Artful Lies (Hunt Legacy Duology 1)

3.14 Never share any information about the Disclosing Party or his family to anyone at any time.

4. Time Periods. The non-disclosure provisions of this Agreement shall survive the termination of this Agreement and the Receiving Party’s duty to hold Confidential Information in confidence shall remain in effect until the Confidential Information no longer qualifies as a trade secret or until the Disclosing Party sends the Receiving Party written notice releasing the Receiving Party from this Agreement, whichever occurs first.

5. Relationships. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be deemed to affect the private relationship of the Receiving Party and the Disclosing Party.

6. Severability. If a court finds any provision of this Agreement invalid or unenforceable, the remainder of this Agreement shall be interpreted so as best to effect the intent of the parties.

7. Integration. This Agreement expresses the complete understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter. This Agreement may not be amended except in writing and signed by the Disclosing Party.

8. Waiver. The failure to exercise any right provided in this Agreement shall not be a waiver of prior or subsequent rights.

This Agreement and each party’s obligations shall be binding on signature.

(Signature)____________

Becker Hunt__________ (Printed Name)

Date: 30 November 2019

(Signature)____________

Eleanor Cole____________ (Printed Name)

Date: 30 November 2019

I stare at the paper for a good five minutes after I’ve read it three times. It couldn’t be any clearer. ‘When did you write this?’ I ask. It was only agreed that I come here an hour ago.

‘While you sat in your bathroom battling with your conscience.’ He raises his eyebrows, and I purse my lips guiltily.

‘And what if I want to add something to your little NDA?’

‘If it’s within reason, go right ahead.’ He passes a pen over, and it’s all I can do not to laugh. Within reason? Yes, because everything on here is perfectly reasonable.

I take the pen tentatively. ‘Not seeing other women, is that reasonable?’

‘You or me?’

Now, I do laugh. ‘You.’ Then I hold my breath. The anticipation of his answer has fear swirling in my tummy.

‘I’d say that’s perfectly reasonable,’ he says quietly. ‘And it also goes without saying.’

Air enters my lungs and burns them. ‘Okay,’ is all I manage to say as I look down and add my own little addition to his NDA. Then the pen hovers over the signature strip.

‘Sign it,’ Becker says quietly, obviously seeing my hesitance.

‘What—’

‘I refer you to item three point one.’

‘But—’

He shoots up from his chair and slaps his palm on his desk, using it as leverage to launch himself across to my side. I fly back in my seat in shock, my eyes landing on my knees where his hands are resting, his body bent, his face close to mine. ‘You’re signing that paper, princess. You know it and I know it.’

‘What—’

His finger meets my lips and my eyes fall to his mouth. ‘Shhhh.’ He hushes me and waits a few moments until he’s sure I’ll comply. Then he removes his finger and crouches in front of me, turning the contract around and scribbling his name across the bottom. ‘Your turn.’ He holds up the pen for me.

I suddenly realise something key. ‘I won’t tell anyone about today,’ I murmur quietly, because I expect that detail is an issue here. Now I have something against him. Something that could stir an enormous shitstorm, a scandal of epic proportions. Everything tells me there is so much more than what I already know, and I astonish myself when I realise, out of the blue, that I want all of Becker’s secrets. Every single one.

‘I know.’ He strokes my thighs, stirring up my unrelenting desire for him, crumbling my morals more. His jaw pulses, and my eyes drift from the indentations on his cheeks, to the perfection of his nose, where his glasses sit as perfect as always. ‘But it’s actually item three point two and three point three that I’m particularly passionate about.’

I don’t need to look at item 3.2 and 3.3. They’re stuck to the front of my brain. ‘You should have asked me to sign this before you exposed some of your secrets.’

‘Maybe.’ He shrugs a little, not perturbed by the suggestion that I might not sign it. ‘But it’s a moot point, because we both know that you are signing that contract.’

‘What makes you so sure?’

‘Because you love working here,’ he says, pausing briefly, like he’s waiting for me to reply. It’s silly. He knows how I feel about my job. ‘Because it excites you, and because life is too short and you’re too curious.’

I take a long, deep breath. He’s right. I can’t deny it, and I won’t.

‘This is a Non-Disclosure Agreement, princess. That’s all. It’s standard business practice.’

I laugh. ‘With a few added extras.’

‘Would you like me to remove them?’

‘No,’ I answer before my brain engages, but it’s too late to retract it.