Chapter 4: Contracts - Jonny

I toss and turn all night in the bed clearly too small to fit me in it, with the tee that Amory wore the night before still draped over my face. I wake up with my mother in the room staring at me in disbelief, “Jonny”?

“I’m fine mamá”, (mom) I told her. She just rolls her eyes at me.

“Come, Mr. Richards will be here with Amory soon”, she says to me. It’s eight in the morning, I think my mother is more excited about her coming back than even I am. I just shook my head at her.

It’s almost ten when Sy and Amory do show up, but she looks ill. My mother notices too, and immediately is catering to her with her ginger and honey tea. Amory kindly accepts it, and writes all of our concerns off as it just being her nerves! They’re accompanied by a black girl today named Charlene who is supposedly Amory’s project manager or personal assistant, or something like that! Surprisingly, Emilia sits down between Amory and me before they start discussing the validation of her contracts.

I have no idea what is going on, or why she is here, but Amory seems to have known this was part of the plan. My sister then opens a folder, while she and Amory go through the contract part by part. Is my sister on this girl’s payroll too? What the fuck?!

Sy is leaning over Amory’s shoulder, and it’s almost uncomfortable to watch as she crosses her legs and leans back into him as the three of them are laughing. He looks down on her lovingly, like a father in awe of their child! I’ve met three of Sy’s kids, all from different women, and none are from his wife. All boys, all assholes! His youngest is Amory’s age. I haven’t seen him since he was like ten and I was thirteen, but supposedly he’s going to be a football star. I’ll believe it when I see it, since he was a crybaby back then and probably still is!

Finally, Amory pivots in the chair so her back is now to Emilia. Charlene takes a seat between Amory and Sy, while Emilia now looks over her shoulder as they walk the future project manager through her contract. After Charlene is done, Bo takes the seat between Amory and Sy. He asks Amory something and she turns to Emilia for clarification, then confirms with Sy, and he too signs the contract. This process continues with Rich, and Max, then me.

When I sit in the chair, I grab Amory’s knee and she doesn’t even flinch. “Any questions Jonny?”, she asks me.

“No”, I answered.

“Okay, have you read through the whole thing?”, she asks.

“Yes”, I answered her, and I have.

“Okay, so first is the non-disclosure which outlines the terms of what you can and cannot say in public, on my behalf or otherwise. If you agree to the terms, sign”, she says as she hands me a pen. I sign it, she signs it, Sy signs it, and Emilia signs it.

“Next is a consent to audio and video recording. Eventually, the property will be under CCTV recording, and just so we are ready for when it goes live, we’re having you all sign now. In addition to being recorded, some of the security detail will be selected to monitor and handle the storage of the recordings”, she adds.

“Who?” I ask her.

“We haven’t decided yet”, says Sy.

“I want a chance to get to know all of you before we decide”, she says as she blushes slightly. “At times, the footage may become sensitive, and I’ll need to trust the individuals handling it”.

“Sensitive how?” I asked her.

“ There’ll be times where Amory or anyone staying in her apartment will be inappropriately dressed. There are laws about storing that type of footage on business grounds. Especially if, say, a child was to visit her and change their clothes. That would be considered child pornography and would have to be censored and destroyed”, explains Emilia.

“We’re getting ahead of ourselves”, she says. “For now, the four of you are equal, but that is what the additional clause is about. Being promoted prior to the conclusion of the contract”, she says as she takes the contract from me and scans through it. She places it back down and points to the clause. Does she have this document memorized?

I remember reading this clause. If promoted prior to the end of the term, a temporary contract will be acknowledged for the duration of the term, and a separate check issued for the difference in pay instead of changing the date of contract effect.

I nod at her after I reread it and she turns the contract back to the consent form. She’s basically saying one of us is going to watch video footage of her naked, well damn! I signed the consent form.

“Okay, any questions about your job duties, hours, pay, anything?”, she asks me.

“No”, I tell her. This girl is paying me six grand a month to babysit her and her property.

“Okay Jonny Knight, sign”, she says, and I love hearing my name roll off her tongue. I sign, she signs, Sy signs, and Emilia signs. She then picks up the contract, hands it to my sister, and says, “thanks, Em”.

“No trouble at all, Amory, same time next year unless you need me in between. I gave you my number, right?”, Emilia said.

“Yeah! I got it, thanks again really”, she says. My sister hugs her and gathers everything up before leaving the table.

