A Question of Breeding

"Yeah, I've always wanted our children. Not for you to have someone else's."

"Aaron please, calm down." Madeline's boss said quietly, "Can't we discuss this like adults."

"This isn't fucking happening Henry. You can take your fucking money and shove it where the sun doesn't shine."

Trying not to shout Aaron pushed his chair back and went to get up.

"Please baby, I've agreed. I.... I want to do it. I.... I want a baby."

"Well, I haven't agreed to anything!"

Turning to his wife Aaron bit back his urge to storm out and looked at her sitting quietly with her hands in her lap.

"You fucking knew all this before we came, didn't you?" The realisation suddenly came to him.

Maddi bit her bottom lip and nodded, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the floor.

"Since when?" Barely keeping his anger in check, he demanded loudly, "How long have you fucking known?"

"Henry told me four weeks ago when... when we were in Edinburgh on that business trip."

He looked between his wife and her boss and it all became clearer to him.

"Oh my God. You've already fucked him, haven't you?"

His wife couldn't look him in the eye, her cheeks colouring scarlet.

"No. We.... I wouldn't do that.... not until we'd talked."

"Like fuck you haven't."

"We haven't Aaron. I promise you, neither of us would do that." Henry spoke again.

"You expect me to believe that." Aaron spat angrily back at them.

"It's true." Madeline barely managed to whisper, a tear creeping down her cheek, "I admit we shared a bed that night but apart from a kiss nothing happened."

"Liar. How many times have you done it?" Clenching his fists Aaron barely held himself in check.

"Aaron...." Again, Henry went to interject.

"Shut it, I asked my slut of a wife not you."

"We.... we haven't. In... in Edinburgh, when... when Henry told me we both broke down and... and we kissed and then... then he needed me to hold him.... so, I stayed with him. But we.... we never had sex."

"I don't believe you." He sneered at his wife.

His wife shook her head, still not looking him in the eye, "It's the truth, we... we've never made love."

"But you.... you fucking slept together? You stayed in his bed?"

"Yes." Her voice was almost inaudible.

Pushing himself up from his chair Aaron stood and stared wrathfully down at the two of them, his face contorted with rage.

"I don't fucking believe this. You've been fucking this... this old man behind my back and now you come up with some cock and bull shit about having his baby."

Henry stood up as well so he could look him directly in the eye.

"We haven't had sex Aaron. Madeline wouldn't cheat on you. She loves you."

"Yeah right, she loves me enough to have your bastard."

"Please honey, sit down. We can talk about this."

"Fuck the pair of you." Aaron finally declared and moved to leave, "Are you coming Madeline? Maybe we can try to save what's left of our marriage if you do."

"Please Aaron, I want to do this for Henry and for us."

"For us? For you you mean." His voice became little more than a whisper, "You can fuck off then.... slut."

With one parting insult he turned and stormed angrily out of the restaurant leaving his wife and her boss behind, watching him go.

"Are you going to go after him?" Henry asked once they were alone.

She nodded, "I suppose so. I know there's no point trying to talk to him now but maybe in the morning, when he's a little calmer."

"Do you want to change your mind?"

"No, I don't. It's my body Henry and I decide what I'm going to do with it. No one else."

"I understand that Madeline but I think it's important that any child has two parents. Being a single mother and running a company...."

Sitting resignedly back in his chair her boss sighed and left the sentence unfinished. They both knew the problems she could face going through with this alone.

He had expected this would be difficult but Maddi had reassured him that she could manage her husband and he would eventually see sense. Now, however, after Aaron's angry outburst at the table he was starting to have his doubts.

'Had his desperation to have an heir clouded his judgment?'

As much as he worried about the situation his desire to have a child overrode everything else and he knew he would see it through if he possibly could.

"There's no way I can get home. Aaron has taken the car." She interrupted his thoughts, "Is there any chance you could give me a lift?"

"Of course. Are you sure you'll be ok?"

Reaching across the table Madeline took hold of his hand, "I said I would do this for you and I will. I'll talk to my husband tomorrow and try to sort it out."

"As long as you're certain."

