was not the response that I had been hoping for. Dejectedly, I turned to head back down the hall to the kitchen.
But, then, I changed my mind. I pushed the office door open wide and walked through it.
He was shocked and tried to say words of protest. He turned away quickly, his back to me.
“I know that we got off on the wrong foot,” I said. “But, please hear me out. I know that I may have upset you by being in the library. And I’m sorry. I was in the wrong with that. I deserve to have you be mad at me. But, my mother really needs this job. She is struggling pretty bad right now health wise and financially. That’s why I help her out. Because I would do anything to help take the stress off of her. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”
He didn’t move. He didn’t say a word. I wasn’t even sure if he’d heard me or not. I felt like I’d failed.
Putting the pie on his desk, I said, “Well, I made this for you, as a peace offering. Even if you don’t want peace, you can still have a bite. I’m going to go clean now. Again, I’m so sorry if I upset you at all and it will never happen again.”
He still didn’t say anything. The only sound that could be heard was the echo of my footsteps as I left the room.
I couldn’t believe that he didn’t say a word. I would have been happier if he at least had said something, even if he would have yelled. It was rude and mean of him to completely ignore me like that. And if he weren’t a client of my mother’s, I would have told him as much.
I went to the kitchen, the room farthest from the corner of the house where he was— which I knew now that I had oriented myself somewhat to this huge cabin— and started cleaning. I was determined to clean his house in record time so that he would be impressed, but mostly so that I could get out of there as soon as possible.
The more that I cleaned and thought about what had happened, the more upset that I became.
Who did he think that he was? Just because he was my mother’s employer didn’t excuse his rudeness. I got angrier and more frustrated by the minute.
It’s no wonder he’s out here secluded, I thought. He’s such a monster, inside and out.
Yet, I could feel my pussy clench and some wetness dripping out. I had to admit that his mysteriousness turned me on. And, he hadn’t told me to leave. He let me put my pie down and go clean. Maybe there’s a soft side to him yet. I just had to find a way to convince him to let it come out.
Chapter 9 – Hope
Sweat was trickling down my breasts in rivulets as I scrubbed, washed, and cleaned every corner of the house. I felt like I was moving in fast forward with how hard I was working.
I hoped that as I worked, the feeling of frustration that I had would leave me. But, I actually found the opposite to be true. The more I cleaned, the more I found myself thinking about how rude Mr. King had been.
Exactly who did he think he was, anyway? What an asshole. My mother had been amazing to him. Simply my being there was proof of the fact that she was willing to do anything to keep her clients happy, even when she wasn’t doing well herself.
The fact that Mr. King could be anything other than grateful was really irking my nerves and making me want to say something. Before I finished up the last few rooms, I felt like I just had to say something. I couldn’t hold it in any longer.
I marched up to his office door and didn’t bother knocking. I pushed open the door and walked right in. He was on the phon
e when I walked in. He paused mid sentence and quickly told whoever he was talking to that he would have to call them back. As soon as he hung up the phone, the words starting to spill out of me like an avalanche.
“Look, I just need to get some things off my chest. Things are not easy for my family right now. My mom is the only one caring for our family and her health is failing pretty badly. We’re so behind on bills and my mother is very stressed on top of being sick. I have two younger brothers who depend on her. She can’t afford to lose her job.”
I paused, hoping that he would say something, anything.
He didn’t. He just stared stoically, with his arms crossed.
It got so bad, I didn’t know if I wanted to scream, cry, or just run. I could feel the tears beginning to well up in my eyes before I had a chance to stop them.
“I’m really sorry! Please don’t fire my mom! She cries and it breaks my heart. If you’re going to blame anybody, just blame me. I didn’t listen to her and disrespected your wishes. But, I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just that you have a huge, beautiful house and I’ve never seen anything like it and…”
I knew that I was rambling, but I didn’t care. I had to do everything that I possibly could to try to save my mom’s job.
“You know what? I’ll make a deal with you. If you let my mom keep her job, after she feels better, you will never have to see my face again. You won’t have any more problems after this with me. I promise.”
I waited, eyes fixed on his face. His eyebrows simply furrowed as he looked at me in silence. I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t know what to do. His silence was maddening. Infuriating. And, strangely, I thought, as wetness puddled in my panties, a turn on.
I had to get out of there before I threw myself at him and begged him to take my virginity. I didn’t even know what had come over me.
Backing out of the room, I said, “I guess I’ll be going, then.”
I turned around and headed to the sitting room where I had been cleaning. I picked up a spray bottle and rag and got ready to dust the wooden cherry furniture.
I wiped away a stray tear that fell with my sleeve, counting down the seconds before I could put that house and that man in my rearview mirror.
Chapter 10 – Hope
I felt thrown off somehow for the rest of the week. I kept forgetting things. My sleep was off. I felt like a huge fog had settled over my brain. And everyone seemed to notice it because I kept seeing peoples’ faces twist up in confusion as they asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
I told myself that I needed to snap out of it, but I wasn’t even quite sure what “it” was. I had been angry and sad after leaving Mr. King’s house, but there was something else. I just couldn’t pinpoint the feeling. And it was enough to keep me off balance. I was pretty sure it had to do with my raging libido. Mr. King had lit a fire in me that I couldn’t seem to extinguish.
Then, something happened that really sent me reeling. I was sitting at home with my mom, watching TV with her in her bed. It was one of my favorite things to do and it was one of her better days. We watched a comedy and it actually got some belly laughs from her.
