by Emma Harley
“Hey Luke.”
“Hey Ray, how’s the new place?” he chirped. She could feel the put-on enthusiasm down the phone line, he hadn’t wanted her to leave in the first place and he had spent weeks trying to change her mind.
“It’s great, I’m just settling in at the moment,” she replied, masking the tension in her throat with fake excitement, “Listen now isn’t a great time I’m literally about to head out, can I call you tonight?” A sigh came before a slightly longer than normal pause.
“Sure, I’ll be home around ten if you aren’t too busy then.” His voice strained with barely concealed contempt.
“Yeah I’ll call you then, sorry I didn’t call last night I got in really late and I was exhausted,” she said apologetically.
“Yeah don’t worry about it. I’ll catch up with you later okay, bye.”
Before Raina had the chance to say goodbye he hung up. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with his pessimistic attitude; having already been subjected to it while he tried to convince her to attend a closer university with him so they could be roommates. After spending so long away from him with little contact, he had become unbearably clingy. It was to be expected, they had spent months in a boot camp together in order to avoid a jail sentence for joyriding as teens. Raina had gotten her life on track after the programme ended, while Luke ended up a grunt in the military.
She kept her head down, staring at the phone to avoid speaking to Logan, but he had other ideas.
“Was that your boyfriend?” he enquired with a fake innocent tone. She threw her head back and scrunched up her face, feeling his gaze boring into her.
“Didn’t you learn your lesson about asking personal questions?” she sighed, tossing the phone onto her bed, without taking her eyes off it. He just shrugged.
“I’m not interfering, just trying to get to know you better,” he contested, raising his palms in mock surrender. She rolled her eyes and got up to cross the room away from him, but he gently grabbed her arm as he stood to stop her. She whirled furiously to face up to him and he dropped her arm like he was scalded.
“Sorry, look I’m really sorry if I was rude or insensitive. I didn’t mean to offend you; I have a bad sense of humour and it gets me into trouble sometimes,” his honey-gold eyes softened as he looked at her and his features were noticeably less obnoxious.
“I don’t have a boyfriend anymore. Luke is my best friend,” she strained, expecting his lips to twitch into a sarcastic smirk. He simply raised an eyebrow and gave her a sympathetic gaze. “Anymore?”
“We broke up,” She said curtly, hoping that was the end of his incessant questioning.
She wasn’t quite ready to give much more of an explanation than that, and she certainly didn’t want him knowing any gory details in case he decided to use it against her later. He didn’t seem like he was quite ready to drop the topic however.
“Mutual breakup, nasty breakup or did you do a mercy breakup?” Her head tilted slightly in confusion.
“What on earth is a mercy breakup?” she asked. He chuckled and sat himself cross-legged on the floor to assemble the computer chair.
“Some couples can’t do long distance, or just don’t want to, so if one of them has to move away, the break up with the other person as a mercy instead of stringing them along on some long-distance train wreck,” he explained matter-of-factly. Raina let out a small laugh.
“No it wasn’t a ‘mercy breakup’, we broke up a week ago but it was long overdue,” she confessed. At some point everyone has a bad relationship story, Logan probably had one or two himself. There was no point pretending it all went well. He picked up on the words she had left unsaid and paused, setting his golden eyes on hers.
“Long overdue? So you wanted to break up with him but left it until you moved across the country?” There was no condescension or malice in his voice, so she decided to take a leap and accept his olive branch.
“He had a bit of a loyalty issue,” she half chuckled “couldn’t keep his dick to himself. I didn’t want to believe it at the start but once I got solid proof I was relieved instead of angry. We weren’t together very long, I was bored of him and it gave me an excuse to end it.” Logan didn’t look up as he focused on tightening a screw.
“Weren’t you mad that he cheated instead of leaving?” he asked, deliberately softening his voice in a poor attempt to disguise the anger that flashed in his beautiful eyes and tinged his tone. She flashed him a mischievous smirk.
“I got a little revenge; I got drunk and burned all his stuff in my neighbour’s bin.” Logan roared with laughter.
