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Andrew’s lip curled in a half-smile. “Our people are in your apartment right now. I’ve been told we received a key from your landlord.”
“Mr. Frank?” I asked, laughing. “Good luck. He’s never home, and doesn’t answer his phone.”
“We took care of it half an hour ago.”
“No you didn’t,” I said. “The only time Mr. Frank is home is late at night. I don’t care how much money Pierce has—there’s zero chance you’ve already gotten access to my apartment. Unless you broke in.”
Andrew’s half-smile remained. “Zero chance?”
“Zero.”
Andrew shrugged, then pulled out his phone. A few swipes later: “Mr. Frank was out fishing at Central Pond. Specifically Cole’s Brook, on the north side. Our people showed him a digital copy of the contract—the relevant parts, anyway—and he was more than helpful in getting us access to your apartment.” Andrew tapped on the screen, making a call. “Afternoon, Linda. Yep, no, we’re all good here. I just wanted to check in on your progress. Mind showing me where we’re at?”
Andrew switched it to speakerphone and held up the phone for me to see. It was a video call, and a woman’s face—Linda’s—filled the screen. Behind her, I recognized the walls of my apartment.
“We’re wrapping things up here. Got all the essentials. Oh, hey there, Ms. Norris. Quick question: do you want the gold bathing suit, or the green? We brought the pink one, obviously, but are waffling on the second pair.”
My jaw was hanging open. I closed it and said, “Uh, the green one.”
Linda grinned at me. “That was what I was going to bring. Glad to know I made the right choice. You have any other special requests, you just let me know.”
I handed the phone back to Andrew. “You don’t have to look so smug.”
“I’m not smug. This is just how my face looks.” He looked at his watch. “Linda should have your stuff here in an hour. In the meantime, if you need anything else, my number is in the book. Seriously, don’t hesitate to ask. It’s my job to handle all of Pierce’s personal affairs, and now yours by extension. It’s really great to have you on board, Melinda.”
I watched him close the door behind him on the way out. I still found Andrew incredibly likable. In another context, I would’ve said yes if he offered to buy me a drink.
The first thing I did was connect to the shipboard Wi-Fi and text my mom. After that, I noticed I had a new email from my lawyer.
Hey Melinda,
It’s a slow day at the office, so I went over the contract a second time. The more complicated contract, I mean. I might have found another interesting loophole. There are several monetary incentives that trigger during different stages of surrogacy: an incentive for becoming pregnant, another for carrying the child to term, another for a successful live birth without complications. But here’s the thing: none of these incentives are tied to Pierce Benning at all. There’s no DNA test required, and nowhere does it say the child has to be his. Honestly, this is a pretty big loophole. I’m surprised his lawyers let it slip through.
Not saying you should get knocked up by his bodyguard or whatever in order to collect the incentive. And I know you’re probably going to sign the first, more traditional, contact. But it’s my job to make you aware of all angles.
Let me know if you need anything else.
I laughed as I read the email. That would surely piss off the billionaire: all this time and money wasted, only to give birth to a child that wasn’t even his.
Of course, I wasn’t going to do that. I considered myself a moral woman. I had signed a contract, and I was going to do my best to abide by the intent, not the exact wording.
But as I stared out the window of the mega-yacht that was my home for the near future, it was funny nonetheless.
9
Melinda
Linda and two servants delivered my belongings less than an hour later. She was a tall, wiry woman with a severe face, who moved with the confidence of a stalking predator. It wasn’t a surprise when I learned she was the head of Pierce Benning’s security.
“We can acquire anything else you may need,” she assured me with the seriousness one might dedicate to a covert mission briefing. “We’ll be within chopper range of several cities on the trip down.”
“The trip down?” I asked.
“Tristan Lowe will discuss the itinerary at dinner.”
My belongings arrived in four suitcases, one of which was mine. The other three were TUMI Alpha International branded suitcases, which looked expensive. After they were delivered, Linda lingered.
“I’m not supposed to, like, tip you, am I?” I asked.
