Chapter 5

The only sound in the car was my finger tapping on my tight. He had sent one of those electric cars to come to pick me up, it barely made any noise as we drove down the highway. I had tried to talk to the driver, but after a while I realised that he would never answer me back. Silence it was then.

I was strangely nervous. What if Robert did not find me attractive enough to… achieve the goal? This all made it feel more and more like sex work, though the thought of the probe and the needle made it far easier to stick with the plan. 

The further we drove, the quieter the roads became. After a while, it looked like it was only me and the driver left in the world. It was already dark out and the headlights only illuminated the road in front of us. 

I had worn one of my favourite dresses, which was green and yellow and reached just below my knees. It wasn’t a sexy choice by any means. For my sake, I needed to wear something I was comfortable in. I had my hair loose and flowing over my shoulders, I hoped to use it to cover my face if necessary. 

We turned left onto a dirt road. It was clear we were close to the house now. I wondered if it would just be me and him there, or if there were any maids left. I didn’t even know if he had any, I just figured that billionaires have maids. 

I shut my eyes for a few moments. I was going to do this. It was just having sex with an attractive guy, why was I being so nervous about this? I don’t get paid for the sex, so it technically isn’t sex work either. I should have taken a few shots before this. 

I opened my eyes and was greeted for the first time by Robert’s house. It wasn’t as big as I thought it would be, though it still screamed money. It looked rather new, with tall windows and exposed steel beams. The house was shielded on one side by a forest, while the other side looked out over a lake. 

My hands were shaking as I got out of the car. The driver was as silent as ever, and drove off the moment I shut the door behind me. Well, at least he’s certain that he brought me to the right address. 

I walked up the remainder of the driveway with my hands clutching my purse. I wasn’t scared for a stranger in the night coming to steal it from me, but rather that my hands were shaking so much that the astronauts in the ISS could see it. As my foot touched the bottom step, the front door opened. 

It was weird to see him without a suit. He wore a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt with a faded logo on it. For a brief moment, I could imagine that this was just an average guy, not a billionaire CEO who was here to impregnate me.

That word alone made me uncomfortable, though I suppose that was the only purpose for tonight. I would come here in my favourite dress to get pregnant by him, and leave right after. Suddenly I regretted my decision on clothing. 

“Welcome.” He greeted me and shook my hand. He held the door open for me as I walked in. The interior fit the exterior, though I wouldn’t be surprised if Robert had no hand in decorating this and hired someone to do both. It was all steel beams, rough wooden planks and leather. 

“Nice house.” I complimented him. In a way, it fits him, though I doubt he had an in-depth talk to whatever designer he hired. It was dark and moody, like he definitely was, but still homelike. Robert didn’t scream ‘home’ to me, but there was something about him that made you trust him easily. I’d like to think that I wouldn’t fall for that, but maybe it had a hand in me agreeing to all of this. 

“Thank you,” he answered, standing next to me as I looked around. “I won’t take any credit for it though, it was all my brother’s doing.”

“He has good taste.” I said. He led me to the living room, where on the coffee table there were two glasses and a bottle of whiskey waiting for us. It seemed like we had similar coping skills. 

“Maybe he should design a house for you.” Robert said. I thought he was joking, but he seemed dead serious about it. I sat down on the leather couch and straightened my dress out over my legs.

“I don’t think I can afford that really.” I joked. He poured the liquid in the two glasses and handed me one. 

“Either way, you should move.” He said, his face still as emotionless as ever. “The possibility of you getting hurt in your neighbourhood is higher than something going wrong with the pregnancy.” 

So he was serious. Was he really that rich that he couldn’t phantom the idea that some people can’t afford to live anywhere else than in rough neighbourhoods? Besides, my neighbourhood was one of a kind. My drug dealer neighbour came to my aid when I had fainted while Clara was with me. My other neighbour, who I was fairly certain worked as a prostitute, once helped me cover rent when I couldn’t. It was my first house, and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet. 

“I am not moving,” I said to him. “I-”

“Seven robberies, fourteen home invasions, five murders and nine rapes.” He cut me off. “And that is just the last six months, you’re not staying there.”

“None of those happened in my building.” I countered.

 "Furthermore," He said, clearly making a mental note to try and persuade me later. "No more public transportation. There is a contact in your phone named 'Enho', just text it your location and they'll come and pick you up within half an hour."

"Fine." I said. I'll give him the taxi service, as long as I can keep my house. In the back of my mind, I knew that he was probably doing it to keep tabs on where I was going, but it’s not like I was doing something against the rules in the contract. 

I brought the glass to my lips and took a sip. I didn’t like whiskey much, but even I could tell the difference between the whiskey I have had in the past and this one. Was there really a need to spend so much money on every single aspect of his life? He had money to waste, but couldn’t he use what he needed and donate the rest of it? 

“Before we, y’know,” I said to him. “I had something I wanted to ask you.”

“Ask away.” He said calmly. He had one of his arms on the back of the cough and put his feet up on the coffee table. I wondered how many got to see him like this. He was relaxed here, in a way this place must be his sanctuary. Was I special to be admitted to it?

"Why did you need this arrangement?" I said, straight to the point. He did not seem like a guy that would appreciate the soft approach, it was just a waste of time. "It can’t be that hard for a billionaire to find some girl willing to date him.”

"But dating doesn't mean marriage." He answered. "It takes more time, and has a greater chance of failure."

"So you just don't want to date." I stated.

"I don't want to waste my time." He said. I cocked one of my brows.

"You want to become a father but you don't want to waste your time?" I asked. "You do realize kids are the exact definition of time-consuming."

"That is different." He argued. "If you invest enough time into a child he has the potential of greatness."

"So you just want kids for your company?" I asked. It was reading between the lines, but clearly what he meant. He needs someone to take over when he dies.

"I have three brothers, Ms Adler." He answered. "They can take over if something were to happen to me."

We were quiet for a bit. I was cursing myself for asking the question. He must be pissed with me now, or think that I was stupid for not getting his point. Either way, I should have asked my questions after the sex. 

"I could marry a random girl." He said looking down at his phone and reading an email as he was talking to me. "But there are too many unknown variables."

"Unknown variables?" I repeated. He looked back at me. 

"Does she have any genetic diseases in her family history? Is she smart? Or is she more gifted on the art front?" He summed up. 

"You don't know anything like that about me." I stated. 

"The main genetic diseases you definitely don't have, Doctor Ward ran your blood sample." He said, downing the last of his drink. "You are smart. We saw your IQ test."

I finished my drink a few moments later. He continued to scroll through his phone while my nerves were slowly being calmed by the alcohol. His answer had calmed me also, I was the known variable. I was smart enough to figure him out.