My 3 Contract Lovers

[8]

[Dante]

I watched her carefully and even though I had a feeling she would sign the contract, I felt protective of her. I wasn’t sure why and it didn’t make any sense. A consort was chosen with only one purpose. To quench my thirst. That was it, but right now, that was not the case with Bianca. I wanted to protect her. I wanted to offer her the world, but most importantly, I wanted to take care of her.

“Before you say anything else, we should discuss the rest of the contract,” I said as I turned away and called out for Mr. Baker to rejoin us. The man was flustered and clearly, he wasn’t impressed with me taking over this meeting. However, I had never been a fan of the older man and it didn’t help that he would manipulate the consorts.

“Right, where are we?” he asked as he sat down behind his desk.

“I think you should make a few changes to the contract,” I stated calmly. Mr. Baker eyed me closely for a moment before he simply nodded and got to work. “The contract should clearly state that I will provide an apartment in the city of Ethine for Bianca. It should also state that I will pay all of the expenses for the duration of the contract,” he wasn’t surprised. This sort of thing happened and while he got to work, I turned my attention back to Bianca. I had to admit, she looked even more radiant than she had the night of the ball. The white dress with the floral red print made my imagination run wild. I hadn’t felt much attraction to anyone lately and I was trying to control my s****l urges. Bianca was to be my blood source, that was it. Nothing more, nothing less. I knew that could change, it had in the past, but I had a feeling she was pure and I wouldn’t do anything to change that.

“Am I…is there…I mean…shit,” she was utterly adorable when she was unsure of how to voice her thoughts and once again I reached out and took her hand in mine. I was trying to show her comfort so that she could feel at ease. However, I was feeling rather smug at her response. Of course, she didn’t say anything, but I could hear her heart rate pick up. I could hear how she panted for breath and I noticed the small bead of sweat that ran down from her temple. Not only that, her arousal was pungent and made my mouth water.

“Bianca,” I said slowly and she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath before looking at me.

“Am I required to be on a diet?” her question wasn’t at all unusual but she clearly felt uncomfortable with this process.

“I have to be honest,” I said softly and her eyes went wide as I leaned in close as though I was about to share a secret. “I have a guilty pleasure for ice cream,” she froze, and then finally she smiled. A true, genuine smile that made my dead heart jump. “As for your diet, I would need to taste first…” my voice trailed off as my gaze zoom in on her neck. Her pulse jumped and I swore she was as excited as I was. “But,” I leaned back and let go of her hand. “So long as you don’t eat too many fatty foods, we should be good,”

“I don’t, not really, more like I eat what we can afford,” she muttered and I flinched at that. Society really was a b***h, but I would take care of her. I would make sure she wouldn’t be hungry ever again.

“Right, I think that’s it,” Mr. Baker said as he looked up from his computer. “Anything else you want me to add?”

“Bianca?” I asked, but she quickly shook her head. Mr. Baker excused himself as he left the office to fetch the new printed contract. “Would you like to accompany me for lunch?” I then questioned and suddenly, the whole atmosphere changed as she tensed up. I frowned as I studied her closely.

“Um…I have…I mean, I have to stay here…” she avoided eye contact as she spoke and as much as I knew I shouldn’t pry into her personal business, I was curious as to why she had to stay here.

“Why?” I asked simply.

“Um…I have…shit,” she turned to me and although she was facing me, she still avoided looking me in my eyes. “So, I have two other meetings,”

“I beg your pardon?” I was now officially confused.

“I have…Dante…shit, may I call you that? Or Lord Hudson?”

“Dante is fine. What is this about, Bianca?” what could she possibly mean she had two other meetings. Had other immortals chosen her? That thought made me angry, so I turned away from her and stared ahead. Not that there was anything to look at, I just needed a moment to collect myself.

“I have to meet with two other immortals,” she then whispered, and I closed my eyes. However, suddenly, I realized that just because she had other offers didn’t mean she would accept them. Would she? I opened my eyes and glanced at her. She looked upset, nervous, and…scared?

“Will you accept?” I didn’t have a right to ask. It wasn’t any of my business. I had consorts before who had signed with more than one immortal. This wasn’t unusual. Granted, it didn’t happen often, but I realized that I was simply jealous. I didn’t want to share Bianca and yet, I was faced with the very real possibility that I may have to. “Don’t answer that,” I snapped as I pushed myself out of the chair.

