“I swear, I’ll never drink again,” I said softly. “You don’t need to invite me to live with you just to stop it from happening again. Believe me, it won’t.”
“I know it won’t,” he said, a hard look in his eyes. “But I still want you to move in. I think it would really help, and you know how much Tommy loves being around you. Not that you’d have to work more hours than you usually do with him, of course.”
I chewed on my lower lip for a second. “You really want me here? All the time?” I asked. I still couldn’t quite believe the turn this conversation had taken.
“All the time,” he repeated. “Like I said, I want to take care of you.”
My legs trembled under the sheets at the thought of him taking care of me in every way. Every way. “I’d have to pay you some rent. I can’t just live for free.”
“You don’t have to pay for anything.”
“But I’ve never…”
“You’ve never had someone take care of you in such a way?” he asked, his voice gentle.
“Not really,” I admitted.
“Well, I think it’s about time someone did. You’re a good girl, Vanessa, I know you are. You deserve to be taken care of and helped sometimes.”
My core tingled at his words. Good girl.
“I wasn’t a good girl last night,” I said, shyly twisting the sheets in my left hand.
He smiled gently. “You’re allowed to make mistakes. I know you’re a good girl.”
God, there it was again. If I was drunk, like I had been last night, I’d probably be launching myself at him right now. But I knew I couldn’t do that again. Jacob obviously liked being the one in control of every situation, and to tell the truth, the idea of letting him be in total control of me made my stomach flutter like nothing else.
“So what do you say to my offer?” he asked. “If it’s too much, and I’m crossing a line, don’t be afraid to say something. I’m all ears.”
Oh, there were a lot of lines I wanted to cross with this man…
I hesitated as I considered his proposal. So far, my only choice in life had been ‘take care of myself or live under a bridge in a box’ but now a golden opportunity was being handed right to me. I was being invited to live for free in an enormous mansion by an amazing, mature man who just so happened to be the most handsome guy I’d ever seen…wait, why was I even thinking about it?
I nodded. “I’d like that. I’d really like to live with you and Tommy, Jacob,” I said, my voice timid.
He nodded. “Good,” he said. His deep, firm voice made shivers run down my spine. “But there is one thing I should mention.”
“Oh?”
“If you agree to move in, there will be rules.”
A strange jolt shot through me, making my legs twitch. Rules? What sort of rules? And why was I so turned on by him merely saying that word?
“What kind of rules?” I asked, staring at him with wide eyes.
“House rules, and some others as well.”
“Okay. What are they?”
“Firstly, I want to eat breakfast and dinner with you every day, or as often as possible, anyway. It’s nice to have some sort of ritual, some sort of stability. I think it’s important.
I nodded. “It is.”
“So if you make other plans to eat out with friends on occasion, or do anything else, I want you to tell me, so I at least know where you are and that you’re safe.”
“Oh. Okay, that’s fine. It makes sense for people who live together to let each other know their plans so no one gets worried.”
He nodded. “Yes. The second rule is that if you ever have any problems, call me. And I mean any problems. I can fix things for you, Vanessa, and I won’t mind at all. I want to help you.”
“Okay.”
“Rule three. I always want to know where you are, so that I know you’re safe. If you deviate from your regular schedule, please tell me when and where you are going. A text will suffice, if I’m busy at work. I’ll also link our phones via the Track My Phone app in case you ever get lost or need my help, so I can find you as quickly as possible.”
“Okay.”
“Rule four. Don’t lie to me.”
I blinked. “I would never lie to you.”
“Good. This one isn’t a rule, but I also think you should quit that coffee shop job. Like I said, the more time you have to devote to your studies, the better.”
I felt like I should argue, but I didn’t. Jacob was so powerful, so imposing. I liked him telling me what to do. I liked him being in control.
“I’ll quit,” I said with a nod. “But Nina will need a couple of weeks’ notice. So I can’t just leave the job immediately."
“I understand.”
“Is that all the rules?” I asked. I’d been hoping for more. More of what exactly, I couldn’t say.
Just more.
He stared at me for a second, his eyes darkening. “Maybe you don’t need to hear them all now. We can save some for later,” he said.
“Okay. But….”
“But what?”
“What happens if I break any of the rules?” I asked, biting my lower lip as I waited for a response. I wanted to be a good girl for Jacob, I really did, but at the same time, I couldn’t stop wondering what my punishment would be if I ever broke any of his rules.
He smiled. “Vanessa, if you’re always a good girl, you’ll never have to find out.”
My stomach fluttered again. I had a feeling I wanted to find out…
Chapter Nine
Jacob
Vanessa had officially been living with me for a week now, and overall, things were working out well.
We still hadn’t had a chance to pack up all her old things from her apartment—she’d just brought a bag of clothes and toiletries for now, seeing as her lease hadn’t quite expired yet and there was still time to get the rest later—but we’d get around to it eventually. To be honest, I would’ve rather just taken her shopping to get her all new stuff, but that would have to wait. I had to take baby steps, because if I laid it on too thick right at the start and bought her everything, she might get freaked out and think I was an old creep trying to buy her affections.
