Free Carrying the Billionaire's Baby (Breeding Erotic Romance) by Gwendolyn Bridges Page B

underwear. I found myself gawking
at the woman next to me, heavyset and older, whose breasts seemed
so gargantuan it was hard to imagine how she managed to walk
upright.
    “I said strip , ladies,” announced Ms. Brook.
“Everything off.”
    There was little hesitation
this time. I reached behind me and unclasped my bra, only allowing
a small thought to cross my mind as I did. This is crazy , I thought. This is a perverted game . But then I weighed the possible outcomes. Either I made
fifty thousand dollars or I’d lose my apartment. Put like that,
nakedness was no big cost.
    This is worth a
shot , I reminded myself, as I let my bra
fall to the floor. Despite my better instincts, I enjoyed the
feeling of cold air on my full breasts.
    I glanced around. Most of
the remaining women had joined me in nakedness, though another few
had taken the opportunity to grab their clothes and head for the
elevator. This seemed to be a game of attrition, though it was
maybe the weirdest game I’ve ever played.
    There was maybe a dozen of
us left in the room, all naked. Across from me stood an incredibly
striking blonde, who looked almost as if she could be a model. Her
full breasts seemed almost impossibly firm, showing no signs of
sagging. I felt embarrassed for a second, comparing my own body to
hers. Despite being about the same age as her, my chest had already
started to sag. And while I kind of liked my hourglass figure, her
body fit the magazine ideal — skinny all the way down.
    I was convinced that the
blonde girl would be the one chosen for the job. My face
fell. All this for
nothing , I thought.
    Ms. Brook commanded us to
gather in a circle. We obeyed. She had us spread our arms and turn
around as she stood in the centre and surveyed the scene. We
obeyed. I didn’t know why all of us girls in the penthouse were so
obedient — I could only assume that maybe the other girls were in
the same boat as me. They must have been desperate.
    “All right,” said Ms.
Brook finally, speaking in a quiet monotone voice. “Thank you all
for coming. Thank you all for listening. I am rather glad you are
not like those… other girls.” She scoffed, gesturing toward the
elevator that the other applicants had used to escape.
    A silence hung in the
area. None of us knew what to do. Ms. Brook finally cleared her
throat, surveying us again. “I have selected three of you to go on
to the interview with Mr. Atherstone.”
    Mr. Atherstone? The name took me by surprise. Maybe I should have
figured it out earlier, but I had never even considered that the
surrogacy would be for the billionaire owner of the building we all
stood in. Besides, Mr. Atherstone was single, wasn’t he? His wife
had…
    Ms. Brook interrupted my
train of thought by announcing her choices. “You,” she said,
pointing to the skinny blonde girl. Of
course , I thought drily, trying not to be
too jealous. Next, she pointed to a full-hipped Asian woman on the
other side of the room, who had a pretty round face and an amazing
smile. The Asian woman grinned widely when she was
chosen.
    That left just one
remaining slot. Looking around the room, I didn’t hold out much
hope. I was one of the bigger girls there — and I certainly didn’t
like anything like a woman who might deliver an heir to a
billionaire. I couldn’t even imagine what kind of life a man like
Mr. Atherstone might lead, but I knew it would be far different
from what I was used to in tiny apartments and paycheck-to-paycheck
living.
    “Again,” Ms. Brook said.
“Thank you all so very much for coming. And I remind you all that
discretion is the better part of valor. But my last selection will
be…” She turned and trailed a finger over the remaining circle of
naked women surrounding her. “You, Ms. O’Connor.”
    The old woman’s long,
boney finger pointed at me.
     
    I was stunned. I couldn’t
believe it. She had pointed at me . Me! April O’Connor, the plain
jane girl from nowhere. And now I was about to