“Because I knew you would find out soon enough,” he said shrugging. He knew exactly what I was talking about. “But I wanted you worry about it for a bit.”
“That is really messed up, you know,” I couldn’t help saying, but right after, I felt uncomfortable, like I was being ungrateful. “I didn’t mean to say it like that. Thank you for paying the bill is what I meant to say.” I reached out to hug him, but he backed off this time. “Is everything okay?” I looked at him concerned.
“Yeah, I think so, but let’s talk about this inside. In my bedroom,” he said with a completely straight face.
“Sure,” I said cheerfully. “To the bedroom then, to ‘talk’,” I said playfully air-quoting the word.
“No, Aria, we really will be talking in there. At first, anyway,” he added with the hint of a smile. It didn’t make any sense. He had already made the payment and I was here ready – and in all honesty, yearning – to take my clothes off for him, but he wanted to talk?
When we got to his bedroom, I immediately picked the office chair across from his desk to sit on, deliberately avoiding looking at the enormous bed right in the middle of the room. I had never seen a bed quite that size. It had to be bigger than a king size. Did they even make those? He probably had it custom-made for his benefit. He was probably best friends with the president of IKEA or something.
Trying not to think about how it would feel to roll around naked in that bed, I looked at Zayden sincerely. “So, what did you want to talk about?”
“The contract. You noticed how this payment was made late? As late as possible, in fact?”
“Nope,” I said trying to be teasing. “I hadn’t noticed at all. Was it late, then?”
“No, Aria, really, listen to me. I know how difficult it was for you to be constantly anxious about the payment and to not know whether I would actually pull through. You don’t ever want to experience that agony, do you?”
“Of course not.” I sighed, giving in to his mood. “But where are you going with this?”
His deep blue eyes gazed at me with so much intensity that I thought it would tear right through me. “You tried to get out of the contract at the beginning of the month. Don’t do it again.”
My heart started thumping fast because of the stern look on his face. “I’m – I’m sorry,” was all I could manage to say.
“You should be. You thought you would just cut me out and not face any consequences!” he exclaimed. “Like somehow you were just going to walk into all that money and never have to worry about it again.”
“I didn’t think any of those things,” I said, starting to get a little frustrated myself. “I was just upset, Zayden, because of how controlling you were being! And like I already told you, that is just not something I am programmed to deal with.”
“So at the hint of the slightest bit of trouble, you run? How can I trust that you won’t just randomly decide you dislike something else I do or say and try to bail again? Only to want to come running back when you realize you had no other options?”
“How can I trust that you don’t have any more wives up your sleeve?” I asked cheekily, and before he could answer, quickly added, “The answer is there is no reason for me to do so, but I do. I trust you because that’s how trust works, with or without evidence.”
“This was your punishment for breaking the rules, Aria. I hope you don’t do it again.”
“My punishment?” I spat. “You need to stop patronizing me. Why can’t we just be equals, Zayden? Is it because I am a woman?”
“It’s because I am holding 60,000 dollars over your head,” he said in a tone that made me shiver. “Not to mention, employ you – something I plan to continue to do into the far future, as I mentioned earlier. So, as the slightest bit of a courtesy or gratitude or whatever it is that you feel, do me the favor of letting me act however I fucking want.”
“So you don’t care that how you act may hurt me?” I challenged him further.
“That is not what I said,” he said and sighed. “I never said I wouldn’t make an attempt to change some of my ways, but simply that you stop quitting every time something bothers you.”
“Fair enough.” I shrugged, beginning to feel drained.
It was a contract, after all.
“And the contract will remain intact as long as you don’t go around breaking any of the rules. Are we clear?”
“Yes, master,” I said with a fake toothy grin. “Would you like me to curtsy now?”
“No, I would like you to take your clothes off,” he said starting to walk towards me.
It was my turn to be a tease and taunt him, and I could not be more excited for payback. “Uh, actually, let me see, I am feeling like taking a shower before bed, so I will pass on the offer.”
“You’re sleeping over, then?” He grinned, continuing to walk towards me, ignoring my “pass.”
“I thought that was obvious, since you sent all your staff home and it would be impossible for me to find a cab at this hour. Unless you feel like driving me, but you’ve had quite a bit of whiskey.”