The Baby Conversation

"So we had the baby conversation again last week," she told her friends at the pub. "He drives me crazy! Last time he was fine, but now he is back to having too much baggage, and being too old to have more children."

One of her friends rubbed her arm for support as she continued, "I was honest with him from the beginning that I wanted a baby! I am not getting any younger and the thought that I might have wasted two years with him..." she broke off.

"So what did you do?" her other friend gently probed.

"I just packed up and left, a week earlier than I had planned. I just wish if he didn't want to have a baby with me he would have said something sooner! I want a baby, but I don't want to be a single parent, or go to one of those, what do you call them? Sperm banks? Can you imagine? Me, with a turkey baster, and a jar full of some random loser who jerked into a cup?"

"Umm," he softly interjected, "It isn't exactly like that."

"Like what?" she asked.

"Well, that random loser, for example" he murmured shyly. "The selection process is actually quite rigorous. Lots of medical tests are required, IQ is measured, and even family history and religious background are considered in some cases."

"Plus you have to have strong swimmers," the first man joked, missing the mood with his air quotations.

"It is true, sperm quantity and mobility are major factors," he trailed off looking sheepish. He glanced up and caught the curious expression on her face.

"How is it that you know so much about sperm donation?" she asked him. He looked at his two friends, and knew that he had already said too much. He would have to tell the whole story. He sighed deeply and launched into his story.

"There was an ad in the University paper what I was in school, 'We're Looking for a Few Good Sperm'. At first my buddies and I thought it was hilarious. We dared each other to call the number. In the beginning I just thought it would be one of those crazy stories we would laugh about years later, so I called."

He paused for a sip of courage from his pint glass. "When I got there they agreed to 'test my swimmers'" he paused to offer a wry look to his smirking pal. "The results came back, and the staff used the word amazing. I had something like three times the minimum count for donation. They asked me to submit to the rest of the testing. As I went through the tests I started to realize that this was very serious. I began to think about how couples who could not have children must feel. I also realized that not many people actually pass all of the testing. There were no losers."

He looked at his friends to gauge their reactions and concluded, "It started off as a joke, but I am really proud of what I did. It seems especially ironic that my late wife could not have children."

"So you are saying that there is an army of your offspring out there?" the first man asked.

"In a manner of speaking, I guess there is," he replied.

"Interesting," was all she said as she sipped her drink.

Gradually the conversation drifted back to the office and its politics. He was grateful that his friends had not teased him.

...

He had put the conversation completely out of his mind by the time she called him at the office and asked him to join her for lunch. She seemed a bit on edge, but he knew that she was still having problems with her boyfriend.

He arrived at the restaurant and was surprised to see that she had a martini sitting in front of her, and saw that the waiter was taking an empty glass away as well.

"Wow you are starting early," he smiled at her as he eased his tall frame into the small booth. "Are things okay with you and the BF?"

"I broke up with him," his gentle smile vanished.

"Oh sweetie!" he started.

"No, it's okay" she smiled at him reassuringly.

"What happened?"

"I just kept thinking about how he flip-flopped on the baby issue. He kept saying he didn't want to lose me, but I just got so angry with him for leading me on all this time."

"Oh my goodness! Are you okay? What are you going to do now?"

"I am okay. I just sat down and thought about what I really want from my life, and I realized he wouldn't fit in the long term."

"So now you have to start all over? Back to the dating scene?" The waiter hovered near the table, a smile on his face. His customer was a very beautiful woman, who had just admitted to a break up after all.

"Well, I really don't think I am ready for that," she said pointedly eyeing the waiter. He took the hint, collected their orders and scurried off the kitchen.

"I can definitely understand that! Now that my wife is gone I can't imagine trying to date again. I was so awkward and bad at dating the first time around!" he laughed.

"One day you will make a girl very happy," she told him.

"I suppose," he said, "so if not dating what are you going to do?"

"Well, I still really want to have a baby," she looked out the window as she spoke.

"It still takes two to tango, as they say," he pointed out.

"I was thinking about what you said about sperm donors,"

"Well, that's not a bad idea. They really are pretty particular about who donates."

