When Clara woke up she was warm and comfortable. Her head was resting on Lorenzo's biceps she blushed the moment she realized that.

He was sleeping next to her. Trying not to wake him up she removed herself from the sofa and used her blanket to cover him up.

She went to the kitchen and was about to start making coffee when she realized her coffee container was empty. Recently she exchanged coffee for energy drinks. She decided to make a short trip to the supermarket hoping he will be here when she comes back.

Wait, no. Why would she hope that? He better be gone when she's back. Right, she was just using this trip as an excuse to be away from him not because she wanted to do something for him. That would be ridiculous.

Clara wanted to quickly pick up what she came for. She quickly grabbed a coffee bag from the shelf and was about to leave when she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, what an accident to see you here!" Arturo said in an overly enthusiastic voice. Clara blinked several times to make sure her eyes didn't deceive her. What the hell was he doing here?

"You live somewhere in the neighborhood?"

"No, I just came here to see you" He laughed at Clara's face "Relax I'm joking. Yes, I live here. Few streets away"

Oh. Clara calmed down a little and then she remembered she had Lorenzo sleeping in her apartment.

"Hey, would you like to go for a coffee? There's a nice place I know nearby" he suggested, acting like this idea just came to his mind out of nowhere.

"I am sorry, I need to go" Clara apologized and waved him goodbye.

"Oh, that's alright. Another time" He waved back his smile was less visible now. He made her feel uneasy so she quickly left the store and entered her car.

🔆🔆🔆

When she arrived home Lorenzo (to her disappointment) left. The bodyguard was standing in front of her apartment doors just to make sure no one will enter.

Two hours later she received an email from Lorenzo.

Dear Clara,

To make our deal completely clear I prepared the contract. Read it, sign it, love it.

Faithfully Yours,

Lorenzo

Clara rolled her eyes and opened the attachment.

Clara Castillo agrees that she will follow all Lorenzo's orders to the full extent during the time specified in the agreement. It is the intention of both parties to form a mutually profitable relationship during the time specified within the agreement. However, this relationship may be terminated if either party breaks the rules included in the contract agreement. Because of the specific nature of the relationship Clara is allowed to use a safe word "red" if she feels the command given is too much too much for her to handle. During the time specified in the agreement both parties will abstain from having sexual activities.

Clara blinked several times staring at the screen of her MacBook in disbelief. Then she picked up her cellphone and sent a message to Lorenzo.

Clara: Seriously? A contract? Who are you, Christian Grey? Clara decided to send him a text message instead of asking this out loud.

The response was immediate.

Lorenzo: Sign up Anastasia, otherwise I might have to spank you. She couldn't believe her eyes. Did he really just say that? Surly he wasn't capable of... She blushed.

Unbelievable. She's not answering that. Her fingers typed without her will.

Clara: Shut up. Okay. To be honest it wasn't the most elaborate statement but sometimes Clara had difficulty to find words. She was just awkward in human interactions.

Lorenzo: Make me. Oh, right you can't because I am setting up rules here. Be ready at 5, Antonio will pick you up.

What was he planning now?

Clara: Maybe I have a plans for today,

Lorenzo: Adjust them to my requirements like a good girl. Really? Just like that? An order? How the hell does that man think she's gonna fall in love with him within a week? Well... 6 days.

Clara: Where are we going?

Lorenzo: It's a surprise.

Clara hates surprises.

She wasn't fast enough to respond. Noah's face appeared on her phone screen.

"What do you want?" she asked picking up. It wasn't rude. Clara was just an anti-greetings, anti-small talk person and Noah was pretty much used to it because he responded humorously.

"Hello to you too. I just wanted to say I am glad you quitted your job" Noah said in a cheery voice.

"How the hell do you know?" Clara asked, her voice full of suspicion.

"I went to that place yesterday to convince you this job isn't for you and the girl who was working there, Veronica, told me you're no longer working there. It was about time for you to prioritize your safety" he said with pride in his voice and Clara felt a pinch of guilt. Her friend must have been really worried about her. Should she tell him about Lorenzo? Maybe not yet. It will be over after just a week after all. "Wait I had another person on the line" why was everyone calling her today?

Restricted number? What the hell. She usually wouldn't pick up such a call but her life was mad as of late so who knows who was calling?

"What were you doing at Desmond's Nightclub yesterday?" a cold as ice voice of her father appeared at the other end of the line.

"What the hell? Are you spying on me?!" she asked incuriously.

"Of course I do," he said as if she was asking about something painfully obvious.

"Stop. Interfering. With. My. Life" she responded through gritted teeth.

"Stop putting yourself in dangerous situation and I will consider it"

"Fuck you"

Clara hung up on him. He was the whole reason why she was in this mess.