by Tasha Blue
She gave him a serious look and he furrowed his brow a moment considering it. “Well, perhaps. That’s a fair point; I don’t want any entanglements later on of course, but if she has agreed to it, if she signs a contract that states she understands what we’re doing, and she takes the money, and there’s a clear negotiation, I don’t think we’ll have any trouble. We can discuss it when we get further along with it. For now, I want to find the right woman and get it started. I cannot begin to stress enough just how much time is truly of the essence with this situation. Specifically, regarding my mother. It has to be done as soon as possible.”
Henry was adamant, though not harsh in his point, and Cara understood him exactly right. Picking up her tablet, she traced her finger over the screen on it and raised her eyes from it to look at him. “I’ll do it right away. It will be my highest priority,” she said with determination. Standing, she looked down at him and gave a nod. “I’ll check back in with you as soon as I find a solution for you,” she told him.
Rising from the chair, she looked at him intently and her voice was steady as she spoke to him. “I want you to know that no matter what happens with this, no matter what happens with anything, I am here for you, always, and I will do everything that I can to ensure that you’re happy and that you have exactly what you need and want.”
He gave her a smile and a nod of comprehension. “Of course, and I’m grateful for it. I’m glad to have someone as supportive and dedicated as you are. Thank you, Cara. All of your hard work is greatly appreciated.”
She smiled at him adoringly and turned, walking out of the office with her chin held high and determination in her step. He turned his attention toward the files on his computer and went to work.
Cara sat at her desk and faced her own computer. Her mouth twitched at the corner as her fingers flew over the keyboard, brushing each key so swiftly and lightly that it was almost as if she wasn’t touching them at all. Images and lists showed up on her monitor and she went through them with a sharp eye, scanning as she read quickly, reviewing and studying the information about all of the sites.
She spent a good amount of time researching and finally picked up the phone on her desk and called one of the numbers on the website she liked best. A secretary answered, transferred her to a nurse, and the important conversation began. Cara was careful to familiarize herself with the woman at the other end of the line and make the beginnings of a good bond with her. Common ground, she had discovered, was one way to do that, and to give a sense of camaraderie between people who had either just met or would only know one another over the telephone or internet.
After speaking with her and making the connection that she wanted to, the nurse went over a list of potential mothers at the fertilization clinic where Cara had called. They discussed the merits and drawbacks of every possible candidate for motherhood, and spent a good amount of time on the call together.
At first the nurse had advised Cara that she would mail the list to her and she could take a look at a hard copy of it, and she also invited Cara to review the possible candidates online by looking at a private page of profiles for each one. Cara had talked her down from those two choices, and had persuaded the woman to discuss each of the best possible women for the job with her, rather than searching through profiles. She stressed just how much it meant to them to find exactly the right one, and how important it was to have her chosen during that phone call. Time was of the essence, and she made it crystal clear that there was a generous benefit awaiting the nurse, if she could help her in finding just the right woman at just that time. The nurse was no fool, and when she realized who it was that was looking for a surrogate mother, and how generous the client would be when he was able to get the procedure done, she became exponentially more friendly and willing to do whatever she could to help speed up the entire process.
They went through every possible young woman in the list of available surrogate mothers who would be willing to do an invitro fertilization process and carry a child, and then give it up, and as they spoke, Cara looked at the in-depth profile for each woman on the website for the company.
With each one that they examined, she seemed to find a flaw at some point or another. The nurse, knowing that she would benefit greatly no matter how long it took for Cara to find just the right candidate, became less concerned with the time that was spent, and was more inclined to help Cara in her quest for the right mother to her boss’ children.
Cara looked at one after another, after another, and with every one of them, there was one thing or another that was wrong. In truest honesty, most of them were young, beautiful, and single. She strayed from each one of those, and at long last the nurse began to grow concerned, worrying more with each declination that Cara gave.
When they came to the last candidate, the nurse was on the edge of her seat, worried that none would do for Cara’s choice and Henry’s need. Cara had grown slightly more frustrated as she had gone along, realizing that most of the women who were willing to be paid to have a strange man’s child were not the kind of women she would feel comfortable having around Henry long term in her near his house. They were single. They were young. They were beautiful or too sexy, and she had it in her head that she wanted someone who would be much more practical, and easily removed when the time came to send the woman away.
The nurse sighed as Cara said no to the final woman on this list of possibilities. It sounded as if the weight of the world might be on the nurse’s shoulders.
“Well, I’m really sorry to say it, but I think that’s the last of our candidates. Are you sure that there’s no one who you thought might work out? Perhaps if you met with one or two of them, or a few of them, and got to talk with them in person, you might find that they actually do fit your requirements,” the nurse suggested hopefully, though she sounded more crestfallen than anything else.