“You didn’t even use your own bin?”
“Hell no, my aunt would have stuffed me in it,” she chuckled, “but it’s okay cause the neighbour was actually a bit of a dick too.” He snickered and flashed her a toothy grin.
“You sound like you’d be a blast to have a drink with,” he said candidly, “but if I piss you off and you burn my belongings I will chuck you in a bin.” They both laughed, the small moment of comradery dissipating the last of the tension hanging in the room.
“Glad to see you two are getting along,” a smooth voice taunted from the doorway. Elias stood smirking in the doorway beside a grim-faced Kalen and Mrs Lederman. Kalen strode in, glaring at Logan who stood up with his hands in his pockets sheepishly. He broke his stare and softened his eyes as he looked at Raina.
“I must borrow Logan for a moment, but I will be back shortly to arrange a schedule for today,” he forced a smile and led Logan out of my room with a firm grip on his bicep. Elias gave his brother a swift warning look as they passed before turning to Raina with a sparkling grin.
“Mrs Lederman will sort your clothes for you, when you are finished she will take you down to have breakfast with us,” he boomed, puffing his chest up a little in a clear attempt to establish some form of authority in the absence of his older brothers. Raina raised an eyebrow and smirked at him with a half-grin as he left, his cheeks blushing delicately. Silence settled as Mrs Lederman began setting out some outfits for her to try on. She looked at Raina with a sympathetic gaze.
“I apologise for leaving so long, but never in my life have I heard Master Logan be such a disrespectful little beast. You are an employee of this household and deserve the same respect afforded to the rest of us,” she bristled quietly, setting up a floral screen for Raina to change behind. A wave of gratitude crested in her chest. “I’m sorry if I made you feel awkward Mrs Lederman, I never should have spoken back to a superior like that,” she murmured. The old lady waved her hand in dismissal.
“I’ve been working for this family for a few years and I am merely an employee. To see them disrespect someone of my station fills me with sadness. Especially since you are only a young girl,” she chided, smoothing out a black blazer with gold buttons.
Raina gingerly peeled off her clothes and slid on an emerald green satin blouse, suddenly very glad she had showered and shaved just that morning. Raina wasn’t a particularly body-confident woman, her school years were littered with horrible teasing and episodes of bullying from both girls and boys. Adding to that the various scars that interrupted every half-foot of her body, it was understandable why she didn’t want anyone looking at her.
As she shimmied into a pair of high-waist suit trousers to match the gold-buttoned blazer, she noticed Mrs Lederman had set out at least twenty different outfits on the clothing rail. She perched herself on the edge of Raina’s bed, patiently waiting for her to step out from behind the screen. Raina shuffled out reservedly, entirely uncomfortable showing off clothes to anyone, let alone a complete stranger. Her expression gave nothing away as she pulled and prodded at the clothing.
“Perfect fit!” she exclaimed, rubbing her wrinkled hands together. She bustled over to the rail of outfits and picked out a dress.
The next hour was spent trying on a variety of fancy clothing, nothing like Raina had ever owned before. Her new wardrobe was packed with embroidered blazers, silk
shirts, and finely hemmed skirts. Considering she would be working and living in their home, she thought it was a little over-the-top. However, Raina couldn’t help but admire how she looked in a well-tailored suit so she certainly wasn’t going to complain. Mrs Lederman had also chosen a few pairs of heeled shoes to match the outfits despite Raina's objections.
Raina did not wear heels.
Raina did not like heels.
And as she wobbled and stumbled across the bedroom, it became very apparent to Mrs Lederman that she also could not walk in heels. The elderly women covered her mouth to hide her amusement.
“I would think a young lady your age would have more grace,” she twittered. Raina turned to walk back along the fluffy carpet, keeping her arms out for balance.
“I’ve never had a reason to wear high heels,” she confessed, “I prefer a good pair of boots.” As she wobbled again, a strong hand gripped her elbow, causing her to fall hard on her knee.
