She scowls and pulls away.
“Let’s sit…please,” I beg some more. Why stop now?
She rolls her eyes but then sits, giving a sigh. “So, did you have a similar arrangement with your last PA?”
I laugh. I can’t help it. “What, with Janet?” I shake my head. I sit too, only I don’t go around my desk. I stay on her side.
“Come on now. Be honest. You probably had her sign an NDA too. That’s why you feel you don’t have to tell me. Is it convenient when you go on business trips?”
“Janet turns fifty-nine next month. Don’t get me wrong, I think older women can be sexy…but…no, I didn’t have any kind of a sexual relationship with Janet. Besides, she’s happily married.”
“Okay, fine. Then what about your PA before Janet?”
“Janet worked for me for eight years. I had a man before that. I’m not that way inclined.” I shake my head. “Even if I was, I wouldn’t have gone there. I told you that you’re the first employee I’ve approached with something like this. Can you tell me what made you so angry…please?” I don’t think I’ve said ‘please’ so many times in my life.
“For starters…” She pulls the contract out of the envelope and flips the pages. I can see she knows exactly where she’s going. She stops and points. I see that the clause has a star next to it. “This clause. You offer me a weekly allowance on top of my salary.” Her chest heaves.
“What’s wrong with that? You may need extra money.” I know she does. Miss Shaw sent me a text over the weekend, mentioning that her parents’ bakery is facing stiffer competition than she ever realized. Getting Buns back on track is going to mean investing in the business in a big way. It’s money they don’t have. I want to help.
“Of course, I’ll need extra money.” I think she’s being sarcastic. “I might want to buy sexy lingerie and wax my… I’m going to assume you like things bare and covered in lace. Only manicured nails are good enough to scratch your back.”
“I prefer naked to lingerie, although there’s nothing wrong with sexy underwear. And, no, a Brazilian isn’t necessary. I’d be happy with whatever makes you feel most comfortable.”
“Oh yeah, right…I’m supposed to believe that.” She looks at me with narrowed eyes. “If I’m all bushy down there, you’d be just fine with that?”
“Yes. I honestly don’t mind. You can wear granny panties and sport the Amazon fucking forest for all I care. As long as you let me fuck your forest, I’ll be a happy man.”
Again, her nostrils flare. With annoyance? Arousal? I’d say both. “Why specify what you want me to use my ‘allowance’ on, then?” She makes air quotes when she says ‘allowance’.
“I didn’t.” I frown hard and pull the contract closer so that I can take a look. “Fuck,” I say under my breath. “My lawyer must have decided to add this in.” I didn’t check the final NDA. I went over the original draft, he gave me on Saturday, and outlined all the changes to the finest detail. I pay him big bucks, but I guess it was wrong of me to assume he would follow my instructions to the letter. I don’t have time to check on my staff. There aren’t enough hours in the day. I have to trust them to do as I say. It’s as simple as that. Fuck!
“Oh…how convenient. Hold your poor lawyer accountable, why don’t you?”
I don’t blame Miss Shaw for thinking along these lines. “It’s true. I only wanted a clause offering an allowance. We will be going to dinners, and yes, I thought some spa treatments wouldn’t go amiss…along with anything else you wanted to use the money for.” Like the bakery, which was my main intention. Only, I know Miss Shaw won’t accept straight cash.
She narrows her eyes. “Like waxing and nails.”
“I don’t give a fuck about waxing and nails. I’ll remove the clause in its entirety if it will make you feel more comfortable. I would prefer it if you got the allowance, though, but it’s up to you.”
“Don’t bother. I’m not signing.”
“That tells me that there are other aspects to this,” I touch the document, “that don’t sit right with you.”
“That’s an understatement. You want a sexual relationship with me for as long as it’s convenient for you, and when you’re done with me, you want me to resign. That much is as clear as day. I would then collect a payout equaling two years of work, minus however many months I end up working for you as your sex-slave. Is that right?”
