Page 40 of Planned Seduction
Damn. Lexi’d attacked him with a frigging lethal weapon. She’d hit out with such force he’d still be unconscious if the bat had met the back of his head.
To say he’d been pissed off with his sister was an understatement, but Lexi had redeemed herself. She’d done a great job with Amy. Her call must have been pretty convincing. Amy might have teased him, but she couldn’t hide the fear or the anxiety in her eyes. She’d been more than a little concerned about him.
He’d phone Lexi first thing in the morning to say thank you.
When at last he felt ready to zip his pants, he headed into the lounge and suppressed a smile when he saw the TV on and the towel neatly folded on a chair. He’d toyed with Amy enough for now. For the rest of the night, he’d keep their relationship platonic. He’d be so damn platonic, he’d make a priest look like a porn star.
“Whatcha watching?”
“Not much. Just seeing what’s on.”
Was it his imagination, or was she deliberately not looking at him? “Anything interesting?” He helped himself to some more food and sat next to her on the couch.
“Not really.” Definitely avoiding eye contact. There was that strained quality to her voice, too.
“Want some sushi?”
“No, thanks. Had enough.” Did she squirm?
“So…” He was determined to get her to relax again. “How’s work going?” Her shoulders were so tight he could practically see knots forming.
“Not bad.” She studiously kept her eyes on the TV.
Amy was embarrassed. A reddish blush stained her cheeks. “Been busy?”
For a couple of moments, she looked indecisive. Her eyes darted to the front door and back as she gnawed on her lower lip. “Very. We’ve had a rush of new patients and there’s hardly been time to breathe.”
“Anything interesting?”
She took a deep breath and turned to face him. Resolve steeled her expression. She was going to play this cool. “One case. They’re not my patients, though. Maggie referred them to one of the other counselors. I’m too busy.”
Daniel watched her play nervously with a lock of hair. She wound it around her finger, tugged it down, and let it loose, then wound it around her finger again. “Tell me about them.”
“They’re a professional couple with an unusual request.”
“They want to get a child genetically cloned?”
“Not quite.” Amy laughed. It was tense, but a laugh nevertheless. “They want to have a baby but can’t do it alone.”
“Why not?”
“They’re both women.”
“That would make it a bit difficult,” Daniel agreed with a smile. “Have you had gay couples in before?”
“A few. They get a bit tricky because of the legal and social ramifications.”
“Like what?”
“Like who’ll carry the baby and what rights does the other partner have? Are they going to use a known or an anonymous sperm donor?” Her voice became animated, like it always did when she spoke about her work. “Will the donor take on any paternal duties? Is he HIV-free? It can, and usually does, get rather complicated.”
“Isn’t there any way of simplifying it?”
“Well, they could do it themselves with a willing and known donor. Success rates are much lower, though. Then there are still all the parenting issues.”
“How will they decide?”
“Through a lot of counseling and information.”
