On Friday morning, I start getting ready for work. Kyle is like a bouncy ball, eager to get going. Considering he’s an expensive car salesman, his Porsche is going to come at a knockdown price. He’s already spoken with work about it. They agreed to give him a fifteen percent discount. However, I must admit, the price still makes me cringe.

“Oh, just so you know. It’s Craig’s last day today, so I’ll be going to his going away party after work. I should be back by eleven, though.”

Shit, I forgot all about going out with Sarah tonight.

“Speaking of which, Sarah wanted to go out for a drink tonight.”

Kyle stops tucking in his shirt and looks at me. “And you said no, right?”

“Why would I? You’re going out, so why can’t I?”

Kyle stomps toward me. “The difference is that you’ll have other men looking at you. I can’t have that.”

I laugh, but I probably should have known this was coming. “Kyle, don’t be silly. Anyway, it doesn’t matter if they do. I’m married and I would never even entertain the idea of another man.”

Kyle sucks in a breath. “I would fucking hope not, but you’re still not going.”

I sigh. “Why?”

He picks up a lock of my hair and twirls it around his finger. “I don’t know. Maybe it has to do with a certain baby you’re planning to make without me. Kind of tells me you owe me a thing or two, don’t you think?” He tugs at my hair a couple times.

I try not to let him see what he just said pisses me off, but it does. I don’t want to stick to any of his terms, but if I want to help Sarah, I’m going to have to play by his rules for a while. At least until I get pregnant.

I grit my teeth and take a deep breath. “Fine. Can I at least invite Sarah here?”

Kyle lets my hair go and moves away. “Sure. Just don’t fucking leave the house.”

“Yes, sir,” I mutter under my breath, picking up my phone from the bedside table.

“Did you say something?”

I turn and see him staring at me. “No. I was just trying to remind myself not to forget my phone.”

Kyle smiles and stalks toward me. He grabs my waist, pulling me to him, and bends down to capture my lips. As I accept his tongue, he moans. I instantly feel his erection prodding me.

“Fuck. Now I’m all hard again. You need to do something about that before I leave.”

I chuckle, trying to pull away. “Kyle, we’ll be late for work.”

He pulls me back to him and cups my breast. “I’ll be quick, baby. You know I can do quick when I’m in the mood…and I’m really fucking in the mood right now. How can you blame me when you walk around in that tight little skirt and white blouse that shows off your fantastic cleavage.” Kyle spins me around and bends me over the bed. “You look so fucking sexy, Alice. You’re going to make me come hard.”

I hear him breathing behind me as he pulls my knickers down, then I hear his zipper. “Kyle, we really shouldn’t—”

He pushes his way inside me, not caring if I’m ready or not. As usual, it hurts, but he’s always too far gone by now. It’s almost as if he goes into a trance when we have sex.

He forcibly grabs my hips and thrusts over and over again. “This is the way it always should be with us. Fuck, you feel incredible.”

I grip my eyes shut, hoping he’ll be finished soon.

Once he picks up the pace and his breathing becomes heavier, I know he’s close. With a forceful flex of his hips, I feel a tinge of pain and let out a small cry. Kyle roars. He’s soon hunched over me, breathing hard against my back.

“I’ll go to work the happiest man alive now.” He kisses my back, pulls out of me, and smacks my bottom. “See you tonight, babes.” He zips himself up and walks out the door.

Sighing, I look at the time and see I’m already five minutes behind. I need to clean up a little first, so I hobble over to the bathroom, wipe myself as best as I can, then pull up my knickers and grab my things.

* * *

As I wait at the traffic light, I send a text to Sarah.

All on for tonight, but do you mind if we have a drink around my house? Kyle will be out until late, so we’ll have the place to ourselves. Besides, I have some news for both you and Ethan. Xx

She replies almost instantly.

Sure thing. I can guess what it is. We’re both excited. Can’t wait to meet later. xx

Smiling, I look to see the light is green, so put my car in gear. I quickly check the time. It’s eight forty, so I should make it in on time.

When the light ahead turns red, I curse out loud. “Damn you, Kyle!” He works closer to our house. There’s no doubt he’s already there, sucking up to his pompous boss, who made it obvious he was leering at me at a party. It pissed Kyle off, but instead of being mad at him, he yelled at me for being too suggestive.

Shit, what’s wrong with me? This type of relationship isn’t normal, is it? All Kyle seems to want is power, and the more he possesses, the more of an idiot he becomes. He’s always an arsehole, but now that he knows he has this hold over me because of the baby thing, he’s become even worse. Maybe once he gets his car, he’ll settle down a bit. Also, once he sees how happy Sarah and Ethan are with their baby, he might just change his mind about us having one. That is my hope anyway. The funny thing is the more I think about having a baby with Kyle, the more I don’t like the idea. If he doesn’t truly want one, he’d make a terrible father. I also doubt he would be able to wait the six weeks to have sex again.

Shit, I better not tell him that, either. Me getting pregnant would definitely be off the cards then.

The light changes and I’m soon on my way again. Only another five minutes and I should be there.

I park in my space at the back of the building, then make my way inside at exactly one minute to nine.

“Morning, Alice. How are you today?”

I look at Sally’s cheerful face and smile. “I’m doing well. Thank you.” I eye her suspiciously. “All right. Come on. Spill the beans.” I walk around to her desk and lean over.

“What?” She smiles, hiding her laughter.

“Did someone get some from a certain hottie we’ve been dating for the last couple weeks?” She looks down, so I nudge her. “Sally…,” I admonish, but have a huge grin on my face.

