Accidental HusbandA Secret Baby Romance

by Nikki Chase

  Besides, there's not much to negotiate when I’m willing to pay whatever sum Daisy wants. I’m sure I can afford her. I don't waste my money on fast cars or luxury vacations, so what's wrong with splurging on something I actually like? I’m sure I won't enjoy riding a Maserati as much as I will enjoy Daisy riding me.

  “Hello?” Daisy's voice is soft. She's almost whispering.

  “I got your text,” I say. There's no use for small talk when we both know what this is about. This is a transaction; not a romantic late-night phone call. The fun can wait; now it's time to set some rules and expectations.

  “Yes. You said you're willing to negotiate.” There's determination in her soft voice. Unlike the Daisy I saw at the hospital earlier tonight, this new version has made a decision. She knows exactly what her next move will be.

  “I did say that, yes.”

  “I hear…” Daisy's voice trails off—a moment of reconsideration, perhaps. I listen intently to the pregnant pause until she says, “I hear, with deals like this, there's usually a premium on virginity.”

  “Are you one, my little flower? Are you a virgin?” I smirk.

  I wanted to keep this a business call, at least until we’ve agreed on something, but I can't help it. There's something about her that makes me do things I normally wouldn't do. When I made her the original offer at the party, I hadn't expected to even see her, and yet I ended up practically dumping $100,000 into her lap.

  But this, what an interesting revelation. I wanted Daisy before, but now I need to have her, before another man touches her with his dirty paws. I’d be making plans to kidnap her right now if she isn't already in the process of declaring her surrender.

  “Yes.” Her curt tone tells me she doesn't appreciate being teased about it.

  “How much of a premium do you want?” I make a mental note to avoid mentioning the word ‘virgin’ and any of its derivatives until we’ve made a deal.

  “$150,000. You offered $100,000 originally. I want $250,000,” she says quickly, almost stumbling all over her words, as if she's worried she might change her mind again about the amount if she doesn't just spit it out.

  So she came prepared with her counter-offer—that's smart. She’s got the brains and the guts, but she hasn't learned the skills she needs to hide her real thoughts from her opponent, and I have. I am much older and more experienced than she is, after all.

  I know for sure that she just spewed out the most outrageous number she can think of. I know that I can drive that asking price down. Way down.

  From the way she's holding her breath as she waits for my response, I can tell she expects me to bargain.

  I don't care, though. She can have the $250,000; it's not like I need the money for another car or another house.

  “Deal,” I say.

  I can almost hear the sharp intake of breath when she hears my answer. A sigh of relief. Then, quickly, she says, “Deal.”

  “What time do you get off from work tomorrow?”

  “Seven-thirty,” she says.

  “Be in my office at eight. We’ll have supper at my apartment after you sign the documents.”

  “Tomorrow? I—”

  “Yes, tomorrow. I want you to sign the papers, then I’ll call Dr. Pratt to tell him you need a vacation. Did you want to do this tonight? Are you that eager to part with your virginity?”

  There we go again with the teasing. Fuck. I don't want her to back down at this point, preferring to live with her credit card debt rather than sealing the deal. I need to keep my mouth shut. I don't know why it's so hard to control myself around her.

  “No, it just seems so soon,” she says. “I don’t even know where your office is.”

  “My assistant, Sasha, will call you and tell you all you need to know. She’ll send you the documents so you can review them before we meet tomorrow. Okay?”

  “Okay,” she says.

  I hang up with a big grin on my face. The half-reflection of myself on the floor-to-ceiling glass window looks ghostly but happy, maybe even a little smug.

  I send a quick email to my assistant to tell her to cancel my eight o’clock and send Daisy the contract.

  This time tomorrow, I could be deflowering my pretty little flower.

  Daisy

  Life sucks.

  Life has always sucked for me, but I’ve always thought there were some things I wouldn’t do. Ever.

  Like prostitution, for example.

  I struggled through nursing school, supporting myself with two, three jobs at a time. I’m always working, even now.

  I know a girl who works at a strip club, but I’ve always thought I’d rather work my ass off than ever take my clothes off just so older men with beer guts can slip dollar bills into my thong to survive their mid-life crises. It never even occurred to me to sell my body, to let some perv fuck me—all for money.

  I’d never sink that low, I thought.

  But that younger, more naïve version of me also never expected to be in such deep shit. How did I get myself into this kind of trouble?

  I’m a good girl. I studied hard in school. I’ve always worked hard. I’ve done everything I’m supposed to do.

  Yet here I am, in the office of a wealthy older businessman, reviewing the contract that spells out all the terms of conditions of the sale of my virginity.

  That’s right, I’m not just selling sex like a common street whore. I’m selling my virginity.

  I keep going back and forth on whether virginity is a big deal.

  On one hand, working in the medical field, I know it’s not even a thing—a hymen, I mean. It’s just a membrane that may or may not be there in a vagina. Some women don’t even have hymens at birth!

  On the other hand, this will be the first time I have sex.

  This will go down in my sexual history as The First Time. If someone, twenty years from now, wants to know the story of my First Time, I’d instantly remember this dark time in my life, cringe, and tell a fake story about some football jock and the bleachers under the stars.

