by Liv Bennett
Wendy walks in with entitlement pouring out of every move of her body and scans the room with contemptuous eyes before focusing on Loraine. Her facial muscles tighten in a wide smile and her head tilts to the side as a gesture of warm friendship, but everything about her reeks heavily of being a total fake.
As she runs her eyes over Loraine and flips her long hair over her shoulder, drawing attention to the professionally styled curls, I can almost hear the satisfaction emanating from her mind. Loraine doesn’t need to worry a bit about this witch stealing her husband away. Her outer shell may be pretty to look at, but her inner rottenness will always prevent her from getting a quality man like Kenneth.
“Would you like something to drink?” I ask as I slowly see myself out.
“I’m good.” Wendy slides onto the chair beside Loraine’s bed, without looking at me, the insignificant house personnel.
“Lisa, please stay with us.” Loraine’s request throws me off.
“Sure,” I chirp, finding my tongue after the surprise, and moving over toward the window.
“Lisa is our new nanny.” Loraine gives me a warm smile. “She came highly recommended and is great with the kids.”
I blush instantly and thank her, quite aware of Wendy’s critical once-over of my body. Not knowing if I should sit, which would look like I’m a friend of theirs, I choose to stand and pretend to watch outside.
“Oh, dear. I came as soon as I heard the horrible news,” Wendy starts off. “I didn’t even know you were trying for a third.”
“We weren’t. It’s just that Kenneth finds it difficult to keep his hands off of me.” Bam! Loraine 1: Wendy 0.
I crane my head enough so I can peek at Wendy’s face. Yes! As expected, Loraine’s comment has brought some color to her pale skin. If I think about it, it’s the exact shade of her red curls.
“Oh.” Wendy resumes her controlled expression thick with pity and superiority. “Kenneth seems beaten-up. I’m not used to seeing him so off. I wish there was something I could do for him.”
I drop all my pretensions to appear as if I’m not paying attention to them and turn my whole body toward their direction to examine both ladies’ faces.
Hello! Loraine is the one who suffered through a supposed miscarriage. Not Kenneth. Why not offer her some help? I guess her reason is clear. With sublime diplomacy, Wendy is offering a hand to take care of Kenneth’s needs. The kind of need she means is obvious, too.
Loraine might hate her, but united with Wendy, she’d have a better chance to lead her husband astray and own half his fortune. She wouldn’t need to lose $200,000 to pay off Wendy. From the desperate look on Wendy’s face at the mention of Kenneth, she, herself, would give up half her fortune to spend a night of passion with Kenneth.
Is it her hatred for Wendy that has turned Loraine toward me for help? That’d be in line with the reason she shared with me for wanting to divorce her husband. But that was before the abortion and the possibility of a lover appeared in the picture.
She might very well be a super greedy woman who wants to keep her husband for as long as possible with a side affair satiating her unsatisfied urges. But, looking at her fatigued face with worry lines covering her forehead, I can’t spot any maliciousness or selfishness. All I can see is a loving wife and a concerned mother. The innocent sight of her makes me feel dirty for everything I did to Kenneth.
“He’s a strong man.” Loraine leans back gently against the pillows piled up behind her. “He’s my rock. We’ll get out of this even stronger than we were before. Just yesterday he promised me he’ll give me more babies.” A warm and deeply genuine smile lights up her face. “You know how loyal he is to his promises.”
Loraine seems at ease playing hardball, but Wendy doesn’t look like she’ll give up on having the last word. Just when she starts saying, “He—” I cut her off.
“Mrs. Carter, sorry to interrupt, but I’m afraid you’ll be late for your massage appointment at one, if we don’t leave soon.”
Loraine glances at me with a puzzled expression before a wave of understanding passes over her face. “Oh, yes.” She turns to Wendy, smiling. “It’s a therapeutic massage at my family doctor’s clinic. Kenneth offered to massage me dozens of times. I let him, and we both enjoyed it, but his hands are a bit too rough, if you know what I mean. I need a professional’s help.”
Too much information, but it never hurts to bother your enemy with the details of how good of a husband you have, right?
