Chapter 14 - The Rich Couple

My throat went dry instantly. I looked from Matsuo to Christie, trying to determine if that question was serious.

"Are you serious?"

"Of course," Christie replied, placing her glass on table. "You wouldn't expect us to choose someone without knowing if they have the necessary stamina, would you?"

'Necessary stamina...?'

I scratched the back of my head, looking away at the cityscape. This was too strange — even stranger than it was with Ryo, because Christie's husband was staring at me while she asked questions.

"To tell you the truth... I never thought about it," I replied.

Matsuo laughed quietly and adjusted his glasses on his nose. "I see. Well then, let's rephrase: would you say your stamina is high?"

"Yes, I think so."

Christie tilted her head slightly, analyzing me.

"Any history of genetic diseases in the family?"

"Not that I know of."

"Do you drink?"

"Only socially."

"Do you smoke?"

"No."

Christie nodded, satisfied with the answer. Matsuo, on the other hand, seemed more interested in my clearly uncomfortable expression.

"Have you been involved with many women?" Matsuo asked.

"Is that part of the process?" I asked, trying to figure out where this was going.

"We want to know your experience," Matsuo explained, leaning his elbows on the table and interlocking his fingers.

"I've had a few girlfriends, but nothing too serious."

"Ryo told me you handled her well," Christie commented, swirling the wine in her glass before taking another sip.

'So they really do talk to each other about these things...'

I had to choose my words, because I didn't know if I should tell her I was living at Ryo's house.

"Ryo and I... we're not in a relationship. It was just a date."

"Really? She talked about you quite a bit — let's just say, enthusiastically — to my wife."

I took a deep breath. "Well, I don't know what she said, but we have nothing between us. It was my first and last time with her."

Matsuo and Christie exchanged a quick glance, as if they had just confirmed something between each other.

"I see," Christie murmured, taking another sip of wine.

"Are you interested in getting emotionally involved with the child's mother?" Christie asked suddenly.

'What the hell am I supposed to answer to that?! Christie asked that question, but it's Matsuo who wants to know the answer.'

I didn't take long to reply.

"No, of course not. What I do is strictly professional."

Another silence fell over the table. Finally, Matsuo sighed and smiled with relief.

"Good. I'm relieved to hear that."

"Good?" I repeated, confused.

He straightened his glasses again and leaned forward slightly.

"Now that we've cleared everything up, I think I can give you my answer..."

I didn't know if I was ready to hear it, and I was sweating profusely. This was the most nerve-wracking of the dozens of job interviews I'd ever done.

Christie put her wine glass down on the table, straightening her posture.

Matsuo sniffed before continuing.

"Yes, you can try to get Christie pregnant. Even before I saw you, she had already agreed, and all that was missing was my permission."

"So... Excuse me, but I have to confirm: do you really want me to sleep with your wife?" I looked from Matsuo to Christie.

She looked away, her cheeks slightly flushed, while Matsuo, with a nervous smile, nodded quickly. A few drops of sweat trickled down his forehead.

"That's the only way she and I can have a child."

"I... Are you serious?" I asked, because when I received Ryo's affirmative answer, Hayato hadn't been there to say it directly to me like Matsuo was doing.

"Completely. I don't know if Ryo mentioned it, but it's also pretty obvious... I can't have children. We've tried alternatives, but none have worked. This is our last hope. She's had a few other partners from the group, but they were all too soft and lacked potential."

"What about more traditional alternatives like... adoption?"

"No." Matsuo shook his head. "We want a biological child from Christie, and ideally with good genetics. Also, we want to go through all the stages of having a child — from pregnancy to birth, post-birth, and so on."

Christie smiled. "Let's just say you caught our attention after Ryo kept talking about you."

'Damn it, Ryo! What exactly did you say to them?!'

I rubbed my face with my hands and took a deep breath.

"Okay, okay... Wait a second. It's just that this is the first time a man has ever given me permission like this..."

"If it were for any other reason, I wouldn't consider it. But I love Christie, and having a child with her is my biggest dream. If I can't be the biological father, then I want to choose someone who is at least suitable."

"And that doesn't bother you?" 

"Of course it bothers me. But my desire to start a family with Christie is greater than my pride."

I looked at Christie.

She sighed and ran her fingers through her blonde hair.

"It's not what I imagined for my life, but after many conversations and failed attempts... this is the option we decided on together. Matsuo and I want a child."

A whirlwind of thoughts swirled through my head.

"That's..." My head was spinning. "Okay, when do we get started?"

Matsuo cracked a wide smile, an expression I never expected to see on a man's face in this situation.

"I like your proactivity, Nishida-kun."

-:-

Thirty minutes later, there I was, walking down a long corridor towards a motel room next to Christie.

The sound of her heels was loud, and my heart couldn't calm down.

Matsuo was downstairs, inside a shiny black Lexus, probably checking emails while he waited for me, a man, to have sex with his wife. I shook my head, trying to push the thought away.

Christie stopped in front of room 47 and unlocked the door with a card.

"Is there a problem?" she asked when she noticed my hesitation to enter.

"No, just..." I ran a hand over the back of my neck, sighing. "It's different."

Christie entered first, and I followed. The room was much more luxurious than any motel I'd ever been to. There was a huge round bed with crisp white sheets, mirrors everywhere, a jacuzzi just six feet from the bed, and a huge television.

"Would you like something to drink?" Christie asked, walking over to a small fridge.

"There's wine in here."

"I don't think so. That would impair what we came here for, wouldn't it?"

She raised an eyebrow and seemed to take a moment to understand what I meant, but then she smiled slightly for the first time.

"Indeed..." she said and close the fridge.

'Dude, her husband's downstairs. In the car. Waiting. This is strange, much more so than with Ryo.'

Christie approached the window, her fingers drumming gently on the glass.

"Matsuo trusts you, you know? He said he thinks it'll work out this time because you look trustworthy."

"That makes me even more nervous," I confessed.

"It shouldn't. It's just a professional arrangement, isn't it?"

I sat on the edge of the bed, trying to organize my thoughts. The sound of Christie's heels approaching brought me back to reality. She stopped in front of me and said:

"Let's do this right, Nishida. After all, it's a job like any other, isn't it?" she said, unbuttoning the black shirt she was wearing.