The Billion Dollar Contract: The Executive Collection (21 page)

“How did you get in here?”

“You think I don’t know where you keep a spare key? You weren’t answering my phone messages. Did you forget that we were going to the track today?”

Jasmine pulled down Ethan’s shirt to try to cover her pelvis. Beside her, Ethan kept a firm hand on his hip while the other scratched his brow. “I did forget. Sorry about that.”

“I see that you did, sly dog.” Jackson tipped his hat and winked at Jasmine. It made her turn around to go hide in the bathroom until Jackson and his sub were gone.

It took a few more minutes, but by the time both Jackson and Monica left, Ethan was already half dressed in a pair of nice trousers and a plain cotton shirt. It was the most casual she had ever seen him, and he wasn’t even wearing short sleeves.

“I think I’m just going to go.” Jasmine opened the dresser and found a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt dark enough to cover her breasts.
These look like women’s clothes.
She held up the shirt to the light, and sure enough it was a baby doll cut with some local college logo on it. “Whose is this?”

Ethan glanced at her. “That belonged to another woman I used to date. She didn’t take it back with her when she left.”

“Used to date? You mean another woman you had a contract with?”

“You can have it. She won’t be coming back for it.”

Jasmine pulled it over her head for want of anything else to wear. It was a little snug, implying that the woman Ethan used to “date” was quite petite. At the very least, she had a smaller bust. The cotton rode up Jasmine’s stomach, and after she pulled up the sweatpants she struggled to keep her bellybutton covered. Not that it mattered. She wouldn’t be outside for long.

“You should tell me about them someday.” Jasmine combed her fingers through her hair. Upon seeing this, Ethan reached into the nightstand and produced one of his own combs for her to borrow. She wanted to laugh. Her hair was so thick that it would break through one of those things in five seconds. “The other women you, well…”

“You want to know about something like that?”

“Sure. What? Think I’d get jealous or something? No way.”

Ethan gazed at her for a few seconds before turning away. “Maybe some other time.”

Jasmine finished cleaning up her things and getting ready to go. Ethan had offered her the same ride home that she got last time, but he would be riding with her this time.

That was until she stepped out into the living area and saw Jackson Lyle sitting on the couch with Monica beside him. Jasmine stopped in her tracks, the blood frozen in her veins.

“I could tell you about them.” He smiled, ruthlessly. “The women he’s been with, that is. Couldn’t we, honey?”

Monica muttered something, but Jasmine couldn’t understand. Just as well. “Sorry, I need to go.” Ride home be damned.

It’s just business.
Without saying goodbye to Ethan, Jasmine darted down the hallway and jammed her thumb into the elevator button. It took more than a few seconds for the elevator to open up to her, but when Jasmine darted inside, she was glad to be alone. Alone with her thoughts of Ethan, the clothes of another woman she wore, and how for a few fleeting moments the night before Jasmine almost thought she felt something for the man who paid her to do things she never would have before.

Just business.
Three million dollars. What was the real price of falling in love with a man like Ethan Cole?

No, not love. Business. It was
business.

Before the elevator reached the bottom floor, Jasmine clasped her hand over her face and cried.

Part 3 - Parties

Letter From Eve

To Ethan,

I admit, I’m in shock… you don’t want to renew our contract? But I thought that these past six months have been absolutely wonderful… I even thought that… no, I was foolish. Of course that wasn’t who you really were. Everything you showed me was a lie, I guess. Well, it was a very clever one.

I wish that there was something I could do to make you change your mind. It’s not that I want more money. I just want to be with you some more. Remember that weekend you took me down to Miami and we spent the whole day on the beach, just you and me? That was the day I fell in love with you.

But I should have guessed… this wasn’t a real relationship. You didn’t care about me in that way. I’m not saying that you didn’t care for me at all. Just that I only stood out to you because you wanted to date me for a little while. You didn’t want a fairy-tale ending. That was my own foolishness.

Of course you don’t want to stay with me. You want to move on and find someone else to amuse yourself with. You’re not a one-woman man. Serial monogamy has your name all over it. I wouldn’t call you a womanizer. But you definitely aren’t the type to settle down.

I hope you’re happy one day. I certainly don’t feel very happy right now. But this isn’t the first time I’ve fallen in love and had my heart broken. It’s a part of life. This is what I tell myself to keep from falling apart.

Thank you for everything. I’ll never forget you.

Yours,

Eve

Ethan didn’t know what bothered him more – how easily Eve was able to distance herself from him, or the dried tear stains on the letter.

It had been a long night, now a longer morning, as the sun slowly began to rise outside his bedroom window. A bottle of scotch and a few empty glasses remained on the nightstand by his bed, but he didn’t know what else to think or do. Ending a contract was always difficult. Eve was lovely. Delicate, and vibrant. That weekend in Miami certainly had been memorable. But it was time to move on.

She wasn’t the one.

Eve had one thing right about him. Monogamy. Ethan liked the idea of two people together forever. There was something romantic about looking upon the same face every day of his life and knowing that he could trust, hold, and love her with no issue.

He took another drink. He was still young yet. Not old enough to give up, of course, but old enough to realize that he couldn’t keep living like this forever. Ethan Cole did not take pleasure from leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake. Quite the opposite.

His phone buzzed with a message from Jackson. “
Heard you dumped another one. Gonna make it into this morning’s meeting?
”

Ethan dropped his phone on the bed. So what if he hadn’t slept? The economy never slept, and neither should he.

