The Baby Contract

"Good day Miss Carla Reeds, I'd urge you to return tomorrow or whenever you are free. The CEO is not around presently and I don't wanna keep delaying you."

Carla sighed, "Oh okay."

The receptionist felt bad for her, "I'm so sorry about that. You can leave your document and CV with me. One thing I can assure you is that, you'd get the job only if..." she paused.

Carla got curious and asked, "Only if what?"

The receptionist exhaled heavily and continued, "Only if you are single."

Carla's eyes widened. She wondered if her marital status was necessary.

The receptionist tried to put her at ease, "Well, I can see it in your document, that you are not married and that's great."

Carla nodded slowly and asked, "But does it matter?"

The receptionist stuttered, "Er...yeah. And I'll guarantee that my CEO will employ you if you are not married and if you have no child."

Carla scoffed, "I don't."

The receptionist clapped her hands happily, "Perfect! Well then, you'll get the Job. You've just passed the compulsory requirement."

Carla smiled but didn't say anything.

The lady continued, "I'd inform the CEO about you. One more thing, try to be here tomorrow unfailingly."

Carla said, "I will. Thank you so much."

She stood up and made her way through the door. As soon as she got out of the office, she jumped up happily. She suddenly stopped jumping and shuddered.

"It's not like I have gotten the job," She sighed heavily.

Carla was a graduate and she had been searching for a job for some months now. And It's been pretty difficult because she always gets turned down for some dumb reasons. Carla almost gave up but she just couldn't. She wanted to earn a means of living instead of living off friends and family, like Jennifer. She has just gotten a job easy-peasy, just because she said she was single with no child.

She planned to return to the company the next day and meet the CEO for the interview. Though the receptionist had assured her that she would, she couldn't help but still feel anxious.

The receptionist she met earlier should have just gone straight to the point instead of making her wait for the CEO who never came. She walked sluggishly and wearily to a nearby bar.

"A chilled bottle of whiskey for one!" Carla hollered as soon as she entered the bar. Drawing other people's attention to see who it was. She rolled her eyes, not minding the stares she received from people.

"Whatever." She hissed.

She walked towards the bartender, who politely served her a bottle of whiskey and a glass cup just like she had ordered. But instead of pouring into the glass cup first, she hungrily gulped directly from the bottle.

"Gosh! This is so good!" she gave a soft belch.

She was about to take another hungry gulp again when someone interrupted her.

"Gently, Come on! There's a glass right in front of you." The stranger said. He grabbed the bottle from her.

"What the heck? I know now give it back." She grabbed the bottle back from him.

"Then you should drink from the glass instead. It's etiquette."

Carla ignored him and drank from the bottle again. The stranger folded his hand and stood right in front of her.

"Please leave already." she rolled her eyes.

The stranger smirked, "You look so decent on the outside though. You just yelled into the bar, you are rude to someone you've just met. You are a lady, you shouldn't even drink Whiskey but then, you've lost your etiquette."

Carla had finally had enough of the man's audacity so she shouted, "Excuse you! Do you know me?"

He shook his head, "Nah, not at all."

Carla rolled her eyes, "Then why do you even care about what I do?"

He just shrugged, "Just the plain fact. You should be decent both on the outside and inside."

Carla rolled her eyes again, "You know nothing about me or what I have been through. So stop spewing nonsense and leave me alone." She drank from the bottle again and murmured, "Hmm so satisfying."

Carla took a last gulp from the bottle, dropped it, and paid the bartender. She began to walk out of the bar while the man stared at her till she was out of sight.

Liam sighed heavily and shook his head.

***

"Carla honey! Come help me with all these!" Jennifer, short for Jenny, shouted from the kitchen of her restaurant. Carla Reeds let out a yawn and moved in the direction of the kitchen.

She was 23 years old and had reddish-brown hair. She was 5'2 feet tall and a little bit chubby. She had a small, round face with dimples and moles on the left side of her upper lip which deepened whenever she smiled. She had brown eyes, the color of honey.

She was endowed and had curves in all the right places. No guy would pass by her without turning back to take a second look. She was really beautiful, that she knew. She took after her mother's stunning beauty.

