“Just what in the hell is this?” Denahi raised an eyebrow as Beau dropped the stack of papers down on the table in front of him.
“Just a standard contract outlining the terms of our agreement.” Beau shrugged simply as he took a seat across from him. He spoke as if he did this every day.
“How are there that many terms? I go to your stupid parties and you pay me. Isn’t that all?”
“Not quite.”
Beau was clearly not messing around with this. He had never had a real lover before, only friends with benefits or one night stands. He had never had the desire for a true companion. When he was younger, he had worried about this. Was he broken? Was there something wrong with him that he seemed to be missing that part of a person that made them capable of feeling love? But as he grew, he had grown used to it. He had even grown to appreciate it. It made him a better business man, being emotionless. And that was how he’d become the youngest CEO of a billion dollar corporation in history.
The only desires he ever had were for sex and money and he could keep those two wishes fulfilled easily. It was his parents who had complained about him never bringing anyone home to meet them. They thought he was hiding a lover instead of merely not having one. The press was beginning to talk too, were beginning to dig a little too deep into his personal life. He knew he needed to do something to get them all off of his back. So this was the solution he’d come up with, hiring someone to pose as his significant other. It was genius, but he knew it could also go wrong quite easily. So he had spent weeks devising this contract, thinking of every possible thing his ideal lover should have.
They had to be perfect to be worthy of earning the title of his boyfriend.
Beau cleared his throat then, leaning over so he could point to certain passages of the contract while Denahi could still read them if he wished. “You can read this completely if you want but I’ll outline the most important parts for you. First section outlines the roles of me, the owner.”
“The owner?” Denahi arched an eyebrow skeptically.
“That’s what I said.” Beau nodded, simply going on as if Denahi hadn’t spoken at all. “I will provide payment to you at the end of each week for your services. You’ll receive ten thousand dollars a week unless you’d like more. We can always start small and you can work towards a raise. Is ten sufficient?”
Denahi knew he looked like an idiot with the way his jaw dropped but he couldn’t help it. Ten thousand dollars? For what, making Beau look good? He was fairly sure ten grand was more than he’d had in his entire life before now.
“Ten is fine.” Denahi tried to force his mouth closed, look like this was a common occurrence for him.
“Alright then. Moving on.” Beau wore a soft smirk, clearly realizing just how not used to this Denahi was. He found it quite endearing, getting to introduce the man to this world of luxury. Ten grand was nothing to him. “I will provide any formal attire you may need for the events I require your presence at. This won’t be docked from your weekly pay. Since we discussed your housing situation, I will provide room and board for you. I’ll pay for electricity, water, food, anything you might need. You’ll be staying here unless you want to object to that. Negotiations are allowed, of course.”
Denahi was silent as Beau spoke, merely nodding his approval.
He wasn’t a stupid man. But his intelligence was in the form of street smarts. The way Beau spoke, so rapidly and formally, it wasn’t something he was used to. He struggled to keep up, wanting to make sure he understood every word.
“Crocodile is okay with living here.” He nodded in agreement and Beau continued.
“I will be allowed to see other people, but I will not bring them over here without prior consent from you. I’m permitted to have sexual relations with these people, but I will not be seen in public with them as that could reflect badly on both of us. Do you have any objections to that?” Beau had slowed down now, noticing how Denahi seemed to be struggling. Despite seeming like a prick to most people, he did not want to make the man feel stupid. He was realizing Denahi was not used to his lifestyle at all. They were from two different worlds.
“No.” Denahi shook his head. “Go on.” He was anxious to get to his part of the deal.
“Alright then. At the end of our meeting, we can talk about anything else you expect from me. But for now, we’ll get to your responsibilities and expectations.” Beau nodded before flipping to another section of the contract. “The escort, that means you, will attend any event at which the owner requests his presence. This includes but is not limited to balls, family gatherings, press conferences, business dinners and the occasional photo shoot.”
“Photo shoots?” This time it was Denahi who wore a faintly amused smirk.
