"I'm a bit early," Hayley said. Her fingers tightened around the straps of her gym bag as she tried to quell her nervousness. She had no reason to be nervous, she reminded herself. She lived here now. Unless he changed his mind after seeing her in the light of day and realized she was completely out of place among the jade vases and rooftop swimming pools. "But the driver arrived earlier than I expected, and I didn't want him to wait."

"That's his job," Gabriel said. "Well, part of his job." He nodded at her bag. "Did you bring a dress?"

"Yeah. Do you want to see it?" She lifted the bag slightly.

"I'm sure it's fine." He sauntered to her right and picked up a towel from a low wooden table. Rubbing it over his hair, he went on, "But I think we should get you something new for tonight. We'll go out for lunch, then pick up a few things you'll need for the next few days."

"Oh. But..." She looked down at her bag. "I brought everything I need for the weekend. There's really no need to buy anything." She tried not to stare at his chest as he ran his towel down his dripping wet body.

"Buying you clothes is all part of the charade, Hayley. We'll be back here at five, and leave for the party at seven. Is that enough time for you to get ready?" He slung the towel over one broad shoulder.

"Sure."

He looked at her feet. "Remove your shoes."

"Excuse me?" She looked down at her sneakers, then back up at him.

"We take our shoes off when we're inside. Come on." He led her indoors. "You need help with that bag?"

"No, I'm fine."

Once through the doors, they paused long enough for Hayley to take off her sneakers. She followed him through the living room, shoes in one hand and bag in the other. He'd slipped into a pair of bedroom slippers, but he was still only wearing his bathing trunks apart from the towel on his shoulder shoulder.

They walked across the living room. "I'll give you a full tour later, but this is the dining area for company and the kitchens are down there," Gabriel said, gesturing to the other end of the room where two heavy chandeliers hung over a long table that looked like it could seat two dozen people. Against one wall was a floor-to-ceiling wine rack encased in glass. Behind it rose the staircase. "Three of the four bedrooms are up these stairs, including ours."

She froze in her tracks. "Ours?" Her voice came out in an undignified squeak.

He walked up a couple of steps before he paused and looked over his shoulder down to where she stood. "Yes. Did you think I was going to make you sleep on the couch?" She could swear there was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"But..." She shook her head. "You said no... I mean, you said we weren't going to... sleep together."

"I said no sex, Hayley. But if we're living together, we're of course sharing a room."

She stared up at him in wide-eyed horror. "You have two other rooms—"

"Three."

"Okay, three other rooms. Can't I stay in one of them? No one has to know."

He looked at her for a long moment without saying a word. Finally, he turned away and said, "Fine. But your things will be in my room." He continued up the stairs.

She followed, walking quickly to catch up. Her heart was pounding. She couldn't believe he actually meant for her to sleep in the same room as him. In the same bed! Was this a mistake? When she agreed to the job, she didn't expect to have to live with him. Now it turned out he had intended for her to share his bed as well.

One million dollars.

What an idiot she was. A naive, stupid idiot. No man would offer to pay a woman a million dollars just to smile prettily at him at parties and hold his hand for three months. Of course he expected more than that from her. Much, much more.

She could quit. She could go home right now and figure out some other way for her and Jenna to afford to move to a place that wasn't clear across the state, hours away from their jobs and Jenna's ageing parents. She hadn't yet spent the hundred grand he'd given her. She could easily give it all back.

But for some reason she didn't say anything, just followed Gabriel to one of the bedrooms, shoes and bags in hand. The doors were wide open. "My room," he said, walking in as if he expected her to follow. She did, her gaze immediately darting around the enormous master bedroom. She took in the crisp, masculine lines of the decor, the immaculate beige walls and ceiling, the open glass doors that led out to the balcony that offered another amazing view of the city below.

Thank God I don't have to sleep in here.

It was ridiculous. The room was bigger than the whole apartment she shared with Jenna. Hayley would probably get lost on her way to the bathroom.

"Do I really have to leave my things here?" she said. "I mean, it's not like anyone will check your closets for proof I'm..." She swallowed. "... I'm sleeping with you."

"You would think that," he said. He opened a door and gestured her to follow.

"Another living room?" she said, eyeing the couch and chairs. On the wall was a flatscreen television, beside gleaming mahogany shelves that were bare except for two or three small figurines and a fat, ornate copper vase.

"This is the closet. The shelves on that side are mine." He pointed to where men's clothes were hung on racks and folded pristinely in cupboards. "Yours are over there."

