Chapter5
“Mama! Mama, you will not believe this! I’m in the condo! It’s so amazing here. It’s the biggest home I’ve ever seen, and you would love the incredible view of Central Park from here! If I can get you up here for a visit while I’m here, I will. Oh Mama. I can’t believe this is real and that I’m really here and it’s happening! Do you know what he did? He hired a personal service for me. They are going to do everything for me. Grocery shopping, cleaning, cooking, errands, driving me places… it’s so bizarre, but it’s exciting!” She gushed in her delight with the changes that were happening so fast for her. It felt to her as if the sun was shining its brightest on her, brighter and more beautifully than it ever had, and she could do nothing but soak it up blissfully.
“My goodness, it sounds like you woke up in a dream! I’m so happy for you honey! If anyone deserves this, it’s you! How wonderful!” Theresa was elated for her, and it was clear in her voice that she shared her daughter’s happiness.
Kate looked down at the check and laughed again, shaking her head. “Mama, you’re not going to believe this, but I’m holding a check in my hand for ten thousand dollars. He gave it to me this morning. We are going to be alright. We’re going to be better than alright for the foreseeable future! It’s such a relief! Oh no, I’m going to cry again!” She closed her eyes as the emotion swelled in her again and leaked out in happy tears through her eyelashes.
“Oh honey, don’t cry!” Theresa insisted. Kate laughed softly.
“They’re happy tears, Mama, don’t you fret.”
“Well, it sounds like a strange and good thing, and I couldn’t be more pleased for you. Now you’re going to have that procedure in the clinic and as soon as they tell you it worked, you put your feet up and you rest. You don’t want to have anything happen to that little one that Mr. Carrington wants so badly. You take it easy. There’s nothing that you have to do except school.” She spoke with a tone of authority and Kate knew that her mother was serious about what she was instructing her daughter to do.
“I’ll be careful Mama.” She smiled. She wasn’t going to admit to her mother just how she was going to become pregnant. That part was the only thing that she was going to leave out. She just didn’t want her mother to know that part. It was a little too personal.
They talked a while longer and she ended the call and went to the bathroom to take a long, hot, luxurious shower. It was the best shower she had ever had, and when it was done, she found her way around the kitchen, made herself a cup of tea and then went out onto the balcony to sit at the table and look down onto Central Park and the city. It was sublime.
She sat there soaking it all in and loving every moment of it, and when she looked at the clock a little while later she realized that if she had not taken him up on his offer, she would have been at work and she would have been slaving away serving tables and wishing she was making more money. Instead, she was sitting on a beautiful balcony with an incredible view, sipping tea and looking at a check for ten grand. It was like she had stepped out of her real life and into some fantasy dream life that belonged to someone else. She hoped that if somehow it was the most realistic dream she had ever had, that she didn’t wake up to find herself in her old life.
Her belongings arrived the next day and she spent that day getting settled in and putting it all away. She didn’t come with much, so it didn’t take her long to put it all where she wanted it to go, but it did make the place feel a little bit more like it was her own home, and not some fancy hotel that she was staying in.
As promised, she took Olivia out for the fanciest dinner that either one of them had ever had, and they savored every single moment of it. She also reveled in the experience of going to the bank and depositing so much money into her account all in one fell swoop. She told the clerk at the counter that she would be back the next month with another check, and the clerk looked at her in impressed amazement.
She and Olivia went shopping and she splurged on some fun new things for the both of them. Olivia felt a little unsure at first, but when Kate reminded her that the money was going to flow like a waterfall for a long while, Olivia let go of her inhibitions and they had some fun.
Three days after she moved into the condo, Pierce arrived, having called her first to make certain that she was home and that it would be a good time for him to come by. She felt every nerve in her tighten with anxiety and anticipation, but she told him it was a fine time to come by.
His knock at the door made a jolt of electricity shoot through her and she caught her breath as her heart began to pound. It was time to start the job; time to become intimate with him and create a baby the traditional way.
She hadn’t known how it would be, but when she opened the door and saw him standing there in his suit, she felt as though she might not be able to go through with it. He came in and smiled at her, trying to ease the tension that had sprung up between them.
