“We insist,” Leandro said as he came around behind her and handed her a glass of wine.
She smiled, then took her seat.
“We were hoping to go over the new contract before dinner is served,” I said as I sat to Jourdanne’s left.
She gave a nod as she swallowed a gulp of wine. Her nervousness was cute.
Leandro joined us with the contract in hand. He sat to Jourdanne’s right, then slid the paper in front of her. “Take your time. We want you to be comfortable with everything included.”
Jourdanne set her glass down and pulled the contract in front of her. I had already read over it carefully to be sure nothing would scare her off. Finding a sugar baby wasn’t hard, not in the city. But finding one as down-to-earth and kind as Jourdanne was nearly impossible. If she disagreed or backed out, I’d have to call it all off. Then Leandro and I would be back to arguing about where our relationship stood.
Aside from the normal legal jargon, which included who Jourdanne could speak to about the arrangement, the papers pretty much described her duties with me and Leandro. It included all acts of intimacy—just to appease Leandro—and the trip abroad. I wasn’t sure what that would entail, but the contract made it clear that anything could happen.
Jourdanne flipped to the last page, and after she got to the bottom, she looked up at me. She drew a delicate grin, then her eyes trailed to Leandro. Her lips parted, but before she could utter a word, the dinner bell rang.
“I guess we can sign after.” Leandro took the papers from Jourdanne and set them on the chair at his side. She was left with her hands open in front of her and her eyes wide in surprise. I got the impression she thought Leandro was only concerned with the signing, and that him stopping her was strange.
The chef’s crew brought in the salad plates and a basket of rolls. We began to eat, but Jourdanne had barely touched her food.
“Is there anything about the contract you don’t like?” I asked her.
“Um…” she said, then shook her head with a smile.
“If we’re to be in an agreement for the next three months, we have to be honest with each other.”
“Yes, Matt is right. If you have concerns, now’s the time to say so.” Leandro stabbed at a tomato, then brought it to his mouth.
“Well.” Jourdanne set her fork down and put her hands in her lap. “Am I here for both of you?”
Her eyes danced around the table until they landed on mine. I know I wasn’t comforting to her in that moment. I stared back blank-faced without a single idea of how to respond. It was certainly a possibility. Leandro had left that part open.
“Would it bother you?” Leandro asked. He took another bite, and the pop of the grape tomato in his mouth was about the loudest thing in the room.
Jourdanne, to my surprise, lifted her brow with a tsk. “Uh, no. Not really.” She had a brightness to her tone then and it gave me chills. She was so accepting and kind. “I just want to be clear about what you expect.”
I couldn’t help but to reach over and touch her arm. “I think we both just want a bit of fun and happiness in our lives.”
Jourdanne smiled big, and then she picked up her fork and continued eating.
Dinner was served shortly after, and we all had another drink. Once the plates were cleared, Leandro set the contract back on the table.
“I drove by the inn the other morning on my way downtown.” Leandro flipped the contract open to the last page.
“You did?” Jourdanne and I said at the same time.
“It’s a shame to see that old café burn down. I loved their turnovers.”
“Yes, my friend makes them from scratch.”
“Well, I’d love to meet her someday,” Leandro replied as he clicked the pen in his hand and signed his name. He turned the contract around to me and set the pen on the paper. As I signed, he entertained Jourdanne. He took her hand in his and said, “The inn looks a little rough as of late.”
“Yeah. My dad needs to repair the roof before we can book more guests.”
Leandro glanced over to me as I finished signing. He guided the paper in front of Jourdanne as he set her hand down. I passed him the pen as he reached for it and watched as he slowly handed it off to her.
“You can get that roof fixed in no time now.” Leandro tilted his head as Jourdanne responded with a nod. “I’ll wire you the first payment tonight.”
“Tonight?”
“Of course.” Leandro grinned. It was a devilish grin to say the least. He had something up his sleeve yet.
Jourdanne leaned over the paper and signed her name. It was a lovely signature full of swirls and perfectly placed letters. Then she put the pen down and set her hands in her lap.