by Sandi Lynn
“Yeah. We are a good fit.”
“We get along well, neither one of us wants to get involved in any type of relationship thing, and we have fun together. The two of us are uncomplicated.”
“True.” I nodded.
“So, I was thinking we could negotiate and sign a contract where we would continue spending time together without any complications.”
“What?” I laughed. “I’m not sure I understand.”
“Think of it as a companion contract. Me and you would see each other, go out on dates, have sex, and spend time together without any of the other bullshit that goes along with dating.”
“What bullshit are you referring to?” I cocked my head.
“You know. Falling in love, trying to change yourself, wanting to know what the other person is doing at all times. The shit that happens when two people get too comfortable with each other and then everything starts to go to hell. Listen, Emily. I like you and I want to spend time with you and only you, and I’m hoping you’d only want to spend time with me. No strings, no drama, nothing. Just the two of us enjoying each other’s company and having a good time.”
“Isn’t that what we’re doing?” I asked.
“Yes, but you’ve had your fair share of man drama and I’ve had my fair share of woman drama, so by signing a contract, the two of us could avoid all that. I’d set some ground rules and you’d do the same. We’d negotiate until we both were comfortable with the arrangement.”
What he said totally blew me away, but I was game. What did I have to lose? Nothing, as far as I was concerned.
“I like you too, Jackson, and I like spending time with you. So, let’s do it. You draw up a contract and I’ll do the same, we’ll look both of them over and we’ll negotiate. How long would this contract be for?”
“I was thinking six months.”
“Okay. Let’s give it a shot. You only live once, right?” I smiled.
“Right.” His lips brushed against mine.
Chapter 18
Emily
Jackson spent the night and we had sex three times and once in the morning before he left to go home and shower because he had plans with his best friend, Samuel. I wasn’t going to go into the shop, but I’d left my laptop there and I needed it because I was going to spend the weekend researching different things for my online boutique, mainly warehouses.
When I stepped through the door to the shop, Katie was behind the counter and Noelle was helping a customer.
“How did it go last night?” Katie asked.
“Great. Dylan and Evelyn really seemed to hit it off.”
“Have you heard from her?”
“Not yet. I was going to give her a call later.”
“So, did Mr. Caine spend the night?” She grinned.
“Yes.”
Even though she was my best friend and I told her everything, I couldn’t bring myself to tell what Jackson and I had discussed last night, at least not until we made it official. After grabbing my laptop from the back, I grabbed a piece of chocolate from under the counter.
“I’m headed home. If you need me, call.”
“I will.” Katie smiled.
As I was walking towards the door, a woman about five foot five with brown hair and blonde highlights walked in and stopped in front of me.
“Excuse me, are you Emily, the owner of this lovely shop?”
“Yes, I am.” I smiled.
“I’m Jules, Jackson’s sister.” She extended her hand.
“Hi. It’s nice to meet you.” I placed my hand in hers.
“I was at his house yesterday while he was getting ready for your date and he told me about you. I was just walking by on my way to another store and I decided to pop in and see if you might be working.”
“I’m actually not working today. I just stopped by to grab my laptop.”
“That was perfect timing, then.” She smiled. “I don’t want to keep you. It was nice to meet you and I wanted to let you know that I love your store and I plan on shopping here a lot.”
“Thank you, Jules. It was nice to finally meet Jackson’s twin. He talks about you all the time.”
“We should do lunch sometime,” she spoke.
“I’d like that.”
“Maybe we should double date. I’ll check my schedule to see when my boyfriend and I have the same day off.”
“Sounds fun. It must be hard to spend time together with you two being ER doctors.”
“It is. But is that such a bad thing?” She winked.
“Probably not.” I smiled.
“I’ll get something set up and have Jackson call you,” she spoke.
“Looking forward to it.”
As soon as I got home, I put on a pair of sweatpants and a tank top and looked at the torn up bed from my and Jackson’s sex fest. As I stood there and stared at it, I sort of found myself missing him. But I would go as far to say that I missed the sex, not really him. Right? Right. After changing the sheets and throwing the dirty ones in the washer, I made myself a sandwich and took my laptop to the couch.
I couldn’t stop thinking about what Jackson and I talked about last night, so I opened up a word document and began typing out a list of companionship rules. This was crazy, yet fun at the same time. Just the fact that Jackson wanted to keep it simple and drama free was a turn on. I could have my cake and eat it too and that right there was the best part of life. After taking hours to finish my rules list, I started the search for a warehouse. Once I had that secured, I could start placing orders for clothing and hire some help.
****
When I stepped into the shop Monday morning, my phone rang and it was Jackson calling.
“Hello.”
“Hey there, beautiful. How was your weekend?”
“It was great. How was yours?”
“Fantastic. Did you get a chance to write down some rules at all?”
“I did and I’m all finished. How about you?”
“I did as well. What’s your schedule like for today?”
“I’m working until about six.”