“How are things going here? Are you comfortably nestled in?” he asked, walking slowly past her and going to the living room. He turned to look at her and she plastered a smile on her face and tried to make herself look much more confident than she felt.
“It’s great. It’s an amazing place and I really love being here. Thank you for this, it’s such a great gift.” She gestured to the home around them.
“It’s for you and the baby,” he reminded her. “I want you both happy and safe and content. This is one of the ways I’m going to make sure that that happens.” He reached his hands up and tugged at his tie, loosening it and sliding it off of his neck. He held the silvery blue silk in his hands and ran his fingers over it for a long moment as he watched her.
Something in him was buzzing with uncertainty and it surprised him. He had never had a problem being intimate with any woman before her, but then again, he thought, he had never paid a woman to be with him, and he had never been attempting to create a life by the act. It wasn’t sex, it wasn’t love, it was business, and that made it strange for him.
“Well, it’s perfect. I’m already really so happy here,” she answered, twisting her fingers together in front of her as she continued to grin like a fool. She had no idea how to start or what to do with him.
“Do you need anything?” he asked, reaching his hand over the table beside the sofa and dropping his tie down onto it.
She shook her head. “No, I really don’t. I feel like I have everything I need. Thank you for asking.”
He nodded and slowly pulled his suit jacket off, smoothing the sleeves down as he laid it carefully over the arm of the sofa. “That’s what I’m here for.”
Kate chewed her lower lip nervously. “Well, that’s not exactly what you’re here for this time,” she said in a softer voice, trying not to look coy and failing at it.
Her nervousness made him smile a little. “I know this might be awkward the first time or two, but I saw your fertility charts and I really don’t think we’ll need to do this too many times before it takes. We’ll get through this together. It’s not going to be awful, and perhaps it might even be somewhat enjoyable. We’re doing this to create a life, and that is a great and noble cause. Just keep focused on that,” he said, wishing he could believe his own words.
She nodded and folded her arms across her chest, watching him as he reached his hands up to begin unbuttoning his shirt at the neck. He opened four buttons down the front and then stopped and walked toward her.
Kate stood still where she was, and when he reached her, he took her hands into his. “This is just business, but… if you wouldn’t mind, I think I’m as nervous as you are, and that’s going to make it a little trickier to accomplish. Perhaps you wouldn’t mind going out after this visit and purchasing some lingerie. It might… inspire me, and it might make you feel more… in the mood. How would you feel about that?” He eyed her curiously.
She cleared her throat and felt grateful that he was holding her hands as he spoke. She felt like she was talking with a friend. “I think that might help a lot, actually, because I’ll be honest, this is weird.”
He chuckled a little. “It is. Let’s go into the bedroom. Maybe it will be less weird in there. Do you mind?”
She shook her head and he took her by the hand and walked with her into the master bedroom. He walked with her to the edge of the bed and she turned to look at him. “So you said this wasn’t going to be romantic, but I don’t know how to do this without being romantic.” She was hoping that he had an answer for her, after all, she thought, he seemed to have an answer for just about everything.
“Well, first of all, we don’t kiss on the mouth. That’s far too intimate and it’s not necessary for us to make the baby. Second, we focus only on the act. That’s going to help us as well, you know… not so much about pleasing one another as about getting to the finish line. Swift and simple. I think. Does that seem like it might work to you?” he asked hopefully.
She could see in his eyes that he was feeling just as unsure as she was. “Yes,” she agreed, and then a thought occurred to her and she gave him a little smile. “I just had a stroke of genius,” she told him, and she let him go and walked over to a wooden cabinet in one corner of the room. Opening it, she turned on the stereo that was inside it and pressed play on the CD player. Claude Debussy’s Claire de Lune began to play, and he laughed softly as she turned to face him.
“I think this might help take our minds off of the strangeness, especially this first time. Don’t you think?” she asked, walking toward him.
Something about the way her body moved under her dress and the sweet, sensual look on her lovely face made him stir with warmth, and in that moment he knew that they were going to be able to do exactly what they needed to do.
