“I’ve reviewed the contract you sent me, and I only have one thing to ask,” I say.

“Go ahead.” Heath sits back in his chair, looking stately and confident. He knows he’s won.

But it’s okay. I’ve thought this through.

After talking about it with Jane that first night after Heath gave me the offer, the challenge for the rest of the week was to come up with a decision. I went back and forth, but in the end I decided to go for it.

Jane’s right. It’s not like I’ll be exploited. Heath needs me as much as I need him, so we’re helping each other. What’s wrong with that?

This is a one-way ticket to success, which is what I’ve always wanted.

I feel like the experience would bring me closer to my mom, whom I’ve never met. Maybe if I have my own baby and then give it away, I’ll finally understand why she did it.

And… I don’t hold out much hope that this will happen… but I wish my dad would come out of hiding and reach out to me if I’m successful.

I’m concerned about my obvious attraction to Heath.

Obviously, it would be easier to keep things professional if I didn’t soak my panties as soon as he speaks to me in that low, sexy voice. But at the same time, I wouldn’t have even considered accepting this offer if Heath weren’t so irresistibly gorgeous.

Now there’s only one thing to straighten out.

“This is going to be confidential, right? Nobody’s ever going to find out.”

Heath bursts out laughing. “Kitten, that’s the last thing I expected to hear from you, but I’m glad that’s what you’re concerned about.” Heath gives me a reassuring smile. “Believe me, I don’t want anyone to find out about this arrangement either. I think we can both agree that I have more to lose in that scenario than you do.”

He’s right.

I’m a nobody—at least for now. People don’t care about me. They don’t want to read about me in their favorite gossip blogs.

But Heath… Even him going out to buy coffee is newsworthy, judging by the paparazzi who wait just outside the building for Heath to appear every morning.

“So this is never going to get out?” I ask again.

“If you don’t say anything, nobody’s going to find out. Only you know about it, and my lawyer who’s drafted this agreement.” Heath stares at me with his sharp, blue eyes. “Have you told anyone about our arrangement?”

I squirm. I didn’t expect my question to backfire. “I told my roommate, but she won’t tell anyone.”

“That’s what they always say,” Heath says dismissively. “Just so we’re both clear on what to expect, I’ll deny any involvement with you publicly if word ever gets out about this.” He points at me, and then at himself. “I’m sure you understand why, and I recommend that you do the same if the media ever goes after you for confirmation about our association. To everyone else, I’m just your boss and you’re just my personal assistant.”

“I know,” I say curtly. It’s kind of offensive, what he’s saying. He’s implying that I’ll blab to the media about this.

“If you ever mention my name and say that we’re more than that, the deal is off. Even years from now, I’ll come after you with my lawyer if you ever decide to write an exposé about it or something,” he says.

“I don’t even write non-fiction,” I snap.

“Maybe you’ll reconsider. Maybe you’ll think it’s a good way to market your work.” Heath shrugs. “But hey, no need to get defensive. I’m not accusing you of anything. I’m just going through what’s going to happen under certain circumstances. That’s what this contract is about, remember?”

“Yes.” I nod. I should leave my emotions out of this. This is strictly business, I remind myself.

“Good,” Heath says in the kind of voice that sends a thrill straight to my core. He speaks with absolute certainty. “Here’s what’s going to happen. You will report to work in the morning as usual, but you’ll be working inside my office. And as we’ve already discussed, it’ll be a different kind of work.” His smile is calm, but his hungry gaze leaves no doubt as to what he means.

As I nod, I concentrate on ignoring his hot stare and his filthy words. I hate how easily I blush. In a situation like this where I need to put forward a strong front, it’s a big handicap that I need to contain.

“Once you get pregnant, you’ll move into my apartment,” Heath continues. “You’ll go to the doctors’ appointments that will be scheduled for you, and you’ll eat whatever my personal chef cooks for you. I want to make sure you’ll give birth to a healthy baby.”

I listen to Heath’s words, but I already know these things from the contract he sent me. We’re just going through things we already know now.

But I like how thorough he is. It makes me feel like we can actually pull this off. Yes, this may be a crazy plan. But if we cover all the bases, it could work.

“When the baby is born, you’ll continue to live with me to breastfeed the baby. Once he or she is weaned, you’ll go back to your old life—or an improved version of your old life, I should say.” Heath pauses to let his words sink in.

“You’ll have a new job as a romance author, and you’ll be free to plan your days,” he says. “You won’t have to wake up in the morning and get stuck in an office, doing things you don’t care about for eight hours. You can fill your days with activities you enjoy doing.

“Hell, you can just stop working altogether and retire on the money I’ll give you. You can do that if you invest that money well and live simply.

“You know what? That’s probably a good thing to do, no matter what you decide to do. I’ll introduce you to a great financial planner. He’ll help you get things sorted out.”

“Thank you,” I simply say.

I acknowledge his thoughtfulness, but I don’t mistake it for kindness.

I’ve worked with Heath long enough to know that he often throws in some unexpected bonuses at the end of negotiations, just to seal the deal. That wasn’t a spontaneous offer.

The strategy works well, although I’ve always thought Heath’s clients were suckers for buying this cheap move.

But now, as I sit on the other side of the negotiation table from Heath, I recognize how sincere he comes across. He puts so much thought into every little thing that it feels personal.

Even though he can be ruthless toward certain big corporations, Heath is a courteous, reliable business partner who keeps his side of the bargain.

I know I’m in good hands. And I know he’s going to be a great dad, if he approaches fatherhood like he approaches his business.

“I believe that’s everything,” Heath says with a small smile as he slides a copy of the contract across his desk.

“Yes.”

I take the contract and flip through it. Everything seems familiar because I’ve done nothing over the past few days but read every clause, over and over again. I don’t know if I was looking for an excuse to bail or to go all in.

But right now, I’ve made my decision. I take the fountain pen Heath’s offering and sign my name on the dotted line.

There. It’s done.

I’m really doing this.