Page 16 of Drop Shot
My feet are aching from the heels even though I barely walked in them.
The things I’ll do for fashion.
We reach my floor and he follows me down the hall to my door. It hits me then, the tune he was whistling was You’re So Vain by Carly Simon and that it’s probably because of watchingHow to Lose a Guy in 10 Daysthat it’s on his mind.
When we pause outside my door so I can search for my key, for a moment I wonder what this would be like it had been a real date. If he’d kiss me at the door. Maybe take me in his arms and drag me inside.
But I very quickly remind myself that this isn’t real, and while he might not technically be my boss anymore, he is still very much unattainable for someone like me.
Unlocking the door, he follows me inside as I turn on the lights and kick off my shoes.
I grab my iPad and attach the keyboard, sitting down at the kitchen bar. Elias makes himself comfortable on my too small couch, cooing and loving on Craig.
Craig is getting a lecture on this treacherous behavior as soon as he’s gone.
I quickly type up our own contract, adding everything we’ve already discussed.
“Hey, kitty whisperer,” I joke. “Anything else you want to add to our contract?”
His head pops over the back of the couch, Craig clutched to his chest.
“I prefer pussy whisperer, thank you very much,” he jests.
I roll my eyes at the comment, but at this point I’m used to the random things that come out of Elias’s mouth. He sets Craig down and joins me on the other stool, his knee brushing mine as he settles into it.
Elias taps his fingers on the counter. Craig hops down from the couch and proceeds to weave through his legs seeking attention.
“As far as things to add”—he bends down and scoops my attention seeking cat into his arms— “let’s add a clause that if you want to end this sooner than the six months or year that you can.”
“And that you can too.” My fingers fly across the keyboard.
“You won’t have to worry about me wanting to dissolve it, Whim. I need you far more than you need me.”
A smile tugs on my lips. “That almost sounded like a compliment.”
“Because it is.”
He strokes Craig and she relaxes into his arms, purring like a maniac. I can’t say I blame her. I’m pretty sure if he held me like that I’d be purring too.
I add that detail into the contract, despite the fact I have zero plans to terminate early. The kind of money I’m being paid for this is too much to pass up, especially with the rising costs of my medicines.
“What else?” I prompt.
“Do you have any thoughts?” he volleys the question back to me.
My lips scrunch. “I guess just that we’re honest with each other. Something like this can be confusing, so we both need to be up front with each other about how we’re feeling.”
Ironic coming from me, since he has no idea about my pesky little crush. Hopefully I can manage to squash it like a bug, but something tells me that’s going to be extra difficult since I’m supposed to pretend to be head over heels in love with him.
“Okay,” he agrees, and I add it into the document.
“Anything else?”
He shakes his head. “I can’t think of anything but if we need to add amendments we can.”
I nod in agreement and flatten my iPad so we can each sign.
“I feel like you with this in my hand,” he jokes, twirling my Apple Pencil between his fingers.
