“Good. These are all yours free to use as you see fit, personally as well as for work.”
I stare at him in disbelief. I’m just some lowly assistant, no way is he just giving me these things to use. No freaking way. He clears his throat, then slides an envelope across the table.
“I had this overnighted. This is your company credit card. Sometimes I will ask you to go and buy things for me, to pick up something, to order something. You will do all of that on this card, along with buying yourself lunch every day.”
My breathing stops. It completely stops in my chest. Lunch every day? For me? Me? My lips part and I snap them closed as I watch him.
“This is too much,” I whisper. “I can’t. It’s too much.”
His lips twitch into a grin. “It’s not, Tennessee. These are the tools for the job and the lunches are just a perk. Julie monitors all of the accounts, so she’d tell me if there was an issue. But I’ve never really had one before.”
“Okay,” I breathe. “Okay.”
I don’t know what else to say. There are a million things that I could say, but instead, I just murmur a thank you. He continues to explain my duties to me, all of which sound way too easy.
Granted, I don’t know how to use all of the systems that he’s talking about, but I can figure it out. And I haven’t told him yet, but being available to him twenty-four-seven could be an issue.
“Mr. Astor?” I ask when he finally finishes. He hums, his eyes finding mine as he waits for my question. “You haven’t asked, and I’m not sure if you know,” I say, stumbling over my words. “But I have a child.”
His eyes widen. He sits back in his chair and he watches me for a long moment, too long. “He’s two and he’s in the childcare downstairs. It’s just the two of us, but I swear it won’t inhibit my ability to do my job and do it well.”
“It’s just the two of you?” he asks.
I don’t want to go into detail. I don’t want him to know the truth of my pregnancy, how it happened. I honestly don’t want anyone to know, not ever again.
My therapist knows, my mother knows, and a few people from college. But I don’t want Holden growing up his whole life hearing about the way he was conceived. I don’t want him to think that he is wrong or bad, because he’s not. He’s perfect.
Nodding, I smile. “Just the two of us.”
His lips turn down, his gaze flicks from mine to his desk and then back to meet mine again. “Okay, Tennessee. It won’t be a problem, your personal life is just that. Yours.”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
He smiles softly. “Don’t thank me. That’s just the way it is. We’ll be working closely together, we’ll be getting to know one another personally, but I don’t want you to feel as if you owe me any explanations about your personal life.”
Nodding, I sink my teeth into my bottom lip as my mouth turns up into a small smile. “I do appreciate it, Mr. Astor. More than you could ever know.”
“Landry,” he grunts. “You can call me Landry.”
I can feel my face heat as I say his name. “Okay, Landry. Thank you.”
He grins, his eyes searching mine, but he’s kind enough not to mention my heated face, no doubt bright red in color. He clears his throat, then continues.
“You don’t have a desk yet. I’ll see about getting something set up. You won’t need it immediately, I’m sure that Julie will keep you on your feet filing for the first week. I am going to have some time-sensitive documents that I need hand-delivered to my attorney’s office. Can you do that for me?”
“I can,” I lie.
“You’re new in the city and don’t know where anything is, right?” he asks.
Licking my lips, my mouth turns up into a grin. “I have a new phone with GPS,” I remind him.
He chuckles. “You do. If you ever need help on an errand that I send you on, don’t hesitate to say something. I’ll find a safe way to get you there and back here.”
“Thank you, Mr.—” He arches a brow causing me to pause. “Landry,” I correct.
Landry grins. “Okay, the rest of the morning you’ll file after you set your devices up. Julie can help sync everything, mainly because I don’t even know how to do that.”
I stand to my feet, thanking him again and feeling my face heat even hotter with the praise, because I’ve said thank you about a thousand times and now it’s starting to get awkward. Instead of allowing more awkwardness, I turn away from him and hurry out of his office.
LANDRY
The offer is drawn up. As I watch Tennessee leave my office, I know that Susan will not accept it, not on the first go anyway. She will fight me, for my money, for the company, just to make me miserable because she will not want her society people to know I’ve filed. She will force me to pay for the embarrassment.
Shoving the document into a folder, I turn toward my computer. Typing in her name, Tennessee Bradley into the search engine, I do something I haven’t ever done before. I contact my private detective and ask him to look into her as well.
I don’t know why I even do it, but I do know that it’s wrong, I’m just not sure how much that I care. His confirmation of my request is swift. Closing my email, I look at the searched name on my screen.
There is no social media, which is odd for her age. There is nothing except her being listed in her college directory, then I see something. University of Arkansas. I hadn’t seen it on her resume.
From what I can tell, she is only in the directory for two years, her first two years. Frowning, I wonder why she would stay only one year then go home. Her child. She became pregnant, perhaps? Her mother lives in Tulsa, maybe it’s something as simple as she went home so that Helen could help her with the baby?
It all could be just that simple. Girl meets boy, girl gets pregnant, college boy doesn’t want anything to do with the child, girl goes back home to her family. It could be that easy, but I have a feeling that it isn’t.
