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Baffled, skeptical, and irritated, I opt to humor him. I follow Nico but sit a good long arm's length away, maintaining my glower.
He studies me and tips his head. "A contract for conception. Legally binding."
This is just too bizarre. Never mind how my stomach clenches at the thought, and my heart pounds. "You and the word 'legally' don't belong in the same sentence," I point out.
"If you agree, your family will be guaranteed safe under the protection of the Attolini family. The Gattos won't touch them or you ever again."
Protection under one of the most powerful families in the state? I imagine my mother never again opening the door to a mafioso's sneer. Never having to worry about them taking an interest in Krista or how beautiful she's become. Them never contacting Mark again for money or favors.
It sounds like freedom from the last four years. It sounds like a new start.
This suddenly becomes very real.
Chapter 6
Nico
I can see Sybil's immediate interest, but it isn't unfettered. Her full lips are still tight as she regards me, mostly disbelieving and irritated. Still, at least I've caught her interest.
God knows she's had mine since the moment she walked out of the room, dark hair splayed over one shoulder and fight in her voice.
Ever since the idea came to me in my father's office, I haven't been able to get it out of my head. Sybil owes me. I need an heir. I can give her everything she needs—freedom, safety, peace of mind, and my pardon for the way she destroyed my life back then. I just want this from her.
Sybil carrying my baby.I'm immediately hard at the thought, but I can't let myself be distracted.
She swallows, eyeing me mistrustfully. "If you're just offering this so you can take it away to get back at me…."
I shake my head. Sybil needs to understand how serious I am. I resist the urge to move closer to her on the couch and instead use my business voice. The same one that propelled my business to success since I built it from the dirt up.
"On top of protection, if you agree to the contract, you'll be paid well."
She tenses. "Hell, no. You can keep the mafia's dirty money. I don't want it."
I respect her discipline. I could retract the offer and still possibly persuade her by offering her family a new place to live. Still, Giovanni gave me a breezy rundown on her family's estimated earnings earlier. Even with Sybil and her mother constantly working overtime, they rarely pay bills on time. Their mountain of debt comes from her late sister, and now I know the Gattos have been scaring up pocket change from them, too.
I already called my lawyer earlier to draw up the contract, which includes this. Sybil's ethics don't pay the bills, no matter how much she wants them to.
"It's not theirs, and it comes from an honest business. Scout's honor."
I smirk. Sybil knows they used to call me Boy Scout. I told her about it that day, and I remember her giggling about it.
Her lips twitch at my joke, but she lifts her chin stubbornly. "I can't take it."
"You can."
"I won't. I'm not a charity, Nico."
"Sybil," I grit. Everything is hard when it comes to her. Mostly me, but still. I decide to take a new approach. "Surrogates get paid well all the time. Think of it that way."
"But everything with them is so clinical, and with us, it would be—" Then she cuts off, and her face reddens. She seems embarrassed, as if she's worried she almost let something slip. "Hang on. Maybe I've been misreading this. Would…would it be like that with us, too? You know, like a…sperm donation? Petri dishes and whatnot?"
"No," I growl at the thought. Keeping it clinical would be practical. I should entertain the idea. But I can't because I'm already too busy entertaining other ideas—like pushing her down on the bed and kissing her until she stops saying stupid things. "It wouldn't. How much do you want in the contract, Sybil?"
She's still bright red, and she looks away. Her voice is breathless, and my eyes linger where her fingers twist and untwist the hem of her t-shirt. "I—I don't—"
"Half a million?" I guess blindly.
I didn't bother researching average surrogate pay because despite what I said to her, and despite knowing I shouldn't get emotionally involved, I wouldn't think of her as a surrogate. I certainly don't intend to treat her like one. I should, but I can't seem to help myself.