“I’ll get the car ready for you.” I head for the door while Wendy stands to give Loraine a hug. I don’t even need to turn to see how halfhearted her hug will be.
Bouncing down the stairs, I head to the garage to look for Scott to make the lie look real and find him chatting with a girl—Monika, to be exact.
CH 7
~
Monika and Scott are sitting side-by-side on the bench in front of the garage and both look immersed in whatever they’re discussing. The normal me would head over and join the conversation, but my new job has tainted me in so many ways and planted suspicion in my heart. The new me would rather hide behind a bush to eavesdrop.
“She doesn’t look like a nanny,” Scott says, casting a casual glance in Monika’s direction.
Monika snorts and gives him a questioning look. “How does a nanny look according to you?”
Scott laughs loudly and glances around. I duck my head lower behind the bush while trying my best to hear his answer.
“I must correct what I said,” he says. “She doesn’t look like the previous nannies. Mrs. Carter made sure all the other ladies had one important quality other than impeccable caretaking skills, and that was supreme unattractiveness.”
Monika bursts into loud laughter and punches him gently on the arm. “So you find my friend attractive. Isn’t flirting with a colleague frowned upon here?”
“I’m not flirting with her.” Scott shakes his head. “I’m just stating the obvious. She’s not only much younger and better looking than the two previous nannies that worked here, she also has an inappropriate fashion style for a nanny.”
I clear my throat loudly and move away from the bush so they can see me. Scott shoots to his feet, wincing, his face crimson in embarrassment, his hand rubbing the back of his head.
“You think my clothes are inappropriate?” I call him out on his gossip with an accusatory tone and point toward my dress with my index fingers. It’s more conservative than the other dresses I have worn on previous days, but nonetheless it’s a dress and reveals some of my chest, legs, and arms. Still, he has no right to badmouth me behind my back.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Your dresses are lovely. All of them.” Scott inhales a long breath, looking as if he may go into a panic-induced coma.
“Whatever.” I turn my eyes to Monika and smile at her. “What are you doing here?”
“Came to see you. I’ve missed you.” She stands and closes the distance between us with a tight hug.
“Don’t you need to go to work?” I ask.
“Took the day off and rented out the condo for the night. I’m all yours until tomorrow.”
“Really? How did you rent the condo?”
“Through Craigslist. The guests paid up front. $60 just like that.” Her eyes brighten at the mention of the money.
“What if they steal something?”
“Pfft. Like there’s anything worth stealing.” Sliding her arm through mine, she urges me toward the house.
Right then, Wendy steps out to the porch and slips her sunglasses over her face.
I turn my head toward Scott and say loudly enough for anyone probably in a five-mile radius to hear, “Can you please get the car ready? Mrs. Carter is leaving in a minute for her massage appointment.”
“Great timing,” Monika whispers under her breath. “We’ll have the house to ourselves.”
Suspiciously enough, Wendy doesn’t immediately make any move to leave and instead waits on the f
ront porch until I walk over with Monika.
“Hello, there,” Wendy says. I can’t see her eyes through the dark shades, but I’m fairly sure her unusual warmth is directed to Monika.
“Hi!” Monika pulls away from me and offers her hand quickly to Wendy. “I’m Monika, Lisa’s friend and roommate. Or I used to be. Now she lives here!” Her eyes widen when her hands lift in the air to point at the mansion.
Wendy’s smile grows wide in understanding. “Don’t feel jealous of your friend. Luck might head your way soon, too.”
“I so wish it would. I’ll be having a baby soon.”
“Oh, dear.” Wendy’s head moves slightly up and down as she studies Monika’s fading blue dress and six-year-old black shoes. Rather than looking repulsed by her impoverished appearance, she reaches for her purse and fishes out a business card. “I’m not sure about your qualifications, but I might find you something at the company. After all, didn’t your friend get the nanny job without any previous experience? It shouldn’t be hard to get you a stable job, either. Just send me your resume; I’ll deal with the rest of it.”
