The Contract (4 page)

“I doubt we’ll need the pill again, will we?  While there are certain benefits,” his tone deepened, “I don’t like watching you struggle so much.”

“Yeah, right.  I bet you get off on that more than the BJ.  And hey, aren’t you going to beat me or something for breaking your window?”

“Perhaps I’ll beat you later,” he said, waving it off as unimportant.  I hope he was kidding.  I’ve never even been swatted and plan to go to my grave that way.  He continued, “Now go take a shower and we’ll leave.  We can get breakfast on the way since apparently making breakfast is also not on your list of skills.”

I stalked off to take a shower.  “I could make breakfast if I wanted.  I could feed your ass off.”  I slammed the door and turned on the water for the shower.

When I got out there were new jeans with the tag still on and a gorgeous red silk shirt that made me want to just roll in it.  Once I was dry I took the clothes and walked out to find Cray.  “Hey, guess what?  The clothes fairy came and left me an outfit.”

I must admit to some surprise to seeing Cray talking to another man, probably about replacing the window.  I hadn’t worried about Cray seeing me naked, but wasn’t too sure about Mr. Windows getting a gander.  It was too late now, and so I did what I did best—bluffed it out.

First I checked Cray to see if he was going to freak out, but he merely looked mildly interested.  So, I tossed the clothes down on the table and walked towards the stranger, putting out my hand.  “Hello, I’m Alyssa Case.  And you are?”

The man was trying to only look at my face but having a tough time of it.  “I uh, am Jack and I take care of the building.”

“Well, I didn’t mean to in—Oh wait, was well on the list?” I asked Cray.

“Yes.”

“W—so shit, fucked that puppy.  Anyway, what I was going to say is that I didn’t mean to intrude.  I just wanted to thank Cray for the clothes.”  I went up to him and slid my arms around his neck and he lowered his head so I could kiss him.  His hand slid down my back and I felt a thrill of either desire or triumph.

I turned back to pick up the clothes.  “Usually I like to remain naked in the native tradition my people have followed for hundreds of years.  Cray is sweet enough to let me prance around here naked. His benevolence knows no bounds”  For their benefit I pranced back into the bathroom.  Prance, prance, prance.  I didn’t see any underthings so I went without.  I styled my hair in big loose curls and actually put on make up.  I looked—have to say it—good.

This time when I went out the window guy was gone.  I presented myself to Cray, who was watching some financial channel.  His eyes scanned me.  “The traditions of your people?”

Feeling good about my new clothes, I went and plunked myself in his lap.  “Yep, I think if I go back far enough I have caveman people, and weren’t they naked a lot?”

“Probably not in the winter.”

I grinned at Cray.  “Ok, so are you pissed about the sauntering around naked with Mr. Window here?  I had just meant to saunter naked in front of you.”

“I am not angry.  The entire episode was entertaining.”

For some reason that made me mad.  Did I want him to be jealous?  I guess I had no other status here other than whore—reluctant whore.  Why would he care who saw me?  I sighed and he noticed it.  “Are you finally ready to go?”

Back to the sass, I guess.  “Fuck yeah.  Where are we going?”

“Don’t question me,” he said coolly.  “I dislike it.”

“Oh goodie!  A surprise!  I love surprises!  And do please notice there wasn’t a question in there.”

He considered me a moment.  “Perhaps I should have simply said shut up.”

“Well, oh damn, did the well again.  That mother is going to be a rough one, I tell you.  Anyway, what I was going to say is you didn’t say that I should shut up, and now to say it would indicate you were—everyone gasp here—wrong.”

“I wonder if there is a pill that would simply stop your mouth.”  We had gone down the elevator and were walking along the sidewalk, so I guess the place we were going wasn’t too far.

I leaned over and body bumped him.  “Honey, got to say that last pill shut my mouth pretty effectively…eventually.”

Cray glanced at me.  “Are you suggesting you stay on those pills full time?  That could be  dangerous.”

I grinned at him and squeezed his hand.  “I bet you that you’d die before I did.”

Cray looked like he might answer, but we’d arrived at a high-class breakfast place.  I’d gone here a few times before my slide into near servitude and thought it was okay.  The staff seemed to know Cray and flew around him like hummingbirds on crack.  It was completely annoying.  I snagged one waiter.  “Hey dude?  Just put down the coffee and leave.  Trying to watch all of you is gonna give me a neck crick.”

