Chapter 11 THE DECISION
Ava's POV
I didn't sleep at all that night after Dominic dropped me off.
I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, my lips still tingling from his kiss, my body still humming from being pressed against him, and my mind spinning with everything that had just happened.
An arrangement and a contract that states three nights a week for six months in exchange for financial security and ten thousand dollars a month.
It sounded insane when I thought about it like that, sounded like something out of a movie or a trashy romance novel, but it was real and I had said yes and now I had to figure out what that actually meant for my life.
The next morning I dragged myself out of bed and got ready for work at the club even though it was the last place I wanted to be.
My body was exhausted but my mind wouldn't shut off, kept replaying the dinner and the kiss and the way Dominic had looked at me when I said yes like I'd just given him everything he'd ever wanted.
Maya cornered me the moment I walked into the break room.
"Okay, spill," she said, blocking the door with her body so I couldn't escape.
"You've been acting weird for days and I know it's about that rich guy, so just tell me what's going on."
I looked around to make sure no one else was nearby, then pulled her into the corner and told her everything in a rushed whisper.
I told her about Dominic's offer, about the dinner last night and about the arrangement and the contract and how I'd agreed to become his kept woman for six months.
Maya's eyes got wider and wider as I talked, and when I finally finished she just stood there staring at me for a long moment.
"Girl," she finally said, shaking her head slowly.
"That's some Pretty Woman shit right there."
"I know. I know it's crazy and probably a terrible idea, but Maya, he's offering me more money than I've ever seen in my life. My mom's medical bills will be completely covered. I won't have to worry about rent or food or any of it anymore. I can actually breathe for the first time in years."
"But at what cost?" Maya grabbed my hands and her voice got serious.
"Ava, I love you and I support you no matter what, but you need to be real with yourself about what this is. He's buying you. You're going to be his sugar baby or his mistress or whatever you want to call it, and that means you're going to get attached and he's going to break your heart because men like that don't fall in love with girls like us."
"I know that. I'm not going into this thinking it's going to be some fairy tale romance. It's just business."
"Is it though?" Maya studied my face carefully.
"Because you've got that look in your eyes again, that look that says you're already half in love with him."
"I'm not in love with him. I barely know him."
"Then why can't you stop thinking about him? Why do you light up every time you say his name?"
I didn't have an answer for that, so I just pulled my hands away and started getting ready for my shift.
"I'm doing this, Maya. I've already said yes and he's drawing up the contract. I just need you to support me, okay?"
She sighed and pulled me into a hug.
"Of course I support you, you idiot. I just don't want to see you get hurt. Promise me you'll be careful. Promise me you'll protect your heart."
"I promise."
But even as I said it, I wondered if it was already too late.
My shift at the club dragged on forever, and every time a man looked at me or tried to talk to me, I felt uncomfortable in a way I never had before.
Like I was already Dominic's even though we hadn't signed anything yet.
Around midnight, my phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number.
Tomorrow at noon, I need you in my office. Come alone. - D
My heart did a stupid flip in my chest and I saved his number immediately.
The next morning I woke up early even though I'd barely slept again, showered and spent way too long trying to figure out what to wear to sign a contract to become someone's mistress.
I finally settled on a simple black skirt and a white blouse, professional but still attractive.
I also caught the subway to Dominic's office building in Manhattan.
When I got there, the building was massive, all glass and steel reaching up into the sky, and when I walked into the lobby I felt completely out of place surrounded by people in expensive suits talking on their phones about deals and money and things I didn't understand.
"Ava Scott for Dominic Hayes," I told the receptionist, trying to sound more confident than I felt.
She typed something into her computer, then smiled at me in a way that felt knowing.
"Top floor. He's expecting you."
The elevator ride felt like it took forever as my stomach was dropping with each floor we climbed, and when the doors finally opened I found myself in a office space with Adrian waiting for me.
"Miss Scott," he said with a slight nod, gesturing down a hallway.
"This way, please."
He led me to a large corner office with floor-to-ceiling windows that had a view of the entire city, and Dominic was standing at those windows with his back to us.
"She's here, sir," Adrian said quietly.
Dominic turned and the moment our eyes met I felt that same electric pull that I'd felt every other time I'd seen him.
He was in a full suit today, the color was charcoal gray with a dark blue tie, and he looked every inch the powerful businessman that he was.
"Thank you, Adrian. That will be all."
Adrian left and closed the door behind him, and suddenly we were alone.
"You came," Dominic said, walking toward me slowly like he had all the time in the world.
"You knew I would."
"Did I?" He stopped right in front of me, close enough that I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes.
"You could have changed your mind. Could have decided this was too much and walked away."
"I didn't though."
"No, you didn't." He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering on my cheek.
"Do you know what that means?"
"That I'm crazy?"
He smiled and it was warm and possessive all at once.
"It means you're mine now."
He went back to his desk and picked up a thick stack of papers, then gestured to the chair across from him.
"Sit. We need to go through this together."
I sat and he handed me the contract, and I started reading through it carefully.
Everything we'd discussed was there in clear legal language. Six months starting from the date of signing. Three nights per week at his discretion, exclusivity on both sides, all medical expenses for Elena Scott covered indefinitely, ten thousand dollars per month deposited into my account on the first of each month and the termination clause was that if either party could invoke with thirty days’ notice.
"This is really generous," I said quietly, looking up at him.
"I told you. You're worth it to me." He leaned forward with his elbows on the desk.
"Are there any terms you want to change or add?"
I thought about it for a moment.
"What about my job? At the club?"
"You can keep it if you want, but you don't have to. The money I'm giving you is more than enough to live on."
"I think I want to keep it. At least for now, i don't want to be completely dependent on you."
He nodded like he respected that.
"Fair enough. Anything else?"
"What if... what if one of us develops feelings? Real feelings, not just physical attraction?"