by Sophia Gray
I blinked and stepped back. “No…”
The guy shook his head and leaned toward me again. “Don’t worry. I can handle it for you.”
I frowned. “Just what needs handling?” I asked, crossing my arms and keeping my purse close.
He laughed and pulled back, looking down at me. “I think I like you.” He gave me a once-over and slowly grinned.
“I think I’ll pass.” I wasn’t here to be picked up by a guy.
His smile widened, and he laughed some more. “Now I know I like you. Tell Sam over there I’ll buy your first round. Maybe your second, too.”
And he sauntered on away. After a few steps, he glanced behind at me, and I glanced away.
Okay. Hopefully that wasn’t Anton. He had been built like a bull, and it would’ve been nice to feel those arms around me, but…I didn’t know. The whole idea of this was insane.
The guy was watching me still, I realized when I causally glanced around the bar. He definitely seemed to be keeping an eye on things everywhere in the bar, not just me, which made me wonder if he was Anton after all. I didn’t think so, but then again, I had no idea who Anton was, or what he looked like.
And that terrified me. I was hoping some mysterious hot, rich guy could solve my money problems by giving him a baby. How had my life ended up like this?
It didn’t matter how, only that it had, and I couldn’t help wondering if all of this was fate. What were the chances that some hot, rich guy had a job that might be the answer to all of my money woes?
Of course that job entailed a hell of a lot.
Well, I could find Anton, talk to the guy. If he seemed like a creep — if he gave off that same bad vibe Alec did — I could just walk away. Being here didn’t mean I absolutely had to go through with this. I still had a say in whether or not I actually accepted the position. Like I told Denise, I just wanted to get a few more details clarified. Like how much money.
I sincerely doubted this Anton guy would lowball me. If he wanted to hire someone to have an heir, he must be desperate, almost as desperate as me. But if he were desperate to have a kid, wasn’t that a red flag in and of itself?
Ugh. At this rate, I was going to talk myself out of it without even meeting the guy!
Remembering this wasn’t a promise to do anything, I forced myself to the bar and worked up the nerve to talk to the bartender.
Sam was wiping down a counter after filling a few orders, two he hadn’t even been told what to get the customers. Must be regulars. Then he turned to me. “What can I get ya?” He glanced over my shoulder.
I turned to follow his gaze. He was looking at tall guy who was still staring at me.
“Did Boris offer you a drink?” he asked.
“Yeah.” I shook my head. “But I’m not taking him up on it.”
Sam laughed. He had a little bit of a belly, and his laugh was jolly. Even though he didn’t look at all like the guy in red, he still reminded me of Santa. “Good for you. What can I do you for?” he asked.
I swallowed hard. Don’t be a coward. I took a deep breath and blurted out, “I’m looking for Anton.”
“Anton?” His eyebrows shot up. “You want the boss guy? What for?” he demanded.
Boss guy. I knew Anton had been Alec’s boss, but I thought that meant at his job. Yeah, there had been a few signs that pointed toward Alec being in the mob, but I hadn’t dug that deep into it because Denise had threatened our friendship if I said one more bad thing about him. If Alec really had been in the mob, and Anton was his boss…had boss meant mob boss?
Oh God, what the hell was I getting myself into?
Denise had never mentioned Anton’s last name, so I hadn’t been able to do any research on the guy. I should just get the hell out of here. I should’ve asked her for his last name. Should’ve asked her for more details. I just assumed she would’ve told me if she knew more. And maybe, deep down, I did wonder about Anton and had been afraid of what I would find out. The allure of money and dollar signs were making me willing to take a potentially large risk. If it were just me, I wouldn’t do this. Not at all. But Mom needed me, and so I was here.
For now. I could still walk away. I hadn’t signed anything yet, hadn’t agreed to anything yet. But I kinda felt that just being here meant that I was already ensnared in this mess.
“What for?” the bartender reiterated. He was staring at me intently, his open face suddenly unreadable.
“Ah…” I swallowed hard again and ended up coughing. Man, this was so embarrassing and awkward. “I…I heard about…he needs…”
Sam laughed again. “Gotcha, little lady. He’s right over there, actually.” He pointed to the right.
I looked directly at a seated man wearing a fine suit. There was no way Sam was pointing to anyone else but him.
The man’s gaze met mine, and I almost dropped onto the bar stool behind me. I might not know his last name, but I did recognize his face.
And mob boss was right.
God, had I been naïve to think he might have been some kind of regular boss!
I really should just walk right back out of this bar. I should bail. Cut my losses. I shouldn’t be here. I was wasting time that could be used finding a real job. I couldn’t do this. It’s way too crazy a scheme.
But the thought of Mom, so weak and growing even weaker every day, made me square my shoulders. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her. For so long, she had taken care of me by herself. I hadn’t wanted for anything. She’d done without. No way was I unwilling to do whatever it took to repay her, to make sure she could concentrate on fighting for her life instead of fretting over bills. Which meant I had to at least talk to the guy. What harm could come from a single conversation?
