Haunting Memory

Thane's POV;

"Babe?!"

I startle, snapping back to reality to see Lily approaching me.

"What're you thinking about?" She sits on my lap, seductively dressed in my long sleeve that's too big for her petite frame, and it's short regardless, stopping half way through her thighs.

Lily, isn't totally my girlfriend, maybe friends with benefit, or my sexy female friend... Anything but a girlfriend.

"Thane?" Her face goes up in a frown. Slightly, she rocks the budge of my crotch, moving effortlessly on top of me like a fluid. She relaxes her back, so she comfortably fits in my bosom.

"What's getting you worked up, babe?" Her voice is soft and thickly laced with concern. It's certain that she wants more...

... Sadly, I can't give her that. We had our boundaries defined before whisking our butts in this situation, and she had no problem with it initially, until lately, she's either acting too cozy or concerned... Argh!

The sense of commitment makes me cringe. Bound to the vows of matrimony, isn't in my bucket list, not now, nor ever.

I arch my brow, tired of everything. My aunt, Lena, has taken a liking to Lily, but that's because she is that desperate to wheel me off to the next available person.

Lily caresses the line on my forehead that only surfaces when I'm stressed.

About three days ago, Dr. Cain informed me that he's seen a few persons that indicated interest in the surrogacy idea I finally succumbed to, the same one he pressured me to get, as it has being preserved in the bank almost ten years ago and it's losing its potency. I had preserved my last sperm in his hospital’s sperm bank after I suffered a sport injury that dealt a blunt trauma on my lower body, and affected my reproductive ability, literally shattering the whole of my existence.

"Keeping a lady waiting is rude.”

"You should stop prying, yunno." I dismiss her subtly.

I don't want her to know of my plans to pay a woman just have my child, when she'll cheerfully do it a million times for free, especially since it will be my only child and heir to my empire.

"Whatever." Lily sighs, getting emotional.

She stands up to leave, but I pull her back in my bosom, plastering wet kisses on her face and trailing it all over her smooth skin. Damn! She knows how to make me yearn for her every freaking time.

My phone buzz, and I struggle to get it out of my pocket. She makes an attempt to stop me, while deepening the kiss.

I pull it out and adjust to take it.

She sighed yet again, breaking the kiss.

"Really?"

"I need to get this."

I look to see it's Dr. Cain. Plugging in my ear pod, I tap on the sensor.

“Hello, Mr. Thane, is now a good time?”

Of course, it's like my life is revolving around the whole surrogacy thing of late.

"Go on."

"I've made the pick, her name is Miss Avery Grayson.”

“Is...” I pause, choosing my words carefully. "Have you done through check-ups?”

“Yeah we're past that phase. We need your permission to proceed with the main part of it."

Lily just stares at me, eager to know who it is and what the whole conversation that gets my muscles twitching anxiously, is about.

"I'll call you back." I cut his rant off abruptly, ending the call seconds later.

"Babe, who's that?" She demands. "You keep getting calls that leaves you agitated nonstop this weekend."

I press my lips in a firm line, trying not to lash out on her recent clingy and inquisitive attitude.

"I need to be alone." I say instead, completely breaking the blissful moment.

"Babe..." She stops mid sentence, seeing my lifted hand. Standing up, she started upstairs.

"It's late Lily, you should leave."

"The more reason why I should stay in one of your numerous rooms..."

"Please, don't push this." I get off the couch and head for the bar.

I pull out a bottle of brandy and uncork it, not needing a glass. Putting the bottle to my lips, I take a greedy slurp, trying so hard to keep my demons away.

It's so vivid in my head, like it happened yesterday, the incident that got me disconnected from the world... disliked being in the same space with people... hated having kids!

The whole bloody surrogacy idea, was for aunt Lena, her demand for an heir is getting crazy, I had to oblige. She made me salvage what's left of my sperm after the sport incident, that they feel got me into this messy isolated state, only if they knew half of the real shit I'm dealing with.

Lily takes gentle strides towards me.

“Babe, you're free to talk to me.”

She attempts to touch me and I flinch.

“Freaking leave!”

I growl, slamming my fist on the counter.

“What's wrong with you?!” She's fed up of my constantly pushing her away.

“Everything... You bloody trying to act homely!” I smack my lips, putting my emotions in check. "Fucking leave!”

“To hell with you!”

She runs upstairs in rage. Minutes later, I hear my door slam hard, it's definitely her leaving my sorry ass.

"Argh!" I clap my head in my palms, dying to block out the tortuous images and screams in my head that haunts me till date. During the day, it's the crazy hallucination, and at night, a creepy dream..

My efforts to remain sane are futile.

Clutching the bottle of brandy, I take a swig, my teeth clenching as an effect of the alcohol.

Restless, I get off the bar stool and begin pacing about.

"Damn you!" I toss the bottle recklessly, smashing an object from the impact, the strong smell of spirit envelope the room.

Cringing, I plaster myself on the wall, shielding myself from the world and my dreadful past.

If the blogs gets a hold of this side of me, their sophisticated idol, and eligible bachelor, or Lily, her boyfriend and possibly, more, in her mind, they'll be fascinated, which will eventually leads to my doom.

Once, aunt Lena has met me in this messed up state and she suggested a shrink... I declined, scared of my secret leaking to the media.

For a moment or two, I try to catch my breath,, finally getting a hold of my sanity.

Again, my phone buzzes and it happens to be Dr. Cain. I didn't give him a definite response earlier.

I just stare at the phone ring, suddenly having cold feet on proceeding with the entire plan. It's still early to put a halt to it.

“Mr. Thane, what's your...”

"Go ahead." I order him, not even giving him the time to finish.