by Lila Rose
“Okay, I’ll start.”
“Great.” She clapped.
After lunch, Judy left to let me handle the afternoon naptime. I hoped Koda would be able to go down peacefully as he had for Judy. Before his nap, though, the sunshine beckoned to me. After finding Koda’s stroller and finally managing to fold it down, we were ready to head outside for some fresh air.
Koda seemed to love the walk. I told him all about the plants around us and let him feel all the leaves and pine cones. All he tried to eat, which made me laugh. After an hour of fresh air, we went back inside. I sat Koda in the high chair for an afternoon snack before I put him down. I stood in the kitchen with my hands on my hips contemplating on whether I should try something new, just something small before his bottle. With courage, I cut up some banana and grabbed a dry cracker. I made sure I was sitting right in front of him if anything went down the wrong way. When I placed the plate in front of Koda, his eyes went wide. He slapped his hands on the plastic of the high chair and then squealed before latching onto some banana in one hand and a cracker in the other. I had to chuckle when he eyed both hands like he couldn’t make up his mind on what to try first. Then he shoved a piece of banana in his mouth and chomped down.
It was a delight to see him enjoy them so much and not once did he have trouble. He sucked and dribbled all over the crackers to make them soft enough to eat.
There was a lot to clean up afterward. He seemed to have gotten it everywhere, even in his hair. His joy was worth the extra work. As he lay on his back on the change table in his room, I couldn’t help but notice how much he looked like his father. The dark brown hair, the steel eyes, the cute nose, and if Kalen smiled, I imagined he would also have a dimple in one cheek.
“What happened to your momma, baby boy?”
Koda babbled something.
“No matter. I’m sure you have lots of love. I can tell your daddy loves you so much.” Kissing his cheek, I placed him in his sleepsuit and read him a book while sitting in the rocking chair in the corner and feeding him his bottle. I looked down at him as he fought sleep and listened to my words. After I had sat him up, he let out a big burp. I then gave him another kiss and placed him in his crib. What I actually felt like doing was to hold him while he slept, but I thought better, knowing it would undo the good routine they had.
Leaving his door open a little, I made my way into the kitchen to tidy up, and while Koda slept for an hour and a half, it gave me time to clean the rest of the house. Which I was sure Judy had already been doing because if it had been just Kalen, a typical male, the house would have been a disaster zone. I then started on dinner. I had enough from lunch for Koda’s dinner, and I decided I’d cook Kalen a steak with scallop potatoes and carrots.
Chapter Six
Dive
The day was fuckin’ hot to be outside working my arse off in. What in the hell had I been thinkin’, getting a job as a landscaper? Well, not really a landscaper, but his lackey. I did all the shit jobs while the old dude got to do all the easy ones. Though, I shouldn’t fuckin’ complain. The old man did seem in his sixties. He probably needed the break, and at least it gave me a workout. I was just being a little bitch complaining because I missed Koda like crazy.
Dead on five, as I walked to my car, my phone rang. All day I thought I’d get a call saying something was wrong, but it never came. Well, besides my mum where she told me she thought Mena was amazing with Koda. Just hearing that put my heart at ease, well somewhat.
Putting the phone to my ear, I answered with, “Yo.”
“Um, hi, ah Kalen. It’s Mena.”
“Got that, woman, when my home number showed up on the phone.”
“Right.” She sighed. “I have a list for you like you asked.”
“Give it to me.”
“Do you have a pen and paper?”
“I’ll remember.”
“Right,” she mumbled and then rattled off about a dozen items. Fuckin’ lucky I had a good memory. I didn’t expect so much; then again, I hadn’t noticed we were near outta detergent and toilet paper.
“Got it,” I noted and then hung up. I felt like a cunt being short with her. But she wasn’t there as a friend. She was an employee, and that was all.
After a visit to the supermarket, it was nearly dark by the time I pulled up out the front of my place. Lights shone out the windows. Fuck, I’d have to make sure she closed them as soon as it got dark. I didn’t want any fucker to be able to look in the house.