Nodding, she smiled at him affectionately, "I am. I want this baby. Now let's go and find your car."

Sitting in Henry's Mercedes Maddi stared out of the window as he drove her home.

Things had gone pretty much as she had expected although she had hoped her husband might have been a little more understanding. After all they wanted children and would benefit from it in the years ahead if he could just accept her decision.

She knew that she was proposing to break her wedding vows, even though he would know, she would still be cheating on him. It wasn't something she took lightly, after all she had never been with another man, but Henry had been like a father to her over the last couple of years and she was exceptionally fond of him.

Her boss had no children and she had never known her own father. It had been a match made in heaven and they had been good friends from the very beginning, his mentoring of her helping her to a series of rapid, and well-deserved promotions.

Not seeing the lights and people they passed by, she gazed out of the car window and thought back to when, just a few weeks ago, in the space of one night, everything had changed for the both of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finishing their meal in the hotel's dining room they had retired to Henry's suite to discuss the next day's agenda when he had suddenly gone quiet on her.

Slumping desolately down onto his bed he had sat there and looked up at her before quietly telling her he had something he needed to talk to her about.

She had smiled, thinking nothing untoward, and gone to sit next to him.

"Ok, what is it? Why so serious?"

He had taken a deep breath and looked straight into her brown eyes.

"I'm dying Madeline. The doctors have given me a year at best."

It had been the calm, almost calculated way, he had said it as much as the words he used that had struck deep into her heart.

"What! No, you can't be.... that's not possible. How? Why? There... there must be something we can do."

She had reached for his hand, the questions tumbling out of her mouth while she sat and simply stared back at him, tears starting to course freely down her cheeks.

He had squeezed her hand, smiling reassuringly, "Madeline, it's ok, I'm fine about it all, but we do need to plan for the future."

"What's.... what's wrong with you?" The tears had continued to flow unabated and she had felt her heart break.

"I have a brain tumour. They've told me it's inoperable. There's nothing they can do except keep me comfortable."

"No..... no, that can't be right. There must be something." She had hugged him, "We'll try another doctor."

"I've done all of that, I've seen three specialist's and there's nothing they can do. It's terminal."

"Oh God please no, it... it can't be true." Starting to sob uncontrollably she had clung to him, burying her face in his shoulder.

"It's ok, honestly. I'm fine with it now." Holding her he had stroked her hair and let her tears soak his shirt.

"I'll be with you the whole way; I'll be there to help you." Sniffling Maddi had sat up and wiped her eyes, smudging her mascara, trying to smile bravely.

"You'll be helping me by agreeing to take over the company when I'm gone."

"What!"

The surprise on her face made him chuckle.

"You'll be the next CEO Madeline."

"But....." Lost for words her mouth simply opened and closed.

"Don't worry, I'll prepare you. You already have the financial side under control so it's just the business aspects."

"Oh, Henry. I.... I don't know what to say."

"There's something else. Something more personal I want to discuss with you."

He looked into her eyes as he spoke and she felt a shiver run down her spine.

"W... what is it?"

He began slowly, reminding her of things she already knew about him; that he had no wife, no family, no one to inherit his house and fortune.

"But now you'll take over the company." He finished lamely, "So, that's sorted."

"And the rest?"

Henry Thornton bit his lip and stared down at the floor, "Maddi..... I.... I need a child.... someone to inherit everything."

Staring at him Madeline let his words sink in and slowly she began to understand what he was saying.

"You want me to....."

"I know I shouldn't ask but would you consider it, there isn't anyone I'd rather do this with." He kept his gaze fixed on her, "We don't need to... to you know.... do it physically. We'll use a.... a laboratory or something."

For a minute she sat and let her mind go over what he was asking of her.

'She wanted children.'

'What would Aaron say?'

'He was offering to make her CEO of his company.'

"I would make sure you and Aaron were financially secure. A child should have a mother and a father." Henry had continued as he waited for her answer.

'A child.'

The thought stuck in her head and she couldn't get rid of it.

"We won't have to sleep together. There's a clinic we can use to do the.... well you know... and then implant the fertilised egg." Concerned about the lengthy silence Henry started to babble nervously, "But if you don't want to I... I'll understand."