Both Monika’s and my jaws drop, but I guess for different reasons. How does Wendy know I lack experience, even after hearing Loraine’s earlier praise about me in her bedroom? Kenneth must have opened up to her, although she wasn’t at the company headquarters when Kenneth ran a thorough background check on me. I must report this new tidbit to Loraine.
“Thank you so much,” Monika chirps as Wendy hands her the business card.
“I’ll see you around.” She waves at us as she heads for her red Audi.
“Wow, she’s awesome!” Monika claims loudly while I pull her into the house.
“I’d be careful expecting anything other than bullshit from her. She’s not exactly the helping type,” I begin to warn, but she walks away from me and heads for the kitchen.
Running her finger over the spotless surface of the kitchen counter, she glances at me with a soft expression. “You’re just being over-protective, and I can’t be mad at you. But, you know, I don’t have enough money to be picky about job offers. Azzam told me he might not give me the contract he’d promised me due to my pregnancy.”
The tenseness of my muscles from being around Wendy starts to loosen. I inhale a long breath to empty my mind completely of all thoughts of her, at least for the moment. “You’re right. I just don’t want you getting hurt.” Very likely, any job Wendy might have in mind for Monika isn’t half as indecent and humiliating as my job.
“I’m not gonna get hurt,” she says with an assuring tone and self-confidence, and I believe her. She suffered through Azzam’s abuse and didn’t break apart, which reminds me of the justice both Monika and I failed to deliver by not reporting Azzam to the police. The first thing I’ll do when I get out of the Carters’ house for good is to stop by a police station to get Azzam the punishment he deserves.
“Okay.” I smile and walk toward her. “We need to ask Loraine if it’s okay for you to stay the night.”
Her face winces into an apologetic expression. “Oops! I should have called ahead of time rather than showing up unannounced.”
While we head out of the kitchen, the faint knock on the front door makes us both turn our heads toward the sound.
“Who can it be?” Monika whispers.
Curious myself, I reach for the door handle and open the door to see Scott standing at the doorway.
“Has Mrs. Carter changed her mind about her appointment?” His eyes wander down to my chest before he snaps them back to my face. A dark hue of red washes over his face once he realizes I didn’t miss his straying eyes.
“Yes, she decided not to go.” I grin to ease the tension. Strangely enough, I don’t mind him checking me out. It shows I’m attractive, something I have difficulty believing.
“Oh, no, I’m going.” I hear Loraine’s words along with the rhythmic sound of her high heels clicking down the stairs. She stops before me and greets Monika in a quizzical tone. No sign of her earlier discomfort is visible as she stands with elegance in her body-hugging, short-sleeved, knee-length beige dress. And the carefully applied makeup on her face has magically erased all the signs related to her recent abortion. She looks astonishingly beautiful. “Hello, Monika. How are you?”
“I’m fine, thank you, Mrs. Carter.” Monika bows her head with respect, her body shifting toward me in a silent call for help.
“I wasn’t aware you’d be visiting us today.” Although her words are directed toward Monika, Loraine’s frowning eyes are fixed on mine, the unexpected glare in them making me bow my own head in embarrassment, too.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t call earlier,” Monika explains quickly. “I spotted last night. The emergency doctor said I was fine, but I didn’t want to stay alone tonight.”
The hardness of Loraine’s expression is replaced with a gentle smile and she lifts her hand in the air to pat Monika’s shoulder. “I’m sorry to hear that. Stay with us as long as you want.” Dropping her head, Loraine turns to me. “I’ll be gone for the rest of the afternoon. I want you to pick up the kids an hour early and take them to Kenneth’s office. They’re having a ‘bring your kids to work’ party.”
I force myself not to raise my eyebrows in suspicion. She’s their mother and Kenneth’s wife. Wouldn’t it be more appropriate for her to join the party now that she can’t blame her absence on her physical distress?
“Of course.” I nod quickly, trying my best to push away my uncharitable thoughts.
“Walk with me to the car.” Loraine motions with her head toward outside and I quickly follow suit, while whispering ‘I’ll be right back’ over my shoulder to Monika.
