Engaged To The Tycoon

Chapter 15

Oh no, please don't paddle me, Mr. Principal, I thought, and I became enraged almost immediately. It was becoming more and more obvious that I was engaged in a struggle that I was destined to lose, and it wasn't with Bryan; it was with myself.

Naturally, the responsibility lies with Waters for being in such a seductive position. It wasn't right at all.

I gave him a shrug in response. "Well, you

cut me off before I could ask you what you thought I should wear."

"And this is the option you went with?"

I pretended to be astonished as I looked down at myself and pretended to be surprised. I responded with "Sure" Why shouldn't it?

After examining the wine in the glass in front of him, he reached out and began to fiddle with it; however, the waitress had already arrived with our salads before he could respond to me. She chirped something at him, and he responded, but I wasn't paying attention to either of them at the time. I couldn't help but become hypnotized by the methodical and unhurried way in which he rubbed the stem of his wineglass. When the waitress hurried off once more, I finally put two and two together and understood that he had ordered my lunch for me. I was really making a fool of myself. Oh well, if nothing else, at least I'll have something to eat, right?

When I looked down at my salad, I was disappointed to see that it consisted of a single piece of asparagus elegantly put on a single leaf of lettuce and sprinkled with some balsamic mixture that burned my nose all the way from the table. One tomato slice could be seen poking its head out from behind the foliage.

"I know you're trying to elicit a reaction out of me, Miss Wayne," she said.

I turned my head back to look at him. His look pierced right through to the center of my being.

I shrugged. “Maybe.”

He sat back in his chair. "You are going to have to perform significantly better than that. What could possibly be the point of dressing up like a p********e?

"Well, that's exactly what I'm going to be for you, is that correct? Your p********e?"

“No. You would be my wife if we got married.

I glared angrily at him. "I do not view it that way, and I doubt that many other people, if they knew the truth, would either if they were given the opportunity. I simply decided that it would be better for me to be straightforward with you about who I am.

He pressed his lips together. Those gorgeous, flawless lips of his. Why did he have to be such a disruption?

"Miss Wayne, you are well aware of who I am to you, and I am well aware of who you are to me. There is no other purpose for dressed in this manner but to try to embarrass me, and there is no other reason.

I shrugged. "If you think that's the case, then that's good."

I was taken aback when he shook his head no. "Your opinion of other people is very low," he said to me. "That is disappointing. There are a lot of amazing women to be found working in the s*x industry. I wouldn't take it personally if I were spotted hanging out with one of them. I have high hopes that they will be able to make the most of this opportunity."

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I was stunned, so I just gazed at him. He had every reason to be right. I had just presumed that he would be upset with my dress because he was wealthy and lucky and because he travelled in circles that other wealthy and successful people did. I had a sudden realization that the reason he had not instructed me on how to dress was because he wanted to see what I would do rather than simply exercising his authority over me.

I couldn't help but feel embarrassed for a split second. I was curious, so I inquired, "Is this simply a test?"

He c****d his head to the side. "It was exactly as it had been. I used to know less about you, but now I know more. That is plenty for my needs." A grin played with the edges of his mouth as he spoke. I wanted I could give it a punch and keep my name out of the newspaper at the same time. I couldn't help but wonder if there were photographers shooting shots of us at this same moment. The notion was so embarrassing that I threw my hair over my face and glanced down at the dish with the asparagus that had been so carefully put on it.

"But isn't the purpose of this meeting to discuss the terms of the contract?"

I nodded. "Yeah." The asparagus lingered in front of me, pleading to be consumed, but I had lost my appetite and couldn't bring myself to eat it.

"Let me see it."

I fished the rewritten agreement out of my bag with my clumsy fingers and passed it to the other person sitting at the table. Bryan relaxed his posture and started leafing through it as though he had an infinite amount of time on his hands. The modifications to the contract had been marked by Ms. Ryan so that they would be simple to locate, and he took his time going through each one while slowly sipping his wine. On occasion, he looked up at me for a moment.

At long last, he sat himself down. He stated that "none of these adjustments are extremely substantial," and I agree with him. "Are you certain that this is all that you desire?"

When I heard that, I looked up in surprise. I had been staring at my asparagus salad the whole time, trying to ignore him while making a choice about which portion of my bounty to consume first.

"Uh, I didn't realize I could ask for more,"

He skewered his tomato and then shoved it in his mouth without even chewing it. You are free to make whatever request you'd like. Whether or not I will agree to your request is a completely different question."