Chapter Nine

I stared at the document in my hands. Slowly, I opened it—I hadn’t even realized I was holding in a breath.

I skipped the introduction and began:

“This is an agreement between the ‘contractee’ (Thane Blackwood) and the ‘contractor’ (Riley Kaidon).”

I paused, about to ask how he knew my full name, but after one look at those cold eyes, I continued. “The duration of this contract is a year (twelve months), if agreed by both parties." I paused again. “A year is more than I can handle,” I whispered. A lot could happen in a year. The thought that he would have control over me for a whole year sent a chill down my spine. I never really considered what would happen if this went all wrong and things could easily 'very wrong’. “Three months,” I say, and I hated how shaky my voice sounded.

His jaw tightened; it was such a small movement, but I noticed it. Thane didn’t like the fact that I was bargaining; I knew what was written down was only there to make me feel like I had a choice—a say in thi