Muttering a string of curses under her breath she looked up and locked eyes with a smirking Logan. She hadn’t heard him or his brother come back and judging by the poorly hidden glee on their faces, they had seen her pathetic attempts to walk.
She blushed a violent shade of pink as she accepted Logan’s outstretched hand to help her to her feet. Raina wobbled again and he swiftly wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her steady. Blushing furiously she looked at Kalen with a begging look.
“Are the heels really necessary? I think it is going to be difficult for me to do my job with a broken neck,” she cringed. Kalen looked thoughtful for a moment before turning to Mrs Lederman.
“Sylvia, do you think we could start with smaller heels perhaps, maybe something with straps?” Mrs Lederman nodded and left, leaving Raina with the snickering duo. Logan was still firmly gripping her waist as she leaned on him to pull off the demonic heels, sighing in relief. Kalen looked incredibly sympathetic.
“I’m sorry about the discomfort, but my father is very strict about the dress code. He’s a very business-oriented man,” Kalen explained. Raina just nodded firmly. She had no intention of defying their instructions.
“I’ll learn to walk in them eventually I guess,” she said brightly, although she knew well enough that it would be an impossible task. Realising she was still being held by Logan she stepped away, far too quickly and awkwardly.
“So what can I help you with?” she awkwardly addressed Kalen, in a slightly too loud voice. He nodded towards Logan.
“I was told about my brother’s inappropriate comments towards you, and I wanted to apologise for his behaviour. It was incredibly unprofessional and I hope it hasn’t marred your impression of us,” he started, stepping a little closer to Raina. Logan rolled his eyes and turned to her.
“I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable, I have no sense of boundaries and I am an obnoxious asshole, I have a disgusting attitude and I...”
“LOGAN!” snapped Kalen. The tension became palpable as the brothers argued over Logan’s clearly sarcastic apology. Raina stepped in with her palms up and interrupted them.
“Its fine, look Logan and I just got off on the wrong foot, no harm done,” she said calmly, resting a hand on Kalen. She beamed brightly at him and softly guided him back from his brother.
Kalen looked daggers at Logan before turning back to Raina. She was still smiling at him with a cheery face.
“I promise I’m okay, I’m sure he was just being curious, but I do agree with his assessment,” she smirked at Logan before looking back at Kalen, “he is indeed an obnoxious asshole.”
Chapter 2
Raina sat at the large mahogany dining table with her new employers, absent-mindedly picking at her nails. Kalen had requested they all attend a “breakfast meeting”, and sat at the head of the table poring over a stack of paper. Elias was sitting opposite her, looking at the papers with clear disinterest, and pulling faces at his brother’s babble when he wasn’t looking.
A familiar face made Raina beam, as Darius walked into the dining room with a large tray of eggs and bacon, followed by a younger man carrying orange juice and tea. He smiled at her in greeting.
“Good morning m'lady,” he chuckled, “how are you today?” He laid the food on the table before her and her mouth watered.
“I’m great, how are you Darius?” she asked, pouring herself tea as the butler sat down beside Elias. He motioned to the other man who was now bringing in an assortment of pastries and toast.
“I’d like you to meet my son, Cole,” he grinned, “Cole, this is Miss Raina, the new tutor.”
The young man gave her a small smile and shook her hand, before sitting beside his father. She passed him the teapot as Logan strolled in, wearing a tight shirt that accented his muscular arms. Raina lowered her head to her plate before anyone could notice she wasn’t drooling at the food.
He sat down beside her and began piling his plate while his brother launched into a lengthy discussion about finances and more babble that made no sense to her. His cologne was intoxicating, and Raina caught herself before she took an audible sniff.
Raina scooped her boiled egg into a cup with butter and mashed it up before spreading it on her toast. Her mother had been a terrible cook, so they just called it scrambled eggs, and it had been her favourite breakfast growing up. She was unaware that everyone had paused their meeting to stare at her. Her face flushed and she tried to quickly swallow her mouthful.