Despite my best attempts, more questions arise while I gaze at Loraine from the corner of my eye. Where is she going anyway? She couldn’t peel herself out of her bed for two days straight even to attend to her kids? What could be the reason for her now to not only get out of the bed, but also to put on makeup and an alluring dress?
I don’t want to acknowledge the voice in my head shouting the possibility of a lover. I might have agreed to ruin Kenneth one way or another, but I’ve known him long enough to know more than anything, it’s his wife’s unfaithfulness that’ll destroy him.
“Something must be up at the company.” Loraine comes to a sudden halt before her Mercedes and casually pulls her sunglasses from her white Channel purse. Slipping them over her face, she glances around and takes a deep breath indicating her distress. “Wendy had never dropped by to visit me before. It’s so unusual for her. I’m fairly sure she’s suspicious of something. I want you to watch her carefully at the party.”
Though concealed behind the dark shades, I can see her eyes studying me. “This dress,” she says quietly and shakes her head in dismissal. “It won’t cut it. You need to wear something that’ll draw all eyes to you.”
“Which dress would you suggest?” I ask awkwardly. For me, all the dresses, including the one I’m wearing right now, have succeeded in turning heads.
“None of the dresses we bought together. We don’t have much time left. We need to get more aggressive.” She opens her purse and pulls out a credit card. “Take this and go shopping. You’re gonna buy the shortest, tightest, strapless red dress you can find. I want Kenneth to see you from the eyes of his male colleagues.”
“But you said if I showed too much skin, Kenneth would get suspicious…”
“I know what I said. The rules of the game have changed now. We no longer have the luxury of time. It doesn’t matter much if he gets suspicious at this point.”
We? That’s funny how she includes herself, too. Last I checked, it was her idea to reduce my contract time. Did her boyfriend give her an ultimatum with a clear deadline?
“But, he specifically asked me to wear appropriate clothing when I’m with the kids.”
Loraine looks at me pointedly, as if expecting me to elaborate. “So?”
“I don’t know, shouldn’t I follow his re
quest?” I say the last word cautiously.
“His request is the least of our problems right now.” She pushes the card into my hand and briefly mentions the names of the stores I should visit to shop for the dress she has in mind. “I want results, Lisa. Make it impossible for Kenneth to remain faithful. Impossible! Do you hear me?”
CH 8
~
I nod, although I’m not sure I can make Kenneth do anything, especially be unfaithful to the wife he dearly loves. Opening the passenger door for Loraine, I watch her climb into the car and then go back to the house to inform Scott that she’s waiting for him.
Although I don’t have much time left for shopping, Monika insists on having a house tour. I only show her the living room, my bedroom and the backyard that has the tempting swimming pool. She begs to try the water, but agrees to postpone it for later when I promise her she can put on one of my dresses.
Of all the dresses she could pick, the super-mini yellow dress is the one that grabs her attention. Her belly isn’t showing yet, and thanks to the limited amount of food we’ve always had, she’s very slender. And awkwardly, her breasts appear double their usual size, perhaps due to her pregnancy. She looks better in that dress than I’ve ever looked in any of the dresses I’ve tried on. Plus, she’s a natural blonde. Loraine should have picked her rather than me.
“You shouldn’t be allowed to go out in that dress,” I joke with a laugh.
Grinning in satisfaction, she turns around to see her reflection and gazes down at her buttocks. “Holly Jesus, check out that ass!”
“You’d make Nicki Minaj jealous.” Grabbing a pair of black high heels, I place them before her and watch her body turn even hotter in the sexy sandals. I wonder if Loraine would still pay us the money if Monika turned out to be the one to seduce Kenneth.
I take the Subaru with two car seats already in it, and together with Monika, I drive to Westwood for shopping. It takes two hours and four stores to narrow down the sexiest red dress available, and when I try it on, the undeniable feeling of looking like a high-class whore almost makes me decide against buying it. But, one look at Monika’s sensual appearance in the yellow dress, and I dismiss all my hesitant reasoning. As soon as I pay for the dress, I run back to the fitting room to put it back on.