Not Negotiable: A Trident Security Series Novella - Book 3.5 by Samantha Cole Read Free Book Online Page A

mean, you have your business and everything.”
    He pulled out his chair and rotated it before straddling the seat. “You can do it and you will. As for my business…I’m the boss. Every once in a while, I’ll need to run out and check on things but I can do a lot of things from home with my computer and phone. That’s why I have foremen working for me.” His voice softened. “You need someone to watch over you, Shelby. And that someone is going to be me.” He smirked. “Not negotiable. I’ve even drawn up a contract between us.”
    She took the piece of paper he picked up and handed her, scanning it in shock. Holy crap, he was very, very serious.
    “I used the basic contract from the club. Essentially it says that I will be in charge of your physical, emotional, and mental well-being while you undergo your chemo. All I expect in return is your obedience, and your promise you will do everything in your power to kick this cancer’s ass. I even added a no sexual contact clause at the bottom, so you don’t have to worry about me hitting on you. Then again, that would make me an ass for propositioning a woman in your current condition.”
    Her eyes filled with tears. It’d been so long since she’d had someone to lean on. Her parents had come the last time she was ill, but they were both gone now. She cleared the lump in her throat and shook her head. “I can’t ask you to do this, Parker.”
    “I don’t recall wanting you to ask me. You need someone to care for you and I am available to do it. Now, I’ve been doing a lot of research on Non-Hodgkin’s and I have a bunch of questions for your doctor. I got his name from your prescription bottle and made an appointment for us to see him tomorrow. I see from the schedule you posted on the fridge, that your next treatment is on Monday—I’ll be taking you to that. What about your job? Can you take a leave of absence? I don’t want you working during this. Hell, I don’t even know what you do for a living. I mean…”
    He was on a roll and she had to stop him. “Parker wait…this-this is all too much. I can’t move in with you. You do realize I’ll be getting chemo for the next six weeks at least. I work in the human resources department at Tri-Labs. My boss is pissed-off enough already that I need six Mondays off in a row. I had to leave early yesterday and took off today because I was sick. I can’t take a leave of absence.”
    His eyes narrowed. “Why not? By law, they have to give it to you. If you want, I’ll have a word with your boss and tell him he can either okay the time off or get his ass kicked. And if you’re worried about finances, I can cover everything until you’re better. There’s plenty of room at my house and because I can be a bit of a slob, I have a housekeeper who comes twice a week. I’ll arrange for her to come more often. You won’t have to worry about anything but getting better.”
    Was he crazy? Was she dreaming? “Why?”
    “Why what?”
    “Why are you doing all of this?”
    Parker took her hand and brought it to his lips. “Because I’m a Dom and because I care about you. Isn’t that enough?”
    * * *
    God, he hoped it was enough. Those were exactly the reasons why he was doing this, however, the bonus kicker was he would get to know her better and vice versa. One thing was still bothering him and he had to ask her about it. “Tell me something. Why didn’t Mitch or Ian step forward to help you? I know damn well neither one of them would have left you to suffer through this alone. What did you tell them?”
    Shelby shrugged and bit her bottom lip. “I kind of downplayed it. I told them I had some personal family issues going on and needed to temporarily suspend my membership for a few weeks. They wanted to help, but I told them I’d be okay. Trust me, they tried very hard to find out what was going on, but, again, I didn’t want anyone to feel obligated to help.”
    Shaking his head, Parker growled.