Contractual Obligation: The Trilogy (7 page)

Natalie woke with a smile. She couldn’t stop thinking about Michael over her, his body, the pleasure – oh my goodness, the pleasure. She hadn’t expected to fall for the guy when she signed the stupid paper, but how could she not? He was gorgeous, interesting, and they had a connection. She went from nervously fearing the next five years to looking forward to them. This could turn into love, true love, and maybe even a family.

Rolling out of bed, she flipped on a news channel and rummaged through the fridge. Pulling out a slice of cold pizza, she heated the oven so she could warm it. Finally settling in front of the television, she daydreamed, barely paying attention. It wasn’t until Kent Davidson’s face splashed across the screen that she snapped out of her fog.

“What the…” Quickly unmuting the sound, she caught the tail end. “And in local news, Kent Davidson of Bowman Industries is being charged with tax evasion, owing both the state and federal government millions of dollars.”

She mouthed the words,
oh my god
.

Does Michael know? Of course, he has to know. Was he involved? What does this mean, and what does it mean for the company?

Would being seen with them hurt
her
reputation? Here she was trying to help clean up Michael’s reputation, and she might have to worry about her own. Her mind switched between anger at herself for locking in to a five year contract and frustration that she knew damn well she was falling for the guy.

“Breathe,” she grunted out, trying to force her mind elsewhere as the panic rose inside. What would this mean for the next five years of her life?

Natalie rocked in place and mindlessly scratched the back of her hand. She knew it was nerves, the anxiety washing through her, but not knowing all of the details made her feel like she was dangling on a string, desperately trying not to fall off.

Okay, so what's the worst case scenario? She knew it came down to money. If their assets were frozen, there wouldn’t be any money. Yet if Michael had his own investments...Still, he wouldn’t need her anymore, especially now. Maybe they could dissolve the contract, free him from owing her money, and free her from being tied into their mess while it’s splashed across the newspapers.

Swallowing, she was conflicted. She wanted out, but she was locked in, and such a fool for signing that stupid paper. And for what? Money that won't even exist after this.

With a heavy sigh, she stood and paced. The timer beeped, letting her know the food was ready
, only food was the last thing she wanted right now. She took the slice of pizza from the oven and threw it back in the fridge.

Okay, so maybe she was overreacting. She didn’t know anything yet, and maybe it was a fluke. Maybe she misheard and he was just under investigation. Besides, he’ll probably just get a hefty fine and have to pay back the money, but they’ll stretch it out over twenty years or something, right?

It most likely wouldn’t even touch their day to day business, and Michael would be fast at work. This probably wasn’t even a blip on the radar. These things happen all the time, right?

There was just one problem. If he was found guilty, it could mar her reputation to be seen around them. Digging through the stack of papers that held her signature, she searched desperately for a loophole. Getting out would be the smartest thing. So she wasn’t a super successful model, but at least her face wouldn’t get splashed across the front page of the paper with a cheat, a liar, and a white collar criminal. He had to know, right? Was he involved? It was too much to fathom.

Michael was just in her bed, making love to her, making her feel so incredible. Their bodies tangled together, the steamy encounter leaving her breathless – and now this.

Is this the real reason he tied her into the contract? Was this the truth he didn’t want to admit?

There was only one way to find out. Grabbing her phone, she dialed his number. Voicemail. Shit. She didn’t leave a message. What would she do, demand answers? What if he just lied? Not a single damn loophole showed itself in the contract.

Groaning, she shoved the papers across the counter. Why did she have to sleep with him? It was a stupid mistake, foolish, absolutely foolish. She knew better than to mix business and pleasure, and now all she was left with were lies and a great big mess.

When she finally reached him, Natalie had one question. “Did you know?”

“Not a single bit of it,” he sighed. “Listen, I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t think I should be discussing the details with you.”

“So it’s okay to marry me, but not tell me what the future will be?”

“Natalie, I don’t even know at this point.”

“I’m sorry,” she huffed. “I wasn’t expecting to see your father on the local news.”

“It was on the news?” He muttered under his breath, “
Shit
.”

“Will you call me later?”

“Yeah.” He sounded defeated, worn, and weary.

She wanted this call to be different. She wanted to be warm and playful, reminding him of their passionate night, but that barely existed in her mind at this point. Her future was up in the air, being juggled, and she had no idea when she would fall.

“Natalie, I’m sorry.”

