For Love Or Money

Alex took a deep breath. This wasn’t going to be easy, but he was used to getting what he wanted, and he wanted Megan. He knew he could make it easier if he took a more traditional approach, but from the beginning, he’d known he  would be honest with her. No courting, no wine and roses. This was going to be a business proposal. However, he hadn't factored Rebecca's health into his plan. The way things were playing out, his proposal was going to be more brutal than honest. Megan worked for him, and now more than ever she needed her job. He held the winning cards. With Rebecca’s heart condition, Megan didn't have much of a choice other than the one he intended to offer her unless she filed a harassment suit.  If she did, he knew with her limited funds, and the legal counsel he had at his disposal, he would win.  He also knew that if she went that route  he’d instruct his attorney to settle.  Either way Rebecca was going to get the best medical treatment money could buy. 

Physically, she was everything he could want. She was a medium height of five foot five, and her figure was perfectly proportioned. She didn't flaunt her looks, and dressed on the conservative side, though it didn't matter, with her violet eyes and sensual mouth, she could be wearing a gunnysack.

Alex watched that mouth now, and  was tempted to reach over and trace her lip with his finger. Not tonight, though. She wouldn't let him tonight, but by next week, if he had his way…

 Alex lifted his coffee, taking the time to gather his thoughts. He anticipated the impact of his proposal, and his heart thudded with the challenge. “I know it’s been a long day, and you’re tired. In truth, it would be better if we could put off talking until tomorrow. However, with Rebecca's medical condition, we  don’t have the luxury of time. The next few days are going to be hard.”

Alex stood up and walked across the room. "I heard most of what the doctor told you about Rebecca's condition. I can guess the rest."

Agitated, he ran his hands through his hair and sat back down on the couch. "Unless I'm mistaken, King’s Crown employs you as a casual employee, which means you're not covered with the company's health insurance."

Megan’s eyes looked bruised. "No. You're right; I don’t have any insurance."

Standing up, she visibly pulled herself together. "I really have to go. This is my problem, not yours. I appreciate your kindness in stopping in at the hospital and for dinner, but it's getting late and, as you pointed out, the next few days are going to be stressful, to say the least."

Alex started to answer, but Megan interrupted him. "I know I don't have sick leave either. Hopefully, Rebecca will recover quickly, and I can return to work before you have to replace me."

Alex grated out his next word’s with a harsh tone.  "I'll take care of Rebecca's medical expenses."

Megan scooted to the edge of the sofa. "Why? You hardly know me. Look, I don't want to be rude, but I can handle this."

"Yeah, right. In the meantime, the clock is ticking for your daughter. If  you try to get State Aid, which you no doubt can, it's going to take time."

Alex knew he was being brutal but continued on anyway. "Megan, you have to know what money can buy. Look around you. Hell, that car out there cost just under three hundred thousand. If I finance the operation, Rebecca will have the best. That means the best doctors and the best accommodations. Do you honestly think you can provide what she needs?"

He paused. “Well maybe what she needs, but is that all you want? To provide only the bare necessities?”

Megan blinked back tears. "So, what are you proposing, a loan?  It will take me awhile to pay it back, but I have a friend who can help me get an extra job that pays well."

“And who takes care of Rebecca while you hold down two jobs? ”

Megan lowered her gaze to the floor. “This job is nights, after Rebecca is in bed, and our neighbor who watches her now can just spend the night. Besides…” Megan broke off. Taking a deep breath, she continued. “Besides, I wouldn’t have to work every night. Kel…my friend, says I’d have to work only a couple of nights a week.”

She didn’t have to finish the sentence for him to know she was talking about Kelly. Alex clenched his teeth shut on the nasty reply he wanted to make. He'd spent most of the day with King’s Crown security and the police. To add to his frustration, he’d wanted to fire Kelly outright, but they’d convinced him to hold off and give them a chance to close the escort service down by getting the top guys. Kelly, the receptionist that worked alongside Megan, was using the hotel  for a place of business, and he didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to know exactly how Megan intended getting the money to pay him back. Still, he wanted to hear her say it. "Do you have any idea of the cost for this kind of operation?"

Still avoiding eye contact, Megan kept her gaze focused on the floor in front of Alex. "When the first tests came back, I checked with the hospital office to get an idea of the costs. They said somewhere between a hundred and two hundred thousand. When I talked to the doctor, he confirmed it."

So she had done her homework and knew how much money she was going to need. He winced at what it would take to get it. Even if she was good, which equated to expensive, that was going to be a lot of late-night work. He'd be damned if he cared. That she was willing to prostitute herself only helped the case he was going to make.

Alex leaned back against the sofa, giving the allusion of comfort, when he was feeling anything but comfortable with what he was saying. "I have a better option for you. You need money, and I have it. On the flip side, I need you for something I want."

 Megan's head snapped up and Alex paused. In her eyes he saw what a cornered animal looked like just before it sprang for the jugular. The look was there for a only second, then gone. He had to give her credit; she was a fighter and a smart one.

Megan's voice was low, Alex had to strain to hear it. "And what would be something you want so badly you'd pay over a hundred thousand for it, Mr. King?"

"A child, Mrs. Moore." Alex hesitated only a second before continuing. "A biological child."

Megan's face paled.

Alex steeled himself against showing sympathy. It was better to get this over fast. Something like pulling the tape off a wound. Just one fast pull, and it was over.

"Are you talking surrogate?"

She was taking all this pretty well. He'd expected tears and maybe even a little hysteria, but the only evidence he could see was that her hands were shaking. When she bent down to get her cup of coffee off the table, the liquid sloshed over the rim. Not giving up, she stoically used both hands to pick up the cup.

Watching her struggle was proving too much for Alex. Megan had courage, and he respected her for it. Giving in, he walked over to the window and looked out, so she'd have a chance to retrieve the coffee and get herself under control. "It's snowing pretty hard out there. We're probably going to get an accumulation of  two to three feet by morning."

"What? I couldn't care less about how much snow we're getting! You didn't answer my question. Are you asking me to be a surrogate mother for your child?"

The surrogate route had been Alex's original plan until a recent case had made the papers. The biological mother had refused to give up the child. In that case, the surrogate mother didn't have any biological claim on the child. A married couple had contracted with her. The surrogate had been inseminated with the wife’s  egg that had been fertilized by her husband. Still, the court had upheld the birth mother's claim. He wasn't going to risk using a surrogate, when the surrogate would also be the biological mother.

"No, I don't want you to be a surrogate mother. I'm not going to risk losing primary custody of my child. What I want is for you to marry me, have my child, and in a divorce settlement, give me custody."

Megan shot off the sofa, heading for the door. "No way!

I'll get the money another way. You're asking me to sell you a baby."

Alex spun around; barely keeping from shouting,  he ground out, "I don't like that term, and you’re a fine one to use it. The way you're planning it, you'll be selling yourself. You think that’s a better way? Just think how many different guys and how many nights it's going to take to get a hundred thousand dollars."

Megan stood defiantly in front of him. "You don't know that. You don't know how I plan to get the money."

"I do know. I know what Kelly's involved in. Considering how well you know her, it’s only logical you'll join her in extracurricular activities, and that’s a kind term for what you'll be doing."

Megan opened her mouth to object, but Alex held up his hand, silencing her. "I'm not stupid, Megan, so don't stand there and try to make me believe what you don't believe yourself. You know damn well what you're going to have to do to get that much money."