“I have a dinner meeting at seven o’clock and I’m not sure how long it’s going to run. Are you free for lunch?”
A small smile crossed my face.
“I am. What time?”
“How about noon at my office? I’ll have my secretary cater in something for us. I would take you to a restaurant, but I think we need to discuss our negotiation behind closed doors.”
“I agree and I’ll see you at noon.”
“Great. I’ll talk to you later.”
After ending the call, I turned around and saw Katie standing there with furrowed brows.
“What?” I asked.
“Was that Jackson?”
“Yes.”
“What did you finish?”
“Why are you eavesdropping?” I took a sip of my coffee.
“I can’t help it. What’s going on? What are you two up to?” She placed her purse behind the counter.
“Fine. I’ll tell you, but you cannot tell anyone about this. Do you understand?” I pointed my finger at her.
“My lips are sealed.” She smiled.
“Jackson and I are going to be making a negotiated companionship deal.”
“A what?” Her brow arched.
“We like spending time with each other and the sex is beyond anything I have ever experienced in my life. So we’re both coming up with a list of rules to follow while we date each other.”
She busted out into laughter. “What?”
I sighed. “Neither one of us wants a relationship. We just want companionship. And in order to do that, we have to have some set rules to keep the drama out.”
“Oh my God.” She laughed. “You two are certifiably crazy. Who the fuck does that?”
“Two people who don’t want bullshit and drama in their life.”
“I can’t right now.” She laughed as she walked away.
Rolling my eyes, I fl
ipped the sign to open and unlocked the door.
“By the way, have you talked to Evelyn?” Katie asked.
“I spoke with her yesterday and she and Dylan ended up spending the whole weekend together. She says she’s in love.”
“Weird how the one girl in the world who is totally anti-relationship sets one of her best friends up with someone and insta-love happens. You better hope it works out or you’ll be responsible for Evelyn’s despair.”
“Evelyn is a big girl and she’ll be just fine if things don’t work out.” I rolled my eyes.
As I was getting ready to leave for my lunch date with Jackson, Edward walked into the shop.
“Hello, Miss Wade. Mr. Caine sent me to get you for your meeting.”
“Hi, Edward. Please, call me Emily.” I grabbed my purse, headed out the door, and climbed into the limo.
Chapter 19
Jackson
“Audrey, is lunch almost here? Miss Wade is on her way.”
“Yes, Mr. Caine. It should be here shortly.”
“Thank you. I want all calls held and I don’t want to be disturbed under any circumstances.”
“I’ll make sure you’re not.”
I gave her a small smile and stepped into my office. Before sitting down behind my desk, I heard Samuel’s voice.
“I still can’t believe you and this girl are negotiating relationship rules.”
“Her name is Emily and it’s not a relationship.”
“Companionship, relationship, whatever. It’s all the same, Jackson. Shit, where can I find an Emily? These women nowadays drive me nuts. I went out last night with this girl named Tamara. We had a great dinner and then headed back to her place and had sex. This morning, I woke up to a text message saying that she already missed me. I’d only known her for what? A day.”
“Annoying, isn’t it?” Emily smiled as she stepped into my office.
I couldn’t help but grin when I saw her lean beautiful body standing there.
“Very annoying,” Samuel spoke as he walked over to her and extended his hand. “You must be Emily. I’m Samuel, Jackson’s best friend.”
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Samuel.” She placed her hand in his.
“You don’t by any chance have a sister, do you?” he asked with a cocky grin.
“No. Sorry. I’m an only child.”
“Damn it. Well, I’ll let you two get on with your meeting.”
Walking over to Emily, I gave her a kiss.
“Welcome to my office.”
“Thank you. It’s very nice.”
“Lunch should be here in a minute, so let’s sit down at the table and we can go over our lists.”
Just as we took our seats, Audrey walked in with a lunch that consisted of two different kinds of salads, three types of sandwiches, fresh fruit, and a cheese plate.
“Thank you, Audrey.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. Caine. Enjoy.”
Emily grabbed a tuna fish sandwich while I took the turkey and cheese.
“Did you bring your list?” I asked.
“I did.” She smiled as she reached inside her purse and pulled it out.
“Okay. I’ll read my list first and then we’ll negotiate from there,” I spoke.
“By all means, go ahead.” She smiled.
“Rule number 1: We see each other at least four times a week. No matter how busy we are, we will make time.
“Rule number 2: Sex is non-negotiable and when we’re together, we will have it.
“Rule number 3: No seeing other people.
“Rule number 4: No romance. Don’t expect flowers, fancy gifts, nothing. Just me.” I smirked.
“No chocolates?” She frowned.
I picked up my pen from the table and made a correction to rule number 4.
“No romance. Don’t expect flowers, fancy gifts, nothing. Just me and the occasional chocolates.”
“Perfect.” She grinned.
“Rule number 5: No blowing up each other’s phone with calls and text messages. An occasional text or call is fine if warranted.
