On Her Terms (The Arrangement Duet Book 2)

by Madison Quinn

  “We could come back, you know, or we can go someplace different… anywhere you want.”

  I don’t say anything—it’s hard to think about the possibility of only having these two years together. Instead, I reach up and kiss him, closing my eyes so he can’t see the worry in them, as I desperately try to clear my head. Once again, I force my mind to focus on the present: on how Nicholas’s body feels pressed up against mine, how his lips feel against mine, how his hands feel as he rubs my back.

  “If we don’t stop, we’ll never get on the plane,” Nicholas whispers in heavy breaths as he pulls away.

  We meet Julie and Carter at the dock and the four of us board the small plane to head to the main island. Julie and I immediately start talking about all the different things we’ve done on the trip, while the guys talk about business and security issues after boarding the jet.

  “Everything okay?” I ask as Nicholas returns to the seat.

  “It seems the press has been camped out in front of Accord Towers and PFS nearly all week—the police have had to remove several of them already.”

  “You said it would probably get a little crazier when we got back.”

  “I just wished they would leave me the fuck alone already. I don’t understand why they’re so fascinated with me.”

  “Like you said, right now, they probably just want to get the first picture of you as a married man. Hopefully in a week or two things will die down.”

  “It better.”

  “I think I’m going to try to meet with Ginny this week,” I change the subject, hoping it will put Nicholas in a better mood.

  “The press doesn’t know that you own the bakery yet. My legal department was able to keep that information from the press, although I suspect eventually someone will dig and figure it out.”

  “I’ll probably meet with her once it closes for the day, this way we won’t have to worry about customers alerting anyone that I’m there.”

  “That’s a good idea. You can also use space at PFS, if you would rather meet there.”

  “I think it’s best if we meet at the bakery so we can go over everything. But, if your offer still stands, I’d like to meet with your financial guy to discuss the books. I really don’t want to continue doing everything by hand.”

  “Of course, I’ll have Melody set something up later this week,” he quickly types away on his phone without waiting for my response.

  “Thank you, Nicholas, I appreciate it. I’m just so worried about screwing something up. I mean, I know all the recipes by heart, so that part doesn’t worry me. But payroll, taxes, paying vendors… that’s something I’ve never done.”

  “Ginny outsources her payroll to a local company. All you need to do is send them an excel file of how many hours each employee worked, and they take care of the rest. They take out the necessary taxes and send them where they need to go. They mail out the check or deposit the money directly into the employee’s bank account. She pays all her vendors directly, but many of them have online bill paying options available; personally, I prefer those since you don’t have to wait for checks to be cleared.”

  “How do you know all this?”

  “I told you, I had to make sure the business was successful before buying it. I wouldn’t set you up to fail like that.”

  “Thank you, Nicholas. It’s still so hard to believe that the bakery is really mine. There are so many things I always said I would change, if given the chance, and now I finally have that chance.”

  “What is the first thing you would change?”

  “The website—Ginny just has a basic one that looks like a high school kid designed it. I want something modern, but elegant looking. I want it to allow businesses to place orders online for meetings rather than having them call and risk the order being messed up.”

  “That’s definitely a plus. I know Melody would prefer to order our meals online when possible.”

  We spend the next couple of hours discussing business strategies: with some pushing, he finally shares some of the things he would change if he were managing it. By the time we finish talking, I have begun to formulate a list of different things that I want to jump into after I meet with Ginny. The best part is that many of the things I want to do, don’t require me to be physically present at the bakery, hopefully keeping the press away from it. As much as I love interacting with the customers, I know at least for the foreseeable future that won’t be possible. I don’t want to risk losing customers because the press is hounding them the way they were when it was first revealed that I was “dating” Nicholas. Instead, I think I’ll talk to Ginny about staffing and handle most of the business from her office or from Accord Towers. Hopefully, once things die down with the press, I can get back in front of the counter, but I know that might not be possible while I’m married.

  “I’ve asked Carter to look at the security of the bakery itself when we get back,” Nicholas says. “I’m sure the system will need to be upgraded, but Carter will arrange to have people there when the bakery is closed, as to not disrupt business. Additionally, you should probably consider completing background checks on any new employees.”

  “What about existing ones?”

  “PFS already ran background checks on the current employees, and while we were gone each of them were asked to sign an NDA.”

  “They were?”

  “I asked Alex to work with Ginny on having it completed. It’s for your own protection: the last thing you want is for an employee to talk to the press and start selling stories about you. People can get greedy when offered money, they might even start making shit up about you just to get more money. The NDA prevents them from doing that.”

  “Oh, I hadn’t thought about that.”

  “Hunter will remain assigned to you for security, but Ben is on standby in case it is determined that you need two people with you.”

  “I’m sure—”

  “With the press eager to get pictures, I don’t want to risk anything.”

  “That makes sense.”

  He goes back to checking his email and looking at spreadsheets, while I read a book that was packed in the overnight bag. Dinner is served on the plane, which tastes like something you would get from a restaurant rather than airline food.

  “I think I’m going to take a nap before we land,” I say.