“Come here,” he said quietly, his blue eyes steady on her green ones. She felt her heart skip a beat and she reached him at the edge of the bed. He touched his hand to her cheek and spoke in a soft voice. “I’m going to try this from behind you, it might make it feel more like an act instead of anything romantic. If I do anything you don’t like or don’t want to do, please tell me. We are doing this together, and it needs to work for us both… so that it works for the baby.”
She nodded and he turned her away from him slowly, reaching his hands up to her soft blonde curls. Pushing them all aside to one shoulder, he unzipped the back of her dress and slowly slid it from her form, letting it fall to the floor.
She gasped quietly, and every part of her skin felt the zing of electricity. A moment later, she felt his fingertips moving gently down her back toward her little white satin panties. She closed her eyes as her heart pounded wildly, and he carefully slid them off of her. She told herself that she could do it, that she should just lose herself in the physicality of it, and when he gently bent her over in front of him, that’s exactly what she did.
Kate closed her eyes and felt his hands on her, moving over her skin, all along her hips and then at her core. She gasped and her fingers clenched tightly at the throw that was laid out on the bed. A moment later she felt the tip of him against her body, and in the next breath, he was sliding it into her slowly, taking her breath away as he filled her.
He was much bigger than any man she had been with before and it caught her by surprise, making her open her eyes as he reached parts of her that hadn’t been reached by another man before. As he began to move in her, her heart raced and she grew breathless, feeling pure pleasure rock through her in waves. She gasped and tried with all she could to catch her breath, but there was no way to do it. He moaned and the sound of him feeling so intense made her cry out softly as her body seemed to answer to his in every way.
Pierce began to move faster inside of her, his groans growing louder and more frequent with every push. She felt his fingers tighten around her hips as he pulled her close to him with every thrust, and her body trembled with release as she let go and felt her orgasm wash all through her. As she sighed with soft moans, he tensed and pushed himself fully into her, holding himself there as he too trembled, emptying all that was in him into her body.
There was a moment of quiet as they felt their orgasms mingle, and they were one for a passing moment. Then their breath came back to them and he hesitated before sliding himself out of her and letting her go.
She stood up and wondered how she was going to face him, but then she felt his hand on her shoulder and she turned and looked up at him almost bashfully, through her thick eyelashes. He gave her a tender smile.
“There, the worst of it is over. The first time is going to be the strangest, and we’re through it. It’s done. We’re going to have a much easier time of it from now on. Right?” he asked, looking at her encouragingly.
She nodded and gave him a genuine smile. “You’re right. The hardest part is over.”
He willed himself not to look at her bra, and instead leaned forward and hugged her, pulling her close to him only for a moment. “Thank you. I think we’re going to make a really fantastic child.”
She hugged him back and was surprised to find pure comfort in it. She hadn’t expected it, and as the comfort bloomed in her, she held him a little tighter and turned her face from him, resting her cheek on his shoulder. “You’ve already made this easier to do. You’re so kind, and that matters. This feels like a friendship, and that’s all new to me. I think we’re going to be able to get through this.”
She let him go then and reached down to the floor to pick up her dress and put it back on. “But if you want me to, I’ll still go pick up some lingerie. Perhaps it will help.”
He chuckled softly and his cheeks turned pink; something she realized was a surefire way to tell that she had gotten to him. “Yes, that would help. Thank you.”
Kate nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”
Looking over at her as he redressed himself, he gave her a shy smile. “I like sweet and romantic styles, with perhaps just a little bit of a naughty suggestion, but nothing overtly dirty or trashy.”
She gave him a nod. “I haven’t bought lingerie in longer than I can remember, but it sounds like our styles and preferences are the same.”
They dressed and walked out to the living room together. He went toward the door and stopped to turn and speak to her as he was about to walk out. “I’ll come back tomorrow night, if that works. Maybe the lingerie will be the right thing tomorrow night.”
She agreed. “I’ll be ready. See you then.” She gave him a smile and he nodded and left her, closing the door quietly behind him.
