Her voice went soft, “Oh, that’s the reason for this. I was curious, but I didn’t feel right asking you. It’s pretty nice of him to not want to leave you all alone here. I can vouch for how lonely that is. I’m all alone now too. My father died a couple of years ago. My mother has never been in the picture.”
“If you had my baby, there would be some of your blood in this world too.” The idea made me feel a lot better about having a kid with her. Not only would it benefit me, but her as well.
“I’m sure you wouldn’t want me to be around at all after the baby’s born, right?” she asked. The lilt in her voice told me she wasn’t entirely sure about being left out of the kid’s life.
What would be so bad about the kid having its mom around now and then?
“We could definitely talk about that. This thing isn’t exactly a contract, you know. I think that’s illegal. I’m not buying a baby. I want to create one with the right woman. But I don’t want a relationship with that woman. Would you be okay with that?”
“I would,” she agreed rather quickly. “But it might be nice to get to see the kid now and then. Or maybe even get to be in its life a bit more than that. That’s all I’m saying. I wouldn’t step on your toes or anything.” There was another pause. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this.”
“Aspen,” I whispered. “Don’t be so quick to pull out of this. We should meet. Talk. Get to know each other. And we can go from there. The truth is that you’re the first woman to call me that’s not crazy as a loon. I’d hate to lose you.”
“You would?” she asked.
I knew I would. “Yeah. So, how about lunch tomorrow? You pick. Anywhere you want. Make it expensive though. I never eat cheap.”
She laughed. “I never eat expensively. And I don’t have a car.”
“Not a problem. I’ll pick you up.” I was getting excited about meeting this woman. “And since you don’t usually eat expensively, how about you let me make our lunch arrangements? Do you have a nice dress and heels you can wear?” I thought about it. “No, scratch that. I’ll send over something for you to wear. Send me your address, clothing, and shoe sizes. I’ll have something brought to you in the morning for you to wear.”
“That’s too much. I’ve got nice dresses. I can’t accept anything like that. And I’m still not sure about this.”
I wasn’t about to let her off my hook. “Let’s get together and talk. If nothing comes out of it, at least you’ve got an In with my grandfather’s oil company, Miss Petroleum Engineer Major.” Now how could she pass that up?
“Okay. Thank you. I’ll text you my address, and I look forward to meeting you, Ransom Whitaker. Goodbye.”
Is this fate?
Chapter Six
Aspen
Lubbock, Texas – May 16th
Margo sat in the living room interviewing a girl I had seen around campus a few times. Cher Sandoval was a shy, reclusive art major who I thought would fit right in with us. Margo wasn’t as sure about her as she asked her, “And are you going to be okay with sharing a room with a complete stranger, Cher?”
The girl looked down, her hands on her bony knees, uncertainty billowing like a blanket around her. So I took it upon myself to take a seat next to her on the sofa to give her some confidence. “You know, I was shy, too, once upon a time. Margo helped me come out of my shell a bit. I’m sure she can help you as well. And sharing a room isn’t hard if you stay out of each other’s way as much as you can.”
Cher chewed her lip. “I guess I could get used to it.” She lifted her head to look at Margo. “What if I paid that other share of the bills though?”
Margo shrugged. “Can you come up with that much?”
There went Cher’s little dark-haired head again, down looking at the floor. “I don’t know. I only work part-time at Chick-fil-A.”
Putting my arm around her narrow shoulders, I hugged her. “Come on. I think you need a roomie to help you find yourself. It’ll be fun. You’ll see.”
“I would love to get out of my parent’s home. They kind of stifle me,” Cher admitted.
I had the feeling that her parents were controlling, keeping her home as much as they could. “It’ll be good for you. How old did you say you are?” I asked her.
“Twenty-two,” she answered. “Old enough to make my own decisions. Even if my mother doesn’t agree with me.”
Margo seemed concerned. “If you do move in here, are we going to have to worry about your mother or father butting in on our lives here, Cher?”