In the middle of our bonding time, the phone rang. It scared both of us. I screamed.
“Hello?” answered my mother softly.
She listened silently. I tried to lean over and hear what was being said, but she moved away and put the phone on her opposite ear. I could see her face grow really serious and I was starting to get worried.
“I understand,” was all she said, as she gently placed the phone back in its cradle.
She swung her feet over the side of the bed, got up, and began pacing. I really got worried then. My mother only paced when something serious was happening. And with her failing health, she paced even less.
“Mom, what’s going on?” I asked desperately.
I needed to find out what was happening, and fast. Otherwise, it was going to drive me crazy.
After some time, she spoke quietly and deliberately.
“That was Mr. King,” she said. “He says… wow… he says…”
“What did he say?” I blurted out, not able to contain myself any longer.
She blinked several times and then turned to face me. She looked over my face, examining me.
“Hope, what happened when you were at Mr. King’s house?”
My heart sunk. I had a feeling that this was not going to be good.
“I told you. I apologized and gave him the pie, I cleaned his house, and then I left.”
She looked at me like she was trying to decide whether or not I was lying.
“Are you sure?” she asked again.
“Yes!” I sighed, irritated at being kept in the dark. “What’s going on? What happened?”
She shook her head and laughed.
“I can’t believe it. Hope! He says that he really likes you and is asking that you come out to his house tomorrow. He says he wants to offer you a job and pay you double what he has already been paying.”
My mother grabbed my face in her hands and placed a big, juicy kiss on my forehead.
“Our prayers have been answered. I don’t know what you did, but it looks like what we thought was going to be a bad thing actually turned out to be pretty good!”
She leaned back and sighed happily. A look of happy calm came over my mother’s face. I hadn’t seen her look so satisfied like that in a long time.
I went off to bed, saying that I was tired, but it really was my turn to be confused and try to think. Why had he made that offer? He hadn’t said a single word to me as I stood there blubbering and spilling out my guts begging and pleading.
Maybe I had gotten through to him somehow. Either way, I went to sleep, eager to find out what the next day would bring.
I woke up before dawn cracked and began washing, blow drying, and straightening my hair. I put on makeup and wore a cute plaid skirt with knee high socks and a frilly white blouse with a matching plaid blazer. I wanted to look my best when I went to see Mr. King.
When I got there, he was standing at the front door, like he had been waiting for me to get there.
“I’m so glad that you came,” he said. “Follow me.”
He turned and began walking toward his study.
We walked in silence, our footsteps echoing down the long, dark hall. His shoulders were wide and high as he walked with determination.
Once inside the study, he walked behind his desk and sat down, motioning for me to sit in a chair across from him.
For a while, he didn’t speak. He just sat with his fingers peaked to a point in front of his face, and stared. His eyes were so piercing.
“Hope, I brought you here because I need something from you.”
He stopped and didn’t say another word. I was more confused now than I was before I’d walked through the doors. This man went from being angry at me, to not speaking to me at all, to wanting to pay me double. And now he wanted something?
The nerve of him.
And yet, I was intrigued. There was something about his nearly silent, authoritative tone that got my attention. And turned me on.
My stomach did a little flip and I swallowed hard. My pussy tightened, although it was dripping wet.
“I’m listening,” I said, scooting to the edge of the chair.
Chapter 11 – Darren
“What do you need from me?” asked Hope, hesitantly.
She was skeptical, and rightfully so. I hadn’t given her any indication as to what I might want and, given the fact that we hadn’t started off on the best of terms, she had even more of a reason to be skeptical.
“Well, I need a baby for Christmas.”
She got quiet, for once, and had a blank look on her face. I silently urged her to say something. One of the reasons I hadn’t been able to get her out of my mind all this time was that she was a little spitfire of spunkiness and sassiness. She was always talking. But this time, there was nothing. Not a peep.
&
nbsp; Then, she erupted in laughter. She laughed so hard for a moment that I thought she was going to fall out of her chair.
After what seemed like an eternity, she finally stopped laughing, sat upright, and stared at me inquisitively.
“You can’t be serious,” she said, in a way that sounded like it was more of a question than a statement.
“As much as I would love to be able to provide comic relief this morning, I am very serious.”
“That is more than the ‘please deep clean my bathroom’ request that I was expecting,” she said. “I’m going to need some time to process that. And I know that it’s not quite a baby, but…”
She pulled a pie out of a bag that she had been clutching under her arm and placed it on my desk.
“I baked another apple pie for you. I’m not sure if you liked the first one or not, but I like baking pies. I just wanted to thank you for being so understanding and not firing my mom. It means more to me than I can express.”
“You’re welcome,” I said.
I tried hard to resist the urge to smile. I think I failed somewhat because my lips creased slightly, despite my best intentions. Leave it to her to make me a pie.
Looking down at the desk next to where she had placed the pie, she asked, “Is this contract for me?”
“Well, yes, actually,” I informed her. “I was hoping that you might agree to the terms of the contract today, because time is of the essence.”
She glanced over the contract as if she was trying to make sense of it.
“Basically, I am willing to compensate you very well for what I want,” I told her. “The terms state that you will be paid one million dollars for carrying my baby to term. You will receive $50,000 upon signing the contract and agreeing to the terms and will receive the rest once the baby is delivered. And, most importantly, the terms state that you will have nothing to do with the baby once it’s born.”
Hold Onto Me_A Secret Baby Romance Page 92