But perhaps that was best. If I was going to enter into a marriage of convenience, it really ought to be with someone who was going to keep things professional and break it off at the end without any messiness.
And pay me a whole truckload of money, of course. That was a nice bonus.
“There was something else I wanted to address with you,” he said, looking down at the desk. “I meant to bring it up yesterday. If, during the term of our marriage, you were to meet someone…”
“I’m not worried about that,” I interrupted, quickly.
He looked up at me, his eyes searching my face. It seemed like I’d succeeded in reminding him that I was, in fact, a human being. “Are you certain about that?”
“Yes,” I said. “Can we move on?”
“Of course,” he said. “That brings me to my next point. It’s important that we keep things professional. With an arrangement like this, sometimes the lines can become blurred. But I hope we can both act as checks and balances against each other to ensure that things stay appropriate. You’re clearly a sensible person, so I don’t anticipate this being too much of a problem. But it would be foolish to pretend we’re not human beings.” He gave me a sharp look, like he’d been reading my mind. I fidgeted. “If you feel things are becoming too personal, please don’t hesitate to let me know. And I will do the same for you.”
I nodded, trying to ignore the uncomfortable prickling at the base of my neck. It almost felt like he was looking through me.
He was silent for a while, and I realized he was waiting for some sort of verbal acknowledgement.
“Yeah,” I said. “Of course, that…that sounds good,” I said, my voice cracking a little. I realized belatedly that I was making it sound like I’d already consented to the arrangement, and briefly panicked. “I mean - if I decide to go through with this.”
“Of course,” he said, raising both hands in a supplicating gesture. “Nothing is official until we both sign the contract in the presence of my attorney.”
“Sorry,” I said. “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t misunderstanding me.”
He smiled. “I’m a very cautious man, Ms. Wainright. I’m not in the habit of making assumptions until I have signatures in triplicate.”#p#分页标题#e#
“Well, that’s good to know.” I stood up. “Thank you, Mr. Thorne. I appreciate your time.”
“I ought to be thanking you,” he said, rising as well and extending his hand for me to shake. “Take as much time as you need. I have a few months before they’ll loose the hounds, so it’s not terribly urgent.”
I had to laugh. “I appreciate that, but I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep properly until I make a decision.” And maybe not even then.
He looked a little bothered. “I never meant to cause you any distress,” he said. “I meant it when I said that refusing wouldn’t impact your career. You can continue to work here as long as you like. You’ll be treated like any other employee. And if you choose to leave I will always give you a positive reference. You have my word.”
“I know,” I said. “It’s not that. I just…I guess I can’t decide if the risk is worth the reward.”
He considered this for a moment. “I won’t pretend there isn’t a risk,” he admitted, finally. “But…it is not as great of a risk as you might think. I am in…an advantageous position.”
My eyes narrowed. “What does that mean, exactly?”
Mr. Thorne shrugged a little. “Money opens many doors, Ms. Wainwright. As I’m sure you know.”
“If it’s a question of money, why do you need me at all?”
“I said ‘many’ doors. Not every door.”
“Fair enough,” I said. “I’ll get back to you when I’m made my decision.”
“Thank you,” he said. “Again. For everything.”
Chapter Two
By the end of the week, I’d chewed every single fingernail down to the nubbins.
Every time I considered asking someone for advice - even anonymously on the Internet - a wave of paranoia would overtake me, and I’d bite my tongue. I couldn’t risk doing anything that would violate Mr. Thorne’s trust in me. Even if I hadn’t signed the contract yet, if I did, I was pretty sure the silence clause would apply retroactively. Or would it?
I found myself wishing that I could afford my own lawyer. It would be helpful to go over this whole thing with someone who was level-headed and experienced, and who could be trusted to keep things quiet. But that simply wasn’t possible.