Dear Baby Daddy

by Alexis Adaire

  He waits until I slide onto the barstool next to him before he sits again. Nice, a man with manners. Not that it matters in the long run, since manners aren’t hereditary. But if we do click, it would be such a treat to have sex with a devastatingly handsome gentleman. What girl wouldn’t want that?

  “Thanks for meeting me, Mason,” I say.

  “To be honest, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see the gorgeous woman in those pictures up close and in person.”

  “Oh, geez, I had those shots done professionally. Hope you’re not disappointed.”

  “Hardly,” he says, his eyes roaming down my body and back up again, as if he were claiming it as his. “The photographs don’t do you justice. You’re even better in real life.”

  I laugh. “You’re such a sweet talker. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to get me into bed.” Then I give him a little play-frown and add, “But we both know that’s not the case.”

  “Yeah, but if I had any idea you’d be this… tempting… I probably wouldn’t have agreed to meet you.”

  A second or two of awkward silence follows. I break it by saying, “Okay, then, where do we start?”

  “Let’s get you a drink first,” Mason says. “If you’re planning on getting pregnant in the next year or two, you should drink while you can.” He signals the bartender, a cute young woman. “Another Ardbeg for me, and the lady would like…” He turns to me and smiles. Beautiful white teeth and lips I could chew on. And those eyes, green and gold, or would that be hazel?

  “Scarlett?”

  Shit! Got caught daydreaming while staring right at him. “Dirty martini, please.” How embarrassing. Fortunately, Mason doesn’t make a thing of it.

  “You’ve been here a while, I take it?” I ask.

  “What makes you think that?”

  “Because you already finished at least one drink, and expensive scotch isn’t something one tends to slam.”

  Mason laughs softly, his eyes sparkling. “True. I’ll admit I got here a little early to save us a spot and get a drink in me so I wouldn’t be nervous.”

  “Nervous? About meeting me? I’m flattered.”

  “Hey, it’s not every day a guy meets someone for the first time knowing that she’s hoping to get him into bed.”

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, bud. Even if you had enthusiastically agreed to my proposal, we still would have had to meet first to make sure there’s enough of a physical attraction. And I would want to spend a little time getting to know my child’s father before proceeding.”

  “I see. You want more than just sperm.”

  The bartender chooses that instant to arrive with our drinks and arches an eyebrow at Mason’s comment before walking off. The two of us look at each other, then bust out laughing.

  “I’d love to know what she’s thinking right now,” Mason says.

  “Whatever it is, I bet it’s filthy,” I reply.

  Then I flash Mason a dirty little smile.

  Mason

  I think my cock just twitched.

  I mean, I can’t be certain, because it might have been my brain twitching and I interpreted it as being a few feet lower on my body. But that look I just saw on Scarlett’s formerly innocent face was definitely erection-inducing.

  Which means I have a dilemma on my hands. I already have a sneaky suspicion I’m going to want to sleep with this woman. Hell, she’s so fucking hot I’d already jump at the chance. But she doesn’t want me for the off-the-charts amazing sex I’m sure we’d have. She only wants me as a sperm donor who makes home deliveries.

  Those two options seem mutually exclusive to me. There might not be a workable solution here.

  “Scarlett, I’m truly curious about why you’ve chosen this particular path to having a child. No marriage or romantic relationship, no co-parenting, no love… it just makes no sense to me.”

  She smiles sweetly. “I know, it seems weird, right? The truth is simple. I have had three serious relationships in my life, and all three ended with me being cheated on. Once with two other simultaneous girlfriends, once with someone I thought was my best friend, and once with a different hooker every month when he was out of town on business trips.”

  “Seriously? Every month?”

  “Maybe more. Who knows? I learned what was going on when he got fired because he was actually stupid enough to attempt to expense the hookers as ‘entertainment.’ At this point, I have lost all hope in men’s ability to be faithful. Totally and completely.”

  “I’m faithful,” I say.

  Scarlett laughs, then catches herself. “I’m sorry, but a guy who looks like you probably gets hit on all the time. Forgive me if I find it hard to believe you’d turn down the chance at easy sex with a hot chick.”

  I arch an eyebrow. “I recently turned down an offer of no-strings-attached sex with a beautiful, sexy, incredibly hot chick.”

  “Did you now? I’m not buying it.”

  I’m forced to give her a little smirk to get my point across.

  “You’re talking about me?” She blushes, then quickly recovers and rolls her eyes. “Totally different situation, Mason, and you know it. Are you telling me if I hadn’t mentioned the part about wanting to get pregnant, that you’d still be against the idea of sleeping with me?”

  I look into her big, beautiful eyes. They’re an exquisite shade of dark brown. It’s like looking into two cups of espresso. Her question has me stymied; she’s right in that I would already love to fuck the holy hell out of this woman. After less than half an hour talking to her, I’m already imagining what a hot body she has under those clothes, and how breathtakingly sensuous she’d look on top of me with my hard cock buried deep in her hot little pussy.

  I just don’t want to admit it to her, so I choose to not answer.

