doesn’t meet my eyes. “Have a lawyer look it over. But I’m not open to changing that part of the contract, Alice.”
“The amount is exorbitant.”
“Some of my exes would disagree,” he says, tone cynical. “At any rate, it stays.”
“If I sign that, are you going to be able to trust that I’m here for you and not the money?” I ask. “Because if all this does is plant doubts in your head than what is even the point of going any further?”
He just stares at me.
“Well?”
He jerks his chin. “Think of it this way. The more generous the dissolution settlement, the more financial incentive you have to leave me. If you stay—”
“When I stay.”
“Then it will be obvious to everyone that you’re here for me, for us, and not for the money.”
I’m not entirely sure that signing a contract saying I win a jackpot if I walk out really provides evidence of my feelings towards him, but apparently this is the best I’m going to get. “All right. What’s next? Monogamy is just obvious. I see that written notice of dissolution of the relationship includes text messaging. That’s acceptable, though I’d hope we’d have the maturity to sit down and talk. As for any gifts given during the—”
“They’re yours. You keep them. The car, the watch, all of it.”
I sigh.
“There’s a lot about the money that just complicates the fuck out of my life. But buying you things isn’t one of them,” he says, face set. “It makes me happy. Okay?”
“Okay. The STD tests and contraception shot makes sense,” I say. “I’m fine with doing those as soon as possible.”
“I’ll have my assistant make the appointment tomorrow. Get it out of the way.”
“Okay. I suppose it would be only fair to ask you to have the tests too.”
“Of course.”
Silence.
“Why didn’t Smith give me these on the plane?” I ask.
His eyes are dark in the low lighting. “Because I told him not to. You barely knew what you were walking into as it was. If he’d given you those, you’d have made them turn the jet around and take you straight back to LA.”
My heels sit abandoned on the floor. A pair of black leather Jimmy Choo pumps with a pointed toe. So much for my plans of seduction and hopes for drunken fumbling. This night has well and truly gone to shit. “You’re probably right. So when were you going to give them to me?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t want to think about it.” He rises, his movements tense, shoulders set. “If you’re happy with the documents as they stand, then perhaps we can leave them for your lawyer to look over tomorrow. I’ve got some work to do. Be in the office if you need me.”
Neither of us are romantic or touchy-feely. What not a surprise. This feels more like a legally binding agreement than a relationship right now. I kind of want to scream. Loudly.
Instead, I read the new addition at the bottom of the NDA. The thick blue ink of Beck’s writing streaming across hard black print. He accepts my discretion in deciding who and what I talk about to a few to be agreed upon close family and friends. I can live with that. Beck has already added his signature to both documents. After reading over them both twice—a task easier said than done—I add my own signature. Having a lawyer look it over would be the smart thing to do. But in this moment, I’m so fucking done.
After a long shower, I crawl into bed. Still no sign of the moody complicated billionaire. Not that I care (a total lie).
It’s when I’m on the verge of sleep, my mind all floaty and finally relaxed (so hours later), that the mattress dips. His chest is against my back, nice and tight. It’s comforting.
“You signed the contracts,” he whispers in my ear.
“Mm.”
“I didn’t know if you were going to.” He slips an arm beneath my neck, the other going over my middle. If anything, he sounds relieved. I know the feeling.
“Me neither.”
He sighs, rubbing his mouth against the side of my neck. Given his stubble, it tickles and scratches in even amounts. Being surrounded by him, by his skin and warmth and scent, makes everything infinitely better.
I put my hand over his, holding on tight. “I’ll make you a deal. I’m going to stop being weird about the money and you’re going to stop keeping secrets. The ground rules have been set. If something is important then