Rush (Breathless #1)(11)

She rapidly blinked, so startled that she didn’t immediately find words. When she did, her tongue felt large and unwieldy.

“A contract? You want us to have a contract?”

“You needn’t sound so horrified,” he said in a level voice. “It’s for your protection. And mine.”

She shook her head in confusion. “I don’t even understand.”

“My tastes are extreme, Mia. Read the contract and, as I said, read it very carefully. And then consider whether you can commit to the kind of relationship I demand.”

“You’re serious.”

His brows drew together and his lips tightened. Then he leaned over, putting his arm tighter around her waist to prevent her from toppling out of his lap. He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a thick document that was paper clipped together. Then he dropped it on her lap.

“Take the weekend. Read over it. Make sure you understand it. I’d like your answer Monday morning. If there are things you need clarification on, we can discuss them then.”

“So that’s it then,” she said, still bewildered by it all. “I go home, read your contract and then we meet on Monday to finalize the terms of our relationship?”

His lips tightened again but he nodded. “In a nutshell, yes, though you make it sound far more sterile than it is.”

“I’m not sure it gets any more sterile,” she said. “You make it sound like a negotiation, like it’s one of your hotel or resort deals.”

“There is no negotiation,” he said softly. “Remember that, Mia. You read the contract. You either sign or don’t sign. But if you do, you’ll adhere to those terms.”

She smoothed her hand over the typed document and then lifted it from her lap. She sucked in a deep breath and then slid from Gabe’s lap. She had to put her free hand on the top of his desk to steady herself as she made her way back around to the front. If only her legs would cooperate.

“How did you get here?” Gabe asked.

“I took a cab,” she said faintly.

He picked up his phone. “I’ll have my driver bring you back to your apartment and I’ll arrange your ride here Monday morning.”

“You’re so sure of yourself,” she murmured. “Of me.”

He slid the receiver away from his mouth as he fixed his gaze on her. “The only thing I’m sure of is that I’ve waited entirely too damn long to have you.”

Chapter four

Instead of having the driver take her back to her apartment where she knew Caroline would be waiting to pounce on her, Mia had him drop her off at West 81st Street, just two blocks from where she worked on West 83rd Street. There was a small park that wasn’t often overcrowded at this hour of the morning. Mostly strollers and nannies, young preschool children playing.

The contract was stuffed into her bag and she clutched it tighter against her side as she made her way to an empty bench the farthest distance from the playground where she could be afforded some measure of privacy.

She was supposed to be at work at noon, but somehow she knew she was going to need time to process what she was about to read. Gabe’s autocratic demand that she quit and come to work for him echoed in her mind.

No, she’d never planned to make her job at the pastry shop permanent, but she liked the couple who owned it. They’d been good to her. It was a place she’d often frequented, and she’d struck up a rapport with the older couple. And no, it wasn’t a job worthy of all the money Jace had put into her education. It had been an impulse to ask if the shop owners needed extra help. It bought her time to figure out her next step, and it made her feel good that she wasn’t completely dependent on Jace for her support. He’d done enough for her over the years. She didn’t want him worrying over her any longer.

As she settled onto the bench, she glanced around her to make sure no one was close enough to see what she was reading, and then she pulled the contract from her bag and nervously peeled the cover page up so she could begin to read the contents.

Her eyes widened as she read further. She turned the pages automatically as she battled between disbelief and an odd curiosity.

He hadn’t lied when he said that he would own her. That she would effectively belong to him. If she signed this contract and entered into a relationship with him, she was ceding all power to him.

There were exacting requirements that she make herself available to him at all times. She was to travel with him, be at his disposal. Her work hours were what he made them, and her time belonged exclusively to him within those work hours.

Good God, there were even precise requirements when it came to sex.

Her cheeks blazed with heat and she hastily glanced up, afraid that someone would see her and know exactly what she was reading. And she wanted to make damn sure no one was close enough to see what was typed on those pages.

If she signed, she agreed to cede power to him not only in the bedroom, but in all aspects of their relationship as well. Decisions were to be made by him. She was his to command.

Perhaps most disturbing was that as detailed as the contract was, the actual description of what she may be required to do was vague because, in essence, everything was covered by the fact that she was to give him whatever he wanted, whenever and however he wanted it.

In return, he guaranteed that all her needs would be met, physically and financially. There was nothing at all about emotional needs. That wasn’t Gabe’s style. She knew enough about him to know he’d hopped off the trust train when it came to women. They’d have sex. And they’d have a quasi relationship as defined by the contract, but intimacy wouldn’t come into play. Nor would emotions.