“There’s a lot that needs to be done. I’ll set up an appointment for you with my personal physician to have the necessary physical done as well as set up your method of birth control if you aren’t already on it. You’ll be supplied a copy of my last medical checkup as well as a copy of all my blood tests. But first you’ll need to visit my human resources director to set the terms of your employment, and of course your benefits and salary.”
“Okay,” she croaked out, suddenly overwhelmed by just how fast her life was changing. Was she prepared for this?
“It’s going to be all right, Mia,” he said in a low voice. “Trust me to take care of you.”
Peace settled over her. Exhilaration took hold. Like riding a roller coaster and topping that peak only to plunge over, wind in your face, heart beating a mile a minute.
“I do trust you, Gabe. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”
And maybe that hadn’t been entirely true before now. She’d be lying if she hadn’t had some small fear that she was biting off way more than she could chew. But being here, hearing what he had to say and feeling the intensity and the sincerity of his words…She did trust him, and she had to, because she’d be the biggest fool on earth for ever agreeing to this kind of arrangement unless she implicitly trusted the man she’d just signed her life over to.
She just hoped she didn’t live to regret her decision.
chapter seven
The rest of the day was a complete blur for Mia. She spent an hour in human resources filling out paperwork and going over benefits and salary. The amount of money offered as Gabe’s personal assistant made her eyes go wide. She hadn’t imagined he’d pay her much of anything considering they both knew it was a cover for their relationship. She wasn’t even sure how much actual work would be accomplished, but maybe he’d surprise her.
But it gave her peace of mind that she wasn’t completely dependent on him—or Jace—to provide anything for her. She already had in mind that she needed to save as much as possible for the day when Gabe no longer wanted her. She wasn’t fanciful—or stupid—enough to believe that their relationship would be any more long-term than his others.
While she didn’t know the exact details of his prior relationships, she’d heard Jace and Ash talk enough to know that one year was Gabe’s max when it came to women, and more often than not, six months was normal.
The one thing she was glad of was that Gabe had made her see that she needed to do more than work at La Patisserie. Her education was going to waste because she was too softhearted to quit working for Greg and Louisa. And maybe there was a part of her that was afraid to brave the business world.
What better way to become initiated than to work for Gabe? If nothing else, it would give her experience and look good on her resume. It would ease the way to her finding another job after he broke things off with her. Whatever job that would be…
She reminded herself often that her relationship with Gabe wouldn’t be long-term. She did so in order to numb herself to the inevitable. So she could accept it when the time came.
She wasn’t a teenager anymore, even if Gabe inspired very teenage-like reactions. It was time to grow the hell up and be an adult in an adult relationship.
After her stint in human resources, she was whisked into a car and taken to a clinic several blocks away, where she was given rush VIP treatment. No waiting. No paperwork for that matter, which she found odd. She peed in a cup, had blood drawn and then answered a host of questions from the doctor, including her preferred method of birth control and whether she needed him to take care of the matter.
While everyone around her had moved with the times and used alternatives to taking a pill every single day, Mia hadn’t had much luck with some methods, and she feared others. And so she faithfully took her pill.
By the time she was finished with the doctor’s visit, she was weary and emotionally drained from the stress of the day. Oddly enough, Gabe hadn’t ordered her in to work the next day. Instead he’d instructed her to take the day off and rest, almost as if he’d known how fried she’d be after the eventful day.
Grateful to have at least one day to ponder the arrangement she’d agreed to, she rode home in the car Gabe had assigned to her. The driver had been given instructions to pick her up for work the day after next. The driver left her his card with instructions that if she needed transportation at any time, she was to call him. And he hadn’t spoken a word to her since the somewhat curt introduction and his shoving his card at her.
Already it felt as though Gabe was taking over her life. Sliding into every nook and crevice. He already occupied her thoughts. Soon he would possess her body.