“No,” I shake my head, “it’s not like that at all. You’re misinterpreting it. I’m trying to protect you, Miss Shaw. I assure you of that.”
“That’s not how it looks from where I’m sitting. Firstly, paying me that much money would feel…wrong. You would ultimately be paying me for sex.”
Oh, fuck! I didn’t think she’d see it like that. I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment or two. “It’s not like that. I would not be paying you for sex. Nor do I ever wish to pay someone for sex. I snap my fingers, and women flock to me. Why would I—”
“Arrogant as anything,” she mutters.
I bite back a smile. “I wasn’t being arrogant. I was stating facts.”
“Same thing.” She doesn’t look happy at all.
“The reason I included that clause was not to pay you for sexual favors but because I want you to feel safe. I want you to know that your job is not in jeopardy. Your future is secure. I hope you stay on once we mutually decide to end things sexually. I mean…” I shrug. “All I’m saying is, if at any time you felt like you couldn’t work for Zeus Group – for me – anymore, that you would be financially secure. I don’t want you to turn this down out of fear for your future. It would ultimately be your decision. You would be in a position to choose. I told you I wanted you in the driver’s seat, and I meant it.”
She blinks a few times. “When you put it like that…”
“That’s all it is. I swear. If you want me to change the wording to make it clearer, I can have my lawyer do that…no problem.”
I see her pulling in a breath, preparing to argue.
“I won’t take the clause out, though, Miss Shaw. You need this job. I won’t fuck that up for you. Don’t be hardheaded about something as important as your financial wellbeing.”
“This feels too much like a business transaction. I’m not one of your stocks or commodities. I’m a person.”
“I know that. I don’t see you as a commodity. This isn’t a business transaction. I don’t want to pay you for sex. I—”
“It’s the last clause that’s completely unacceptable, and quite frankly, I expected more from you.” She swallows thickly, looking hurt. “Then again, I don’t know you. My body is…my body is mine, and mine alone. I get to decide about anything to do with it. I can’t—”
I’m paging through the document while she is talking. I hit the last page. “Holy fuck!” I snarl.
Miss Shaw looks taken aback at my outburst.
“I didn’t ask for this to be in here.” I have to work to keep my voice even. I want to break something. I hear my teeth grind.
“Right, and I’m expected to believe that.” She shakes her head, looking disappointed.
“I would never!” I snap. “Never ask for something like this to be included. Not a fuck!”
I pull my phone out of my inside breast pocket. I see three missed calls from Lyre and several messages. I will deal with him later. “I’ll call my lawyer right now,” I say. “I’ll put the call onto speaker. I didn’t ask for that clause at all. It was never in the original document. I also never asked for changes to the allowance clause. I’m going to call him and I want you to hear this. Is that okay?”
She nods once.
I push to dial him and put the phone onto speaker. Then I hold the phone out towards her so that she will hear everything. A dialing tone sounds. It doesn’t take long, and he answers.
“Bolt, hi. Is there something I can help you with? Did your PA sign the agreement? If not, I really think we need to remove the clause—”
“You changed a cl
ause,” I say before he can go on. “You added to the one concerning her weekly allowance.”
He takes a deep breath. “I thought it would be important to specify what types of items she could spend the cash on. It’s a lot of money. If you’re going to give an allowance, then—”
“Also,” I interrupt him, “you added a clause. The last one.”
“Yes…definitely. You don’t want any illegitimate children running around.”
“There are clauses in the agreement pertaining to birth control and precautions. It was already covered.”
“There are always risks of unwanted pregnancy, Bolt. Don’t be naïve here.”
“You added a clause stipulating that Miss Shaw will have an abortion should she accidentally become pregnant with my child.”
I see her chew on her bottom lip.
“Absolutely, back to my original—”
“Adrian!” I growl. “You didn’t feel the need to run this by me first?”
