One Night Stand: Accidental Surrogacy for the Billionaire

e's

aside. That was as stra

t thundered in my chest, every pulse serving as a reminder of the careless choice I was poised on. Having just spent a month at

calla

as he stood inches away, staring at me with an intensity that fixed me to the pla

agging me in even further, "you never answe

to have been professional. I was expected to behave wisely and sensibly, defensively.

rembling, "needed air

n closer, the gleam in his eyes suggestin

hand, waited for a beat as though allowing me to back away, then

"maybe we both nee

appeared to destroy all of my resolve, boundaries, rationality, etc. And before I knew it, his l

less smile slid over his lips

and into the empty elevator, my heart was screaming "no." As the doors close

ivided between before Alex Ca

n right from a billionaire's fantasy. Rather, terror tore up my throat as the

the previous evening. Still rumpled, I glanced over my should

ring at me with his all-knowing glance. But my eyes let me down. When I glanced at him at last, his

hrough every barricade I had meticu

dy to flee before he woke up. a tidy retreat. I was in need of that. Nei

gh the quiet as my finger

g so qu

m my face meeting his eyes. He was completely awake, those sharp

red, then forced a grin,

er flaring in his gaze. " di

y idea flying through my thoughts. There was a part of me that wanted to grin, to seem a

ng to keep my voice consiste

e headboard, the covers gathering around h

anxiety was flooding me, a tidal wave I could not control, I hadn't intended

but something cloude

swallow the knot in my throa

orridor, each step counted down until I could lay

id, I started to

gna

n her lips as she handed me the e

ds. My head raced back to that evening, to Alex, to the

han on everybody else. But even as I asked, the response was beginning to shape

ot deserve to know? But I was scared thinking about informing him

ed some sort of lifeline. Though my entire universe had shifted, t

mpatient loud knock on my office door. I stayed focused on th

me

t, a board member, maybe even one of my rivals

ashed unbidden thoughts of that evening. Her face was pale and strained, but those e

above a whisper, but her look had

o sit, I replied, "Not that I mind," th

tle tremor of discomfort. She was not saying something, and it was chew

llable had more weight than the next

y face straight, I leaned f

d away from me, and her fingers were quive

r pressure. Anything it

nothing more than a w

a dagger, and for a second I felt

betrayed too raw,

h in them. Shock, wrath, uncertainty collided inside me in an odd mixtur

to do with the obligations ah

the fragile lady replaced by someone stronger, her

beg for anything," she added, "you're wrong." I am inf

st questions-and the unavoidable sense that my wo