She didn’t know what to say, so she said nothing. “Call me later,” she finally whispered before hanging up.

Slipping her finger through her hair, she twisted a piece around it, before letting it go. What now?

The guilt slithered into her like a shadow after hearing his voice. She was so fast to want to cut and run, and he was obviously hurting. She should be there for him. After all, she’d be his wife. Another deep breath, and blowing through her lips, she thought about what that really meant – his wife.

Would she still have accepted the job to become Mrs. Davidson if she’d known about this? Wait… her name. She wasn’t changing her name. He’d just have to accept it. Natalie Cooper was her professional name. That wasn’t part of the deal.

With a big stretch and then pulling her hair back into a ponytail, she padded over to Mrs. Burton’s house to feed Emily. Sitting with the cat, she shared the latest news. This wasn’t something she could tell her family, and the few friends she managed to have weren’t the kind of friends she shared secrets with. Victoria, her agent, was the closest person she had in town, and she wouldn’t trust her with the tiniest secret – she was a gossip.

Emily rubbed against her leg, a purr ringing through her like a motorboat.

“What would you do?” She slipped her hand over the cat’s silky fur, and realized she’d miss talking to the cat when Mrs. Burton got home later this week. She was due home any day.

The frustration settled in her chest, mixing with sadness. It was a heavy feeling, and as she waded through the mess of her life, she stroked the kitty. She finally headed back to her own apartment after making sure Emily’s food and water were refreshed.

Even the simplest task like taking a shower felt overwhelming. Curling back onto her bed, Natali
e pulled the blanket around her and buried her face in her pillow. Inhaling, she could almost still smell traces of his spicy cinnamon cologne.

Her mind drifted back to their moments in bed, his hands caressing her body, playing her like a finely tuned instrument. The look on his face as he entered her, the way he felt inside. She wanted to go back in time, share in that moment again and act like this new information had never come out. The child in her wanted to run away, pretend like it wasn’t happening – but it was.

When her phone rang, she knew who it was. Her stomach clenched up, realizing she’d have to discuss things she didn’t want to. Reaching up, she rubbed the back of her neck before finally answering. With a quick bite of her lip, she clicked the button.

“Hey,” her voice was soft.

“Hey.”

“What’s going on? I saw the news.”

“I didn’t know. I just found out this morning.”

“Oh.”

Michael shook his head and wrinkled his nose. “I’m so disgusted. How could he have lied to me all this time? Not that it matters now,” he trailed off, not sure what else to say. “Anyway, I’m sorry this happened. I don’t know what it means, but I’m learning quickly.” Michael’s stomach knotted, and all he wanted to do was run away and pretend like it wasn’t happening, but it was. His usual take charge mentality was nowhere to be found as he sat stunned by the realization that his entire world had just crashed to the ground.

Natalie’s hand slipped across her forehead, self soothing. This wasn’t what she signed up for, and was more than she bargained for. An overwhelming sensation sank in her belly. She wasn’t even sure what to say. She wanted to comfort him, but all she could think about was her own predicament. She wanted to retreat inside, now that she had the chance to talk about it. She realized that she’d rather sweep it under the carpet and say good-bye. How could she even get those words out?

“Michael,” her voice was shaky, “this wasn’t part of our agreement.” She hated herself the second the words were out, and quickly corrected them. “If I just knew what to expect, it might make it easier.”

Michael slumped in his chair, and closed his eyes. “Can I see you?” Relieved that she wasn’t begging to get away, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Sure,” she answered quietly.
This was a mistake. You need to get out of this, there has to be a loophole.
“Things will work out,” she tried to soothe him, but they were just empty words and they both knew that. It’s what they both needed to hear. Natalie felt trapped. The question was how to bring it up without crushing the man she cared about. This was her life and she wouldn’t throw it away on his father’s stupid mistakes.

When he showed up, he wasn’t the man she recognized. The Michael she knew was strong and confident. He owned his space and was the type of guy that seemed like he could handle anything. This man standing before her was a shell, merely the casing of what looked like Michael Davidson.

Natalie opened her arms, letting him in.

“This could be good for the company, me cleaning up my reputation,” he mumbled. “At least it’s one thing I’m doing right.”

She felt the stone sink in her stomach.

He rambled, “If we could just clean up the mess, maybe we can salvage things. Assets are frozen, my father’s been officially charged, and I have no idea what I’m doing.”

