Read Rush for Free Online Page B

“It’s for your protection.
     And mine.”
    She shook her head in confusion. “I don’t even understand.”
    “My tastes are extreme, Mia. Read the contract and, as I said, read it very carefully.
     And then consider whether you can commit to the kind of relationship I demand.”
    “You’re serious.”
    His brows drew together and his lips tightened. Then he leaned over, putting his arm
     tighter around her waist to prevent her from toppling out of his lap. He reached into
     his desk drawer and pulled out a thick document that was paper clipped together. Then
     he dropped it on her lap.
    “Take the weekend. Read over it. Make sure you understand it. I’d like your answer
     Monday morning. If there are things you need clarification on, we can discuss them
     then.”
    “So that’s it then,” she said, still bewildered by it all. “I go home, read your contract
     and then we meet on Monday to finalize the terms of our relationship?”
    His lips tightened again but he nodded. “In a nutshell, yes, though you make it sound
     far more sterile than it is.”
    “I’m not sure it gets any more sterile,” she said. “You make it sound like a negotiation,
     like it’s one of your hotel or resort deals.”
    “There is no negotiation,” he said softly. “Remember that, Mia.You read the contract. You either sign or don’t sign. But if you do, you’ll adhere
     to those terms.”
    She smoothed her hand over the typed document and then lifted it from her lap. She
     sucked in a deep breath and then slid from Gabe’s lap. She had to put her free hand
     on the top of his desk to steady herself as she made her way back around to the front.
     If only her legs would cooperate.
    “How did you get here?” Gabe asked.
    “I took a cab,” she said faintly.
    He picked up his phone. “I’ll have my driver bring you back to your apartment and
     I’ll arrange your ride here Monday morning.”
    “You’re so sure of yourself,” she murmured. “Of me.”
    He slid the receiver away from his mouth as he fixed his gaze on her. “The only thing
     I’m sure of is that I’ve waited entirely too damn long to have you.”

chapter four
    Instead of having the driver take her back to her apartment where she knew Caroline
     would be waiting to pounce on her, Mia had him drop her off at West 81st Street, just
     two blocks from where she worked on West 83rd Street. There was a small park that
     wasn’t often overcrowded at this hour of the morning. Mostly strollers and nannies,
     young preschool children playing.
    The contract was stuffed into her bag and she clutched it tighter against her side
     as she made her way to an empty bench the farthest distance from the playground where
     she could be afforded some measure of privacy.
    She was supposed to be at work at noon, but somehow she knew she was going to need
     time to process what she was about to read. Gabe’s autocratic demand that she quit
     and come to work for him echoed in her mind.
    No, she’d never planned to make her job at the pastry shop permanent, but she liked
     the couple who owned it. They’d been good to her. It was a place she’d often frequented,
     and she’d struck up a rapport with the older couple. And no, it wasn’t a job worthy
     of all the money Jace had put into her education. It had been an impulse to ask if
     the shop owners needed extra help. It bought her time to figure out her next step,
     and it made her feel good that she wasn’t completely dependent on Jace for her support.
     He’d doneenough for her over the years. She didn’t want him worrying over her any longer.
    As she settled onto the bench, she glanced around her to make sure no one was close
     enough to see what she was reading, and then she pulled the contract from her bag
     and nervously peeled the cover page up so she could begin to read the contents.
    Her eyes widened as she read further. She turned the pages automatically as she battled
     between disbelief and an odd