She snaps her head up to me, biting back her smile. “Yes. Are you happy now?”

“I need details.”

She’s about to respond when my boss, Roger Browning, comes out of his office and walks toward us. “Ah, Alice. I’ve been waiting for you to come in. Mrs. Bellingham has called about the Corston residence again.”

I inwardly groan. Her home was flooded, but unlike others who have had to deal with it, she calls every single morning for an update. I keep trying to tell her we have an influx of insurance claims and it takes time to get through each one, but she calls without fail, asking the same questions.

“Okay. Thanks, Roger. I’ll be right on it.” He smiles and walks off. Groaning, I lean on Sally’s shoulder. “Why did I even come in today?”

“Ah, you love it. I think Mrs. Bellingham has a soft spot for you.”

I look down at Sally. “I think Mrs. Bellingham is a pain in the arse.”

She giggles. “There is that, too.” She notices my expression and nudges me. “Go on. You can’t put it off all morning. Tell you what. You go see what she wants, and I’ll make you a coffee.”

I close my eyes. That sounds like heaven right now. I grab her arm. “Sally, you’re a lifesaver.”

I make my way over to my desk, sit down, and boot up my laptop before retrieving Mrs. Bellingham’s file. As I gather my data, emails start flooding in. Most of them are the usual crap, but one piques my interest. It’s from Mark Childs, our investigator. I quickly click on it, nearly shouting with joy when he confirms that Mrs. Bellingham is next on his list to call and arrange an appointment.

I breathe a huge sigh of relief before dialling her number. I expect a long, drawn-out conversation, but am pleasantly surprised when her answering machine clicks on. I leave a short and sweet message notifying her of the impending appointment, advising her to keep her telephone lines clear so Mark can get in touch. That should keep her happy enough for today.

As I put the phone down, it immediately rings. I cringe, hoping it isn’t Mrs. Bellingham. I pick up the receiver, hearing Lucinda, our receptionist.

“Hey, Alice. I have an Ethan Cooper on the line. He sounds kind of hot.”

I smile at the comment, then frown, wondering what he wants. Curiosity soon gets the better of me. “Okay. Put him through, please.”

“Sure thing.”

The line clicks and I immediately hear breathing. “Ethan?”

I hear an intake of breath. “Alice, hi. I hope you don’t mind me calling you at work.”

I frown. “Not at all. What’s up?”

“Well, Sarah filled me in on your discussion. I can’t tell you how happy you’ve made me. How happy you’ve made us.”

I smile. “What can I say? You’re welcome.”

“I was hoping to meet you for lunch today. I asked Sarah, but she’s got an optician’s appointment.”

I bite my lip, wondering if it’s a good idea. I know we aren’t doing anything wrong, but if Kyle finds out, he wouldn’t see it that way. I close my eyes, chastising myself for making a big deal out of it. Even if Kyle hears about it, the time we spend will be in public and totally innocent.

“Okay. When did you want to meet?”

“I was hoping at one?”

I smile. “Sure, that works. At the same coffee place?”

“Yes. See you there.”

After I hang up, I sit there, staring at the phone. Am I totally nuts to do this? I want a baby, but here I am, practically handing one over to my friends without a thought in the world.

I’m not sure how long I sit there before I feel a hand on my shoulder. I jump and look up to see Sally holding a coffee mug in her hand. “I’m sorry I scared you. You looked like you were miles away.”

I shake my head as I take the coffee. “I’m sorry. Just got a lot on my mind.”

Sally places her hip on my desk. “I can see that. Want to talk?”

I shrug. “It’s a long story.”

“I have five minutes.”

I look at her eager face and wonder whether to spill the beans. I know I can trust Sally not to gossip, but should this be something I keep to myself? After all, I’m not the only one involved in this situation. I sigh, knowing it would be nice to have someone who could give an outside opinion. Someone who I know won’t judge. Sally’s great in that respect.

“You know Sarah, my best friend?” She nods. “Well, she and her husband can’t have children and were looking into surrogacy. They knew it would take forever to find someone they trusted, so I kind of volunteered.” I sink in my chair, waiting for her reaction. When nothing comes, I look up.

Sally looks deep in thought before she answers. “That’s very selfless of you.”

My eyes widen. “So you don’t think I’m crazy?”

She taps my shoulder with a smile. “Oh, I definitely think you’re crazy.”

I snort. “Thanks.”

“But you’re giving the gift of life to someone. That’s precious.”

I feel my eyes well with tears. “Thank you.”

Sally nods. “So how are you going to do this? Her egg and his sperm?”

I shake my head and bite my lip. “No. Sarah’s eggs aren’t viable, which means…”

“You’re not only the carrier, you’re going to be the baby’s biological mother.” I nod. Sally looks away in thought. “That’s a difficult one. You’re best friends, so you’re going to be seeing them a lot. Isn’t seeing them raising your baby going to upset you?”

I take a deep breath. I’ve fought this war inside my head countless times. “I have thought about it, but Sarah and I have been best friends since we were ten. She’s like a sister to me. Wouldn’t you do this if it were your sister?”

When I look up at her expectantly, she smiles. “In a heartbeat.”

I exhale a big sigh of relief. “Thanks.”

Sally squeezes my shoulder and stands up from my desk. “Don’t mention it. If you need me, for anything, give a shout, yes?”

I nod appreciatively. “Yes.”

“Good. Enjoy your coffee.”

“Thanks,” I shout as she walks away, waving over her shoulder.