by Tia Louise
Turning onto my stomach, I try to quell the heat smoldering inside me. Fire is in my belly, and it feels like it’s radiating through my pelvis, up my spine, and to my brain.
I can’t sleep like this.
I have to find her. I need to touch her face, kiss her one more time.
Just to tell her goodnight.
Ruby said she can’t sleep with me here in this house, with me as her boss. I have to respect her wishes.
In my mind, I assure myself I won’t push her to do more than she’s comfortable with as I climb the stairs to the third floor, quietly padding in my bare feet to her room.
A light shines from under her door, and I rest my forehead against the wood straining my ears to hear any noise. I’m breathing so fast, I only hear myself. My shoulders rise and fall rapidly. In my fevered haste to get here, I didn’t even think to grab a shirt. I’m only wearing pajama pants.
This doesn’t look good for my “no pressure” approach.
I brace my palm against the door, trying to convince myself I’m okay with simply knowing she’s there, knowing this thin parcel of wood separates me from the woman I suddenly can’t seem to live without.
I’m midway through my pep-talk when the door opens in front of me. A soft gasp draws my eyes upwards. Ruby stands there in her short green robe. Her hair is tied in a low ponytail, and it hangs in shining waves over her shoulder, down her breast. Her face is fresh, as it always is before bed. She’s so fucking beautiful.
“Remi?” Her voice is breathless, rushed. “I thought I heard a noise. I—”
“I didn’t mean to disturb you.” I imagine what I must look like standing here, feverish, driven, going out of my mind with need for her. “I was in bed, and I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I…”
I can’t finish that sentence.
I want to kiss her beautiful body. I want to put my hands all over her and sink my cock deep between her thighs. I want to relive the two nights I spent in heaven less than twenty-four hours ago. I can’t stop thinking how much I need her.
But I can’t violate her wishes.
“I should go.”
“Wait…” She steps forward, placing her hand on my bare chest, and it’s almost too much. I capture her in my arms, pulling her against me.
Her mouth finds mine, and our lips part, our tongues unite, chasing. Hands are everywhere, grabbing, pushing clothes aside. We’re ravenous, kissing, biting, sucking every bit of skin we can find. Through the fog of desire, I close the door, fumbling with her in my arms to the bed.
Her robe is gone, leaving only a thin scrap of cotton between her beautiful breasts and me. It’s torn like a tissue. She pushes at the waist of my pants, and I pause to shove them off impatiently before joining her in the bed.
We’re under the blankets, and I pull her naked body flush against mine. We both groan as we slide together. I kiss her shoulder, moving to her center. I run my teeth along her collar bone before dipping lower to capture a hardened nipple between my lips.
She moans, and I can’t get enough of the taste, the feel, the smell of her body.
Her fingers are in my hair, threading and drawing me closer to her. Her legs part, and I roll her onto her back, moving between them. My arms are under her shoulder blades, holding her firmly against my chest, and I lift my chin, finding her eyes.
They’re hooded, and she nods, leaning up to meet my lips as I rise higher, thrusting deep and burying myself to the hilt in her hot, slippery depths. Again we groan as our bodies unite. We’re wild, grasping and holding, rocking together so fast. Her hips rise to meet mine, and our mouths fuse.
I’ve lost track of time, place, everything except the sensation of her body around me, pulling, milking, the growing orgasm tightening in my pelvis. She arches up, moaning and scratching her fingernails down my skin, and I can’t hold back. I’m pulsing and filling her, holding her as my only anchor to this world.
My heart beats frantically, and I blink my eyes open slowly, regaining my bearings, realizing I probably left her behind that time.
“Are you okay?” I’m propped on my elbows, holding my weight from crushing her.
Her hands touch my cheeks, and she smiles. “I’m pretty sure that’s the first time I’ve been devoured.”
She’s absolutely gorgeous, and I start to laugh. She laughs, and I slip out of her. She makes a little pouty face, and I move to my side, gathering her to me.
“I’m pretty sure that’s the first time I’ve gone crazy wanting to devour someone.”
