A Baby For Dana

DANA

Dana took a deep breath before pulling open the door and walking into the Hilton hotel restaurant.

Am I really going to do this?

To Dana’s complete surprise, Allen Clay had gotten in touch with her and asked if she would agree to meet with Jake one more time.

How can he still be considering me after our first meeting? How am I still considering him?!

But there was no denying how curious she was to hear what he had to say.

The hotel lobby was so posh and clean, and all the men wore suits while the women looked radiant in their fancy dresses, sparkling with diamonds on their ears and necks.

Only the rich could afford to stay there, and that wasn’t Dana. Catching her reflection in the mirror, she felt so out of place in her simple black dress and cheap flea-market earrings.

After a deep sigh, and smoothing out her dress, she stepped into the restaurant.

With his wide, muscular frame looking at his Rolex watch with a scowl on his tanned face, his appearance jumped out at her.

She snickered to herself before reaching the table, pleased she’d kept him waiting for twenty minutes.

He stood and waited for her to be seated before sitting again. Jake looked at his watch and frowned. “Dana, I’m glad you agreed to meet me. I took the liberty of ordering you a glass of white wine.”

“I would have preferred red.” She shrugged her shoulders and lifted the large glass. “What do you want, Mr. Rayburn?”

Jake raised his eyebrow but he refused to rise to the bait. “Please, call me Jake. Look, I need a wife. I want her to be you. For one year, that is.”

She blinked as she tried to concentrate on what he was saying, but it was a struggle. His smile showed off his dimples, and his aftershave was intoxicating.

“Dana, is anything wrong?” he asked.

Lifting the glass of wine to her lips, she took a big sip. “Why me? I’m sure you could have any woman you want.”

He sat back and eyed Dana closely.

“That’s true. Many women would jump at the chance to be my wife. The problem is, they would want to stay as my wife, and I have no interest in being dragged through court for the years to come.”

Dana tapped her foot against the table leg. “Why would I agree to marry you after the way you talked to me the other day?”

“Because I can give you what you want, a baby. Just know, I don’t want anything to do with it, or you, afterward.

“You’ll sign an agreement, stating that I don’t have to be responsible for it once it’s born and that you won’t come back in the future wanting anything from me. Do that, and the money will be yours.”

Jake leaned over the table and licked his lips. “But tell me, how is this baby-making going to play out? Will you be warming my bed every night?”

Dana’s ears became hot. The thought of being in bed with him was making her sweat. As hard as she tried to focus, her eyes kept flicking to his lips, his neck, his fingers…

It had been so long since a man had touched her, kissed her.

Dammit, Dana, you said you’d stay clear of men… Why does he have to be so handsome?

She sat up and straightened an invisible crease from her dress. “That won’t be necessary.”

Jake raised an eyebrow. “I don’t understand, I thought you wanted a baby.”

“I do. But with the money you’ll be giving me, I’ll be able to afford fertility treatments. All I have to do is wait out the year.”

“That’s too bad, I wouldn’t mind doing you as often as I could. I bet you’re a real tiger in bed and know how to make a man cum.” He scanned her face, enjoying the look of shock.

Dana folded her arms and angled her body away from him. “You’re a pig.”

“A temper and a foul mouth.” Jake laughed. “So, I take it you will marry me then?”

“Yes,” she replied, still not looking at him.

The restaurant was starting to fill, and the music faded as it was drowned out by the chatter of the diners and clinks and ~clanks~ of the waiters hustling from table to table.

The smell of food made her stomach growl.

“Shall we order dinner? We still have a lot to talk about.”

Dana shot a sarcastic smile his way. “I don’t think we should spend any more time with each other than we need to, don’t you?”

Jake’s smile wavered. “We’re about to be married, Dana. You’ll be seeing a lot of me.”

She turned back to face him, though she kept her arms across her chest on principle. “What? Why? Why can’t we just carry on with our lives as they are?”

Jake reached under the table and produced a piece of paper from his bag. “I was hoping for the same thing.”

He pointed at a paragraph about halfway down the page. “Unfortunately, the will stipulates we have to be living under the same roof for the duration of our first year of marriage—”

“What? That’s utterly—”

“—in Alaska.”

Dana jumped to her feet. “Alaska!”

The diners on the neighboring tables stopped speaking and stared at Dana with scowls and amused grins.

“Please sit down, Dana,” Jake said, ushering her back into her seat.

“Okay, then. I guess the next step is to get married, the sooner the better. It seems my grandfather knew I’d try to get out of this somehow. This is his safety net.”

“But…” Dana slowly lowered herself into her chair. “But why Alaska?”

Jake shrugged. “Quiet, remote, beautiful. The perfect place for a budding romance was his thinking, I imagine. Plus, he had a former colleague who owns a house there.”

Millie suddenly appeared in Dana’s mind. “I have a job, Jake. I can’t just up and leave for a year.”

“So? Quit! You’re going to be coming into a lot of money soon, and I’ll take care of you until then.”

Dana scoffed before gulping down more wine. “Such a rich-boy attitude. I happen to like my job.”

