Undersold(43)

“Well hello there Miss Woodall, don’t be shy, come on in.” He gestured for me to join them.

I had to force my legs to move. I glanced at Shane, and he gave me an apologetic look. I wished Royal wasn’t there so that I could ask him what was happening.

“Hello, Mr. Brown,” I said as I walked over to join them.

I shook hands with him. “Call me Royal, please. Make this awkward situation a little easier, I say.”

He gestured for me to take a seat. After we sat, he leaned forward on his elbows.

“Well Amy, first of all, don’t be alarmed. I can tell you’re confused.”

I nodded, but couldn’t bring myself to answer.

“Let me explain to you why I’m here. Since Shane is your boss, there are some ethical and legal issues regarding how exactly your relationship can be treated. Because that damn blog posted that picture of you guys, you have to sign some crap forms saying your relationship won’t interfere with your work, Shane here won’t show you preferential treatment, and other such garbage. Pretty standard legal and HR document, but it’s necessary if you guys are going to continue seeing each other.”

Royal gestured toward a small stack of papers sitting in the center of the table.

“I don’t understand,” I said. I still felt confused and uncertain. Why was he talking about our relationship?

Royal looked at Shane. “I guess you didn’t tell her about this.”

Shane shook his head. “Sorry, Amy. I should have told you. Royal thinks it’s in our best interest to file some paperwork with HR, basically proclaiming our relationship, and saying the company has no liability for any of it. And you won’t be able to sue the company for any reason from here on out.”

It slowly dawned on me what was happening. Shane wasn’t breaking up with me, and he wasn’t suing me. He was making our relationship public. I didn’t know what to say.

“It’s all pretty standard stuff, Amy,” Royal said.

“So, you’re not....suing me? Or breaking up with me?” I said quietly, looking at Shane.

He looked confused, then laughed. “No, not at all. I’m not suing you. I want this to happen between us, and the only way for it to continue is to sign these documents. I’m taking us public, more or less. At least as far as the company is concerned.”

I could tell Royal felt a little uncomfortable, but the fear inside me broke. I felt relief wash across me in waves. Shane reached his hand out and I took it, feeling silly. Of course he wasn’t going to sue me. More than that, he wanted to be together still, even if it meant making our relationship public.

“Well, what do you say?” Shane asked, looking into my eyes.

“This is the most romantic contractual gesture I’ve ever seen,” I said quietly.

Shane and Royal both laughed, and it broke the tension at the table.

“That’s the spirit Amy, it’s a love contract. Very romantic, and all that. Very modern. I’ll get a copy framed for you two,” Royal said.

“Let’s go over these so you understand what it is you’re signing,” Shane said.

We walked through the contract. It was pretty simple. It defined our relationship was extra-professional romantic, and waived my right to sue the company. It wasn’t exactly making our relationship public, but it was at least making it official within Adstringo. I signed the forms immediately, not caring about lawsuits or liability. All I wanted was Shane.

When the contracts were signed, we all stood and shook hands.

“Great doing business with you as always, Amy,” Royal said. Shane walked with him to the door and they spoke quietly as I stayed behind at the table. Once Royal was gone, Shane came back to me, wrapped his arms around me, and we kissed. I felt his stubble and the fatigue in every ounce of his muscles, and I guessed he hadn’t slept well the night before.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine. I’m just relieved. I was terrified coming in this morning.”

“You looked pretty deer in the headlights when you first walked in.” He laughed.

“I thought you were going to sue me.”

“I don’t think fucking me all week is grounds for a lawsuit.”

I laughed. “Maybe not, but letting that asshole take our picture maybe is.”

He moved away from me and looked serious. “Listen to me. I knew that was only a matter of time.”

“I know, but I was stupid about it. Didn’t realize what was happening. I’m so sorry, Shane.” I could feel the guilt and doubt start to build again.

He shook his head. “That wasn’t your fault. If we’re blaming anyone, of course it was mine. And I’d understand if you don’t want to be a part of this world. From now on, there are going to be paparazzi around much more often, and we’ll have to be extra careful.”