Thankfully, Anton was sitting at his table alone, but by the time I walked around tables and through the crowd, two men had sat with him. They were talking and laughing, but Anton was staring at me, and I shivered. The burning look in his eyes made me squirm inwardly. God, he was intense!
At least I didn’t get that “danger” impression from Anton like I did immediately with Alec. Although that might have to do with appearances. Alec had that scar that Denise had found dark and sexy. Other than the scar, he had been hot. But Anton had no scars. He was strikingly good looking, his features sharp, angular, as if chiseled from stone. He looked like a Russian god, powerful, handsome. He even looked rich.
I cleared my throat as I stopped at the table. The two men were also staring at me, and I felt so self-conscious. My dress had ridden up on my thighs on the walk over here, and I wanted to pull it down. Or to pull it up. Had to get Anton to want me. Well, want to hire me. The way the two guys were leering at my chest had me thinking they were going to start drooling.
Anton blinked at me but said nothing. God, this was awkward.
I forced myself to talk first. “Hi. I…can we talk alone?” I blurted. I just couldn’t bring up what I came here to talk to him about with others present. As it was, I could hardly get a word out. Maybe I couldn’t even handle talking to him. This was all a mistake.
Anton laughed, the sound surprisingly deep and maybe a little warm, too. Not at all what I expected. “You can say whatever you need to say in front of my men.” He spread out his hands toward them in a carefree but controlled manner. I found myself staring at his long fingers, at his perfect hands. What would it be like to be with him? What kind of an arrangement were we talking? Since he was a mob boss, he would have money. Maybe he wanted to go the whole artificial insemination route. Maybe we wouldn’t actually sleep together. Maybe I was worried about more than I should be.
But what would it feel like to have those hands run all over my body? To pull my hair, to spank me? It was obvious he was used to being in control, just like it was obvious he was used to getting things his way. He wanted an heir. He would get an heir.
The only question was whether or not that heir would come from me.
Another awkward silence had passed, and I
cleared my throat and swallowed hard. My face was burning, but I didn’t have a choice. I screwed up my courage and stared down at him. A few deep breaths didn’t help to calm me any. Before I could lose my nerve, I blurted out, “I heard you’re in need of a mother for your child, and I’m…I’m offering myself up for the job.”
Chapter 6
Anton
The silence that descended after the curvy brunette announced her offer stretched for several minutes. Her words slowly sank in, and I couldn’t help but be impressed despite myself. I never would have pegged such an innocent thing like this girl as someone out for cash. I was curious as to how she had found out — this girl I didn’t know. Someone must have defied me and told her or someone else about my need. I’d find the culprit and deal with him later.
But something she said struck me. In need of a mother for your child. Time to push her, to see if she actually knew and realized and understood what exactly this deal would entail — if I picked her. “Do you understand what you’re asking for?” I asked, watching her carefully.
She nodded. Her gaze briefly flickered to my associates, and although I had half a mind to send them away myself, I enjoyed watching her squirm. It made her dress ride up even more on her thighs, and it brought more attention to her large chest. And besides, when someone was nervous, they tended to be careless and made mistakes. I wanted her to be uncomfortable because I wanted to see what she was all about. I wanted any mistakes or any reason not to hire her to come out now, not after the ink dried on the contract.
“Do you really?” I asked, steepling my fingers as I leaned back. Normally I stared people down, but I was sitting, and she was standing, so she was staring down at me. It was cute in a way. She was definitely younger than me. I was thirty-two, and if I had to guess, she was maybe twenty-five.
“Y-yes.” She nodded several times and brushed her hair back from her neck. A nice, long, slender neck. A neck I would like to suck.
But no. I doubted very much that she understood what I would need from her. I pressed my palms onto the table but still didn’t stand. “I would get to fuck you until you get pregnant, and then you would have to give me the baby after he’s born. You won’t be the mother. You’re just a womb.”
To her credit, she didn’t wince, and she didn’t blink. She didn’t react at all. Maybe she had realized what this would mean. Although I doubted she’d thought about this next stipulation.
“If the baby is a girl, you’d have to go through the process all over again,” I added easily, carefully watching her to see her reaction. “The fucking. The giving up another baby.”
It was a small movement, but she did jerk slightly. She hadn’t expected to hear this, might even be a bit muffed that a girl heir wasn’t what I was after. It wasn’t that I didn’t necessarily want a girl. The mob scene — my world — wasn’t the place for a girl. A mob run by a girl wouldn’t be run for very long, and I wasn’t about to subject a girl to that kind of life. She would have a huge target on her back her entire life. No. In this instance, it would be better to stick with tradition. For forever, the line and the title had gone through the male heir, and it would continue that way with my son. If I did ever decide to have another child, another son or a daughter, it wouldn’t matter.
