The Surrogate Ch. 02

They had eaten room service and were both dressed in night attire. Mila wore her usual satin and lace nightie and panties with a sheer robe over and Peter wore silk pyjamas. They were having a nightcap before retiring, the suite had a second bedroom that Mila would use and then make up the bed in the morning so it looked like they had slept together.

"We meet the Reverend Ronald Hayes, his wife Mandy, Brian and Dianne Hislop and Jim and Helen Benson tomorrow at the Sons of Jehovah Supreme Temple."

The Supreme Temple was an ornate, extravagant, marble-clad building that consisted of an enormous church and also accommodated the church's business offices.

"Don't forget that you have met the Hislops and the Bensons when you accompanied me to apply for the position. They are Reverend Hayes closest friends. We had dinner with them right here in this hotel."

Talking like this helped Mila create false memories that she could regurgitate when needed. Luckily the visit had been short and they were the only people Mila's sister had met. Peter told her that her sister had been pretty well grilled by Dianne Hislop and Helen Benson who were obviously feeling her out.

She and Peter rehearsed how they would interact and discussed how they thought the day would develop. It was essentially D-Day, the day that Peter would sign his contract and they would begin to reap the rewards of his new-found position.

They both slept soundly and were picked up after breakfast in a chauffeur-driven limousine and taken to an imposing building surrounded by lawns and gardens. They were driven around to the rear of the Temple and led inside to be met by Reverend Ronald Hayes, Mandy Hayes, Brian and Dianne Hislop and Jim and Helen Benson. The men were dressed in expensive suits and the women wore tailored skirts and dresses, hosiery and heels, heavy on the makeup with perfectly coiffed hair. They were accessorised with jewellery that was obviously expensive and every fingernail on display was painted to match their lipstick.

Mila felt right at home in her navy-blue Armani skirt-and-jacket suit, shiny black Louboutin pumps and Wolford barely-there stockings. The women sized each other up critically as women tend to do and offered air-kisses while the men shook hands. One of the women complimented Mila on her new hairstyle.

They were led into a large reception room and offered coffee by a pretty young woman wearing maid's attire.

"Now you all get to know one and other a little better and play nice while I take Peter into my office for a little while to finalise the legalities," Reverend Ronald Hayes gave the small congregation his winning smile.

Ronald waved at an oak door let into the wall and Peter opened it and stepped inside the large office it gave entrance to. Ronald stepped around Peter and strode to his desk and indicated a hard-backed chair set in front of the impressive desk. This miffed Peter a little as there were two, two-seater couches arranged around a big low-set table and a couple of comfortable leather wing-back chairs along the walls. Peter felt like a schoolboy sitting in front of the Principal.

"Look around Peter," Ronald waved his hand magnanimously around the office.

Everything in the office was expensive and most if was collectible. The paintings on the walls, the books in the bookcase, the statues placed strategically around the room, the décor and furniture all exuded wealth and power.

"Impressive," Peter noticed there were few religious artefacts in the office except for a large leather-bound bible on a plinth that had religious icons carved into it.

Beside it on another plinth was another large ancient tome titled 'The Book of Pairings'.

"You bet it's impressive and being the senior pastor of the Sons of Jehovah I know exactly where every piece came from and how much it's worth.

"I can tell you to within a few hundred K how much our business holdings are worth, our property, our franchises, and our church. I can tell you within a soul or two how big my ministry is."

"I know all this because I need to know all this; knowledge is power as they say," Reverend Ron rested his hands on a large file.

"So the BS stops here Peter."

"I know you are broke. I know that you've been putting on airs and graces for a while now, living on credit. I had your finances fully audited and did an extensive background check on you. You can't rub two nickels together except for the advance I gave you."

"Didn't check too much into your personal life but I dug up enough. The story about you and Mila having marital woes is true. That pretty little wife of yours has been wrapping those long legs of hers around her yoga instructor. She was about to skedaddle with him too I was told, but somehow you managed to reign her in and hold onto her."

