The Arrangement (unenhanced Edition) by AnnaRCase (books to read now .txt) 📖

  Amberleigh just assumed that Leo would take her back to the Penthouse following her private fitting, but she noticed they headed to Midtown. Even though the open windows were wreaking havoc on her hair, she couldn’t help but stick her head out the window just a bit to feel the air on her face. Like a fuckin dog, though canines were certainly onto something with their choice sexual position. It wasn’t something talked about much at the club, but rumor had it, a certain Goddess tended to use dogs in her performance, dogs and peanut butter. Enough said.

 Of course she imagined other things striking her face besides the air, though now in her day dreams it was a mocha colored dick she imagined. And she knew the man driving in the leather seat beside her, with his aviator shades on, had lots to do with her chocolate coated dreams.

                “I just wanted to thank you again Leo. That was awesome. Thanks for springing me. I needed to get out of there for a while.”

                “No problem. That’s what I do. I’m sure all eyes will be on you at the masquerade. And don’t worry, I got more things planned. Grayson won’t be home for dinner, so it’s just the two of us tonight. I hope you don’t mind.”

He winked at her and gave her a crooked grin. She hadn’t even gotten a solitary smile out of Grayson since she moved into his penthouse, and Leo seemed to smile as easy as he took a breath. She wondered if it were her personally, or if Grayson would have been a stone cold bastard to whatever girl he had chosen to impregnate.

“I look forward to it sir… Can I ask you a question?” she asked boldly.

She knew she was threading on dangerous territory, but Leo seemed in a good and generous mood right now. She decided to take a chance, because God knew if this opportunity would present itself again.

“No I’m not gay. Yes I went to an actual cooking school. Yes this is really my car, and yes I do get pulled over it all the fuckin time. No I’m not a drug dealer. No I’m not that dude from the condom commercial. Yes I have a tattoo. No my father didn’t cut me off, though my brother is heir to the majority of my father’s assets, so I can’t lend you money.  I think that about covers it, the standard questions.”

He laughed and it was contagious. His speech had been informative, answered some nagging questions she had. But not the one she wanted answered, and if he had a fiancé or girlfriend. Not that the last question really mattered, as she was a contracted woman and all.

“Good to know,” she giggled, “But I’ve been thinking on it a lot lately, and I’m curious if the reason Mr. Godwin doesn’t seem to want me around is because this arrangement wasn’t his idea and/or I’m not the first one….”

She left her last question open ended, but Leo was a smart guy and could read between the lines. Had another arrangement gone badly or fallen through? Was that the root of Grayson’s bitterness? Leo’s smile slipped, and it seemed to confirm her theory. He sighed and seemed to be thinking over his words carefully, as he hung a left turn.

“I’m not supposed to be discussing such things with you. But I don’t think it’s fair for you to think Grayson’s appalling behavior is your fault. You’re hella smart by the way. And right on the money too.”

Amberleigh had to wait patiently as Leo did an impressive parallel parking job about two blocks away from the park in the heart of Omega City. It was basically the equivalent of Central Park in New York, and was the last large patch of green in this overcrowded city. It was a place where people went to remember or to forget.

Leo once again opened the door for her. She wanted him to finish answering her question, but she decided demanding he “finish answering the fuckin question,” wasn’t the best way to go. You caught more flies with honey.

“You were saying?” she coaxed.

“I shouldn’t even be telling you this. Grayson had an arrangement a year ago with a woman in Manhattan. It went to shit. The woman got pregnant. And everything was going good, until about six months in when evidence came to light the kid may not be his,” explained Leo.

“And what happened?”

“A DNA test happened, and it proved Grayson wasn’t the father. He was fuckin crushed too, though he tried not to show it. He’d gone to the ultrasound appointments and everything.”

“That must have been hard.”

“It was really hard on him. And he doesn’t want to make the same mistake again. Get his hopes up.”

She nodded, “I can certainly understand that.”

 Things were starting to make more sense. Grayson been burned before. He was probably afraid of it happening again, getting too attached. But the question still remained, why was a surrogate necessary in the first place? It seemed for every answer Amberleigh got, it only created two more questions.