The Agreement
1016 Words
(Slade’s POV)
Aspen didn’t answer right away.
She stood in the doorway, still half inside the house, half outside, like she was waiting for someone to drag her back to reality. Her eyes were wide. Her hands twisted together. A soft flush lingered across her cheeks, probably from staring at my abs when I opened the door.
I tried not to think about that part.
Hell, I tried not to think about her at all.
But I did notice the way she looked at me. Quiet. Surprised. Curious. And something in me reacted in a way I didn’t like. Attraction sparked low in my chest before I could stop it. I forced myself to look away, to focus on anything else.
She was just a girl interviewing for a job.
That was it.
I repeated it again, silently. Just a girl.
“Do you want the job or not?” I asked. My voice came out sharper than I meant.
Aspen swallowed hard. Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag.
“Yes,” she said. “I want the job.”
Relief punched through me so fast I almost stepped back. I didn’t understand the reaction. I didn’t like it either. I shouldn’t care whether she said yes or no. I could have hired someone else. Someone with experience. Someone who didn’t make my chest tighten when she looked at me.
But knowing she wasn’t walking away again made something inside me settle.
Aspen let out a shaky breath. “What… um… what exactly is expected of me? I’m a quick learner. I promise. I’ll work hard.”
I studied her for a moment.
She was nervous. Vulnerable. She wanted to impress me so badly it almost hurt to watch. Every part of her posture said she was waiting for me to tell her she wasn’t enough.
I hated that.
I pulled my phone out. “I’m sending you a list. My house manager, Mrs. Bigley, will coordinate with you. My manager, Mark, will also work with you. Your job is simple. Make my life easier.”
She blinked. “Easier how?”
“Keep my schedule up to date. Handle errands. Make sure everything I need is handled before I ask for it. Dry cleaning. Packages. Arrangements. Travel. And I mean everything.” I paused. “You will be available to me twenty-four seven. But you’ll be paid overtime.”
Her lips parted slightly. She looked overwhelmed already.
“And because of that,” I added, “you will be living in the guest house.”
Aspen froze. Her eyes widened. Panic flickered across her features.
“Excuse me?” she whispered.
“It’s part of the job,” I said. “This position requires you to live on the premises.”
She shook her head quickly. “I… sir… I can’t live here. I can be here in thirty minutes if you need me.”
“No,” I said immediately.
Her brows drew together. “Why not?”
Because I knew where she lived. Because the image of her walking into that shelter was still burned in my mind. Because the idea of her staying there made something inside me twist so violently that the word no shot out of me before I could soften it.
She didn’t need to know any of that.
“You have to live here,” I said. “It’s a requirement.”
“Sir, could you please make an exception? Please.” Her voice cracked at the end.
The sound hit harder than expected.
“Why?” I demanded.
Her shoulders curled in slightly. Her fingers fidgeted again. “I have two little sisters. They live with me. They… they need me. I can’t just leave them.”
I stared at her.
“That’s it?” I asked. “That’s your reason?”
“I can’t abandon them,” she whispered.
I exhaled slowly. “They can move in too.”
Aspen’s head snapped up. Shock flooded her expression. “Move in?”
“The guest house has four bedrooms. A kitchen. Living room. Private parking. You’ll have your own space. I won’t bother you.”
“But sir, my sisters are in school and it—”
“There’s a school down the road,” I cut in. “They can go there. You said you want the job. This is part of it.”
Her lips parted. “This is too much. You don’t even know me.”
“That’s why it’s not personal,” I said. “It’s business. You need stability to work for me. This gives you that stability.”
She didn’t answer right away.
She looked down at her shoes. She looked at the floor. She looked anywhere but at me. I didn’t rush her. If she said no, I’d find someone else. But the idea of her walking back out of my house made something inside me coil tight.
Then Aspen lifted her chin.
“Yes,” she said softly. “I accept.”
A strange warmth moved through me. Not happiness. Not exactly. More like ease. Like an invisible weight I didn’t realize I had been carrying shifted off my chest.
“Good,” I said. “Go to the kitchen. Mrs. Bigley will show you the guest house and help you get settled.”
She nodded quickly and stepped around me, her shoulder brushing mine lightly. The brief contact shot heat up my arm. I ignored it. I had to.
As she walked toward the kitchen, I watched her—small steps, nervous posture, determination etched into every line of her face. She was too thin. Too tired. Too alone.
And yet, she hadn’t broken.
Not once.
When she disappeared down the hallway, I let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding. The faintest smirk tugged at my mouth.
It surprised me.
I hadn’t smiled— actually smiled— in years. Not for a real reason.
Was it helping someone? Or was it Aspen?
I didn’t think I wanted to know the answer.
- Writer