Pulling back, he looked at her. “You’ll stay, right? I mean, I know it’s a gamble, but it’s still worth the risk. This will all blow over and things will go back to normal.”

She didn’t know what to say. She thought they could make something happen, that it could be real, that they might fall in love, but all he could focus on was reputation.

“Natalie, I don’t know how to say this, but the money…” He caught his breath. “All my investments were involved in company growth. I have very little available to me.” He knew what she was thinking. She couldn’t hide it. “Right,” he nodded.

“Michael,” she swallowed hard, “I can’t afford to wait.”

“You could model, keep earning.
Nobody said you had to give up your work. I didn’t expect you to.”

“This isn’t fair.
It’s not what I signed up for.”

“It will be worth the gamble, and when this is over you’ll get your portion of the deal.” He wasn’t sure if he resented her desire to pull out, or if he was hurt she was bailing. Either way, it stung.

If only she knew he cared about her and not just about his reputation, but he already made that clear. She had her own reputation to worry about. After all, her face was her money.

A hard edge showed itself. “You signed a contract.”

The firmness bit at her. When he walked into her home, she saw a broken man, a sad, lonely boy. She wanted to make things better. But that last comment, it was completely uncalled for. Reeling, she couldn’t help but become defensive. “I didn’t sign up for
this
.”

“What, you thought it would be smooth sailing for five years and if we hit a snag, you’d be clawing to get out? Wow, way to stand by your signature.”

“No need to get nasty,” she snipped. “This is different. These are criminal charges, in case you weren’t aware.” Stepping back, her arms snapped up across her chest. This wasn’t going how she thought it would. She didn’t mean to sound so cold, but he was the one to throw the contract in her face.

He hated how this was going. He wanted to hold her, tell her it would all pass. Where was the girl he made love to the other night? Why wasn’t she standing by him? He needed her more than ever, but all that was left was the shadow of a woman that wanted to get as far away from him as possible.

Exasperated, she sighed loudly, “What do you want from me?”

“I want you to stand by your word, Natalie.” He couldn’t hide his agitation.

“This wasn’t what we talked about.”

“It’s a hurdle, that’s all it is.” His voice was calming, trying to talk sense into the woman before him. Michael was a natural salesman; all he had to do was convince Natalie what was in it for her. Benefits before features, he reminded himself.

“There’s a big payoff at the end, and when our assets are liquid again, monthly payments. Besides, you get to spend time with me.” He tried to grin, tried to make it playful, but he wasn’t in a playful mood and his façade spoke the truth. It was an illusion to lure her back with money. But obviously that’s all it was to her, money. The truth hurt.

Why should it? It was about the money from the beginning – it’s just that after they’d spent time together, after they made love, he was feeling things, embers were stirring inside. It was silly to believe this would be different.

Natalie looked down, her fingers rubbing her arm mindlessly. She didn’t know what to say. Sucking her cheek in, she gently bit the inside of it trying to corral her stress. She didn’t mean to let him down, but this was bigger than she was ready to tackle.

Being seen with them could hurt her reputation, and she relied on her image to make bank. Okay, so maybe lately it hasn’t been paying the bills so well, but it was still her livelihood. Only it wasn’t. She’d signed a contract, taken a job to be Michael’s companion, and now she wanted out. Not out of his life, she would still be his friend, but out of the contract.
The terms had changed. Only, he wouldn’t want her as a friend if she was the kind of person to walk away when things got tough. Is that who she truly was? She was learning more about herself than she wanted to know.

She felt resignation in her chest, the tightness finally buckling, her shoulders slumping. “Fine.  I’ll stay for now. No promises,” she shot out, “and if it gets to be too much, I want out. This isn’t what I bargained for.”

Michael’s face brightened, but he wasn’t sure he believed her. And truth be told, it was an iron clad contract, but he wanted her to at least feel like it was her idea. Life would be so much easier if she went along for the ride, instead of bucking and fighting every step of the way.

“It will all blow over. My father’s going to plead guilty, pay a fine, and maybe get some time off at a white collar correctional facility.” He couldn’t bring himself to say the word jail aloud. It made it too real.

Natalie knew it wouldn’t be that easy, or that short. The media would draw it out, attack like piranhas and latch on to the story. That’s what they do; feed on those who are foolish enough to get themselves into these predicaments. He was a big enough name to be recognized by many, and small enough that they could vilify him without people standing up to them. He was the perfect size of small potatoes that made a big mistake. Someone more powerful might come after them, but someone like Kent Davidson would simply have to squirm and take it.