"Ok, I'll.... I'll do it." Almost as a reflex she had blurted out her reply.

For the next few seconds, they simply looked at each other, the enormity of what they had just agreed to do dawning on them.

"But.... but not a laboratory. That seems to.... to cold, too distant." She had added after a second.

Henry Thornton had looked at her in utter surprise, "Madeline I'm almost old enough to be your grandfather."

"I don't care. I want this baby to be conceived naturally."

"You're sure? Don't you want time to think about this?'"

Maddi had shaken her head sending her pony tail swaying to and fro behind her, "No, I'm certain. I'll come off the pill and talk to Aaron but I want to do it."

"I don't know what to say.... I'm...."

They looked into each other's eyes and that was when it happened.

Neither of them took the lead, it was as if they made the decision simultaneously to kiss, and their lips met.

Surrendering to her emotions Madeline's arms slipped around his neck as he pulled her up against him, his hand sliding up to cup her breast through the material of her blouse.

"Maddi we.... we shouldn't."

Suddenly realising what they were doing Henry let go of her and moved back so there was a space between them.

"It's ok, I want to.... I want to be with you tonight. Even if we don't do anything."

It wasn't that she didn't love her husband, she did.

She fully appreciated that she was married and what she was agreeing to was breaking her wedding vows but she loved Henry. Not like she loved Aaron, more like a very good and trusted best friend.

It didn't matter to her that he was over thirty years older than her. He was dying and she alone could grant him this final wish.

Stripping down to her underwear she had removed her stockings and slid into bed alongside her boss, slipping her arms around him and holding him against her.

"Everything will be alright Henry. I'll be here with you every step of the way."

"I know you will, but do you really think you should be in my bed?"

She wouldn't be swayed though and had insisted on staying with him for the night despite his protests, holding him as they slept before going back to her own room the following morning to shower and prepare for the day.

Over the next few weeks, she hid her guilty secret from her husband as she planned her impregnation with Henry. Arguing over his generous proposed financial reparation, before they finally confronted Aaron at the dinner he arranged.

Now, with his outburst in the restaurant, she could feel their plan falling apart. She had expected her husband to react badly but she had been certain, that over time she would be able to talk him round.

Now, however, she wasn't quite so positive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you sure you'll be ok?" Henry asked again, a worried look on his face, as he pulled over outside her apartment block.

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

Leaning across she kissed him on the cheek before sliding out of the car.

"You'll let me know what happens?"

"Don't worry about me, I'll phone you sometime tomorrow. After we've had an opportunity to talk."

"Goodnight then Madeline."

"Goodnight Henry."

"Wish me luck." She murmured quietly to herself, standing and watching his tail lights disappearing in the distance before heading towards the buildings entrance.

Taking a deep breath, she typed in the entry code, stepping through into the lobby when the door swung open, still anxious she got into the lift and pressed the button for the third floor.

The flat was dark and quiet when she opened her front door and Maddi realised her husband had gone to bed rather than wait to see if she came home.

Getting undressed in the bathroom she didn't bother keeping her stockings and lingerie on, it was clear that the way things were between them they weren't going to be having sex. Angrily dumping everything in the laundry basket she slid into the bed, remaining on her side, well away from Aaron's cold, silent form.

Staring into the darkness, the tears silently trickling down her cheeks, she waited for sleep to take her.

Maddi was alone when she woke up the following morning with no sign of her husband apart from the rumpled sheets next to her. Stretching she took a deep breath knowing what she faced when she got up and slipped out of bed. Putting on her usual morning attire, a long t-shirt and panties, she visited the bathroom and then tentatively made her way through to the kitchen.

Hoping Aaron hadn't gone out she was relieved to see her husband sitting at the counter, staring out of the window, a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Can I have one?"

He didn't look round, "If you want. There's some already brewed."

Pouring herself a mug Madeline kept glancing towards him her heart plunging as he blatantly ignored her.

"Aaron, can we talk please?" Sliding up onto a stool next to him she asked quietly.