Tommy was thrilled to have his nanny around all the time, and Vanessa seemed equally happy to be spending so much time with him. Of course, I made sure she put aside enough time to work on her college assignments and extracurricular activities and also take breaks—I didn’t want her to feel like I was taking advantage of her living here by letting her spend all her time with my nephew.
I still hadn’t brought up everything that happened the other night yet. When I went to take her breakfast that morning, she’d seemed so ashamed of herself. I couldn’t say it without humiliating her, and so I’d merely skirted the subject.
Okay, so that wasn’t entirely true. The real reason I hadn’t brought it up was because I knew if I did, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from admitting just how fucking much I wanted her. How badly I’d wanted to take her that night, show her what a real man was like. How badly I wanted to take her over my knee for being so naughty. I could easily picture myself showing her who the boss was; bending her over and spanking her ass red raw until she told me she’d never be bad again, even though part of me liked it when she was a brat. A very big part of me.
“Jacob?”
Vanessa’s soft voice broke me out of my reverie at the kitchen counter as I sipped my second morning coffee, and I smiled. “Oh, I thought you’d already headed off to college. Are you still hungry? There’s more bacon.”
She stepped forward. “I’m full, but thank you. Breakfast was great.”
I could tell there was something wrong by the tone of her voice. “Is everything all right?”
She shook her head. “Well, I was going to go to college early today to work on some stuff, and I just went to start my car. It’s broken down. It was working earlier when I took Tommy to school, but now it won’t start at all. And I…I can’
t get anywhere without it, unless I take the bus, but if I do that, I won’t get to Tommy’s school in time to pick him up this afternoon.”
I put my hand on her shoulder, and I didn’t miss the spark that crackled between us. “You can borrow one of my cars. You know you’re welcome to do that.”
She bit her lower lip, a move which drove me wild. I managed to keep a straight face.
“That’s so nice of you, but I can’t. Your cars are all manual. I only ever learned automatic,” she said, cheeks coloring.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” I said. “One day, when we have time, I’ll teach you to drive manual. It’s a good life skill to have. For now, I’ll drive you to college.”
“But you have work of your own,” she said. “I can’t expect you to drop everything for me.”
“Things are quiet on the business front at the moment,” I replied. That wasn’t true, but she didn’t need to know that. “I can spare the time.”
Her cheeks turned even pinker. “Thank you. I’m sorry for all the inconvenience.”
“It’s no inconvenience, Vanessa,” I said, grabbing my keys. “Let’s go.”
I followed her outside to the car I usually drove, watching her delicate movements as she walked. She was so demure, so sweet. So unassuming. It was hard to believe this was the same girl who drunkenly propositioned me a week ago.
We took off toward Vanessa’s college, and she smiled at me as I stopped at the first set of lights on our way. Her cheeks were still glowing from her earlier blush. “Thanks again,” she said. “I really appreciate everything you do for me.”
It amazed me how she was so grateful for something as simple as a ride to college; so surprised by people simply offering to do nice things for her. I still didn’t know much about her earlier life (she wasn’t exactly forthcoming about it, and I wasn’t going to pressure her to tell me) but it made me certain that not many people in her life had helped her out with even the smallest of gestures before. She clearly wasn’t used to it.
I loved that about her, how happy she was when I did even the simplest things, such as making her breakfast in the morning, or making sure her bed linen was all clean. To her, these gestures were like incredible gifts, whereas to me, they were just little things I liked to do to take care of her.
However, it also made me sad that she was always so grateful; sad that no one had properly taken care of such an angel before. She deserved to be spoiled.
“You’re welcome,” I replied. “You know that.”
“Yes,” she said softly. “But I’m just so grateful. You’ve been so nice to me.”
Something occurred to me, and I frowned. “What time did you say your lecture starts today?”
“It doesn’t start till eleven, but I was going to spend an hour or so at the campus newspaper helping some of the other girls edit their articles for the gossip column.”
“Can they wait?” I asked.
“Probably. Why?”
I swung the car around as soon as I had the chance, and I grinned over at Vanessa. “You’ll see.”
Ten minutes later, we pulled up outside a luxury car dealership.
“What are we doing here?” Vanessa asked, blue eyes wide as we got out and stood outside the place.
“I’m buying you a new car,” I said. “That old one of yours was going to bite the dust sooner or later anyway. It’ll cost more to fix it than it’s worth.”
Her eyes were like saucers now. “You’re buying me a car?”
I nodded. So much for baby steps.
“I can’t let you do that,” Vanessa said, wildly shaking her head. “It’s too much. Far too much.”
“Nonsense. You need a way to get around the city, for college and your work.”
“I know, but…” Her voice faltered. “I don’t….”
“Vanessa, I told you I’d take care of you, and I told you that I’d solve any problems you have. Your car not working is a problem. Let me solve it.”
Her face was fire engine red, and she cast her eyes to her feet. “I’m so lucky,” she said. “All these things you do…I don’t know what I did to deserve it.”
“You were you, Vanessa,” I said. “And that was enough for me to want to spoil you in every way I can. So let me.”