16

The only things that could cheer Jasmine up that day was a giant bowl of ice cream, her cat, Ethan Cole’s bed – because it wasn’t as wormy as her own – and a never-ending supply of Netflix queues.

But she didn’t get any of those things that Wednesday morning. Instead what she got was a down Internet network and one angry billionaire asking her to find a Wi-Fi signal somewhere or so help him God. “Even I don’t have a data plan strong enough to receive the massive files I need to get today!” He didn’t only bark at Jasmine. It was a message for the entire office, all of whom had their own chores to do that required the Internet. But Jasmine was the lucky one. Since her role in the office was to do whatever he needed, she was the one sent throughout the building to find someone who could provide some damn Internet.

It didn’t help that she was sore, grumpy, and about to tear out her own uterus. For over twelve hours Jasmine fought the Battle of the Female and wanted to be anywhere but there. She almost called in sick that day, but her pride forced her out of bed, onto the bus, and up to the top floor office of the Jackson-Cole building. Sadly she walked into absolute chaos that day, and nobody had any pity for her.

Some magical technician managed to get the Internet turned back on one hour before lunch. Jasmine went crawling back into the office, relieved to hear the sound of a half-dozen people typing away on their keyboards. Even Ethan sat at his desk, engrossed with his computer as he sent off important business files to members of the board. Jasmine took her leave and went to do her own work. By the time one rolled around, everyone had caught up with work and were back to their old tricks.

Except for Jasmine, because she felt like shit.

“I know what will cheer you up.” Nadia sat in the break room with Jasmine at lunch, her tablet out as she checked her personal email while she ate. She pulled the tablet over, its cover supporting it so Jasmine looked straight into the screen without having to bend her shoulders. “Everyone’s favorite fantastically awful political debate.” Nadia pressed play on the video and watched in delight as one political candidate punched another in the face.

It made Jasmine sore, but not much else. “Now there’s a state with no winner.”

Nadia took her tablet back to flip through some other videos. The muted sounds of music played in the air, but nobody was paying attention as Jasmine pulled out her usual sandwich slathered in mayonnaise and mustard. She took a giant bite, condiments rolling down her chin as nobody cared… least of all Nadia, who stared dreamily at a music video playing on her tablet.

“Do you know him?” She turned the tablet around again, showing off the music video of a young male singer gyrating his hips to a hot Latin beat.
Ricky Martin ain’t got nothing on this guy.
“I’m a bit obsessed with him lately. His album Midnight Tango is really good. I like to listen to it when I’m working out.”

Jasmine nodded. She was familiar with the young musician. “Ah, yes. Rick Rodriguez. I’m pretty sure I had a sex dream about him once.” After working in the office for over a month, Jasmine and Nadia were at a certain level of friendship. This meant Jasmine could continue with, “I bet he has a big one.”

“A big what?” Ethan entered the break room, making Jasmine choke on her sandwich.
The hell is he doing in here?
At the start of lunch, Ethan usually packed his things and went to meet some business associates, sometimes for hours on end. Jasmine wasn’t even sure if her boss and lover kept food in the kitchen. He definitely didn’t eat there. If he wanted coffee, he made Jasmine get it for him.

Nadia blushed and hastened to put away her tablet. Jasmine, on the other hand, couldn’t be assed to be embarrassed. “A big dick.”

Gasping, Nadia held her tablet up to her face while Ethan slowly turned at the sink. “What are you two looking at?”

Jasmine couldn’t tell if he sounded like an older brother or father figure right now. He was either genuinely curious, or about to berate them both for talking about such naughty things in the workplace.
Or be jealous as hell.
Jasmine had yet to see jealous Ethan. She wondered what kind of jealous type he was. “Music videos. You wouldn’t be interested, since I’m pretty sure the last time you enjoyed music Kurt Cobain was still alive.”

“Ha ha, very funny.” Ethan stopped in the doorway. “It would probably kill you to know that I saw Nirvana live, though.” He left at that.

Seriously? What was he, seven?

Nadia leaned across the table. “I can’t believe you talk to the boss like that!”

At first Jasmine wasn’t sure what she had done wrong. Then she remembered that most of the people in the office weren’t sleeping with Ethan. “He and I have an understanding.”

“Still, don’t let HR hear you. Mr. Cole actually got in trouble once with one of his previous assistants.”

“Oh? Do tell.”

Nadia lowered her voice even more. “A few months ago there was a woman… Samantha, I think her name was. I just started when she was leaving. Really incorrigible type. She made a complaint to HR that Mr. Cole sexually harassed her. It was dropped really quickly.”

“I see.”

“So be careful. For many reasons, I guess.”

Jasmine almost couldn’t contain herself. If only Nadia had any idea what was really going on in Ethan’s office most afternoons.
Blowjobs. So many freaking blowjobs.
To his credit, Ethan had wised up and started offering Jasmine more reciprocation than she was used to getting. When her PMS was exploding on Monday, she got it so good in Ethan’s chair that she nearly blacked out. Then she went into his bathroom crying because hormones sucked.
He thought he had done something wrong.
Ethan knocked on that bathroom door for a good half hour before Jasmine finally told him what the problem was.
Aunt Flo hurt my feelings.
After that, Ethan asked her no more questions about her cycle.