Contractual Obligation: The Trilogy Read Online Free PDF Page A

that bedding her wouldn’t be a smart move. It was his natural instinct to want to sleep with a beautiful woman, and he usually followed through, but this was business, and it needed to stay that way.
    The talk filtered from details of the possible arrangement and how she’d be paid. They moved on to discuss food and ended up talking about current events. It was nice to have an actual conversation. As he watched the girl across from him polish off her dinner, he offered to take her home.
    “I’ll take a cab,” she said. “Will I be hearing from you?”
    “You just might,” he said, offering his hand.
    She leaned in, stood on her toes, and kissed his cheek. “Thanks for the meal,” she replied, and turned away. “Bye.”
    He stood watching her. He wasn’t expecting this; he wasn’t expecting her to be as normal as she was. She certainly wasn’t like the other models he’d been spending time with around the clubs, or the socialites who pretended to eat, but then chewed the same piece of lettuce for twenty minutes. She had personality, and wasn’t afraid to use it.
    He could do worse.
    As Natalie exited the restaurant, she realized she was smiling. He wasn’t as bad as she’d first thought, and it wouldn’t be horrible to spend time with him. At least he wasn’t eighty years old, and pawing all over her; she could do worse. It was still weird to think about the length of time she’d be tied into contract, but if she took the job, it would secure her income for the next five years, along with giving her plenty left over at the end. It was simply a job-- nothing more, nothing less.
    Michael waited a few days for good measure. He didn’t want her to think it was a snap decision. This was crazy, hiring a wife. He wasn’t sure he could pull it off, but he wasn’t throwing away his career, either. The potential for growth, his fixed position in the company, and knowing he’d take over the helm when his father retired convinced him to go through with it. He wasn’t going to throw away that much money, even if it meant having a make-believe bride.
    As Natalie’s phone rang, Michael paced in his office, his hand combing through his hair. On getting her voicemail, he left a message. “Hi Natalie, Michael Davidson calling. If you could give me a ring back, I’d appreciate it,” he said, before hanging up.
    Natalie bent to pet Emily, the neighbor’s cat, but once again the cat shot out of her grasp. The owner’s daughter got a message to her that her mother had gone from the hospital to a nursing home for some therapy. She would be back in a couple of weeks, and thanks for taking care of the cat. There was no number to reach her at, simply a note taped to her door.
    Great, she couldn’t very well let the cat go hungry, though she resented having to deal with the litter box. Before leaving Mrs. Burton’s apartment, she checked the cat food supplies. She’d need to pick up more at the market soon. She watered a small plant on the windowsill, and said good-bye to Emily.
    Returning to her own place, she saw she’d missed a call. It was Michael. Her heart sped up, and her breathing felt shallow. Had he decided? What would this mean for her, and was her future about to change?
    This entire experience felt surreal, from meeting him, to talking about the details like it was some business contract, to the idea that she’d possibly be married by this time next year to a man she wasn’t in love with.
    Carrying her phone across the room, Natalie dropped onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. Could she really follow through and do something like this? There was a good chance he wasn’t even going to choose her anyway. She took a deep breath and dialed his number.
    “Michael Davidson,” he answered.
    “Hi, it’s Natalie Cooper. You left a message to call you.”
    “Natalie Davidson has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”
    Her heart stopped. This was real. This was no longer a game, a possibility, an idea