“Okay kiddo, I’m going to head out with Charlene. You sure you’re okay getting home on your own?” Sy asks her.

“Yeah, I’m fine Simon. Thanks for everything, really”, she tells him as they too hug.

“No problem kid, I believe in you. You’re gonna be the one that makes me a million dollars”, he says, causing her to blush.

“I won’t let you down”, she says back… That’s awfully ambitious!

When everyone had settled, it was just me and Amory sitting on the back patio. “So what are you going to do for the rest of the week before this all starts?” I asked her.

“I dunno”, she says. “It’s lonely at home, but I got so much done in such a short amount of time. I can’t really complain”! She leans back in the chair, then jumps up and says, “where’s that ice cream place we ordered from the other night”?

“Red Hook, why?” I asked.

“Because I was going to take the train there on the way home but that’s too far”, she says as she lays back in the chair.

“You’re not taking the train home”, I yelled at her, making her jump. I had to take a deep breath. “Amory, just stay here, it’s fine”!

“Shouldn’t you ask your mother first?”, she asks.

“Oh, it’s fine”, she says from behind her, again startling Amory.

“Umm, okay! But I should at least run home and get my clothes”, she says.

“Yes, Jonny will take you”, my mother offers. Amory tries to shake off her shock.

“Umm, yeah sure. Let’s go Jonny”, she says, suddenly rising from the chair. I got up and followed her to my car and opened the door for her. We drive in silence to her building and when we get there she directs me into the garage. I pull up to her spot where nothing but the smallest pink motorcycle I’ve ever seen leans against the wall.

“What’s that?” I asked her, causing her to blush.

“It’s my motorcycle”, she says quietly.

“Wow, you were fucking serious”, I said to her in shock. She opens her wallet to show me her motorcycle and driver’s license. “But it’s so small”, I tell her.

She laughs, “it was custom built for me, obviously”!

We got out of the car and rode the elevator to the third floor. Her apartment is spotless, as in, you can eat off the floor clean! I take a seat in her living room and she continues to the bedroom. “You sure you’re okay with me invading your space for almost a week”?

“Completely, mi Amor”, (my love) I told her. “Or I could just stay here with you, this place is nice”!

“You’ll grow sick of it”, she laughs. I doubt that. What’s not to like about a super clean and private apartment?!

I watch as she takes a duffle bag from her hall closet and walks back into her bedroom. She left the door open. I got up and walked to the bedroom, and stood in the doorway. “Need help”?

She nearly jumps out of her skin, “Jonny, shit”! After she takes a few deep breaths she says, “I’m good, thanks”!

I gave her room a look over from the doorway. Completely not what you’d expect an eighteen-year-old’s room to look like. Hers is so mature despite the pink finishings with her massive queen-sized bed, I just want to throw myself on top of it.

I watch as she counts out seven bras and panties sets, seven socks, seven outfits, three bathing suits, sleepwear, a pair of sneakers, sandals, and heels. I step into the room and take the duffle bag from her and load her clothes into it as she throws other stuff into her purse like body splash, her toothbrush, toothpaste, and basically anything else she’d need from the bathroom. She also hands me a fluffy pink towel to toss into her bag, completely okay that I just had her underwear in my hands. “Thanks”, she says when I zip it shut.

“Ready to spend the week with the Knight's?” I asked her.

She laughs and says, “lead the way”!

I walked back through the apartment and out the door. She locks it behind us, and we ride the elevator down to the lower garage. I dropped her bag in the backseat before opening the front door for her to get in. She does, and I take her to the ice cream place before we head to my mother’s. She again gets that gross unicorn crap!

“Wanna swim?” I asked her after I brought her bag to the bedroom.

“You already brought my stuff up, and I don’t feel like walking up there to get it”, she says.

“Just swim in your underwear”, I tell her as I strip down to my boxer briefs and she grows red in the face. “So shy, mi Amor. It can’t be that bad, most girls’ swimsuits are more revealing than their underwear are, at least Emilia’s are” (my love)!

“I just don’t think your mother would appreciate that with all her boys around”, she says.

“Right! Because that white thing you wore over the weekend left anything to the imagination”, I told her.

