Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 61286 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61286 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Lauren responded with a quick and enthusiastic, let’s do it. They agreed on six pm, before the place became too crowded on a Saturday night.
Opting for black skinny jeans, a loose fitting, short sleeved blouse, and her favorite pair of red heels, Skye walked into the establishment right on time and saw Lauren already sitting at the bar, chatting with Raven, the female bartender serving drinks. She made her way over to her friend and slid into the vacant seat beside her.
“Hey,” Lauren said by way of greeting, a smile on her pink, glossy lips. Normally, she wore her shoulder length bob straight, but today she’d added soft waves to the dark brown strands, giving her a sultrier look than her normal work appearance. “Sorry I didn’t wait out front for you. I thought I’d grab us a few chairs before there weren’t any left.”
“Good idea.” Skye placed her purse on a hook beneath the bar and settled in. They perused the happy hour menu for a few minutes, then placed their order when the bartender, Raven, came back around.
“What can I get for you ladies?” she asked, placing cocktail napkins on the bar top in front of them.
“I’ll take your grilled chicken skewers with sweet potato fries and one of your Ruby Red Cosmos,” Skye said, handing the menu back to Raven.
Lauren nodded. “That sounds good. I’ll have the same. Make that two.”
“Be right back with your drinks,” Raven promised, then left them to place their appetizer orders.
Once they were alone, Lauren glanced at Skye with a mischievous look in her eyes. “So, did you happen to see the men in the bachelor auction brochure that will be up for bid at the Future Fast Track charity event next weekend?” She reached into her purse and withdrew a glossy booklet. “Billie dropped them off yesterday and I grabbed one on the way out the door,” she said of the young woman who worked with the non-profit organization, dedicated to helping foster kids as they aged out of the system.
Skye and Lauren worked together at the Meridian NYC hotel as event coordinators—Lauren as lead, and Skye as her assistant. With their boss, Jade Dare, out on maternity leave, the two of them were now in charge of handling the upcoming gala. It was Skye’s first big event, and she was both excited and nervous about how it was all going to come together. She’d only been with the Meridian for nine months, and more than anything, she wanted to make a good impression on both Lauren and Jade.
She’d seen the brochures when she’d left work the previous afternoon, but hadn’t been at all tempted to grab one, not even to idly browse through.
“No, I didn’t look,” she replied to Lauren’s question as Raven placed a pale pink drink in front of each of them. “After my divorce, the last thing I’m in the market for is a man. Well, except for maybe his swimmers,” she added humorously.
Lauren had just taken a drink of her cocktail and choked on the liquid. She coughed, her eyes wide as she stared at Skye. “Care to explain that comment?”
Skye merely grinned and more carefully took a sip of her own Cosmo.
Lauren made an exasperated sound. “You can’t leave me dangling on such an intriguing comment. Are you insinuating that you’re thinking about getting artificially inseminated?”
“Yes, and I’m beyond the thinking stage.” Raven came by with their appetizers and Skye waited for the other woman to deliver the plates, then be on her way again before continuing. “I’ve already looked into it, and have even seen a reproductive endocrinologist in the city.”
Her desire to have a child wasn’t a secret. Her parents, Spencer, and even her other brother, Reese, knew and supported her decision to be a single mother, and understood why she’d decided to do this on her own. She wasn’t in the market to get remarried anytime soon, and, well, her biological clock was ticking.
Her family just wasn’t aware that she was actively trying to select a donor, and she didn’t plan on telling them until she’d been inseminated and knew she’d actually conceived. The last thing she wanted was the stress of her mother constantly asking if she was pregnant yet. Since Reese and Spencer were still single and enjoying the bachelor life, their mother was anxious for Skye to provide that first grandchild her parents wanted so badly.
“Wow.” Lauren popped a fry into her mouth, then tipped her head curiously. “So, how does the whole sperm selection thing work?”
“Well, everything is anonymous in terms of the donor’s identity,” Skye said, sharing what she’d already learned as she ate bites of her chicken. “I’ve been looking through profiles online, and they all include health history and genetic testing and screening. Then there’s the person’s physical attributes such as hair and eye color and height, and their heritage, educational background, and personality type. A lot of donors provide a baby picture of them at about a year old, to give you a general idea of what your child could potentially look like.”