An Arrangement of Love (8 page)

Chase tapped his fingers hard against the table. My wine vibrated in the glass. The candle flickered with each beat.

“Well, Gabe. I’m excited to see the rest of your courses.” Chase said as he continued to beat out a weird rhythm on the table. “I’ll definitely be recommending you to my friends. However, I do need to finish this discussion with Jasmine.”

I glared at Chase.

“I understand, Mr. Stone. And I appreciate your recommendations.” Gabe bowed and excused himself.

“He’s in love with you.” Chase spit the words out as if they were disgusting.

“No he’s not. And if he was, then it would be none of your business.”

“How do you feel about him?” He started tapping again, to the point that it aggravated me. I almost asked him to stop.

“I consider him a good friend.”

“He’s trying to woo you through food. I’ll bet he thinks he’s a foie gras platter away from getting into your panties.”

“That’s much more effective than creating a fake job and—”

“The job is real.” He leaned his head to the side. “Do you find Gabe attractive?”

“What I feel for Gabe is none of your business. Why didn’t your fiancée slap you when you told her you wanted me?” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I don’t remember anyone being slapped at the garden party. I think I would have remembered that.”

Our waiter came over and poured me more wine.
Goodness. If there was ever a time I needed a glass of wine, it’s now.

“Dawn understands me.” Chase watched the waiter leave with our bowls and spoons. “We have a special arrangement.”

“Arrangement?” I picked up the glass and drank the wine like it was water.

Is this really happening to me? I knew Dawn seemed weird at the time. Do they think I’m going to sleep with them both? I’m so not going to have sex with them.

“I love Dawn, but I’m not the type of man who wants to be in a monogamous relationship.”

“You and most guys.” I rolled my eyes.

“I love women—your bodies, your scents, the feel of your skin, the sound of your moans, and the luscious taste of all of you, each with your own distinct flavors.”

I gulped down more wine, unable to taste it anymore. Part of me filled with disgust at what Chase said. The other part steamed with lust, as I imagined his lips on my flesh tasting me.
Goodness. I need to have sex. Clearly, I’m too horny for my own good.

“Do you really love her?” I asked.

“Dawn and I grew up together. Both of our mothers died around the same time, so we comforted each other. We’ve dated since middle school.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“What is love?”

“Oh god.” I hit my forehead. “I’m absolutely not going to have a philosophical debate with you.”

“We started the arrangement five years ago.”

The waiter arrived, which annoyed me to no end. He provided new cloth napkins and filled the water glasses again. With each task, I gritted my teeth and drowned in impatience. He began wiping crumbs away.

Oh god. The damn table is clean!

Once the waiter left, I turned to Chase. “What does this arrangement mean and how am I involved?”

“Those are both long answers. Let me explain the entire situation.”

I blew out a long breath. He laughed.

“We started off with me just having casual sex with women on business trips or when I was out with close friends, but it didn’t work out.”

“How shocking.” My voice dripped with sarcasm.

“Dawn didn’t like the unpredictability of it, the possibility of pregnancies, or that I could catch something and give it to her.”

“Did you wear condoms?” I held out my hands.

“I don’t like them.”

“You’re selfish.”

He grinned. “Yes. I am.”

“How did you feel when she had sex with other men?”

He chuckled. “I thought we already established that I’m selfish.”

“You have to be kidding me. She can’t have sex with other men?”

“No.” He looked at me as if I was the crazy one.

“Whoa.” I covered my mouth. “You must be amazing in bed for someone to deal with this situation.”

“She never complains about the arrangement or my skills in bed.”

“I would.”

He licked his lips. “I doubt it.”

I rolled my eyes. “You sticking your penis in every female that moved didn’t work out, so what did you decide next?”

“Dawn wanted to meet the women and have them go through physical exams each month to make sure they didn’t have STDs.”

“That’s why I had to take an STD test and pap smear for the job?”

“Yes.”

Well, I’m glad I finally know the significance of those.

