The tavern doors swung open, briefly disturbing the dim solace of Flannery's Pub. I squinted at the approaching silhouette. Allison soon took a seat beside me.
"You're late. I had to drink both our beers," I joked.
Allison laughed. "Sorry, I got tied up with an interesting couple today... Anyway, what are you having?"
I gestured to the bartender to bring us both another round of my last selection. Allison and I chatted for a bit, catching up on what we'd both done in the past week or two since we last saw each other. We had been friends since high school. She was a fertility coach, helping couples through the baby-making process who needed advice or assistance navigating obstacles they faced in the process. I was a service technician for a large food equipment company. Needless to say, she had better stories about work than I did.
"So what was interesting about this couple?" I asked, eventually returning to her initial comment. Admittedly, I looked forward to any commentary on her experiences, which occasionally erred on the explicit side.
"Oh, well, you know how it goes; couple wants a baby, one of them faces infertility issues- this time the guy. They've been mulling over the options. There's just one little wrinkle with this one..."
"What's that?"
"Um..." Allison started, clearly unsure how to explain the situation. "So this woman wants to do everything naturally, which is great, but she's a little unusual in that she's hell bent on extending that to conception as well."
"Meaning, what?" I asked.
"Meaning... she wants to find a surrogate. Not as a sperm donor the traditional way, mind you. She wants to cultivate a relationship with a guy... uh... to impregnate her the natural way." Allison looked at me, half-amused, waiting to gauge my reaction.
I almost spit out my beer with a laugh. "What?!" I asked. "Does that happen?"
"It's not like I haven't heard of it, but it's the first time I've ever encountered it myself," she chuckled.
"But wait... what about her husband. He's okay with this?"
"He seems like he's sorta understanding? But who really knows..."
"Huh... I don't even know how to respond to that." Allison giggled. "So who's the lucky guy who gets all the free sex?"
"Oh! Well first of all, it's not just free sex. They're paying him thousands of dollars for this."
"Wait, what? I know a million guys that would have done it for free."
"I know! But that's how it goes. There's apparently an expected rate for this, per lovemaking session. It's a little bit on the down-low, but with a contract and all." I stared blankly at her. "Anyway... there hasn't been an offer yet. I have to find the guy first, so they can screen him."
"Hmm..." I said, thoughtfully.
Allison snorted. "You're not considering it, are you? Please don't tell me you are."
"... Maybe. I could use the money..."
Allison burst out laughing. "Oh man, why did I have to tell you this..."
I chuckled. "Why do you care? So what if I did it?"
"Because it's so weird! I'd never have pegged you as someone to do that. You'd have sex with a woman you just met and get her pregnant for money?"
"I mean... yeah?" We both continued to laugh. Secretly I found the idea highly arousing, but I could tell how embarrassed Allison was getting by how red her face had turned.
"I think this is just the beer talking," she finally concluded.
"Maybe so, but why don't you tell them about me, and we can all sort it out properly together when sober."
I half expected Allison to ignore my request, but as it turned out she did contact them, told the couple all about me, and ended up piquing their interest. A few days later, Allison called me to sheepishly facilitate a meeting in which we'd discuss the matter face-to-face. She didn't seem thrilled to get me involved. In the meantime, I would have to take a series of tests to prove I was healthy and fit for the task.
What was done, was done, but I didn't quite know what I was in for.
***
The following weekend I was to drive to the next town over to meet the couple and Allison, and make sense of all this. I had no idea how this would all work. I simply went there, dressed to impress, with no real expectations. The couple lived on a quiet, tree-lined residential street. Picket fences, perfect lawns, kids on bicycles; the whole nine yards. I pulled into the driveway behind Allison's car, then got out and nervously approached the door.
I knocked and there was no answer. I knocked again. Suddenly the door opened and a young woman appeared. I was taken aback. She was absolutely beautiful: long brown hair, with subtle curls, big bright eyes, and a beautiful smile with pouty, pink lips. She had a sleek, sexy body, and was wearing a pair of tight jeans that showed off her beautiful, round ass. Our eyes met, and for a moment I felt as if we were both realizing that maybe, just maybe, if all goes well, she and I were inexplicably going to have sex together. The chemistry was undeniably there.
"You must be Nick!" she said, cheerfully.
"Y-yes, sorry- hi, nice to meet you!" I replied, awkwardly extending my hand. She smiled and shook it, then stepped to the side.