Judging by the way she spoke of him, which wasn’t until after she was hired. Which wasn’t until she felt that she had to, I have a feeling that it is something more. A few moments later, after not finding a damn thing, I close out the browser and lean back in my chair.
My phone rings and I’m glad that it does, because I’m thinking far too much about my new employee. I’m not surprised to see that it’s Lawrence on my caller ID.
“Lawrence,” I greet.
“How are you doing?”
I smile to myself, wondering how this child is mine. He’s so thoughtful and caring, and it makes me realize that he did the right thing by going into psychiatry, namely child and adolescent psychiatry.
“I’m fine, Lawrence,” I answer with a chuckle.
He’s quiet for a moment, then he clears his throat. “I called and talked to mother,” he announces, his voice dipping low. I don’t respond, unsure of what he is going to say next. “She is going to make this ugly and I just… I wanted to let you know.”
Closing my eyes, I know that I made the right decision by living in misery the past decade. Lawrence would not have been able to handle any of this as a child of seventeen. He was even more sensitive back then.
My lips curve up into a smile and I have to be thankful for the soul that he is, especially in this cruel world. A thought pops into my head. Tennessee has much of the same traits as Lawrence, as far as I can tell. Life can be cruel and yet, she seems so untouched by it.
I know that she isn’t untouched by the hard realities of life, not now that I’ve found out about her child. She has suffered some kind of hardship, though to what depth I’m not sure of, quite yet. No wonder I am drawn to her, it’s just because she reminds me of Lawrence. That must be what it is.
“I know she will. I’m prepared, my attorney is prepared. I’m under no illusion that any of this will be easy, on any of us. Just know that I am here, always. No matter what.”
“I know,” he rasps. “I just… at your age, do you think that you can take such s
tress?”
I let out a bark of laughter, it is so loud that it bounces off the walls of my office. “So I’m ancient?” I ask.
“Dad, you’re over sixty. Let’s not pretend.”
“My son, the doctor,” I murmur. “I run forty miles a week. I lift weights three days a week, and I box two days a week. I think my old heart can take the stress of divvying up some assets.”
He doesn’t say anything right away, instead he’s quiet, then I hear him clear his throat. “You do all that?”
“I do.”
“How?”
Chuckling, I lean back and look at the ceiling. “I wake up every morning and run. Then I have scheduled trainers for the rest. Usually in the afternoons when I know that I’ll need to blow off some steam.”
“Okay, then,” he grumbles.
“I appreciate your concern, Lawrence. How about we do lunch later this week? I’ll have my assistant schedule it and make reservations.”
“How is Julie?”
I debate not telling him the truth. I debate letting him believe that it’s Julie, but a lie by omission is still a lie in my book.
“I hired a new assistant. One who handles just my personal affairs. It will be good for her to practice. She’s never done anything like this before.”
“You hired someone untrained? You? Landry Astor, hired someone to help in your personal life, untrained?” he asks.
Clearing my throat, I look around the room, sweat trickling on my forehead. “I did,” I admit. “She is just out of college, she needs experience,” I halfway lie.
I do not need rumors and speculation to begin, not when I’ve done nothing except imagine Tennessee’s lips on my body. No, I do not need Susan poking around, wondering why I hired Tennessee as my personal assistant and not simply an intern, when I know without a doubt that she believes there is someone else. The last thing I need is to scare poor Tennessee with false allegations.
If there are going to be any allegations at all, I want them to at least be founded.
Ending the call with Lawrence and his speculations, I call Tennessee into my office and give her instructions on how to check my calendar and where to make the reservations for later in the week, preferably Thursday if I have an opening.
Chapter Eight
TENNEESSEE
I practically run toward the childcare center when Landry says that I can officially leave for the day. It doesn’t take me long to pack up my things and take off toward the elevators. Pushing the main floor button, I shift from side to side as the elevator begins to make its descent.
The car stops on the fourth floor and I inwardly groan as the doors open and a few more people pile in front of me. I’m practically vibrating with excitement to see Holden. It’s only been a few hours since I popped in to see him at lunch, but it’s felt like a lifetime.
“How was your first day?” a smooth, deep voice asks from next to me.
Tilting my head back, I turn and look into his eyes. They look so much like his father’s it’s almost disturbing. Except where Landry’s gaze is full of knowledge and experiences, Laurent’s gaze is only full of lust, desire, and pure cockiness.
“It was good,” I reply.
He doesn’t say anything else right away. There is a lull before the elevator stops and more people walk in, forcing me to move backward, and one step closer to Laurent.
“Go to dinner with me to celebrate your first day,” he rasps.
I shake my head once. I remember the way that Bethie was looking up at him this morning. But it’s not just that, I don’t like him. Not at all. He’s not my type, and I have a feeling Holden would be nothing but an annoyance and hindrance to a man like him.
“No thanks, Laurent.”
“I’ll wear you down,” he chuckles as soon as the elevator dings and the doors to the mail floor open.
I don’t correct him by saying that he won’t. Instead, I just shuffle out of the space like everyone else. My feet move quickly, almost in a sprint as I make my way toward my destination. There is a line forming of people picking up their children and I can’t help but shift from side to side as I wait for my turn.