It had blown my freaking mind when they told me I needed them. I’d even wondered if my vagina was the one that would be interviewed during the final job process. It had been my own personal joke, but now I didn’t think that was funny anymore.

The waiter carried over two square porcelain plates. I recognized the meal as soon as I spotted the food. It was Gabe’s signature dish. My mouth watered. It was the same meal he’d prepared to get the job as sous-chef. It was also what customers and food critics raved about on restaurant review sites.

“Ossobucco with truffle parmesan risotto.” The waiter placed both dishes in front of us and departed. It smelled amazing. I leaned in and let the savory steam drift up to my nostrils.

“Ossobucco?” Chase glanced at me.

I leaned my head to the side. “You’re a billionaire with access to any food you want. Promise me after tonight you’ll try at least one new food dish each week.”

“Promise me that you’ll share it with me.”

I waved away the reply. “Ossobucco is braised veil shank in a yummy tomato sauce. Gabe makes the best.”

“I’m sure Gabe does.” Chase twirled his hand and did a sarcastic wiggle of his head.

“Do you have a problem with Gabe?”

Chase targeted me with those green eyes. “He’d better hope I don’t.”

“Irrational jealousy and male bravado doesn’t score any points with me.”

“It does when I run the score system.” He dug in his fork, yanked out a big chunk of veal, and placed it in his mouth. I joined him in the feast as he took a bigger chunk. “Once again, Jasmine, you’ve turned me on to something new and delicious, but let me finish the story. Dawn found a woman named Wendy.”

“How did Dawn find her?” I mumbled between bites.

“Dawn also likes women. I allow her to have sex with them as long as it’s preapproved through me.”

“You’re such a giving man.”

“And you have a wicked tongue.” His eyes followed the spoon as it journeyed to my lips. “Hmmm. You’re not going to feed me this time? I enjoyed it when you fed me the last course.”

“I think you have enough women fulfilling your needs.”

“There’s always room for one more.”

“Said the gorged dragon that gobbled the princess.”

Coughing, he held his chest and laughed.

“You added Wendy to your weird relationship? And how did that work out?” I asked.

“All three of us have been together for five years.”

“I’m impressed.” I nodded. “I would have figured it wouldn’t last longer than a few months.”

“I take very good care of my women.”

“Like a pimp?” I finished my wine and waved at the waiter to bring me another.
At this rate, I will be so drunk Chase will need to carry me out of the restaurant.
My phone buzzed. I cursed under my breath, remembering that I didn’t tell Troy or Vivian I would be late. I pulled out my phone and checked the screen.

Vivian:
Where are you?

Me:
I’m still in the office, working. I’ll meet you at Drunken Lyrics in an hour.

Vivian:
Cool. Troy and I will drink the champagne without you then. Btw, U suck.

I didn’t know why I lied to Vivian. I guess texting her that I was in the Lan with Chase would just cause her to rush down, look at us through the windows, and scream. Troy would also be annoyed and probably call to discuss more lessons on jail sodomy. Regardless, I decided to tell them about the dinner later, when I had time to think about it myself. I looked up and noticed Chase staring at me.

“Sorry. That was Vivian. Instead of dropping me at home, I would like you to take me to Drunken Lyrics.” I put my phone away as he nodded. “Okay. Back to this arrangement. Am I to assume that you want me to join Wendy, Dawn, and you in an orgy?”

“No.” He chuckled a little and again gave me an expression that suggested I was the crazy person at the table.

“We don’t all have sex together. We have chosen days where I take each one out.” He set his fork down. “The chosen woman and I do something fun together, and at the end of the evening we make love. Dawn creates a schedule for all of our dates each month. She is very strict about everyone having a fair amount of time with me. Once she creates the schedule, she gives it to Lucy.”

Shocked, I asked, “Lucy knows?”

“Well yes. Lucy is a part of our arrangement...in her way.”

“What does that mean?” I scrunched up my face.

“You don’t need to know all of that unless you’re also with us.”

“I’m not interested.”

“Now who’s being closed-minded?” He lowered his lips into a frown. “Let’s finish our date and then you decide.”