  “Actually, I was just thinking the same thing,” Nicholas yawns and closes his laptop.

  As we walk back to the bedroom of the plane, I can’t help but think how much has changed since we were in here only a week ago. It was only a week ago that Nicholas reluctantly shared this bed with me, worried that he would hurt me during a nightmare. Now there’s no worry—I still don’t understand why, but he says I keep his nightmares away. Neither of us have mentioned what will happen when we get back to New York, but I hope this part doesn’t change. I don’t know that I can go back to sleeping alone again.

  “We have a few hours before the flight crew will notify us that we need to return to our seats to land,” Nicholas slides into bed next to me and pulls the covers over us.

  “I had a really nice time in Fiji, thank you again for planning this trip,” I kiss him gently on his lips, intending it as a simple thank you kiss. However, when his arms tighten around me and his tongue slides across my lips, I know that he is thinking otherwise. My body softens around his as he holds me against him. A moan escapes when I feel him hardening between us; he gently rubs himself against my sex, letting me feel how much he wants me.

  “I need you,” he whispers against my lips.

  “What about…?” I look at the closed door.

  “They know better than to come in, besides the room is sound proof,” he smirks.

  “It is? Really?”

  “When I had the jet redone, I added sound proofing, not only to let anyone in here sleep more comfortably but also so business could be conducted in privacy.”

  “Are you sure?” I feel nervous knowing Carter and Julie are j
ust on the other side of the door.

  “Positive, but even if the room weren’t sound proof, trust me they wouldn’t dare come in.”

  “Still…”

  “Shhhh.”

  His mouth is against mine, instantly preventing me from arguing with him further, not that there was much of an argument left. My shirt and bra quickly come off, tossed somewhere off the side of the bed. I groan the moment his lips find my nipple, he sucks hard on it, every so often, nipping at it with his teeth. With so much of my focus on what his mouth is doing, I somehow missed him sliding the rest of my clothing off. Suddenly, I’m lying naked in the center of this large bed with a fully clothed gorgeous man leaning over me. I feel the heat rise to my face as I watch his eyes roam over my entire body.

  “I’ll never get tired of looking at you,” he whispers before kissing me hard, preventing me from responding.

  Not wanting to be the only one undressed, I reach between us and unbutton his shorts. He groans against my lips when I push his shorts down to his knees and grasp his erection. Pulling away from me briefly, he pulls off his shirt and grabs a condom out of the pocket of his shorts. He quickly places it over his erection before lying between my legs.

  “Kenzie…”

  Nicholas’s eyes ask the unspoken question, something I really appreciate: he doesn’t assume this is what I want, but instead he asks. I carefully reach between, not wanting to accidently touch his chest, grasp his erection and place him at my entrance as an answer to his question. I wrap my legs around his thighs and slowly push myself against him. His eyes are on me as he wraps an arm under my waist and pushes himself even deeper into me.

  “You feel… fuck…” he moans in my ear.

  He starts off slowly moving in and out of me, but quickly it changes and he thrusts harder and faster into me sending me closer and closer to the edge each time. His lips crush hard against mine; his tongue mimics his erection, plunging in and out of my mouth. He swallows my screams when I finally fall over the edge and holds me against him, slowly moving within me as he lets my body come down from the orgasm.

  He kisses me one last time before slowly pulling out of me; I moan at the sudden empty feeling. He quickly encourages me to change positions. Once I’m on my stomach, he lifts me to my knees before leaning over me. I can feel him, hard and ready against my sex, but rather than sinking back in, he teases me by rubbing himself through my folds. He teases my nipples, as he sucks on my neck.

  “So good,” he finally slowly slides into me.

  “Nicholas,” I gasp when his fingers slide down to my clit, applying the slightest pressure.

  “Fuck, Kenzie…” he hisses in my ear before his movements begin to quicken.

  His breathing is heavy against me and I can feel the heat coming from his body—I can tell he’s holding back for me. Making love with Nicholas is so different than anything I’ve ever experienced. With him, he didn’t care if I was satisfied: the few times we tried to have sex it was all about him trying to find his own release. With Nicholas, even before our first time together last night, he always made sure I was satisfied. It’s one of the things about him that I—

  “Oh GOD!”

  He flicks my clit and immediately I erupt around him. My body trembles from the force of the orgasm; my arms give out, no longer able to hold up my body. He grips my hips, holding me against him as he continues to move in and out of my body, harder and faster than before.

  “Kenzie,” Nicholas gasps before thrusting deeper into me at the same time that I push myself against him. His arms move up to my chest and he pulls me up against him; I’m sort of sitting on his lap while straddling his thighs. My arms go behind me, to around his neck as he grasps my breasts. He groans the moment I start moving against him. The position is awkward and doesn’t give me much room to move, but judging by the sounds coming from him, he seems to enjoy it anyway. My head drops to his shoulder when his fingers start teasing my clit again.

  “Nicholas…” within moments I find myself right back on the edge; the need begins to completely take over as I move faster against Nicholas.

  “Come with me, baby,” he whispers and thrusts himself deeply into me.

