by Tia Siren
“And you turned that down?” he asked. “Christ, are you crazy?”
I shook my head. “She wasn’t the problem. It was more the husband. He wanted to watch me fuck his wife. They had no intention of becoming pregnant. They just wanted to play me and get a threesome going.”
“I still would have thought about it, especially if his wife was that hot,” Tyler said. “Seriously though, maybe you should take a step back from the Piper situation for a while. I mean, if it’s affecting your work.”
Iwant to, but I can’t. I am hooked bad.
“I have,” I said. “I’m here playing golf, and I haven’t spoken to her since Wednesday. I just find all this ducking and diving makes things harder. The more I’m away from her, the more I end up thinking about her.”
“Yep,” Tyler said. “That’s usually how it goes. Sometimes you have to face things head on to make your peace with it.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I said. “I’ve had two inquiries on the Baby Maker website since I turned that couple away. The new applicants have sent pictures already. Check it out.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone. “Here are their pictures.”
I opened the photos for Tyler to look at.
“You have women like these begging for you, and you spend your time playing golf with me? Are you crazy?”
But it isn’t that simple, is it?
“It’s not a matter of jumping into bed with them,” I said truthfully. “I would gladly do that, but it just complicates things even more now.”
“I know one of those girls who’s applying for your services,” Tyler said. “She is smoking hot.”
“Which one?” I asked.
“The blonde. We dated around Christmas time. She’s a great girl in every aspect. Fuck, she can swall—”
“You do know where you are?” I asked, grinning. “Show some respect. So why did you stop seeing her?”
“All she did was talk about having a baby. We’d only slept together twice, and she was already talking about how much she wanted a kid. Kind of scary when you’ve just started seeing a girl, but she’s ideal for you. She’ll sign any goddamned contract you give her to have a kid. Plus, she’s single. So no couples drama.”
Tyler spent the next fifteen minutes telling me what he knew about the woman. Her name was Samantha, or Sam for short. Had she not been giving him the “I’m ready for a baby” speech, Tyler thought he could have kept dating her for a few months, breaking his record for relationships.
If I wasn’t with Piper at the moment, I would have forsaken my day golfing and taken these two women up on their offer. They were both hotties, but the same old problem would be there. It would be Piper I thought of when I came. Definitely not them and how sexy they were. It would be Piper who took their place in my imagination.
It was not that simple anymore. Piper was there all the time. These two girls would have had everything they wanted from me and more. I would have made sure they got the VIP treatment. A couple of fucks, maybe three, in each session. It all depended how quick I recovered in between, and my recovery time had been quick when images of Piper popped into my mind.
These days, I didn’t just think of Piper when I came. I thought of her before I made any decisions regarding the Baby Maker. I had dumped the couple, and these two girls were on hold for the time being. At least until I could understand what my feelings for Piper actually were. I was damned if I did, and damned if I didn’t.
“Tyler, I’m screwed at the moment,” I said. “I really am screwed.”
“You’ll get over it. Just follow your gut and don’t make any reckless decisions that you’ll regret.”
“Yeah, but Piper has been hurt so much in the past,” I said. “I feel like I started that pattern. First, I broke it off with her, and then every guy she’s dated since has cheated on her.”
“What those other guys did isn’t your responsibility. You had no control over any of that.”
“Well, in a way, maybe I did. She always used me as a benchmark for guys she dated. And they always came up short in her eyes. So she couldn’t really let herself get close to them, and they cheated on her.”
“You must have had a serious effect on her, then,” he said. “If you have totally fucked up her life and made it impossible for her to look at other men for who they really are.”
“Thanks for blaming it all on me. I’m finding it hard enough to deal with my own guilt, never mind you rubbing my nose in it.”
“You’re the one blaming yourself,” he said, smiling. “I’m just agreeing with you.”
“I know,” I said. “I just need some validation.”
“I’m not sure what you want me to say. Go after her. Don’t go after her. I don’t know what you want. You talk in riddles half the time.”
“I can’t do it,” I said. “No matter how much I try to tear myself away from Piper and keep the Baby Maker thing going, I just can’t hurt her anymore.”
It was the truth. I really couldn’t.
I’d already hurt her enough for one lifetime. Every bad relationship in Piper’s life always came back to me. I couldn’t hurt her again and mess up her life any further. Continuing with the Baby Maker business would hurt her.
As much as she understood the business side of things, she didn’t like it. I knew it bugged the crap out of her. And there was more; she wanted more than the agreement said could be achieved.
The agreement limited and restricted her until my services were complete. From my side, I wondered what she would do. I couldn’t face her being a single mom. She also wanted more from our relationship once the contract was complete. But the damn agreement stood in the way of it all.
“Set up,” Tyler said.
“What?” I asked.
“You weren’t listening, were you? I suppose you were thinking of her?”
I was miles away with Piper; she has a name you know. Just don’t forget it.