Her finger circles lightly on my chest. “I was going a little crazy myself. I couldn’t decide if it would make me a total slut if I showed up at your door. Then I couldn’t decide if I cared.”
“You can always show up at my door. I will never judge you.”
She laughs again, burying her face in my chest and inhaling deeply. “You smell so good.”
I take a deep breath at the top of her hair—fresh roses and jasmine. “I love the scent of you all around me.”
“We might have a problem, Mr. Key.”
“I can’t see a single problem anywhere.”
We lie together in the darkness, me tracing my fingers along the soft skin of her back, her tracing her finger along the line of my bicep. After a while our breathing slows, and I start to fall asleep. The last thing I remember is the press of her lips against my skin. It’s possible I’m dreaming, but it seems like she agrees with me.
Not a problem in sight…
“Lillie, No! Oh my God—NO!” The scream snaps me out of the most divine slumber.
Ruby jumps off my chest and starts grabbing clothes. For a moment, I can’t get my bearings. Then it hits me like a sledgehammer. I slept all night in Ruby’s bedroom, naked in her bed, and now Eleanor is screaming.
Her voice is coming from down the hall where Lillie’s room is.
“Shit!” I fall out of bed, searching for my clothes.
Ruby is wearing a tee and jerking pink sweatpants over her naked body as she yells. “Eleanor! What’s wrong? What’s happening?”
She flies out of the room, and I follow her, quickly shoving my legs into my pajama pants, panic rising faster than my breath.
I’m nearly blind by the time I burst into my daughter’s room, and what I see there almost sends me slamming to the wall.
Lillie is sitting in her bed crying. Her face, her arms, her sheets, her entire bed is covered in splatters of deep red liquid. It looks like blood.
“Jesus, what happened? Lillie?” I try to get to her.
My daughter is wailing and Eleanor is ripping back blankets and sheets. The scene is utter chaos.
“Lillie!” Eleanor stands over her, grasping her arms and searching her body for wounds. Lillie’s face is beet read, and she’s bawling.
Ruby pushes right in the middle of the melee, snatching my daughter’s arm from her grandmother. Then she does the unthinkable. She lifts it to her face and touches it with her tongue.
“Ruby, no!” I shout watching her taste what looks like blood. My throat closes, and I think I might vomit.
“It’s okay!” Ruby holds up her hands, her face melting into relief. Lillie is still crying, but Ruby scoops her out of the messy bed. “It’s ketchup! It’s only ketchup.”
“Ketchup?” I collapse against the wall trying to get my heart started again.
“Thank the Lord… Lillian Alexandra, you almost gave me a heart attack!”
The sheets are a red-stained mess, and only then do I notice the three little white foil packets in the middle of the nightmare. Fucking ketchup?
“I don’t understand.” My voice is ragged. I feel like I’ve run a marathon. “How did she get them—”
Unfortunately, it’s at that very moment Eleanor sees what I’m wearing and seems to connect the dots. “Were you just…” She looks from me to the door then back at me again. “Did you just come from Ruby’s bedroom?”
“Eleanor, I can explain.”
“No.”
Her hands go up in a halting motion, and she shakes her head violently. “No no no. This will not go on in my presence.”
“If you’ll just let me explain.” Actually, I’m not sure what I’m explaining. It’s my fucking house.
Her rant continues. “I will not live this way, Remington. I draw the line here. I will not live in a house of sin. If this is what goes on, we are going to have to find another deal. You cannot have sex with an employee.”
I hope the noise of the running faucet drowns out what she’s saying. Eleanor is ranting and storming around the room with her hands in the air.
Just then the water shuts off, and I hear Ruby speaking gently. “Stop crying now. Use that cloth and wash all the ketchup off your face. I’ll be back to wash your hair.”
She enters the room and goes to the dresser. She doesn’t even look at Eleanor, who’s now glaring holes in her back as if she were the Whore of Babylon.
