Chapter 6

• Instead of driving back to her apartment, where she knew Ross might be waiting, she stopped at a park just two blocks from where she lived. She was going to have to tell him her real feelings now; she knew in her heart that she had already accepted Mason’s proposal. There was no way she could say no to him. She didn’t have the guts.
• At this hour of the morning, the small park wasn’t usually packed. Children, nannies, and little preschoolers are the majority of those present. She had tucked the contract into her bag and gripped it to her side as she walked to an empty bench farthest from the playground, where she could be sure of some solitude.
• Mason’s imperious demand that she comes work for him resurfaced in her mind. She could as well live off the men in her life for as long as she wanted, but with the money Chris had put into her schooling, she needed to figure out her next step and also to make herself feel better about the fact that she wasn’t wholly reliant on Chris and Ross. Over the years, they’d done plenty for her. She intended to inform Ross that they were done anyway, even though she didn’t think her brother would accept anything she had with Mason, but she was ready to let him have her.
• As she settled onto the bench, she glanced around her to make sure no one was close enough to see what she was reading, and then she pulled the contract from her bag and peeled the cover page up so she could begin to read the contents. Her eyes widened as she read further. She turned the pages and was baffled between disbelief and an odd curiosity. He hadn’t lied when he said that he would own her. That she would entirely belong to him. If she signed this contract and entered into a relationship with him, she was granting all power to him.
• The requirements were all but written in five lines and a paragraph that purported to give details on some specifics she was to agree to;
• 1. She should be available whenever he needs her.
• 2. Her working hours were as he decided to make them and her time was only to him during the working hours.
• 3. She was to travel with him and be at his disposal.
• 4. He made the decisions, and she was to see to his command.
• 5. That sex could and would include bondage, restriction, and pain play, all of which would be at his discretion.
• Good God, this man was a complete psycho. Her cheeks blazed with heat, and she was excited and eager to go on. She hastily glanced up, afraid that someone would see her and know exactly what she was reading. She wanted to make damn sure no one was close enough to see what was typed on those pages.
• She was puzzled; by signing this, she was committing to relinquishing control to him in all facets of their relationship, not just in the bedroom. The most concerning aspect of the contract was that, as straightforward as it was, the actual description of what she may be expected to do was unclear; in essence, everything was covered by the fact that she was to give him whatever he wanted, whenever and however he wanted it. In return, he guaranteed that all her needs would be met, physically and financially. There was nothing at all about emotional needs or ties. There would be intercourse, but there would be no romance. Not that she pegged him as a lovey-dovey type, but she never expected him to be this serious either, taking it as far as getting a contract signed before having sex.
• Thankfully, he also added the right to terminate the contract at any moment, and he could do so if she violated any of the stipulations she committed to. But could she really be OK with this? To be at his beck and call at work, away from work, and on any business excursions he took. She was expected to be his mistress as well as his assistant. A Plaything. His Possession. Unable to make decisions for herself.
• She couldn’t even wrap her brain around it all. She wasn’t a novice when it came to sex, but the contract told her nothing other than the fact she was to give up all her rights, and he will take over every aspect of her life. No specifics! What did it all mean?
• It would mean signing away the rights to her own body. The longer she sat and read it, the more agitated she became. She glanced at the last phrase, which stated that by signing the contract, she agreed not to disclose her relationship with Mason to any outside source, including the media.
• A complete physical report would be expected from her by Mason’s physician, and he would also undergo a similar physical so that both parties would be ensured of a clean bill of health and be free of diseases. And lastly, she would be expected to take birth control, and condoms would only be provided in the event of interaction with another person who was not Mason.
• She plopped the contract down on her lap as her mouth fell open. What the hell did that mean?
• Did he expect her to entertain anyone of his choosing? The implications caused her head to spin. It wasn’t even funny that this man could go this far. She’d never heard of half of what was spelled out in this contract, no wonder he promised to be patient with her and assist her through his expectations.
• Her palms trembled as she took up the contract and reread the last page. This was utterly ridiculous. What was even more ridiculous was that she hadn’t already ripped it apart and walked back to his office and told him she would never do it. Was she seriously considering consenting to it? A part of her longed to find precisely how debauched Mason was but on this contract, he leaned far away from anything like normal. An average person would not make such efforts to cover every relationship aspect. She was now curious about all the other women he’d been seeing. She hadn’t met any of them before, but she had overheard Chris and Mason converse.
• She also had a vague recollection of his messy separation from Sarah, his fiancée, it was all over the media then, and it had been a long time ago when she had been young. She was aware it had not been pleasant and harmed his relationships with women ever since, but had they ever had a relationship like this? If he had a contract available at a moment’s notice, he probably provided it to all of his girlfriends, which upset her. Not that she expected to be any different from all who had come before her, but it felt good to think she would be unique and not grouped with all the other women he’d slept with.
• She folded the contract and stuffed it into her suitcase before returning to her flat. She needed to sleep on it and planned to speak with Ross later that night when he came over for dinner. She wasn’t sure whether she could agree to Mason’s contract, but she was confident that she would end things with Ross tonight. She took out her phone as she walked, and there were already half a dozen texts from her best friend, Amber. She had given her a brief update over the phone the night of the occurrence. But she was confident Amber was eager to hear about her encounter with Mason.
• But what the heck was she supposed to say? Somehow, typing Mason wants me to be his personal plaything didn’t sound right, even if it would probably make Amber swoon. She couldn’t tell her, but that would also mean there was no way her brother could find out. It would ruin their friendship, not to mention he would never understand, putting a huge wedge between her and Chris. She was going to keep this to herself even if a thing ended severely between her and Mason. She only hoped that it didn’t.