When she heard the elevator ring, she knew that he was gone and she went back into the bedroom and heaved a great sigh of relief. Walking to where they had just been, she reached her hand to the throw laying on top of the bedspread. It was crumpled in two places where her hands had gathered it tightly, and she ran her fingertips over it, thinking of how it had felt for him to be inside of her.
Honesty overtook her and she admitted the truth to herself. It felt good. It felt damn good, and she giggled softly at just how much it had turned her on to have him touch her the way he did and bring them both to an orgasm.
She bought some lingerie the next day and when he arrived at the front door, she answered it wearing a long white satin and lace piece that had coverage in most places, leaving some mystery and a hint of sensuality in other places.
He seemed anxious when she opened the door for him, she could see it on his face, but then his expression changed as his eyes left hers and traveled slowly down her body, taking in the curves that were delicately covered in white satin. He sucked in his breath.
“Yeah. That’s going to do it for me,” he said quietly as he felt his groin tighten and an unfamiliar need bloom in his depths.
She felt her cheeks warm slightly, but she smiled and walked with him to the bedroom. They stood where they had stood the day before, and like the day before, he turned her away from him, but only after taking in the sight of her for long moments. He seemed a little more at ease, his fingers moving over the satin with some idea of what lay beneath it.
Kate loved the way that it felt as he slid the satin over her skin, pulling it up to reveal a pair of white lace panties beneath it, frosting her skin and dark hair where he could see it as she was bent over in front of him. He moaned quietly as he pulled her panties off of her and it was only moments later before he was inside of her again, the thickness of him sending waves of pure pleasure through her once more. She closed her eyes and found herself enjoying it even more, and she realized that he was taking his time as he moved in her, stretching it out a little longer than he had the day before.
The realization of that made her smile and brought her some satisfaction. Long minutes later, he had made her come twice before he allowed himself a release, crying out loudly as he flooded her, and holding her more tightly as he did so.
They were quiet and took their time separating and redressing. Neither of them said anything until they were both dressed and standing with each other. He took her hand in his and she finally brought herself to look up into his blue eyes.
“If we keep up at this rate, we’ll be pregnant in no time, and then this won’t need to happen. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.” He smiled some and then glanced away from her. “You know, as far as a chore that we are both working at, this is the best work I’ve ever done. I’m not ashamed to say that I’m enjoying it. It’s really rather nice.” A soft laugh escaped him and he looked back at her.
“I feel that way too. Exactly that way,” she told him with a smile of relief.
She walked him to the door and when they reached it, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her warmly. As he let her go, he leaned over and kissed her cheek just barely. She was stunned to feel a little shock of electricity move through her and her cheeks warmed as she smiled at him.
“I’ll be back at the end of the week to try again,” he said quietly, his eyes lingering on hers for a minute before he turned to leave.
“I’ll see you then,” she answered him and then closed the door softly behind him. It was a complete surprise to her, but she felt butterflies in her belly in the moments after he left, and she leaned her back against the door, closing her eyes and letting her mind go back over the feeling of being with him. It was warm, it was electric, it was sensual, and it was sexy as hell. The thought of it made her draw her breath in and she curled her fingers tightly, opening her eyes and breathing out. “I can’t think about it when he’s not here,” she whispered to herself. “It’s business. Super sexy hot business.” She laughed quietly and left the door, heading for the bedroom for the night. Try as she might, laying in the bed that had been his, her thoughts kept going back to him, and she found that she liked it.
Pierce did his best to focus on his work, his businesses, his father, and his family over the days following his second visit to see Kate, but she stayed at the back of his mind and on the fringe of his thoughts without ceasing.
Part of the time he was worrying as to whether or not she was pregnant and if she wasn’t, when she would be pregnant, while the rest of the time he found his thoughts straying to her body, her face, the feel of her when he was inside of her, moving against her, moving with her. He would close his eyes in those moments and feel his breath grow thin as his groin hardened and warmed. He would only allow himself a moment or two of indulgence in those thoughts before he pushed them from his mind and made himself remember that it was a baby they were after, not passion.
