Pregnant For The Ashford Brothers

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Tess’s POV

It happened so quickly. The receptionist called a nurse and I was taken to a room. The nurse said little to me and led me through a series of tests. When I asked what the test was for. She said if I passed, I would find out.

I waited in silence for an hour before the nurse directed me to the doctor's office.

“He would explain everything” she said as she ushered me in.

The doctor was an elderly man in his fifties. He reminded me of my father.

“Have a seat, Miss”

I sat down

“All the tests came out good. You should have no issues or complications with this process” he said as he looked through his computer.

“What process? I still don't know what's happening”

“Surrogacy” he said quickly “We have a client who needs a surrogate but unfortunately no one has been a good match”

“Surrogacy?”

“You will carry his child for 9 months and be heavily compensated” he gave me a quick look and smiled

“I heard you need a lot of money. How much?”

My throat dried up. When I said I'd do anything. I didn't think I'd be in this position now.

But here I was. I was being given a blank cheque.

Two days to get five thousand dollars…

If I let this opportunity go, the possibility of getting another in time was close to none.

“Five thousand dollars” I said out

“Do you consent to doing this? I want you to understand that you can say no”

He was giving me a way out but I couldn't take it.

“I consent”

As the words left my mouth, the door pushed open.

My breath hitched as a man stepped into the doctor’s office.

He was tall and immaculately dressed. Something about him screamed power and wealth. It was hard to look away. I had never seen a man so beautiful yet so masculine.

He had calm amber eyes that looked like they could see right through me as they swept over me with an assessing gaze that made my pulse stumble.

Handsome wasn’t a strong enough word.

“Welcome Mr. Ashford”

Ashford?

The name clicked instantly. Max Ashford. The businessman everyone talked about. He wasn't just powerful, he was rich beyond my wildest imaginations.

He nodded to the doctor and then turned to me. I expected a serious look, a death glare or anything intimidating but all he did was cast me a polite smile.

“I need a surrogate,” he said gently, “And I’m willing to pay very well”

My breath caught.

He brought out a document and placed it on the table.

“You will live with me for the period of the pregnancy. Everything you need will be taken care of. Once the baby is born, you will be free to leave”

I looked at the document in front of me. It made it all the more real.

“You need five thousand dollars” he interrupted my thoughts

“I can give you sixty”

My jaw dropped.

With that money, I could start my career.

“Where do I sign?”

********

Graduation night was supposed to feel like a finish line.

Like victory at last.

But it didn't.

I stood in my small bedroom with my certificate clutched in my hands, my name was printed neatly across the page, proof that I did it. Proof that every sleepless night, every shift that left my feet aching and my eyes burning, was worth something.

I even graduated top of my class.

People kept congratulating me, smiling like this was the happiest day of my life.

But all I could think about was the contract folded carefully inside my bag.

Max Ashford’s signature still felt heavier than the certificate in my hands.

I owed him a baby.

The thought made my stomach twist. I had signed the papers and collected part of the money. I couldn't back out now.

“Tess!” Ella’s voice cut through my spiral.

“Let’s go to the club!”

I blinked and looked up at her. She was already halfway into celebration mode, her graduation gown abandoned on the couch, excitement written all over her face.

“What?” I asked, genuinely lost.

“You heard me.” She grinned. “We’re not spending graduation night moping around this apartment. We’re going out”

I opened my mouth to protest, but she was already talking.

“We just graduated. You’re leaving tomorrow. And you want to sit here and stare at the wall?”

“I’m tired” I said weakly. “Today has been… a lot” seeing everyone with their parents celebrating and I had no one. Of course I wasn't in a celebratory mood.

“Tired?” She scoffed.

“Tess, please. You’re basically abandoning me for a mansion and you won’t even give me one night?”

That earned her a look.

But she wasn’t wrong.

Tomorrow, I was moving into the Ashford house. Tomorrow, everything would change. Tonight might have been the last time my life felt even remotely like my own.

I sighed.

“Okay. Fine. One night”

Ella squealed and threw her arms around me before I could change my mind.

“That’s my girl”

She pulled back, studying my face. Her smile faltered just a little.

“Are you okay?” she asked softly

I forced a smile.

“I will be”

It took us some time to get ready but once we were done. We looked incredible. Ella made sure I put on a black short dress she owned. It was a gown I'd normally never wear but something about losing my freedom the next day made me wear it.

“You look incredible” I told Ella as we stepped out of the apartment.

She grinned. “Right back at you”

As we locked the door and stepped into the night, she chatted excitedly about the club she’d found something about champagne and music and “rich vibes.”

“Ella” I said slowly, “how exactly can we afford this?”

She waved me off. “Relax. This isn’t coming from your Ashford money”

I stiffened.

I wasn't sure telling her about that was a good idea.

“We don't have to pay a dime. I was invited by someone”

The hotel loomed in front of us when we arrived, it was just like she had said. It screamed luxury.

“This is a hotel” I said as I pulled her back from stepping in

“Are you sure?”

“Yep. There's a VIP club inside”

“How did you even get access to this?”

She hesitated for half a second. “A guy I met at work. He gave me tickets”

I arched a brow.

“So he’s here”

She winked.

“Maybe”

Inside the VIP club, loud music played but unlike the usual clubs Ella had dragged me to, no one was out of line. Everyone seemed to be having fun in the most elite way I'd ever seen.

