Bartered Seduction: The Billionaire's Wife, Part 2 (A BDSM Erotic Romance) Read Online Free
Author: Ava Lore
is no other reason for dressing in this fashion than to attempt to humiliate me.”
I shrugged. “If you think so, then fine.”
To my surprise, he shook his head. "Your opinion of others is so low," he said. "That is disappointing. Many wonderful women work in the sex industry. I would not be insulted to be seen with one of them. I hope they would be able to make the most of it."
Stung, I stared at him. He was right, of course. I had just assumed, because he was rich and lucky, because of the circles he moved in, that he would be angry with my outfit. In a flash of insight, I realized that he hadn't told me how to dress because he wanted to see what I would do, not just exerting power over me.
For a brief moment I felt ashamed. "Was this just a test?" I asked.
He tilted his head. "It was what it was. I now know more about you than before. That is enough for me." A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. I wished I could punch it and not get my name in the papers. I wondered if paparazzi were taking pictures of us right now. The thought was so humiliating that I swept my hair over my face and looked down at my plate and its lovingly arranged asparagus.
"But we are here to talk about the contract, yes?"
I nodded. "Yeah." The asparagus languished in front of me, begging to be eaten, but I had lost my appetite.
“Let me see it.”
With clumsy fingers, I extracted the rewritten agreement from my purse and handed it across the table. Waters leaned back and began to flip through it as though he had all the time in the world. Ms. Gray had highlighted the changes in the contract to make them easy to find, and he lingered over each one, sipping his wine as he did so. Occasionally he glanced up at me.
At last he sat back. “None of these changes are very drastic,” he said. “Are you sure this is all you want?”
I'd been staring at my asparagus salad, trying to ignore him and make a decision about what part of my bounty to attack first, but at this I looked up in surprise.
“I, uh, didn't know I could ask for more.”
He speared his tomato and popped it into his mouth. “You may ask for anything you like. Whether or not I will grant it is another matter entirely.”
God, I hated him.
Thoughtfully, he chewed and swallowed. “Your changes are minimal. The major changes appear to be a requirement to revisit and renew the contract after one year. That is fine with me. And you wish for the medical clause to go into effect immediately upon signing.” For a long moment, he regarded me, then signaled a passing waiter who snapped to attention.
“May I borrow a pen?” he asked.
The blood drained from my face. Surely he didn't mean to...?
But he did. The waiter whipped a ballpoint pen from his pocket, and right in front of me Anton Waters initialed and signed each clause and page, and then signed and dated it.
He pushed it across the table.
I stared at it.
It stared back at me.
I willed it to go away.
It didn't.
I reached out and drained my glass of wine.
“Are you not prepared to sign today?” Waters asked.
I swallowed. “I...” My thoughts ricocheted inside my head. All it would take was a flourish of a cheap Bic ballpoint and my life would change. I would be bound to marry this man that I didn't even know, my father would be back in business, and my mother would be in chemo.
The world darkened at the edges of my vision. I tried to take a deep breath, but it seemed like something heavy had settled on my chest.
“Miss Dare?”
A movement across from me caught my attention. Waters had risen from his seat.
I didn't know how to react, but then I felt the booth dip and he slid in next to me, looping an arm around my shoulders, shielding me from the rest of the dining room.
God, he felt good, warm and strong. If circumstances had been different, and if he had been less of a douche, I might have enjoyed the intimacy. I might have been able to lean into him and taken comfort from his strength. I might
I shrugged. “If you think so, then fine.”
To my surprise, he shook his head. "Your opinion of others is so low," he said. "That is disappointing. Many wonderful women work in the sex industry. I would not be insulted to be seen with one of them. I hope they would be able to make the most of it."
Stung, I stared at him. He was right, of course. I had just assumed, because he was rich and lucky, because of the circles he moved in, that he would be angry with my outfit. In a flash of insight, I realized that he hadn't told me how to dress because he wanted to see what I would do, not just exerting power over me.
For a brief moment I felt ashamed. "Was this just a test?" I asked.
He tilted his head. "It was what it was. I now know more about you than before. That is enough for me." A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. I wished I could punch it and not get my name in the papers. I wondered if paparazzi were taking pictures of us right now. The thought was so humiliating that I swept my hair over my face and looked down at my plate and its lovingly arranged asparagus.
"But we are here to talk about the contract, yes?"
I nodded. "Yeah." The asparagus languished in front of me, begging to be eaten, but I had lost my appetite.
“Let me see it.”
With clumsy fingers, I extracted the rewritten agreement from my purse and handed it across the table. Waters leaned back and began to flip through it as though he had all the time in the world. Ms. Gray had highlighted the changes in the contract to make them easy to find, and he lingered over each one, sipping his wine as he did so. Occasionally he glanced up at me.
At last he sat back. “None of these changes are very drastic,” he said. “Are you sure this is all you want?”
I'd been staring at my asparagus salad, trying to ignore him and make a decision about what part of my bounty to attack first, but at this I looked up in surprise.
“I, uh, didn't know I could ask for more.”
He speared his tomato and popped it into his mouth. “You may ask for anything you like. Whether or not I will grant it is another matter entirely.”
God, I hated him.
Thoughtfully, he chewed and swallowed. “Your changes are minimal. The major changes appear to be a requirement to revisit and renew the contract after one year. That is fine with me. And you wish for the medical clause to go into effect immediately upon signing.” For a long moment, he regarded me, then signaled a passing waiter who snapped to attention.
“May I borrow a pen?” he asked.
The blood drained from my face. Surely he didn't mean to...?
But he did. The waiter whipped a ballpoint pen from his pocket, and right in front of me Anton Waters initialed and signed each clause and page, and then signed and dated it.
He pushed it across the table.
I stared at it.
It stared back at me.
I willed it to go away.
It didn't.
I reached out and drained my glass of wine.
“Are you not prepared to sign today?” Waters asked.
I swallowed. “I...” My thoughts ricocheted inside my head. All it would take was a flourish of a cheap Bic ballpoint and my life would change. I would be bound to marry this man that I didn't even know, my father would be back in business, and my mother would be in chemo.
The world darkened at the edges of my vision. I tried to take a deep breath, but it seemed like something heavy had settled on my chest.
“Miss Dare?”
A movement across from me caught my attention. Waters had risen from his seat.
I didn't know how to react, but then I felt the booth dip and he slid in next to me, looping an arm around my shoulders, shielding me from the rest of the dining room.
God, he felt good, warm and strong. If circumstances had been different, and if he had been less of a douche, I might have enjoyed the intimacy. I might have been able to lean into him and taken comfort from his strength. I might
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