“I’ll wash her hair then start these sheets first thing in the morning. She can sleep with me tonight.” Ruby holds up little girl panties and a nightgown. “Good thing we had a waterproof mattress cover on the bed. I’m afraid we’ll probably have to toss these. Ketchup stains never wash out…”
Her voice dies when she finally looks up and sees Eleanor’s glaring eyes about to pop out of her head.
Ruby looks from her to me. “What’s happening now?”
To her credit, my mother in law steps closer and lowers her voice. “Was Remington sleeping in your bedroom just now?”
Ruby’s mouth drops open, and her cheeks blaze red.
I’ve had enough of the theatrics. “That’s really none of your business. What Ruby and I do on our own time is our concern.”
Lillie’s grandmother stiffens her back, tugging on the front of her robe. “Ruby is your employee. She lives in this house. I will not have this… this… fornication going on just steps from my granddaughter.”
“Jesus, take the wheel.” Ruby exhales, putting her hands on her forehead. Her eyes squeeze shut, and she shakes her head rapidly. “You know what? You’re right, Eleanor. You’re absolutely right.”
“Wait, what?” I step forward, not liking this turn of events one bit. “Ruby, what are you saying?”
“I was going to tell you in New York, but we were having such a good time—”
My shoulders are tight. “Tell me what?”
“I put a deposit on a house. It’s right near the entrance of Oakville Estates, walking distance from here. Not that I would walk. Dagwood Magee’s aunt actually owns it, and she said I could move in as soon as I’m ready.”
“You’re moving out?” I feel my control slipping.
“Good.” Eleanor crosses her arms. “I’ll help you pack.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Ruby’s eyes are fire until she turns to me.
When her eyes meet mine, they change to pleading. “I can’t stay here, Remi. You know I’m right.”
She steps closer, putting her hand on my arm, and I’m ready to argue until I hear my daughter sniffling from the bathroom.
“We’ll talk about this tomorrow.” My tone is firm. “After you take Lillie to preschool.”
Eleanor starts to speak, but I shoot her a look that says don’t you dare.
Her chin lifts, and she wraps her robe tighter around her body before stalking from the room as if she has a reason to be offended.
“Eleanor.” I call after her, and she pauses in the hallway outside the door. “I’ll secure you a place in Eagleton Manor tomorrow. I want you out of my house by the end of the day.”
Her lips part as if she’s about to say something. I only shut Lillie’s door in her face.
27
Ruby
I don’t expect to get much sleep after snuggling Lillie into bed with me. She sniffled all through her bath, and now with her little head resting on my chest, I can still feel her crying.
“Stop crying now, Lil.” My voice is soothing and I pick at her damp curls with my fingertips. “You just scared us. That’s all. It looked like you were bleeding.”
“I just wanted to squeeze them. I didn’t know they would pop.” Her little body tenses against me, and her chin dips. “Gigi thinks I’m a bad girl.”
I don’t say what I’m thinking. Gigi thinks everybody’s a bad girl.
Instead I give her a little hug. “She does not. She’s your grandmother. She thinks you poop roses.”
That turns the tears into giggles, at least for a moment. “Daddy won’t get me a puppy now. I’m not re-sponsible.”
She says the word slowly, as if she’s sounding it out, and my lips press into a frown. “I think your daddy might have forgotten about the puppy. I’ll remind him to think about it tomorrow.”
“No! Don’t remind him tomorrow. Wait til Saturday.”
I suppose when you’re four, one day makes a big difference. Too bad it’s not that way for grown-ups. “Okay, I’ll wait. Now you have school tomorrow. We need to sleep.”
She’s quiet, and I continue playing with her soft curls, tracing my finger along her arm. My heart hurts thinking what I have to do. It’s the first time in the three weeks I’ve been here she’s actually needed me in the night. Now I have to leave her.
I can’t help feeling like I’m abandoning her to the Wicked Witch of the West. Only… I guess the witch has been evicted. I wonder if Remi realizes what he’s done. I fall asleep with a frown on my face, and by morning, Lillie’s foot is under my chin, and I’m lying diagonally in the bed.
It’s hard to believe I started the night blissed out in Remi’s arms.
