✔️ The Arrangement (A Kinky Romance) [1st Draft]

The Law

It seemed that once that first truly intimate act had been done, Selene had discovered something about herself that she didn't know.

She could be with a man without feeling horrid afterward.

Nick had broken through that barrier. While they still weren't having sex yet, Nick was seeing to it that she felt beautiful and cherished. He sent her flowers at work, left her little notecards to remind her he thought of her around the penthouse. He took her out to dinner and a club where they could hang out with Rachel and a few others in a private VIP room. He took her shopping, taught her how to drive, and paid for her room to be redecorated.

He finally convinced her to accept a cell phone, putting it on his account with a Samsung,. Then, he bought her a laptop and a tablet to take with her to work for breaks or downtime. Of course, he had to teach her how to use them, since she'd rarely had the opportunity up to this point. With her struggles, technology hadn't been high on her priorities, so this was largely new for her. Fortunately, she caught on fairly quickly.

Of course, she had all the bells and whistles with subscriptions to virtually everything. He cracked up when she began browsing Amazon and was shocked at everything they sold. He had plugged his card numbers into her devices so she could buy whatever she wanted, though she still wasn't going crazy. Mostly, she bought books. When she began to stack them up next to her bed, he had bookshelves installed in her room.

"Paul, I think I'm in trouble," Nick told him one night while Selene was in the back. "I think about her all the time. I can't wait to see her at the end of the day. I can't sleep if she's not in bed with me. I see something cool and I want to show it to her."

Paul chuckled and nodded slowly. "I knew this was coming. Nick, my friend, you are in love. Congratulations."

"Fuck, Paul. What am I going to do," Nick asked worriedly.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm too old for her. She'd never want to attach herself to me," he grumbled. "I want her to be happy, but I want her to be happy with me."

Paul sighed and eyed Nick, who was seemingly clueless. "You two talk about almost everything, right?" When Nick nodded, he continued. "So talk to her. Tell her."

"I don't want her to feel pressured, Paul."

"Pressured how?"

"That she would need to... I mean...she might feel obligated to..."

Paul's brows shot up. "You two haven't had sex yet?"

"Geezus, Paul," Nick hissed, glancing toward the employee door.

"Sorry. Seriously, though," Paul said in a lower tone. "You haven't?"

Nick shook his head. "I've been avoiding it. I want to make sure she's completely comfortable and ready to take that step."

"Nick, you've got to tell her. That you respect her too much to jump into it tells me you're in deep. You've been good for her. She's happier and she looks healthier. Tell her you love her," he insisted. "You might be surprised."

"What if she says no?"

Paul leaned inward and looked Nick dead in the eyes. "What if she says yes? Fuck, Nicholas, you aren't asking her to marry you.

Nick mulled it over a few days, trying to decide if he was ready to risk the friendship for something potentially far deeper. His biggest fear was causing her pain, making her afraid of him, or causing her to put a wall up between them. Losing her in any way, he was quickly realizing, was absolutely terrifying. It caused him some restless nights, just watching her sleep as he held her against him.