She looked. There was no way she had enough clothes to fit those shelves. There was even a five-foot tall shoe rack in the middle of the room that could probably fit two dozen pairs of shoes. "I don't think I need all this closet space."

Turning, she saw him looking at her with an odd expression. "What?" she demanded.

The corner of his mouth quirked. "Nothing." He nodded to the shelves. "They're here if you need them, nevertheless."

"Thank you." She hesitated before dropping her bag in one of the lowest shelves, and her sneakers next to it. "What if I need something and you're... in here?"

He shrugged. "Then you come in here and get it."

"Maybe I should just—"

"No."

There was no changing his mind about the arrangement. She sighed. "Fine. Where do I sleep?"

He showed her to one of the rooms across the upstairs living area. It was beige and white, and although it was half the size of his room it was still bigger than her own room back in her apartment. "Don't leave any of your things about," he said. "You're only here to sleep." At her frown, he held up a hand. "I don't want the housekeeper finding out you're not sleeping in my bed."

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

"Can I put a few things in the bathroom, at least?"

"No need. You'll be using the one in my room."

"What?"

"Don't worry, I promise not to stare at you in the bath." He turned to leave. "Make yourself at home. I'll be in the shower."

After he was gone, Hayley stood there for a long moment. Of course sharing a bathroom with him was unacceptable. And unnecessary, especially since this apartment probably had half a dozen other bathrooms, including the one en suite to this room. She should have told him no. Why hadn't she?

She sat in one of the two silk-upholstered chairs by the wall. It was only then that she discovered her legs were trembling. This was all too overwhelming — the apartment, the sleeping arrangements, the fact that she would be sharing a home with a man she had met only a week ago. He could be pervert, a sex fiend for all she knew. Although except for that time he'd made her go with him out to the balcony during the party, he'd never even attempted to touch her. All their interactions had been mostly... business-like. Except...

The memory of Gabriel in a swimsuit made her bite her lower lip. That wasn't very business-like, the way he'd stood in front of her in his nearly naked glory. It was embarassing how much she was affected by the sight of his body, or even the way she went weak in the knees whenever he grinned at her. A thought caused her to sit up straight.

Was he doing that on purpose?

He'd been conveniently dressed in next to nothing when she arrived. He hadn't even bothered to throw on a shirt before showing her around the apartment.

She frowned. What was he up to? Did he lie about the no-sex clause? Was he planning to seduce her?

Her heart pounding, she got to her feet. When she reached his bedroom, she found the doors open. Gabriel was nowhere to be seen. She walked silently on bare feet to the door of the bathroom. When she pressed her ear against the door, she heard the sound of a shower running. It was her chance, now that he was in the shower. Her chance to get away.

It was cowardly not to confront him. But she couldn't predict how he would react to her telling him she wanted to quit. They were alone in the apartment. He could do anything to her, and she wouldn't be able to stop him. Not that he seemed a violent kind of man, but then most sociopaths were charming. She would leave, then transfer his money back to him as soon as she could arrange him. That way she would have no reason to feel guilty for backing out of their arrangement.

She grabbed her gym bag and her shoes. It was an excruciatingly long walk down the stairs and across the living room to the front door. By the time she got to it, her heart was pounding so loudly against her chest, she could barely hear anything else. And for a micro-second she wasn't sure what that buzzing sound was.

It was the doorbell. Gabriel didn't mention that he was expecting anyone. Maybe it was the FedEx guy or something. No matter who it was, she definitely couldn't leave without opening the door. Besides, if she didn't see who it was, Gabriel would come downstairs to do it himself. Her chance to leave would be gone.

She dropped her shoes and bag on the side of the door. Her palms were clammy, so she wiped them on her jeans. With a deep breath, she opened the door.

She didn't recognize the young woman who stood outside the door. But there was something about the curious way she looked at Hayley that was naggingly familiar.

Definitely not the FedEx guy. She looked barely anything over eighteen, and she wore an Alexander McQueen mini-dress that had just appeared on the runway in Paris Fashion Week two weeks ago. A red lambskin Lady Dior dangled from her slim fingers.

"Are you the new cleaning lady?" the she said.

"Excuse me?" Hayley said.

"Never mind." The woman exhaled impatiently. "Is Gabriel home? I'm his sister."

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Thank you for reading, loves! If you enjoyed this chapter and are excited to read more, please don't forget to vote!

Next update will be on Wednesday, March 27. If you'd like to read ahead, episodes 10 ("What She Wants") and 11 ("Lunch at Tiffany's") are available now (just type the url in your browser):

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