Two days after he had left her, he could not keep her from his thoughts and he wrestled with it, knowing that he had told her he would see her at the end of the week, and not caring that he had told her that. It was as if he had tasted a drug with her, and even that one taste of the drug was enough to make him want more.
He drove to the building where the condo was and sat in the parked car for a few minutes, changing his mind and putting the car in reverse, but then pulling it back into its spot again and trying to talk himself out of it. Finally he gave in and shut the car off, going upstairs and getting to the front door of the condo.
Pierce raised his hand to knock on it, but then changed his mind and went back to the elevator, pressing the button. It dinged and he was going to step into it, but just as the doors of the elevator slid open, the door to the condo opened and there she was, standing there before him.
She smiled and blinked in surprise. His heart thudded in his chest as he turned and looked at her. She was wearing a sweater dress that hugged her curves in the way that a lover’s hands would touch them; close and yet delicate. He stopped short, swallowing hard.
“I heard the elevator ringing and I wondered who was out here. I had no idea who it might be, but I wasn’t expecting it to be you until the end of the week. This is a nice surprise.” She gave him a smile and the tension in him melted. He dropped his hands to his side and wanted nothing more than to be near her.
“It was a surprise, I’m sorry. I didn’t know if you were home, and I didn’t want to disturb you, but I thought…” he hesitated as he drew near her, his eyes set on hers. “I thought if you were home and you weren’t busy, maybe we could…” he trailed off as he gazed at her, willing himself not to get lost in her big green eyes.
“Maybe we could try again?” she asked with a shy smile at the corner of her mouth as humor danced in her eyes. She had to admit if only to herself that she had been thinking of it too, and she was not opposed to having him there for a spontaneous effort at baby making.
A smile slowly spread over his face. “Yes. Let’s do that, if you don’t mind,” he asked with a hint of flirtation in his eyes.
She laughed softly and took his hand in hers, walking with him to the bedroom. As they walked, he let his eyes drift down the back of her, watching her hips sway gently with each step, taking in the length of her legs and the curve where her bottom swelled out. He grew hard gazing at her, and by the time they reached the bed, he felt the desire for her beginning to burn in him.
He took his time bending her over and sliding her sweater dress up past her thighs and over her rounded hips. A deep sigh escaped him when he saw her black satin panties, and he slowly peeled them off of her, growing harder as he uncovered her flesh. He had tried to remind himself as they went to the bedroom that they were there to make a baby, but as he held her body in his hands and pushed himself deeply into her, all he could think about was exactly what he was doing, and the purpose for him doing it was at the far reaches of his mind.
She moaned softly and sighed, calling out as they grew hotter and she became wetter, her muscles tensed, her hands holding tight to the throw laying at the foot of the bed where she was bent over before him. He thrust himself further into her, pulling her against him as fast as he dared while he struggled to make it last as long as he could before his body shuddered with ecstasy and his release escaped him, spilling into her depths.
Kate moaned loudly and grew dizzy with her orgasm, nearly losing her hold on the blanket in her hands. When she was able to catch her breath again, she could focus better and she realized that his hands were gently canvassing her hips.
He pulled himself from her body reluctantly and slowly let go of her. She closed her eyes and took a breath before she stood up and redressed. She turned and saw that his back was to her. He was closing his pants and when he was dressed, he turned to look over his shoulder at her.
“I’m just anxious to get this pregnancy going. It’s the most important thing to me,” he said, willing himself to believe that that was the whole truth.
“I know that.” She smiled at him. “It will happen soon, I’m sure.” She gave him an encouraging nod.
He studied her face for a moment. “Come with me into the living room. Let’s have a drink… tea or coffee or whatever you want, and let’s talk. I don’t want this to only be about the sex. I want to know you. Please.”
She felt a surge of surprise and happiness well up in her and she nodded and smiled. “I’d be glad to do that. Let’s go.”
She made tea for them and he asked her if she had been using the service yet. She admitted that she had only used them a few times, and he reminded her that he wanted her to use them for just about everything. She chuckled and agreed.
