The Royal Contract

She was suing him for his abusive behavior, inflicting physical and emotional pain on her during their relationship and threatening her life. Finally, she wanted to be free from his clutches forever.

“Hey! I am sorry if I took time before I could answer the door.” Serena said as she hastily opened the door upon seeing who was behind it through the peephole.

She was in the bathroom when the bell rang and had to rush out of the tub to answer it, thinking it could be her manager. Now, she was dripping on the floor with her wet hair.

She did not intentionally plan to be late, regretting listening to soft music while taking a bath, realizing too late that it was not a good idea as she dozed off in the tub. Now, her lawyer was here while she was not yet ready.

“I am sorry if I am a bit early,” Adam said as he stood at the door, slightly feeling awkward at the scene before him. “Maybe I should get back a bit later.” Thinking of giving her time to finish fixing herself.

He checked his watch, wondering if he had made a mistake with the time and come too early, but he was on the dot. Still, he did not want to intrude, seeing that she was still in her robe and fresh from the shower.

.....

He wanted to drop by early at her place to discuss a few more minor details of their case before they proceeded to meet with the other counsels. He just wanted everything to run smoothly at the meeting, but he could see that she needed more time to prepare.

“Don’t be silly. Come in.” She said, opening the door wider for him to enter. “I am the one who should say sorry because I am the one late.” Feeling bad that she had to make him wait.

She was sure the man had more things to do with his time than wait for her. She also valued time since she had always been professional in her career. She never wanted to waste anyone’s valuable time because of nonsensical excuses like what she just did.

She suggested he occupy the vacant sofa on the other side of the room. Then, she proceeded in front of her vanity mirror to dry her wet hair and apply makeup on her bare face.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come back later?” Finding the entire scene unusual.

He expected that she would have her dress on and her manager would be here, not alone with her, in her robe. Fortunately, the room was spacious and had a small waiting area on the side, or he would probably be sitting on a chair near her or the bed. That would seem more uncomfortable.

Of course, he had been in the company of naked women before, not that she was completely undressed. Still, she was a client, and he had to set some boundaries even if he admitted to finding her attractive.

“Nah!” She indifferently responded. “It is good that you are here so we can discuss your plans for later while I finish.” She suggested as she blew her hair dry. “I hope you don’t mind.” She added as if it was nothing of the ordinary for her.

She was used to having people around while she was fixing herself, one would be doing her hair, and another one her makeup as another person discussed a script or oriented her with a job.

People hovered over her, even in some scenes where she was almost naked. She had never agreed to nude scenes, only sexy shots of her body. She never believed in using her body as an easy ticket to stardom.

However, she had her fair share of allegations of using her body to gain leading roles in big film productions. But those were vile accusations by people who had nothing better to do with their lives.

It was just a coincidence that she had a relationship with a top-notch producer, but he had nothing to do with securing the job. She had worked hard in auditioning for those parts and asked nobody for help.

But like this one, her break up with her other relationship had been scandalous. Therefore, she would like to avoid another similar thing from happening with this one.

“Ok. Ask your questions while we are waiting for Nora.” She told him as she tossed her hair to the side to dry the bottom part, exposing the back of her neck and shoulder within his sight.

“It is just basic questions we have already discussed and some recommendations I like you to hear before we face the other team,” Adam said, hoping that he could focus on the papers and not the woman before him.

He had no idea what was wrong with him when he had never acted so irrationally toward a client. Given that she was a famous star, still, he had dated models and beautiful, charming, intelligent women before. So, this should not be such a big deal.

“Fire away. Don’t worry about me. I am good with lines. I am an actress, you know.” She teased him, noticing a bit of tension in his actions.

She never thought of herself as intimidating, but her status did make some people, even a few men, stutter in her presence. Not that Adam was jumbling his words, but he seemed anxious and uncomfortable in his seat.

She always thought that her lawyer was immune to her charms since, in their previous dealings, he seemed not to notice her as a woman. However, she wondered if she was wrong.

“Yeah, of course.” He suddenly felt embarrassed, acting like a lovesick fool in front of his first crush. What was wrong with him? He shook off the unwanted thoughts that had crawled into his mind.

He had to focus since she was an important client and should not be messing around. She was David’s sister, for fuck sake. He reminded himself, chastising himself for suddenly fantasizing about her.

Besides, she was an unreachable star.