She shook her head as she looked at Margo. “No. My mother doesn’t like to leave the house much. She won’t come over here. She’ll do her guilting over the phone. You don’t have anything to worry about.” She looked at me then. “I’ll take the room. If that’s okay with you guys.”
Margo and I exchanged looks and smiles, then I said, “Welcome home, Cher.”
It felt good to have at least one person who had a job living in the house again. The alarm went off on my cell, letting me know I only had one hour left before Ransom Whitaker would be picking me up for our lunch meeting.
Margo looked at my cell as I pulled it out of my pocket. “What’s that about, Aspen? You have an appointment somewhere you didn’t mention? A job interview?” She held up crossed fingers, telling me she hoped it was that.
“Well, it’s kind of like that. I doubt I’ll do it, but it is a job of sorts.” I got up to go change clothes and fix myself up.
“You better do it if it’s a job, girl,” Margo told me smartly.
Cher got up to leave. “I’ll go pack my things. Um, is anyone going to be home today so I can move my things in?”
Margo fished an extra house key out of her pocket. “Here you go. This one is yours. You can come and go as you please. Just please to remember to lock the door whenever you leave. Not that we have a ton of nice things anyone could take and sell, but the few things we do have, we’d like to keep.”
“I will be sure to lock up, Margo. Thank you. I’ll see you guys later, I guess.” The shy girl went toward the door as we gave her our goodbyes.
I started to head to my room, but Margo caught me by the arm. “Okay, I get you might not want to talk about this job in front of the new girl but tell me about it.”
Being open with people wasn’t my thing. And I wasn’t sure what Margo would think about me even entertaining the thought of being a surrogate mother. But I knew I should tell someone. “There’s a very rich man, and he needs an heir. He’s willing to pay a lot of money for a woman to have his baby. And there’s no sex involved.”
Her jaw dropped. “You want to have a baby and then give it away?”
My heart actually hurt when she said the words. “No. See, that’s why I said I doubt I’ll do it.”
“I can see why now.” She let my arm go then pushed me gently to the bedroom. “So, let’s fix you up so this rich dude will pick you to be the mother of his kid. He may offer you a huge amount of money that you just can’t pass up!”
So with her help, I was made presentable for Ransom Whitaker, and soon we both heard a knock at our door.
“It’s him!” I gasped.
Margo nodded. “Let me answer the door, and then you come out when I tell you that he’s here. I want him to get a good long look at you as you walk out to him. You look stunning with all those dark curls dangling all around your shoulders and down your back. That midnight blue dress accents your tanned skin perfectly. If you want to do this, he would be a fool not to pick you.”
“So, you think he’ll want me?” I asked. I was so nervous; I had no idea what he would think of me.
With a quick nod, she headed out of the bedroom to get to the front door. “He would be a fool not to.”
Looking in the full-length mirror one more time, I made sure the just above the knee-length dress was smooth and flattering. The black heels were only a couple of inches high. I wasn’t going for super sexy—I was going for super sophisticated—the way a mother wo
uld look, I hoped. I didn’t have a heck of a lot of experience knowing what a mom looks like, so I was winging it with Margo’s help.
“Aspen, your date, Ransom Whitaker, is here,” Margo called out from the living room.
It wasn’t a date. I didn’t know why she said that. Coming out of the bedroom, I turned the corner of the hallway toward the living room. And there he was. All six-foot-something of nothing but pure man.
“Hi,” I whispered. He wore blue jeans, boots, and a pale-blue button-down shirt, the top three buttons left undone, showing only a hint of dark hair on his chest. Blue eyes penetrated me and chiseled features told me he had a lot of great breeding. He looked like someone off the cover of a romance novel. Dark waves of shiny hair went just to the top of the collar of his shirt. Just then I realized I was biting my lower lip as I ogled the man. “Sorry for making you wait, Mr. Whitaker.”
