Page 98 of The Lessons

At one point in the night, I got up to use the bathroom. When I came back to bed, Natalie was stretched out on her stomach with just a sheet covering her creamy ass.

I sat on the edge of the bed for a long while, taking advantage of the dim moonlight that was filtering in through the crack in the bedroom door. She really was breathtaking.

I’d had good-looking clients before, but Natalie, well, she was something else. Perfect and beautiful, inside and out.

Years ago, when Lisa had first suggested the surrogacy job, I’d thought she was crazy. I mean, we’d had a quick breakup because I was too “closed off” emotionally; I couldn’t see why she’d want that for her clients. As it turns out, however, emotional vapidity was an ideal quality in a surrogate. No messy feelings to get in the way of the patient-client relationship. So, I’d signed up, and it’d been working pretty well.

Until now.

~

“Natalie, time to wake up.” My cell phone alarm was going off, alerting me that it was seven o’clock. As much as I wanted to continue spooning her, it was time for both of us to get up.

Natalie smiled with her eyes closed as she pulled into me.

I tried again. “Natalie, don’t you have to get to work?”

Her eyes shot open. “Shit. What time is it?”

“Seven.”

“Shit! I’ve got to get ready! I’m going to be late.”

“Sorry. I think we both fell asleep last night,” I lied. I wasn’t sorry at all. Waking up next to Natalie was perfection, pure and simple. “I can give you a lift to work, if you want.”

“That’d be great. Just let me jump in the shower.” She jumped out of bed, taking the sheet with her as she ran to the bathroom.

I got up, threw on my boxers, and shot to my office to make us some coffee, all while trying to calm my morning erection.

Chapter Thirty

Natalie

“I’m tired of waiting,” Renee moaned. “I want a baby.”

I chewed a bite of my sandwich while Justine cut in.

“How often are you guys trying?” Justine asked.

I looked over at her, surprised by her forthrightness.

“That’s just it. I’m starting to think Derek doesn’t actually want kids. We barely have sex anymore. I bought one of those ovulation kits at the drugstore, and he had a ‘work emergency’ when it was time.”

Justine offered Renee a weak smile. “Well, look on the bright side. At least you’re married. I’ve been in a hookup desert for weeks now.”

Renee and Justine both looked at me expectantly. Apparently, there was some sort of strange girl code which said that if two women shared updates on their sex lives, the third was required to as well. I feigned ignorance as I took the last bite of my sandwich, content to let them think whatever they wanted.

“Okay, enough baby talk. Natalie, now that Brad’s moving to LA, who’s going to take his place?”

My mind immediately flew to Ryan, but of course I didn’t dare betray my thoughts.

Justine continued. “It’s a shame he’s going. He was a real knight in shining armor with that whole Paulina boondoggle.”

I sighed. “Yeah, he was.” Justine and Renee had been just as shocked as I’d been at the whole turn of events.

“Ever thought about moving down there with him?”

I made a face. “Who? Me? We barely know each other…”

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