When I reach the front, I go through the process of signing Holden out, showing my identification, signing the sign-out sheet, and gathering his things. I’m full to bursting with anxiousness and excitement to have him back with me again.
Eight hours, even with the lunch visit, is just too long away from him. When I walk into the parent waiting room, I watch as each child is hand-delivered to their waiting parent before another is brought out.
My ID in hand, I am waiting and ready for my little boy. It doesn’t take too long for the door to open and he appears. I can’t stop my lips from turning up into a huge smile. He sees me and his eyes widen, then his little feet start moving faster, tugging the staff member behind him.
She laughs as they approach. “I’m sure I don’t even have to ask if you’re his mother, but I do need to see some identification.”
Laughing softly, I lift my hand, showing her my ID. She smiles with a nod as her eyes scan the card, my face, then she looks at the card again, then my face before she shifts Holden into my hands.
“Have a great evening, Tennessee,” she calls out.
Holden takes my hand, but I have zero chill. Bending slightly, I squat down in front of him as ladylike as possible. He reaches forward, cupping my cheeks, then leans in and touches his wet, slobbery lips to mine.
“Mama,” he says softly.
“Holden,” I whisper, attempting to keep my shit together—I do, but barely.
He tilts his head to the side, his big green eyes widening even more before his lips turn up into a gleaming bright smile. “I want to go back,” he cries. “Fun.”
“You had fun?” I ask.
He nods his head excitedly. Scooping him up in my arms, I hug him against my chest. “Good, sweetie, I’m glad.”
Turning away from the parent room, I make my way out and toward the reception room of the building. Looking toward Bethanie’s counter, I’m not surprised to see her there, packing up her desk for the day.
Making my way over to her, I set Holden down on the counter, making sure to keep my arms wrapped around him. He’s playing with the little fake-gold and diamond necklace I’m wearing around my neck.
“How was your first full day?” she asks as she finishes shutting her computer down and clearing off her station.
“Really…” I pause for a moment, inhaling a deep breath. “Busy.”
“Do you want to do lunch tomorrow, talk about it?”
Flicking my gaze to Holden, I shift it back to meet hers. I could go back in and meet with Holden for lunch tomorrow like I did today, or I could go with Bethie. I don’t know what the right decision is.
I want to be with Holden, but I also know that he needs to get into a routine in his new setting. This is going to be the Monday through Friday routine and I won’t always be able to meet him for lunch, especially if I have something to do for Landry.
“Okay, lunch,” I agree with a nod.
“Are you sure?” she asks on a grin, her gaze shifting from mine to Holden, then back to me.
My lips turn up into a grin. “I’m sure.”
“Bethanie?” a deep voice calls out, a voice that I recognize.
She pauses, then turns her head to the side. There is Laurent, standing with his palm up. Bethie turns her head, her eyes meeting mine, and I watch as her lips curve up into a grin before she gives me a wink.
“Tomorrow, lunch,” she calls out, lifting her hand to give me a wave.
I watch as she rushes over to Laurent, slipping her palm in his, they start to walk away. He turns back, looking over her head at me, his lips twitching into a smirk before he winks, licking his lower lip, then they disappear through the front door.
Shaking my head, I hitch Holden back onto my hip, shrugging my heavy bags over my shoulder and head toward the path that they just took, out the front door.
I’m not sure what’s going on with Bethie and Laurent, but it’s weird that he keeps asking me out when there is obviously something happening between them.
Holden wraps his little arms around my neck, all thoughts of Bethie and Laurent disappear as he rests his cheek against my chest. He’s lulled asleep by the motion of my body swaying back and forth as I walk us home.
It doesn’t take us long to get home, but by the time we walk inside, I’m sweating more than I imagined possible. It’s only a few city blocks away, but in high heels, a dress, and holding a toddler, it feels like it’s hot as fucking hell.
LANDRY
Standing, I walk over to the window that looks out over the city behind my desk and I scan the Dallas skyline. It’s much quieter now that most of the staff is off for the day. My head is a little less jumbled now that a certain green-eyed beauty is gone as well.
“Landry,” Julie’s voice warns.
I don’t bother turning around, she’ll make her way inside and sit down across from my desk, ready to rip me a new asshole for hiring a sweet young thing that I’m obviously attracted to. I’ve never done anything like this before and as much as I want to tell myself that it’s all because I’m doing a favor for an old friend of my wife’s, I know that it would be a lie.
“You’ve voiced your concerns. What else?” I ask, still not turning around.
“She’s younger than Lucinda,” she states.
I hum. “Yes, this I know.”
“She’s mature, at least as far as I can tell. She’s a mother, too.”
“And?”
When Julie doesn’t answer me right away, slowly I turn around to face her. She has her nose scrunched up, and her lips pressed together as she watches me. Arching a brow, I clear my throat as I urge her to tell me what’s on her mind.
“Don’t play with her,” she rasps.
“I’m not doing anything with anyone,” I grunt.
Hypocritically Yours: A Standalone Age-Gap Romance Page 6