A slow smile curved his caramel lips. “That’s okay, Miss Dell.” He extended his arm, gesturing for me to come to him. “Shall we be on our way then? I’ve made reservations at The West Table downtown.”
I had to really concentrate to make one foot go in front of the other. His appearance had really taken me by surprise.
“Of course.” I made my way to him, and when he took my hand and placed it in the crook of his arm, I went wet. Soaking wet. For the first time ever.
I had no idea it could feel so insanely intense. My body felt as if it were quivering inside. My tits got hard and my nipples sprang to life, pushing against the thin fabric of my bra. I knew they were showing through my dress and I kind of almost didn’t care.
Almost. I pulled up the clutch purse I carried to cover them, trying to be discreet about it. Nipping in the afternoon sunlight as I walked with a gorgeous man down the sidewalk wasn’t the kind of thing I thought I should be doing.
Like a true gentleman, he opened the car door for me. I stood there for a moment to admire the work of art before me. “I’ve never ridden in a Porsche before. This should be cool.”
“It’s a 964 Turbo. And it is cool,” he said before closing the door behind me.
All black leather interior and the darkest window tint I’d ever seen on a car made it feel as if sat within a cave—a cave that most good girls wouldn’t go into; a cave where bad boys loved to hide in wait for their chance to do whatever they wanted to a girl.
Why does he need to advertise for a woman to have his baby anyway?
The man was insanely hot. Rich. Charismatic, from what I’d heard him say so far. So, why the need for some stranger to mother his child?
He got in behind the wheel, folding himself into the small car with such grace and ease it made me drool a little. “I’m sorry, Mr. Whitaker.”
With one finger, he pressed it to my lips. “No more Mr. Whitaker, Aspen. You call me Ransom.”
My lips tingled as his finger rested on them. All I wanted to do was part them and suck that finger right into my mouth.
Aspen Dell!
What was I thinking? I never thought this way. Not ever!
His finger left my mouth to push the button to start the car. “You were saying, Aspen?”
What was I saying?
Oh yeah! “Ransom, I don’t understand.” The car’s engine roared as he started it. “Oh! It vibrates the whole car, doesn’t it?” The sensation made me even wetter. My heart pounded and my pulse raced. “Isn’t this um…nice?”
Pulling some expensive-looking sunglasses out of the holder above his head, he put them on, making him look like a total badass. “What is it that you don’t understand? And fasten your seatbelt. I like to go fast.”
Hurrying to put the seatbelt on, I barely got it snapped into place before he took off. My head felt as if it was becoming one with the headrest as he took off like a shot. “Oh, gosh!” I gripped the sides of the seat to hang on.
He didn’t even seem to notice how affected I was by the exhilarating ride.
“Go on, Aspen. What is it that you don’t understand?”
“Oh, yeah.” I looked at him with curiosity. “Why do you need to hire a woman to have your baby? That’s what I don’t understand.”
“Yeah, I can see why you would ask that.” He took a left, and I felt as if we were up on two wheels, but I stifled the scream that crept up my throat. “You see, I don’t want any strings. I think I told you this last night.”
“Yes, you did. But you also said that me being a part of the child’s life might be okay. Do you still think that?” I asked. I felt like he and I might be attracted to one other.
Okay, I felt like I was attracted to him, and he could become attracted to me. I wasn’t hard on the eyes after all. And I was on my way to an awesome career. I would kinda be a catch for this guy.
“I do still think that.” He took a right, and I found myself looking out the passenger side window as the inertia pulled my head in that direction. “You see, you aren’t my type. I think this will work out even better than I planned.”
I’m not his type?
I had to admit that he’d knocked the wind out of my sails. There weren’t a whole lot of men who attracted me as powerfully as he did. Okay, there were no men who did what he did to me. But why wasn’t I doing anything for him?
I’d dressed up. I smelled nice. My hair was on point and so was my makeup. But I wasn’t overdone. I hadn’t become plastic or anything. Or maybe that’s what he liked.
