Typhon

Chapter 10

Rylee~

My pride was going to get me in trouble tonight, but it was like I couldn't help myself. After what this man had tried to do to Arlene, I loathed the idea of losing to him. Still, did I loathe him enough to sign my life away to Stone Lexington?

I was thinking that I did.

While the entire ordeal had been born out of wanting to humiliate Arlene, I had to agree with Laney to some degree; Arlene had not looked humiliated at all.

Now, while I hadn't ever entertained the idea of sleeping with two men, I couldn't deny how it looked as if the men had put in the effort to pleasure Arlene and not the other way around. Then, when Stone had whispered in my ear that I didn't need to worry because he didn't share...well, that had been something else altogether. The possessiveness in his voice had turned me on a little.

Of course, with the rule that forbade relationships between sponsors and their supporters, it didn't matter how possessive that he'd sounded or how turned on I might have been. Nothing could happen between me and Stone if I signed this contract.

Plus, while I didn't need this organization to achieve my dream, there was something in the way that Kincaid had signed her contract-without even reading it-that gave me pause. She was obviously going to put her trust in Saxton Voss, and I supposed that's all it really came down to.

Could I trust Stone Lexington?

The understandable answer was no. After all, the guy had threatened me and my family to get me here. Plus, I'd had only one interaction with him, and aside from the instant attraction, his good looks, and hard body, the guy had threatened my family to get me here. Also, there was no way that I'd sign a contract without reading it first, even if Kincaid didn't seem overly concerned with it.

Nonetheless, I knew that I needed to hurry up and make a decision, but how could I say yes? This entire thing was beyond bizarre, and I still felt like I was missing something important. So, making up my mind to be more diligent than the rest, I said, "I need to read the contract first."

Alexander smirked. "Do you really think we have time for you to take it to your family lawyer, so that he can go over the logistics with you?" He leaned in closer, that condescending look still on his face. "That NDA you signed and the contracts both insist on absolute discretion, Ms. Madden. You cannot speak about The Order with anyone outside this room."

"I realize that," I snapped, hating how I was allowing him to push my buttons. "However, I am not signing it until I've skimmed through the major applications at least."

He held my gaze for a few more tense seconds before finally looking over at Stone. "State your intentions."

"Hera," he replied, and surprise shook the entire room.

Now, while I wasn't sure what Hera meant, Alexander was obviously surprised, and that was enough to make me come onboard; anything to put the smug asshole in his place. However, foreboding tingles didn't dance down my spine until I glanced over at the others, and the girls looked confused, the guys looked surprised, and Kincaid looked shocked.

"Hera?" Alexander echoed, asking for confirmation.

"Hera," Stone repeated. "Now hand her the damn contract, so that she can read it."

While it was obvious that Alexander George was a man that didn't like to be questioned or challenged, he still did as Stone had demanded after rifling through the files first.

Silently, I grabbed the papers that Alexander handed me, then started skimming through them. The first page was basically a repeat of the NDA that we had signed earlier, so there wasn't much there. It rambled on about confidentiality, loyalty, and the effects thereof. If the guys had their own contracts to sign, I imagined that the first page was probably the same.