The Agreement (Unrestrained 1)

We said goodbye and I ended the call. I sent a text to Dawn.

You win. I'm ending it with him tonight. I'll be back in Manhattan as soon as I can get a flight.

Then I cried my eyes out.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

While Drake did his presentation, I went with my parents for a boat ride, all the while holding back my emotions, forcing a smile for them every so often. After our trip, we came back to the hotel and there was a note from Drake saying he had a lunch with his colleagues but hoped to be back around mid-afternoon.

We went down to the restaurant and sat on the patio, eating our lunch in the shade of a huge umbrella.

"How are things, sweetie? You seem a bit… distant this morning."

I shrugged my shoulder. "Fine."

"Things OK with Drake?"

"They're all right."

"Just all right?"

"He's very self-absorbed."

"He's here to present his research, Kate," my father said, his voice a bit impatient. "He's probably just focused on his work."

"He's really a nice man," I said. "He's just always a bit preoccupied. I don't feel like he's really with me even when we're alone."

I sighed. I wanted to lay the foundations for our breakup with them so they didn’t fight me.

"He's a busy man," my father said. "He's busy now with work."

"I'm bored," I said. "I think I might go back early. Is there any way I can get my ticket changed?"

"Katherine!" he said, frowning. "What are you thinking? You just got here…"

"It's just not working out, Daddy. Maybe he's too old for me. I don’t know… I want to go out and party. He just wants to sit around and listen to music or watch television and I just don't do that. I mean, he was already in college when I was still in primary school."

My father just shook his head. He was not pleased and I'm sure he thought I was being a shallow bitch. My heart was breaking, but I knew this was for the best.

Later, Drake came to my room using the key card I gave him to enter my suite as I was lying on the bed. I was busy rehearsing in my mind what I was going to say to Drake and pretended to be sleeping. I had a plan in mind and it was a cruel plan. If Lara was right, I had to make Drake think he wasn't, as she said it, 'doing it for me'. That would be hard. It would require a real acting job on my part.

He came right over and laid on the bed beside me, pulling me into his arms. I pushed against him a bit.

"Drake, I was sleeping."

"Sorry," he said, stroking my hair. "I missed you all day. I've been thinking of you, planning what I was going to do to that luscious body of yours when I was finally finished with the conference, which is, now."

He nibbled my neck, and the touch of his lips sent a stab of pleasure through me, but I stiffened instead of melting into his arms.

"Not now," I said, pushing him away again.

He pulled back and leaned on his elbow. "What's the matter?"

I sat up on the bed and wrapped my arms around my legs. I yawned. "I didn’t sleep well I guess."

"I know how to wake you up," he said, that half-smile starting. He ran the backs of his fingers over the tops of my breasts and it made me shiver.

"Ow, my burn," I said, although my burn was quite good by then.