He picked up one of the plates and set it in front of me. My mouth watered and stomach growled once again.
“Do you have a chef here?”
“Yep,” he answered, but did not elaborate. In the conversations we shared so far, one thing was clear—Garrett wasn’t about to elaborate on anything.
I cut into the meat and stuck it in my mouth. Flavors bounced off my tongue. This was no canned sauce because I tried them all. This was something fancy. Whoever the chef was needed a raise. I didn’t care what he was getting paid before, he needed more. Swallowing, I was eager for more. I took bite after bite thinking this meal didn’t need the noodles. The flavors were rich, and it was beyond filling.
The silence between us wasn’t uncomfortable, but I was raised that you tell people when you appreciate something. Therefore, I spoke. “He’s great. I hope you pay him well. This sauce is one of a kind amazing.”
Garrett chuckled. “Thanks. It’s my grandma’s recipe, and it’s the one thing I actually didn’t make from the meal.”
I blinked. I blinked again; what did he just tell me? He made this? There was no way he made this. “You? You made this?” At every turn this man was full of surprises. I couldn’t hide my surprise.
“Great, isn’t it?” He placed a forkful in his mouth and began to chew. The sight of it made something in me tremble, and I looked away, digging into the food.
We ate in silence for a while. It was beautiful listening to the waves crashing up against the shore. They’d go out and back, then repeat it hundreds of times. It was the one thing good in this scenario.
With my belly full and my head a little clearer, I decided to get some stuff off my mind. “We need to get a few things straight,” I said, wiping my lips with the cotton napkin.
His brow quirked. “Shoot.”
Shoot. He really just casually told me to go for it like we were old friends.
I wanted to laugh. Maybe if I could just shoot him and Mr. Beacon, then I could go home and forget all of this even happened. That would be nice.
“Ground rules, Garrett.”
He smirked, and I knew instantly he wasn’t a man for rules. He thought it was cute that I did, and that lit a fire under my ass. Screw him and what he thought. Bottom line—there would be boundaries.
“We sleep on opposite sides of the bed. When I’m in the bathroom, you never come in. When I am changing, you never step in whatever room I’m in doing the deed. You keep your hands to yourself. You do not hold my hand. You do not touch me in any way, shape, or form. You keep your distance from me at all times.”
Garrett’s eyes appeared to be smiling, but there was something working behind them I couldn’t put my finger on. It was this layer of the unknown that seemed to follow this man around everywhere he went, and it pissed me off because how was I supposed to read him?
“Is that all, kitten?”
My eyes narrowed. “And stop calling me kitten!”
He locked his eyes to mine. A fire danced in his gaze. “Kitten. This is how our time together is going to play out. There is no distance between us.” My mouth opened to fire back that there was, but he held a finger up to my lips. I should bite the damn thing off. “We will sleep side by side. We will enter the bathroom on each other whenever we want. Our hands will be on each other, and I’ll touch you a lot, kitten.”
My head shook. He was unreal. “So what? You’re supposed to play with me before sending me off to Mr. Beacon to be played with his way? What kind of shit show are you two running?”
This pissed me off, and while I didn’t want to know the answer, I also did. This arrangement wasn’t meant for anyone but Mr. Beacon and myself. I didn’t want to do anything with him, let alone one of his henchmen. Was this what he did? Take women who had no other choice and spread them around to his friends?
No. That wasn’t part of the deal, and no way in hell was I getting passed around like a hooker or a whore, even if part of this deal made me feel like a prostitute.
The longer he sat there not speaking the more infuriated I became. “That was not the deal with Mr. Beacon. My agreement was with Mr. Beacon and only Mr. Beacon.”
“Sometimes, kitten, things change. This is the new deal now.”
“I want to talk to him,” I demanded, wishing under other circumstances I was sitting on a beautiful beach with a gorgeous man who wanted me here with him because he cared about me. Since that was a damn daydream, I kept on task.
“Nope. I won’t allow it.”
This wasn’t right. “Then I’m going to call my parents.” I made a move to get up, but his words halted me.
“None of the phones work and as you can see, there’s no one around for miles.”
“So you’re trapping me here, going to force me to have sex with you, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
He didn’t hesitate with his reply. “I’d never force a woman to have sex with me.”
The breath I didn’t know I was holding escaped, and some of the weight on my shoulders lifted. Yeah. That was at least one good thing. If I could trust it. “Good. Then that part will never happen.”
He smirked. “Go ahead and think that.”
My head shook. “Is this what you meant by breaking me? Having sex with me to get me ready for Mr. Beacon?”
“No. I’m not the appetizer for the main course.” He rose from his seat. “Stay here. I’m going to get dessert.”
I wanted to get up and start running just to see where I’d end up. Maybe it would be far enough for this to all be a nightmare that I woke up from. Inside, I wanted to cry. Outside, I was stone cold. That was the way of the world.
Screw this. He wanted me to wait here, then I was going to go. Since I didn’t know a lot of places, the bedroom would be my escape. Hopefully it had a lock, or I’d be spending more time in the bathroom.
He wanted me to be this meek little woman who did everything she was told. No. That was not me. This mess I was in was just an obstacle. One I’d pass any way I could.
On that, I got up and made a dash to the house, just catching a glimpse of the sun setting over the horizon.
He was right—it was beautiful.
6
Garrett
For dessert, Ellen Sue had made a cheesecake from scratch before she departed and froze it. Knowing tonight would be a long one, I had taken it out to thaw before carrying the chicken out. Always be prepared, I had a plan for everything. This would balance the chicken perfectly.
Pulling out the chocolate sauce and caramel, I quickly heated them and drizzled it over the cheesecake before plating two pieces and planning to carry them out to the terrace.
Could I certainly put Enissa’s mind at ease?
Absolutely.
Was I going to?
Not a chance.
I knew the ins and outs of the deal with Beacon. More than that, I knew my intentions with her. In a few statements, I could actually take away all of her trepidation. Only a little bit of fear, anticipation, and confusion was good for the spirit. Even if she would never agree with me, I knew all of those emotions well. They made me the man I was today. That man was calculated.
I knew everything about her.