Jake let out a snort. “If you say so. But you’ll have to figure it out. The will is adamant we have to be in Alaska together.

“This is…insane.”

Jake sat back in his chair. “You’re telling me. Look, let’s move on. How do you want to do this? Do you want some kind of wedding? Or shall we go to the courthouse?”

Dana rubbed her temples. “No, I don’t want a wedding, that’s ridiculous. The courthouse is fine. Just let me know when and where.”

Her bottom lip started to tremble. She picked up a napkin and started running it through her fingers.

“The year will fly by, Dana.” Jake reached out and placed his warm fingers over the back of her hand.

The thought of getting married weighed heavily on her heart. Once, she had dreamed of getting married and having a family.

But those dreams had been squashed years ago.

Jake drumming the table made her jump. Biting his bottom lip, he reached inside his jacket, pulled out a brown envelope, and handed it to Dana.

“What’s this?”

“Here is the contract. Everything is detailed, including how much you’ll receive when the year is up.”

“You mean, after all that, you already have the contract on you? I thought you’d invited me here to talk me into it?” Dana could feel her cheeks growing hotter.

Jake shrugged and winked. “I figured you’d say yes.”

“Why, you—”

“Now, once you sign, you are obligated to honor the terms. If you try to back out at any time, I will sue you. And I must warn you, I never lose. Now, sign it and we’ll order something to eat.”

She picked up the papers while giving him a cold look. “I never sign anything without reading it first.”

Jake motioned to speak but stopped. He waved his hand at her. “Fine, go ahead and read it over. I’ll just order for us.”

Flagging down the waiter, Jake ordered steak, medium rare, with all the fixings for the two of them. Looking up from the papers she was reading, Dana turned her attention to the waiter.

“I’ll have the salmon with a side salad.” She grinned when she saw a flash of annoyance in Jake’s eyes. She’d be damned if she was going to let him dictate what she would eat.

After nodding at the waiter to dismiss him, Jake turned to study Dana while she flipped through the contract.

His phone started buzzing in his pocket, causing Dana to look up. He took it out of his pocket, scowled at the screen, and threw it on the table.

Dana took a look at the name flashing on the phone. Julia.

Catching her looking, Jake picked up the phone and put it back in his pocket. “Sorry about that. Work never stops. Are you ready to sign the papers?” He handed her a pen.

Dana frowned, hesitated for a moment, and considered getting up and walking out the door. No, Dana. Do it. Do it for the baby you’ll have when it’s all over.

Mumbling a silent prayer, she signed the contract, and a cold shiver shot through her.

“Great!” The grin came back as he folded the papers and put them in his inside pocket. “Now, one more thing.” He pulled out a small black box from his pants pocket and handed it to Dana.

“What is this?”

“It’s your engagement ring.”

Opening the box, she let out a gasp. It was a huge princess-cut diamond.

What is he thinking, giving me something so expensive? This isn’t a real marriage.

“Are you mad? I can’t accept this.”

He looked into her eyes. “You must accept it and wear it. I have a reputation to protect. How would it look if my bride-to-be wasn’t wearing an engagement ring?”

“This thing must cost more than I make in a year! No, take it back. I have rings at home I can wear.” She closed the box and threw it over the table at him.

Taking the ring from the box and grabbing her hand, he placed the ring on her finger. “Stop being such a pain in the ass and wear the damn thing,” he barked.

She looked down at the ring, admiring how it sparkled. She’d never held anything so beautiful, or expensive, before. It was…overwhelming. “I’ll wear it but only till the divorce. I’ll give it back.”

Sitting back, he smiled.

For a moment, they looked at each other. She swallowed the lump that seemed to be stuck in her throat as he leaned in. His eyes had softened as they stared into hers. She squeezed her thighs together…

“Well, Mr. Rayburn, if that’s all,” Dana got to her feet. “I really must be going. It’s getting late.”

Jake raised an eyebrow. “What? But I ordered us dinner?”

"And I told you we shouldn’t spend any more time with each other than is necessary.”

“But”—he looks over toward the waiter he’d ordered with earlier—“the salmon?”

Dana smirked. “That’ll teach you to order for someone else without asking first. Goodnight, Jake.”

Jake kicked his chair back and threw some money on the table. “How are you getting home?”

“The same way I got here, the bus.”

He took hold of her arm. “I’ll give you a ride home.”

“I don’t need a ride from you,” she snapped as he tried to drag her toward the exit. “I got here on my own, I can get home without your help.”

He shook his head. “I’m driving you. There’s no way I’m letting you get on a bus at this time of night. Not dressed like that. And not with that rock on your finger.”

Jake led her out front, and a moment later, the valet pulled up with his car.

He opened the door to his silver BMW and gestured for Dana to climb in. The seats were posh and soft, and the vehicle had that new-car smell.

It had all the toys, including a CD player and a surround system, heated seats, and reversing cameras.

He pointed at the fancy-looking GPS in the dash. “Put your address in there.”

As he pulled out onto the road, Jake tried to make conversation, but Dana’s mind was elsewhere.

Alaska? With him? For a year? And what am I going to tell Millie? What am I getting myself into?