Are you psychic?
Funny! Not!
Did you make up your mind about the contract?
You said we could go through it first.
Can I call you now?
I was about to have a bath.
Can I come over then??
You wish.
Yes, I do.
Call me.
Ring ring.
“That was fast,” I said as I answered the phone with a smile on my face.
“You did ask me to call.”
“Well, if we’re going to be technical about it, I only said that after you asked if you could call me,” I said, feeling light-headed.
“What’s bothering you about the contract?” he asked me, changing the subject.
“You’re really interested in me agreeing to this contract, aren’t you?”
“What do you think, Mila?”
“I want to know why you had a contract with my name on it already.”
“What do you think, Mila?”
“I want to know if this is a plan you’ve had for a while?”
“What do you think, Mila?”
“I think if you don’t stop saying that, I’m going to scream.”
“I’d love to hear you scream.” His voice deepened. “I’d love to hear you screaming out my name as I—”
“Yeah, yeah, TJ.” I rolled my eyes into the phone, though I couldn’t stop myself from shivering slightly at his words. “You want me in your bed. You want to make me come. You want me to make you come.” I paused and took a breath, but he interrupted before I could continue.
“It seems like you know me inside and out.” His voice was smooth and I wondered what he was thinking.
“No, I don’t. That’s why I want to discuss the contract with you. Why exactly do you need access to all my personal information?”
“So I can make sure you’re not cheating on me.”
“How can I cheat on you if the relationship is a farce?”
“The engagement is a farce. The relationship won’t be.”
“Oh.” I bit my lower lip and mumbled. “So I’ll be your girlfriend?”
“No.” He sighed. “Not exactly.”
“Okay. So I’m just meant to let you have power of attorney over everything in my life. I’d think you were after my money if I had any and you weren’t a millionaire.” I laughed.
“I’m not after your money, Mila.” He sounded amused. “Your body, yes. Your money, no.”
“What does the clause mean that I need to trust you?” I said softly. “Even if trusting you means I’m scared for my life.”
“Is that what’s bothering you the most?” he said, the words sounding smooth and light as if what I’d just brought up was of no significance to anything.
“Yeah, that’s bothering me. What exactly would you be doing that would have me scared for my life?”
“It’s a general contract, Mila. I just want to know that you’re giving everything to me and not holding anything back.”
“What would I be holding back?” I frowned into the phone. “And you didn’t really answer my question.”
“For this to work, I need to know that you will give me the benefit of the doubt. I don’t want to control you. I don’t want to dictate your everyday life to you. I just want to know that you’ll be open to suggestions of different things.”
“What different things?”
“You’ll see.”
“I don’t want to see. I want to know.”
“There are some things you can’t know right now, Mila.”
“What can I know?” I sighed.
“You can know that I want you very much. You can know that this engagement will benefit both of us. You can know that I will not do anything that will hurt you.”
“But you’ll put me in harm’s way? Possibly?”
“I would never put you in harm’s way.” He sighed. “Though you might always think that.”
“You’re scaring me, TJ. I don’t understand what you’re asking. How can I say yes to something I don’t really understand?”
“You can say yes if you can answer to these three things,” he said softly. “If you want to help me. If you want to make love to me. If you want to be taken into a world of passion and excitement that you never knew existed before.”
“When would I have to move in with you?”
“If you say yes—now, tonight,” he said, and I wasn’t sure if he was joking.
“Tonight? I haven’t even packed.”
“You won’t be needing clothes, so that doesn’t matter.”
“TJ! What?”
“I’m joking, Mila.” He laughed. “I’m not having you move in with me so you can be my sex slave, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I’m not worried about that,” I said softly. “If anything, you’ll be my sex slave.”
“If you say yes, we can get you on the pill tomorrow.”
“You’re so eager for me to get on the pill.”
“It’s safer. There may be times and situations where a condom won’t be the easiest thing to remember or put on,” he said softly, and I froze.
“What does that mean?”
“It means exactly what I said it means.” His voice lowered. “Can I come over?”
“Come over for what?”