“Our date?” I shook my head.
He’s crazy.
“Whatever. As far as this whole crazy situation goes, am I to understand that there was never a job?”

“The executive assistant position is a job, but I also use it to hire new women for my arrangement. I want someone who will accompany me on business trips and meet Dawn’s guidelines as well as my desires.”

“You have Lucy and like you said she’s a part of it.”

He waved my response away. “Lucy is complicated. We don’t have sex. Our relationship is something different.”

“What were all those interview questions about my sex life?”

“I already knew the answers. I just wanted to see if you were truthful and could deal with the pressure of me asking you something so personal in a room full of strangers. This relationship between the ladies and I only works because we’re patient and honest with each other.”

“And when you said ‘I am your god?’ What the hell was that supposed to mean?”

His lips curled into a smile. “That’s me seeing how much you would take.”

“Well, that’s a bad test. I’ll take a whole lot of crap from a boss who gives me six figures, but I won’t deal with a bunch of craziness from my boyfriend.”

“Your last boyfriend cheated on you. Instead of shunning him for the rest of his life, you were in his wedding.”

“My last boyfriend also farted all the time, was insensitive, and a horrible lover. When I caught him cheating it hurt, but I got over him in less than a month. When he married my friend, I had no ill will. In fact, I actually felt bad that he’s who she ended up with. She could’ve done better.”

“Like I said, you’re unexpected.” He sat back in his chair with a curious gaze. “What do you think about my arrangement?”

He didn’t want to know what I thought. If I truly told him my ideas about his relationship, we would be in this restaurant for weeks with me, using the few things I learned from my college psychology courses to analysis why the women would agree to something so unusual and why he possibly had severe commitment issues. The whole thing seemed so strange and sexist to me.

He can have sex with other women, but they had to sit there and be faithful to him. Insanity.

I didn’t have an exciting dating life. I hadn’t spent time with any man besides Gabe since I broke up with my other boyfriend three years ago. There wasn’t anybody out there who commanded my attention. Each time I met someone I gave them the V.I.B. test. Vivian coined the term for Vibrator, Ice cream, and Book test. Basically, if I would rather spend the night at home with my vibrator, a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream, and a steamy romance novel, then he’d failed the V.I.B. test.

Could Chase pass the V.I.B. test?

I glanced at him as he sat in his seat, waiting on my answer and drumming his fingers on the table.
Of course, he would pass, if he was single.
He was the type of guy I didn’t think I could get. Every part of him symbolized male perfection. He had the face and body women visualized when they touched themselves on the darkest and loneliest nights of their lives, the nights when they yearned for a dark gorgeous hero to soar down and save them. He was a billionaire, and by god, that was sexy in itself. I’d known poverty all my life. I’d been hustling, begging, and hoping for money since the first time the electricity shut off in our housedue to my mom not paying the light bill.

He was also fun. In this week, I loved being around him. He’d taught me so much about business and just watching him work made me feel like I was learning valuable lessons. I got the feeling that whether he was rich or not, if I’d been with him, my life would improve just from his advice and support. He fascinated me. Even the arrangement was interesting.

But interesting from afar.
I would’ve loved to read about this relationship or watch it on TV while snacking on a bowl of spicy buttered popcorn.
But participate? No way!

“I’m sorry, but no, Chase. I can’t do it.”

He returned to finger tapping. The muscles in his jaw twitched.

“Is it because of the three girls who died?”

I tensed. “Were those girls a part of this arrangement?”

He averted his eyes and stuffed his mouth with food.

“Chase?”

He finished chewing. “Yes. All three had been involved with us.”

And now they are dead.

“Am I in some sort of danger?” I pushed my plate away, no longer hungry.

“No. The last woman died two years ago. Since then I’ve doubled up on security. Those deaths emotionally broke me and everyone else in the arrangement.” He frowned. “I’d been determined to never add another woman again.”

“Then why me?”

“I saw you at that party and everything shifted inside of me. After two years of mourning, depression, and regret, I heard your laugh and wanted to be able to laugh like that with you, to experience happiness again.”