Carla was fresh out of college and had started applying for jobs on the net. She majored in Arts and also loved to paint. Painting gave her joy, made her forget the current world she's in and painting made her long for something so much..... She couldn't place a finger on the exact thing it was.

She was the only child of Davis and Georgia Reeds. Davis, her father died in a car accident when she was 6. She had been the only comfort of her mother, Georgia. She never remained the same still, she lived on for their daughter's sake.

She sighed, putting the past at the back of her mind. She came to visit her best friend in her small restaurant popularly known in the area as "Jenny's Kitchen."

Jennifer Wills was her best friend back in college. She still was. They both went to Harvard University and after they graduated, Jenny immediately moved to Mexico City with her boyfriend to open up a restaurant and start a new life.

Carla wanted to pursue her career so she began to search for a suitable job in the city. She was not pleased with the ones available so she decided to follow in her friend's footsteps and relocate to Mexico too but it was not so easy for her.

She had to come up with thousands of reasons why she wanted to leave the state she was brought up when she tabled the matter before her Mom.

Georgia had cried her eyes out when Carla informed her about her decision to move to Mexico City and begin a new life, a new job, a new everything.

She tried to persuade and make her change her mind but knowing Carla was as stubborn as her Dad and once her mind was made up, it would take a whole world to change it. Georgia did not have a choice but to accept and respect her daughter's decision.

Ever since her husband's death, she had become very fragile and looked forlorn. Her daughter was the only reason she smiled. Sometimes, she would sit outside her porch and stare blankly into space. Carla would sit with her on such days, make small talk, and crack jokes until she came out of her shell.

Friends had suggested her getting a new lover, that it would keep her from thinking about Davis. She had refused of course.

She was not going to Mexico with her boyfriend though, because she had none. Of course, she had been in a relationship before. It just didn't turn out as well as she had hoped.

That douchebag of a boyfriend cheated on her and still had the guts to blame her, saying that it was all her fault and he wouldn't have done that if she had given in to him and given him sex. Remembering all that made her want to puke. It had all happened two years ago.

Carla went into the Kitchen and was greeted with the view of Jenny battling with the arrangements of the utensils. She lent a helping hand and they finished everything in no time.

"So what are your plans for today?" Jenny asked, turning to brush off a speckle of dust on one of the cabinets.

"I don't know honestly," Carla sighed audibly before she went on, "one of the jobs I applied for online asked me to come for an interview.

The job is not in my line of profession though but I'm ready for anything right now. I would have accepted the offer but the requirements listed in the advert sound ridiculous," she paused, Jenny looked very interested now.

"Imagine, they want a young lady of 19-25 years, she must be heavily endowed and not married."

Jenny's eyes widened and they became huge as saucers. "What the hell?!"

"I thought so too," Carla continued, "I think those requirements are very ridiculous. Geez, I'm damn tired of looking for jobs that I'll accept anyone that comes my way now. Except THAT, of course," She exhaled and reached for a cup of water.

"Okayy..... Now I get it," Jenny looked at Carla intently and continued, "But hey, I have an idea," Carla raised one fine, carved eyebrow and motioned for her to continue.

"Why don't we run this restaurant together? We both know you're a very good cook so I think you'll do great in this field." Jenny held her breath, almost as if knowing what Carla's reply would be.

"I can't, Jenny. I want to try something different. Do something different," Carla almost begged, searching Jenny's face to see if she understood her.

"Okay okay I get you," Jenny decided to let go of the matter," But never hesitate to come to me for help, okay?" Jenny smiled and reached out to squeeze her hands.

"Thanks, hon," Carla engulfed her in a big hug. Later, Carla decided to try her luck and thus, decided to go for the interview for THAT job. Don't push your luck, a voice in her head said. She put those thoughts at the back of her mind. She decided not to go to the interview she was supposed to go very early the next morning and tried this ridiculous one.

************

"Damn!" Liam Blake slammed down the receiver. He was beyond being ordinary annoyed right now. He was in a rage. How dare he! How dare he tell him what to do?!

His father, Donald Blake just phoned him now to warn his son that he would take away what he cherished most, the company he had worked all his 35 years on earth for. He had threatened to take it away from him if he didn't produce a grandchild in a year. He replayed the conversation in his head and felt another wave of anger surged through him.

