AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Is ripping my clothes off and banging you on the private terrace natural?
I reached up, placing both my hands on his chest. He was warm. Firm. And I had thealmostuncontrollable urge to pinch his nipples through his shirt.
Stop it. This is business only.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed the side of my face against his chest. This was weird. But I mean, he had a point. We needed to be comfortable being close to each other. If we didn’t look the part, then we could blow our whole cover. I breathed in deep, smelling him, and relaxed against his chest. His arms came around me, pulling me close, and I sighed. We stayed like that for a few more minutes, and the tension drained from my body.
I lifted my head and trailed my fingers up his chest and around his neck. His hair was longer there, and I twirled it around my finger. “You should cut this.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “OK, Mom.”
And just like that, magic spell broken.
I cleared my throat and let my hands fall. “Well, that was productive. I think we’re off to a good start.” I grabbed my glass from the railing and took a sip. “Actually, we need to talk about a few things. Specifically, money.”
His grin faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered. “What about money, honey?”
If there was one thing my Grams had taught me, it was the art of negotiation. It wasn’t all about the money. It was also about knowing my worth and what I brought to the table. And the bottom line was that we both had a lot to lose if this plan didn’t work out, but he would lose more. I was taking a risk negotiating for more after I had already agreed, but I knew I had him backed into a corner. And if you asked Grams, that was the perfect place to have a man.
“The contract says you will pay for all my expenses, plus fifty thousand. I want double that, half up front, the rest after the contract ends.” I paced around the terrace, head held high. “Don’t act like you can’t afford it. I just walked through one out of four homes you own in this city—yes, I know you have three other homes here.”
His back tensed, but he remained silent.
“Don’t make that face, Ryzen. Those fireplaces alone cost more than what you offered me.” I sat down in one of the wicker seats and crossed my legs. This wasn’t about being greedy. This was about making a fair deal. We both knew he had lowballed me, and based on his expression, he hadn’t anticipated me calling him out on it.
He sat down across from me and sighed. “And what do I get out of this new deal, Nova?” He poured more wine into his glass and offered me the bottle.
“You get a beautiful, doting fiancée, Ryzen.” I smiled and took a swig directly from the bottle. I could see his resistance fading, and I relaxed more into the seat. That money could do so much for Juliet and me. We could buy more inventory, put out even more products, so when a large order came in like the one we’d just gotten, we wouldn’t have to run around like chickens with their heads cut off.
“You drive a hard bargain, but you’ve got a deal.” He leaned forward and held out his hand for me to shake.
“One more thing.” I scrunched up my nose, worried that I was pushing my luck.
He groaned and leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. “Go on.”
“The contract says thatIam not to sleep with or date anyone else while the contract is in place, otherwise it is a breach. I would like that to apply to you as well. It’s only fair.” I crossed my arms over my chest, mimicking him.
“I thought that was a given, Nova. What else?”
“Yeah, just get me a pen before I change my mind.” I grinned as he jumped up and headed back inside. Everything else in the contract was manageable. Some of it had been strange, like I shouldn’t be seen out in public drinking excessively or hanging out with “unsavory” characters. Everything I was going to do in the near future would most certainly be photographed by and written about by the paparazzi. There was also an approved “friend list” that basically just listed Juliet and Owen at work. And the most annoying part was I was to abide by a strict dress code where I shouldn’t look “promiscuous” or “below par”, whatever the hell that meant. Juliet summed it up by saying I should burn all the clothes in my closet. And so long as I played the part of happy fiancée, in just a short amount of time I could walk away with the lease to my warehouse and cold hard cash. No feelings hurt, just a business transaction between two adults.
A few moment later he came back with a folder and two pens and sat down next to me. He opened the folder and scratched out “Nova” under the celibacy clause and wrote in “both parties.” He then turned to the last page where it talked about compensation and changed the number from fifty thousand to one hundred thousand, added his initials, and signed on the very last page. He handed the pen for me to initial, and then I signed my name, sealing the deal.
I laid the pen on the table and held my hand out to him. “Nice doing business with you.”
He grasped my hand in his and tugged me against his chest. “How about we seal it with a kiss?” His lips were on mine before I could blink. They were soft as they brushed against me, and I couldn’t fight back the soft moan that escaped. He wrapped his other arm around my waist and brought me closer, his lips relentless. My body warmed at his touch, and when his tongue demanded entry, I opened my mouth to him. There was a sense of urgency as our tongues intertwined with each other, but when he ran his hand up my thigh, I stopped him and pulled away.
“Wait,” I said through a ragged breath. “This is totally not a good idea.” I peeled myself away from him and leaned back in the opposite direction.
“Seems like a good idea to me, fiancée.” His voice was thick as he reached for me again.
“Ryzen, no. We need to keep this professional.” My body could not believe the traitorous words coming out of my mouth.
“OK.” He cleared his throat and leaned back, buttoning his shirt back up.
Had I done that and not even realized? Damn.
A part of me wished he would call me crazy and kiss me again. The other part of me, the part above my waistline, knew that it would overcomplicate things if we slept together. “Look, you’re obviously hot. Like a plate of fajitas coming out of a Chili’s kitchen hot. But I just don’t think it’s a good idea. I’m sorry.”
