Page 31 of Square Deal

“No.”

“No?”

“Yeah—no,” I hissed, grabbing the paper towels from him. I ripped off portion after portion until the chocolate shake was slowly soaked up.

“Did you miss the part where I said this would be mutually beneficial?”

“Sex isn’t a business deal!” I shouted. “It’s supposed to be between two people who, at the very least, like being together.”

“And?”

“And I don’t like you!”

He scoffed. “Didn’t seem that way when I made you come so hard your toes curled and you were speaking in tongues. And that was just with my fingers.”

Did billionaires have Costco memberships? Because his audacity came in bulk.

“Cocky bastard,” I spat as I threw the soiled paper towels in the trash.

Isaac sighed and stood in front of me, blocking my path. He put his hands on either side of my arms, rooting me to the sticky floor.I really needed to mop up the rest of the mess.“Han, I’m going to make you a square deal. It’ll be fair for both of us. The only reason I brought up a contract was because I thought you’d like the terms spelled out.”

He paused, waiting to see if I would slap him again. The thought crossed my mind, but I refrained.

“You want sex that won’t interfere with yourmanhunt for Mr. Hell Yes Ma’am, and I want good sex that I don’t have to pry out of a party girl I met at a club. And we both know there’s not a chance in hell you could ever catch feelings for me. This isn’t no-strings sex. We’ll establish clear boundaries. One is that we’re not exclusive. If you want to go out on dates and try to hook yourself a husband, you’re free to do so. Win, win.”

I hesitated. And then I kicked myself for hesitating. Why was I actually considering something so…absolutely insane?

All the well-bred conditioning that had been beaten into me through cotillions and my debutant season reared its ugly head. Proper ladies don’t hook up with men, much less engage in legal-but-sketchy sexual relations.

My mother would die if she knew. Maybe that’s why I was actually considering it.

Not that I would ever tell anyone.Ever.

“You’re thinking about it,” he said, dropping the boardroom voice and slipping into that sexy baritone rasp he used in the bedroom. He rested his hand on my waist, gently grazing his thumb under my breast.

“It would never work,” I said calmly.

“Tell me the reasons why you think that, and I’ll make them go away,” he replied arrogantly.

“For starters, I live here, and you live—well, I don’t know where you live. But it sure as hell isn’t little ol’ Beaufort.”

“Home is wherever my plane is. My company’s headquarters are in New York City, so I’m there a lot. When I’m working on the west coast, I crash at Luca’s place. I also own a flat in London. The company has a few properties all over the world that I use when I travel. Next?”

“And that’s another thing,” I said. “I work here. I can’t just skip town for a weekend hookup. I have a job.”

“I can come to you or fly you to me.”

Stupid rich people.

I sighed. Isaac reached up and tucked my hair behind my ear. “I told you that I would make the problems go away. Now, tell me why you’re not saying yes.”

I turned away from his touch and paced back and forth in front of the island. “I have a reputation to protect.”

“And like I don’t?” He chuckled.

I leveled him a glare hot enough to brand a cow. “I’ve seen your reputation plastered all over the cover of tabloids.”

That made him back off a little. “Tell me you’ll think about it.”

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