“What I said was, you have the ideal scenario, pussy on tap, plenty of women to choose from, and no commitments at the end of it. And I said, are you willing to give all this up for just one piece of ass, even though she is cute? You have the perfect set up.”
“You know Tyler, out of all the women I have met from the very start, Piper is the one woman I would consider packing it all in for. She really is that good; I would do anything for her. I’ve always wanted her.”
“Well, I just can’t see it myself. I don’t know how you can just change your tune after all this time. And you’ve had too much pussy just to let it all go and be with one woman.”
“I broke her heart in school, and I am not going to break it again. No way. It would just be rubbing her nose in it. That would totally ruin what little life she has at the moment.”
Tyler sat in silence, his mind drifting off somewhere. I thought about everything, but the main thing I needed to get out of the way was that damned contract. I went deep into thought.
Scenario one. Piper would become pregnant and continue to be a single mother. Maybe she would have a broken heart when the contract was over. But she would have the child she wanted. And at the end, the business would continue.
Scenario two. Piper would become pregnant, and instead of being a single parent, the contract would be shredded, and we would be together. Forever.
Scenario three. We would continue to try and get pregnant, and I would carry on with the business and break her heart again. Piper would have a child and just leave as per terms of the agreement. I would then go through life, heartbroken that I had lost Piper for a second time.
Fuck, I couldn’t answer this by myself. Scenario two seemed the best option but the hardest to put into place. I wasn’t sure if we could pull it off. As for the other scenarios, at least one of us or both of us would end up with a broken heart again. And to top it all off, we would go through life alone.
I had to speak to Piper about it. We had come too far, and it was reaching a stage where our responses were crucial for
both of us. She would hopefully have more of an understanding of the direction we were going. She could tell me.
I snapped out of my thought pattern and wondered where Tyler had walked off to. I could see him over by the bar, chatting to the waitress. He never missed an opportunity to bed another one. Actually, he would have been a good replacement for me as the new Baby Maker.
Chapter 28
Piper
I was working in the office again with Jules; she had nearly finished the work I had her do for the commission. She had completed most of the panels and had only two or three remaining before I could deliver them to the customer.
I had begun telling her about my visit with my mom the day before. She would find it hysterical when I told her about Kyle, Mom’s neighbor.
I had laughed about it all the way home. I had not seen Kyle for maybe two or three years, and then out of the blue, he bumped into me and asked me out. Had he been thinking of me that way the whole time he’d known me? Or was he just trying to grab any chance he could for a date?
It’s funny how men’s minds work. They are not logical like women’s. Not in the dating department!
“How is your mom, anyway?” Jules asked.
“You know Mom,” I said. “She’s fit as anything, considering her age.”
“I don’t know how she manages it; I’m shattered now half the time. God help me when I’m old.”
I giggled to myself. Good old Mom. She’d tried so hard to get me interested in Kyle. She’d never give up trying to find me a man. She was desperate to make sure I didn’t end up in the same situation as her, even though I had chosen to be a single parent.
“What’s up?” Jules asked, grinning. “And why are you chuckling to yourself?”
“Mom’s neighbor, Kyle,” I said. “I parked in front of his house. He came to Mom’s, told me to move it, and then asked me out. He was so determined. As much as I said ‘no,’ the more he tried. It was comical really. If it had not been for the city doing road work, I would have thought she’d set the whole thing up. He even gave me his business card.”
“Wow, business card, how romantic,” Jules said, laughing.
“Nah, he is okay though. I’ve known him since I was a kid. He had a bowl cut, big teeth, glasses, and was really skinny in those days.”
“Let me guess,” Jules said. “The ugly little duckling turned into a swan. Now, he’s six-four, solid body, and the bulge in his pants is huge?”
I laughed. “You’re not far off. Just not sure about the bulge.”
“Well, from the way your mom was pushing you to give him a chance, he’s probably a good catch. Maybe even perfect husband material. And if you’re lucky, he is still a virgin.” Jules laughed.
“Mom did say he had a decent job,” I said.
“He works for someone else? Yuck, I thought everyone these days worked for themselves. Don’t tell me, he is an accountant?”
I burst out laughing. “Oh my god, that’s funny. He is an accountant. How did you guess?”
“It’s obvious. He works for someone else, lives in a decent neighborhood, and has a business card. Come on, Piper. An obvious accountant.”
It was uncanny that she had guessed exactly what Kyle’s occupation was. I could see the method in her madness for working it out. It made a lot of sense.
“Why don’t you take him up on his offer?” Jules asked with a wink. “It could be a change and a bit of fun. And you never know what might happen.”
“I can’t,” I said. “It’s wrong. I’ve never liked the thought of dating two guys at the same time.”
“Well, you and Evan are not exactly boyfriend and girlfriend, are you? And nothing is stopping you from giving this Kyle a call. It’s not like you’re tied down by anything.”