“Oh I’m sorry were you talking to me?” she asked, wiping egg off her lip. Kalen beamed with a small chuckle.
“No I was wondering what you were doing, there’s scrambled eggs on the tray if you wanted that,” he said softly. She blushed and shook her head.
“Oh no, um… my mom couldn’t cook a thing when I was a kid so we mashed boiled eggs with butter and called it scrambled eggs,” she explained, “it has always been my favourite breakfast.”
The table had gone awkwardly silent, and Raina suddenly felt very aware that they were watching her eat. Elias looked at Logan as Kalen cleared his throat.
“I’m sorry about your mother, Logan told me you lost her young?” he said in a strange voice. Raina took a sip of her tea and nodded.
“Yes she passed a few years ago when I was a teenager. She wasn’t ill or anything, she just passed suddenly in her sleep one night. I’ve lived with my aunt Thea ever since,” she said, before looking around the table at a sea of sad faces. She was used to the sympathetic looks once people knew, poor little orphan Raina. She began fiddling with the necklace she had worn every day since then, a swirling silver pendant embedded with garnets. Kalen noticed her drift to it.
“That’s a beautiful necklace,” he offered, apparently thinking he was changing the conversation. Raina smiled at him and sipped her tea.
“It was my mother’s, she said it belonged to my grandmother so she gave it to me when I turned 16.” Logan shuffled in his seat beside her before asking with a mouthful of bacon.
“Did you have any other family besides your aunt?”
She shook her head.
“Grandparents died before I was born, and I’ve never met my father. Mom never talked about him except to say that he had left when he found out she was pregnant. Never really bothered me so I didn’t ask about him. My aunt has kids though so I have some cousins, but she was my mom’s only sister,” she said, before returning to her quickly cooling breakfast. Kalen was nodding along listening intently.
“We aren’t trying to be nosy Raina, we’d just like to get to know you a little better,” he smiled, “but unfortunately, I really do have to go over a few boring business things with everyone.”
An audible groan sounded from his brothers.
After going over the boring business things, Darius and Cole excused themselves to start work while Kalen went over Raina's contract with her. As she read through, pretending to know what any of it meant, her eyes went wide.
“This is my salary?” she asked in shock, “the application said this wa
s a 20 an hour sort of thing.” Kalen merely fixed her with a blank stare.
“You are going to be a student are you not? Plus you’ll be boarding with us, you’re hours away from your family, and you have to go to classes with Logan, live in a house with him and just put up with him in general. That’s a job on its own.”
The insults earned him a glare from his brother, while Raina was still staring at the salary, gobsmacked. Not only would it support her in university, she could put the majority of it into savings. She scrawled her name of the contract as Kalen explained her various duties. Logan yawned, interrupting him.
“Raina, you want to go see the city today?” he asked, stretching. She shook her head.
“I think Kalen has too much stuff to go over with me, um... I’ll have to take a raincheck,” she blustered, her face flushing again. She didn’t mind being nice to him, but after his attitude that morning she wanted to keep a distance between them.
Kalen was absent-mindedly flipping through pages and pages of graphs, before muttering “Don’t worry Raina I’ve finished everything. You can take the day to yourself if you like.”
Her eyes widened at him before she turned to see a wolfish grin on Logan’s face.
“Look at that, you’re free today.”
She forced a smile on her face and nodded stiffly, before following him out with a roll of the eyes. Dragging herself back to her room to grab her handbag, she noticed he was standing in the doorway, staring at her intently. She pulled through her suitcase awkwardly, careful not to let him see any of her underwear and dragged out her leather jacket.
As she tried to squeeze past him he threw an arm across the doorway to stop her.
“You don’t have to go out with me if you don’t want to,” he said, a hint of regret in his voice. Raina didn’t back off and looked up at him.
“Look we didn’t start off great, you might behave in front of your brothers but I will not tolerate you insulting me every chance you get. You may be my boss, kind of, but I expect to be treated with respect. Are we clear?” Her heart was hammering against her chest and she knew her cheeks had turned maroon.