“I know that in the standard NDA for the women you date, there is a clause pertaining to birth control and preventative measures.” There’s a part of me that wants to cut him off. I don’t want Miss Shaw to hear all of this, but it’s too late. Besides, I never lied. I’ve told her that I always have women I date sign an NDA. I never wanted her privy to the particulars, however. “You’re always very precise in your outline when it comes to birth control. You expect that these women should be on some form of contraception and that there will be no sex without a condom.”
“We put the same clause into this contract,” I point out.
“Yes, but this contract goes into greater detail about everything else. I assumed you would want something a little more comprehensive in this case, since the whole agreement—”
“You assumed.” I’m fuming.
“Yes…I—”
“You’re fired, Adrian.”
“You can’t be serious! I was looking out for your interests. I was—”
“How many times have you done this? You handle all my legal documents. I should be able to give you a directive and have you follow it to the letter. To the fucking letter and every time. How often have you done this?” I will have to have someone else go through every document this bozo ever handled for Zeus Group. Thankfully, I use several lawyers, not just Adrian.
“No, never I—” he splutters.
“I can’t trust you, and therefore you’re out.”
He starts to say something, but I put the phone down. Fuck him! I put the device back in my pocket. I expect it’s going to blow up with more calls from both his firm and Lyre, and I’m busy right now. “I didn’t ask for that clause. I would never make anyone abort a child. I would never tell a woman what to do with her own body, and that includes waxing. You need to know that. I don’t want to buy sex from you, and I don’t think you’re a commodity. You’re an intelligent, attractive woman. I don’t know anyone else quite like you. This could work very well for both of us. I’ll appoint another lawyer, as a matter of urgency, and we can fix the contract. If there are other clauses you don’t agree with, we’ll discuss them. Think about it. Take a couple of days before—”
“I don’t have to think about it.” She shakes her head, looking…disappointed. Is she still angry with me? Fuck! I don’t think I’m going to like what she has to say. “I can’t accept. Thank you for the offer, but it’s not going to work for me. I was sure I was walking in here to resign today, but based on our discussion, I would very much like to stay.” She looks away, telling me that she probably wouldn’t have resigned, but that’s okay. “I can’t accept, though. I hope you understand.”
“Why not?”
“I just can’t. Let’s please leave it at that.” She stands. “I’m flattered, but no.”
I want to push her, but now is not the time. I’ll give her a chance to think about things, to calm down. Then I’ll approach her again. I’m not giving up. I’m patient and tenacious. She’s disappointed, which means there’s a part of her that wants this. I need this. I need her. I’ve been much better since she’s come into my life. She can be my cure. I know it like I know my own name.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” she says. I watch as Miss Shaw walks carefully to the door. She takes hold of the handle and then turns back. Her cheeks are pink. “You might want to give the cupcakes a skip.” She makes a face.
I laugh. This woman. “Did you poison my cupcakes, Miss Shaw?”
She half-smiles. “I was tempted to, but no. I’m just not sure they’ll be to your taste. They’re…they’re… Just don’t eat them.” She turns, her eyes on the box on my desk.
I can see she wants to fetch them, but she just might fall if she does. “Forget the cupcakes, Miss Shaw. You should go and sit down. Don’t hurt yourself.” I have my eyes on her heels for a moment, before looking up at her.
“You’re right.” She widens her eyes. “I love these shoes. I’m going to learn to walk in them, even if it kills me.”
“They just might.”
She smiles. It makes me feel good inside. It feels like maybe we can go back to how we were. I watch as Miss Shaw slowly walks out of my office and closes the door behind her. Then I pull the box over to me and open it. I take out a cupcake. It looks good. Both the cake and the frosting are scarlet. The frosting is a bright, fire-engine red. There are sprinkles on top in all the colors of the rainbow. I notice that they’re bigger than normal sprinkles. I give the cake a sniff.
It smells sweet and… I pick up something more there. I’m sure I know what’s in this. I smile and shake my head. Then I take a bite. Not a small one either. I dig in. A fucking explosion goes off in my mouth. I choke out a laugh. Miss Shaw is like no one I have ever met before.
