SEVENTEEN: THE CONTRACT

LIAM



"The shares would go up by fifty percent and we would make a huge profit from it..."

I was looking at the man standing in front of the room talking about a product we should invest in but I wasn't really listening to him. I was looking at my phone and waiting for Kim's call. I finally had to memorize her name. If I was going to date her, I should have her name off-heart. I knew this last streak was going to disconcert her and it would make her give in. I get whatever I wanted, even if I don't have the intention of using it, I get it once I have my eyes on it and she was not an exception, although she had given me a tough time.

When my phone rang and her name flashed on the screen, I smiled lopsidedly and stood up, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. I looked at them before leaving. "Go on, go ahead, I will just take care of this. Aiden my manager would continue from here."

I left the meeting room. Going to work was not really my strong forte anyway, that was why I have Aiden who does almost everything for me. I walked out to the hallway, employees hurried past me bowing their heads to greet me. I went into my office, allowing the phone to ring a second time before answering it. Keeping my voice mean and straight, I said, "Hello."

"Where should I meet you?" she asked. I heard a little snare in her voice.

I kept quiet for a while. "Who is this?" I asked feigning ignorance.

"It's me, Kimberly Nordstrom. I...I...I want to go over what you said."

I punched my hand in the air in victory, but I shifted in my seat and cleared my throat. I wanted to hear her beg but I had no time. Jade was coming in a few days, and I needed to make my relationship official before then. "Come to the office in thirty minutes...And, don't look frumpy."

"I can't come over in thirt..." I ended the call and did a little dance of joy and stopped asking myself why I was dancing that way.



She came in an hour, when the meeting had long ended and when I was exhausted waiting for her. One of the staff brought her up to my office and I was disappointed to see what she wore to the office. Simple ripped jeans and a tank top, no makeup, no effort to look beautiful. I was disappointed and angry. Why can't she just try to please me for once? I looked her up and down as she stood there demurely clutching her hands behind her back, looking anywhere else but me.

"What is this?" I asked.

She looked sharply at me. "What is what?"

"I told you to wear something nice, you are just hellbent on disobeying me." She paused her lips and rolled her eyes. "Did you just roll your eyes at me?"

"No, I didn't," she replied quietly.

I looked her up and down again and took out the contract from the drawer and placed it on the table. "Come and sit." She walked slowly to the chair in front of me and lowered herself. "You are an exasperating woman, you know that, right?"

She looked at me and made as if she wanted to say something but suddenly changed her mind. I have never seen a woman as stubborn as her before. She has some attitude and was behaving as if this was all my idea. It was her fault that all this was happening. I slid the contract paper to her.

"What does it say?" she asked not making to take the paper.

"I guess you can read," I said.

She stared at the paper on the table and slowly took it up, glancing over at it. Then she used it to cover her whole face. I relaxed back in my seat waiting for her to complain about the contract. For a while, she said nothing and I was surprised and wondered if she was going to accept everything there. Then, she pulled down the paper and peeked at me from the edge.

"Twenty thousand dollars for breach of contract?" she asked.

"Everything bad behavior should have its consequences, don't you think? Everything comes with a price."

"I can't have that amount to give out."

"Then, you shouldn't breach the contract."

"Wait..." she dropped the paper on the table. "What exactly is this breach of contract? You said we could still see other people, so what exactly is this breaching of contract?"

"You can't just wake up one morning and say you are done, that's the breach," I said sitting forward. "You will play your role perfectly and never give yourself away or tell anyone about this, except people that know about it already like Aiden and his father."

"So, I am not allowed to confide in a friend?" she asked.

"No."

She opened her mouth to talk but closed it back. I didn't like that she was being evasive about everything.

"If you have nothing else to talk about then, sign the contract."

"I won't...I won't always be available every time you want me," she said tentatively.

"You have to be, Miss Nordstrom. I know that you are currently out of job. You are not going to be doing anything with your time."

Again, she appeared like she wanted to say something, this time, she even looked like she wanted to snap at me but restrained herself. I didn't understand. Maybe the court papers had made her realize just how much power I could wield.

"I don't have a job, for now, doesn't mean I won't find one, I need money to..."

"I am paying for your services," I interrupted her. She looked at me but remained quiet, so I continued. "I am not insensitive, so I decided to pay you for your services."

"How long is this going to last?" she asked me.

I shrugged. "Depends on how well you play your part. Look, I know you don't want to be here, you don't like this, trust me. I don't like it too, you are not my type and if I had my way, I would have done this with a more..."

"Sophisticated girl? More pretty? Smarter? More wealthy?"

I paused for a while and looked at her. She wasn't any of those things she mentioned, but those were not the things I wanted to say. "And also, a woman who is submissive," I added what I had in mind.

Her eyes fell and she nodded. "Alright," she said. "I will sign this, but I have only one thing to say to you."

"I'm all ears."

She stood up and banged her hand on the table, lunging forward and making me flinch. I jerked back immediately. She grabbed my pen from my table and looked into my eyes. "ANY DAY YOU TRY TO TOUCH ME, I WILL KILL YOU!" she said one after the other, emphasizing each word, making it sink. She signed the paper and dumped the pen in front of me and started leaving the office. "Call me when you need me," she called behind her shoulders.

"I...I...we need to have lunch together," I said still marveled by her reaction.

She didn't stop, she left and banged the door behind her that it shook on its hinges. Aiden came in immediately she left and frowned on seeing my horrified face. He looked at the door and looked back at me.

"What happened?" he inquired.

"That woman is crazy," I said breathlessly.

"I don't think so, from what I know, she is a quiet girl..."

"You don't know her!"

"Do you?" Aiden asked. I didn't answer, he sat down. "Anyway, I hope she signed the contract." He took the paper and looked at it.

I sighed heavily and wondered how someone could hate me so much. No one has ever hated me, no woman has ever hated me.