She took a long pull from her martini and looked at him. "That is what I wanted to talk to you about,"

He was surprised. "Oh? I was always a donor, not a don-ee, as it were. I really don't know much about the other side of the process."

She shook her head and blurted "I want you to donate the sperm!" She blushed furiously and shot down the rest of her martini.

He sat back, mouth open, stunned.

"Just listen," she started in a hurried voice. "I've known you for a long time, and I like who you are. You are a good man, you work hard, you are smart, and good looking, and I like who you are. Did I say that twice? Look, just think about it okay? It is such a crap shoot out there. I never know who or what I will meet, and I don't have any more time to waste. I trust you, and you did talk about the feelings of people who wanted children, and you don't have to answer right away, and Oh please say something!"

His jaw clacked shut and he blinked for a moment.

"Two martini's please! Strong ones," he called to the bartender.

...

They met the following week; she had offered him time to think it over. She came into the quiet club he had chosen, the lights were dim and soft jazz music gave it an intimate feel. No one from work would notice them, even if they did happen to come to this part of town. She took off her jacket and sat across from him. His eyes were grim. She braced herself for a 'No'.

"Thank y-"she started.

"Let's just say hypothetically that I was going to help you with this," he interrupted. "What would that look like? I mean, I might have dozens of children from before, but I will never know anything about them. That was part of the system. Are both of us going to be okay with this? I can't be your husband, I am sure you know that. I am not sure I could be a parent either. Not to mention legal ramifications."

She was so pleased that he had not turned her down cold. She took his hand. He could see unshed tears in her eyes as she spoke.

"I know you can't be those things to us. You are a great guy, and maybe another lifetime, or other circumstances I would have wanted those things from you. I can't ask for that, and you cannot give that. I understand. I just want my baby to have the best start. I wouldn't ask anyone else to do this you know."

He looked at her, his muscular jaw twitched; his eyes seemed to see deep inside her, to her basic maternal instinct. Slowly he nodded twice, "Talk to your doctor, have her give me a call."

She leapt up from her seat clapping her hands and squealing. He gave her an exasperated smile as he watched her. He realized that he already hoped she would have a daughter who would be as pretty as her mother was.

...

They avoided meeting for the next few weeks. The last thing they wanted was to start an office rumor. She did seem to be especially cheerful, however. She could be seen comparing color swatches with other ladies at work, and he noticed a catalogue for baby 'accessories' partially covered with papers on her desk. He resolved to ask her to be careful, someone would suspect something was up, and he had yet to even speak to her doctor.

He went to his desk and found an email from her, "Hey! I am painting the spare room this week. You promised you would teach me how. Come by on Thursday, beers are on me!"

...

He showed up after work with his brush and roller, wearing his old painting clothes from his college days. The pants were a little tight, but not bad considering he had graduated more than ten years ago! She met him at the door with an ice cold bottle of beer, wearing shorts and an old sweatshirt. He was relieved that she really did seem prepared to paint.

"I see you know the first rule of renovation: beer," he teased her as she led him down the hall. They had fun joking and chatting while they worked. They moved the furniture out into hall, she complained that her beer was empty, and mocked him for falling behind. He smirked at her and drank the rest down. She patted him on the head and skipped to the kitchen, returning with two more.

They fell into an easy back and forth while he explained the preparation process, which paint to choose and why, and how to finish everything professionally. She brought more drinks as he taught her to carefully cut the top and bottom of the walls with the brush so he could roll the paint on after her. He guiltily found himself admiring her legs as she leaned on a small ladder to reach a far corner.

They were nearly done painting the walls a pleasant pastel yellow when she commented, "The baby is going to love this room."

"I was wondering when that would come up again," he murmured as she pressed another beer into his hand. "What does your doctor say?"

"I am going to put the bassinet over there and," she started excitedly.

"What does your doctor say?" he insisted.

She looked at him, her cheerfulness fading.

"She says the procedure would be very expensive," she mumbled.

"I am not surprised. Didn't you expect that, sweetie?" he gently asked her.

