Deadly contract

"You are mine."

"Said who?"

"Said the way you breathe when I'm close."

By five thirty, the party was winding down, with people gradually leaving. By six, the Davis place was almost empty of guests and Joy and her mother stayed back to help clean up.

"I had my four month ultrasound on Friday, Melissa said out of the blue as she and Joy were restocking the dishwasher together. Their mothers were outside at the time, piling up more dirty plates to carry in.

Joy stiffened as she always did these days when girls she knew talks about their pregnancy.

"Oh?" She managed to reply as casually as she could manage."Everything well,I hope?"

"Marvelous."

Joy was on the verge of tears herself. She didn't give a damn if she had a girl or boy. She just wanted a baby.

"Would you like to see the pictures of the ultrasound?" Melissa asked her. "I brought them," she added before Joy could say yes or no.

John saw the stricken look on Joy's face the moment he walked into the kitchen.

"What is it?" He asked straight away. "What happened?"

"I have to get out of here, she muttered.

Too late Melissa was back in a flash with the dreaded pictures.

John had no idea what had distressed scarlet earlier but he suspected by the look on her face that she still wanted out. He did, too. Hell, yes. And the sooner the better.

"Sorry to love you and leave you, folks," he said once his mother stopped to draw breath. "But i asked Joy our tonight and she said yes. So if you don't mind, we'll be off." So, saying, he took hold of a startled Joy and steered her firmly towards the front door.

Five minutes later, John was reversing her car out of their garage, Joy only then realizing she'd have a lot of questions to answer when she finally got home that night.

"Nice wheels," Joy," John said once they were underway. "The last time i was home you were driving an old white rust bucket."

"I decided to spoil myself this year," she replied.

"Am i allowed to ask what upset you so much?

Suddenly, the tears which had been threatening ever Melissa brought up the subject of her pregnancy came back with vengeance.

"I'm thirty four years old. My biological clock is ticking away like a bomb. Already the odds of my conceiving a child are going downhill. If i don't have a baby soon, I might never have one."

"Don't be ridiculous, Joy. Women of forty and older are having babies all the time." But you're not over forty yet, Joy. Not by a long shot. There's no reason to panic.

"I have every reason to panic."

"Look, if you're so damned desperate to have children, then why don't you go out and get yourself pregnant? You're gorgeous, you'll have all the offers you could want."

Joy gave him a totally scandalized look, determinedly ignoring the fact that he thought she was gorgeous." You think i would risk falling pregnant to just anyone, potentially also risking my sexual health?"

"So you're just going to wait till Mr Right comes along?"

The thing is, John, she said, still slightly hesitant. "I've decided to have a baby by artificial insemination. I investigated it thoroughly on the internet first," she rattled on, feeling compelled to explain it more fully. "Anyway, I found a local clinic where they had a whole catalogue of sperm donors to choose from. All their background information was listed: their physical characteristics, health records, intelligence levels, I picked one out which I liked the sound of. He's American , tall , good looking, with dark hair, blue eyes and an IQ of a hundred and thirty.

John shrugged. He wasn't sure why he found the idea of Joy having a baby with Mr IQ of a hundred and thirty so uncomfortable, but his whole body objected.

"Wanting a baby is not exactly complicated. It's basics drive in most women."

"I dare say you're right. Look, it's obvious that you're determined on this course of action, so I have a suggestion to make which I think would be infinitely preferable to your being impregnated by some stranger who will impart nothing to your child's life but a set of genes, which may not be as desirable as they read on paper. After all, what do you really know about this sperm donor? Nothing of any depth, that's for sure. You don't know his background or his family or his mental health. Perhaps it is a blessing that you haven't conceived his child so far."

Joy couldn't believe that John was being so negative. She had no idea what his counter suggestion was going to be, but if he thought she was going to change her mind about trying for a baby then he was delusional.

John knew that what he was about to propose would shock her. He was pretty shocked at it himself. But something deep inside him was driving him on the thought of Joy having a baby to some anonymous stranger wax repulsive. She deserved better than that.

"So, joy , in the internet of the future happiness and security of your offspring, I propose that you ditch your present sperm donor in favour of me."

She just stared at him with rounded eyes, looking for the catch. Or the joke.

"You have to be kidding me!" She exclaimed at last.

"Actually, no," he said feel perversely pleased with his offer now that he'd made it. "I'm not."

"But why?"

"Why not? I qualify, don't I? I'm tall, responsibly good looking, with dark hair and blue eyes. Unfortunately my IQ is a good bit over a hundred and thirty but that's a moot point. I promise i won't interfere with the way you had planned. Thought I would like to see the child occasionally.

Joy shook her head from side to side. "I'm having serious trouble taking this all in."

"Take your time."

Joy blinked, then frowned. "I still can't see why you would offer to do this."

"I'm capable of kindness, you know.

"This is more than just being kind," Joy said, trying to get her head around John's offer. " I have confess that I'm tempted. Mum would certainly be more comfortable with you being the father than some stranger."

"I would manage so. She quite like me, you know. Has done ever since I promised to look after you on the school bus."

"Rubbish! Come now, John, you've never been the Good Samaritan type. Which makes you offering to be my sperm donor all the more puzzling. Heavens, I don't know what Yo think or what to say."

"Just say yes, Joy."

"But it's such a difficult decision. I mean... it's a big thing to have a child together. Different if we were in love."

John snored. "As we both know, being in love is no guarantee of future happiness. People fall out of love all the time."

"Oh. Lord, I still don't know. If we go ahead and do this, what on earth are we going to tell everyone?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Your priority at this point is becoming pregnant. Your body obviously isn't clicking with the sperm donor you chose," he went on with cool, corrupting logic. "You need to try someone different."

Joy knew that, if she failed to get pregnant again with her chosen sperm donor, she'd regret not accepting John's offer. It was a case of do now, or possibly die childless!

"Okay. Okay. I'm going to throw caution to the winds and just say yes."

"Great," John said, feeling more excited than when he'd found oil. "So what's the plan?"

" I'll contact the clinic first thing tomorrow morning and arrange for a time for you to go in and give them a sperm sample. Then, when....."

"Hang on!" John interrupted immediately. "That's not how it's going to be done at all!"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean i have no intention of becoming a father vis a turkey baster. Or a syringe. Or whatever they use these days. If we're doing this, let's do it right."

"You mean you... you want to have sex with me?"