“You’d be surprised. I’ve been on the cover of magazines before, Denahi. People are interested in me and they’ll be interested in you, by association. I’ve never had a significant other that I’ve been public about before. The press will be all over it. That is why I have such high expectations for you.” Beau paused, wearing a light smile, before continuing. “The escort needs to be in shape at all times. He will need to exercise at least twice weekly, using machines to be determined and provided by the owner.” He read this line directly from the contract before his olive green eyes flickered upwards again. “You will use the gym in this house. I’ll show you that when we’re done here.” He nodded before continuing to read. “The following section is about your physical health, appearance, and wellbeing. The escort will eat three scheduled meals a day, also to be provided for him by the owner. No snacks will be allowed in order to keep up the escort’s physique. The escort will ensure that he gets at least seven hours of sleep each night to maintain his health. The escort will not smoke, drink excessively, or partake in any other illegal substances. So those cigars of yours will need to go.” Beau smirked lightly at this. “By drinking excessively, I mean you are still allowed to drink recreationally but you are not to get drunk in public. That could lead to you not having control over your actions and making us look bad. At home, however, you may drink freely as I do.” He paused her to skim the next few paragraphs. “The escort will maintain his physical appearance to the owner’s liking.” His green orbs flickered up then to meet Denahi’s golden ones. “This means you look however I want you to look. Right now, I want you clean shaven at all times, your hair kept to a length above your ears. How it is now is fine but you might need a trim in a few weeks. You are not to get any tattoos or body modifications without consulting me first.”
The look on Denahi’s face made it clear he was irritated with being treated like Beau’s property. But he stayed silent, the thought of what this money could do for him keeping his lips shut.
Beau paused to flip to another section of the contract before going on.
“Earlier I spoke about my rules to follow with sexual partners. The following section is about your sexual activity. The same goes for you, basically. You may have other partners but you cannot bring them back to the house. You can’t have anything more than a one night stand. You are not to be seen in public with them and I expect you to use condoms at all times to avoid STDs and getting anyone or yourself pregnant, which could draw negative attention to us. Continuing with the rules on your sexual activity, you are permitted but not obligated to initiate sexual contact with me. I’m assuming it’s something we are both interested in but I could be wrong. You’re also not under any obligation to accept any sexual advances I may make on you. I will respect any boundaries you may have just as I expect you to respect mine.” He left these words hanging in the air as he found the next section.
“Next we’ll talk about your roles here at home, and when we’re in public. You are expected to show me respect at all times, but that’s most important when we’re out together. When we’re at one of my events, you are expected to hold my hand whenever it is readily available. Small kisses and displays of affection are acceptable and encouraged, but nothing more than that in front of my family or colleagues. If for some reason, I decide a longer kiss or other show of affection is necessary, you will respond but you will not initiate anything further, you let me take control. At these important events, you obey me immediately. At home, I am not your master or owner, but in public, I might as well be. You are not to argue with anything I do or say or ask of you. Don’t question anything I want, just do it. If anyone asks how we met, you will tell them the story that we agree upon, to be determined at a later date. When in public, you are to introduce yourself as Denahi, not Crocodile. You are to call me Beau or Beauregard, nothing else. At home, I don’t care what weird nicknames you come up with.” He chuckled softly, breaking his stern face for a moment before going on. “At home, your rules are not as strict, although they are still present and important. You will still do anything I ask of you, but you may object if you have any serious concerns or problems with the task. That shouldn’t be a problem because it will most likely just be chores around the house. You will not lie to me or hide things from me. That’s simply a part of showing me respect.”
It felt like they had been sitting there for hours, discussing what Denahi could and could not do. It was exhausting. Finally, it seemed that they were nearing the end.
“This last page is a non-disclosure agreement. It just states that after our relationship ends, you will not tell anyone that it was fake or reveal any personal information about me to the media. If you do, I can press charges.” Beau explained. “And finally, the last part of this states that if you fail to follow any of these rules or meet these requirements, it can result in a decrease in payment or being fired altogether, depending on the severity of the infraction.” He paused then, smiling almost gently as he eyed Denahi’s almost angry expression. “I know there is a lot in here. But really, it’s not too hard. This relationship is based on mutual respect. You have a lot of standards to uphold but in return, I will show you respect and provide for you. It’s your choice if you’d like to sign or not.” He nodded as he grabbed a pen, leaning forward and signing his full name in large cursive letters. Beauregard Buford Brannigan. He then leaned back in his chair, the faintly amused smirk back now that their negotiations were almost over. He dangled the pen in front of the Natives face then, before speaking again. “Oh yes, and we can negotiate any changes you want to make before you sign, if you’d like.”