"Well, it's just that I have been looking at all the things a baby needs, and it's all so expensive! And you know that my department doesn't pay very well. And the doctor says I am running out of time," tears were once again forming in her eyes as she spoke faster and faster.

"It's just that I really wanted a baby, and my first husband was such a jerk, and I keep meeting the wrong guys, and now I wasted two years and I am afraid that if we don't do this I will be alone for the rest of my life-"

"Slow down," he admonished when she stopped for a breath, "If we don't do this?"

"Look I promise to make it as painless as possible; it won't have to be awkward. We can just pretend it never happened after. It might actually be kind of fun..." she trailed off in a nervous giggle.

"What exactly are you suggesting?" he asked firmly, eyebrows arched.

She faced him and looked up into his eyes and said "Make a baby with me? Please?"

...

The third week of the month, according to her doctor, was the best time. On the Monday after work he got out of the shower and looked at his misty reflection in the fogged up mirror. He was not getting any younger either, he realized. Freshly shaved he looked younger than his years. He looked into his own eyes and wondered if he really had any idea what he was doing. He dismissed the thought as he pared his finger nails. Inside he boiled with nervousness. His wife's illness had been lengthy, and it had been so long since he had been with a woman. He felt like a born again virgin.

He silently scolded himself. This was not to be a romantic encounter he reminded himself as he applied a lightly scented aftershave. It was just to be a simple transaction of genetics, as had been done by the meanest creatures of the sea since the beginning of time. She did not love him, and he did not love her, and he must not forget that.

How did he ever get talked into this?

...

He rang the buzzer at her condo at eight o'clock sharp, after driving around her neighborhood for twenty minutes so he would not be too early. Without a word she buzzed him into the building and he took the elevator to her floor. He found her door unlocked, and knocked gently as he let himself in. The condo was unusually dark.

"Just make yourself comfortable in the living room," he heard her call from the bedroom, "and open the wine okay?"

He took off his boots and made his way to the dimly lit living room. He found a nice bottle of white wine and two glasses. He poured the wine and sat down on the sofa. He sipped the wine while looking around the room, until his eyes settled on the coffee table. There was an array of pornographic magazines and videos laid out. His eyebrows shot up! He never would have guessed she would have material like this. She came in to the living room wearing a short pale green silky robe. She had caught his expression as he noticed the porn.

"I, um-" she stammered, her arms awkwardly held in front of her body, "I wasn't sure if you would want something to, you know, get in the mood?"

He shook his head wryly and she started again "Oh my God! I feel so stupid..."

He got up and gathered her into his arms.

"Shhh," he whispered and kissed the top of her head. She smelled so wonderful!

"I don't need anything like that, Silly. You are a beautiful woman. Anyone would be lucky to have you."

"Do you really think I am pretty?" she sniffled into his chest.

"Of course I do, I always have. Look, no one expects this not to be awkward, after being friends and working together all these years. Let's just take it slowly."

"Okay," she whispered.

He guided her to the sofa and she sat down, revealing more smooth leg as her robe slid up. She demurely kept her knees together as he tossed a blanket over the pornography on the table. He brought her a glass of wine and sat down opposite to her on the sofa.

She sipped the wine and visibly seemed to relax. He looked at her with a gentle smile.

"That is a beautiful robe," he commented. She really was a lovely woman. She had a very naturally pretty face, and hours spent at the gym had helped her keep much of the figure she had earned in gymnastics years before. Her legs were long and muscular, very smooth looking. He caught himself starring and quickly shifted his eyes back to her face. Her smirking expression quickly told him that he had been busted!

"You like the robe hmmm?" she teased him, heat coming into her eyes, "I have the matching bra and panties too."

It was his turn to be embarrassed. He felt redness go to his cheeks, and he looked away. She quickly moved close to him and kissed his cheek.

"No one expects this not to be awkward," she whispered seductively in his ear. He felt himself reacting to the tone of her voice and the closeness of her body. She nibbled his ear and ran her hand down his chest. He gasped out loud with the tips of her fingers touched his penis through his pants. So much for taking it slow, he thought!

