Chapter 9 A SURROGATE MOTHER

Wrapping a towel around his waist, Gabrielle walked out of the bathroom and stepped over to Fleura who was standing on the balcony in a light nightgown. Fleura had just woken up, and she was enjoying the cool morning breeze.

"Good morning."

"Hey darlin'. Sleep well?"

"Not really. What time did you come home last night?"

Gabrielle pressed his lips against Fleura's neck and gave the soft suck that Fleura always loved. His hands skillfully slid around his wife's well-kept slender body. The silk nightgown was very sheer, barely covering anything underneath. The soft body of his wife that he missed so much tasted so delicious. Gabrielle suddenly had the idea of making love to his wife before leaving for work. Quick sex seemed to be enough. They haven't done it for a long time. And now Gabrielle's blood was boiling hot in his veins.

"Hmm... Gabe, what do you want?"

"What do you think?"

The sound of lips pressing against skin was heard over the sound of Fleura's panting. She wanted her husband too, but she couldn't let him lose control.

"Gabrielle, we need to talk."

"Ssshh... Enjoy it, baby."

Gabrielle's hand moved into Fleura's nightgown. He found something he had been missing so much. Fleura sighed softly as Gabrielle massaged one of her breasts, and gave her more of the pleasures so well deserved on a serene morning.

"It's about your desire to have children."

"Hmm... we're working on it."

"Gabrielle..." Fleura sighed in frustration. She was starting to lose her mind because Gabrielle managed to mess her up with every delicious touch.

"I want to kiss you."

With a demanding motion, Gabrielle turned Fleura's body and pushed her until her back hit the balcony guardrail. Gabrielle gently pushed Fleura's nape and began kissing Fleura's lips tenderly. Even though it wasn't the first time, Gabrielle always did it as if it was their first kiss. Gabrielle was very careful when sucking Fleura's lips, enjoying it slowly and moving at a not too fast tempo. He did everything for Fleura's comfort and so that Fleura would not reject him.

When he felt that Fleura had gotten carried away by his game, Gabrielle lifted Fleura's body onto their bed. He wrapped Fleura's tiny legs around his waist, pressing his tense cock under the towel against Fleura's firm thighs. Gabrielle felt like he was about to explode now because he was too excited, and he thought that he would succeed this time. He would get Fleura to bear his child and he would make sure that it would work.

"We can't have children in this way."

"Why?" Gabrielle asked gently. He didn't want to start any argument with his wife. Instead of arguing, he prefers to fondle his wife to give her more pleasure and stimulation.

"Could you stop and listen to me?"

Gabrielle only briefly looked up and returned to his activity to touch his wife's soft thighs before ripping off the last layer covering her core.

"Gabrielle, this isn't going to work."

"Why do you think like that?"

"Because this isn't going to work. We won't be able to have children this way."

It caught Gabrielle's attention. He stopped fondling her thighs, and he moved up to kneel on top of her body.

"What's wrong, Fleura?"

"I'm sterile."

There was no nervousness or sadness in Fleura's eyes as she said that. That left Gabrielle even more devastated by the shocking news he had received this morning. Like he just got kicked in the pit of the stomach, and he failed to get over it.

"You okay?"

Shit! Gabrielle wanted to swear loudly in his wife's face for the stupidity of saying that. How could he possibly be okay? He was so far from fine!

"Since when?"

"One year ago," Fleura answered calmly.

"You never told me."

Gabrielle rolled off Fleura and sat on the edge of the bed like a defeated man. He pressed his thumb and forefinger into his eye sockets. He massaged them gently, hoping that would quell the throbbing anger that suddenly hit him so mercilessly.

"I'm just waiting for the right time."

"One year? Would you ever tell me if I didn't make love to you this morning, huh?"

Suddenly, Gabrielle barked like a dog. The anger and disappointment had taken over him completely. The woman he had loved so much had betrayed him in a way he had never thought of at all.

Before marrying Fleura, he had prepared himself for the possibility that in the future their marriage would encounter violent storms that would be difficult for both of them. He had anticipated that maybe Fleura would be involved in an emotional relationship with her co-star in a drama project, or that Fleura would be courted by handsome men who were younger and more dashing than him. Such things he had anticipated, but they had never come this far. Gabrielle considered it a gift from God because he was determined to be serious about his marriage. But suddenly he was shaken by a storm more powerful than an affair. Fleura had the heart to hide a big secret that was very important to their relationship.

"We're both busy. We both don't always have a moment to discuss this. And lately you've been whining about having kids. That gives me reason to tell you that I am sterile, and I froze my eggs."

"Why do you have to do it? You don't want to have a child, do you?"

"I just didn't want to suddenly get pregnant without planning. You have to understand, Gabrielle, that being an actress has been my dream since I was very young. I don't want pregnancy to ruin my dreams."

"But at least you told me when you were going to do it. You treat me as a stranger instead of your own husband." Gabrielle's voice was cold.

"I knew you wouldn't let me if I told you."

"Then why are you still doing it, huh?"

Fleura closed her eyes for a moment, trying to shake off her fear of Gabrielle's anger she had never seen before.

"Calm down. This is not the end of everything. We can still have children in other ways."

"Bullshit!"

Gabrielle punched the surface of the nightstand and ruffled his hair in frustration. His chance to have children had been lost. He would forever just be a pathetic, lonely man.

"I have eggs that I froze. There is no reason for us not to be able to have children. We will have children."

"Tell me how."

"By using a surrogate mother. The doctors will insert my egg and your sperm into the womb of a surrogate mother. And in a few months, we'll have a baby of our own without me needing to get pregnant."

That sounded so easy. Gabrielle wasn't sure that a baby would develop easily in someone else's womb. And the question was, who would be the surrogate mother to deliver his baby?