Page 78 of Open To Negotiation

I had settled in, my legs tucked up on the chair, my body turned toward Theo and my head resting on his shoulder. He reached over to link his hand with mine, pulling them over the armrest to his lap. I wiggled further into him and found the perfect spot for my head as the lights in the cabin dimmed and I burrowed into his blue sweater that I wore more often than him.

My eyes grew heavy as he placed a kiss on the top of my head. The drone of their voices lulled me into a comfortable sleep.

When I woke up, we were served breakfast before we started our descent. We were landing just after eleven in the morning, giving us some time this afternoon before the event tonight.

I had no idea what the event would be like, but I was going with it because what else could I do at this point.

The guys wanted to show me around today, bring me to the office and their club before we headed to the hotel to get ready. They rented out their apartments when they moved, although they kept one penthouse near the office for someone traveling here, we would be staying in a hotel near the event.

Tomorrow we were going to the game in the morning then we were driving out to Noah’s parents’ place to have dinner and spend the night before coming back to the city for our flight on Monday, leaving later in the day since we went back seven hours on the way home. It would be a busy but exciting three days, and I was more than okay with being tired.

The office was similar to the one in Calgary, the industrial design was warmed up with wood accents and greenery. Except the views of London were stunning, especially on the nice spring day they were having. You could see The Shard nearby, London Bridge, and the Tower of London. I could have kept looking at the view but they moved me along.

We were at the club before opening but the space was maybe double what they had in Calgary and yet they told me there was still a line to get in every weekend. After a quick tour we were back in the car. When we finally pulled up to the hotel, men dressed in suits opened our doors and escorted us to a desk where we were immediately given keys and shuffled into an elevator.

“This is where we’re staying?” I asked as we entered the hotel suite.

I needed to stop being surprised by the luxury that Theo was accustomed to.

As we walked in there was a kitchenette to our right and a circular table with seating for five on our left. The room opened up to a large circular room with a set of bay windows, it was able to hold a couch, two chairs, a TV with built in-storage on either side and a desk. There was a door on the right and left side of the room, both leading to large bedrooms.

Theo didn’t say anything but moved me to the room on the left. He didn’t give me time to gawk at the large bed before he had me in the bathroom. It had white marble covering the floor and walls, a large free-standing tub and a shower big enough for a few people. A garment bag was hanging on the back of one of the doors. The room had good lighting and was larger than my bedroom at home.

“This isn’t the master.” Theo was leaning on the door jamb, watching me do a slow circle of the room. “I have hair and makeup scheduled to be here in a half hour, they’ll help you get ready.”

“You don’t have to do all this, Theo,” I said as I stopped a few feet away from him.

“I know but I wanted to.”

“I can manage my own—” I stopped talking as he pushed off the wall and had his lips on mine quickly.

My hands moved up his chest and locked behind his head. He groaned into me and I pushed my body flush against his. I was just getting lightheaded when he pulled away.

Moving one hand from behind me, he brushed his thumb along my cheek softly. The gesture was so tender.

Everything he did made me feel treasured.

“If you keep pressing against me like that, you won’t be ready when people get here. No one gets to see that but me. Plus, I wanted to explain something to you.”

I smirked at him and pushed back a little so I wasn’t flush against his body. “Just for the record, you started that.”

“I’m not saying this to be an asshole.” That got my attention on him and away from my dirty thoughts. “But I don’t notice money. I’ve made enough in the last ten years to last me a lifetime and my children’s lifetime. But what I love is being able to spend money on the people I care about.” He reached out and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “You look beautiful every day, so I know you could do your hair and makeup on your own, but I wanted you to feel special. I wanted to do something for you.”

I melted on the inside but let out a sigh and took another step back so I was leaning on the counter. “It just… I feel like we’re uneven,” I said as I looked down at my feet. “I can’t do this for you. I can’t compete and I don’t want you to spend this money on me.”

“Love, I don’t feel like this relationship is uneven. We aren’t keeping score here. Money and gifts have nothing to do with why I like you, is it why you like me?”

“Of course not!” My eyes shot up to meet his, he stood there with a soft smile.

I loved getting him to smile.

“I want to spoil you, I want to do things for you. So, your gift to me can be not arguing on this one, even though you are fiercely independent and make your own way in the world.” He stepped forward, leaned in and pressed a quick kiss on my lips before looking down at the Rolex on his wrist. “I’ll be in the other room if you need something. You have twenty-five minutes to shower before they get here.” He walked out of the bathroom. “I’ll get some coffee brought in to you as well,” he called over his shoulder.

I stood there annoyed for a moment before I got myself into the shower, fighting off the jet lag I knew would try and take over. I’d gotten sleep on the plane but it wasn’t enough for how little I got last night.

As I shampooed my hair an idea formed in my head that had me smiling. I would find a way to pay for our dinners when we got back home. He was so sneaky, sometimes getting me to leave my purse in the car with Arthur, sometimes he would pay the bill while I went to the washroom, and other times he silenced me with a look when the bill arrived at the table.

The guy hadn’t even let me pay for any groceries, somehow his fridge was always stocked with too much food to justify a trip to the store.