"Mmm," she murmured smiling as she touched him. Tossing caution to the wind she straddled his legs and looked down at him. She put on her most innocent smile and asked "Would you like to see the matching bra?"

"Yes please," he whispered. Slowly she undid the silken tie of the robe. With the grace of a dancer she slowly pulled the top open, revealing a pale green demi bra and her beautiful breasts. She smiled at the expression on his face.

"You like?" she asked.

"Very much!" he gasped.

"They're not too small?" she ran her hands over her breasts, causing the nipples to harden under the smooth material.

"They're perfect!" he insisted.

"I thought men only wanted D cups-Eeee!" she started to squeal as he grabbed her hips and pulled her torso to his face. He feverishly kissed her chest, and her breasts and nipples through the bra. Laughing, she struggled to escape the frenzy! He paused to nip at her flesh gently with his teeth. She giggled and squirmed in his lap, which only served to grind her panty covered sex against his pants. He couldn't help but moan at the sensation.

She took that moment to lean away from him and to study his smiling face. He was so handsome she thought, and she could see the passion in his eyes. She knew he was not lying to her, he did think she was beautiful.

"Give me your bra?" he asked her when he regained his breath. She bit her lip and nodded. She reached behind her and undid the clasp. The bra fell loose off her shoulders and he quickly moved to catch her wrists in one of his large hands. With her arms trapped behind her back her breasts were thrust forward. He quickly studied the prize in front of him. Her nipples were small and hard, the areolas made a beautiful contrast against her skin. The breasts themselves were upturned and could have belonged on a girl in her early twenties.

Lucky baby, he thought as he leaned in and took her nipple into his mouth. He pressed his lips around her nipple and allowed his tongue to snake back and forth across the tip. She gasped at the feeling his mouth was inducing in her. He knew she wouldn't fight him this time and let her wrists go free while he concentrated on devouring the beautiful bud. Her hands came up to his head and she pressed his face against her breast, cooing gently.

His hands found their way to her ass. He grasped each cheek in a powerful hand and began to squeeze rhythmically. He produced a powerful suction with his mouth and slowly pulled away from her chest, stretching her nipple taut. It pulled out of his mouth with a sucking sound and he quickly moved to the other side.

Her hips had taken up the rhythm of his kneading fingers, and she ground her pussy against the hard ridge she could feel in his pants. He could feel her heat against him, and it was driving him crazy!

He finally let her nipple go long enough to tell her: "Hold on to me."

"Huh?" she gasped. He gripped her ass tightly and stood up from the sofa, easily lifting her in the air. She squealed and crossed her ankles behind his powerful body as he began to walk.

"Which way to the bedroom?" he asked before recapturing her nipple with his lips.

She thrilled at his strength as he effortlessly carried her down the hall to the bedroom. He easily balanced her weight in one arm while he lowered her to the bed. She quickly turned on the dim bedside lamp and turned back to look at him towering over her. He undid the buttons on his shirt and shrugged it to the floor. His undershirt was crisp white and pulled tight across his chest.

His body was lean from long hours at the gym and running in the country. She leaned back to appraise his body, her knees drifted gently apart. He undid his belt, then his button and lowered his zipper. She dragged her eyes up from his midsection to his face, only to see his eyes focused directly between her legs. His intent stare sent an electric current of pleasure directly to her pussy, and she felt a warm flush spread over her body.

He lowered his pants, leaving only his boxer briefs, which concealed what appeared to be a thick iron bar, and a small spot where his excitement had soaked through the gray material. Her eyes glowed with pleasure: this might be even more fun than she anticipated!

He quickly pulled his undershirt over his head and glided down onto the bed like a predator. She squealed again as his face appeared between his hands that were suddenly on her knees. His eyes were fierce as he stared at her intently. He spoke almost as if to himself "This isn't going to be just about making a baby..."

She had only a moment to wonder what he meant before her legs were tugged apart and his face was pressed against her lacy green panties! He fiercely kissed and tongued her pussy through the thin material and she cried out, at first in surprise, but quickly she began to voice her pleasure.