Page 4 of The Forever Promise

• (3) Obligor shall have approval of all clothes worn in public by Obligee;

• (4) Obligor shall have full and unfettered access to Obligee’s cell phone and all personal digital devices;

• (5) Obligee agrees to engage in consensual sexual activity at any time as requested by the Obligor; and

• (6) Obligee agrees to review the contract at the end of the term.

I sat there, reeling.Agrees to engage in consensual sexual activity. Sleep in the Obligor’s bed every night. Not speak to any men.Obligor shall have approval of all clothes worn in public by Obligee.The terms of the contract were possessive, controlling. If I went back, I would be Bryce’s prisoner once again.

At least, until he was through me with…once again.

“When’s the end of the term?” I whispered.

“That’syour freaking response to this?” Akira snatched the laptop back. “He’s telling you that he gets to pick out your clothes, you can’t talk to men, and you have to have sex with him whenever he wants, and you’re worried when it’s going toend?”

“September, Chloe,” Elena answered. “He wants you back for a minimum of three months—until the press frenzy around his father dies down, and the wedding’s over. He’s offered to pay you an additional two million dollarsin cashif you fulfill these terms. Not exactly chump change.”

“You know I want you to make bank.” Akira pushed her glasses up on her nose. “But this is some seriously fucked-up shit.”

My heart thudded in my chest. “When would I go back?”

Akira rolled her eyes. “Today.”

“And what about Noah?” I wouldn’t do anything without my brother.

“Bryce is expecting him.”

I stared down at the table. “Have either of you spoken with him?”

“I haven’t,” Akira said. “I think he’s probably too afraid of what I’d say.”

“I spoke to him last night, right before I texted you,” Elena said. “He’s not doing well, Chloe. He’s very upset about what’s happening with his company. You can imagine the sort of pressure he’s under.”

I nodded. “Did he say anything else?”

“No. Just that there needed to be a specific agreement between you two before you returned. He said he needed it in order to feel safe.”

Akira snorted. “Heneeds to feel safe? There’s nothing in here that protects Chloe! What about what she needs, huh?”

They both turned to look at me. “What would you need to feel safe, Chloe?” Elena asked. “I want you to do this. It’s good for my company, but more importantly, it would be good for you and Noah. It’s an amazing opportunity. So how can we make this work?”

My head spun. I needed all sorts of things to feel safe—an assurance from him that he wouldn’t stomp on my fucking heart after breaking it would be a good place to start. But how could we put that into a contract?

“I want access tohisdevices.” I shuddered, remembering all the texts from Felicia Jones, his evil ex-girlfriend. “And tell him I want three million dollars, not two. And a puppy for Noah. Something huge that sheds.” Bryce deserved dog hair on his suit, on all of his suits.

Akira tapped away on her keyboard. “I like it, Chloe. What else? How about a brand-new Tesla?”

“I want the condo at The Stratum free and clear,” I said, “in case he’s an asshole and I have to leave him again. I should say, forwhenhe’s an asshole and I have to leave him again.” At least Noah and I would have a safe place to go, one less thing to worry about.

“Now you’re talking.” Akira’s fingers flew across the keyboard. “What else?”

“That’s it for now. But tell him I’m not happy about this. He needs to know I’m only coming back for the money.” I meant it. I also knew, instinctively, that he would say yes to my terms. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

I couldn’t believe we were going back. It was all happening too fast. At the same time, it couldn’t happen fast enough.I’m going to see Bryce again.What the hell was I going to say to him?

Elena took out her phone. “I’ll call Dale and let him know you and Noah can fly back today.”

I nodded, and a wave of emotion passed through me—yearning? Excitement? Relief?But that sentiment, whatever it was, could go die in a hole, where it could join all my previous feelings for Bryce Windsor.

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