Threats didn't sit well with him. Though he was not the type to be moved by such threats, he knew his old man well. He was just as stubborn as his Dad. He had blatantly told his father that such threats wouldn't work on him anymore, that he was not a ' pushover '. But knowing his old man was just as strong-headed as he was, he wouldn't go back on his words and would carry on with his threat if Liam didn't do what he asked of him.

His childhood friend, Alexander Hamilton came into his office that moment. With one look at Liam, he could already guess something was off. He looked like he was ready to kill someone. Alex held his tongue in check and decided it wouldn't be a good thing to tease him this time.

"Hey dude. What's up? U look like you're ready to kill someone right now, which I'm starting to get scared," Alex crossed his hands over his heart playfully.

"As a matter of fact, yeah. I'm ready to spill blood," Liam replied, all serious "And whose blood is that?" Alex asked, looking serious now.

"Donald's" He spit out.

"Your father?" Alex asked, looking astounded.

"Yeah."

"What happened?" Alex asked, looking perplexed.

Liam narrated everything his father said to him getting angrier by the minute and Alex just nodded and muttered an "ohhhh" when he was done.

"Ohhh? Is that all you've got to say?" Liam wanted to punch his big head.

"Hey man, calm down," Alex cajoled, already smiling.

"Really? I should calm down?" Liam asked, looking incredulous. "Maybe I will after treating you to some nice punches of mine," He rolled the sleeve of his shirt up and gave Alex a hot chase.

"Oh no," Alex said before running away for his dear life.

The two did like cat and rat while the employees looked on, wondering what was wrong with two of the richest men in Mexico. But knowing Alex so well, they knew he must have provoked their boss which made him run around like a kid.

"Hey hey, it's okay. Let's be serious now," Alex laughed and ducked when Liam pulled off one of his shoes and threw it at him.

"Not before I break your head," Liam muttered and the two went on like that for more minutes before finally plopping up on the couch in Liam's office. They were there now.

"You know what, baby? Why don't you consider your old man's offer and become a married man? Or you can pretend like you're up for it and get a fake girlfriend instead. So he'd know you're serious about it," Alex added, thinking hard.

Liam finally got his chance and didn't waste a minute of it. He smacked Alex's head very hard.

"Hey!" Alex shouted and Liam threw him a dirty glare which shut him up immediately.

"But I'm just trying to help," Alex whined and pouted.

"I'll think about it, asshole. Now get the f*ck out of my office."

"Hurray!" Alex rejoiced. "So I'll be a godfather soon," he added smugly.

Liam picked up his shoe again but this time, Alex didn't wait, he ran for his dear life.

After Alex left and he was alone again, he rubbed his hands through his soft, silky black hair. He had no choice but to go along with what his friend suggested if he wanted to save his company. He sighed, getting back to work.

Carla smoothed down her pencil skirt for the fifth time. She had decided to go for something professional and not too dressy. Even if she was going to be a receptionist, she was determined to give it her all. She looked at herself in the mirror again and smiled. She was satisfied with what she saw and she turned to go out.

She locked her door securely behind her and stood, waiting for a taxi. A guy passed by and whistled. Carla ignored him and smiled secretly to herself. She was used to having such effects on men, she knew. Her phone rang then and she checked the caller ID. It was Jenny. She picked on the first ring.

"Hey sweetie," Jenny said from the other end.

"Hi darling," Carla replied. "How are you? Have you gotten there yet? Should I call back?" Jenny asked all the questions at once.

"Hey..... Calm down," Carla laughed a little before she continued, "I'm good and No, I'm not there yet. I'm waiting for a taxi and No, you can't call me back. Let's talk now 'cause I'm fucking anxious right now," Carla said gratefully.

"If only you know how anxious I am right now." she added.

"You'll be fine honey and don't hesitate to call me if you need anything, okay?"

"Hmm," Carla answered.

"And one more thing, you have my blessing to kick the man in the balls if he turns out to be a pervert and tries anything funny."

"Sure, trust me," Carla winked, even though she knew Jenny couldn't see her. She waved down the taxi coming in her direction. She got in and occupied herself with games on her phone.

