Theodore didn’t know what to say. He didn’t expect her to agree so quickly, but he was glad that she did. “I am happy to hear that,” he said with a small smile. “I hope we can get along well.” Abigail nodded with a nervous gulp. “Of course. But as I said, I have terms.” “Name them.” This seemed fair enough in his mind. He knew this was a hard decision for her to make, and he still wanted to do it for her own protection and benefit. So, a few terms on her side wouldn’t be too bad. It is, after all, her body. “First of all, you cannot touch me. That still stands,” she said and he simply nodded. This was expected. “Second term—I will only dance for you when the house is empty. No one can be here.” “Okay.” He nodded again. Angela wasn’t here most nights. So it won’t be a problem. “Once I am Kitten, I am no longer Abigail. So we do not speak as friends,” she added and oddly the thought was erotic to Theodore. He liked that she separated her real self from her professional self. It was almost sexy to think about this ‘Kitten’ she spoke of. Theodore suddenly wanted to meet this side of her too, but the last thing he wanted to do now, is make her think he is sexually attracted to her. She obviously doesn’t take these things lightly. “I can do that,” he agreed after a while of thinking. Abigail smiled, feeling pleased that he was so compliant. “And finally, you cannot try to engage me in anything but an erotic dance. If you feel…stimulated during or after a dance, then you will have to deal with it yourself.” Theodore liked the way how her cheeks burnt at this. He was bold and plain, but she was obviously reserved and shy. He liked it. Indeed, a stripper wouldn’t necessarily be associated with these traits. Was this ‘Kitten’ an opposite version of Abigail? He couldn’t wait to find out. “Abigail…” he trailed with a small smile as he inched closer to her, even though she shuffled away on the couch. “I am a man of my word. And I am giving you my word right now that I will never do anything to or with you without having you confirm at least three times in a sober mind. I am an honorable man.” “I know,” she replied quickly. She didn’t want to offend him, but she also knew that she needed to let him know the truth of her terms. “But I still had to say it. We’re humans, after all.” Theodore knew what she meant by that just by the way she kept her eyes down-casted. Any given day, things could get out of proportion. They can share a moment and things go crazy, or he could be having a bad day and try to find comfort in her, even though he would still never go against his word. She would have to agree first. She was smart to consider this all, Theodore thought. She was aware that they both are adults, and sometimes adult lives, adult feelings and adult thoughts may lead to adult moments. However, since they are on her terms, IF that day should come, because it seems highly impossible, he would not touch her as Kitten, but as Abigail. “Do you have any questions?” she finally added after an extended moment of silence. “Yes, I do actually,” he said. “How long do you wish for this contract to be eligible?” “Contract?” she asked with furrowed brows. Theodore nodded once. “Of course. We agreed to work together. We are affiliates now as long as money, time and an agreement is present. But of course, if you are not okay with-“ “No it’s okay,” she cut him off by saying. “I agree a hundred percent. It can be valid for six months.” “Six months,” Theodore repeated with an agreeable nod. At least he was open minded. She had to be grateful. “Great. That is all from me.” Abigail felt satisfied that she laid her terms straight, but was nervous to hear his. “What are your terms?” He smirked playfully at her before leaning back in his chair. This action gave Abigail a preview of how he will look when watching her as she strips for him. The thought made her gulp. “Eight p.m. on the three nights you usually work, for one hour. That is all from me.” Abigail thought she wasn’t hearing right. Did he just say that is all? “Are you sure?” “Very much sure.” He nodded. Abigail didn’t know that he was only doing this for her only that she would be safer and benefit more. Little did she know that he would have agreed with anything she said. Besides, a little entertainment instead of being alone here at night didn’t sound bad. What more could he ask of her? He appreciated the smile that pulled on her pink lips, and she seemed even more at ease. “Very well.” “Then it’s settled,” he announced as he rose to his feet. “I’ll have someone draw up the contract, and I’ll contact you when it’s ready.” “Okay.” She nodded and stood also. This went easier