Grabbing the groceries outta the back, I walked to the front door just as it opened with Mena filling it.
“Do you need a hand?” she asked with a small grin.
“Nope, got it all,” I said, moving past her into the living room. A smile lit my face seeing Koda sitting on a beanbag in front of the TV. His attention was all for some fucked-up show. Quickly, I placed the bags in the kitchen and walked back out to my boy.
Getting to the floor on my knees, I pulled the bag around to face me, and once Koda saw his daddy, he smiled, his hands reaching right out to me. He was in my arms in the next second, where I brought him close and drew in his scent.
“Hey, buddy. Missed you.” His reply was to grab my beard and tug on it, causing me to chuckle. One of his fists made its way into my mouth, then out again to wipe my saliva over my face. Not the best greeting, but it would do. Anything would do when it came to Koda.
“He been good?” I asked. When I didn’t get an answer, I looked over my shoulder where I expected to find Mena standing there, only she wasn’t.
I stood with Koda and walked into the kitchen; she’d already put everything I brought away and something smelled fuckin’ great. I hadn’t noticed earlier; I was too keen to get to my son.
“Was he good today?” I asked again, causing Mena to jump since her head was halfway in the fridge.
She stood and spun with her hand on her chest. “Sorry?”
“I asked if Koda was good today?”
She grinned. “Yes. He was perfect. Not a problem at all. He’s already had his dinner.” Then she fidgeted, so something was on her mind. I raised a brow at her. “Um,” she started.
“What?” I snapped.
“No, it’s nothing wrong. But, I um, I did some studying on the weekend about babies Koda’s age, and it said that it would be good to start introducing solids more. I asked your mum about it. She said it was a good idea. So today, I gave him a banana and crackers just to start out, to see how he went, and Koda loved them. You should have seen his face. He was so excited, he⦔ She trailed off, her eyes widening at my scowl.
“Did you fuckin’ think to ring me, his goddamn father, and ask me?”
She shook her head. Her eyes went to the floor. “No, sorry.”
Koda started to whine in my arms, but I hadn’t finished. “He could have choked. He could have been fuckin’ allergic to something. You can’t just do shit without me knowing, woman. You ain’t his fuckin’ mother.”
“I would never try to be,” she muttered to the floor.
“Jesus,” I snarled. “The first day you come here, and already you get him outta routine. Already you don’t fuckin’ think about what his father would want.”
Her chin came up and jerked out. “Am I fired?”
Glaring, I clenched my jaw so I didn’t yell yes! “I’m going to get Koda changed for bed.” Like a dick, I gestured to the kitchen. “Tidy this shit up, and maybe do as I tell you and pay you to do.” Turning, I stalked from the room.
“Wait,” she called out, rushing into the living room. As I met her gaze from looking over my shoulder, she asked again, “Am I fired?”
“No,” I snapped.
“Okay.” She sighed. I saw her shoulders relax, and tension leave her body. Only I didn’t say anything else. I walked to Koda’s room.
By the time I finished putting Koda to bed and came out into the kitchen, Mena was gone. There was a note on the bench that said my dinner was in the fridge, and she’d be bac
k at eight thirty in the morning.
Opening the fridge, my eyes landed on the plate holding a steak I knew would be juicy and potatoes just the way I liked them cooked.
“Fuck,” I grumbled to the room.
I knew I’d been a dick to her, but she should have called me.
Jesus, I remembered she’d caught the bus, and it was pitch-fuckin’-black outside. She knew I wanted to drive her to the bus stop, but instead of putting up with my arsehollery ways, she’d left to walk alone at night.
Slamming the door closed on the fridge, I went to go to the front door to see if I could still spot her down the drive, but instead, the phone rang.
“Yo.”
“How was your first day of work, son?”
“Next time you want to give the go-ahead to some bird I don’t know to feed my son something he could choke on, don’t. Or better yet, ring me, and then I’ll tell you no fuckin’ way.”
“You finished?” Mum asked acidly.
Fuck me.
“For now.”
