Page 6 of Mr. Cream
Ambrosia
Iwake up with the urge to pee. I expect to be smothered by Devon’s large frame but I’m completely alone. I swing my legs over the bed and stand, stretching out the unfamiliar soreness in my body. There’s a soft glow coming from the suite’s living room and when I’m finished using the bathroom, I go and investigate.
Devon is sound asleep on the couch, dressed only in a pair of black boxer briefs. His face is softer and there’s a slight shadow covering his cheeks. My heart skips a beat because I belong to him now and he belongs to me.
There’s a laptop open on the couch next to him and files are spread out on the coffee table in front of him. When did he have these delivered? I creep softly across the room and gently close the computer. I pick it up and reach for the files when something catches my eye. My name is written at the top of one of the files.
What the hell? I set the computer down on the coffee table and pick up the file. Inside is my entire life history. Date of birth. Address. Employment history. Social security number. Even my bank account information! How the fuck did he get this? There are also dozens of photographs of me clipped to the inside of the folder. Holy shit, he’s had me followed!
I set the folder with my information aside and pick up the others. One is labeled Simply Surrogacy, the name of my firm. I flick it open and find the standard application we ask all clients to fill out when they hire our company to help them become parents. Not only has Devon been stalking me but he’s also a client. And then two puzzle pieces click together in my brain.
My boss Ginger just gave me a new client to handle. She jokingly referred to him as Mr. Cream because he’s the CEO of a billion-dollar baked goods company.
“His name is Devon Shire,” she said to me as she set the file down on my desk. “He has a long list of demands. I’m giving you an opportunity, Ambrosia, to prove yourself. Don’t fuck this up.”
The level of Devon’s deception makes my stomach churn and the folder falls from my hand as I run back to the master bathroom and heave the contents of my stomach into the toilet. I am the stupidest woman in the world, I scold myself. I should have known better. But the attention of a handsome man clouded my judgement. I loved the way he made me feel. I loved the pleasure that he gave me. I was stupid to trust him and give him a piece of myself that I cherished for so long, that I promised I wouldn’t give up until I felt a real connection with a man.
I wait, kneeling on the cold marble floor of the bathroom, for my stomach to settle before I stand slowly. I rinse my mouth out and walk back into the bedroom. My clothes are in a heap on the floor and I bend to pick them up. The stale smoky smell of the club hits my nose as soon as I slip on the jumpsuit, but I don’t care. I just need to get out of here.
My shoes dangle from my fingers as I tiptoe through the suite. Gently, I open the door and close it with barely a click. This will be the first and last time that I do the walk of shame after a night with a man, I promise myself as I wait for the elevator to arrive.
When I make it down to the lobby, I ask one of the night porters to call a cab for me. He nods his head and looks at me with pity as he makes the call. I head outside which is a mistake because it’s fucking cold. San Francisco nights can be chilly but tonight, it seems almost frigid. When the cab arrives, I slip inside the back and give the driver my address.
Don’t look back. Don’t have any regrets.
During the car ride, I keep thinking about every opportunity Devon had to tell me the truth. I also think about how it felt when it kissed me. My fingers automatically trace my bruised lips. I shiver thinking about the way he touched me. It felt so good, so perfect. Inevitably, my mind wanders to the moment I lost my virginity.
And one detail becomes crystal clear.
We didn’t use protection. He didn’t use a condom and I foolishly haven’t gotten my birth control prescription refilled.
Don’t have any regrets? Well, I do, and his name is Devon Shire.
