Page 17 of The Good Girl
He folded his hands beneath his chin and that look promised retribution if I didn’t get my act together. “Is there something about our arrangement you don’t understand?” I backed down under that tone. “No.”
“Then what the hell is your problem?” Could I do it? Could I take that step that I was sure would bring everything to a screeching halt? Maybe not for myself; but what about the child I carried, a piece of him that I could hold onto forever? A child I was almost certain he’d force me to get rid of.
“I don’t want to do this any longer.” I said the words quickly lest I lost my nerve. I waited for the explosion but I should’ve known better. Jonas Harp doesn’t do emotion.
“No.” What? What did he mean no? “What do you mean no, you don’t have a choice.”
“I’m afraid I do, you signed a contract remember?”
“What? You can’t be serious. That was just between us, you can’t hold me to that. Besides there’s nothing that says I can’t change my mind.”
“I guess you didn’t read the fine print.”
Well that stumped me, I hadn’t. “It doesn’t matter.” I don’t know where I got the gumption. Maybe it was the sexual frustration, or maybe the doubts that kept plaguing me. Whatever it was it was high time I stopped being his little play thing.
On that thought I stood from the table with my stomach tied up in knots and my knees knocking together. “If you take one step, I promise you’ll not like what happens next.”
I dropped back down on the chair like a stone. I guess I hadn’t thought things through well enough. I’d never looked at the fine print. Who adds fine print to a contract set up for his mistress? You’d think the whole thing would be cut and dry.
“In case you were wondering, it says I’m the only one who can terminate our union.” The smug bastard. I wish I could throw my water in his face but I wasn’t sure what this new Jonas was capable of so better not risk it.
“No judge in his right mind would hold that up.”
“You think? It’s a binding contract sweetheart. And unless I harm you physically or emotionally, you have no grounds to break it. So tell me, have I abused you sweet Thalia?”
I squirmed in my seat and looked anywhere but at him. There was only one other occupied table on this side of the restaurant and they were too wrapped up in each other to pay any attention to what was going on at our table.
“Nothing to say?” Yes, plenty. But nothing that wouldn’t get me into trouble. I could go the rest of my life without any more of your brand of torture thank you very much.
So I folded my lips and held my tongue. “Eat.” I rolled my eyes and picked up my fork, shoving food into my mouth way too fast. Even that backfired. No sooner had I forced down the last bite than I was rushing from the table in search of the washroom.
I heard his footsteps behind me but didn’t stop to see if he followed me in. I wretched over the sink, which was as far as I got. When I felt the hand in my hair I knew it was him. I didn’t bother telling him he wasn’t allowed in here he wouldn’t listen anyway.
He helped me get cleaned up before leaving me alone to finish getting myself together. When I got back to the table he had the strangest look on his face but I was grateful when he said nothing.
“I think you should take the rest of the day off. Come on, I’ll take you home.”
“But my car…”
“Don’t worry about the damn car I’ll have it taken care of.” He dropped a few bills on the table and led me out of the restaurant.