  This will set the expectations for my future partners. When I lie awake at night with longing between my legs, it will be Caine Foster’s body in my imagination. His tall, sturdy body, his blue eyes looking sternly into my eyes, his thrilling whispers in my ear, and… And his cock.

  Before the end of the night, I may see a cock in real life. A real, hard, threatening specimen.

  I mean, of course I’ve seen penises—in medical settings, as part of my job—but those don’t count. And sometimes Katie shows me the dick pics that guys send her, but I always find them gross.

  This is Caine Foster, though. He’s different.

  As much as I try to tell myself I’m just a good medical practitioner who’s always curious about the human body, I’m never convincing enough. The tingles in my core, whenever I think about what he’s packing, tell me I expect more than intellectual stimulation from whatever’s dangling between his legs.

  “Mr. Foster will be here in a minute,” says a voice behind me.

  I jump from surprise and look over my shoulder. Oh, it’s the assistant. Damn, she’s as quiet as a mouse.

  She’s still looking at me like she wants to stab me with the thin ends of her many hairpins. I wonder how many cans of hairspray she wastes making that brown thing on her head so big and stiff.

  “Thank you,” I say with a polite smile.

  I don’t remember her name. I wonder how much she knows about me. Does she know I’m about to sell my virginity to her boss? Is that why she’s so sour? She nods and closes the door before I can figure her out.

  It doesn’t take long for Caine to arrive. I feel him before I hear him. Feel his energy, that is. He has this quality about him. He has a big presence that fills a room the moment he walks in.

  He takes his seat in the big leather chair in front of me. Without even saying a word, he exudes power, confidence, authority. His dark designer suit, his arrogant smirk, the San Francisco skyline seen thro
ugh the tall glass windows behind him…

  Caine Foster belongs on a movie poster. With his wealth, his looks, his life, what is he doing with me?

  Even though I still feel conflicted about this whole deal, I’m definitely not walking out before I sign that contract.

  I’m not letting go of $250,000 just because this hurts my feelings. My feelings aren’t worth $250,000. The $250,000 that’s going to pay off all my loans, get Jack through college, and finally get me on the right path for the rest of my life.

  I’m sure I’ll have some money left over for therapy to deal with the trauma of the next thirty days or, failing that, some hundred-dollar-bills to wipe my tears with.

  For now, all I have to do is get through this.

  “Daisy.” Caine says my name like it amuses him. His eyes twinkle and the skin around them creases a little. He smiles, which sends a chill down my spine.

  “Hi, Caine.”

  God, what a lame thing to say.

  “I trust you’ve reviewed the contract?” His voice is deep and inviting, his blue eyes gleaming with victory.

  “Yes.” Maybe I should keep my sentences short so I don’t accidentally say something he can use against me.

  “Have you filled out the blank parts?”

  “Yes.” It took me a while; I even had to Google some words, but I managed to finish it.

  “May I have a look at it?”

  I look at the pieces of paper held together by a silver paper clip at the corner. I take a deep breath, then I slide it over to Caine’s side of the table. I feel like I’m handing in my exam papers, like I’m rethinking my answers and wanting to change all of them but there’s no more time left.

  He flips through the pages with a smile on his face. I wonder if I’ve agreed too easily to his terms. Maybe I could’ve said no to more things on his endless lists of sexual acts and kinks. Maybe I could’ve asked for more money—it was weird how quickly he agreed to my 150% pay raise last night.

  To be honest, though, I’m quite relieved that he doesn’t just tell me what he wants and expects me to give it to him.

  He has way more bargaining power here. I’m sure there are thousands of girls in the downtown area alone who’d fuck Caine Foster for $100,000.

  If this deal falls through, I don’t have thousands of other billionaires waving a quarter of a million dollars in my face. There’s no other way for me to get that kind of money. Literally.

  Unless… Unless I risk my life smuggling drugs or something equally dangerous. But if I die, then who’ll take care of Jack? At least I’ll come back from this alive.

  “Good,” Caine says. He’s already devouring me with his eyes, looking at me like he wants to eat me alive. “We’ll just quickly go over the main points so we’re both on the same page. Let’s not get too much into the details, though. Legal documents are such a chore to get through, and we both have better things to do tonight.”

  I look away, for a split second, from his piercing gaze when I realize what he means by “better things to do.” When I meet his eyes again, he’s chuckling, obviously having caught my instant reaction.

  “Okay,” I say as nonchalantly as possible.

  “This agreement, right after we sign it, will start a 24/7 arrangement for thirty days. You’ll live with me in my apartment and you won’t be allowed to leave the premises without my express permission. There won’t be any penetration without your verbal consent, and you can end a session at any time by saying the magic word, which is…?”

  I take a deep breath and say, “Money.”

  “That’s right. Money.” He grins from ear to ear.

  God, I hate the safe word. I imagine myself in some compromising situation with Caine, having to say the safe word that reminds myself of this filthy deal we’re making.

  “I’ll send you half of the money right after we sign the contract and I’ll also let Dr. Pratt know you won’t be working,” he says.

