Smoothing her hair back off her face, I placed a tiny kiss on her forehead and smiled. "Concubine sounds so much better. It's got a much older, more impressive sound to it, don't you think?"
Maddie looked up at me with a pleading expression in her eyes. "Why won't you take this seriously?"
"Because it's not serious. Why do we have to explain what you are to me or what I am to you? We've been crazy about either other since about twenty seconds after you walked into my office, so who the fuck cares what my gardener thinks your job is? You make me happy, and I think I make you happy, don't I?"
"Yes," she answered sheepishly.
"Then who cares what anyone thinks? Don't spend another minute trying to figure out what this is between us. Just enjoy it. I know I've never been this happy with anyone, Maddie. Are you happy?"
"I am, but I worry that it's too good to be true, so I keep trying to find some way to explain it."
Shaking my head at her stubbornness, I leaned down and kissed her. "Maybe there is no explanation for it," I whispered against her lips. "Maybe it's just the way we're supposed to be. No point in questioning happiness."
She lay her head on my chest and sighed. "Okay, I'll try not to worry about things. I won't worry about whatever job I'm supposed to be doing or where I'm going to get money when this ends."
I pressed my lips to the top of her head and let myself enjoy the feel of her soft hair. In truth, I knew I should care more about the fact that she was my employee, but I didn't. Maddie had walked into my life and made things inside me come alive that I never knew existed before her. I wanted to spend every waking moment with her enjoying that feeling of being alive.
Truly alive.
And I didn't give a fuck if I had to pay that DeVille guy an entire year's salary for it. I wasn't paying for her to be here or even to have sex with her. If he broke the contract tomorrow, I wouldn't care. I'd just ask Maddie to stay with me. Not as a cook or anyone else who worked for me.
Just stay with me as my girlfriend.
"So what do you want to do tonight, man who isn't my boss?" she asked with a giggle.
As much as I wanted to take her to my bed and bury my cock inside that beautiful cunt of hers, I knew she'd just think I wanted her only for sex and that wasn't the truth. I loved fucking her, but just being around her made me happy. I wanted her to know that.
"What do you say to going out to a movie?"
I hadn't been to see a movie in nearly five years. Christ, I hadn't taken a woman to the movies since I left high school.
"A movie? What movie do you want to see?"
With no clue what movies were even playing, I drew a blank. "The new Star Wars movie?" I suggested, sure I'd heard some people at the restaurant talking about some new movie in that famous series.
Maddie raised her eyebrows and stared up at me with a look of surprise in her eyes. "You like Star Wars?"
"Sure. Doesn’t everyone?"
"I have a better idea. Why don't we have a drink and relax right here at the house? We can even watch TV, if you want," she said with a smile.
"Great idea! I'll pour the drinks and you pick something to watch."
Taking my hand, she tugged me toward the hallway. She looked back at me and smiled. "Good plan. I'll have whatever you're drinking, unless it's tequila, which means I'll have red wine."
"I'd planned on having a bourbon."
"Good. Make it two and I'll find us something interested to watch."
* * *
Maddie sat curled up nextto me on the couch in my living room, and I wrapped my arm around her, squeezing her to my body as we finished watching some movie about robots or space aliens. I stopped paying attention about ten minutes into it when she leaned her head on my shoulder and sighed contentedly. From that moment on, I couldn't think of anything but how genuinely happy I was just sitting there with her watching some stupid movie.
I looked down at her head resting on my shoulder and saw her eyelids flutter closed. She looked so sweet and so innocent lying there. No matter how much I wanted to take her into my arms and carry her to my bed for another marathon round of incredible sex, I couldn't disturb her looking so angelic at that moment.
As the credits rolled on the screen, my phone began to ring. Hoping it wouldn't wake Maddie, I reached over her to hurriedly grab it off the end table.
I didn't recognize the number, but since I'd made all that effort, I answered it anyway. "Hello?"