The Agreement (An Indecent Proposal) by J. C. Reed, Jackie Steele Page B

whispered. “You can leave now.”
    “Laurie?” He hesitated, looking
for words, and then his cell phone rang. Chase pulled it out of his pocket and
peered at the caller ID, his frown instantly deepening. For a second, he just
stared at it with the kind of mistrust reserved for an attacking cobra. The
ringing stopped, only to resume again. And still he seemed to harbor no
intentions of wanting to answer.
    “You should take it,” I said
nonchalantly. “It might be important, you know.” Like a secret girlfriend , I added mentally, realizing just
how bitter I sounded. He could have as many dates as
he wanted. It was none of my concern. For all I cared, he could date Jude.
Actually, that one might hurt like hell, but there was nothing I could do about
it.
    At least I hadn’t slept with him.
It would just have been a mistake; it would have left my heart scarred.
    The phone kept ringing.
    “It’s not important,” Chase said,
still staring at the screen.
    “How do you know? It might be.” Why
the heck did I keep insisting? Because I wanted a sign—any
sign—that would shatter my stupid hopes. The kind of hopes I should never
have allowed myself to have . When did that even happen?
    Chase hesitated. I knew he had made a decision when his
shoulders slumped and he lifted the phone to his ear, pressing the green button
in the process. He didn’t say a word, just listened to the other end of the
line. The words were too muffled to understand, but I
could tell from Chase’s angry expression that he didn’t like whatever was being
said. And then he muttered, “Okay. Got it,” and hung up.
    That was it?
    I frowned. Chase was a
professional actor. I could only guess that whoever had been on the other end
of the line had some sort of authority, like his agent or manager. Was it
possible that his agent had found out Chase was going to get married and told
him it was a bad move that could possible destroy his career?
    Possible. I wouldn’t have been
surprised if that was the problem.
    Regarding him, I bit my lip again
so I wouldn’t ask the countless questions burning
on my lips. Chase’s eyes refocused on me, his blue gaze as deep as an ocean on a winter’s night, and just as troubled.
    “You should have asked me about
the dress,” he began. “I would have come with you to help you choose it.”
    Huh?
    I blinked in disbelief, unsure if
I should be frank or play confused. I decided directness was the better way to
get answers.
    “Is that why you’re so angry? That
you didn’t get your say in the matter?” I raised my brows. Was he turning out
to be a controlling nutcase? Did he have a problem with a woman taking charge
of a situation?
    “No. That’s not it.” He shook his
head slowly, his eyes still ablaze with a spark of irritation I couldn’t place.
Whatever battle he was fighting, he obviously preferred to keep it to himself.
    “What’s going on?” I threw my
hands up in exasperation. “Please help me understand, because I’m losing my
wits with you.”
    Finally his expression relaxed and
he leaned back against the cushions.
    “Look.” He drew a sharp breath and
looked up. “I just wanted to surprise you with a dress, because I thought you
would forget.”
    “Oh.”
    Had I been misinterpreting his
behavior?
    “But it’s okay. You’ve obviously
made up your mind, so…” He shrugged, and a hint of a smile appeared on his
lips, veiling whatever was going on inside him. “Anyway, I’ve instructed a
friend of mine to get the necessary paperwork done by the weekend. If you don’t
mind.” He raised a brow. And just like, that his mood lifted.
    I swallowed hard as my heartbeat
picked up in speed. He had what?
    No going back.
    Did I even want to go back? My mind was spinning, frozen from the hundreds of
swirling thoughts racing through it, but even worse was my heart and its
hopeful fluttering.
    “Are you sure?” I asked, plopping
down next to him, unable to stop the renewed hope rising