“Alright!”, she challenges as she stands and starts to unbutton the buttons of the dress she’s wearing from the top. The dark blue bra she has on is somewhat lacy but not see-through, yet I still feel like I’m watching the most erotic strip tease of my life! When she has undone all of the buttons, she lets the denim fabric of her dress fall to the floor. She had on matching low-cut boy short panties. She turns around then bends to pick up the discarded dress, and I die and go to heaven as her juicy butt cheeks that peek out the bottom clap together on her way back up! She tosses the dress onto the lawn chair, then pulls the hair band from her bun out and shakes her head, sending her long pink locks swaying around her body before she tosses it aside too. I’ve never been so thankful to be in the water because I’m rock hard despite the coolness engulfing me right now!

“Still want me in the water?” I don’t even know how to respond. She giggles and rolls her eyes at me before she leaps into the pool!

“ Ella es tan jodidamente sexy si no tocas a ese Johnny, voy a”, (She’s so fucking sexy if you don’t tap that Jonny, I’m gonna) Liam says.

“Ella es mi jefe Liam, manos fuera”, (She’s my boss Liam, hands off) I bark at him.

He laughs, “eres mi hermano, nunca lo haría Jonny, pero sé que ella es mucho más para ti que solo tu jefe. Mejor reclamar eso antes de que alguien más lo haga, porque ¡maldita sea!” (You’re my brother, I’d never Jonny, but I know she’s so much more to you than just your boss. Better claim that before someone else does, because damn)!

If I wasn’t still stiff between the legs, I’d jump out of this pool and smack him. Amory swims up behind me as I’m leaning on the edge of the pool. “Wanna finish twenty questions with me tonight”?

“How about we watch a movie?” I suggested.

“Board game? Got any?”, she says.

“Strip poker, interested?” I told her with a laugh.

“Considering I only have two pieces of clothes left on and you only have one, it wouldn’t last long”, she says with a laugh of her own.

We swim around until it’s dark, and when we head to bed she takes the tee she wore the other night and slides it back on with her pink satin shorts. “Why’d I take you home if you’re going to wear my clothes anyway?” I ask her.

“I didn’t intend to, it’s just comfy. Do you mind?”, she says.

“Not at all, I was kidding, mi Amor”, (my love) I tell her as I sit on the bed and turn on the tv. I’m flicking through N*****x when she plops down onto the bed.

“What does that mean?”, she says to me, and I look at her confused. “What you call me, what does that mean”?

“I didn’t realize I called you something. What did I say?” I asked her.

“Umm, it sounds almost like my name, mi Am-o. I dunno”, she says.

I stop and think about it and realize what I’ve been calling her, “mi Amor” (my love)?

“Yeah, mi amor. What’s that mean?”, (my love) she asks me.

“Uh… My love”, I tell her honestly and she blushes slightly.

“Oh! Okay then, what are we watching?”, she says as her face is as red as a cherry when she turns back to the television.

I put on some kiddy movie, something about a bridge to some imaginary world called Terabithia. The girl ends up dying in the end and Amory has tears streaming down her face. She’s so emotional over a movie!

I don’t even hide the fact that I’m staying in the bed with her tonight, and she doesn’t even seem to mind as she makes herself comfortable. Before I know it, she’s asleep on her side facing me. Her head resting on my bicep, her arm resting over my waist, and her one leg is tucked between the two of mine. “What are you doing Jonny?”, says Emilia.

“Nada, she fell asleep. I don’t want to wake her”, (nothing) I told my sister.

“She’s your boss Jonny”, she reminds me, like I could forget that this beautiful eighteen-year-old in my arms is responsible for cutting my checks each week!

“I’m going to have to watch her at night. I might as well get used to it”, I tell her as I scroll through my phone over her sleeping head.

Emilia steps into the room and picks up the ring dangling from Amory’s neck. “Well, that’s worth a pretty penny”, she says.

“What makes you say that?” I asked her.

She takes my phone from my hand and snaps a picture, then G****e searches for the image. “Because according to this, she has a custom half a million dollar engagement ring around her neck”!

I took my phone back and examined the image online to the one hanging from Amory’s chain. According to the website, only four were ever produced; one went to a buyer in England, another in Egypt, a third to California, and the last to New York. It’s a platinum band and a five-carat hand-cut heart-shaped pink diamond!

Emilia shakes her head with shock and leaves the room. I lay there feeling worthless! This girl walked away from a relationship with someone who clearly had a lot more to offer her than I ever will. How can I expect to keep her attention?!