She looked up at me again, gorgeous eyes shining and her face still glowing. “Okay.”
And that was all I needed to hear.
Chapter Ten
Vanessa
Jacob was generous. Far too generous.
He’d given me everything I could possibly need right now—a great job, an amazing place to live, and a brand new car. It was probably unfathomably expensive, but he hadn’t actually let me see how much it cost. I suppose I could just Google it and see how much he spent, but that wouldn’t feel right. I was so grateful to him, and I wanted to do everything I could to show him I was worth all this effort. There would be no more repeats of the other week; no more getting into trouble.
I was going to be Jacob’s good girl.
The salesman at the dealership had recognized him immediately when we walked in earlier, and so I’d been allowed to drive my new car away immediately, before the paperwork and other relevant things had even been processed. Everyone just trusted Jacob implicitly—I guess because he was so successful. I admired him so much for that; the way he commanded respect without ever being an arrogant prick about it.
The car had even come with a bunch of amazing perks—a year’s worth of free auto services and cleanings, a free Apple watch, and a bunch of gift cards for a local mall and nearby restaurants.
I pulled into the parking lot at college, still glowing with happiness about the amazing gift I’d just received. I was going to take care of it as best I could, because I never wanted to disappoint Jacob. After walking across the lot and toward the nearest lecture hall, I met up with Emma, who’d been waiting for me just outside the door.
“Um…what the hell was that?” she asked, looking over my shoulder as I waved and said hi.
“Huh?”
She pointed toward the parking lot. “I just saw you get out of that swanky silver car. Where on earth did you get that? And that Apple watch, too! Did you rob a bank?”
I blushed. “No. It was….it was a gift.”
“A gift? From who?”
The heat in my cheeks intensified. “Jacob.”
“As in your boss?”
I nodded, and her eyes widened. “You don’t think that’s weird?”
“Weird, no. Generous, yes. He takes care of me.”
She made a face at me. “Oh, come on, Nessa. There’s generous, and then there’s….well, let’s just say that dude is trying to get in your pants.”
“He’s not.”
“How do you know?”
I looked down at the ground. “Because I…I tried that,” I mumbled.
“You tried to do….oh! Really? You tried that?” she asked, an excited grin spreading across her face.
“Yes, and he rejected me. He just wants to take care of me, that’s all. He likes it, and I like it too.”
“Um. So he turned you down that night….and then immediately asked you to move in with him, then bought you a fancy car. Wow, what a huge rejection.”
“Emma…” I said, not really knowing exactly what else to say.
She went on. “Obviously he only rejected you because you were wasted. I don’t think he’d reject you again, though. Not if you were stone cold sober.” She wrinkled her nose. “I think Leah had the right idea the other night, though—isn’t he kinda old for someone like you?”
“He’s not old!”
“Yeah, I know thirty-eight isn’t old-old, but you know what I mean, Nessa. He’s over twice our age. I mean…don’t you think it’s a bit weird that a guy like him—at his age and with his money—is trying so hard for you?”
I crossed my arms. “You don’t think I deserve someone to put in effort for me?”
She let out an exasperated sigh. “That’
s not what I’m saying at all, and you know it. I’m just worried, that’s all. I don’t want to see you being taken advantage of.”
“That won’t happen,” I said defensively.
She held up her palms. “Okay, okay. I’ll stop talking about it. Just be careful, okay?”
“I will,” I replied, my voice meeker now.
Did she have a point? Was it creepy that Jacob was behaving the way he was around me? Was he too old for me to have such a gigantic crush on?
Then again, what I felt was more than a crush….or so I thought. I wasn’t really sure exactly what it was, but it felt like a lot more than the silly crush I once had on a boy in the ninth grade. That infatuation had only lasted two weeks, and it had never made my stomach flutter the way Jacob did.
“Maybe he’s a serial killer,” Emma mused, despite having said she’d stop talking about it.
“Emma!”
“Sorry! It’s just…oh, never mind,” she huffed.
I let out a sigh. “Just say it.”
“I watched this true crime documentary about a fifty-year-old man who groomed a fifteen year old girl by buying her tons of gifts, among other things, and making her depend on him. Then he abused her and ended up murdering her.”
“Holy crap, Em. For one, I’m eighteen, not fifteen, and he’s nowhere near fifty. He isn’t grooming me, and he’s not a murderer! If anything did happen between us, it would be my choice as well as his. Now seriously, I’m done talking about this.”
“Sorry,” she muttered, looking shame-faced. “Let’s go in. Our class is about to start, anyway.”
“Sure.”
Emma and I had always traded silly, jokey lines in the past, sometimes bordering on offensive, but we’d never taken any of it seriously, and we’d certainly never had any sort of argument like this. I knew she was wrong about Jacob, even though she was saying all these things out of concern. She was just trying to be a good friend. But still, Jacob wasn’t a crazed ax murderer who was grooming me for anything, and he didn’t expect a single thing in return for his generosity. I wanted to give him something anyway, though.
Daddy's Toy-Box (A Daddy's Best Friend Romance) Page 28