The Boy Next Door (16 page)

Chapter 3

Dennis Williams was an impatient man. His last assistant had quit because he was hard to work for, and was demanding and expected a high quality level of work that made it hard for most people to keep up with. Sitting around on the phone instead of getting the job done was unacceptable and he made sure they knew it.

He knew he was difficult and expected the person to do their job he hired them for. He also knew he had high expectations and if someone wanted the salary he was offering, they had to able to handle stress. The last interview went poorly. The girl had actually left in tears, and the man before that hadn't been much better.

The next interview was due to arrive any minute, but he didn't have much hope that he'd find someone in the first couple weeks of interviews.

Besides, he had other things on his mind. He still hadn't found the right woman in life and he was ready for a baby. He'd been attending classes so he could learn more on the use of donor eggs, surrogate motherhood, and how the whole process would work.

As the CEO of a major banking company he was a wealthy man. There was no reason he couldn't provide for a child, and he wanted it to have his DNA. 

When a knock on his door came he looked up and said, "Come in."

She opened the door and walked in and he dropped his pen on his desk. It was the beautiful girl from the fertility class yesterday. Their eyes met and she looked as shocked as he felt.

"Well, fancy meeting you here," he told her, chuckling. "Have a seat."

"Yes, Sir," she told him and sat down in front of the desk looking incredibly nervous.

Looking down at the notes for the interview he found her name. "Kember?"

"Yes, that would be me," she said, smiling at him and not quite making eye contact.

"I know you're here for the job interview, but why were you at the fertility clinic yesterday? I'm nosy," he explained, leaning back in his seat to study her.

"My cousin works there. She thought I should consider egg donation. I told her I'd think about it, but that's why I'm here for the job interview. I think I'd rather just get a normal job," she told him and then leaned forward a little bit on her knees. "Why were you there?"

"I want a baby," he responded matter-of-factly, watching her carefully for a few moments. "I am considering a surrogate. I want children, and don't have a wife."

"I see. So, would you like to get on with this interview, or are we going to talk about personal subjects that might get embarrassing for the both of us?" Kember asked nervously.

"I don't get embarrassed. As you know, I'm hiring a personal assistant. This might include dealing with my personal issues and anything going on in my life outside of a work setting too. If you can't handle talking about this, how can I expect you to handle everything else?" Dennis asked her, arching a brow up and tilting his head to the side, questioning her.

"If you want to talk about personal things I can. I came here to interview for a job. I wasn't exactly sure what the job entailed, but I'm open minded and I'm eager to please. I will work hard for you," Kember said in a rush. She needed this job.

"What if I asked you to consider being a surrogate for me as part of my personal assistant job?" Dennis blurted out before he realized he'd even considered it rationally. She was bright, beautiful, and didn't seem the type of woman to rush into things without thinking them through. It would make her ideal if she could handle a no-strings attached relationship.

"Are you asking me to have your baby?" Kember asked him, shocked.

"It occurred to me if you needed the money, there's more than one way you could earn it from me. I find you attractive, and I can afford to pay you a working salary, along with all medical care and legal fees," Dennis told her as the wheels in his brain turned. The more he thought about it, the more he decided he had to have her.

The bigger her eyes got, the prettier she looked to him and he realized that he was asking her something that would be offensive to most people, but she'd already been at the fertility clinic. This meant she'd considered it before he even asked her.

"I don't know what to say. I came here to interview for the personal assistant job," Kember told him, feeling confused by this. Maybe it was Fate’s way of telling her this was her only way out. The problem was she wasn't sure she could give up a baby if she carried it.

"I'm willing to pay you a total of one hundred thousand dollars for your services in regards to the surrogacy, all medical expenses, and I'll still consider you for the personal assistant job, if you want it. I pay fifty thousand a year plus medical benefits for that job. I'd even be willing to do an open adoption type situation so you could know the child as they grow up. You will be their mother. I just want to raise them in the style they would deserve as my child," Dennis told her, feeling excited now that he decided how he wanted to do it.

"Even if I were to consider this, which I'm not saying I am, I believe a two parent family is important for the stability of a child. I'm not against the idea of donor eggs, surrogacy, or all sorts of other stuff, but what happens if your child needs their mother and you don't have a woman around?" Kember asked him gently, truly wondering what his answer would be.

