Fifty Shades of Him (h.s. au)

IV

"Reagan Albright," I whisper to Christina, the secretary at H Publishing. I'm scared out of mind for what is in store for me.

"Here you are," she hands me the key and I walk towards the elevator, pressing the top floor.

Going up is horrifying. I've tried to think of reasons to postpone this, but I can't. My mind is blank.

The elevator rings and I walk out, my sandals coming in contact with the floor. He's sitting at his desk, reading something and not even acknowledging me.

"Why does Devin leave Cassandra?" he asks, my manuscript held in his hand. What?

"He felt as if Cassandra was too good for him, and he wanted her to be fulfilled with love. He couldn't give her that," I respond quickly, knowing that manuscript like the back of my hand.

"Fulfillment isn't the key element in a relationship," he says, my head shaking.

"Says the man who doesn't date," I comment, hiding my face as I look at my fingers. He clicks his pen and continues searching the article, his eyes captivated by the literature.

"Your point being?"

"A man who doesn't date doesn't know fulfillment. I wasn't fulfilled in mine, so I broke it off and left town. When you're betrayed in a relationship, you feel as though your fulfillment will never arrive. Mine hasn't and I'm scared that I never will have a fulfilling relationship. Do you have any idea what it is like to feel completely involved with someone that you feel fulfilled, only to have that person take away the most important thing anyone could have?"

He looks at me and sets the paper down, running a hand through his hair. "I can't say I have. Because I never involve myself with anyone for very long."

"And what do you do?"

He sighs and presses his palms together, resting his forehead on his thumbs.

"Contracts. I have had times where I have needed time to resolve my needs and those woman sign contracts."

"You need woman to sign contracts to go on dates with you?" I ask, misunderstanding his thoughts.

"They are not dates."

"Then what is it? There isn't much you can do."

My hands set my bag down and he stands, walking to stand in front of me.

"You see, I'm not the most open person in the world. So getting involved with woman is a difficult term for me. I only have a single night with a woman. One to satisfy my needs."

My eyes fall from his as I process the information. Is he... a fan of dominance?

"You have sex with them?" I ask, his head nodding.

"It's not often. There aren't many women who accept my way of going about things."

Curiosity is eating me alive. He is clearly intent on my processing and I look up at him, trying to decipher his way of doing things.

"What happens if they figure out who you are?"

"That's what the contract is for. I'm not completely settled by these nights, affection a weakness. There is a reason I kept you away from my room," he says, my hands grabbing my jacket.

"Why?" I ask, his hands removing his suit coat.

"No woman has ever entered my bedroom. It's my room and I don't want to do my needs in my room," he says, reaching for my hand. His personality is strayed. I don't know which one I'm getting.