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In spite of the tales, Sharlene had always wanted
her own children to know their father in the flesh,
warts and all. But could the baby growing in her
womb really know his father? After all, all she really
knew for certain about the sperm donor was that he
passed all the health and psychological tests at the
clinic, his ethnic group and hair and eye color. Donor
number 342, Liza Allen had informed her. Daddy 342.
She closed her eyes and fantasized about what life
with the father of her child would be like. He would
be tall and handsome, of course. Handsome like a
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movie star—and he would worship the ground she
walked upon, without even once being told to do so.
He’d bend and stoop and fetch and carry and wait on
her hand and foot in every way possible and then...
He’d tell her how gorgeous she looked in spite of the
fact she was daily metamorphosing into a petite
version of a beached whale. His love would be her
mirror—and in it she would become a brilliant
reflection of beauty and fulfillment, everything an
expectant mother should be.
And the sex? Words alone could not describe it.
When they’d come together in hot, unbridled passion,
the sex would be mind-altering, earth shattering,
cosmic in its intensity. He’d have her screaming and
shouting and begging and—
Sharlene’s eyes flew open as she woke up in a
sweat, her cheeks red with the heat of her imaginings.
“This is crazy,” she said with a sigh. “You can’t lust
after a man you never even met, can you?”
* * * * * *
“Charming hideaway with dormer windows not far
from Wash U. area, near to Shaw Park,” Liza Allen
read aloud from the classifieds as Sharlene took
another big bite of her turkey club sandwich.
Morning sickness? Lack of appetite? So far, so good,
but she was going to weigh a half-ton before her
pregnancy was over if her appetite for St. Louis Bread
Company sandwiches increased over the next few
months.
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Scrambled Eggs
“You think I should look for a place in the Clayton
area in order to be near the clinic?” she asked between
bites.
“Definitely. Joel and I love our townhouse near the
park. It’s a great place to go for a walk and meet all
sorts of interesting people.” Liza gave her a wicked
wink and a saucy grin. The young MD was a social
animal and couldn’t wait to reintroduce Sharlene to
the singles scene.
“Yes, doctors, bankers, lawyers, and tons of
unemployed, single moms, I suspect,” Sharlene
mumbled between bites. “I’ve barely left my husband
and already you have me picking up men in the park.
I think the dating life can wait until I’m no longer the
size of a small car, don’t you?”
“From what my patients tell me, the sex is great
during the second trimester,” Liza purred.
“Oh, sex! Is that all?” Sharlene chuckled, giving her
confidant a dismissive gesture. “Why didn’t you say
so? You don’t have to date for just sex. Take a look at
the personals on the back page of that rag you’re
holding. Wanted: Adventuresome seeker who wants
to experience all the fascinating options of group
sex—”
Liza slammed down the paper. She took another
sip of her espresso, then gritted her teeth together in a
tight smile. “All right, there’s no need to weird out on
me, girlfriend. How long have we known each other?
About three years? You are not the ‘adventuresome
seeker’ type and we both know it. Any person who
would stay married to Jeffrey Pincher for as long as
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you did is definitely not a ‘seeker’ by any means.”
Sharlene sighed. She was the original homebody,
no doubt about it. All she ever wanted to be was
somebody’s wife, mother and life-long companion.
She hated to admit it, but she wasn’t even ambitious
when it came to her career as a secretary. She didn’t
even dream of eventually becoming a bigwig office
manager like most secretaries did. Her dreams
involved stenciling patterns of ivy on her freshly
renovated kitchen walls and starting an herb garden
on the patio and collecting antiques and refurbishing
them. She and Carol Brady had way too much in
common. The proverbial dinosaur of feminism she
was, and she wasn’t afraid to admit it.
“Ow, that hurts,” Sharlene teased. “There’s no
need to kick me while I’m down.”
Liza patted her hand. “Sorry about that. I have to
think about yours and the baby’s safety. Answering a
personal ad in this publication wouldn’t exactly be
the wisest thing to do.”
“Thanks for looking out for me. It’s great to have a
pal like you.” Sharlene slipped her hand from Liza’s
grasp and licked the last crumbs of her sandwich
from her fingers. “You got time to go check out that
apartment near the park with me?”
“Hmm, maybe a few minutes.” Liza checked her
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