than she thought. He pushed out his hand for her to shake before he remembered that she wouldn’t take it. As he retreated his hand, he froze when he felt cold, soft fingers on his. His eyes widened as he met her eyes. She seemed like she was fighting back a scream and her eyebrows were pulled completely together. She didn’t like it, yet she did it. “Abigail…” “Thank you for accepting my terms.” As quick as she took his hand, it was gone, and the emptiness immediately addressed Theodore. Her hand was so delicate. He could imagine having her fingers all over his body, but refused to have those thoughts simply because he didn’t know if he would be able to recover. She is surely a prized piece. Definitely rare. “Of course.” He tried to hide his disappointment that her hand was no longer on his, but he saw that something else was bothering her too. “Abigail? What is it?” he asked as he retook his seat. She followed his movements as she met his eyes again. He tried not to get lost in them and focus on what she was saying. “You will probably think I’m stupid for saying this, but six months is a lot of time. I agreed to be friends with you, and now I’m agreeing to be your dancer. But we cannot…” “Cannot?” he urged, wanting to see where she was going with this. “I have seen far too many movies and read too many stories that begin like this. I do not wish to mix fiction with real life, but we cannot get attached to each other, Theodore. Well, I cannot.” It was his time to be confused. “First of all, that is not a stupid thing to say. As you said earlier, we are humans. But do not worry, Abigail. I have no intention to fall in love.” “Good. Because neither do I.” It felt good to get it off her chest. Abigail had to admit it to herself that Theodore was a good man. He is obviously caring and honorable, and it was easy to fall under his charm. It scared her because when he stretched his hand to shake hers, she only took it because she was curious of how his touch felt. Why did it scare her? Because after all these months, this was the only time she has ever been curious to feel a man’s touch. Even with her skin burning, a tiny sliver of herself reached out to appreciate how warm his hand felt. It was going too fast too soon, and Abigail was sure she had no intention of becoming attached to him; she didn’t even necessarily mean romantically. “If it makes you feel any better, I have a girlfriend,” he said, which had her head snapping up to look at him. She was not expecting this after he dismissed her thoughts about Angela. “You do?” He nodded as if it was nothing. “Yes.” Abigail couldn’t process. “Won’t she have a problem with our agreement?” “Why would she?” he asked, and Abigail saw that his confusion wasn’t fake. Does he even know what a girlfriend is? “Because…” “Look, Abigail. As I said, I have no intention of being in love. What we have is just a formal agreement of companionship. She is barely even here anyway.” Abigail didn’t want to meddle or sound inquisitive, but she was curious about how their relationship works. “So why do you call her your girlfriend if you’re not romantically together?” “I have known her a long time and if or when the time comes to get married, she would be a great fit.” If or when? Abigail could barely understand him, yet contradictory, she did. “Does she know that it isn’t serious or real? Pardon my rudeness.” “Of course,” he said with a casual dismissive wave. “We want the same things.” Abigail nodded but said nothing more. Just like before, she stayed out of rich people’s business. If that’s how they run their relationships, then it’s their lives, not hers. Besides, she wasn’t a romantic either. Abigail didn’t even see herself getting married someday. Any day at that. So in her mind, Theodore’s situation was far more realistic and normal than hers. “Well, thank you for telling me,” she told him truthfully. She respected him even more for his honesty. A lot of people wouldn’t have done that. Silence sat between them for a while again until Abigail’s stomach began to rumble. It ripped through the silence like the thunder outside, and she couldn’t help but laugh at her own embarrassment. “Come on. I’ll take you to brunch,” Theodore offered, and Abigail’s eyes widened in horror. “In the rain?” “I promise I won’t let you get wet this time,” he teased as he stood again. “Just let me get changed.” Abigail nodded but said nothing as he disappeared up the staircase. Well, it was official. Within a week she’ll sign a contract and be bound by it as Theodore’s stripper for six months. She knew that she was going in blind, but hopefully, it won’t be too much of a rollercoaster ride.