Chapter 7 Terms of Endearment
TERMS OF ENDEARMENT
RORY
Rhodes swept me up the massive front steps, and the wide, double doors to Barrington Manor opened, as if by magic.
But a distinguished man dressed in a tuxedo stood, waiting at the entrance. He had a hawkish nose, piercing eyes, and salt-and-pepper hair.
“Philips, have Ms. Harris’s bags unpacked in the master suite. I’m bringing her to my study. We are not to be disturbed.”
Philips bowed. “Yes, Sir.”
When he rose, he looked me in the eye and nodded. “Welcome to Barrington Manor, Ms. Harris. I am Philips, Mr. Barrington’s butler. I am here to assist you in any way I can. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“I, um… Yes! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, too!” I stuck out my hand to shake his, and he gave me a swift, almost imperceptible head shake—the universal sign for no—and I quickly dropped my hand.
Rhodes Barrington looked disgusted as he dragged me down the hall, away from the butler.
A whirl of mansion flew by. I glimpsed elegant sitting rooms, a giant library, and what looked like a ballroom with a crystal chandelier.
Rhodes hauled me inside what looked like an office.
A giant desk sat next to the window, and the walls were lined with leather-bound books.
He locked the door behind us and whirled on me. “I told you not to speak to anyone!”
“But that was your butler,” I said, defensive. “I was just saying hi.”
“You were trying to shake his hand.” He grimaced as he paced the room. “You do not shake hands with the hired help.”
“Okay,” I said, flabbergasted at his anger. “But no one saw me.”
He stopped pacing and turned to me. “You don’t know that.”
Remembering the upstairs curtain fluttering while we kissed, I shrugged. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“Your damn right it won’t.” Shaking his head, he stalked to the large desk, then pointed to an armchair opposite. “Sit.”
I meekly followed his directions. I didn’t know what to think, but I already knew one thing: I didn’t like him very much.
We also appeared to have that in common.
But as he sank down and we faced each other, I was forced to confront the full-on beauty of Rhodes Barrington.
He was an extraordinary-looking man. Handsome but rugged, with full lips, a square chin, and a prominent nose that I found bafflingly attractive.
His eyes were dark, as were the luxurious eyelashes that framed them.
His hair was also dark, a deep brown, and was thick and tousled.
His shoulders hulked beneath his tailored suit coat, expertly fitted to show off his physique.
But why did he look so mad? If I were that wealthy and good-looking, I would sure as hell be enjoying myself…
“I said, did you receive the initial deposit?” Rhodes Barrington had been talking, but I’d been too busy ogling.
“Oh—yes. Elena paid me.”
“I paid you. Elena facilitated it,” he corrected me. “And she told you about the signing bonus?”
I nodded. “Five hundred thousand dollars.”
“That’s right.” He frowned. “It’s a ridiculous sum of money, as is the total amount I’m offering to pay you.”
“Which is what?” Elena had withheld this information, but she said it was one of the more generous offers she’d seen recently.
“Five million dollars.”
“I’m sorry.” I shook my head. I must’ve misheard him. “What did you say?”
He leaned over his desk and enunciated the words slowly, as if I wasn’t capable of understanding them. Which might’ve been correct.
“Five. Million. Dollars.”
I sat up straight. “Where do I sign?”
At that, Rhodes Barrington did something completely unexpected: he laughed. “Not so fast. I need you to understand the terms, Ms. Harris.”
“You should start calling me Rory,” I said. I wasn’t going anywhere—for five million dollars, come hell or high water, I was singing that contract.
“You need to understand the contract terms, Rory. I am requiring a long-term commitment. We are to be married as soon as possible, and our marriage must last for five years.”
I gaped at him. Elena hadn’t said anything about five years.
“That’s non-negotiable, for reasons I’ll get into in a moment,” Rhodes continued. “But I need you to understand that upfront. You’re signing five years of your life away.”
“But…” I wrung my hands together. “I have a little brother and sister. I’m their guardian, for all intents and purposes. I can’t just up and leave them for that long.”
That would break them. It was exactly what my mother had already done—left them when they’d needed her most.
“They’re staying with my grandmother right now, but she’s in her seventies.” I looked at him, beseeching. “Please, I want to make this work. Isn’t there anything we can do?”
“I’m not sure.” The billionaire frowned. “Elena didn’t mention that you had dependents.”
He stared off into space for a moment. “For fuck’s sake, this is ridiculous.”
Petrified that he was going to ask me to leave, I started babbling.
“Maybe we can make it work? Like, I can go visit Josie and Bo every couple of weeks, and they can come stay here, and I don’t know, maybe with all the money you’re paying me, I can move them closer?
Like, down the road? And they can come over for dinner—”
“Stop.” He held up his hand, and I snapped my mouth shut.
Taking a deep breath, he looked at me. “I know you are a person and that you have issues of your own. Your own problems.”
I nodded.
“The thing is, I don’t care. I only care about myself and my issues and problems. Which is why I wanted to hire you—to help me with my situation. I do not care about your situation,” he said coldly.
I believed him. What a jackass.
“The exorbitant amount of money I’m offering is to help you make the arrangements necessary to perform the contract. All I’m asking is: can you commit to a five-year term? If not, this conversation is over.”
I couldn’t walk away from five million dollars. Could I? I thought of my Grammy, of the farm, of the foreclosure notice tucked under her calendar. But could I leave my baby brother and sister for five years?
“I don’t think I can do this,” I said, feeling sick.
Rhodes rose to his full height. He looked absolutely disgusted. “You’ve wasted my time, Ms. Harris. I intend to sue the agency for this. You were never a viable candidate.”
“But—”
“It’s too late to send you home. I will arrange for you to stay in the servant’s quarters tonight. Speak to no one. I’ll make arrangements for you to return to Boston first thing in the morning. And I’m getting my deposit back, dammit. Don’t spend a dime of it.”
With that, he stalked from the room, slamming the door behind him.
I just sat there, reeling. I’d made, and lost, a fortune in one day.
And I had nothing to show for it.