“Do you mind me asking you why I’m not your type?” I just had to know.
“You’re way too gorgeous. You seem perfect.” He smiled at me as he stopped at a red light. “Can you smile for me, Aspen?”
Although I felt put on the spot, I made my best smile. “There you go.”
“Perfect teeth,” he said. “And so white too. Did you have to have braces or anything like that?”
“No.” I was still struggling with him saying I was gorgeous but not his type.
“Do you use something to whiten your teeth?” he asked before stomping on the accelerator as the light turned green.
Hanging on once again, I answered, “No, I don’t use anything but regular old toothpaste.”
“You’ve got great genes.” He screeched to a stop in front of the restaurant. “Here we are.”
A valet appeared instantly to open my door and let me out. “Hello, ma’am. Welcome to The West Table.”
“Thank you.” I climbed out of the car with the man’s help, smoothing my dress out as I stood up.
Ransom strode around the car, took me by the hand and led me up to the door that another man held open. He, too, greeted us, “Mr. Whitaker, what a pleasure to serve you and Miss Dell this afternoon.”
He knows my name?
Ransom nodded. “Thanks, Calvin. Is my usual table ready?”
“It is.” Calvin led us inside before yet another man took over.
The waiter that Ransom also knew introduced himself to me, “Hello, Miss Dell. I’m Ricardo. Tell me what kind of wine you prefer, ma’am.”
I wasn’t one of those girls. The kind who drink wine. Or anything else. “I prefer water.”
“Of course,” he said as he pulled the chair at a table for two out for me. “And I will bring your drinks right away, Mr. Whitaker.”
“Thanks, Ricardo,” Ransom said as he took his seat. Steepling his fingers, he leaned his strong chin on the tips of them. “So, tell me about yourself, Aspen.”
Well, I’m falling in love with you for starters.
Chapter Seven
Ransom
Lubbock, Texas – May 16th
The young woman who sat across from me was one of the most beautiful women I’d ever laid eyes on. Thick dark ringlets hung around her oval shaped face. Almond eyes of a golden-brown color with deep green flecks were surrounded by thick, lush dark lashes. Lips the color of a pink rose looked soft, plump, and totally kissable. High cheekbones highlighted with pale pink made her beauty classic.
She and I will make insanely attractive babies.
> I’d asked her a question but she’d yet to answer it. She simply stared at me until Ricardo brought our drinks. My whiskey sour and her water. “Shall I bring you the chef’s special, Mr. Whitaker?”
“Please,” I answered him. As he walked away, I leaned forward to pick up my drink. “Cat got your tongue, Aspen?”
“I don’t get you,” she admitted.
“Most don’t.” I took a sip of the cold drink that left a warm sensation as it glided down my throat.
“I should kind of understand you if I’m going to leave a baby in your care.” She looked down then said quietly, “Which I most likely won’t do.”
Her build was magnificent. Just the right height at five-foot-five and perfectly proportioned. Or so it seemed. I felt I should ask, “Are your boobs real?”
Her arms went to cover them as her cheeks blazed red. “Ransom!”
“Sorry. I’m being abrupt.” I took another drink.
Her eyes slowly came up to meet mine. “I haven’t had any work done on my body. My bra isn’t padded. What you see is what you get.”
“Would you have an aversion to letting me see you naked, Aspen?” I had no idea why that popped out of my mouth.
She wasn’t my type. So what was I doing?
“To see if I have any odd things about me or deformities?” she asked as she sat back to really take me in. Her eyes raked over me.
“Sure.” I took another drink. I had no idea why the woman was getting to me the way she was. She was one that would definitely try to rule me with her beauty. With one press of her soft lips to my cock, she would have me begging for her love and giving her everything she asked for.
No, I don’t need that in my life.
“You’ll just have to trust me on that, Ransom. I don’t show my naked body to people.” Her answer told me she wasn’t promiscuous. I liked that about her.
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