22
The next day…
Ashley
“Here you go.” Candice puts a big glass of white wine down in front of me.
“Thank you.” I try to sound bright and breezy, like my normal self, but I fail.
Candice doesn’t seem to notice. “Dinner will be ready soon.” She looks at her watch.
She lives in an open plan apartment. I look over at her stove and see no pots and pans. Her oven is cold and dark.
“Is everything in the refrigerator waiting to be heated back up?” I know better, but I ask anyway. I like messing with her.
Candice gives me a mock dirty look. “You don’t want me cooking for you. I’m inclined to burn water. You know this! Even the most simple and mundane culinary tasks are beyond my grasp. I ordered in from the Indian takeout down the road. I did you a favor.”
“Sounds delicious.”
“We have some time.” She raises her brows and takes a sip of her wine. “So…” she begins.
“So…” I also take a sip of my wine, hoping she doesn’t try to delve too deeply into my new job. Into how things are going with my new boss.
“What is it like working for S.W Bolt. Is he wicked?” she giggles, taking another mouthful of wine.
Candice has no idea. “Not really. He’s pretty normal. You were right, I’ve gotten to know him a bit, and…he’s not my type at all,” I lie through my teeth.
Her eyebrows shoot up so quickly it’s actually funny. “What?” she pushes out. “That man is everyone’s type. He’s…he’s gorgeous to the point of it being obscene.”
“He’s also really arrogant.”
“Arrogant guys are the best in bed.”
I almost swallow my own tongue. I take a sip of wine instead. “Where did you hear that?” I ask.
“They just are. Guys like him are good at everything. Every…single…thing.”
I don’t need to hear this, but I can’t tell her to stop because that would give away the fact that I do actually find him attractive. I keep my mouth shut and listen when she goes on. “Anyway, I’m sure he’s had a ton of lovers. Practice makes perfect.”
Lovers.
Huh!
More like bed partners.
Hook-ups.
; Dates – and I use the term really loosely. Bolt has sexual relationships, not real relationships. He makes all of us – yes, I would become part of a group – sign contracts. I’m supposed to feel special because I get my very own NDA, specific to us. No thanks! “Yeah, I suppose…women do love him,” I say.
“Oh, tell me more! Have you seen any…women? Is he seeing someone? Come on, spill.”
I give her a sidelong glance. “He’s my boss, Candice. It would be wrong of me to talk about things like that.”
“It’s me…your best friend. I wouldn’t tell anyone.” I know if I told her everything and begged her not to divulge that she wouldn’t, but I can’t do it. It doesn’t feel right. Nothing to do with that ‘standard’ NDA I already signed.
“There hasn’t been anyone.” I shake my head. “Nothing to tell. It’s been all work, work, work. My initial impression was based on the pics of him we saw with different women.” Yeah, thinking about it makes me feel…irritated. It’s not jealousy. I wouldn’t feel jealous about Bolt’s past. That would be stupid. Also, I hardly know him. Irritation is a rational emotion after everything that’s happened.
“Really? No tidbits of information at all?” She makes a face. “That’s boring.”
“It is.” I nod.
Boring?
Huh!
Bolt couldn’t be boring if he tried. The worst part is that I am still attracted to him. I believed him when he explained his reasons behind the allowance and the cash offer should I choose to resign. I still couldn’t do it. Especially after his sleazebag lawyer mentioned other NDAs. Contracts that other women had signed, pertaining to birth control and condoms. It just brought home to me how I’m just a number. A notch on his belt. When he’s done with me, I’d be put to the side and that would be the end of that. I’m not sure I could keep my feelings separate if I were to have a physical relationship with him.
“You’re enjoying your job, though?”
“Yes.” I nod. “I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would. It’s going to take me a while to get the hang of it. I’m going to be in New York end of next week.”
Lord of Rain (The Dragon Demigods Book 5) Page 18