CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Your sister is sick?” Nathan said quietly.
Kerry nodded. She didn't know what made her blurt out the truth to Nathan. She just felt like she could tell him anything. He would never hurt her, she was sure of that. And he wouldn't judge her. She wasn't afraid of letting him see her for who she really was.
She wasn't just a cold, pretty Gem that he had won at the auction. She was Kerry Scott, a harried waitress and protective big sister who was at her wits' end.
“Yes,” Kerry answered. “There's a new medicine that can cure her. But this new treatment is very costly. I need the money to pay for her treatment.”
Nathan nodded. “How much do you need?”
“Each dose of the drug costs ten thousand dollars. Tia needs at least ten doses. So...” She gave a lopsided smile. “Thanks to you, Tia can start her treatment right away.”
“Where is Tia now?”
“She's at home.”
“Alone?”
“No. Simone is with her. Simone's my colleague and a good friend.”
Nathan studied her for a moment and gestured between them. “Does Tia know...”
“No!” Kerry shook her head quickly. “Tia doesn't know about the auction. She...she thinks I'm on a date tonight. Simone backed me up. She told Tia that she set me up on a blind date with one of her guy friends, and Tia was happy for me to go. She's been bugging me to get out more and not hover around her so much.”
After a beat, Nathan swung his legs over the side of the bed and tugged her up. “Come on.”
“W-where are we going?” Kerry asked.
“I'll drive you home. Your sister will be worried if you stayed out all night.”
“I...it's okay.” Kerry swallowed and stammered, “Y-you paid for the whole night, Nathan. One hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money. I...I can't just leave...the contract states that...”
“I know what the contract says. And it says you will make yourself available for the pleasure of the client for the whole night. I have taken my pleasure, Kerry. And it was the most incredible experience of my life. I am driving you home now.”
Kerry bit her lip and said, “I can't.”
“Why not?”
“I don't have anything to wear.”
Nathan stared at the shredded fabric on the floor and smirked. “Well, you can wear my jacket.”
When she gasped, he chuckled and said, “I'm kidding. I'll call one of my staff to bring some clothes here.”
“Your staff? It's past midnight now...”
“Chase Security is open round the clock. We work in shifts. It's no problem at all.” He winked at her and picked up his mobile phone. By the time she scrambled to his side, he had already sent a message.
“Suzie will be here in about half an hour,” Nathan told her. He went to his drawer and fished out one of his t-shirts. Pulling it over her head, he guided her arms through the sleeves and smiled. “You look adorable.”
She blushed when he kissed her lightly on the cheek. She was wearing his t-shirt like a dress, but she felt snug and safe to be wrapped up in his scent.
“Let's get you something to eat,” he said, after throwing on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.
“You...you don't have to feed me,” Kerry said sheepishly. She should be catering to his needs, letting him use her body for his pleasure the whole night. Instead, he was treating her like a princess. He pleasured her out of her mind, and now he was going to feed her and clothe her.
Not that she was complaining, but…
“Nathan, I can't let you do this.” Kerry took a deep breath and plowed on before she lost her nerve. “The contract says...”
“—that the client can release you at any time. I know very well what the contract says. You are to do what the client wants. Right now, I want you to eat with me.”