I turned a deaf ear to Jules’ comments about dating Kyle, or anyone else for that matter. I couldn’t remember if the contract actually mentioned anything about me being able to see other people. But knowing Evan, there was probably something that tied me down so I could be at his beck and call for additional servicing.
“It’s not in me to date two guys at the same time,” I said. “I just couldn’t face myself. I would be dishonest to someone else and to myself. How do you show feelings for two people at the same time? I mean, it’s impossible to like two people equally, isn’t it?”
I thought about the contract to see if I remembered anything that said if I could or couldn’t see other people. I knew it said no sex with other people, but dating them was an entirely different thing altogether.
I moved to my desk and rested my chin on my shoulders. I could hear something as I was daydreaming. I snapped out of it as Jules began yelling at me from the far side of my office.
“Pick up your damned cell phone, will you?” she called.
“Sorry, I was daydreaming,” I said.
I picked up my cell phone and answered.
“Hello,” I said.
“Hi, it’s me,” Evan said. “I really need to talk to you, seriously.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“Not on the phone. We have to talk face to face. When are you available?”
“I’m just with Jules at the office, so any time you want. I’m easy. I have nothing major to do this afternoon.”
“In that case, if you can come and pick me up from the golf course. I was with Tyler, and he vanished with my car and a waitress.”
“Sure, I’ll leave now and pick you up,” I replied.
“I’ll see you in about thirty minutes,” he said.
“Okay, no problem,” I said, excited to hear his voice on the line.
“I’ll be outside waiting. It’s one of these strict clubs, dress code, and all that.”
I entered the gates to the golf club. The long winding drive appeared to be going nowhere. I drove over the brow of the hill, and there it was. Wow, an old Victorian-styled clubhouse sat in a sea of green. The grass looked as if it had been painted onto the landscape. It was that short. And it was immaculate.
I reached the parking lot and wove my way through all the expensive cars. Ferraris, Bentleys. You name it, it was there. All of them, and I was in my trusty Toyota.
I approached the front doors, and Evan was perched on top of a raised garden bed. He looked so sporty in his golfing outfit.
I stopped the car, and he climbed inside.
“Where to?” I asked.
“Home is as good a place as any. I could do with a shower after that workout.”
“You said you wanted to talk face to face about something?” I asked.
“I was with Tyler, and I was bandying a few things around in my mind. And then I started to think about us again.”
“And what were you thinking about?” I asked.
“It was about—”
I glanced to the side to see why he’d stopped talking. Evan picked up Kyle’s business card from the air vent where I had shoved it. He read the front and turned it over in his hands.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“It’s from an old neighbor I bumped into and had a chat with,” I said.
“Do you make a habit of talking about old times with many old acquaintances? Or neighbors who just happen to be male?” Evan sounded angry.
“Don’t be silly. He was just saying hello. I went to visit my mother and parked by his house. When I came out to move my car, we talked for a while. Then, at the end of it, he asked me out and gave me that card to call him.”
Evan looked upset. He was like a child who had their favorite toy confiscated for being naughty. He frowned and pouted his lips. If he had not been upset, I would have thought he looked sweet; almost human.
“There is no need to be jealous,” I said. “It doesn’t mean anything. I turned him down and never intended to call him. I was actually going to throw his card away. I just forgot to do it earlier.”
“A likely story,” Evan said. “How many men give you their number when nothing is intended?”
; “I told you he asked me out,” I said. “And I told him I wasn’t dating anyone at the moment.”
The expression on Evan’s face changed. I could see he was upset, and it was not like him to get like that.
“You could have told him you were seeing me,” he said.
“And why would I do that?” I asked.
“Just because,” he mumbled.
“Anyway, I thought it was one of your rules in the stupid contract to not talk about it,” I said, my voice getting heated. “You can’t just change the rules when you see fit.”
“You didn’t have to mention the contract to him. You could have just said you were seeing me, that’s all.”
“Sometimes, Evan, you don’t make sense to me,” I said, angrily.
“That guy or any guy only has to know that you’re seeing me,” he said.
“Is that what you’ve been telling your clients while you have been dodging me for the past few days?” I yelled.
Evan glared at me, and I could see he was now pissed. He lifted his ass and reached for his cell phone. He flicked against the screen. He mumbled while he was searching for something.
“There you go, have a good look at this,” he said, angrily.
I pulled over. I could see the pictures of two really stunning girls. It was evident these were replies from his website in one form or another.
“That is what I have been dodging while I have not been in contact,” he barked.
I had to trust him at his word; there was no way to prove it. Even if he had told the truth, he was still getting requests. And how many would he have before his urges took over and he gave in? It wouldn’t be long before he replied to one of those potential clients. I was sure his intentions were right, but after years of doing the same thing, I wasn’t sure. I’m sure one day he wouldn’t be able to resist.
“Maybe I should stop turning people away and get back to normal,” he said. “Then we could both know where we stand.”
We continued the drive in silence. His phone received another message. Evan looked at me, and I looked at him. Neither of us was sure what to say.