Slowly he turned to face her and her stomach lurched as she saw the hurt and confusion in his eyes.

"Unless you're going to tell me that you're prepared to drop this stupid scheme of yours and that you're willing to try to save what's left of our marriage I'm not interested."

"Please, I need to explain and.... "

"There's nothing to explain. You intend to give that old fart a child to get you everything you've ever wanted. Isn't that about the truth of it?"

"Everything we've ever wanted. We'll be set up for life and you can do what you've always dreamed of and start up your own consultancy and.... and we'll have a child."

"You'll have a child." Aaron snorted derisively, "I don't remember the bit about where I said I wanted to raise another man's bastard."

"Henry's dying. He won't be around. To all intents and purposes, you'll be the baby's father."

"If you think that you're fucking delusional Maddi."

"Please.... I want a child, you know that."

"I'm well aware that I'm not enough of a man to give you what you want."

Downing the last of his coffee Aaron slammed the mug down onto the counter and got up.

"I'm going to the gym. I don't know what time I'll be back."

"Please Aaron, can't we...."

"No, we fucking can't."

She never got to finish her sentence as he cut her off, picking up a holdall and stomping out of the apartment, leaving her sitting alone with tears once again trailing down her cheeks.

The rest of the weekend was no better, the frosty atmosphere persisted and whenever Madeline tried to talk to her husband she got little response.

By Sunday she was desperate and sitting down next to him on the couch she turned off the TV and put the remote control aside.

"I was watching that."

Sighing she took hold of his face and turned it towards her, "We have to talk. We can't carry on like this."

"About? Unless you've decided to give up the idea of having Henry's baby then we have nothing left to say."

"Please, just listen to me. Please."

"Fine."

Madeline took a deep breath, trying to compose herself as best she could, before she began.

"Henry's going to die."

"That's sad but...."

"Let me finish please Aaron."

He closed his mouth and sat back, waiting.

"Henry's dying and he has no one. There's no one to inherit his house, company, money or whatever. I'm the closest thing to family he's had since his wife died.

"I never knew my father and my mother was a waste of time so, other than you, I've never had anyone in my life until I took this job. Henry has been my friend, mentor..."

"And lover." Aaron couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"We've never had sex. I keep telling you that."

"Whatever." Her husband snapped back at her.

"I need to do this for him, for us. He has a special place in my heart and I want to grant him this final wish."

"Even at the expense of our marriage?"

"The choice is yours Aaron. We both want children and you could think about being able to start your own business instead of working for someone else. We'll have the life we always wanted."

"Don't you mean the life that you always wanted?" His sarcastic retort came back.

"Please Aaron, think about it."

He shook his head, "I already have. If you intend going through with this foolishness then I suggest you fuck off to your boyfriend."

Maddi stared at him disbelievingly, unable to comprehend the fact he was effectively ending their marriage.

"Is.... is that what you want?"

"Yeah. So, I guess it's time you made up your mind."

Numb Madeline stood up, tears filling her eyes, and turned towards the bedroom.

"I.... I need to.... to do this. Please understand Aaron."

"I guess that's it then." Turning the TV on he went back to watching the screen, ignoring her.

Miserably Maddi did the only thing she could think of and, still crying unhappily, packed two suitcases with everything she would need for a few days; clothes, toiletries, cosmetics and a few other items.

"I love you Aaron, no matter what you think of me."

Standing by the door she made one last plea to her husband as her heart broke into pieces.

"If you really do then you'll give up this outlandish idea and quit your job so we can try to save what's left of our relationship."

Turning to look at her he replied impersonally.

"I.... I can't, I need to do this for him and.... for me."

"Then there really is nothing more to be said. Goodbye Madeline."

Staring at him she froze at the coldness of his words, "So, that's it? You're going to end us just like that?"

"Just like that."

Dragging her bags and sobbing desperately she closed the door behind her, walking away from the man she loved. She knew she could simply give up her promise to Henry Thornton and stay but Maddi knew she would end up hating herself and her husband if she did.

Taking the elevator down to the ground floor she struggled to get her bags out to her car, loading them into the boot before setting off for the only place she could think of going.