She tried to calm down her nerves but it sure wasn't working. Her hands started to shake slightly. She hoped the interview would go well and that she was wrong about those ridiculous requirements/ conditions or whatever. Her new working place-to-be was not too far and she arrived there in twenty minutes.

The building looked local and small. For a minute, she thought she had gone to the wrong place and checked her phone for confirmation. She turned out to be right and immediately felt sick. She had no choice but to go in and find out if it was any better there.

To her dismay, it was much worse inside. Everywhere looked untidy and files lay cluttered everywhere. The receptionist's desk was empty, of course, but that was not enough reason for it to look like a haunted place. The whole place looked like a haunted house.

Carla looked horrified, wondering what she had gotten herself into. A man was seated at a desk a few steps from the receptionist's desk. It looked like a cubicle, where he sat, and not a big, air-conditioned office.

"Hello," she greeted. The man, John Sanders looked up and pushed his glasses up.

He was chubby, No, fat to be precise, Carla noticed. The man motioned for her to come over. Carla didn't miss the way his hungry eyes roamed over her body, undressing her with his eyes and letting his eyes linger on her hips for like a minute or two.

Carla looked disgusted and knew he saw the expression on her face. His face cleared and he seemed to compose himself but not for long. The fat *as didn't even answer her greetings, Carla thought, feeling like punching his fat head.

"So you applied for the job of a receptionist, huh?" He asked, checking her out, his eyes stayed longer on her cleavage and he gulped., Carla threw him a glare, not wanting to be anywhere near him. She wanted to be out of this horrible place, she started to panic.

"Yes sir," she replied anyway. She brought out her qualifications and reached out to give him but he held up his hands to decline.

"No need for all that," he grinned, showing his brown, rotten teeth. "You're hired!" He exclaimed gleefully, rubbing his palms together, looking very pleased with himself.

Oh no, Carla thought in disappointment. What she was praying wouldn't happen had finally happened. This man wanted her not for work purposes but it was obvious that he had other things in mind, Carla confirmed her suspicion now.

She thanked the man and left, promising to resume work the next day. She turned and walked towards the door. She paused at the door and turned to look at the man one last time.

She was right, the man's eyes were glued to her butt and he quickly tore his gaze away from her, looking down at his table and going through useless files. Carla shook her head and went out. Never was she going to work here, not even in her dreams.

She went straight to Jenny's restaurant to tell her all that happened. Jenny didn't interrupt her and after Carla narrated everything, they both agreed it would be better if she didn't resume work there.

"I thought so too. Now I have no choice but to go for the interview of the one I first applied for."

"Which one?" Jenny was confused.

"Oh, I didn't tell you about that." Carla narrated everything to her, the job she first applied for, how she went but didn't get to meet the CEO. Jenny was dumbfounded that Carla kept all those that to herself. She scolded Carla and Carla apologized.

She then stood up and looked around,

"What have you been up to?"

Jenny told her and they both became engrossed in work. Carla helped her friend and went to take orders from customers with the other attendants.

Jenny's boyfriend, Hunter arrived shortly after with his friend, Troy. Hunter went over to where his girl was, hugged her from behind, and whispered something into her ears.

They both laughed and Jenny leaned into his arms. Carla looked away from them, her eyes tearing up. They looked so much in love. It made her wonder if she would ever be so much in love her friend was. A sigh escaped her lips and shook off the disturbing thought.

A discreet cough made her come out of her reverie and she looked up, startled.

"A penny for your thoughts," Troy said, a small smile playing on his lips. "I believe I haven't introduced myself properly yet. I'm Troy," he finished with a friendly smile. He was good-looking with salt and pepper hair, brown eyes, and a tall, lean body.

Carla found herself smiling in return and extended her hand for a shake. "Carla...... Carla Reeds," she smiled. Troy took her outstretched hand and took it in both of his and held it for a while longer.

"A beautiful name for a beautiful lady," Troy complimented with a mischievous smile and a wink, his eyes twinkling.

Carla looked at her toes, blushing, and mumbled a ' thank you ' Troy kept her company and chatted with her until Jenny and Hunter came to where they were.

Troy seemed interested in Carla. They talked over the phone that night and became fast friends.