Contract with Consequences

CHAPTER SIX

JOHN smiled wryly. ‘Don’t sound so shocked, Scarlet. I’ve wanted you since the first moment I saw you today, not to mention for years while we were growing up.’

Scarlet blushed furiously, shocked, yet secretly elated to discover that the feelings which had so blindsided her today had been returned for so long.

‘But don’t start thinking that I’m doing this just because of that-because I’m not.’ Even as the denial left his mouth, John suspected he was morally skating on thin ice here. If what he was saying was strictly true, then why not just do what she suggested-go to this clinic and give them a sperm sample?

The truth was he did want to have sex with her. At the same time, he did also believe that normal intercourse was the best chance Scarlet had for falling pregnant. Clearly, the coldly clinical method hadn’t worked. She needed to relax, to enjoy herself.

John decided to be bluntly honest with her. ‘Not that I won’t enjoy having sex with you,’ he admitted. ‘But that’s not the only reason I’m suggesting we actually sleep with each other. It’s because I think you’re more likely to fall pregnant that way. Which is what you want, isn’t it? To have a baby?’

John’s saying the word ‘baby’ dragged Scarlet back to the present. She’d been off in another world ever since he’d confessed to wanting to have sex with her since they were teenagers. ‘What? Oh yes, yes, that’s what I want,’ she said. ‘A baby.’

‘So what do you say, Scarlet?’

‘I don’t know…’ The idea of actually sleeping with John made her head spin.

He sighed. ‘What don’t you know?’

‘I don’t know what I don’t know!’ she blurted out, feeling totally confused and conflicted.

‘Look, I can understand that my suggestion has come as a bit of a shock to you, so why don’t we go somewhere for coffee and talk about it rationally?’

‘I don’t think I’m capable of being rational about this. You’ve totally blown me away. I have to think about this on my own.’

John nodded. He wanted her to say yes with a depth of desire which shocked him; something in him was demanding that he-and only he-should give Scarlet the baby she so desperately wanted. However, much as he hated it, she needed time.

‘I’ll take you home.’

Scarlet sighed. The idea of going home and facing her mother while she was trying to decide something so huge didn’t appeal either.

‘How about we drive to Erina Fair and see a movie? You can pick something you’ll like, some macho action flick with lots of car chases and killings. You can get all involved in that whilst I sit in the dark and think.’

He laughed. ‘You are such a sexist, Scarlet. I happen to like a wide range of movies, not just macho action flicks, as you put it.’

‘Oh sure,’ she said in droll tones.

‘I’ll prove it to you.’

He surprised her by choosing a romantic comedy, one of those friends-into-lovers plots which had become popular lately. Scarlet might have enjoyed it if there hadn’t been so many sex scenes, all of which were extremely raunchy. Clothes were stripped off at regular intervals as the two friends had wildly uninhibited sex in every conceivable place and position: on the floor. On the sofa. In a lift. Even in a meadow.

Of course, each of them had perfectly toned and buffed bodies which photographed beautifully from every angle; no doubt they were faking their orgasms. But still… it was obvious they knew what seriously fantastic ones felt like, and sounded like. Did people really make loud noises like that? Scarlet never had. Before long she began worrying that, if she agreed to John’s proposal, he might expect her to be like that girl on the screen. And she wasn’t, not even remotely. Her breasts were a lot smaller, for starters; her body wasn’t as gym-bunny perfect and she certainly didn’t come every single time. Actually, she didn’t come very often at all, and never during actual sex. The ending annoyed her as well: it was pure Hollywood fiction where the protagonists fell in love and lived happily ever after. As if that ever happened!

‘Is that what you’re afraid of?’ John said as they left the theatre. ‘That if we have sex you might fall in love with me?’

Laughter spluttered from Scarlet’s lips before she could smother it.

‘Right,’ he said drily. ‘Obviously, that’s not what you’re afraid of.’

‘No,’ she said. Her fears had nothing to do with love. She stopped walking to turn and look up at him with thoughtful eyes. ‘You have to admit that I don’t really know the adult you, John. You’re somewhat of a mystery man these days.’

‘Not as much of a mystery man as your university student.’

‘True. But I would still want to know more about your life in South America before I agreed to your being the father of my child. After all, your proposal is not the same kind of a deal as I would have had with my student donor. He doesn’t want to be a part of my child’s life. But you do, even if it is only in a limited way.’

‘Okay, let’s find a place to have some coffee and I’ll tell you all about myself.’ Even as he said this, John knew damned well he was not going to tell her the absolute truth. She could know about his work; nothing but good news there. Scarlet certainly didn’t need to worry that he couldn’t support a child financially. But no way was he going to tell her about Bianca. He could hardly bear to think about what had happened to that poor woman. Talking about it was out of the question.

Still, Scarlet would probably want some idea of his past love life. So he’d confess to a succession of girlfriends over the years, none of whom he’d fallen in love with, most of whom had broken up with him because of his inability to commit. That should do the trick of explaining his present partnerless existence, and did have a great deal of truth in it-though one could hardly call the sexual partners he’d had in the last decade ‘girlfriends’.

‘That pizza place over there looks open,’ he said and took her arm.

Scarlet stiffened inside at his touch. Her whole body flared to life at the thought of how much more of her he would be touching if she agreed to his proposal. Just the thought of getting naked with him made butterflies erupt in her stomach.

Suddenly, she couldn’t do it.

‘No, John,’ she said, and pulled her arm away from him.

‘No what?’

‘No, I’ve decided not to accept your offer. Thank you for making it; it was amazingly generous of you. But it’s just not going to work for me. Please don’t argue with me about this or tell me I’m being irrational. Because if you do I know I’m going to burst into tears again.’ Which was true. Her emotions, already fragile, were in danger of embarrassing her once more.

She couldn’t tell what John was thinking. His face had always been hard to read.

‘I see,’ was all he said. ‘Well, it’s your life, Scarlet. You do what you think best.’

‘Thank you,’ she said, struggling to keep the tears in check.

‘No point in going for coffee then, is there?’ he said brusquely. ‘I’ll take you home.’