Cara replied quickly, “No, I’ve looked at each one that you’ve showed me, and not one of them will work for what we have in mind. There wasn’t one that I think could even change my mind in an in-person interview. I do want to thank you for your time. I wish we’d been able to use your facility; you have one of the best in the area.”
She had been about to thank the woman and hang up so that she could call the next fertility clinic, but the nurse stopped her almost breathlessly. “Wait! Wait… there’s one more. There’s a woman who is actually scheduled to be removed from the list this week. She’s been on our list of candidates for a few years now, and no one has ever selected her, so there have been no attempts at a live birth from her. She’s as healthy as can be, and she’s a fine candidate. If you’d go to the list and click on this name… let’s see, it’s Jamaica Franklin. Let’s give this last one a chance and see if she won’t work for you.” The nurse was grasping at straws, and Cara knew it. She could hear it in the woman’s voice. She knew that the nurse wanted the perks that Cara had offered to her if she could help her find a successful candidate that day. They were solid perks, and the nurse was quite keen on them.
With a sigh of resignation, and mostly because they had already exhausted the entire list of possible mothers, Cara clicked on the name and expected that she would be thanking the nurse once more and then saying goodbye to her a few moments after that.
Her computer screen illuminated with the profile of the woman the nurse had mentioned. Jamaica Franklin’s photograph appeared, and Cara stared at her, tilting her head to one side as she gazed at the photograph and considered the woman before her.
Jamaica was beautiful and she was young, like the other women that Cara had reviewed, but she was black. She had long, thick, wavy black hair that reached to just below her shoulders. Her skin was the color of hot coffee in the morning, with sunlight shining through it, giving it a golden-bronze glow. Her eyes were big and dark, fringed with thick lashes. Her lips were full and round, and her smile was sweet and kind. There was something about her that drew Cara in, making her curious about her, making her want t
o look at Jamaica a little longer, making her want to know all that she could about Jamaica, and she stopped and gazed at the image, and listened to the nurse, who hurriedly continued in her quick and passionate suggestion of the last of the possible women on the list of potential mothers for Henry’s children.
“So this one is first of all really healthy, and I know that’s a major consideration for you. She’s not only got a great physique, she works out all the time, and she’s active, but her family health history is also really good. There’s nothing in her or the history of her family that would be of any kind of medical concern to you or to Mr. Ellison. Now, I realize that she might be a little darker than any of the other women we’ve looked at, but I want you to really consider how this could be a good thing. She’s very intelligent. She’s got a master’s degree in art, and she teaches art at a private academy here in the city. She won a full scholarship for her entire way through college, and that in itself is quite a feat. She does a lot of volunteer work in the community, so we know she’s got a kind and compassionate heart, and she’s willing to work where work is needed. There’s a lot, if you look through her profile, that would indicate that she’s a good match for your needs. If you’d just take a look…” the nurse finished off with high hopes.
Cara nodded and read through the profile twice. “It doesn’t matter that she’s black,” she said quietly as she looked at the image and carefully considered the possibility of what she was doing. “In fact, in this particular case, I think that’s really a factor in her favor.”
She was being honest, though she stopped discussing it there. There were reasons in her mind why the color of Jamaica’s skin was of interest to her, and though those reasons would remain unspoken, they were the key variable in the decision that Cara made right there and then, on the spot.
“Why is she coming off the list this week?” Cara asked, beginning to worry that the young woman might not be interested in providing the service she needed so desperately.
The nurse explained offhandedly. “Well, it has to do with the fact that we set these young ladies up on a certain time frame. They are put into the system with a profile and an availability for a specific range of dates, and they can choose to be removed from the system at any time, but she hasn’t chosen to be taken off. It’s just that her time frame is running out. Some women will use their option to renew their time with us, and after we have reviewed their current health and suitability for the program, we put them back into the system again, but she hasn’t chosen to do that. From the looks of it here, she’s just going to let it run out. So, it’s possible that she might be open to agreeing to your contract and doing the work, and it’s also possible that she might turn you down and step away from the whole thing altogether, but as she is the last one on the list, and she is as of right now open and available for the service, I feel as though it might be in your best interest to choose her and hope for the best.” The nurse sounded ever hopeful, though her tone was laced with uncertainty and doubt.
“No one has ever chosen her to carry a child for them, so she hasn’t been through the process before, but it says here in the original notes that she was doing this for money as the main reason for her being in the program, so perhaps that might be a viable method of convincing her that she should take this position. Though I’ll be honest, I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to take this job.” She laughed nervously. “Heck, if I was fifteen years younger and physically able to do it, I’d take the job.” She laughed again, and Cara was silent in response.