  And I do… with his arm wrapped around me for support, we both find our release together. We collapse on the bed moments later, both of us breathing heavy. He quickly disposes of the condom before pulling the blankets over us and sliding his arm under my pillow. I take his hand and roll over so my back is against his chest. Wrapped in his arms, I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.

  “Mr. Parker, Mrs. Parker, it’s time to return to your seats for landing,” Carter’s voice pulls me from my deep sleep what feels like only minutes later.

  “We’ll be out in a minute,” Nicholas groans.

  “I feel like I barely slept,” I sit up, stretching, and then immediately blush when I realize the blanket is no longer on me.

  “Me too.”

  He gets out of bed first, quickly finding my clothes before getting himself dressed. I throw my messy hair into a ponytail before heading out to the main room. Julie is sleeping in a reclined chair while Carter sits next to her.

  “Hunter is at the airport?” Nicholas asks.

  “Yes, he will meet us at customs—Ben is remaining with the car,” he confirms.

  “Good, any concerns about the press?”

  “Not yet. It’s late so there is only a couple outside of Accord Towers right now. I expect once someone spots the SUV pulling into the garage that will change, though. But at least by then we will be inside so it won’t be an issue until we need to leave again.”

  “Right.”

  A short time later we land back in New York and are thankfully rushed through customs—I guess arriving on a private jet means you don’t have to wait in lines with everyone else. As expected, Hunter is waiting outside of customs for us and quickly escorts us to the SUV. Thankfully, there is no sign of the press at the airport, I kind of half expected them to suddenly appear after all the talk on the way here. As we approach Accord Towers, though, I see several people standing outside, including one holding a camera. They immediately rush toward the garage entrance when they notice us pulling in. Ben is able to quickly swipe the access card to get us into the parking garage before the press can reach out car. Nicholas lets out a sigh of relief as soon as we enter the garage, knowing that at least for now they can’t get to us.

  “Julie, Carter, I don’t expect to need either of you tomorrow. Please take the day off,” Nicholas says as we get off the elevator.

  “Are you sure, Mr. Parker? I’d be more than happy to prepare something—”

  “We’ll be fine, take the day. I’ll see you Monday morning.”

  “If your schedule changes, sir—”

  “I’ll notify you.”

  Nicholas takes my hand and leads me through the apartment to his bedroom, closing the door behind us. Without saying a word, he simply pulls back the covers so we both can get into bed. I kick off my shoes and slide into bed. I take a deep breath, loving how the bed smells exactly like Nicholas. He turns off of the light before slipping into bed next to me, pulling me closer to him.

  “Good night, Kenzie.”

  Chapter 23

  Kenzie

  I wake up to an empty bed—Nicholas’s side of the bed is cool, so I guess he has been up for a while. A quick glance at the clock next to his bed confirms why: it’s well after eleven in the morning, the latest I think I’ve ever slept. I quickly get out of bed and wash up in the bathroom. Wanting to get out of the clothes I’ve been wearing for more than twenty-four straight hours, I head into the closet where I find an NYU T-shirt and a pair of his boxer briefs to throw on. Not the most attractive outfits, but it will have to do until I go upstairs to my clothes. Walking out of the bedroom, I realize the apartment is silent… like so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. For a brief moment, I consider that perhaps he went somewhere, but when I reach the kitchen I find him… cursing at the stove a
s he tosses a pan into the sink.

  “Everything okay?” I ask, desperately trying to hold back the laugh.

  “Stupid, fucking stove!”

  “What’s wrong with it?”

  “It either burns something or doesn’t cook it at all! It must have fucking broke when we were gone.”

  “What are you trying to cook?”

  “Eggs.”

  “Why don’t you let me try and see if I can get it to work?”

  “Don’t bother, I’ll get Carter to order another one. Clearly this one is a piece of shit!”

  “Let’s at least see if I can get us some breakfast made since Julie is off today.”

  “Fuck, I forgot.”

  “Do you have any vegetables? I can make an omelet quick if you want.”

  “I’m sure there’s probably some in here. I think Julie was supposed to have groceries delivered before we came home,” he pokes his head in the fridge while I try to find a pan that doesn’t have burnt eggs on it. I manage to find two clean frying pans just as he places a bunch of vegetables on the island. He looks from them to me, obviously not having any idea what to do next.

  “You don’t cook much do you?”

  “Not if I can help it,” he chuckles. “Julie always leaves frozen meals for me to eat on the weekends, usually I skip breakfast or just have a bowl of cereal. Obviously, I should stick to that rather than trying to cook.”

  “Can you chop up those vegetables? I’ll start getting the pans hot—”

  “Not sure why you’re bothering, I told you the stove is a piece of shit!”

  “I’ll tell you what, if the omelets turn out burnt then I will buy us breakfast somewhere.”

  “Not that I will let you pay, but you have a deal.”

  I shake my head at his idea that I can’t buy him breakfast—it’s one of the things I struggle with the most in our new arrangement. I don’t like spending someone else’s money, it makes me feel like I’m taking advantage of them and that I’m relying on them. I’d rather spend my own money and not be indebted to anyone.

  “Is this enough?” Nicholas pulls my attention back to the present.