  “See? You’re not against easy sex, you’re against fathering a child you’ll never see.”

  “The bigger point, though, is that I value the bond that comes with commitment. It makes everything better. I’ve never felt the need to cheat on someone I was involved with.”

  She stares into my eyes. “Yeah, well my personal experience tells me that all men eventually feel that need, and I have no desire to go through that again. But I’m beginning to see why Grace put us together. Why aren’t you with someone already?”

  “Guess I just haven’t found the right girl.” I grin and add, “Your gender has issues too, you know.”

  “Don’t we, though. Boy, people sure are fucked up.”

  I raise my glass. “Here’s to fucked up people. Thank god we’re not among them.”

  Scarlett smiles and clinks her glass to mine.

  “Where are you parked?”

  “A block this way,” Scarlett says. “You?”

  “I’m on foot. My condo’s not far from here. Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.”

  “A gentleman with a downtown residence. Damn, Mason, you’re going to make some lucky girl very happy one day.”

  The walk isn’t near long enough. There’s no guarantee I’ll ever see Scarlett again after tonight, and it’s been fun spending time with her. We arrive at her car and walk to the driver’s side door, then she turns to me. “Thanks for the drink. It was fun. Good luck with your search.”

  Instinct takes over and I take a step forward, erasing the space between us. My intention is to give her a hug, but instead I lean towards her. When our eyes meet, I again see how fucking beautiful she is, and I can’t help but continue and press my lips to hers. As we kiss, I slide a hand under her hair behind her neck and hold her as I test her by gently biting her bottom lip. Her hands wrap around my shoulders and pull me into her.

  I feel my pulse race as our bodies meld together. My tongue demands entrance and she parts her lips to let me in, meeting me with her own. Cars continue to pass behind me on the busy street, but the world just seems to disappear. All I can think of is how delicious Scarlett tastes, how amazing she smells, and how incredibl
e her body feels against mine.

  We finally break and it feels like time is standing still.

  Scarlett’s hands caress my shoulders as our eyes meet again. “Holy shit,” she says, her voice husky with passion. “Are you certain you don’t want to reconsider? It’s not every day that a woman invites you to bone her repeatedly with absolutely no strings attached.”

  When she puts it that way, I’m the one who sounds a little crazy.

  “Can I be totally honest with you?”

  “Please. That would be refreshing from a man.”

  Damn, she really has been hurt.

  Scarlett

  The cool evening breeze brushes my cheeks, but I’m immune because they’re already flushed, and my entire body feels hot. Mason’s rock-hard body feels amazing against mine, and his shoulders seem chiseled from stone underneath my fingers. He’s about to say something when I bring my hands around and put them against his chest, which is also rock-like. I’m tempted to slide a hand downward to see what other parts of him might be this hard.

  He takes a breath and I feel his chest rise and fall, the sensation traveling through my arms into my own body and heating me up even more.

  “Scarlett, the honest truth is that I am dying to take you to my place and ravage you. The very thought of being inside of you, thrusting in and burying myself to the hilt in your hot, wet…” He sighs audibly. “But you and I are looking for two very different things, and if sleeping with you is as good as I know it would be, it would only be setting us both up for disappointment.”

  I am so beyond horny right now. Every word he said after talking about thrusting into me barely registered at all.

  “Grace was right about us,” he says, and I’m finally able to focus again. “It’s not her fault that we’re going in opposite directions right now.”

  “But opposites attract,” I say, my fingers exploring that chest. I just want to rip his shirt off so I can feel his skin directly.

  “You and I aren’t opposites.” He kisses my lips softly. “Our goals are. This can’t possibly work.”

  I feel a profound sense of frustration and discouragement. I really like this man. I want him in my bed, and I want his seed in me. “Are you sure?” Now I’m the one who gives him a sweet kiss.

  “No, I’m not,” Mason says. “I’m suddenly not certain of anything. But I have to trust my instincts. This will end badly if we have sex, and neither of us wants that.”

  I know deep inside that he’s right. “Okay. I’m not going to beg you to have sex with me.” I try to smile as I say it, but it feels like that’s what I’m already doing. And despite the begging, he’s still rejecting me.

  Our grip on each other’s bodies slowly eases and he kisses me on the forehead and says, “Goodnight. It was truly a pleasure.”

  As he walks away, I feel my chest tighten with a myriad of feelings. Longing, regret, desire… all mixed up and threatening to prevent me from breathing.

  Mason stops, turns around, and stares at me as I struggle to regain my sanity. His eyes reflect similar emotions. Then he gives me a wan smile.

  “There is one thing I am absolutely certain about,” he says. “I’m certain that you’re an amazing woman and that I loved meeting you.”

  “The feeling’s mutual.”

  “I’m also certain that when I get home, I’m going to relieve this sexual tension by jerking off while imagining what we would have been like together. So there’s that, too.”

  Then Mason Brewer gives me a sexy-as-fuck grin and walks out of my life forever.

  A few hours later, I prove myself wrong when I can’t resist the desire to text Mason.

