Page 19 of The Bargain
“Every contract I write has a cold feet clause. You have three days to back out. The problem is they have the same, and his lack of attention to the contract has now turned into an after-signature negotiation. Which is, again, why I’ll need to threaten to walk. Do I have the approval to issue that threat should it be needed?”
My stomach roils, but I manage to steady my voice. “If that’s what you think we need to do, then yes.” I drop my hand from my forehead and press it to my leg. “I trust you.”
“Okay, then. The good news is that despite Ethan doing what I advised against by visiting you, he’s there to distract you from the stress of the negotiation. Only that’s not really good news at all, not for him. Because the bad news is he’s put himself in a compromising position with you and the board. He’s supposed to look out for Moore’s.”
“And he’s not?”
“He believes fair negotiation means long term relationships thus he is indeed, looking out for everyone involved. He’s wrong. Send him home. Now. Fast. If you care at all about his future—”
“I do. Of course, I do. And I will.”
“Good. Be forceful. And get your phone charged. More soon.” She hangs up and leaves me with the task of being selfless enough to send Ethan home. Alone. Without me. And he’s not going to take well to me pushing him out of the door.
Chapter Thirteen
Sofia
I’mreelingfromthenews Harper has delivered and at the idea that Ethan has placed himself in jeopardy by coming here to me when he steps in front of me, his hands settling on my shoulders. “This means that the buy-in to your brand is big, and so is our greed.”
“That’s not a selling point for Moore’s.”
“It’s not about Moore’s specifically. It’s business, and frankly, if you were anyone else, I’d be behind the decision to press for these terms, and David knows it. He knew they fucked up and I’d be pissed when I found out.”
“You should be doing what you’d do for anyone else.”
“I am. I’m not on the phone telling him to pull back, but I don’t have to. Harper’s a good attorney. She and David will fight it outand make this fair for both parties, but what you need to know is that ultimately Moore’s legal team can’t pull out of this contract without my signature, nor would they try without my approval. Legal is trying to please the board. Ultimately, I have the power to control the board. In other words, David is trying to please me.”
“Then Harper’s right. You’re putting yourself in a compromising position by being here. You’re jeopardizing yourself for me, and you barely know me.”
“Harper’s job as my attorney is to be protective to the point of being paranoid. And she’s being paranoid.”
“It’s a conflict of interest for her to represent both of us.”
“She handles my personal business, not my corporate work, which is exactly why she doesn’t need her nose in the middle of my side of this. I’m aware of the circumstances, and I’m handling them. As to why I’m here,” he adds with emphasis, “there’s something between us, Sofia. I know you feel that, too.” His voice is softer now, more intimate. “I don’t just want to know more about you. Ihaveto know you. I felt that before we ever left Hawaii, but you ran, and I’m not allowing Harper to help you do it again.”
“I’m not running.”
“You ran.”
“We talked about this already.”
“Talk about it again, because it wasn’t once, it was twice. I don’t think what happened in New York was about Anna at all.”
My defenses bristle. “It was about her. It was a wrong decision, I get that, and maybe at the core of my reaction was insecurity. I was, I still am, struggling to get by the differences in our worlds.”
“What is so different about our worlds?”
“If I’m honest, I guess it comes down to money.”
“If money creates a divide for you, it doesn’t for me. And that divide you perceive to exist won’t last for long. Not with the Zoeyline. Let’s make you your own money. Do what you love, and success will follow.”
“And I love that, I do. I love that you’re here, too, but now that David has restarted negotiations, that seems problematic for you, Ethan. I can meet you in Paris after the deal is signed. Then all of this will be done, and you’ll avoid a compromising position.”
Ethan captures a strand of my hair and gently brushes it behind my ear, the tenderness in him defying the wicked way he’s fucked me on too few occasions. I want him so badly I’m not sure how my brain is supposed to work when he’s touching me.
“I don’t want to go to Paris without you,” he says. “Do you really want to go without me?”
“No. Of course not. And I’m wildly affected by you showing up here, and I don’t even know if I should be admitting that, but—”