“Right, my turn and listen good, child of mine. Your son needs his solid food now. He’s at the age jar food won’t do shit for him. You keep coddling him like you have been, it’ll all turn to crap. He is a strong, good little boy, and Mena giving him food today should fucking show you that he can handle it, but it’s your mind that’s holding him back. It’s your worry that will deter his growth,” she snapped, but she hadn’t finished. “I just bet you took all this shit out on a woman who doesn’t need it. Mena is a good woman. She has experience with children and you picked her. The time I spent with her, I saw how much she would be great for Koda, how she would care for him like her life depended on it. Do not fuck this up, Kalen. You keep treating her like shit, she won’t keep staying around for it. You’re probably too full in your own head to notice the sadness lurking in her eyes. She’s been through a lot, Kalen, and the last thing she needs is you being a prick about shit that should be happening anyway.”
“I ain’t here to coddle her, Mum. I don’t give a crap about her sadness or anythingâ”
“Do you care about your son?”
“You know I fucking do,” I shot back.
“Then loosen the goddamn ropes and let your son grow. Let him shine under her watch. Youâre a fantastic father, Kalen. The best. But I fear the worry you have will be harmful to him.”
Shit. She was right, and I bloody hated she was.
“Still, didn’t give either of you the right to try something on my son without my knowledge.”
She snorted. “Like you said, you wouldn’t have given us the go-ahead anyway. At least now, your worry should have eased knowing your son knows how to handle his food. Shit, you’re his father, and you were like a goddamn vacuum at that age.”
“Fuck me. I should never have had you come over today.”
Mum laughed. “Maybe you shouldn’t have because now Mena has my back on all decisions with Koda. Other than trying to help your son, did she do anything else wrong today?”
No. The fuckin’ house was cleaner than when Mum did it. The meal she made looked edible, nothing like Mum would have made, and my son⦠hell, there was a new light shining in his eyes, and it made me wonder if it was because of that woman today.
“Kalen?”
“No.”
“Exactly. She will be an asset in the house. Not a problem.” She gasped. “You didn’t fire her, did you?”
“No,” I grumbled.
“At least a part of your brain isn’t so stupid. Listen, I’m leaving at the end of the week now I know things are settled with you, and I want to come back to see Mena still in the house. Don’t fuck this up for me, for you, and especially for your son.”
“As long as she never thinks she can take the place of Koda’s mum.”
Mum sighed. “My baby boy, no one would take Simone’s place. We will all make sure of it. Simone will always be remembered, and Koda will always know she was his mum. But a child is allowed to care for more than one female. Besides, I doubt Mena would ever try to be someone she’s not.”
“She said it, butâ”
“You accused her of this already? Boy, where was your head at? Fuck me. She has a lot to deal with and now putting up with your arse. I’ll be goddamn surprised she’ll be there when I get back. Stop being a dick, Kalen.”
“Love you, too, Mum.”
“You know I love you, even if you drive me insane.” A smile was in her voice. “Now go have a shower. I can smell you from here and then eat your dinner. Mena told me what she was going to make, and I just bet you’re dying to dive in⦠get it, Dive.” She laughed. “Talk to you tomorrow night when you’ve finished work.”
“You coming here tomorrow?”
“I know Mena had everything under control, but I think I will pop in, see what else Mena and I can scare you with.” She giggled.
“Mum,” I growled, but she’d already hung up the phone.
Shaking my head, I placed my phone on the table and went for a shower. Mum was right about another thing; I was dying to dive into dinner.
The shower helped my tense muscles loosen. I stood there, eyes closed, head lagging low with my palm pressed against the tiles. Letting the hot water run over my back, an image of sweet blue eyes flashed in my mind.
“Fuck,” I whispered harshly.
My dick stirred, growing half mast. Another image of long legs, soft blonde hair ran through my mind causing my dick to harden even more.
“Shit no,” I growled. I was not fuckin’ thinking about another woman. I conjured a picture of Simone in my mind and took my dick in hand. Slowly, I stroked up and down it. I forgot the last time I’d come. Christ, it was so long ago. The craving to rut struck me. I’d left it too long and I wasn’t going to last. At least I was still going to enjoy it.