Cray ignored the entire scene.  He picked up a newspaper—Jeez,
Wall Street Journal
, what else? And opened it and proceeded to ignore me.

So I looked around.  It was funny to watch how people tried to watch Cray without actually looking like they were watching him.  A devilish part of me wanted to stand on my chair and give a run down of the things he and I had done so far, but I figured I’d be on that pill for life if I did.

I put my chin in my hands and stared off into space, thinking of how I’d gotten here—personal sex kitten to a cold, hard man.  Then I started wondering if the pills went away right away since when I’d thought ‘hard man’ I’d begun to feel a bit warm.  Maybe I was getting a fever.  Well, that had to stop right now.  Without that pill he was just like anyone else and worse.  So there.

The food came—he’d ordered for me, bossy doofus, and I ate my less-than-appetizing breakfast.  Once he glanced at me I asked, “What the hell am I being punished for now?” pointing to the breakfast.

“It’s good for you.  I haven’t seen you in the gym yet.”

“Yeah, Mr Abs?  I haven’t seen you in there either.”

He almost smiled—I swear it.  “Your behavior so far has been acceptable.  After we eat we can get you a dress for the party tomorrow.”

“Who’s giving it?”

“Sinclaires.”

“Oh jeez, the whale people.  It must be a gosh-we’re-good-people party.”

Cray stared at her.  “That is nearly word for word what I was going to say.”

I thought about commenting on that, but what would I say?  Look how alike we are?  Hardly.  Instead I said, “I wonder whether we could go in big whale suits.  No, now that I think about it I’d sweat like a pig in one of those.  What about wearing baby seal fur?  That’d probably pop their heads right off.”

“It’s work, so unfortunately no,” Cray said, sounding amused.

“What kind of work?  Are we trying to get someone’s favor or look good ourselves?”

At looking at me a moment Cray said with a lazy cruelness, “There is me and there is you.  There is no ‘we’.”

“Semantics.  What’s the deal?”

Cray looked annoyed now.  “Just looking good overall.  So I swear one set of antics from you and…”

“Yeah, yeah, you’ll grind my bones to make your bread.”  I waved my hand at him.  “I can do charming, believe me.  I used charm to get through college.  I don’t think I ever attended a class.”

“Charm?” he said doubtfully.  “I’d heard you slept your way through college.”

“It was boring enough to fall asleep,” I said, deliberately misunderstanding him.  “But whoever told you that was wrong.”  He raised his eyebrows.  I guess charm hadn’t been how I was dealing with him.  “You’ll see, oh disbeliever.  You tell me the goal and I’ll get it for you.”  I finished with a little naughtiness in my voice, “Trust me.”

Chapter Five

The dress shopping started all right.  I approved of the place.  But Cray was way too bossy with them, which was going to get me a dress that was ugly and didn’t fit.  I sidled up to him and said quietly, “I think this is more my realm than yours.  Get on that phone of yours that has been beeping up a storm and let me work my magic.”

He finally agreed, but before he walked off I asked him, “Prim, understated sexy, or provocative.”

He thought a moment.  “Understated sexy.  And don’t make me sorry I let you have this latitude.”

“Hon, I’ll show you the dress before we buy it, and you’ve already seen the body, so we’ve got it all covered.”

So I did my shopping magic.

I found what I wanted but the hem needed tweeking, so I was going to pick it up tomorrow.  It was deep blue in a one-shoulder design that clung to my body without seeming to do so.  Cray was so quiet about it I wasn’t at all sure he liked it.  It hadn’t been the most expensive dress, but I was worried he’d take it out of the little allowance he was giving me.

We walked back pretty much in silence, and once we reached the apartment I demanded, “Well?  Did you like it or not?”  I snapped my fingers.  “Ack!  I used the w-word again.  This is complete verbal hell; I hope you appreciate that.  The dress, Cray.  What did you think?”

He looked a little moody.  “It’s appropriate.”

“And uh—I let out a frustrated screech at my accidental use of the banned word ‘uh’—“I mean and am I going to be paying for it?”

“That’s five slip-ups on the language.  I’ll have to think what to do about that.  And no, you aren’t going to be paying for it.  Is that why you actually looked at the price tag?”

I ran my fingers through my hair, detangling it a little.  “No, it’s just…”  The answer came to me and I felt suddenly stupid.  “Nothing.”

