Page 77 of The Husband Contract

“I agree,” I say. “You can’t do that.”

“Yeah.” She laughs bitterly. “I’ll leave the champagne for you. You can drink it when you feel like you have time.”

“Thank you. I appreciate all your hard work.” I think for a moment. “Please send me all the paperwork you’ve gathered on this. I want to look into a few things.” Her eyes flash for a moment and there’s an annoyed expression on her face.

“I’ll have to get it all together.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I guess I’m the best employee you’ve ever had.”

“I appreciate you going above and beyond,” I say again.

“Yeah, I’m sure you do. You have a good evening, Sebastian.”

“You too, Louisa.”

“You know what? I will. Thank you.” And with that, she sashays out the door.

I should probably fire her. It’s obviousshe wants something sexual to happen and it’s never going to happen. Never. And I don’t know how many more times I can tell her that.

I’m beyond uncomfortable. It’s starting to feel like she’s obsessed with me.

I quickly dismiss the thought. She’s always been a hard worker, and I know she likes to have fun sexually. The woman has been in a lot of relationships with many different people, as she’s told me. She’s even offered me threesomes with other women in the company. It seems to be something she enjoys.

I run my fingers through my hair and let out a deep sigh. I don’t want to think about this now. There are too many other things to worry about. So much else to contemplate.

Like what I’m going to do with Willow.

I’d handed her a contract—one I expected her to sign—that said she would have to do anything I wanted. And when I’d had it written up, there were so many deep and dark things I’d wanted her to do. I wanted to humiliate her, to embarrass her. But now, I don’t know if I can go through with any of them.

Because even though I hate her for what she did to Sergio, there’s still a part of me that cares about her. A part of me who doesn’t want to see her hurting any more than she already does.

And there’s another part of me I don’t even want to acknowledge, one that’s questioning everything. One that’s wondering if I’m any better than her. I tell myself I’m doing it for my brother. I tell myself I’m doing it for love. I tell myself I’m doing it to make her pay for all the deception she’s shown toward him. But still, in the back of my mind, it doesn’t feel right.

Chapter Twenty-One

Willow

“This is your room right here. This is the best guestroom in the home. You’ll find towels in the bathroom.” Janice beams with pride as she gestures toward the bed. “The sheets are a thousand-thread-count Indian cotton.”

I give her a polite smile. “Very nice. Thank you.”

The suite is huge. It must be over 300 square feet. Sebastian isrichrich.

“I have my own bathroom?” I ask.

Janice nods and points to a door. “Right through there. Feel free to explore. If you need anything, just let me know. I’ll be in the kitchen making some hand pies. Would you like a beverage?”

“No thank you.”

“Well, let me know if I can help youwith anything.” She pauses as if she wants to say something else but then thinks better of it.

“I will. Thank you.”

Janice heads out of the room, then stops. She looks over at me, a kind smile on her face. “He’s not all bad, you know.”

“Sorry, what?” I ask her, my heart racing.