Chapter 8

• Ross poured them a glass of wine and slid it across the bar to her as he listened to her narrate her lie. Lisa stirred the spaghetti sauce and gave the noodles a quick poke.
• “Well, I agree with him there. You didn’t go to grad school for nothing,” he said dryly. “But a personal assistant? I think there is more than meets the eye to this.” She remained silent, not rising to that particular bait.
• “So, you have decided to do it, right?” Lisa sighed.
• “I haven’t decided anything for certain yet. I have until Monday to make my decision.”
• Ross shrugged. “But if you ask me. He’s rich, good-looking, and single. He has no doubts and just wants you. You don’t even need a job or money.”
• “Money isn’t everything, you know?”
• “Said by someone who is indulged by her older brother, who also happens to have too much money to know what to do with.”
• Lisa couldn’t deny that Chris did a lot for her. He’d purchased this apartment for her, and she didn’t need a roommate, except whenever Amber needed the sleepover, and she did not really mind her company.
• “It’s ready” she drained the spaghetti and grabbed two plates to dish it out for them.
• “I’ll get the wine,” Ross offered. He reached the top shelf and grabbed a bottle with two drinking glasses.
• “Lisa, just promise me you will let me know whatever happens. If he crosses the line or makes you uncomfortable,” Ross interrupts her thoughts. They walked to the dining table and set the food and drink down.
• Lisa felt awful at this moment; if only he knew how badly she wanted Mason to Remington the line, she couldn’t deny that she wanted him to fuck her right now; what was the point of a dumb ‘I own you contract’? She’d been alone with him three times at this point, and he hadn’t tried anything other than scrambling her mind with his demonic kisses. She concluded that she couldn’t break up with Ross right now until she was sure that whatever Mason had in store for her was completely casual. She would make her decision.
• “I’ll let you know, Ross,” she says. What type of person was she becoming when she was such a liar, lying to avoid losing on both ends? She didn’t deserve him or any type of affection, and if he could only see how bad of a game she was playing, he wouldn’t want anything to do with it.
• After the first bite, Ross exclaimed, “Hey Lisa, you’re such an awesome cook; I wish I had your talents.”
• Lisa laughed. “As if you don’t have enough skills already, will you spare a few for the rest of us?”
• And it was true; he was brilliant, rich, and good-looking. He was practically running his father’s company on his own, and seeing as he was an only child, he did not have so much choice but to step up. Ross was a good guy; he did not deserve this. The sooner she figured out this shit, the better for everyone.
• “To us, for becoming better versions of ourselves,” she murmured as she raised her wineglass in a toast. They clinked their glasses and ate the rest of the dinner in silence.
• ***
• “Holy fucking shit, you kissed him again?” Amber asked as they conversed on her bed.
• Lisa nodded slowly before covering her face with her palms to conceal her blush. After dinner, Ross lingered for a few minutes before leaving; she invited Amber for a sleepover and some advice. He needed to talk to someone about her confusing emotions right now.
• “Come on, you are going to have to tell me more. Are you finally taking the job? I was beginning to think you were going to avoid him for the rest of your life or something after your first kiss at the party.”
• “You sound like you are disappointed,” Lisa muttered.
• Amber’s eyes narrowed. “I am not, babe, but what about Ross. You’re still holding out on me about when you went to his office, and I feel there’s more to it.”
• Lisa hesitated and then clamped her lips shut. What really could she say? About the contract or Ross, she couldn’t tell her about the contract. The details of her private life with Mason were something she did not want anyone to know, even her best friend.
• But she had to tell her something. So, she went with the lesser of the two evils.
• “I’ll end things with Ross,” Lisa said.
• Amber’s eyes widened. “Wait, just because Mason kissed you, kind of threatened to fuck you on at that party, and now wants you to work for him. You think he’s in love with you or something?”
• Yeah, it sounded lame and shallow to her too, but she wasn’t saying a word about that damn contract. Not that that would make much difference, he practically just wanted to fuck her brains out in every possible way. There was absolutely nothing about love involved.
• “Well, there could be more, but for now, I’ll focus on being a good personal assistant.”
• “Until he bends you over his desk and slams into you like he hates you,” Amber added sarcastically. “Personal assistant, my foot. He totally redefines the term “personal.”
• Lisa remained silent, not rising to that particular bait.
• “So, you must have decided to do it right?”
• Lisa sighed. “Yeah, I will go see him on Monday to tell him my decision.”
• Amber shrugged. “I support you no matter what. A rich and gorgeous guy who you have been crushing on forever wants you. What’s not to love about that setup? Just know what you want to do with Ross, so you are not the bad guy at the end of all this.”
• “I know babe, I think I’m more curious than anything,” Lisa admitted. “He’s always fascinated me. I’ve had a thing fa long time.”
• “Well, curiosity is a fair reason, and you’ll never know if you’re compatible unless you take the risk,” Amber explained.
• It seemed like the right thing to do to take the risk. Even though it felt more like a massive fall from a cliff, she was going to this, and there was no turning back now; she would go over the contract once after Amber had left, and she’d be alone.