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“I’m broke,” she admitted, the words sounding like they were literally breaking her to admit even though she paired it with a casual shrug. “I’m a twenty-eight-year-old barista.”
“In your own shop?” I asked and immediately regretted the question when I saw her face fall.
“No, not my own shop. Just a barista.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” I said. “That doesn’t seem like a thing to worry you when I brought up your background check.”
“My parents…” Her face scrunched like the words were hard to force, and I could detect the pain in her voice that she tried to hide. “Are theworstpeople you can imagine. They’re the kind of people who lie to your face while stealing directly out of your pocket. They’re the kind of people who have children, so they can be paid by the state. They’re the kind of people who forget they have children, leaving them to fend for themselves at the age of five for days at a time.” She sighed. “They’re also addicts, and despite the many attempts in my adult years to get them the help they need, they’ve refused.” She fidgeted with the strap of her bag.
“I have a younger sister who I’ve been taking care of since I was ten. She just turned nineteen and got into the college of her dreams, and I’ve worked my entire life to raise her and make sure she’s had every opportunity my parents denied us.
“I got her out of the house the minute I could and cut ties with my parents, but they come around sporadically when they need things. Not that I’ve ever given them what they want…I’ve fed them before, given them a ride to clinics, nothing more. But I can imagine to somebody like you, who lives in the spotlight, that might be seen as a poor mark on your otherwise pristine portfolio.”
Hearing her story unravel in front of me made me see things about her I hadn’t noticed before. Like the slight exhaustion underneath her beautiful eyes, the weight she seemed to carry on her shoulders, and the determined attitude to do whatever it took to survive. It all made sense in a sad sort of way that made me want to wrap her in a comforting hug even though I barely knew her.
“One,” I said. “I find it truly admirable that you did that for your sister, and I’m sure she appreciates it more than you’ll ever know. I have a sister, and while I didn’t have to raise her, I had to take care of her after our parents suddenly died. So I understand in some ways the toll that takes on you.”
“Two,” I continued. “Thank you for being open and honest with me about that. You didn’t have to, and I appreciate it. I think that’s what’s going to make this contracted relationship work. Neither one of us attempting to lie to the other.” I shifted against the desk, doing my best not to reach out and offer her a comforting gesture. It didn’t really look like she needed it, but I couldn’t deny the instinct I had to give it. “How often do your parents come around?”
She wasn’t wrong about them being a liability, and if they were as bad as she said, then the second they found out she was dating me—which they likely would if they kept track of socialite media because that’s just the life I lived—I’m sure they’d come sniffing around. It wasn’t a deal-breaker, but it would definitely be something we’d need to prepare for.
Aspen sighed, shaking her head as she shrugged. “I haven’t seen them in a year and a half.” Her eyes went distant for a moment, as if she was back in that memory, and she shuddered. The girl actuallyshudderedlike she was remembering a moment with the grim reaper, not her estranged parents.
Adrenaline spiked my blood, protective instincts firing.
I just wanted to protect my investment, that’s all.
“We can prepare for those kinds of situations,” I said. “Especially since you let me know ahead of time. I don’t want you to worry about it.”
She relaxed slightly.
“WhatdoI need to worry about?” she asked after a few moments, then cleared her throat. “IfI take this deal.”
I grinned at the way she was trying to play aloof, but she didn’t realize I’d been doing this for years. I could spot somebody who was already committed to the deal a mile away, but I played along, pushing off the desk and returning to my seat.
“I’m going to need you to be available,” I explained. “I spend half my time here in New York and half my time in Calgary where my team is, and in between I travel widely. Sometimes at the drop of a hat. Any girlfriend that I’d actually settle into a relationship with would be available to be at my side at any time.”
Aspen furrowed her brow. “That seems a little ridiculous,” she said. “And pretty one-sided. Would you really only pick a girlfriend whose only interest was traveling with you and being at your beck and call?”
I considered this, then shrugged. “That’s fair. Honestly, I’ve never really thought about what I’d expect out of a serious relationship. My friends’ fiancées and wives have careers of their own and they pick where they go when we travel as a group, but it’s important to me that during this time we show face. The more they see of you, the more they’ll believe you’re mine.”
Aspen worried that bottom lip between her teeth again, and I couldn’t help but want to relieve her of the pressure.
“Okay,” she said. “What else?”
“I’ll also need you to be monogamous to me. The second you’re seen out in public with me and declared my girlfriend, there’s a chance that paparazzi will take an interest in you. Your day-to-day routine, your night life, everything. If you’re out there trying to relieve an itch with someone who isn’t me, they’re going to report on it. I really don’t want that kind of publicity. I know it’s a lot to ask…three months is a long time to go without?—”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” she cut me off, laughing anxiously as she shook her head.
“No, I do,” I pressed. “I’m not taking this lightly. I understand asking you to give up any sexual relationships for three months is intense, but this will be a part of my deal-breaker. If I’m going to stay committed, you have to stay committed, and I know if I’m not offering it then the urge might come up to seek the release elsewhere, and that can’t happen?—”
“Again,” she cut me off. “Not an issue. I don’t do relationships either. I’ve never had time to even consider anything serious, and anyone who’s come close to even trying to date me more than once has run for the hills the second they realize that the only ambition I have is to take care of my sister.” She smiled. “Not an issue,” she reiterated.
Damn, that seemed seriously easy for her to agree to. If she was so willing to let go of the idea of sex for three months straight, she must not have had anyone treat her the way she deserved in the bedroom.
Or, she must know how to get herself off really well?—
Fuck. Just a thought of her touching herself filled my mind and made my blood run hot.
