Chapter 10

• My heart begins to beat quickly as he approaches me. He places a hand on my waist and leans down to kiss my cheek, I'm unsure what to do with my hands or frankly any other part of my body so I just give him a small smile.
• "Hello Mr Whitlock" I say warmly, I can feel Graces eyes on me watching intently.
• "Amelia" Mr Whitlock purrs before he stands back, with his hand still on my waist. "I only have an hour, shall we get started?" Lory jumps into action and leads me to one side of the table and gestures for me to sit down beside her and she takes the place next to me.
• She leans down to her side and slips out a pile of papers, placing one stack in front of me while one is placed in front of her. I look up and watch as Rhodes intently stares at me, smiling as I catch his glance before reaching into his suit Danteet and taking out a pen.
• "Okay Amelia. We're all going to have a read through of the contract and you can both add what points in you would like to include along the way. Some points will be negotiable but some won't, and we will both need to be as accommodating as we can if we want this to work" She pointedly tells me, she should be telling this to the both of us but I don't feel like he's going to be very accomodating.
• I nod my head and smile softly, my heart is racing as I look down at the page. I don't understand a word of it, the first page is a whole bunch of legal mumbo jumbo to me.
• "This first page is mandatory that you sign Amelia, this is the non-disclosure agreement. What is basically means is that you won't tell your family, your friends or anyone how you and Mr Whitlock met. And in the event that things don't work out between you two, you are not to sell your story to any media outlets" my mouth dries up as she talks. I didn't realise that Mr Whitlock was so well known that he would have to worry about things like this. I am partially glad that this is included, I'm not super fond of how this is all starting either. I open my mouth to ask a question before Lory cuts me off.
• "It's alright that Poppy knows, she has signed a similar piece of paper" I nod my head and click my ball point pen before scribbling my signature next to a blue tab at the bottom of the page.
• "Perfect" Lory smiles as she flips her page over, I follow suit.
• The title of this page makes my stomach twist into a bundle of knots
• R U L E S
• "Here is a list of the rules that and Whitlock has given to his previous matches in the past" I swallow the lump in my throat and listen to Lory before reading through the list:
• 1: Be punctual to dates and events
• 2: Dress appropriately to every occasion
• 3: Maintain a healthy diet and exercise regime
• 4: No posting on social media about the relationship
• 5: Maintain a high level of physical beauty
• 6: Never discuss the particulars of our relationship with anyone
• 7: Always be honest throughout the relationship
• 8: When at events or functions, speak when spoken to.
• 9: Refrain from PDA in public
• 10: You will not be given gifts in exchange for sexual favours, gifts are earned over time.
• 11: Make yourself as available as possible
• 12: Be polite and grateful
• 13: No talking back
• 14: Ask when you need something
• 15: Do not cause a scene in public
• 16: Exclusivity only
• Scanning my eyes over the rules, my heart pounds harder than it did before. This is what this is, this is what I am becoming. I am a business deal, I must adhere to these rules or else face the consequences. This is not a relationship, this is a business deal. He is not my boyfriend, or my match, he's my boss. I do as he says, he's in charge.
• "Any questions?" Lory touches my shoulder and asks me as I continue to stare down at the rules. They are quite harsh, she said these are his specific rules, how many times has he done this, and why didn't they work out?
• "Uh the Uh, the healthy diet one.." I trail off, can he seriously dictate what I put into my body or what I do with it? I guess so, once I sign on the dotted line it doesn't really belong to me anymore does it?
• "There is a list of foods in the back, and you will be provided with a personal trainer" Lory informs me, I can't help but release a small laugh before I snap my mouth shut again. This is fucking ridiculous.
• "If I am to take you to events I need you to be presentable" Mr Whitlock says, I raise my head to look at him and see him twirling his pen in between his fingers. I'm hypnotised by it for a moment before I look back down at the page. I thought he liked the way I looked, my heart sinks somewhat.