“Come on, butter bean. Time to get moving.” I pick up the sleeping Lillie and carry her to her bedroom.
She lets out a little whine, but I get her started brushing her teeth. Then I lay out a cute little sack dress and leggings on her bare mattress. No sign of ketchup anywhere. Remi must have carried all the sheets downstairs after I took her to bed.
When we arrive in the kitchen, Lillie and I are both dressed for the day, and I’m surprised to see a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast waiting on the bar. Glancing around, I don’t see anyone in the living room or the patio. I can’t imagine Eleanor did this. She was shooting fire from her nostrils last night. Dragon lady… Stephen was right.
I scoop breakfast onto a plate for Lillie and put a mug in the Keurig before walking down the narrow hall to the laundry room. “Eat up, Lil. I’ll just check on your sheets.”
Rounding the corner, I almost bump straight into Remi, who’s holding a bottle of Spray and Wash and looking confused.
“Hey! Did you make breakfast?” I don’t know why I feel awkward around him. After all we’ve shared, you’d think I’d start being comfortable.
Maybe the problem is all we’ve shared.
“Yeah, is it still warm? I wasn’t sure how much sleep you got after last night.” He seems worried, like it’s not my job to take care of Lillie.
“I managed to get a few more hours. You?”
“Nah, I was pretty much done for after that.” He returns to the bottle. “You said the sheets were probably ruined. I’m afraid you might be right. I treated them with this last night, but I can’t tell if it’s making much of a difference.”
“Don’t tell me you know your way around a laundry room.” Teasing helps me relax a little.
I step around him to look at the white sheets covered in tiny drawings of a mermaid princess riding a unicorn.
“I’d hate for her to lose these. Do you remember where you got them? Maybe I could order her some more.”
“No clue. I can check with Eleanor.”
Glancing up at the clock, I pat his shoulder. “Let me know. I’ve got to take off or she’ll be late for school. Just leave these. I’ll tend to them when I get back. Maybe bleach will work.”
Lillie is buckled in her booster chair in the backseat, and she sings all the way to school. I glance at her happy face in the mirror and shake my head thinking how quickly trouble
is forgotten when you’re four. I bypass the car line like always, parking instead in the lot and sweeping her out of the backseat.
Today I’m wearing a calf-length tweed skirt with a black tee that says “What’s Your Dream?” in white on the front. My hair is wrapped in a messy, low bun, and I carry Lillie’s backpack along with my square leather purse on my arm. Executive nanny.
I’m surprised to see a cluster of moms in the hall outside Terry’s class today. It’s Friday, and I try to remember if the kids have a party I forgot… I don’t remember anything, but it is the first day I’ve been here since Monday.
Shit. I chew my lip, hoping I haven’t forgotten to bring something.
“Well, look who’s back from the big city.” Serena’s voice is sharp as glass, but I don’t acknowledge her.
Leaning down, I give Lillie a hug and a kiss before sending her into class. “Say hi to purple monster number four for me.”
She takes off running. I hang her little backpack on a hook inside the door and give her teacher a wave before heading back into the hall where the bitch patrol is waiting.
Serena stands expectantly after her jab. I don’t know what she’s getting at with her statement or how she even knows where I was, and I’m not interested in finding out.
“Good morning, Serena.” I speak quickly, doing my best to make my way around them and not engage.
“I noticed Eleanor bringing Lillie to school these last few days. I thought you’d finally turned in your resignation. Seems I was wrong.” Her tone is like nails on a chalkboard. “Seems somebody got herself a promotion.”
“I accompanied Remi on a business trip, not that it’s any of your concern. He needed a plus one.”
“Is that what they’re calling it these days?” Anita Flagstaff places her hand on her chest—I’m sure to put her Birkin bag on full display. “Seems not too long ago they simply called it an escort.”
“I suppose it’s the same deal. He pays her. She provides the service.” Serena turns her back to me, but she’s speaking loud enough for me to hear. “If Phillip thinks he’s hiring a nanny like that, he’s got another thing coming.”