SURROGATE : Conception (+18) BOOK 1 (COMPLETE)

| 1 | Never To Consider ||

Penelope jumped near three feet out of her chair when Lydia's voice found her ears.

"Damn Pen, what the hell you doin' got you jumpin' like one of them damn beans?"

She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Just lookin' for some side hustles."

"Oh." The woman leaned on the desk next to her. "Needin' that green huh? I heard you. If I had the magic recipe I would give it to you." She laughed a little bit. "One of my cousins cleans rich folks' houses on the weekends and pet sits."

Penelope let the thoughts roll around her head. "Pay good?"

"Not bad at all actually for the time you put in, but the cleaners can ruin your hands."

"Gloves?"

She shrugged. "A logical solution."

"I was kind of needing something maybe a little bit more lucrative quicker." That was an understatement. She was desperate for something, anything that was legal and lucrative.

The woman took a big exhale then laughed a little bit under her breath before pushing up to stand.

"What?" Penelope wanted to know.

She shook her head. "It's kind of crazy, but I have a cousin who needed a way to take care of her children. Father got caught up in the streets and didn't make it home and left her with three babies. Could afford to put them in daycare so she found surrogacy. Stayed home with the little ones and earned a whole ass income. She already had children so it wasn't nothin' she couldn't handle you know."

Penelope smirked. She had no children, but she was desperate.

"Well, I'mma get up out of here. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks." When the other woman left she searched for surrogate clinics in her area. Hmm, she thought, looking at the information. She was right. It was a salary way better than what she was making now plus she could pick up another job. She could afford to take her time. She started filling out the application before checking her watch quickly. Damn it was late. She couldn't start looking up spare jobs until her boss left for the day.

She read the application over again making sure the information was accurate then she hit the submit button. She frowned when her phone buzzed. She pulled it out of her pocket and opened the email from the surrogate website. She frowned, her heart falling to her chest. Her application was declined.

Well, guess that wasn't her blessing.

She shut down the computer and gathered her things feeling a little hopeless. Where the hell was she going to get this money? A feeling of deep sorrow washed over her and she couldn't stop the tears from blurring her vision. She had to find a way. Her brother needed her to come through. She wiped the tears away aggressively, but more kept replacing them. What would their mother do? That woman was a hustler at heart? Penelope was, well, she was not. A dreamer, like their mother, described their father. A hard worker? Yes, Penelope was that too, but hustling, scraping? It was a skill that wasn't passed down to her.

She gasped when her body was forcibly slammed against the adjacent brick wall. "I don't have much money." SHe said behind her arms she was using it to shield her face in case whoever it was had plans to hit her with something. She knew better. She worked in a sketchy part of town, she should have been focused. Should have left when there was more light. Should have...

She swallowed down the barf reflex when she smelled the man's foul breath. "You don't have the amount I'm looking for." She peaked out at John "The Bat" Johnson. He loosened his grip on her enough for her to pull down her arms.

"J-john."

"P."

She looked around noticing his black Maybach with a large man in black leaning against the back driver side door.

"Swear you look prettier and prettier the more I see you."

"It's the failing light."

He laughed a little bit, taking a step back enough for her to feel less threatened.

"There's nothing for you to be afraid of Pretty P. You're my insurance that your brother will deliver me MY MONEY!"

She started when he slammed his hands on either side of her, his face too close to her own. She turned her face to the side hoping he wouldn't speak while they were so close.

"Five years. That's how long I served right at the same hole your brother's at. Five years to develop some really lucrative relationships. All I have to do is give the word. You know--" He stroked a hand down her cheek making her squirm uncomfortably. "There are a lot of places a shiv can pierce through and not kill you."

She gasped when he grabbed her hand and smashed it on his bare chest under his shirt and dragged it over rough patches of skin.

She understood without further explanation. Her mind started racing. She really didn't have any assets, but there might be some things she could sell to get some quick cash. She could take out a business loan for her clothes design business that she'd been working on getting off the ground. Another thing she was going to do was march her ass up to that surrogacy clinic and demand they tell her why her application was rejected. She's a perfectly healthy adult.

"I-I can get you something t-tomorrow." He pulled away and she was grateful for the space. "I-it won't be much, but something to hold you over until I get the rest."

The corner of his mouth lifted revealing gold and diamond encrusted teeth. "You're the thinkin' type P. Always have been." He grabbed her bags. "Come on. I'll walk you to your car. You shouldn't worry because I'm going to be keeping a close eye on you to make sure nothing happens to you while you're getting what's due me. Okay?"

She nodded as he put her bags in the back of her car before opening the driver's door. She got in and he closed it. She forced her shaking hand to put the key in the ignition, started it and back out. It was all muscle memory from that point until she pulled in front of her apartment building. When she cut the engine it was like shocking her back to life.

She took a deep breath and heavy sobs racked through her body. She screamed and smashed her palms on the driving wheel over and over until she was exhausted from it.

"Mama." She sobbed looking up at the ripped upholstery on the roof of her vehicle. Before her head fell to her chest. "What am I gonna do?"

|:|A/N|:|

Oh my goodness! I'm sorry Pen... but this jolt has you thinking and considering all options. Let's see what comes your way next.

Thanks for reading!

VOTE/COMMENT/FOLLOW ... See you in the next one. AGAIN: I'm writing this "on the fly" which means I can only upload when I have something ready. 

-ALWAYS MY BEST,

ALEX