AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“See you later,” Ezra said to the doorman, as he led me towards the elevator.
I felt my body tense as we walked inside the small space with Ezra. He kept a smile on his face until the door closed. “What’s wrong?” he asked, turning to me. His blue eyes, which looked darker because of his navy sweater, looked at me closely, and once more, I felt as though he could see parts of me that I would rather keep hidden.
“Nothing.”
“Something’s wrong. You looked like you were ready to bolt when I came down.”
He wasn’t wrong. I’d seriously considered walking out of his expensive building the second I walked inside.
“This is just all so crazy,” I breathed out. “What the hell are we thinking?” That last bit was more for me, but it felt good to voice my concerns aloud. A part of me worried that Ezra was doing this without thinking about what it would actually entail. “Being in a relationship, even a fake one, isn’t easy. Have you thought about that?”
Ezra sighed. “We can talk about your concerns in the house. That’s the whole point of this meeting.”
The elevator doors opened to Ezra’s apartment, and my mouth dropped open. I’d grown up in a mansion, but it had been a long time since I’d seen such opulent wealth on display. And though Ezra pretended to be just a Manhattan prosecutor, it was clear from his home that he was much more.
“Welcome,” he said, as he stepped inside.
The penthouse was hyper modern. All clean lines, glass, and mid-century modern design. I couldn’t decide whether I liked it or not. There was a coldness to the space that detracted from the amazing view that obviously made the space.
“Can I get you anything?”
“Water,” I asked. I walked inside looking around the space, hoping that it would give me some insight into Ezra. It didn’t. There were no personal touches to the space, at all. There were no photos of Ezra or his family. The decor looked curated.
“Feel free to have a seat,” Ezra called out as he walked towards the kitchen. The space was open to the living room, so I could still see him in the space.
I sat at a table that looked as though it had been used minimally, and I wondered how many women Ezra had in this space. Was he the type of man who brought women back to his home, or did he take them to a hotel? I wasn’t sure why it made my stomach flip when I thought about Ezra with other women.
“Here ya go,” he told me, setting a tall glass of water on the table next to me.
“Thank you.” I brought the glass to my lips. I wasn’t thirsty, but I’d needed a moment to think, and now, I needed something to do with my hands.
“Should we get down to business?” he asked. He grabbed a folder that was on the table and flipped it open. “I took the liberty to draft up a contract for us to discuss. You don’t have to sign anything. This is just a preliminary meeting for us to discuss the terms of this agreement.” His voice was cold and business like, and I felt myself frowning at the tone.
“Can we pause for a second?” I asked, wrapping my hands around the glass. The coolness of it was keeping me grounded, and I clutched it as though it were my lifeline.
“I thought you wanted to talk?” Ezra asked, confused.
“I do. I just thought we could do it without turning our discussion into a contractual agreement.”
For a moment, it seemed that Ezra was going to argue with me. I got it, logically, at least. He was someone who liked order and control. I was the same way, but we approached things differently. He controlled things by weaponizing the law to his advantage. And me, I avoided the things that I couldn’t control.
Ezra ran a hand through his hair, a sure-fire sign that he was frustrated, but I knew that he would capitulate to me. After all, he wanted to ensure this worked. I promised myself that I wouldn’t take advantage of that.
“What is it that you want to talk about? I can assure you that I don’t have any more burning secrets to tell you.” He was reminding me that he’d already told me something personal.
“I just want to talk more,” I said with a shrug. “About normal stuff.” It felt odd to be signing a contract agreeing to be in a relationship with a man I barely knew.
Ezra crossed his hands and leveled me with the full force of his blue eyes. “What is it that you want to know?” he asked.
“What’s your favorite food?” It was a simple question, but it was the first one to pop into my head, and from the look on Ezra’s face, he was surprised by it. I sighed. “I just think it’ll make me feel better if you told me more about yourself.” I said in explanation.
“Mac and cheese,” he said.
I laughed. “What!”
“What’s wrong with mac and cheese?” he asked with mock offense. “It’s delicious. You’ve got carbs, butter, cheese. All the best things there are.”
I giggled at the explanation. “Is that really your favorite food?” I wondered if he was lying to me in an effort to break the ice between us. I knew that Ezra was desperate to get me to agree to this plan of his, and I worried he would bullshit me in order to make that happen.
