Rush (Breathless #1)(19)

There was no doubt there would be a distinct inequality and that the power swung more heavily to his side, but she wasn’t without choices. The fact that he’d shown he wasn’t completely inflexible gave her the confidence to forge ahead.

“We have an agreement,” she said in a quiet tone.

She reached into her bag and pulled out the contract that already bore her signature. She handed it to him, hating the awkwardness wrought by the fact that her sex life had become a business negotiation.

“I wasn’t sure what to do about the changes. I mean, the things I wanted changed and also the part about Jace. I thought it was better to make sure everything was in writing so I struck through the clauses and reworded and initialed.”

He looked a little taken aback and then he laughed, a deep, throaty sound that vibrated over her, sending pleasure up her spine.

“So were you prepared to walk if you didn’t like my answers?” he asked.

She glanced up, caught his gaze and held it, and then she nodded.

He smiled as he took the contract. “Good. In business, the biggest power you have is the willingness to walk away from a deal. You’re not the mouse Jace thinks you are. I think you’re going to do very well as my assistant.”

He rose and then extended his hand down to help her to her feet. She slid her hand into his, savoring the warmth and strength of his hold. Just having his hands on her now that the dynamic of their relationship had changed filled her with anticipation. No longer would his touches be casual. Each would have deeper meaning. She was his. His possession. She belonged to him.

“Come to my desk and I’ll initial your changes and sign it. I’ll have my lawyer finalize it and send you a copy.”

Her nose wrinkled and he halted halfway to his desk. He simply lifted an eyebrow in question, and she sighed.

“It just sounds so…I don’t even have the word. I know I’m being silly. I’ve never entered a relationship where a lawyer was involved beforehand. It sounds so…cold.”

Gabe touched her cheek, just a simple gesture of reassurance. “I do this to protect myself as well as you. But Mia? I can guarantee you one thing. Our relationship will never be cold. It will be a lot of things, but cold isn’t one of them.”

His hand fell away, leaving her to contemplate the heat in his stare and the sensuality of his touch. And the quiet vow in his voice. No, she didn’t imagine their relationship would be at all cold. Hot. Torrid. Breathless. Consuming. All of those words she could well imagine. But definitely not cold.

He went to his desk and hastily scribbled his initials, and then affixed his signature beside hers on the last page. Then he turned, pushing the contract farther across his desk.

“There’s a lot that needs to be done. I’ll set up an appointment for you with my personal physician to have the necessary physical done as well as set up your method of birth control if you aren’t already on it. You’ll be supplied a copy of my last medical checkup as well as a copy of all my blood tests. But first you’ll need to visit my human resources director to set the terms of your employment, and of course your benefits and salary.”

“Okay,” she croaked out, suddenly overwhelmed by just how fast her life was changing. Was she prepared for this?

“It’s going to be all right, Mia,” he said in a low voice. “Trust me to take care of you.”

Peace settled over her. Exhilaration took hold. Like riding a roller coaster and topping that peak only to plunge over, wind in your face, heart beating a mile a minute.

“I do trust you, Gabe. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

And maybe that hadn’t been entirely true before now. She’d be lying if she hadn’t had some small fear that she was biting off way more than she could chew. But being here, hearing what he had to say and feeling the intensity and the sincerity of his words…She did trust him, and she had to, because she’d be the biggest fool on earth for ever agreeing to this kind of arrangement unless she implicitly trusted the man she’d just signed her life over to.

She just hoped she didn’t live to regret her decision.

Chapter seven

The rest of the day was a complete blur for Mia. She spent an hour in human resources filling out paperwork and going over benefits and salary. The amount of money offered as Gabe’s personal assistant made her eyes go wide. She hadn’t imagined he’d pay her much of anything considering they both knew it was a cover for their relationship. She wasn’t even sure how much actual work would be accomplished, but maybe he’d surprise her.

But it gave her peace of mind that she wasn’t completely dependent on him—or Jace—to provide anything for her. She already had in mind that she needed to save as much as possible for the day when Gabe no longer wanted her. She wasn’t fanciful—or stupid—enough to believe that their relationship would be any more long-term than his others.

While she didn’t know the exact details of his prior relationships, she’d heard Jace and Ash talk enough to know that one year was Gabe’s max when it came to women, and more often than not, six months was normal.

The one thing she was glad of was that Gabe had made her see that she needed to do more than work at La Patisserie. Her education was going to waste because she was too softhearted to quit working for Greg and Louisa. And maybe there was a part of her that was afraid to brave the business world.