"I can hire nannies. I might find the right woman over time, or, as I mentioned before, if you want to stay involved, I'd be willing to consider a parenting or adoption plan that allowed you to get pictures or even have visits with the child as they grew up." Dennis leaned forward and put his hands on his desk when he stared into her eyes, willing her to say yes. "Go out with me tonight. Get to know me a little better before you make a decision either way."

Kember stared back at him and blinked, feeling confused. "Okay. Dinner, but I make no promises."

"Good, I have your number and address written in your file, I will pick you up at seven. Let's get on with the rest of the interview for the personal assistant job. You being hired for that and keeping that job if I give it to you will have no bearing on your decision to be a surrogate for me. I'm not the type to hold grudges," Dennis promised her, and then proceeded to start the job interview. Quickly switching over to a professional demeanor as if the surrogacy conversation never happened.

Chapter 4

"Kember, are you sure this is a good idea to go out with him tonight?" Kesha asked her cousin as she helped zip up the dress Kember was borrowing from her.

Kember turned and shook her head. "No, I'm not sure if this is a good idea, or a disaster waiting to blow up in my face. But I want the personal assistant job, and he all but promised it to me by the time I left. It is good money. It will be great on a resume especially if I can last a year or two. The surrogacy situation is
your
fault by the way. He saw me at the donor class."

"He's offering a lot more money than we pay for the eggs. Just be careful okay? You're recovering from a broken heart, you’re dirt poor, and you have your whole life ahead of you. So much could go wrong with this situation, just... Be careful, okay?" Kesha hugged Kember tightly, and sighed as she stepped back letting her go. "You are going to be late. Go, have fun, and try to enjoy yourself. It's not every day a rich business man asks you out to talk about babies."

"You make it sound so normal," Kember laughed and was grateful to her cousin. She couldn't believe she was even seriously considering this as a possibility.

She was finishing the final touches on her makeup when the doorbell rang. Kember walked quickly to the door, trying not to act overly excited and opened the door.

Dennis was standing there in khaki pants and a blue button shirt, and held a single rose in his hand.

"This is for you," he told her and handed her the rose.

Kember smiled, feeling shy and took it. "Thank you, it's beautiful."

"Are you ready to go?" Dennis asked her and held out his arm.

"Sure, let me just give this to my cousin to put in some water." Kember turned to find Kesha standing directly behind her, peeking over her shoulder at Dennis. "Here, Kesha."

"Sure, have fun," Kesha said, beaming a big smile at Dennis. "You treat my cousin right, or I'll have to hurt you."

Dennis laughed. "I won't harm her, I promise."

"I'm standing right here, you two." Kember shook her head and then linked her arm through Dennis's and let him escort her to his red Porsche that was parked in front of Kesha's house.

Dennis opened the door and shut it behind Kember when she got in. He slid into the driver side and started the engine.

They drove silently until they got to his house and he pulled into the drive way.

"I thought we were going out to dinner?" Kember asked him, nervous when she realized she was at a very large, expensive looking house.

"I was going to take you out, but then I realized I wanted to get to know you, and you to get to know me, and I know how to cook so... I was going to make you dinner. If you really don't want to eat what I was going to cook, I'll order pizza, or I can take you somewhere to eat," Dennis said, suddenly a little worried.

"You didn't think this through, did you?" Kember asked him gently. "On how women you didn't know very well might react to being brought to your home instead of a public place?"

"Well, probably not as much as I should have," Dennis admitted. "Are you willing to let me cook for you? I can turn around now and we can go somewhere else. I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

Kember looked at him and decided to go with her gut. She'd been drawn to him the moment she met him. If she was going to be his personal assistant, she had to start trusting him somewhere. Better to know now, rather than later if he was a total jackass.

"No, it’s okay. We can eat here. My cousin doesn't really cook and she won't let me cook in her kitchen if I use more than the microwave, so a home cooked meal sounds pretty good." Kember smiled at him.

"I was actually just going to toss some garlic bread in the oven, grill a couple steaks and make a salad. Nothing too fancy, but I thought we could eat out on the patio," Dennis said, looking relieved as he turned off the engine. He got out and opened the car door for her.