“Fuck,” I clipped out roughly as Mena’s face, then her body flashed into my mind, wiping away my image of Simone and causing my balls to shrink up. My stomach tensed as the feel of my cum drew down and squirted out the tip while I kept running my hand up and down my cock, faster and faster. Groaning, I pulled the last drops of cum from my dick and placed my other hand on the tiles, breathing heavy.
Now, I was pissed right the fuck off.
My mind shouldn’t have gone there. Shouldn’t have pictured her. In fact, it made me mad as hell.
“Fuck.” I sighed into the shower, my jaw clenching, my hands balling into fists as I brought them to my sides and stood tall. “Fucking hell,” I snapped before turning off the shower.
What in the Christ did I get myself in to?
Chapter Seven
One week later
Mena
The first week went flying by. I had been scared to go back the day after Kalen yelled at me about Koda and his solid food. However, when I’d turned up, he seemed over it. In fact, as he was leaving, he told me I could give whatever I wanted to Koda, but I had to watch him like a hawk. He’d walked out the door before he saw my beaming smile. I found out later Judy had given her son a good talking to. Though, she added she wasn’t sure he wouldn’t still be a dick to me. His cold attitude didn’t bother me. What kept me coming back was Koda.
I felt guilty for getting paid to be the housekeeper when really there wasn’t much to clean up. The only rule I had was to stay out of Kalen’s room. Still, there were only the dishes and laundry each day. Other than that, the house stayed pretty clean. Regardless, I also decided to vacuum, sweep, and mop every day while Koda had an afternoon nap. I swore Koda could sleep through a bomb going off. I didn’t want Koda, when he started moving around more, to be doing it on a dirty floor.
On Wednesday, I asked if I could do some gardening and clean out the shed I saw in the backyard. Kalen said I could knock myself out with the garden, but there wasn’t anything to tidy in the shed.
By Thursday, my luck had run out. I’d managed to dodge Kalen when he got home and got out of the house before he mentioned him driving me to the
bus stop. However, Thursday night he’d just taken Koda to his bedroom to get ready for bed, and I’d managed to make it to the front door before he came out and barked, “You move out that door, there will be trouble. It started spitting on the way home. I’ll drive you to the bus stop, or better yet, I’ll drive you home. Just give me time to get Koda changed and I’ll get him in the car.”
“No, you reallyâ”
“Not another word, Mena.” He glared.
Glowering back, I shot back, “Fine.”
Thankfully, after he dropped me off, he didn’t stick around waiting for the bus to show because he wanted to get Koda home. The walk took me an extra twenty minutes to get back to my car. He did it again Friday, and it had been pouring rain. By the time I’d made it to my car, I was drenched, shivering, and cold to the bone.
To warm me up, I did something I hadn’t done in a very long time. Laying back flat on the back seat, I placed one foot to the floor and the other I lifted up to the top of the seat. My heel rested against the back platform. I felt ridiculous. I’d never had the urge to touch myself in the car before, but I couldn’t stop. My hand went to the front of my pyjama pants. Slowly, I slid my hand inside, only to gasp from the cool touch of my hand. Still, I kept gliding it down. I was already wet, and I knew it had something to do with a certain male I worked for. While I arched, gasped and moaned, running my finger up and down, in and out and around my clit, two steel eyes consumed my mind. Eyes that were hard, heated, hot, and wanting me. The orgasm I had was like nothing I’d felt before and thankfully, it left me exhausted.
When I woke the next day, I was surprised I didn’t wake up with a cold. To prevent one, I made sure I stayed inside the car all weekend, and ate all the fruit and vegetables I had left. I had no intention of going out into the terrible weather.
In my solitude, those steel eyes kept making appearances in my foolish mind.
On Monday, I chose to drive to Kalen’s; I didn’t want a repeat of Friday since it was still raining, and I also had some washing to do. My clothes from Friday were still damp and smelled out the car. After parking out the back, away from Kalen’s vehicle so he wouldn’t think to look in mine, I made my way in through the back door.