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A big number.
A seven digit number. The kind with two commas.
It was an order of magnitude more than the first contract. More money than I had ever had in my life. It was certainly enough to start my own marketing company to compete with the Bobs. Hell, it was almost enough to retire on!
I glanced up at Pierce, who was still staring back at me calmly. He was undeniably attractive. Hell, he was fucking hot. If I was being completely honest with myself, he was the kind of guy I’d hook up with on Tinder for free, even without all the helicopters and yachts and money. To be paid to do it? It was a no-brainer, no matter how crazy the situation seemed.
But I kept thinking about my old partners. The Bobs. They had that same confidence that bordered on cockiness. They walked around and made demands as if the world was their birthright. That was bad enough. Yet to have the same attitude about a woman, as if my body could be purchased at the market…
So despite the good looks, despite the charm, despite the huge fucking dollar amount on the second contract, I shook my head.
“No.”
“No?” Pierce asked.
“I won’t do it. I won’t sign this deal.”
Pierce and Tristan exchanged a look. “If it’s the price that’s holding you back…”
“I don’t have to tell you my reason. My answer is a firm no.”
Pierce sighed. He looked genuinely disappointed. “Very well. I’m sorry to hear that. Tristan, you may dispose of the second contract. Once we sign the first one, we can begin—”
“No,” I cut in, savoring the surprised look on both their faces. “You’ve misunderstood me. I’m not signing either contract. You can find another surrogate.”
I stood and started to leave.
“Wait!” Pierce was on his feet too, extending a hand toward me. “I don’t understand.”
“Good,” I replied. It felt good to be in control. I was probably the first person to say no to this man in a very long time.
“Tell me why.” It was a polite request, not a demand. Curious, not outraged. “Why say no to both contracts without at least thinking about it?”
I didn’t have to tell him anything. My instincts were screaming at me to walk out of the office with the bank-vault door, to go up on deck where there was fresh air, and take the helicopter to freedom. If they would let me. But the feeling of putting this rich asshole in his place was too tempting, too delicious.
“Because you’re a fraud,” I said.
Pierce blinked. “A fraud.”
I rounded on him and smiled cruelly. “You complain about the modern world, and yearn for when things were simpler, but nothing about you is simple. You’re surrounded by servants. I counted at least a dozen on the way here, not to mention your valet, which by the way is a weird way to pronounce it. You used your connections to get access to my file before it was in the surrogacy database. You sent a fucking helicopter to pick me up! Without warning! And now I’m here, on your yacht, in the middle of the goddamn ocean, because you presumably think that will convince me to sign your contract with a way-too-big number on it. You want your child to be conceived naturally? Look around you! None of this is natural. And I’m willing to bet nothing in your life is.”
And with that, I walked out of the room.
Nobody tried to stop me.
5
Melinda
My pulse was everywhere, pounding in my neck and temple and chest. The rush of adrenaline was incredible. It felt so good to tell off that billionaire! What was he thinking, offering to pay me for sex? As if I were a literal prostitute?
As I walked out into the small office anteroom, I expected guards to grab me and haul me back inside. To hold me against my will. Or worse. Could a billionaire kill someone and get away with it? If anyone could, it was a man like Pierce Benning. Stabbed with the lobster spear and tossed overboard.
Nobody tried to stop me. I actually got lost walking back to the deck with the helipad. Yes, this yacht was so large I actually got lost. After a staircase and two turns, I ended up in the kitchen. Delicious smells bombarded me: freshly baked bread, roasted meat, vegetables soaked in butter and garlic. Three cooks were working at once, stirring pans and chopping with knives without looking up at me.
“Looking for the helicopter?” Andrew asked behind me.
“No,” I said stubbornly. After a pause, I added, “Okay, yes. This place is a floating maze.”
