Page 70 of Seduced By Contract

Madison has these cravings for real food, not just a snack, even in the middle of the night.

After the explosion of fights and sex when we got home—and her declaration, which is tying knots in my brain—she acted as if she hadn't said anything significant. As if everything that happened earlier today was just part of our routine.

In a way it is, because if there's one thing I've learned about her, it's that life with my feisty girl will always be a storm, never a light winter rain.

And now, as she moves around in my kitchen, dressed only in panties and a t-shirt, indifferent to how I'm feeling inside, I try to understand what it means for a nineteen-year-old girl to be in love.

"Can we talk about the news I wanted to tell you, or are you still mad?" she asks as she cuts tomatoes for a salad.

"Do you want to fight again?"

She puts down the knife and looks at me. "Fighting is natural for me, Zeus. Nothing in my life came for free. I had to learn to fight for every little thing."

"I propose a truce. Tell me your news."

"I looked for a fashion college. I'm starting next semester."

"That's great news."

Delighted, her cheeks blush. "You're a businessman and must have some insight into business. Do you think my plan to offer personal stylist services could work?"

"Correction: I'm a banker. I mainly deal with mergers and acquisitions. My job most of the time is to break apart companies, not create them. As for whether your future business could succeed, you'd have to study the market to see, but my personal opinion—not professional, since I don't have enough data for that—is that I think the idea of offering a service exclusively for women who can't spend much on clothes and accessories is very interesting."

"Are you serious?"

"I am, yes. People don't know what they need until it's offered to them. Your idea is innovative."

She gives me a beautiful smile, and they're so rare that I have each one etched into my memory. "So then I'll be able to leave the club."

"And what if that happens sooner than you think?"

"What do you mean?"

"We could make that assistant contract real, and you could come work for me."

"It would never work out. We'd be at each other's throats every day, and not always in a good way." Despite what she says, she keeps smiling.

"Come here." I offer my hand.

She turns off the stove, and when she stands in front of me, I sit her on the kitchen counter, fitting myself between her legs.

"Madison, fights between us are inevitable, but I'm trying to think two steps ahead. It's a way to legitimize that contract we signed to fool the social worker and start a career where you don't have to hide from that woman."

"And what if we break up? Then what will we do?"

"Why talk about that now?"

"Because I need a safety net, Zeus. It's not just about me; it’s about Soraya, Silas, and Eleanor."

"If we break up, I'll either transfer you to one of my other companies or one of my brothers'."

"You told me you already have an assistant."

"I do, but you would be different. You'd accompany me on trips."

"All this so I stop working at the club?"

"I could lie, but I won't. Yes, I don't want you working there. Can you look me in the eyes and honestly say it's your dream job?"

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