The Negotiation Read online

  “But you’re closed today.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I still have some work to do. Just like you do. You know the work never stops when you’re your own boss.”

  “True.” He smiled.

  He went back upstairs and I cleaned up the kitchen before I headed up, changed and attempted to get the hell out. I hurried and threw on my jeans and a crème-colored sweater. I didn’t care that I still had on last night’s makeup and my hair was a mess.

  “I’m leaving,” I shouted so he could hear me from the shower.

  “Can you wait until I’m finished?” he shouted back.

  “No. I just want to do what I have to do and get home,” I lied.

  “Okay. I’ll be in touch.”

  “Yeah. Okay.” I rolled my eyes as I grabbed my purse and my bag and headed towards the elevator.

  Chapter 36

  Jackson

  She really made me angry that she couldn’t even wait until I got out of the shower. She was mad. I could tell. Even though she said she understood, I knew she didn’t. She was different last night. But it wasn’t only last night. It had been over the course of a couple of weeks. Between her acting strange and the debacle with my parents, I just needed some time to myself. I wasn’t lying about the presentation tomorrow, and I did have some work to do. Work that could have been done in the morning, but I—I didn’t know. I just wanted to be by myself.

  As I was sitting at my desk, enjoying the peace and quiet, my phone rang and Jules was calling.

  “Hello,” I answered.

  “Hey, Jackson. Are you and Emily home?”

  “No. I’m not seeing Emily today and I’m at the office.”

  “Oh. I just got off my shift and I was going to stop by for a visit.”

  “My office is closer to the hospital. Come by here.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t want to interrupt your work.”

  “You wouldn’t be interrupting. I’ll see you when you get here. Did you eat?” I asked.

  “Not yet.”

  “I’ll place a carry-out order from that Thai place next door. You want the usual?”

  “Yeah, and order a spring roll.”

  “Alright. I’ll see you soon.”

  I placed the order for delivery and turned back to my computer to plug in the final numbers for tomorrow.

  “Knock knock.” Jules lightly tapped on the doorframe before stepping into my office.

  “Come on in.” I smiled.

  She sank into the chair across my desk and let out a big yawn.

  “Tough night?”

  “Car accidents galore. Two overdoses. A gunshot victim. A wife who had been stabbed by her psycho husband and, are you ready for this one?”

  I chuckled. “Do I want to know?”

  “A guy was rushed in because he broke his penis during a threesome with two women he had just met.”

  “Lucky guy with the women. Sucks he broke his penis.” I laughed.

  “So yeah. Tough night.”

  The delivery boy stood in the doorway holding the plastic bag with our food in it.

  “I’m sorry. Did you say some guy broke his penis?” he nervously asked as he stepped inside.

  “Yes.” Jules turned around. “During a threesome.”

  “Wow. I didn’t know that was possible.”

  “It is. I see it more times than I want to.” Jules smiled. “So, let this be a lesson to you. Have sex with only one woman at a time and if you’re going to be rough, do it cautiously.”

  I laughed as I reached into my pocket and handed him some cash.

  “Thanks. I will. Especially now. Umm. Have a good day.”

  I took the food over to the table and Jules followed.

  “I thought you and Emily were doing something today?”

  “I had to cancel. I had some work to do,” I spoke as I took the containers from the bag.

  “Hmm. What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Nothing is wrong.”

  “Bullshit, Jackson. You’re my twin. When something’s bothering you, it bothers me. What’s going on?”

  There wasn’t one single thing I could hide from my sister, and sometimes it drove me crazy. She knew just by the slightest change in my facial expression or the subtle change in my voice, something wasn’t right.

  “I think Emily is changing her views on relationships.”

  “What do you mean?” She frowned.

  “She’s been acting strange the past couple of weeks and, last night, we were at a wedding. She kept saying things like how beautiful the bride was and how happy the couple seemed. Then she said that maybe they found true love and they’d make it.”

  “And why is that such a bad thing?”

  “Because it’s not who she is. It’s like all of a sudden she jumped on the relationship train and is all for them. It bothers me.”

  “Why? Are you scared she’s going to want more from you than what your contract states?” Her brow arched.

  “I don’t know. I hope not. I’m still the same person I always have been and I still have the same beliefs.”

  “I changed my beliefs and I think you might too.”

  “You’re wrong.”

  “Am I, Jackson?”

  “Yes, Jules. You are. I’m not in love with her if that’s what you’re hinting at. Sure, I love to spend time with her. We have fun together, and the sex is out of this world. But that’s as far as it goes. I like things with Emily just the way they are or were.”

  “But you just said she’s changing and it’s bothering you.”

  “It is bothering me because I just feel like she’s not the same woman I entered into the contract with.”

  “Fuck the contract. Emily is the same person. She had an epiphany, Jackson. She now has a father that she never knew about and she’s starting to question everything because what she was taught and told was by a woman with a broken heart. I have never seen you as happy as you are when you’re with her.”

  “Yeah, I’m happy because I know there won’t be any bullshit, pressure, or commitment. We had a deal.”

