Passionate Kisses

by Various

  “I’ll take a check.”

  “Look, Everest. I don’t care how much money you paid. It ain’t gonna happen. Period.” The elevator stopped on the top floor. The doors opened, but nobody got on. She punched the ground floor button several times.

  “That won’t help.”

  She whirled toward him. “I know you.”

  John blinked twice. “What?”

  She tapped his shirt with her red fingernail. “I’ve met your type before. You’re all the same.”

  He flattened his palms on the paneling behind her, his forearms paralleling her head, his face just inches from hers. “You don’t know me at all, Samantha. I’d like to change that.”

  “Not interested,” she said, resisting the urge to look away when his blue gaze bore into hers.

  “How about tonight?”

  “Are you always this persistent?” she asked, annoyed to hear her voice crack. She hoped he hadn’t noticed. His slow grin told her he had.

  “Absolutely.” His eyes glittered with the challenge.

  If she didn’t agree to go out with him, he’d keep after her until she did. She sighed. “Okay,” she said wearily. “But it’ll have to be next weekend. I’m busy tonight.”

  “That won’t work. I’ll be out of town.”

  “Bummer. Guess we’ll have to cancel. Darn.”

  He smirked. “No way. I can be patient when I have to be.”

  “Uh huh.” She rolled her eyes and handed him a business card. “Here’s my work number.” No way was he getting her cell number.

  He flicked the card with his fingers. “I’ll call you.”

  She gave him a false smile. “Fine.” The elevator finally reached bottom and the doors opened. “Look, Everest, just so you know. After our ‘date’ — and I use that term loosely — I have no intentions of going out with you again.”

  His eyes crinkled at the corners and he leaned against the back panel of the elevator, arms crossed over his chest. “Thanks for setting me straight, especially since two minutes ago you said you had no intention of going out with me at all.”

  Chapter 3

  “No! Samma make it!” Two-year-old Zachary Garrett’s bottom lip quivered and his big brown eyes filled with tears. “Samma make Zachie sammich.”

  His mother, Nina Garrett, looked at Sam. “Would you mind?”

  Sam smiled, took the knife from Nina, and dipped it into the jar of peanut butter. “Zachary knows Samma makes the best PB&J sandwiches in the whole world, don’t you?” She reached over the tile countertop to tickle his chin. The toddler giggled.

  “Thanks so much for doing this, Sam,” Nina said, squatting to pick up eight-month-old Emily before she pulled the trash can over. The blond and blue-eyed baby was the spitting image of Nina, whereas Zachary Jr. looked just like his father with his dark hair and eyes. “I thought we’d have to cancel when our sitter called in sick. It was Zach’s idea to call you. I thought for sure you’d have a date.”

  Sam cut the sandwiches into quarters and arranged them on the plastic plate along with some peeled and cut grapes. “Spending the evening with Zachary and Emily is much more fun than going out with an arrogant, egotistical man, who thinks women are property to be bought and sold. Isn’t that right, buddy?” Little Zachary nodded exuberantly.

  “Does this man have a name?” Nina asked.

  Sam made a face. “John Everest.” She gave Nina a brief run-down, ending with how John coerced her into a date. “If you hadn’t asked me to watch the kids, I’d have had no excuse not to go out with him tonight.” She opened her mouth and stuck her finger toward the back of her throat, in a ‘gag-me’ gesture. Zachary erupted into laughter and imitated the move.

  “What exactly is wrong with this man?” Nina pulled Zachary’s sticky fingers from his mouth.

  “You mean besides being married and divorced two times before the age of thirty?”

  “Oh.” Nina’s brows rose. “But here’s the important question. Is he hot?”

  Sam shrugged. “I suppose.”

  “Good body?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then I predict true love in your future.”

  “Oh, please,” Sam said, rolling her eyes.

  Nina laughed. “Remember when I first met Zach? I couldn’t stand him, but you convinced me to give him a second chance if for no other reason than he was so cute. Remember?”

  Sam fluttered her hand in the air. “Yes, yes. I remember. But this is different. John Everest and I…” She shuddered. “No, no, no. Not in a million years.”