Michael moved in closer, his fingers tangling in her soft hair. “Can we go back to where we were?”

“I’m not ready.” Her shoulders were tight, and as much as she said she’d stay, she wasn’t feeling good about it.

“Right.” He stepped back and brushed off his disappointment. He’d settle for any warmth, like when she took him in her arms as he walked in; only all that was left was a polite coolness. “I should go. I’ll be in touch.”

“Right.” She wasn’t stopping him. Natalie needed time to absorb what this truly meant, and what it didn’t mean. Her bank account would be dry, and without money, it was hard to be enthusiastic about standing by his side. It’s not that she didn’t like the guy, and let’s face it, his father did the misdeed, but once again her life spun on its axis and she felt out of control.

“Michael, I’m sorry you’re going through all of this.” It was the least she could say. She should have said more, but she couldn’t find the words.

He nodded and then left.

Only days before she was in bed with him, thinking that life had given her a pleasant surprise. He enthralled her, drew her in, and had her wanting more. Now all that was left was a chill in the air when he left. So much for falling in love.

Pulling open the door, she ran after him. “Michael, wait.”

She saw the surprise in his face as he turned around.

“Don’t go, not yet.” Lowering her head, she apologized. “I don’t want to leave things this way, not after…after the other night.”

Watching her face, he saw sincerity. It was what he needed more than anything right now.

“Come back inside.”

He sat beside her, on the edge of her bed. “I’m not my dad’s biggest fan, but I don’t want him to go to…well, you know.”

“Maybe he won’t. Maybe there will just be a fine.”

“He owes millions.”

She was at a loss. She truly had no concept that their little industry was making that kind of money. It was hard for her to wrap her head around. People don’t talk about the companies that make bits and pieces for machines, but this one was apparently doing well.

“I feel like a fool, tying up all my investments in one place. I put all my eggs in one basket, and now I’ll pay for it. I never expected my own father to betray us.”

“I’m sorry.”

They sat beside one another with nothing left to say. The truth was, they were still getting to know one another, and while they’d made love and shared some time together, there wasn’t another connection – a friendship that had grown over years, knowing each other’s ins and outs, knowing what to say to make it better. It became obvious that they had a long way to go to make this a real relationship.

Sure, they could make love and there was some sexual tension between them, but friendship, that’s what was lacking. Natalie wanted to be his friend, wanted to help, but wasn’t sure how to bridge that barrier. These things take time. She figured time was the one thing she had if she was going to follow through and stand by his side.

She decided to pacify the moment with a simple, “It will all work out.”

The awkwardness stood between them. He was grateful she was beside him, but the lack of a bond, a true bond, was obvious. He had feelings, he was sure of that. But were they just feelings of lust? Could it be more than that? They connected, but not in a way that he needed right now. He didn’t need to make love to Natalie, he needed her to comfort him and chase away his demons.

He wasn’t used to needing anyone and had always been more than capable of taking care of himself, but for the first time in forever he felt completely alone and vulnerable.

With his father’s mess, the company in trouble, and most of his money in accounts that were frozen, Michael Davidson was overwhelmed. Michael’s chest caved in, and with barely more than a mumble, he said thanks. His eyes glazed over as he stared ahead. All he wanted to do was to curl up into a ball and burrow under the covers. That wasn’t the man he was, and yet in this moment, nothing else mattered.

He was the take charge guy, the guy willing to lead the masses, the guy that always had an answer – and this new feeling surging through him caught him off guard. He didn’t like it one bit, and yet as the shadow climbed over him, he felt trapped beneath it.

Michael took a deep breath, swearing the oxygen wasn’t making it into his lungs or to his brain. He felt numb and detached as he leaned into the woman beside him.

Natalie put her arm around Michael and crumbled, seeing him hurting so badly. A little compassion was what he needed, not some stupid words like “it will be okay,” she scolded herself.

Silently, she stroked his arm. This was what he needed more than anything – to not feel alone.

Michael felt like a child, missing the comforting touch only a mother could provide – something he’d never known. Maybe this is what it felt like
-- warm, safe, and not feeling so alone. He appreciated Natalie’s efforts, and was happy he came back.

He had no idea what his future would hold, but for now it looked like he wouldn’t be alone.