Ropes and Lace | MM Romance PREVIEW

Chapter 7 - Conquer Me

«I'm definitely in a parallel universe.»

That's the most convincing thing I can think of to explain the unexpected and mind-boggling position that I was forced into. I'm still trying to process the quite extraordinary talk I had with Elliot and Connor, both of whom cornered me with such precision and perseverance that refusing was impossible. I should have, though, because I have a feeling nothing good is going to come of this. Not for me, that's for sure. Not for my heart, no matter how hard I fight or how hard I try to protect it.

And those thoughts haunt and torment me as I collapse heavily on the ostentatious bed inside the elegant room Elliot assigned me, my extravagant residence for the next three days. Three long and unpredictable days in which I'll have to take care of Elliot; to be his temporary assistant, his improvised nurse, his inexperienced guardian until he gets better and doesn't require my services, however inadequate and unfit I am for such a job. And to clarify that none of those functions were specified in the contract I signed when I decided to be his photographer is useless because, apparently, none of that was relevant to them.

"Let me get this straight," I grunted reluctantly after being briefed with all the indispensable facts, pinching the bridge of my nose and enduring, by sheer force of will, the headache that born and grew in my brain as the conversation with them progressed. "I have to take care of you, even though I'm forbidden to touch you, am I right?"

"That's right," Elliot confirmed, with that wicked, mischievous grin still tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"For five hundred bucks per day," I pressed and wished with every fiber of my being that this was an absurd, very elaborate prank, but to my great stupefaction and chilling horror... it wasn't.

"You want more money?" Connor interjected, sounding offended and disgusted. "Because we researched how much something like this would cost beforehand, it's not like..."

"Stop, just... stop, okay?" I barked, raising one of my palms in his direction and suppressing the anger that darkened my senses and flooded my taste buds with a bitter, unpleasant taste. "I'm going to forget you said that for the benefit of our professional relationship," I warned him and although Connor looked a little regretful, he didn't take it back. "I don't know what image you guys have of me, but I certainly can't be the only one who thinks this is a very bad idea."

"Why?" Elliot asked with his usual calmness and all trace of amusement on his face disappeared at my abrupt reaction, studying me with an intensity that shot my nerves through the roof.

"'Why?'" I repeated in an incredulous squeak, opening my eyes like saucers to stare at them with bewilderment. "Why don't you do it?" I demanded, pointing a finger at Connor and frowning sternly.

"Because I have a family emergency that I can't ignore and I won't be in town for a week. My ass must be flat on a plane in four hours or my mother will make good on her promise of castration." Connor smiled then, but the gesture didn't light up his chestnut irises. "Listen, Ashton. This wasn't in our plans, okay? Usually, I'm the one who helps Elli during his slumps, but this time our hands are tied and despite my insistence that we get someone qualified..." he roared with annoyance, emphasizing the word and looking at Elliot with obvious frustration. "I couldn't convince this meathead."

"What?" I muttered, unable to digest that alarming revelation, but Elliot's expression remained closed, unperturbed, without externalizing the tiniest hint of his true intentions. "Why?" I reiterated, my voice a fleeting, barely audible breath of wind.

"Because I trust you, Ashton," he finally confessed; his low tone saturated with such sincerity that it tightened my belly, bristled the hairs on my skin, and invaded me with such spectacular perplexity that it suspended my breathing for a few fleeting seconds. "You've given me no reason not to. Since you started working for me you haven't broken the rules, you've always adhered to the boundaries I set. You're talented, you clearly love your profession and you're dedicated, but that didn't stop you from showing concern, genuine concern, when you realized my weakness after the scenes. And yet you respected me, kept your distance and didn't touch me... not once."