Was this the kind of club Max Ashford attended?

A tall man approached us, he had a handsome smile and his gaze was directed at Ella

“Hey” he said as he stepped closer.

“Hi” she replied, suddenly shy.

“I’m glad you made it. And your friend…” his eyes flicked briefly to me, “she’s beautiful.”

Ella beamed.

“She is” then she gave me a look and I instantly understood what it meant. She needed to be alone with him.

“I’m going to get a drink” I said quickly and walked away.

My phone buzzed in my hand. A text came in from Ella.

*I'm sorry, I just need some time with him*

*it's okay* I replied instantly

*Have fun* she texted back

*Tomorrow, your life won’t be the same. Tonight belongs to you*

I didn't know how to have fun. All my life I had worked hard, especially these last two years without my parents. I did my best so my grades wouldn't slip and then I worked extra hard to pay my rent and live. Now when my freedom was supposed to come, I had signed the next 9 months of my life away.

*Whatever you buy, put it on Simon's bill. He said so himself* another text from Ella. I guess Simon was the guy from earlier.

I caught sight of the bar and took a seat on the high stool. I'd never done this before.

“What would you like?” The bartender asked me.

“Anything strong enough to make me have some fun”

“I know the perfect drink” it didn't take long for him to pass me a drink. I took a sip of it and my eyes widened instantly. It was bitter but not the kind that makes you want to throw up. It was the addictive kind. I took in the whole swig and asked for another.

The warmth spread fast, loosening the knot in my chest. One drink turned into another, then another. The music felt louder and the lights blurred.

The bartender made some jokes and I laughed more than I had in weeks.

Then I realised I was in a club, not just a bar. Why was I just sitting?

I jumped off the stool and made my way to the dance floor.

That was when I saw him.

He had Green eyes. They looked calm but intense. The way he walked up to me, it was like he had been watching me.

“Care to dance?” he asked.

His voice sent a shiver down my spine.

“Yes” I said, surprising myself.

Was this how to have fun?

He took my hand and I felt a jolt in my veins. It was either the alcohol in my system or this man. Something about him enticed me. He smelt of vanilla and a hit of wood.

The way he looked at me, the way his hands held my waist. The way our bodies pressed together as we danced, it all made me lose my senses.

We moved together easily, our bodies synced to the music. I forgot everything else about the contracts, consequences, and tomorrow.

After a while, my head started to ache and he led me to the bar.

We sat down and he ordered some drinks. I knew I shouldn't but I couldn't help it.

I took another round of drinks.

“Can we go somewhere quiet?” I asked after taking the third shot

“I think I drank too much”

“Of course” he said. His eyes moved across my face and landed on my lips. I could tell he was feeling what I was feeling.

“I have a room upstairs” he hesitated to stand up as if he was asking my permission.

My senses spiked but even though my head said no. Something else yelled yes. Something in me that longed to have a real connection before I had to carry a baby.

So I nodded and stood up, taking his hand in mine like I knew where we were going.

This was a bad idea.

This was reckless.

But for once, I didn’t want to think.

The moment we stepped into the room, something shifted.

Soft lights glowed against glass walls. Everything about the space screamed luxury, but my attention wasn’t on the room.

It was on him.

He was a handsome man. His posture was firm like someone who commanded attention for a living.

“This place is beautiful” I murmured, my voice quieter than I meant it to be.

The door closed behind us with a soft click.

“Not as beautiful as you”

His voice was low and dangerous.

He stepped closer, close enough that I could feel his heat, smell the clean, intoxicating scent of him. His green eyes searched my face, it was slow and deliberate, as if he were looking for doubt. For hesitation.

There was none.

I closed the distance myself.

“Tomorrow” I said softly, my lips inches from his

“I won’t belong to myself anymore”

Something dark and hungry flickered in his gaze.

Before he could ask what I meant, before logic could interfere. I rose onto my toes and pressed my mouth to his.

The spark was instant.

The kiss wasn’t gentle. It was rough and consuming, like we’d both been holding back and finally snapped. His hands came to my waist, gripping me as if he was afraid I might disappear.

I felt it…

the tension, the want, the unmistakable proof that he wanted this just as badly as I did.

His control slipped.

In one smooth motion, he lifted me, my legs instinctively wrapped around him as my back met the wall with a soft thud. His mouth moved to my neck, my jaw, leaving heat in its wake, his breath uneven against my skin.

“Oh my” I let out a soft gasp as my fingers clutched his shoulders for stability. I had never experienced this before and I didn't want it to stop.

“Don't stop” The sound of my voice did something to him.

His forehead pressed against mine, his breathing heavy, eyes dark with restraint that was clearly not in the picture. Slowly, deliberately, his hands slid down my thighs, grounding me, reminding me how real this was.

This wasn’t drunken curiosity.

This was want.

We paused not because we needed to, but because we were both taking each other in. The way his gaze traced my body. The way my pulse thundered when my eyes followed the strong line of his jaw, the tension in his shoulders.

No words were needed.

We both knew.

When his fingers found the zipper of my dress, he didn’t rush. He gave me time to stop him.

I didn’t.

And when the fabric finally slipped away, his breath hitched and my skin flushed under his stare, the last of my doubts burned away as he threw his shirt to the ground.

Tonight, I chose this.

And he chose me.