  “Well, your deal sucks ass and you need to take a step back and reevaluate your life. I did. Why do you think I said yes to Carter’s proposal? Do you know how scared I was when he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him? Any normal girl would have been giddy with excitement, but not me. I was shaking with fear. All I saw was a future of everything that could go wrong, instead of seeing the beauty of what he’s already brought into my life. We can’t live in fear of the future.”

  “And that makes me happy for you, Jules. But I’m not changing my mind and no one can make me. I stand by how I feel and that’s one commitment I’m not about to break.”

  She took in a long, deep breath. “Then prepare yourself, Jackson, because the road to hell is always paved with good intentions. Thanks for lunch. I need to go home and get some sleep.”

  ****

  Emily

  I stepped inside the shop and locked the door behind me. Turning on the lights, I stood and stared at everything I had accomplished. I stared at the dream that I’d always wanted. Walking over to the espresso bar, I made myself an espresso and leaned over the cosmic gray granite countertop and thought about Jackson. It saddened me. He saddened me with the way he abruptly canceled our time together today. I knew he felt I was more than just a companion. I could feel it in his kiss, his touch, and the way he made love to me. Maybe if I just stuck to our negotiation, he’d eventually see that I was more than a girl who agreed to a relationship contract. Did I regret doing it? Not at all. At that time, it was the perfect thing for me; a time when I held the same beliefs as he until my world fell off its axis and changed everything. But his world was still the same, or maybe even worse since the announcement came forth about his parents reconciling. Now he truly believed that relationships were as fucked up as they could get and I didn’t blame him. I was thinking too much about him, just like my mother probably did with my father. Hence the
reason we had frequent conversations about independence and having control over our own emotional state. But she had years of practice for that. This was something new to me and I was still learning how to deal with it.

  Chapter 37

  Emily

  Two Weeks Later

  As I was changing the clothes on one of the mannequins, Evelyn walked into the shop with a wide grin across her face.

  “Good morning, my beautiful friend.” She kissed my cheek.

  “Good morning.” I smiled. “Who put some happy pills in your coffee this morning?”

  “I’m just high on life.” She twirled around.

  “Okay. What’s going on?”

  “Dylan and I are moving in together!” she screeched.

  “That’s wonderful. Your place or his?”

  “Actually, both of our leases are up, so we’re going apartment hunting today.”

  “You two should look at my building.”

  “I already thought about that, but there aren’t any two-bedrooms available right now.” She pouted.

  “You’ll find something. I’m so happy for you.” I gave her a hug.

  “How are things with Jackson?” she asked.

  “Things are good.” I smiled.

  “And you’re happy?”

  “I am. After doing some thinking and self-reflecting, I realized that my life is almost perfect. I have this amazing business that is doing so well, I have great friends, and I have Jackson. What more could a girl ask for? Why try to fix what isn’t broken? Right?”

  “Right.” She narrowed her eye at me. “Listen, I just dropped by to tell you the news. I have to go. I’m supposed to meet Carter in fifteen minutes. I’ll call you later.”

  “Have fun apartment hunting.”

  “Thanks.” She turned and smiled as she walked out of the shop.

  The truth was that I wasn’t about to risk my relationship with Jackson because I wanted more from him. Everything in my life was going so well and there was no need to compromise it. Since I stopped dropping subtle hints, Jackson seemed back to his old self. The past two weeks had been wonderful and I wanted to keep it that way.

  Just as I was getting ready to leave the shop to go home and change for dinner, Jackson’s mother walked in.

  “Hello, Emily.”

  “Hi, Gwen.” I smiled. “Welcome to my shop.”

  “It’s very cute. I will admit I have never been in here.”

  “That’s fine. This store isn’t for everyone. What brings you by?”

  “I was hoping to have a little chat with you.”

  “Sure. Would you like a cup of coffee?” I asked as I led her over to the espresso bar.

  “That would nice. Thank you.”

  “Jen, two coffees, please.”

  “Coming right up, Emily.”

  “Please, have a seat.” I waved my hand to the small round table. “What did you want to chat about?”

  “My son.”

  “Oh,” I spoke with surprise.

  “I would like you to do me a favor and please try to talk some sense into him.”

  “About?”

  “His father and me. His sister can’t seem to do it, and since the two of you are close and have this weird relationship, I figured I’d come to you.”

  “I don’t know, Gwen. It’s none of my business.”

  “But it is, Emily. As long as this is affecting him, it’s affecting you.” She reached across the table and placed her hand on mine. “Please. I know it’s asking a lot, but we want our son back. His father and I have found our way back to each other and we want our family to be whole again.”

  Wow. She really knew how to pull at the heartstrings. There was no way Jackson was going to listen to me, but for Gwen’s sake, it was worth a shot.

  “We’re having dinner tonight. I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Thank you.” She gave my hand a squeeze.

  ****

  After Jackson and I had a wonderful dinner at Daniel, we headed back to my place for the night since the last two nights were spent at his. As we walked through the door, I took off my heels and carried them to the bedroom while Jackson followed behind and took off his suitcoat.

  “Have you by any chance talked to your mom?” I asked.