The curvy brunette seemed to grow more and more agitated with every passing second, but then she bit her lip and nodded again.
Interesting. Very interesting. She hadn’t demanded to know about payment before agreeing to such terms. Was she that desperate? Or did she have some kind of agenda? She hadn’t told me her name, and that rankled me a bit. Was she deliberately keeping her name from me?
I took a swig of my drink and stood, taking her by the arm. The rest of our conversation would be held privately. While I didn’t know if she would do, I would do my due diligence first before agreeing to anything, that didn’t mean I wasn’t willing to see where this would go.
Chapter 7
Lily
This whole thing was unreal. Surreal. I felt like I was stuck in a dream — or maybe trapped in a nightmare.
Anton stood tall above me, and he walked with purpose, marching almost. Without him having to wait or say anything, people parted so he could walk unimpeded. They didn’t stare, though, so they didn’t think of him as a celebrity. Man, this was so weird. A mob boss. I was thinking about being the surrogate for a mob boss.
Scratch that. I had asked to be the surrogate for a mob boss.
I swallowed hard and did my best not to freak out. Breathed in and out and tried to stop thinking.
From the corner of my eye, I glanced up at him. He looked incredible. Hard lines chiseled out the features of his face, a strong jawline. When I had stared him down at the table, I had noticed how impossibly blue his eyes were. He wasn’t a man who ever did anything by accident, I could tell. Everything was calculated, for proficiency, if I had to guess. Did that mean he brought that same devotion to perfection into the bedroom?
I gulped at the thought. He had to have been with any number of women. He would’ve had the opportunity to hone his skills beneath the sheets. That would make him an attentive lover. But we weren’t going to be lovers. It would just be “fucking,” as he so eloquently put it. There would be no reason for him to be an attentive lover. There would be no reason for me to think he would do whatever it would take to get me to orgasm, because I didn’t orgasm easily from just penetration. I only had once before. It had been absolutely amazing. Maybe it would never happen again. Who knew how long this arrangement would last. It wasn’t like I was going to go out and find a boyfriend while I was in this business deal with Anton.
His grip on my elbow wasn’t too tight, but I could feel the strength he was holding back. His button-down shirt fit him well, and the way he moved allowed me to see his muscles beneath.
I was paying him so much attention I didn’t realize he was going to stop walking, so I stumbled when he halted. He tightened his grip to keep me upright. For a fraction of a second, his lips curled into a tiny smile, but then his expression went blank. He even controlled his facial features. He seemed to me like he had a lot going on inside, a lot he wanted to hide. He was an enigma, and maybe it would be better to not try to solve the puzzle that was him. Let him do his own thing the rest of the time and just put up with the fucking when necessary. If he hired me. Why had he brought me here, to this empty backroom? Did he want an audition? To test me out? My stomach churned at the thought.
Anton released his hold on me and closed the door. I stood there, hands clasped behind my back, feeling like I was in a daze. Why wasn’t he talking? I wasn’t a mind reader. I didn’t know what he wanted.
Anton stood directly in front of me, staring down at me. The sound of his footsteps echoed in the room as he paced around me in a tight circle, giving me a close once over. I refused to squirm, but he was so intense that I found it hard to breathe. A little intimidating? Yes, but I still didn’t feel as off as I had with Alec.
“You’re pretty,” he said in his low, deep voice.
My stomach clenched. I sensed a “but” coming. I wasn’t one to care much about my looks, but when the job you were applying for required being bedded who knew how many times, I couldn’t blame him for wanting to sleep with a woman he was attracted to.
And it sounded like “pretty” might not cut it.
He completed his circle and stood before me again. “You’re pretty,” he repeated, “but not as pretty as I’d been hoping.”
Despite working out logic to go along with his way of thinking, I couldn’t help myself from bristling. Who the hell did he think he was? Yeah, sure, he was a mob boss, but he had no reason to be so belittling.
“I didn’t know my looks were important,” I said, lifting my chin. “Just that I can give you a baby.”
He brought up his hand, and I didn’t flinch. Was he going to slap me for being insolent? I’d leave then. No way in hell would I tolerate that shit. Yeah, talking back probably hadn’t been
smart, but I would not stand to be put down. This job was demeaning enough as it was.
But instead, he brushed my cheek, the gesture surprisingly soft and tender, almost intimate. It wasn’t something I expected from him, and I almost stepped back to avoid his touch, even though it felt good.
“I’m an uninterested in having an ugly child,” he said.
What was looks to his heir when he would have money and power? My stomach churned at the idea of thinking of the baby — our baby — as only his heir, as only Anton’s. I hadn’t given many thoughts to having kids. I had wanted to find Mr. Right first. Then I would consider it. Maybe I wasn’t cut out to be a mother, considering I was willing to have this man’s child and just hand him over for money.
