to protect me, not to think about where I go and what I do. They all signed confidentiality agreements.” He shrugged again, then laughed uproariously when he said, “By six o’clock tonight everyone at PAK Industries will know the boss went to a sperm bank with some chick.”
In spite of herself, Lily laughed. “When we get there, what are we going to do?”
“Be brazen as hell and go for the gusto. I know that was my kid we saw on television. And if we can find him, DNA will prove it. Just so you know, Lily, I don’t plan to hide behind anonymity. At this stage of my life, I don’t care if the world finds out I sold my sperm to get an education. That kid is what’s important. You’re a woman, so it’s different for you. You deal with children in a sense. Am I off the mark here?” he asked anxiously, his eyes sparking dangerously.
This was her out if she wanted out. Did she? Part of her said yes, and part of her said no. She had to stop this ridiculous waffling. She squeezed Pete’s arm and smiled. “No anonymity for me either. Right now the only important thing on our agenda is the two boys.” Suddenly, Lily felt like a hundred-pound weight had been taken off her shoulders.
They were back in the Suburban, with Winston doing his best to get between them. He was like a puppy as he vied for attention from both Pete and Lily. When he finally calmed down, Pete rattled off the address of the sperm bank. Zolly keyed it into the GPS, and they were off.
Lily squirmed under the constraints of her seat belt. She felt so wired, she thought she would explode. They were apparently going to march into the clinic and demand answers, if she understood Pete correctly. She poked Pete on the arm, and whispered, “Do you think we might be tipping our hand by going to the clinic first? Maybe we should have gone to the academy first.”
“I think it’s one of those either/or things. Don’t you think someone at the academy would call the clinic if they’re involved? At this point, we are just assuming the sperm bank and clinic are tied together. We’ll know soon enough once we see their reaction to our demands.”
“I guess that makes sense.”
Sensing her indecision, Winston whined. Lily stroked his big head, and he calmed down immediately.
“Boss, it says here the address you gave me is a sperm bank. Are you sure it’s the right address?”
“I’m sure, Zolly,” Pete said cheerily.
Lily turned away so Zolly couldn’t see her amused smile in the rearview mirror.
Fifteen minutes later, when Zolly pulled the Suburban to the curb, the others falling directly behind, Zolly looked into the rearview mirror. “Ah…boss, is this one of those…?”
“Uh-huh. Stay in the car, Zolly. There’s only one way out of this place, and you’re looking right at it. Give me Winston’s lead. I’m taking him with me.”
“Oh, jeez, boss, I thought…never mind what I thought. Winston, huh?”
Pete couldn’t resist tormenting his protector. “No, it’s not for Winston. I’m taking him for protection. I mean it, Zolly, stay in the car.”
A moment later, Pete, Winston, and Lily were striding up the walkway to the entrance of the sperm bank.
Lily did her best not to look to the left, where the entrance to the egg donor clinic was. It was déjà vu all over again. She swallowed hard and was right behind Pete and Winston when they walked through the door.
This is a mistake. This is a mistake. This is a mistake.
“Pete,” she hissed, as he was about to walk up to the receptionist. “If we do this, our lives are never going to be the same. You know that, right?”
Pete turned around and pierced her with his level gaze. “Yes, Lily, I know that. I have to do this. I really do. You don’t. Right now you can turn around and walk out that door. Your call.” He waited, hardly daring to breathe, for her answer. He reached for her hand and squeezed it. At the same moment, Winston tried to wiggle his way between them.
Lily looked up to see something change in Pete’s eyes. She didn’t know how she knew, but she knew right then, at that very second, that he wanted to kiss her. And she wanted to kiss him.
Winston, sensing the mood swing, slapped two big paws on the countertop. The sound was louder than a gunshot. A sharp woof, then an ominous growl drew the receptionist’s attention.
No more waffling. Lily squeezed Pete’s hand so tight, her knuckles turned white as she stepped up to the plate and stood beside Pete when he spoke to the receptionist.
Lily’s heart fluttered wildly when she heard what Pete was saying. “I’m Donor Number 8446, and this is Donor Number 1114,” he said, pointing to Lily, “and we have some questions for whoever owns this joint.”
Chapter 6
At the sight and sound of the massive dog, the office receptionist, a thick-around-the-middle woman trying to look nineteen, screeched, “Dogs are not permitted in this clinic. Remove that animal immediately.”
Winston whined, his huge paws still on the countertop.
“See, now you’ve hurt his feelings. I’d like to speak to the owner of this clinic,” Pete said nonchalantly.
“So would hundreds of other people. We deal in confidentiality, sir. Take that dog outside immediately!”
A door opened to the right of where Pete was standing. A young man emerged, a blank look on his face. Pete swung around and eyeballed him. Even though he kept his voice low, Lily and the receptionist could hear every word he said.
“Kid, if I ever see you here again, I’ll kick your ass all the way to the Nevada border. Now, get your butt back in that room and retrieve your donation. NOW! Here,” he said, pulling three hundred-dollar bills out of his pocket. He jammed the crumpled bills into the pocket of the young man’s IZOD T-shirt.
“Now see here. You cannot…”
Winston took that moment to back up to the doorway. With a running start, he cleared the counter with ease, at which point he sat back on his haunches and watched the woman whose hands were fluttering wildly.
Pete was back at the counter. “Winston, your manners are appalling. Shake hands with the lady. Now, as I was saying, we would like to speak to your superior. Or if that’s plural, we can handle that, too. Today is not a good day to try my patience.”
“I can’t help you. There’s no one here but the staff. All communications are done via computer, fax, or phone. I don’t even know who owns this clinic.”
The young man in the IZOD shirt, a panicked expression on his face, raced out the door and didn’t look back.
“Now, see here, you cannot be interfering with our business. I’m going to call the police. Right now!”
Pete shrugged. Winston growled.
“I’m going to need a contact number. You won’t mind if I use your computer, will you? A yes would go a long way in keeping Winston happy.”
“Obviously, I can’t stop you, but this will all go