They sat opposite one another on two separate sofas that were adjacent to each other, and together they found a new aspect to their growing bond. They both enjoyed sitting and talking together.
“Have you told your family about this yet?” she asked, wondering just how far he had gotten with it.
He pursed his lips and shook his head. “No, I really haven’t. I kind of want the pregnancy to take first, so that there is no chance of any of them talking me out of it, though I don’t feel that it would be a problem. Still, I want them to find out after it’s official, not while we’re trying. If I go to them and tell them that I have hired a surrogate and that you’re pregnant, no one is going to think to ask how you became pregnant, they’ll all assume, and I’ll let them assume, and there will be no assumptions or awkward questions. I’d rather keep our methods to myself. I hope that suits you.”
She nodded. “I’m doing the same thing with my mother, actually. I didn’t tell her the how, I just told her the surrogacy part and let her assume the rest. I haven’t corrected her, and I don’t think that I will.” She shrugged. “It’s just easier that way.”
Pierce smiled. “I’m really relieved and glad that we’re on the same page about that. My father trusts my every move, but I don’t want to explain this. I’m not sure he’d quite understand, and I don’t want to find out, I just want it to already be done. He’ll accept that without question. They all will.”
Kate tilted her head and looked at him curiously. “What are your siblings and your father like?” she asked, genuinely wondering about them.
“Well,” he smiled, thinking of them as he spoke of them, “my father is a lot like me, I guess he’s just older. He’s dedicated completely to the family, the business, and to success. Much like I am, I guess. We’re the two most similar of the group. I’m the oldest of the siblings. My younger brother, the next oldest after me, is Lucas. He’s been troubled by bad choices, but he’s a good man, and he does what’s right most of the time. He and my father don’t always see eye to eye, but that’s something that the two of them will work out one day, I have no doubt. My two youngest siblings are twins. Ryder and Camilla. They are as different as night and day in looks, but they couldn’t be closer to each other than they are. They just share this bond that is stronger than any of the other bonds in our family. Nothing could ever separate them. He’s wild and audacious, and loves to ride the edge of the cliff of life, and she is sweet and responsible and caring about everyone. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. It makes her all the more precious to all of us.”
He sighed and then looked back at her. “What about your mother? What’s she like? Theresa, right? Is that her name?”
Kate nodded and pushed her fingers through her big blonde curls, pulling them up at the back of her head and twisting them into a loose knot that managed to stay put. A few locks fell and the curls hung at the side of her face, beside her cheek. Pierce looked at them and wanted more than anything to reach out and touch them, run his fingers down the curls and feel the soft silkiness of them. She spoke and his attention returned to her words and the discussion they were having.
“She’s like me, similar the way that you and your father are. We are both strong and determined women. She raised me on her own almost from the start. My father left when I was young. I barely remember him, and so it’s just been her and I for most of my life. I wouldn’t change it; we’ve had a great time. We made everything special, even simple little things, just because we could.” She grinned as she thought of how they were when they were together.
He watched her, entranced by her and by what she was sharing with him. “You miss her a great deal,” he said, not really asking.
She nodded and looked down. “I do. She’s the person I love most in my world, and it’s tough to be away from her, especially when I know that she could really use my help, but I am here getting an education and working to support us both. It’s tough, but it’s what I’m determined to do.” She laughed out loud then and looked over at him.
“Except now you’ve changed that, and it’s not tough anymore. It’s not a difficult challenge anymore, and I’m so grateful for that. She’s grateful too. You have given her and me a whole new life, and we will both always be grateful for it.”
Pierce gave her a smile. “Of course, and you’re giving me something I will always be grateful for. We are a benefit to each other in the best ways.”
“We are indeed,” she agreed, grinning at him as she lifted her tea to her mouth and took a long sip of it.
He stayed a long while and they talked into the late hours of the night. Finally, when he saw her yawn, he made his goodbyes and thanked her for such a good visit, and when she walked him to the door, they embraced one another and both of them felt as if they had made a truly great friend in the other, and they were both genuinely grateful for it.
Each of them was thinking about the other long after they had parted and sleep tried to take them into their own dreamlands.