Part 14 (1/2)

”Yes, Kathryn does go on vacation occasionally,” he answers, a huge smile lighting up his face. He's so gorgeous when he smiles. I wish he'd smile more often. ”Marilyn is her temporary replacement. And she's quite efficient and discreet as well.”

”Can I ask why you have this rule in place?” I ask. ”I mean, what's the big deal if I give you a call here and there.”

He sighs and smiles at the same time. ”Well, it brings us to the final rule, possibly the most important...emotional detachment.”

”Yes,” I say. ”We've discussed that.”

”Basically it comes down to this,” he says, addressing everyone. ”This is about s.e.x. Pure and simple. There's no other way to spin it.”

The room is completely silent.

”What I mean is it's a casual thing...it's about fun, excitement...desire. There's no room for emotional attachment here or intimate relations.h.i.+ps outside of the agreed-upon dates. There will be no personal gifts or gestures. We will not introduce each other to our friends and families or even our children for that matter.”

I notice his hands fidgeting a little as he speaks. He pulls his palms together again. ”We can still socialize, the four of us, go for dinner before dates, or we can dine separately. It's important that we are all comfortable with each other before we become intimate,” he carries on, his words measured. ”Bridget and I are quite traditional...we like to converse over a nice dinner, build desire, loosen up. That's all part it. If it was just about the act itself, we'd all be better off going to s.e.x club,” he adds with a whisper of a laugh. ”But that is definitely not our inclination, and I imagine it isn't yours either.”

I nod, my gaze glued to him.

”However...having said that,” he goes on, ”we don't believe we should become the best of friends or enter each other's social circles.”

His words get to me a little. He makes us sound like a ”big dirty secret.” I understand the need for discretion and distance as much as anyone, but...

”All this might sound harsh,” Bridget chimes in. ”But it really does work better this way. Our previous relations.h.i.+p ended because of social politics.”

Interesting.

”And what about the first relations.h.i.+p you had? Why did it end?” I realize I'm being extremely nosy, but I'm dying to know.

Bridget hesitates. ”The woman got emotionally attached. She became just about obsessed with Weston.”

”Oh, I see,” I say softly, looking down at my pencil skirt. I can see how that could happen. I do not want to be that woman.

I look up at him slowly, wanting to know, ”Were you attached to her?”

”No, I wasn't,” he replies. ”Not in the least.” His words ring true. And I can't help but think...he's a very cold man.

”And as mentioned before,” he goes on, ”all dates will be scheduled and coordinated by Kathryn.”

”It makes things so much easier. Otherwise, we'd all be playing phone tag...it would be an absolute nightmare. And we'd be breaking rule number four,” Bridget adds with a grin. And I get the distinct impression she's making fun of Weston a little.

But he doesn't seem to notice.

”Our dates will take place at our respective lofts,” he says, addressing Gabe. ”Both Bridget and I have places we stay, here in the city.”

Gabe nods. I'm amused by the fact that Gabe hasn't said much at all so far, which is completely unlike him. I think he's just too sh.e.l.l-shocked.

”And we will pay for all dinners and related expenses,” he adds. ”In fact, we don't want to discuss this at all. It's our pleasure.”

I'm glad he's clarified this because there's no way Gabe and I could afford all these extravagant dinners. I do feel a little strange about it-it occurs to me Gabe and I are officially ”sugar-babies.” The thought nauseates me a little. Not in a million years, would I have ever imagined myself as a sugar-baby.

”Finally, to sum it up,” Weston says, his words matter-of-factly. ”We have five basic rules. One is monogamy, the second is discretion, the third is respect, the fourth is appropriate contact, and finally, we have emotional detachment.”

I nod obediently.

Got it, sir.

He's going over this like we're at a board meeting, and honestly, I'm very surprised he hasn't pa.s.sed around a handout. I almost want to ask him where the coffee and donuts are.

But, I've learned to accept this as his style-it's just the way he is. And I find myself wondering for the umpteenth time what he might be like in bed. Will I have a checklist to follow? Will he make me sign a liabilities waiver? A confidentiality form? Will I go through a metal detector? I really don't know what to expect with this guy.

The thought concerns me a little.

And again, those same old familiar doubts show their worried faces.

Chapter Ten.

Right now and right here.

WITH THE ”MEETING” OUT OF THE WAY, the atmosphere lightens considerably. And we surprisingly find ourselves falling into easy conversation. Bridget is so cheerful and outgoing-she's a great catalyst for on-going dialogue. Weston orders a bottle of red for the table, and we order our meals. I decide to stick with a light shrimp salad, thinking I should really indulge in a steak. But I just can't...I'm still not very hungry.

Weston catches my gaze here and there, but his eyes always pull away. He can't seem to maintain eye contact. He can't even look at me, and he wants to have s.e.x with me? I suppose we'll have to get over that if we're going to be intimate. But then again, I think, pus.h.i.+ng my salad around, maybe we don't. If all he wants to do is screw me, he really doesn't need to look at me at all.

I look up at him, wondering if that's what he wants. He's said as much.

This is about s.e.x. Plain and simple.

Maybe he's just nervous because of the strangeness of the situation-it's not every day you have a ”swapping” discussion dinner-meeting. I think he's handled himself pretty well. I think I've handled myself relatively well too, considering I was so nervous, I thought I might be sick the whole time. But somehow, I managed to not hurl or suffer a panic attack.

When we say our good-byes, Bridget hugs us both. And Weston shakes Gabe's hand. I consider going in for a hug, but I respect his boundaries. As he offers me his hand, I can't help but think, we're going to have s.e.x soon, and I don't even get a measly hug.

As we walk away and wave, I wonder how this is going to work.

And again, I wonder what the h.e.l.l I've gotten myself into.

”Wow, that guy's a few sandwiches short of a-” Gabe starts.

”Stop it right there.” I cut him off mid-sentence. ”You're already breaking rule number three.”

He laughs out loud. ”Oh yes G.o.d forbid I break rule number three. Which one is that again?”

”Respect and kindness. You're being an a.s.shole.”

He looks at me, a smile still on his lips.

”Weston is pragmatic,” I explain. ”He needs order. He needs to have these concrete rules in place. I think it's a good idea. I can see how this whole thing could become a disaster if we didn't have these rules.”

I don't know why I feel the need to defend Weston, but I do.