Page 10 of Never Say Yes To Your Boss

“So she’ll need to get chemo for a few months.”

“Yes, and then they’ll reassess. She’ll probably have to take some other drugs after that, but they aren’t sure yet. They’re going to have to wait and see how she responds. We’re just incredibly lucky that Heather was always super healthy, so when she got sick, we knew something was seriously up, and we went to the doctor right away, so she was diagnosed early.” Just thinking about Heather getting the treatments she needs and getting better works out some of the knots in my stomach and shoulders. The tension eases up in my neck and throbbing temples. I reach up and smooth my hand down one of the wild strands of hair I still haven’t brushed. Sometime between getting drugged and now, the careful style Heather did for the wedding was wrecked.

When Heather was diagnosed, we stood in the bathroom and cried together. She wanted to shave her head before her hair had a chance to fall out, long before her first treatment, so we did it together. I wanted to shave mine with her, but she wouldn’t let me do it. She smiled and laughed after the tears and informed me that she was now going to start rocking pink wigs. She always wanted pink hair.

I finally pull my eyes away from the table and look up at Darius. He looks…I’m not sure. I can’t really tell since I don’tknow him well enough. Wrecked, I guess…a little. His eyes have an unusual sheen, and his lips are pressed together. I can also see a muscle leap in his jaw.He’s a good man. Everything that happened so far was unfortunate, but he’s not horrible.I know I’m too generous, and those thoughts are far too hopeful, especially since I can’t know that for sure.

All of a sudden, he reaches under the table for something, and then he passes me my phone. “Here. I wanted to make sure you weren’t going to try and attempt to escape. Trust me when I say I was more worried about you hurting yourself. You were recovering from being drugged, and you weren’t thinking properly. You were also confused, and I didn’t want you to do anything rash. If you’re going to stay, I’ll have a contract drawn up. You’ll be able to come and go as you please as long as you abide by the terms of the agreement, which is, if we’re married, we share a home, and the outside world has to believe it’s real. You can visit your family as often as you like, and I’ll give you the use of my jet and anything else you need to get there. What I have is yours while you’re here. I don’t do public engagements, so you’re safe on that front. If you want to work, I’ll find you something appropriate, and you can either agree or disagree with the position. You’ll have an allowance as well. I’ll set up an account for you. I despise vehicles, but if you require one, a suitable one will be purchased for you.”

My meal has been entirely forgotten. I don’t know why the walls still feel like they’re closing in on me. This is more kindness and generosity than I could have ever hoped for, and it’s totally not something Darius has to offer. “Could you…would you please tell me where we are?”

That makes him smile, just a shadow of it, but my heart still goes on an irrational walkabout in my chest. “Just outside Chicago.”

“What?” I gasp. “That’s like, really far from Philly.”

“Yes, but with private jets and all that, you can be back there fast.” He clears his throat. “The house has grounds. Gardens and space for your enjoyment outdoors. And inside, there’s a gym, a pool, a rec room—”

“Please tell me it has a bowling alley.”

He grunts. “No. I don’t bowl.”

“That’s depressing. You should,” I say.

“I’m shite with my left hand, even if I’ve been forced to get better.”

Oh, right. There is that. “I…well, you don’t have to be good to enjoy it.” I clasp my phone, curling my hand around it and tucking it into my lap protectively.

“Nah. Even before the accident, I didn’t like it.”

“Well, you’re missing out.” I eat a few more bites of the meal I just can’t waste before setting my fork down again. “I’d like to call my family now if that’s okay? I have a lot to explain. If…if there’s a contract coming or something, I’ll sign it. That is if we’re in agreement?”

I still have the urge to bolt, but that’s not going to happen. I’m not going to hide. I’m going to face this, even if the next six months last a lifetime. This man has the power to destroy me, and I could easily do the same to him by going to the media, but we’re not going to do that. He’s being kind to me, and I’m sitting here instead, agreeing not to flee, not to leave, not to sell his secrets.

One brief nod. That’s my answer. No handshake, nothing yet. I’m sure there will be some kind of paperwork later. “We’re in agreement.” His word. For right now, it’s more than enough. Maybe I shouldn’t, but I trust it.

Chapter five

Everleigh

Ican’t sleep, and is it any wonder? I called my family right after dinner to let them know how my spiraling dark fairy tale was working out for me. Right, okay, so I told them only as much as I had to tell them since it was already insanely late, and they’d been waiting to hear from me. I knew they were worried about me, but I played it off with smiles and laughter and told them that everything is hunky forking dory with extra forks, extra dory, and a little of the hunky because, my god, could Darius be any more pleasing to the eye? Naturally, I didn’t mention that. I focused instead on telling them that everything was taken care of. I didn’t tell them I was a freshly minted millionaire, compliments of the one million dollars that appeared in my bank account before I called them.

On their end, they said they’re concerned things have gotten out of hand.

And they’re right. Things have seriously gotten out of hand.

In the end, though, they accepted my decision to see it through. They wanted me to know I had a choice. Always. And that they love me. Always. I also made sure they knew how much I loved them, too. More than anything. More than my own safety, kind of kidnapped, private jet ride, tied up to a bed, dinner with a broody super rich dude who happens to be insanely hot, muscly, and also my husband kind of anything.

And anyhow, how rich is Darius anyway, and the family as a whole, if he can just agree to shell out a million bucks without even batting an eye? Maybe he doesn’t bat his eyes. Maybe he’s secretly dying inside, but I don’t think so. He’s probably sleeping just fine right now. He probably hasn’t had a single second of regret over this. He’s likely not at all worried about his company now. I know the development corporation is one of the biggest in the States and a big player internationally, but seriously? I’m still in shock.

Then again, Darius would have paid me out of his personal funds, not from company money. I mean, he has a private jet. How could I have forgotten that detail?

I’m too hot. The sheets are like six million thread count, and the bed is all old, and the house is old times a hundred and extra creaky, and even though the security is probably insanely good, I don’t find it reassuring. Or, maybe I don’t find it reassuring that the security is so good because they’re here to keep bad guys out and keep me in, which makes me feel like a prisoner, even though I’m not.

Eventually, I toss the expensive blankets aside, slide out of the huge bed, and walk to the window. I had chosen a pair of fuzzy pajama bottoms and a tank top. I was surprised to find normal-looking clothes in the dresser. Things I would have worn at home. No gold-plated crap or silky stuff that I had to put on.

I wrap my arms around myself and pull back the heavy red drape from the window. The thing weighs a ton and is probablymade out of some fabric that came straight from a castle in the Middle Ages, preserved through extremely expensive means because when you have that much money, why not?

The moon is full, and the exterior yard, grounds, or whatever they’re called, is bathed in silver light so bright that it looks like it could be early morning or late evening out there. But it’s not. I know because I grabbed my phone off the nightstand, and it’s telling me it’s four in the morning.

---