"Look. I admire a man who can handle his woman and I don't know if you used corporal means or financial to keep her in line; I hope it was the former, a woman needs a physical reminder now and then so she knows who's the boss."

Peter's heart was in his mouth. For a minute there he thought the Reverend had discovered his ruse.

"What I'm getting at Peter is don't bullshit a bullshitter."

"You are the best at what you do and I need you; but I don't need you that bad that I'm prepared to put my church in jeopardy. You are going to learn things about my church, not just financial things, things that no outsider has ever been privileged to. You toe the line, abide by the rules and stop lying to me and the job is yours."

"If you can't do that we'll put you on a plane and demand our retainer back ok?"

"Agreed Reverend. Mila won't be doing anymore straying and I'll be your loyal employee and abide by the rules of your church," Peter said sagely, breathing a huge sigh of relief.

"This file contains your contract. There is a lot of legal mumbo-jumbo that a lawyer like you will understand but I'll just summarise it as best I can. It says that if you stick to the terms of this contract you are going to be a wealthy man and if you don't you are going to wish you had never been born. Do you believe me?"

Peter nodded.

"Then welcome to the Sons of Jehovah. You sign this contract right now, in front of me and then you bring that pretty bride of yours in here to do the same and we are all good and done. You can read the detail later. Ok?"

Peter stood and offered his hand and Ronald reciprocated. They shook hands over the contract and then Peter signed the last page of the bulky document above his printed name.

The Reverend pressed a button under his desk and the door opened and Mila entered looking confused and bewildered.

Ronald invited them to sit down opposite him on the couch at the big low table, his eyes straying to Mila's thighs when she pulled down her skirt which had ridden up as she sat.

"Nothing for you to worry about Mila. I'm pleased to tell you that your husband has signed a contract with us which has tenured his employment to the Sons of Jehovah for the next two years with an option of two more to follow. We just need you to sign too as his loving spouse and heir to his estate," Ron handed Mila a pen.

The other two couples and Mandy Hayes had entered the office and formed a circle around the Reverend and the Randals.

Mila knew that to ask any of the many of questions that were rattling around inside her head would put the deal in jeopardy so she smiled graciously at her husband and signed above her name.

"That's marvellous. I think you two should seal it with a kiss," The Reverend stretched out his arms in praise.

Peter and Mila stood and Mila leaned in and he kissed her cheek.

"Oh come on now. You're amongst friends, kiss that girl like you mean it," the Reverend chuckled.

Peter took Mila into an embrace. It was the first time he had felt her body against his and he was surprised that she felt so good in his arms. She smelt good too. He could feel her shaking a little and he hoped that the others thought that she was just expressing her profound happiness for her husband.

Peter pressed his lips to hers and Mila knew that to show any form of abhorrence would expose their deceit. She closed her eyes and put her arms around Peter's neck and kissed him deeply, supressing her feelings of revulsion. Mila had felt completely feminine and comfortable when she was intimate with Steven but she didn't feel any affection for Peter, but she was a good actress.

"Ok, enough you two or we'll have to find you a room," the Reverend chuckled.

Peter and Mila released each other, both blushing.

"No need to be embarrassed. Our church condones open displays of affection between married couples. It's good to see commitment between a husband and his wife; nothing below the waist of course," Ronald joked and the assembled couples laughed with him.

Peter and Mila were confused by the pious public façade of the SOJ and the private innuendo.

There was hand shaking and cheek kissing all round and from somewhere a bottle of ice-cold champagne appeared and a toast was made. After the toast Peter and Mila were led outside the opulent building.

Parked at the bottom of imposing marble steps were a brand new BMW sports car and a Mercedes saloon.

"Guess who gets which car?" Ronald crowed.

"You follow Brian and Dianne and they'll take you to your new abode. We'll send your bags over later," the Reverend made a shooing motion and went back inside with his wife and Jim and Helen Benson.

To be continued