“Exactly.”
Her dry laugh took me by surprise. “Yeah, that won't be a problem,” she said. “I'm definitely clean. Just let me know what you need.”
“Thank you.”
All of this felt surreal. I felt like I was walking through a dream. We were talking about hooking up and making a baby like it was a business transaction – which, I guess it kind of was. Our conversation about it though, was cold and clinical, only adding to the strangeness of the situation.
Casey ordered some cheesecake, but I passed on it myself. I was lost in thought, trying to figure out everything we'd need to take care of before we slept together, and trying to fight off a case of nerves in the process.
“You don't drink, smoke, or do drugs, do you?” I asked.
“None of the above,” she said, shaking her head.
“You don't even drink occasionally?”
“Nope. Haven't since my twenty-first birthday and I don't plan to start anytime soon,” she snapped at me.
There it was. That attitude again. That fire and spunk. She wasn't about to make this easy on me. But, in the end, it would be worth it. For the both of us. I'd be sure to see to it.
“So when will this happen?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“The sex,” she replied. “When are we going to hook up?”
“Oh, well – ummm – let me talk to my lawyer and we'll set up a meeting to go over everything first,” I said. “From there, we can decide the next steps.”
“But you need this to happen fast, right?”
I nodded.
“Alright,” she sighed. She pushed the cheesecake over toward me, with only a few bites missing. “Here, have some, I feel bad eating it all.”
She had cheesecake on her lips and licked it off. The sight of her perfect, pink tongue sliding along her full lips, sent a stirring in my pants that caught my attention. I'd been so focused on the business aspect of this relationship, that it had only just occurred to me that the idea of having sex with Casey wasn't at all a bad thought.
Gorgeous. Curvy body. Full lips. Dark hair and pale skin. Oh, and smart, strong-willed and hilarious? Honestly, she ticked off a lot of the boxes of what I liked in a woman. Maybe, too many.
I took a bite of the cheesecake, and Casey smiled at me.
Yeah, a guy could do worse.
CHAPTER TEN
CASEY
“You are going to do what, now?” Raya screeched at me.
She dropped the carrot she was holding and stared at me, her mouth opened as wide as her eyes. A look of pure disbelief and astonishment were etched upon her features.
After agreeing to have Malcolm's baby, I needed to talk to someone. My mom was a Catholic and had constantly preached about waiting for marriage to have sex, which meant, I couldn't talk to her. My dad was – well – useless. I'd rather talk to the homeless guy who stands on the corner shouting at the telephone pole. Hell, the conversation might be more enlightening than one with my dad.
My siblings were far too young for that kind talk. Besides, what could a couple of young teens tell me about having sex? They wouldn't understand the situation and wouldn't have any words of wisdom to offer.
That left Raya.
I'd texted her and asked her to meet me at The Grove after Malcolm went back to work. We were sitting by the fountain, surrounded by people still, but none of them seemed to matter in that moment. Thankfully, none of them even seemed to be paying attention to us.
“Yeah, so – I took your advice and left the club,” I said. “And that same night, Malcolm made me an offer I couldn't refuse.”