  Nina bit her lip as if restraining a smile. “Anyway, thanks again for tonight, Sam. I promise to return the favor when you have your little one someday.”

  Sam sighed and rubbed her temples. “Well, someday is a long way off, as of today.” She screwed the lids on the peanut butter and jelly jars, and dropped the dirty knife into the sink.

  “Your period came?”

  Her husband, Zach, walked in. “I think I’ll pass on this conversation.” He started out of the room.

  “Garrett, don’t be such a wuss,” Sam chided. “I was just telling your wife I’m not pregnant.”

  He turned back, his expression sympathetic. “I’m sorry. You’re sure?” He snatched Emily from his wife’s arms and rubbed noses with the cooing baby.

  “Yeah.”

  “That was your fifth attempt, wasn’t it?” Nina asked.

  “The sixth. And last.”

  “Your last? But Sam, I thought you were so set on—”

  “I am. I’m just not going to do the sperm bank route again. The stuff is frozen and my doctor told me it sometimes takes longer to conceive that way. Probably why I haven’t gotten pregnant.”

  “So, what now?”

  “Now,” she sighed, “I need to find a donor.”

  “How would that work?” Zach asked.

  She sucked a smudge of peanut butter from her palm. “Well, the man would give me a specimen, then I’d fill a syringe and insert it—”

  “No, no,” Zach said quickly, his cheeks reddening. “I don’t really need to know that.” The women laughed at his chagrin. “I meant, how do you go about finding someone to help you? That’s not exactly something you can put on Craigslist.”

  “Actually, it is,” she said. “A couple of women in my support group found their donors that way.”

  “Oh, God.” He rolled his eyes. “I forgot you joined that group. Why would you want to hang around a bunch of bitter, man-hating women who get off bitching and moaning about how much better the world would be without men?”

  “Honey, your language,” Nina reminded him, glancing at the children.

  Sam punched Zach in the arm. “Shut up. It’s not like that at all.”

  “Uh, huh.”

  “Seriously. It’s just a bunch of women in like situations offering encouragement and information.”

  “Uh, huh.”

  She punched him again. “Anyway, it’s possible to find a donor through Craigslist or a personal ad. Two women in the group did it that way.”

  “It all sounds pretty impersonal,” Nina said, taking Emily from her husband and handing him a dishtowel to wipe baby drool from his shoulder.

  “It is, but less so than going through a sperm bank. All the catalog tells you is vital statistics. There’s no picture or anything. At least with an ad I could meet the guy face to face, make sure he’s not a psycho or anything.”

  She knew her friends thought she was nuts for considering this. When she’d first broached the subject with them last year, Nina tried to talk her out of it, saying how hard it would be to raise a child alone. She’d also given her the lecture on how a child should have two parents, and in a perfect world Sam would agree. But this wasn’t a perfect world and Mr. Right was nowhere in sight. She was thirty-eight years old. Approaching forty without a husband was okay. She didn’t particularly want a man in her life right now, if ever. But she did have an incredible yearning for a baby. Turning forty witho
ut a child would be emotionally devastating.

  Nina adjusted Emily on her hip and pulled the baby’s hands away from her pearl necklace. “The women in your group who didn’t take out an ad or use the Internet, how did they find someone?”

  “A few asked close friends, but I don’t want to bump into the guy on a regular basis since he won’t have anything to do with raising the child. That would just complicate matters. Sorry, Zach. I know you were hoping I’d ask you.”

  He pressed a fist to his heart. “I’ll survive,” he sighed. “Seriously, Sam. What are your chances of finding someone? Because I certainly wouldn’t want to have a child out there who wasn’t my responsibility.” He scrubbed the spot on his shirt and tossed the wadded towel onto the counter.

  “A lot of guys don’t think in those terms. They see sperm as a bodily fluid that would otherwise go to waste. I mean, look at all the men who donate to sperm banks.”

  “But—” Nina’s brows furrowed. “What’s in it for them?”

  “Yeah,” Zach said. “There’s not much reward in jacking off into a cup. It’s not like the guy is getting laid as part of the deal.”

  “Honey, the kids.” Nina shot him a dirty look.

  Sam sighed. “Some of the donors feel privileged to be asked for their genes. It’s an ego boost, if you really look at it.” Her friends still looked unconvinced. “Besides, I’d pay the guy.”