  So, did you?

  I wait a few seconds for his reply.

  Did I what?

  Oh, come on. He’s got to know what I’m talking about.

  Relieve your tension : )

  This time he responds immediately.

  Oh THAT. I did. It even helped a little.

  I hesitate, unsure of whether to tell him this, but then I give in.

  I did, too, imagining the same thing. Mine was awesome. Yours?

  I’m suddenly embarrassed, afraid that I revealed too much. Why? It doesn’t matter because we’ll never see each other again, despite the obvious connection we both feel.

  I made a really big mess and it’s totally your fault because you’re so goddamn sexy.

  I laugh, picturing him lying in bed with his belly coated. That substance I need so badly, all going to waste.

  Glad I could help. Goodnight, Mason.

  His reply takes a good ten minutes, and I wonder what’s going on. When I receive it, I understand.

  Goodbye, Scarlett. : (

  Dear Grace,

  I have to say I’m a bit confused by your latest letter. When the first match you arranged for me turned out to be problematic, you told me you’d review all your client files again and find me a better match. So I was very eager when I received another packet and opened it with much excitement to find… Scarlett’s information again.

  I’m assuming you sent it in error. I can totally understand, since I’m sure you’re swamped with requests this close to Valentine’s Day. But as I said previously, Scarlett, though a wonderful person and great in many ways, is not a good match for me. Surely you’re aware that she’s not looking for marriage (or even romance), but just needs a man to help her conceive a child, which she would then raise on her own. My profile at What The Heart Wants states clearly that I’m hoping to be matched only with women who are ready to settle down and get married.

  Please do your best to find me that woman. I have faith in you, Grace.

  Sincerely,

  Mason Brewer

  Scarlett

  It’s been three weeks since the night I met Mason, and I’m reluctant to send him the text I’ve just typed into my phone. My finger hovers over the send key as I re-read it.

  Hey, you. Just out of curiosity, did Grace re-send you my portfolio as your “next match”?

  I hold my breath and hit send. When he hasn’t responded after a few minutes, my heart sinks. It feels way more depressing than it should, considering. So I go on about my day, trying to put him out of my mind by working on a new logo design for a group of romance authors who call themselves Flirt Club. Cute name.

  More than an hour after I sent the text, my phone dings.

  Sorry, was with a client. Yes, she did. How did you know?

  I reply quickly.

  Because she just sent me yours for the *third* time.

  This time his text comes right away.

  We seem to have a problem.

  My fingers start typing as if they have a mind of their own.

  Wanna talk about it over a drink?

  I hold my breath until his response comes.

  Over sushi and sake instead? Meet me @Roketto after work. 6?

  Shit. I’ve heard about the pricy sushi bar that recently opened, but I’ve never been. I would have to leave work early so I could shower and change, just to come right back downtown. Or I can meet him as I am. Seriously, why should I make an effort? I’m not trying to attract this man anymore. Am I?

  Sounds great. See you then.

  I set my cell phone down and head to my boss’s office to tell her I need to leave an hour early today because I have an urgent personal situation I’m dealing with. Hey, I’m not lying.

  Mason literally cannot take his eyes off my little black dress. It’s almost like he thinks he can claim my body for himself by staring at it long enough. He seems to forget I’ve offered it to him, and it could be his any time he wants. Still, it’s awesome to feel desired like this by a handsome man, even if I know he’s simultaneously fighting the urge.

  “Why did you pick this place?” I ask Mason after we’ve been seated. He’s wearing a navy-blue windowpane suit with a light blue striped shirt and a gray-blue polka dot tie. It’s so perfectly put together that I’m tempted to ask him if he has a fashion consultant. No matte
r who made the choices, it looks daring and powerful, and I wanted to jump his bones the minute I saw him. I had to remind myself that his bones were unavailable for jumping.

  “Roketto? Why do you ask? Please don’t tell me you don’t like sushi.”

  “No, I love sushi, and I’ve heard it’s amazing here. It’s just that this place is so sexy, so… romantic.”

  Mason looks around. “Yeah, I guess so. But it’s also the best sushi in town. Besides, we both know I’m not trying to seduce you.”

  That last line stung a little, though I know it’s my fault he’s not interested in me that way.

  After the waiter takes our order, we get down to business. “Okay, so let’s talk about Grace.” Mason says, “She’s sent me your portfolio twice, and sent you mine three times, so it’s obvious she’s doing it on purpose. What do you think she’s up to?”

  “I don’t know. We’ve both told her that we have an unresolvable incompatibility. Maybe she’s just being stubborn because she’s not used to making wrong matches.”

  “Do you maybe think it means she thinks we should keep trying?”

  I look across the table at this beautiful man. Try for what? Another relationship? One more opportunity to have my heart stomped into a billion little pieces by yet another man who can’t keep his dick in his pants? Then spend a half a year recovering from it? Again? No thanks.

  “There’s no point in trying. I like you, Mason, and I feel that you like me, but we’re going in different directions with our lives.”

  “Right. This is a dilemma with no solution.”