AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Herwombis my business. That is all.
I let myself get carried away in the heat of the moment. That won’t happen again.
Laila clears her throat. “Arsen… about last night. Your scars?—”
“Are you hungry?” I interrupt.
“Oh… uh, no. No, I’m fine, but I was trying to work this thing out. I’m used to coffee makers with, like, three buttons.”
I head to the cabinet next to the sink and pull out an assortment of tea bags. “Take your pick.”
“I don’t drink tea.”
“You do now. And you will until my baby is born,” I inform her. “You signed the deal, remember?”
She stares at me across the kitchen island. “You made it a rule that I have to drink tea?”
“I made it a rule that you will conduct yourself in a manner that will not endanger the baby. Caffeine isn’t good for my child, so it’s out.”
Her eyebrows pull together. “You’re… different this morning.”
“I have no idea what you mean.” I push the tea towards her.
She squints at me for a second before she sighs and points to the Earl Grey. “That one, I guess.”
Nodding, I drop a tea bag in some hot water for her to steep. Meanwhile, I make myself a steaming shot of espresso.
“You know, a gentleman would forgo coffee in solidarity with the mother of his child.”
I take a very deliberate sip of my espresso. “I’m not a gentleman, and you’re not the mother of my child. You’re my surrogate. Nothing more.”
“Right,” she mumbles. Her eyes fall to the floor and she reaches for her cup of tea. But when she picks it up, her hand is shaking so badly that I can hear the rattle of the china tap-dancing together.
I ignore the instinct to steady her hand. To take back what I said.
It was all true. There’s no reason to take it back.
Her fingers spell out a haphazard rhythm against the marble counter. “So, what now?”
The weight of that question makes my skin prickle. I fucked her. In every way that matters, my job with her is done.
Her womb is my business. That is all.
“I’ll have my assistant contact you.” I make a show of checking the time. “I have an early meeting this morning.”
“Oh. Yeah. Okay.” She clears her throat and stares at the coffee machine like it’s the only safe place for her eyes to land.
“When you’re done with your tea, Dominik is waiting for us downstairs.”
She barely takes two sips before she puts the cup down. “I’m done. We can go.” I walk away, but as I go, I swear I hear her mutter, “Nothing here worth staying for anyway.”
As we step out of the building, Laila is still dressed in the clothes I fucked her in, not once, but twice. We reek of yesterday’s mistakes.
She stops a few feet shy of the car. “I can get myself a cab. It’s not a problem.”
It’s a good idea. I should take it, clear my head. But I find myself opening the door and ushering her into the backseat instead. “No. I’ll take you.”
She obeys without a fuss and slides inside, but the only time she speaks to me during the drive is when I ask her for her address.