  “You’d pay him?” Nina narrowed her eyes.

  Sam nodded. “The payment is what makes it legal. If you’re paid, even if it’s only a dollar, then you’re a donor. Otherwise you’re a father. And I’m looking for a donor, not a father.”

  Zach whistled. “Boy, there’s a lot to think about, isn’t there?”

  “That’s why I’m so glad to have found my support group. I’d be lost without them.”

  Zach rolled his eyes and Sam slapped his arm.

  “So you need to find a donor,” Nina said, crinkling her brows and staring off into space. She untangled her necklace from Emily’s fingers again. “Make a list of every man you know. Then do a pros and cons thing with each.” She handed Emily back to Zach. “In fact,” she said, grabbing a pen and paper from a drawer, “let’s write down a few right now.”

  “That’s a good idea. About the list, I mean,” Sam said. “It would give me a place to start. But you guys need to get going. You can help me brainstorm later.”

  “What about what’s-his-name? The guy you just told me about?” Nina asked, not easily deterred.

  Sam made a face. “John Everest? You’ve got to be kidding. I’d rather be barren.”

  “Who’s John Everest?” Zach asked.

  “Nobody,” Sam said.

  “She’s going out on a date with him.” Nina grinned.

  “It’s not a date. It’s an obligation.”

  “If you don’t want to go out with the guy, call him and cancel,” he said. “You’d be doing him a favor. Trust me. There’s nothing worse than spending time and money on a woman who would rather be someplace else.”

  Sam shook her head. “I’m stuck with it, I’m afraid.”

  “Maybe you’ll have a good time. Nina hated me on sight. Remember, honey?” He grinned at his wife.

  Nina nodded. “I reminded her.”

  Sam stuck her tongue out at them. Zachary Jr. did the same.

  “Okay, so Mr. Everest is out,” Nina said, but Sam noticed his name remained on the list. “What about what’s-his-face, the crime reporter? You know, the one who wrote that true crime book? He’s nice-looking.”

  Sam frowned. “Jamie Breslin?” She shook her head. “He’s asked me out a couple of times. I think he’d get the wrong idea if I asked him to father my child. Besides, he kinda gives me the creeps.”

  Nina pursed her lips. “What about the guy who writes the gardening column?”

  Sam shook her head again. “He’s super religious. I hardly think he’d be willing to sign away his parental rights.” She crinkled her nose. “Besides, I see him every day at work. That would be awkward.”

  “Then what about that guy who lives upstairs from you?” Nina asked, opening the refrigerator and grabbing a bottle for Emily. “He’s cute and has a great body.” Seeing the scowl on her husband’s face, she stammered with a giggle, “I mean, I remember you telling me he had a great body.” She blushed and popped the bottle in the microwave.

  Sam gave a wistful sigh. “Yeah, his body is yummy, isn’t it? But I think half the female population of Seattle has seen it.”

  “Male slut?”

  “Something like that.”

  Zach shook his head. “Women,” he muttered under his breath.

  “Let’s say you did find someone suitable,” Nina said. “How in the world would you go about asking him for his, um… how would you ask?”

  Sam shrugged. “I’d just ask.”

  Nina’s delicate brows lifted, as if she didn’t think it would be that simple. “You know, Sam, it would be so much easier, and so much more romantic, to fall in love and—”

  “I’ve tried that route, remember?” She glanced at the clock. “Hey, you two’d better scoot or you’ll be late.”

  Zach put Emily in her playpen, where she immediately wailed. Little Zachary then put in his two cents’ worth.

  Nina grimaced. “I hate to leave you with the kids like this,” she said over the ruckus. “I’m sure they’ll be okay as soon as we’re out the door, but—”

  “We’ll be fine.” Sam bent over the playpen and scooped Emily into her arms.

  Nina accepted Zach’s help in putting on her coat, then touched Sam on the arm. “Why don’t you come over tomorrow for lunch? We can work on your list.”

  “Thanks. Maybe I’ll do that.”

