Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 129110 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 646(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129110 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 646(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
Oh thank you.
He tells the person to come in and the tight haired lady from earlier enters. I realize it's only her hair that makes her look older.
“Mona.” Asher looks up, and just like this morning she ignores my entire existence.
Until she doesn't.
"I'm here with the NDA."
"Oh, right," Asher replies, but I'm too focused on the way her gaze is narrowed in on me.
"This her?"
"Me?" I gasp, as she throws a packet on the table. I look over at Asher, wondering what's going on.
"It's a nondisclosure agreement," she explains, shoving a pen in my face.
"Mona-" Asher starts to sigh.
"Asher," she gives him a look, and he concedes.
"It's standard, Elle." I freeze as he says my name, still not used to it at all. "It's to make sure you can't talk about what happens between us, or leak anything."
"What happens between us?" I slowly repeat, watching him nod.
Whoa, whoa. Wait a minute.
"I thought it was just lunch," I give him a look, before turning to Mona. "Do you think I'm here to sleep with him, like some hooker?"
"No, Elle, it's not-"
"That's none of my business. My concern is protecting him."
I feel myself growing angrier by the second. I was worried about further spoiling my impression of him, and it's done. This is too much. I stand.
Of all the entitled...
"Wait, Elle," he groans, and I stop and turn to find his gaze narrowed in on me. "Mona, just go," he tells her, holding my stare.
"Asher-" she hisses.
"Elle and I are going to have lunch."
"Asher, I have to insist-"
"I'll talk to her about it," he finally turns to her.
"Asher, but-"
"It's just a meal. I'm not going to say or do anything," he gives her a look, and she bites her tongue. Then she shoots me a glare before leaving the papers and walking out.
"What-"
"It's just a piece of paper, Elle," he pinches the top of his nose. "I really don't know what I'm supposed to do here."
"I'm not sure what you mean. Look, maybe I should just-"
"I don't know whether to be intrigued because women usually jump to sign this for me, or wary because I know what you do and not signing it gives you free reign."
Before I have the chance to answer, or point out that he already told me that Sabrina Wilson thing without having me sign anything, Mona returns, followed by a man carrying a tray of food.
"He signed one, Asher," she snips. "Everyone signs one." She spins around and darts out, leaving the man.
The man smiles, and with white-gloves he opens the silver platter to reveal our meals, placing our dishes in front of us. Then he holds up a bottle of ketchup and I nod, ready to take it from him, surprised when he starts spreading it on my burger for me, smoothing it over with a butter knife.
“Um, I can do that,” I reach out and take the bun. "Thanks." I squirt on additional ketchup, sans knife, and greedily take a bite. Then I look up to find Asher intently staring, and the man now buttering his burger with ketchup, and Asher letting him.
Does he do anything for himself?
He meets my eye, and I quickly look away. I’m pretty sure I just violated some weird British faux pas by eating before he was ready, but whatever. I'm starving. Besides, I seem to be on a roll when it comes to breaking his crazy rules.
“Hungry?” he raises an eyebrow as soon as the man leaves, and I nearly choke, my mouth full as I nod. We both laugh, our gazes landing on the document.
"So he had to sign one of these too?"
"His was a little different, but yes."
"How so?"
Wait is he blushing?
"His basically says he can't give details about what he saw, or who he saw me with. Yours outlines similar ideas, but also, uh, includes some more... intimate stuff as well."
"Oh," I gasp.
"Yeah," he sighs.
So we're gonna go there.
"You know asking someone to sign a document before sex isn't exactly mood inducing."
"Yeah well neither is you eating that burger," he quips with a smirk. I can't help but chuckle, and he lets out a deep sigh. "For the record I didn't invite you back here for sex."
"Oh good so lunch wasn't some weird code?"
But as I ask I feel my face redden. What if it was? How stupid do I look now?
"Of course lunch wasn't some code!" he jumps. "God no. I really did just want to hang out and get to know you better," he's suddenly flustered, which I was not expecting. "You know what? I'm not going to have sex with you so how about we just forget the document, okay?" he takes the papers and tosses them onto some side table, and now I'm actually kind of insulted. Not that I thought he ever wanted to have sex with me in the first place, but the way he's so disgusted by the idea hurts. "What now?" he rolls his eyes, clearly taking in my newly annoyed look.