AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It does,” Pierce admitted. “But only to a point.”
I sipped on my beer as a chaser, which reminded me of something I had considered earlier. “There was nothing in the contract about alcohol consumption while being your surrogate. Or potential surrogate, I guess. Do you want me to stop drinking at some point?”
Pierce shrugged. “I’ve consulted with various fertility doctors. Obviously, the ideal scenario is for you to not drink at all while trying to conceive. Alcohol inhibits all sorts of things, not just pregnancy related. But a few drinks won’t hurt too much. As long as you stop when you’re confirmed to be pregnant.”
“Of course,” I quickly said. “Speaking of alcohol inhibiting things, I need to get some food in my stomach before I drink any more.”
“Have some ceviche,” Pierce said, scooping up more white meat onto a cracker. It was almost translucent.
“Isn’t ceviche raw fish?” I asked hesitantly.
“It’s marinated in lime juice. The citric acid cures the fish. Costa Rica has the best ceviche in the world, in my humble opinion.”
Humble opinion? Hah. “I don’t doubt you, but I’d rather order something cooked.”
“The fish tacos here are amazing, too,” Pierce said.
When the waiter came back around, I ordered three fish tacos and another beer. Pierce ordered the same, and another round of chiliguaros. This time, the waiter left the pitcher on the table for us.
“It’s not very strong,” Pierce said. “I can usually have six or seven before I feel anything.”
I didn’t say anything. I kind of felt like I was on the verge of a buzz, but that might have been my imagination.
By the time the fish tacos came out, I definitely had a nice buzz going. The tacos were made with thin chunks of fried fish, coupled with a chutney of pineapples, peppers, and onions. From the very first bite, I was in love. Grease ran down my chin as I wolfed them down.
“Right?” Pierce said while finishing his last taco.
“I could eat three more of those,” I said.
“There’s plenty of ceviche left,” Pierce teased.
“I don’t like raw fish. I hate sushi.”
“That just means you haven’t had the right kind.”
“That’s not what that means at all,” I argued playfully. “If someone hates steak, it doesn’t matter how well it’s cooked.”
Pierce shoved the last bite of his taco into his mouth and wiped his chin with a napkin. “Tell you what. Try a bite of ceviche. If you don’t like it, I’ll give you a million dollars.”
I eyed the handsome man across the table. “Seriously?”
“Sure,” he replied. “Why not?”
I glanced at the bowl of ceviche. “I don’t know…”
Pierce grabbed a cracker, scooped up some of the white meat onto it, then held it out. “A million dollars if you hate it. Right now. Let’s go.”
I leaned forward to allow him to feed me the cracker. His free hand gently cupped my chin while he delicately placed it in my mouth. I bit into it, chewing hesitantly. Pierce stared into my eyes, waiting for my reaction.
“God damnit,” I muttered. “I want that million dollars, but… I don’t hate it.”
A huge smile filled Pierce’s face. “Yeah?”
“It’s actually really good,” I admitted, reaching for another cracker.
“Let this be a lesson: you should always trust Pierce Benning.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” I replied while taking another bite. The fish was so flavorful! “But you do have good taste in food.”