A moment later, she spoke with a friendly and almost coy tone. “You know what, she’s the best option we’ve come across so far. I’d be so grateful if you would be willing to give me her contact information. I’d like to give her a call and meet with her. I want to interview her for the position and see if we are both a good fit for each other. If we are, we will go through your company to do this procedure.”
The nurse’s tone brightened and she seemed to be immediately encouraged. “Yes! Goodness yes, of course I’d be so glad to help you and give you her information. You just call her; I’m emailing her info to you right now as I speak…” Her fingers tapped on the keyboard in front of her. “And then let me know how it works out. Let me know if there is anything at all that I can do to help you. I am here to help you and make this happen! I’m only a phone call away.”
There was the slightest tone of desperation in her voice and Cara heard it and knew exactly what it was. “Of course, and thank you so much. Oh! It looks like your email has come through, and yes, there’s Jamaica’s information. I’ll call her as soon as I hang up with you. Now, if this goes through and she’s the right one for this job, I’ll be sending you all of our thanks and a gift of gratitude for all of your time and efforts. I do appreciate all that you did, and I know you bent the rules for me a little. Henry and I appreciate that. We always show our gratitude generously when we are well served and supported.
The nurse thanked her and Cara got off the phone call quickly, and stared at the photograph of Jamaica as she dialed the young woman’s phone number, hoping that she would be the one to take the job.
Chapter3
The phone rang three times before it was answered, and when it was, Cara heard the young woman’s soft voice come over the line with a genuine warmth and sweetness.
“Hello?” she asked curiously.
“Is this Jamaica Franklin, please?” Cara asked, her fingers tightening somewhat around the phone in her hand.
“Yes, how can I help you?” she asked pleasantly.
“Jamaica, my name is Cara Landers. I was given your phone number by the fertility clinic where you have an open and operating profile at this time. I understand from them that your profile is about to run out, but it is still active right now and I wanted to reach out to you because I represent someone who is in need of your services, if that’s possible. We are hoping to have a family, and you are the most perfect fit for our needs out of everyone in the catalogue of surrogate mothers in the entire facility. You are our first choice to help provide us with a family. What I’d like to do is meet with you, tomorrow if it’s at all possible, and discuss the situation with you. We would like to make you an offer and see if we can come to agreeable terms and make this happen.” Cara was friendly and open, but serious as she spoke.
Jamaica was astounded, and Cara could hear it in her voice. “Wow… this is… this is such a surprise. Such an out of the blue surprise. I wasn’t even sure that I was still in their system. I thought I was out of it this month, to be honest,” she began, and Cara’s eyes widened some as she felt like the girl might be slipping through her fingers.
“Well, you’re right, you are scheduled to come out of their system, but not until next week. I realize that this is coming to you out of left field and right at the end of your time with the company, but you really are our first choice, and for us in this matter time is of the utmost importance. If you’d be at least willing to talk with me about it at a meeting tomorrow, I would be so glad to explain and to make you an offer that I am most certain would be the best offer you are ever likely to receive in your life. I want you to understand that there is a great deal of money that will be given to you should this work out. I am just asking that you meet with me initially to discuss it, so that we can determine if this will work. Please consider it carefully.” Cara pursed her lips together and stared hard at the photograph of Jamaica, willing her with everything in her to say yes and agree to the meeting. She knew that she could be much more convincing in person, especially with Henry’s checkbook there beneath her pen. He was a billionaire and while she didn’t have carte blanche with his fortune, she did have a considerable allowance of workable funds from which she could draw upon for anything he needed.
There was a long silence on the other end of the line, and Cara listened closely, waiting to hear what Jamaica’s response would be, and knowing that she was still on the line because she could hear music playing i
n the background.
“Well,” Jamaica sighed, “I’ll be honest, I entered that program while I was in my early twenties, in fact, I think I was twenty when I signed up for it, and the only reason I ever even signed up for it was the money. It was a way for me to pay my way through college. I haven’t ever been contacted for a situation where I might carry a child… It sort of fell to the back burner, and I was just going to let it go. I’ve finished school and I now work full time, so the elements in my life have changed, and I am not entirely sure that this would be the right decision for me at this time.” The uncertainty in her voice was clear.
Cara drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Please, Jamaica, I want you to consider this carefully. There’s really so much at stake here for the future. It’s incredibly important that we find the right person for this job, and that it is handled right away. The timing on this is crucial, and it’s worth a great deal to us. In fact, if you were to meet with me and it went well and we both agreed on it, I would say that the value on it would be worth five hundred thousand dollars, which would be given to you for your time and service in helping us to create a family.”
She stopped speaking and waited again. It was one of the single most important rules in sales and selling, which was essentially what she was doing. She was selling the idea and the position to the one woman she had found who she felt would be best suited for the purpose of doing it, and then leaving.