“Rule number 6: No more condoms. I will provide you with a clean report from my doctor and I expect you to do the same.
“Rule number 7: We will alternate the things we do together. One day, you’ll pick what we do, and the next time, I pick what we do.
“Rule number 8: We must have open communication and honesty. Lying will not be tolerated.
“The last rule is the most important one. Rule number 9: No falling in love.”
A smile crossed her beautiful face as she spoke, “Love is highly overrated. You don’t need to worry about that, Mr. Caine.”
“Excellent. Your turn.” I grinned.
“Well, I have pretty much the same rules. Instead of four times a week, I have down three. But, if you want four, I won’t object.”
“Why three?” I asked out of curiosity.
“Friday, Saturday, Sunday. The week gets busy for both us with work and stuff.”
“True, but I think we can squeeze in one more day.” I winked.
“Four it is.” She wrote on her paper. “As for sex, you are right. It is non-negotiable. But what if I’m on my period?” Her brow arched.
“Hmm. How many days does it last?”
“Usually three.”
“Then when it’s that time of the month, we can either say fuck it and do it or we can switch up days.”
“Deal.” She smiled. “Agree to not seeing other people. We covered the chocolates already. Absolutely correct about not blowing up each other’s phones. As for condoms, I’m fine with that since we will only be having sex with each other. I will get that report to you ASAP. I like taking turns on what we’re going to do. But,” she pointed at me, “if I want to take a painting class together, you can’t say no.”
I shrugged. “I like to paint.”
“Absolutely no lying, just truth and open communication. And finally, you will not be allowed to fall in love with me, Mr. Caine.”
“I promise you I won’t.”
“Okay then. I think we’ve covered just about everything. You said six months?”
“Yes. We can try it for six months.” I took a bite of my sandwich. “If anyone breaks any of the above mentioned rules, we cut ties immediately and never see each other again.”
“Deal. But what happens after six months comes to an end?” she asked.
“If things are good with us and we want to continue on as is, then we will,” I replied.
“Oh wait. I do have a rule to add.”
“And what rule is that, Miss Wade?”
“No calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend. When we introduce each other, we will be introduced as friends.”
“Damn it. I can’t believe I didn’t include that one. I agree.” I wrote it down as rule number 10. “Okay, I’ll have Audrey get this over to my attorney and as soon as it’s ready to be signed, I’ll let you know.” I smiled.
“Thanks for lunch.” A sly smile crossed her face as she got up from her chair.
“You’re not leaving yet, are you? We still have to have dessert.”
She glanced down at the table. “I don’t see dessert.”
“It’s right here.” I grabbed my crotch.
She bit down on her bottom lip and then looked at her watch.
“I have about fifteen more minutes to spare.”
“That’s all we’ll need.”
Chapter 20
Emily
I walked into the shop with a smile on my face. I’d just had hot sex in the office of one Mr. Jackson Caine, negotiated a companionship deal, and left feeling like I was on top of the world. Katie was helping a customer pick out some clothes, Noelle was busy ringing, and Evelyn walked in behind me with a couple of dresses in her hand.
“Hey. Are you just coming in?” she asked.
“I just got back from lunch.”
“Oh. Where did you go?”
“Jackson’s office.”
“You had a lunch date with him at his office?” Her face twisted.
“We had a meeting to discuss a few things.”
“I see the meeting went well, judging by how your blouse is buttoned wrong.” She smiled.
Looking down, I discovered that my buttons were off by one.
“Shit.” I headed to the back room and Evelyn followed.
“What type of meeting could you possibly have with Jackson? Is he investing in your business or something?”
I sighed as I re-buttoned my blouse and looked at her with a twisted face. I had to tell her about our arrangement because she was going to find out sooner or later.
“We had a meeting to negotiate some companionship rules.”
She set down the dresses on the large table as a look of confusion swept over her.
“What?”
“Jackson and I like spending time together and we set down some rules for what is not to happen while we date.”
“What kind of rules? Are the two of you in a relationship?”
“No. We’re companions who enjoy each other’s company. We agreed not to see other people. There will be no falling in love with each other. No romance. We will be seeing each other four times a week, have open communication, and what he does on his time he’s not with me is his business, not mine, and so forth. We’ve agreed to do this for six months, and in those six months, if either one of us breaks one of the rules, we cut ties immediately and never see or speak to each other again.”
She stood there with her mouth open. “Who does that?”
“That’s what I said, if I know what you two are talking about,” Katie spoke as she strolled into the back.
“We do. End of discussion.” I put up my hand and headed towards the front of the store.
“Wait a minute,” Evelyn shouted as she caught up with me. “So then the two of you are in an official relationship. That’s what it is, Emily. YOU ARE IN A RELATIONSHIP FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YOUR LIFE!”
“No. We are not in a relationship. I am not his girlfriend and he is not my boyfriend. That was rule number ten. We are friends who enjoy each other’s company and want to have fun.”
“Okay, then the correct term is ‘friends with benefits.’”