"Thank you," Kember said, taking the hand he offered her and let him help her out of the car. He was a gentleman, it was odd in this day and age to meet someone who should by all rights be arrogant and expect everyone to cater to him, yet he was opening doors and offering to cook for her.

He was an enigma and she wanted to figure out the puzzle before she made any decisions.

Escorting her inside his house, she admired the large size of it and noticed he had plenty of room for children, his house was immaculate.

"I have a housekeeper, I don't have time to clean a house this big all by myself all the time, and I host business events here sometimes, otherwise I'd have a smaller house," he told her as she followed him into the oversized kitchen that had two full sized professional looking ovens, and a grill that would rival restaurants.

"Let me just get the steaks out of the freezer," he told her as he walked over to the over-sized fridge in the middle of the kitchen.

"How about I make the salad while you cook?" Kember asked, not wanting to just stand around and watch him do everything.

"Sure," he said, and tossed her the lettuce and pointed to a cabinet where the bowls were.

They cooked side by side in relative silence. The kitchen soon smelled like grilling meat and Kember's stomach growled; she'd been nervous and skipped lunch.

They took their plates onto the patio and he brought out a bottle of wine and two glasses. He popped the cork and poured her an oversized glass of wine and then one for himself.

"Thank you," Kember said, tasting it. She closed her eyes and savored the flavor. It had a hint of oak, it was good.

"So, let's talk babies," Dennis told her after he ate most of his steak and drank half his glass of wine.

"I haven't had enough wine for that," Kember said and downed the rest of her glass quickly. She watched Dennis refill it and then nodded when he gave her a look.

"I have something stronger if you need it. Do you drink often?" he asked her.

"No, but this is a special occasion," Kember admitted.

Dennis chuckled. "I suppose it is. I promise I will try not stress you out too much."

"It's not stress I'm worried about," Kember said as she sipped the second glass of wine. She was starting to feel slightly light headed and she was relaxed. She was able to talk about this now without freaking out. Mostly.

"Is it the money?" Dennis asked, leaning back in his chair.

Kember shook her head. "No, it's one thing to donate your eggs, it's another to actually carry the baby and then hand it over once you give birth. You go through all the changes, you bond with the child, you hold it in your arms, and then you can't keep it. I don't know if I could do that. I would get attached."

"I see," Dennis said, looking at her. The expression on his face was thoughtful for a few minutes.

"What if I asked you to be the mother of my child and we agreed to a two parent relationship? We could share the child as it got older." Dennis suggested. "Do you know how hard it is to find a Black surrogate, or even donor eggs? I picked you for a reason. I want you Kember."

"Are you saying you find me attractive sexually?" Kember said and watched Dennis get up from his chair.

He walked over to her and took the glass of wine from her hand and set it on the glass table. He pulled her out of her chair by her hand and pulled her into his arms.

"I find you beautiful. I find you intelligent, and your personality attracts me in ways I don't even have the words to describe. I want a baby, but I'm not against trying to get to know you personally in the middle of the situation," Dennis told her.

"What happens if you end up hating me?" Kember asked him, realizing his lips were a hair from hers. Searching his gaze she was trying to find something in it to make her say no and walk away. Everything about him pulled her in and she wanted to kiss him.

"I don't think I could end up hating you. You're a good person, Kember," Dennis told her, right before pressing his lips to hers.

Kember gasped, and the flicker she'd felt in her stomach every time she was around him exploded into an ardent fire that he stroked with his lips and tongue against hers. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she could feel his facial hair tickle her skin. It made her want to rub her cheek against it and revel in the sensation.

Dennis finally pulled his head back to look down at her, "Would trying this the old fashioned way be such a horrible idea?"

"I like you Dennis, I really like you, but I just don't know if being a surrogate is the best idea. Let me think about it first. I don't know if getting romantically involved and doing it the old fashioned way is the best way to do it," she whispered and then detangled herself from his arms. "I think you better take me home. Let me think about it over the weekend and I'll give you my answer on Monday."

"You still plan on working for me?" Dennis asked. "Or do I need to keep doing interviews?"

"I'll still work for you," Kember promised him, though in the back of her mind she wondered if he'd still want her if she told him no.