Page 2 of Flynn

Like you, he does not want a relationship; my poor son has been working himself into an early grave so that he can forget. But thankfully, he has agreed with my suggestion." Firming her lips, she stared at Ryleigh. "He wants a surrogate, and we thought of you."

Ryleigh's eyes widened in shock as she returned the woman's gaze. "I am sorry, you want what?"

"I know it's a lot to ask-"

"Julia, it's the mother lode."

"You said recently that you don't care about anything but work. You also said that you wanted a child-"

"Becoming a surrogate will not accomplish that. The child would not be mine." She pointed out, her senses reeling.

"It's something to take your mind off-" She waved a hand.

"Work does that," Ryleigh told her in an unconvincing tone. "Besides, surrogacy requires that you at least have a child before." Pushing away from her chair, she rose, a slender, petite woman whose gentle curves were shown to extreme advantage in the chic lime green pantsuit she was wearing.

Her thick black hair was swept back from her tiny face and secured at the back of her neck. She was barely wearing makeup, her cocoa brown complexion glowing with health.

"Does it?" Julia watched as she walked over to the tidy cabinet and poured herself a tiny amount of brandy before returning it to the desk. She did not sit, however, but sat on the edge of it, dark brown eyes staring at Julia.

"Yes. I enjoy my job. And yes, I admit that I have been feeling restless lately. But Julia, this is asking a lot."

"I know, and I thought about it carefully before deciding to come and ask you." Scooting forward, she stared at the young woman pleadingly. "It has to be discreet, and I cannot think of anyone I would rather ask. You don't have to meet up with Flynn. There is this clinic; the doctors there have benefited from my son's generous donations."

Sipping the brandy, Ryleigh stared at her. "You have thought this through, haven't you?"

Julia nodded. "When Flynn went through that awful period, I was helpless. More than the hurt and pain he felt when that woman betrayed him, he suffered more because the man she betrayed him with was his own family."

A trace of bitterness entered her voice. "Lionel owes his success to my son and repaid him by getting involved with the woman Flynn was in love with.

I want to make it up to him, and yes, I know I was not to blame, but I feel responsible. All I am asking is that you think about it. No one has to know the details. You have been slaughtered in the press, and I would not want that to happen to you again."

She started to say that she did not care but would not be telling the truth. It had hurt her significantly.

Outside, she had appeared serene and uncaring, but in private, she had raged and cried as the humiliation washed over her. She had also beat herself up, wondering if she had buried her head in the sand, that she had refused to see what was in front of her.

Glen had called several times trying to get her to talk to him, but she had refused and eventually told him that if he continued to harass her, she was going to take out a restraining order. She wanted nothing more to do with him.

"I will think about it." She told the anxious woman quietly.

"That's all I am asking." Julia's smile was bright with hope as she rose. "I have taken up enough of your time. Will I see you at the Governor's ball on Saturday?"

"I would not miss it for the world," Ryleigh assured her.

"Good. Don't work too late." With a wave, Julia left the room and closed the door behind her.

Ryleigh did not move but sat on the edge of her desk, the idea of returning to work the farthest thing on her mind. Of course, the idea was ludicrous. She would certainly not entertain it, even though she had told Julia she would consider it.

The horrible scandal, finding out about her soon-to-be husband, had sent her into a spiral that still had her having nightmares. Fortunately, she had insisted he use protection.

It sickened her that while he had been coming over to her place and making love to her, it had been done out of a sense of duty. He had admitted that he was torn and in love with Jerome.

"I never meant to hurt you." he had told her pleadingly. "Do you honestly think I would choose to blow up my political career just like that? I couldn't help myself. I tried to end things with him, and it did not work."

"You would have married me if it did not come out! You wanted a wife to appear to be respectable. You used me, and I hate you for that. I want to kill you for what you did to me."

"I care about you-"

"Care?" She had laughed hollowly. "You said you loved me, you son of a bitch. You declared your love for me. I was cautious, and I told you why. I have been hurt before. I am a career woman who intimidates men.

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