Billionaires with Benefits

“Dave?” she asked awkwardly. She turned out to be in Dave’s room. Dave does have a special break room in his office. Lea had never been in the room, at all. She just knew about its existence.

There was only one question left in her mind. How did she get in the room? Who brought her in?

“When I finished the meeting, Theresa said you were waiting in the waiting room. I went there and found you asleep. No blanket, no coat. Your face was pale. Then ... I brought you in, here,” Dave replied then. As usual, as if nothing strange had happened.

“You?” asked Lea with a half-dead shock. “You brought me here yourself?” She looked away, not wanting to see him at all. She was so embarrassed, as well as feeling guilty. How could she make Clara’s fiancé carry her into the room?

Hopefully, Clara would never find out about this. Never. Even though she didn’t do anything with him, just being in his private room made her feel like a hypocrite.

How come? She asked Clara to come back to him. However, she was alone with him in a narrow closed room. Ridiculous, no?

“You shouldn’t have bothered to bring me here. The waiting room is quite comfortable,” said Lea. She pulled up the blanket and wrapped herself in the white and black thick cloth tightly. For some reason, she suddenly felt very cold in the room which should be warm enough.

Dave sat on the edge of the bed, then took off his glasses. He looked exhausted. That man must have had a lot of work that took up his time mercilessly. Not only that, the problem with Clara and his own family had not been completely resolved. They twice the burden on his shoulder.

.....

Indeed, Clara’s family still insisted that the engagement should be continued. This made her feel depressed and unable to do anything to oppose it. She came to his embrace because she had no choice. Not because they really love each other like before. This, was absolutely not what he wanted. He wanted her completely, heart and soul. He was that greedy.

Dave turned to Lea who was wrapping her body tighter with the blanket. Her face turned away from Dave. She sat sideways, and pulled closer to the edge of the bed. If she pulled over one more inch, she would surely sag or fall to the floor.

“I just feel bad when pregnant women wait and fall asleep on the waiting room couch. That place is not comfortable enough, your body will ache,” Dave answered flatly. There was no typical smile that he usually showed to everyone at work.

“I’m used to it. Even the waiting room couch is more comfortable than the bed in my bedroom. It is fine,” Lea answered in a low whisper. She shifted her seat a half inch to the side. In a moment, she would surely fall onto the floor. Her Physics was really bad. She totally forgot about gravity and her center of mass.

“Don’t sit like that! You can fall! What about the baby if you get careless like that?” Dave yelled, complaining at her actions. This time, his face scrunched up, scolding her. “I won’t touch you! Do you think I’ll take advantage of the opportunity? I am not a jerk. Maybe I was. But no more.”

Lea was so shocked, her body jerked when Dave snapped at her. However, she immediately complied and fixed her seat.

“I guess ...,” Lea was about to say something but she quickly cut it out for fear of being impolite.

“What do you think?” asked Dave curiously. His gray eyes without glasses stared at Lea sharply.

“Ah ... sorry, I thought, no one cares about this child,” Lea replied honestly. She gulped fearfully, glancing at Dave every now and then to see his reaction to her thoughts.

Unfortunately, everything she feared happened. Dave was indeed offended by Lea’s words. “The baby is mine too, Lea! Did you think that I would not care about my own flesh and blood?”

Lea looked down and nodded slowly. “Sorry. I don’t know because back then... you don’t seem like that.”

Dave sighed, leaning his back against the headboard. Because it was still not comfortable, he took a pillow to serve as an additional base.

“Of course. I really didn’t know what to do with the baby. However, I think now I can feel what it’s like to be a father.” Dave sighed again, then looked at Lea with a feeling of awry. “I hope you can forgive me.”

Lea smiled awkwardly and shook her head. “It’s not your fault, Dave. I was not immediately ready for the presence of this baby in my womb. It was hard to accept.”

Silence engulfed the luxurious, narrow room. The dim light made Dave and Clara even more lost for words. No matter how many times they think about it, it was still hard for them ... and Clara too.

“I want to tell you ....” Dave and Lea spoke at the same time.

Both of them looked at each other in surprise hearing them both about to say the same thing. The two then looked away, feeling awkward.

“You talk first,” Dave said then.

“No, you first. I can do it later,” Lea said. Dave nodded too.

“I, how about if I take care of that child in the future?” asked Dave with a pale face. He was very afraid that Lea would refuse.

Lea gulped. Her lips trembled as she tried to force a smile. It didn’t take long for her to feel her eyes begin to warm. Her vision started to blur slowly.

“Lea, I promise to treat this child with love. I would never hurt the baby,” Dave said again. “I’m sure Clara would do the same. She is very kind and loving to children. The patient-”

“I know it, Dave!” interrupted Lea in a trembling voice. Tears started dripping slowly. “I know it! Clara is very kind. She is so kind to everyone.” ... ‘but me,’ Lea continued in her mind.

Lea wiped the tears with her fingers, alternately right and left. However, her tears continued to flow without stopping. Can’t be stopped by anything.

“Lea, whatever you ask for, I’ll give you in return,” whispered Dave with a great plea. “I can afford to provide monthly allowances for you and your family, or even pay for your mother’s hospital fees. Or ... anything you want, Lea.”

Lea turned back to Dave. She forced a smile through her tears, making her look like the most miserable person in the world. Her nose was now red from her sobbing which was getting heavier. Then, he held out a box of tissues for her. She took the tissue box slowly and wiped the snot from her nose.

The trash can near the bed was now full of used tissue clumps. In the past, if there was such a thing in the room, it must have been because Dave used it to wipe away traces of his love fluids after sessions of love-making with Clara in the office. Of course, he did not expect that now the tissue and trash bin could change roles, doing another decent task.

“I know this will be hard on you. But, I hope you can consider-”

“Dave, this afternoon, I told Clara that I will give up the custody of this child to you and her,” Lea cut in after she managed to control her emotions. “This child will be your child and Clara’s.”

Now, it was Dave’s turn to be stunned. He didn’t expect that Lea had preceded him. Did what he wanted before being asked.

“On what reason did you do that?” asked Dave curiously. He felt Lea would not do that without a clear motivation.

Lea crumpled the blanket. Should she say that she knew about Clara’s infertility? It seemed it would create a new problem that was never wanted.

“I just think that this child will be better with you. You are rich, unlike me. The baby will be prouder and happier to be with a family like you and Clara,” Lea said later. She didn’t want to talk about her secret with Linda.

Dave was amazed by the change in Lea’s attitude. He thought that she would defend her rights as the birth mother of the baby. Hadn’t the last time they spoke, she insisted on taking care of the child herself?

However, Dave chose to give in. He didn’t want to argue why Lea had changed her mind. He just wanted the baby as his father asked him to, making Lea a surrogate mother for him and Clara. It was the best solution for everyone. However, was it really for the best?

Finally, Dave asked the one thing he was most worried about. “How did she react? Did she accept this idea?”

With trepidation, Lea replied, “Unfortunately, no. Clara still can’t accept this idea.”

Dave’s heart felt like being squeezed hard. What he was worried about had actually happened. Clara didn’t like it. Indeed, which woman would like such an idea?

Dave now knew what his next task would be: to convince Clara!