“Dante…” I could hear the desperation in her voice and I remained still as I waited for her to explain. I may not have the ability to read her thoughts, but I could tell that she was trying to sort them out in her head. “My mother…we aren’t…we don’t really have…Dante, my mother is bedridden with cancer and we don’t have the money for treatment. She has the basics but not much else,” I sighed softly as I gazed down at her and I was stunned to see her looking up at me. Her face was pleading and how could I refuse her? I understood that the money was why many consorts agreed to this, I shouldn’t have been surprised that Bianca was after the money. I wanted to help her mother, but, at this point in time, I felt hurt. I had no right to, but I did.

“I understand,” I then said, just as Mr. Baker returned with the contract. I was ready to sign it so that I could leave. I didn’t want to make a fool of myself.

“Right, so…Lord Hudson, please could you sign,” he said as he slid the contract forward and placed a black ballpoint pen on top of it. I set the pen aside and scanned through the contract. Deeming everything in order, I went about signing it. I was done within a minute and while I wasn’t required to stick around, I did so to be polite. Bianca took her time reading through everything before she signed it and Mr. Baker beamed once we were done. “Excellent,” he looked pointedly at Bianca before he continued. “You are now officially available to Lord Hudson and he will contact you about any further arrangements,” he then looked over at me and smiled. “You know the rules and regulations, Lord Hudson, if there should be any problems, please do not hesitate to contact me,”

“Thank you,” I said to him before I turned to Bianca, who had stood up. “I’ll be in touch,” I said to her before I left the office. I spotted a few immortals waiting in the reception area and I wondered which one would see Bianca next. However, I decided that it was best for me to leave and not think about it. All I could do now was make sure that Bianca and her mother were comfortable. I headed out of the building and Frederick nodded as he opened the car door for me. I slipped inside and growled out in frustration. I wasn’t sure what it was about Bianca that made me feel so possessive of her, but I had to get over it and quickly.

“Where to, Mine Lord?” Frederick questioned as he turned to look at me over his shoulder. “Home?”

“No, take me to the nearest real estate, I have arrangements to set up,” I ordered. He nodded and the car slowly moved forward and out of the parking space. I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes. Bianca’s image came to mind, and I found myself smiling. She was so expressive and shy. I was curious about her past as well as the situation with her mother. I made several mental notes of things I wanted to do, and things I wanted to find out. I also ignored that tiny inner voice advising me not to get close. This was a contract, nothing more. Frederick parked the car and before he could come around to open my door, I pushed it open and climbed out. I looked up and read the sign: Ethine Property Group. I headed inside and I was pleasantly surprised to find it rather homey. Clearly, the business had done some interior upgrading since my last visit a few years ago.

“Welcome to…holy…Lord Hudson,” the lovely lady behind the desk shot out of her seat and stumbled slightly as she moved to stand in front of me. “Welcome Lord Hudson,” she then said, and I inclined my head in greeting.

“Amanda, what time is my next appointment?” a gentleman asked as he came out of one of the offices. He looked up to see me standing there and he smiled. “Lord Hudson, it is good to see you again,”

“Indeed,” I agreed and he chuckled.

“Immortals always bring in the best business this time of year. What can I do for you?”

“I’m looking for an apartment, preferably two bedrooms,” I said, and he nodded thoughtfully.

“Well, I have…um, let me see,” he headed over to a table that stood against the glass window and thumbed through a file. “I have a penthouse…and three others that I could show you,”

“Which one is closest to the hospital?” I asked. The gentleman, nodded before he took out two of the advertisements.

“I’ve got two,” he said as he looked at me. “Do you have some time now?”

“I do,” I said before I turned around and walked out. I waited for him to come out and he indicated that I follow him. I hated doing things like this and normally I would leave it up to Frederick, but I wanted to be the one who chose the apartment. For Bianca. Of course, I already knew that he would take us to the most expensive apartment first and I wasn’t at all surprised to find that it was the penthouse apartment. He led me through the place, and it was spacious and I could see Bianca living here. Of course, I would have to furnish it, but that was no bother.

“What do you think?” he asked as we stood in the kitchen.

“It will do,” I said with a nod.

“Great, I’ll get Amanda on the paperwork,”

“Is it possible to have the home furnished?” I then asked curiously as I looked around the open-plan kitchen, dining room, and living room.

“It is, but I’ll get Susan to contact you about that,”

“Perfect,” I would have to do some digging before I spoke to Susan but I had a feeling I wouldn’t have any trouble finding out what Bianca liked and didn’t like. I smiled as I relaxed. Everything would be perfect. It had to be.