  “No. Why?”

  “Just wondering if you maybe settled things with them yet.”

  “If I had, I would have told you.”

  I walked into the bathroom and grabbed a washcloth and poured some makeup remover on it.

  “Why are you bringing up my parents?”

  “Your mom came into the shop today. She asked how you were doing.”

  “Did she come in to shop or specifically to see you?”

  “To see me.”

  “Interesting.” He walked into the bathroom.

  “She asked me to talk to you since we have this weird relationship thing going on.”

  “Did she say ‘weird’?” He stood there with his arms folded as I finished taking off my makeup.

  “Yes.” I smiled at him through the mirror.

  “Well, I’m just going to stop you right there.” His tone was harsh. “I’m not interested in hearing what you have to say because, frankly, Emily, it’s none of your business and my mother should not have come to you.”

  I was in the middle of rinsing my face and I froze over the sink. Anger and hurt crept up inside me at hearing those words come from his mouth. I grabbed a towel and dried my face.

  “Why do you have to be so rude?” The words just fell out of my mouth.

  “How am I being rude?” he asked as I walked past him.

  “Telling me that it’s none of my business. This whole thing with your parents is affecting you, which in turn affects me.”

  “Why the hell would it affect you? It has nothing to do with you. How I feel about the situation is nobody’s business but my own.”

  I turned and looked at him as an expression of shock stumbled across my face.

  “Who are you and what have you done with Jackson?” I cocked my head.

  “I’m here. This is me.” He held out his hands and spoke with a cocky attitude.

  A showdown was emerging and I knew it wasn’t going to end pretty. I refused to let him get away with speaking to me that way.

  “You know what, Jackson?” I walked over to him and pushed my finger into his chest. “You have everything you want out of life. You have two parents who love you, a successful business, more money than you know what to do with, and this fucked up relationship thing we’re in. You have it all and you take so much for granted that it makes me sick! You’re so consumed about how you feel that you don’t give a damn to stop and think about other people’s feelings.”

  He inhaled a sharp breath as his nostrils flared. I had just pushed his anger level to the limit and he was about to explode.

  “You want to know why I’m so worried about my feelings?” he shouted so loud that the tone of his voice made me flinch. “Because I’m the only fucking person who does! Did my parents ever once stop to think about my and Jules’ feelings growing up? Did they ever once ask how we were or how we felt? NO! They just hopped from one relationship to another without giving a damn about our feelings, and now they think they can just get back together after all these years and undo the damage? And another thing.” He pointed his finger at me. “You agreed to this fucked-up relationship thing! It’s what we both negotiated and wanted, not just me, but you too. And now all of a sudden, it’s fucked up in your eyes? Why is that, Emily?” he shouted.

  He knew. He knew and he wanted to hear me say it. I stood there, shaking in my skin, scared to death of the next words that would come from my mouth. The words that could potentially end our relationship. The more he yelled, the more I was losing control over my emotional state.

  “Answer my question!” he yelled.

  I lunged at him and placed my hands on his chest, pushing him back.

  “You want to know why? Because I fuc
king fell in love with you! I’ve been in love with you and I want more. I don’t want a damn contract. I just want you.” Tears filled my eyes.

  He stood there, tall and in complete control as he stared at me for a moment. A moment in which I was sure that he was going to tell me that he loved me too.

  “You weren’t supposed to fall in love, Emily. You broke rule number nine,” he spoke in a calm tone. “And you know what that means.”

  “Are you serious?” I narrowed my teary eyes at him. “You can just walk away after everything we’ve been through and done together?”

  “I can and I will. We had an agreement and this just complicates things now.”

  “Complicates things? How? You don’t feel anything for me?”

  “I love you as a friend and nothing more. We had a good thing, and if you only would have stuck to the rules, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.”

  He stabbed me in the heart and twisted the knife slowly, causing an unbearable pain that almost sent me to my knees.

  “I’m sorry things had to end this way,” he spoke in a serious tone.

  I couldn’t even look at him because if I did, I would go for his throat. I was that unstable at the moment.

  “Get out,” I whispered in a low voice.

  He grabbed his suitcoat from the chair in my bedroom, and as he walked out, he spoke, “You shouldn’t have broken the rules.”

  Chapter 38

  Jackson

  I swallowed hard as I left her apartment and shut the door behind me. She’d get over it. She’d get over me in time. This was what was best for the both of us. The hurt now would be much easier to deal with than down the road.

  I walked a few blocks, pushing all thoughts of her out of my head. The pain on her face, the hurt in her eyes, and the sadness that overtook her. Walking into a dive bar, I took a seat on the stool and ordered a double scotch. I threw it back and ordered two more doubles, with the hope that the alcohol would make the pain stop. I cared for her. I really did. More than I wanted to admit. I told Samuel that I could walk away and, being a man of my word, I did. She left me with no choice.

  I stumbled out of the elevator and tripped up the stairs as I made my way to the bedroom. Taking off my suitcoat, I threw it on the floor before falling onto the bed. The alcohol I had consumed won and put me into a sound sleep, something I needed to forget about her and what happened tonight.