Cray came forward, his eyes alight.  “Here we have something that the overwhelmingly verbose Alyssa doesn’t want to talk about?  Tell me, Alyssa.”

I’d backed away from him until I reached the bedroom wall.  “It’s nothing.  Hell, a gal gets a few secrets, doesn’t she?”

He leaned against me and brushed my lips with his.  “Tell me.”

I shook my head and he deepened the kiss, making my entire body feel as if it was turning into a liquid.  He kissed me until I was ready to drag him into the bedroom when he just…stopped.  “I suppose if you won’t tell me you won’t tell me.”  He backed away from me showing no signs that he was affected by the kiss.  “I’m going to show you the gym today.  You were up late, though, and might want to rest first.”

I just stared at him like a landed trout.  He was just fucking with me, like he’d fucked with me ever since I’d come here.  Cray’s fucking plaything.  Before I realized it, tears were streaking down my cheeks.  What was it with this guy that I teared up more than I ever had in my entire life?

Cray came back over and looked at me.  “Tears or other emotional storms will never sway what I have decided to do.  Do you understand that?”

I pushed him away from me.  “I understand it, but maybe you could open up your frozen mind to consider that the tears were not wanted by me but were a result of becoming an uncaring man’s plaything.”

Cray was quiet, studying me intensely.

“Fuck—you want to know?  Because it never mattered to anyone before how much the dress cost.  You’re the first person who ever actually looked at the price tag, so I figured I’d better too.”  I glared at him, truly angry.  “Now I’m going to take that rest you suggested.”  I went into the bedroom and slammed the door.

He immediately followed me in.  “Explain that.”

I turned and gave him a diamond hard stare.  “And if I do?  What’s my reward?  Can’t give away anything for nothing.  You taught me that.”

“Alyssa, I’ve already paid for it all.  Now tell me what you meant.”

“Go to hell.”

“That’s new and original, Alyssa.  Have you already used up all the good come-backs?”

I closed my eyes for a minute.  “It never mattered what I bought or what I did.  Okay?  One of those painfully clear life moments that you’ll undoubtedly use to hurt me.”  I heard him move about and when I opened my eyes, the bedroom door was closing.  I lay on the bed and tried to pretend everything was fine.

*                      *                      *

The rest of the day consisted of the hardest workout I’ve ever had with Cray acting as my personal asshole—oops, I mean trainer.  He’d had some skimpy workout stuff bought and I asked him if he was above enjoying the view.  He, of course, didn’t answer, but he did give me a smile that made me hot.

After the workout I showered again and when I came back in Cray looked back at me from the couch.  “Would you like to try the movie we were watching last night?  I don’t think you got too much from it.  I can order up some dinner.”

“I could make dinner.”  I was being contrary, I knew, since I doubted he’d like anything I made.

Cray showed me a skeptical look.  “I think I’ll just order in.”  He took his phone out and placed an order, again not asking my opinion on anything.

I was getting nervous.  The last two nights had been pill nights, and I wondered what tonight would be.  “Say, Cray?  What’s the deal for tonight?  I mean, we haven’t really had a normal night since I came here.”

He nodded to the couch and I sat near him, drawing my legs up protectively.  “If you wanted normal you should have gone to match.com.”

I nibbled at my lower lip.  “So you’re telling me you’re not normal?”

Cray laughed, deep and sexily.  “Absolutely not.”  He pulled me into his lap and I held myself a little stiffly.  “And I bought you, Alissa.  You’re mine for six months to do…” he kissed my jaw “whatever I want.”  He turned my head to his and kissed me until I was loose and barely conscious.  He whispered in my ear, “Whatever I can think of, I can do to you.”

I swallowed.  Now here’s the thing.  I play at all experienced and stuff, but the truth is, I haven’t done all that much.  You know, I’m one of those big talkers, and I sort of avoided guys who would realize I was more talk than action.  Sure I was a raging sex kitten the last two nights, but so would Mother Teresa be if she took those pills.

“What’s the matter, Alissa?  Are you afraid your inexperience is starting to show?”

I froze.  How the fuck did he know that?

He was still watching me and smiled.  “Besides having you checked out to get an idea of what you’ve done in your life, the last two nights there were—shall we say—signs that you hadn’t done this much.  Certainly not as much as you’d like people to think.