"Likewise. I'm Kate. Come in!" I felt her eyes all over me; analyzing.
I stepped inside, finding their home to be modest and welcoming. She directed me toward the living room, where I spotted Allison sitting on the sofa. She saw me and smirked. A man strolled up to me, wearing faded jeans and a flannel shirt.
"Hey. Jeremy," he said, introducing himself simply, and extending his hand. We shook.
"Nick," I said. He studied me carefully. I felt weird, being assessed by this man who's approval I needed to fuck his wife. The whole situation felt exceedingly awkward.
"So! Can I get you a lemonade?" asked Kate.
I saw that Allison had one, so I said, "Sure." She was back in a few minutes with my drink, then invited me to sit down. I exchanged nervous glances with Allison, until Kate began to address the matter at hand.
"Anyway, I know this must be a little weird, right?" she said, smiling at me.
"That had occurred to me, yes," I replied.
Kate giggled. "Well, sorry about that. I should explain. Basically, Jeremy and I want to have a baby, but he's... um... facing some problems in that department and we need to look for alternatives." Jeremy shifted nervously in his seat, and then glanced over at me. "But it's important to me that any child that I have be conceived, born, and raised naturally. Maybe that's just due to the way I was brought up myself. I don't want to have this done in a lab somewhere, you know?"
I nodded.
"Anyway, um... we need to find someone who's understanding and sensitive to what we're up against, and can be, you know, quiet about the whole thing..."
"Right, I understand," I added. I could tell Kate was also a little anxious about this whole situation, despite her cheerful nature, and that made me feel a little relieved.
"Great. Also... it's important to me that it not be, like, some stranger that just shows up to... well, you know. I'd like to at least get to know the person we choose a little bit." She glanced over nervously at her husband, then back at me. "I just feel like... if I can't make a baby out of an act of love... I'd like it to feel at least as close to that as possible. Like, through a good friendship, or something."
For a moment, Kate and I just gazed at each other. I knew I was instantly attracted to her, and it sure felt like the feeling was mutual. I couldn't imagine what her husband must have felt in that moment, seeing us interact like this, essentially asking for him to approve what felt like an affair. My heart started racing as she looked at me, expectantly.
"Um... sure, I can totally understand that," I said, trying to break the awkward silence. "I'd probably feel the same way." Kate beamed at me.
Allison chimed in, understanding that things had gotten a little awkward. "Why don't we discuss some of the practical matters, and then you and Jeremy can take as long as you need to discuss, before getting back to me and Nick with a decision."
"Sure, that sounds great," said Kate.
Allison and Kate proceeded to discuss the legal matters, how payment would work, and other details. All of this went fine, especially listening to how I'd be paid handsomely. However, when it came time to discuss how the scheduling of my "sessions" with Kate would work, it quickly became awkward again.
"You and Kate would have to engage in a lovemaking session about every other day, while I track her ovulation schedule," Allison had said. "You'll be using the techniques that I draw up for you, which is nothing usual. For example, we'll want you to use certain positions to enhance the likelihood that pregnancy will occur."
That was the first direct mention of sex. I started to tremble slightly, sitting next to Kate. She kept looking over at me, getting a sense of how I was absorbing this information. This was nothing like I had imagined. In my fantasy, I just showed up from time to time to fuck a cute woman however I liked. This was strict, disciplined, and thoughtfully planned out. I wasn't yet sure how it would go.
Still, as I took my own secret peeks at Kate, I began to wonder if she felt excited about this. I wondered what her body looked like; if it was as impossibly arousing as I already thought it was. I wondered if she was looking forward to seeing another man's penis, beside her husband's, and feeling it inside her. I began to throb in my pants just thinking about the two of us, two complete strangers, embracing each other naked in their bed, and then making love together.
For a moment I had stopped listening, absorbed in these thoughts. I quickly snapped out of it when I heard Kate say, "And you have no problem if Jeremy is there, right?"
I nearly choked.
"Oh, sure, y-yeah, no problem," I stammered. Did she mean that her husband would be in the room while we made love? Would he be watching us? Was this really happening?
Jeremy smirked at me. "Yeah, you know, just to make sure things remain kosher," he said.
"Right, sure, totally," I said, pretending that I wouldn't have it any other way.
"Great!" said Kate.