  “Are you really going to tell Dr. Pratt I’m going on a vacation?”

  That excuse is thinner than Keira Knightly, and I don’t think he’s going to buy it. It also makes me look unprofessional. I’ve been thinking all day, trying to come up with a more believable excuse that I can tell everyone—not just Dr. Pratt.

  Luckily, Katie doesn’t need a solid reason to help me out. She’s agreed to look after Jack while I’m away, even though I haven’t told her any details. All she knows is I’m leaving to fix this problem in some way and I’m coming back in one month.

  “No,” Caine says, amusement dancing in his deep blue eyes. “I’ll tell him I’m hiring you to take care of my father.”

  “Oh.” I didn’t expect that. That’s actually a really good excuse. Why didn’t I think of it myself?

  Casually, like the papers in front of him are just like the other contracts he signs all day, Caine grabs a fountain pen and writes his signature on a few spots in the contract.

  Without a word, but with a big smile on his face, he slides the contract back toward me, with the fountain pen on top this time.

  I manage to sign the document, even though my hand is shaking. I don’t even have to look up to know Caine is studying my every move intently.

  “Good girl,” he says when I’m done. He gives me a big, approving smile, which annoys me and almost makes me feel proud for some strange reason.

  Caine turns toward his computer and clicks around with his mouse. “I’ve prepared the money transfer and the email draft for Dr. Pratt. Give me a few seconds to finish up. You’ll see the money in your bank account tomorrow morning. As soon as you get it, the clock starts. For tonight, we’ll just have supper and go to sleep.”

  “Okay,” I say.

  Now I’m feeling like I’m falling again. I had a plan when I walked into this office, and the plan was to get the contract signed. I have no idea what to do now that it’s done, and it terrifies me that Caine has even thought of the smallest little detail, like what we’re going to do for the rest of the night.

  “Let’s go,” Caine says when he’s done working on his computer.

  He picks up my overnight bag like it weighs nothing and walks out of the office, certain I’m following behind him.

  Looking at Caine’s broad shoulders and back, again I find myself admiring the way he moves, the casual grace of his gait, the deadly purpose in his every step.

  I remember now why I don’t want to get close to him, even though he makes my body yearn for something I don’t even know. There’s something dangerous about him. The way he wants me, the way he looks at me like he already owns me…

  Caine yanks me out of my comfort zone and flips my world upside down. What used to be impossible becomes possible. What used to be unthinkable is now about to happen for real.

  I’m afraid of where he’s going to take me next. I have a feeling I won’t stay the same me at the end of this month, and that terrifies me. I want, so much, for this to be a straight business transaction—money for sex—but I feel like he wants more from me. I just don’t know what it is.

  Something dark within him wants to hurt me, to inflict pain on me, to mark me permanently in some way. It scares me and excites me at the same time.

  Thirty days from now, I’m going to be a different person. He’ll make sure of that before he lets me walk away. I know that now.

  Caine

  It's been a bad day at the office, but I don't even care.

  I smile to myself as I cruise the familiar roads home. I can't wait to see my new pet.

  Over the last three days, she's stayed at my apartment, but we haven't spoken much. I’ve decided to keep her guessing, keep her on her toes.

  Sure, it will feel great when I finally take her virginity, but I also enjoy the anticipation. The nice thing about owning a virgin and waiting is I’d still have one—a virgin, I mean—for as long as I wait.

  I love watching her try to figure me out, inevitably fail, and continue over analyzing my words and actions. It's just so fun to
see how transparent she is, how much I can learn about her just from observing her.

  Like when I quickly said yes to her counter-offer. Even over the phone, I could tell she was bewildered. When I saw her in my office, I knew it had been bugging her. She was probably wondering if she could've gotten even more from me, greedy little thing.

  I don't mind, though. Money makes the world go round, it's true. She was a lot more anxious to agree to my terms—including my ridiculous choice of a safe word—because the stakes had been raised.

  Besides, I’m used to it. Most people don't have enough money, while I have an abundance of it. It's only natural that they’d want money from me. My pretty little flower is not an exception.

  I'm sure she's wondering what I’ll do today, like anybody would when put into the same situation. I’ve been trying something different with her every day.

  On the first day, after she confirmed the deposit had gone into her bank account, she looked especially nervous. She sat on the couch in her room, frozen, acting like whatever was on TV was the most interesting thing in the world. She was wearing the same thing she did when she came to see me at the office: a pair of sweatpants and a loose T-shirt. If she thought those clothes would put me off, she was wrong.

  I let her think it worked, though. The contract says she's supposed to wear whatever I tell her to, but I didn't have to enforce that right away. There was no rush; she was going to stay here for a whole month.

  She was probably wondering why I wasn't doing anything to her when I’d paid her a fortune for the opportunity to do whatever I wanted. What she doesn’t seem to realize is, when you’re accustomed to the finer things in life, you stop worrying about value and focus on quality instead.

  I know exactly what I want from her. I know it’s going to take some time to get there, and I’m okay with that.

  So, on that first night, I peeked into her room, said hi, waited for her response, and left her alone for the rest of the night.