  An hour later, Sam rocked both sleeping kids in the La-Z-Boy. The only light in the room came from the Sesame Street DVD. When she realized she’d watched almost the entire show alone, she smiled. Then, almost immediately, tears stung her eyes. She peered at the angelic faces of the children in her arms. God, she wanted kids of her own. She wanted a baby so badly it hurt.

  Nina was right. It would be easier and much more natural to find a man, fall in love and go about getting pregnant the old-fashioned way. But at thirty-eight years old, her time was running out. She didn’t have time to wait around for Mr. Right — who most likely existed only in the romance novels adorning her bookshelves. It was this way or no way.

  Tuesday afternoon, rain pounded the roof of the SCHS weight room in tinny staccato as the adults led the teenagers through a series of cool-down stretches.

  “Hey, kids,” Alex said from his place on the mats, meeting John’s eyes in the mirror. “Did you know you’re working out with two of Seattle’s Hottest Bachelors?” A few of the kids snickered.

  John shot his friend a dirty look. But before he could say anything, LaMarcus asked, “What’s he talkin’ about, Mr. E?”

  “It was a charity function we attended.”

  Alex chuckled. “Don’t be so modest.” He directed everyone to the floor to stretch their hamstrings. “Mr. Everest and Yours Truly were two of the bachelors at the Northwest Women’s Extravaganza.” He said it with an uppity flourish to his voice, then gave the kids a quick run-down of the show, adding, “The only reason I did it was because John-boy here’s dream was to be a Hot Bachelor, kind of like how some girls dream of being Miss America. But he’s kind of shy, see, so I graciously volunteered to do the show with him, keep him company.”

  John rolled his eyes at the bullshit.

  “Jeez, Mr. E. That’s pretty lame,” Tanya said. John and Alex turned to her in surprise. She usually kept her opinions to herself. The pretty seventeen-year-old looked over at him with light blue eyes against her dark skin.

  “Yeah, talk about sexist,” chimed in Robyn, the one other girl there today.

  Tanya nodded, stretching forward and giving everyone a view of her impressive cleavage. John made a mental note to talk to her about wearing a bit less revealing
clothing.

  “Tell that to all the women at the show, the ones who paid good money for a ticket,” Alex said.

  “How much?” asked LaMarcus.

  “A hundred big ones.” Alex blew on his curled knuckles, then rubbed them against his chest in an cocky gesture.

  Kevin’s jaw dropped as they switched legs. “A hundred bucks? No shit?” At John’s warning cough, he amended, “I mean, no kiddn’? Chicks paid that kind of cash for a chance to go out with you guys? Way to go, Mr. E and Mr. D.” He and LaMarcus high-fived. Even Brian smirked.

  “So, did you get a couple of hot babes or did you end up with dogs?” Kevin wanted to know.

  “God, you guys are pigs, you know that?” Tanya sneered. She quickly glanced at Alex. “Not you. I mean, you were just helping Mr. E, and—” She dropped her gaze. This was unusual for her, to become involved in any conversation. Maybe she was starting to come around. “So, Mr. Drake. Did you like your, um, date?”

  The men exchanged looks. This had the signs of a major teenage crush. Alex cleared his throat. “Ah, she was a nice lady, but… well, we didn’t really click.”

  Tanya dropped her head and John saw the corners of her red-painted mouth turn up in a smile.

  “What about you, Mr. E? What’s your lady like?” LaMarcus persisted. “Is she a babe, or what?”

  Alex piped in before John could even open his mouth. “I’ll answer for him. She is one hot mama. Mm, mm.”

  The boys whooped and LaMarcus and Kevin high-fived again. Damian thrust his hips and pumped his arms. John shook his head. Teenage boys had just one thing on their mind every waking moment.

  Alex led them through the rest of the stretches, periodically chuckling at John’s expense. After the kids left, the adults put the place back in order.

  John punched his friend in the arm. “Thanks, buddy.”

  Alex laughed. “What are friends for? Somebody’s gotta keep you in line.”

  “Well, you’ll be in line at the unemployment office if you pull that shit again. Don’t forget I can still fire your ass.”

  Alex blew a raspberry. “You’d never fire me. You’d miss me too much.” They pulled the collars off the weight bars and stacked the iron plates against the wall. “So when’s the hot date?”